There has been a ton of speculation regarding IWGP Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks’ (Nick and Matt Jackson) professional wrestling futures.
The pair are one of the most decorated tag teams of all time and have won championships all over the world. Their current contracts with Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) are set to expire at the end of the year, causing many to speculate as to whether or not they’re going to be WWE bound soon.
Matt Jackson recently answered 10 questions in a Q&A on his Instagram account. Given that their contracts are set to expire soon, Jackson was asked if he’s considering signing with WWE. He said “I’m considering everything right now.”
Another fan asked if Jackson has plans for retirement and how much longer he and his brother plan on wrestling. Interestingly enough, Jackson answered “much shorter than people imagine.”
He also noted that he doesn’t think The Young Bucks are the greatest tag team of all time, but said when their careers are all said and done the goal is to make that notion come true.
In a landmark announcement, ROH and NJPW have just announced a super-card from Madison Square Garden.
“ROH and NJPW are proud to announce that on April 6th, 2019, the companies will join forces to present the ultimate wrestling event,” an ROH press release reads. “G1 Supercard, to fans from around the world, LIVE from Madison Square Garden in New York City!”
It had previously been reported that talks between ROH and the historic venue had broken down.
G1 Supercard Madison Square Garden
“The G1 Supercard is an event that can only represent the absolute best possible matches with both NJPW and ROH stars. Madison Square Garden is the perfect venue for them,” said Greg Gilleland, ROH General Manager
“This is a historic initiative for ROH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling,” Harold Meij, President of NJPW proudly commented. “This gives us a great chance to expose fans to NJPW in the building which housed so many memorable and compelling matches.”
The only confirmed participants so far are Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
ROH and NJPW Book Madison Square Garden
“We are thrilled to welcome Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling to Madison Square Garden for the much anticipated G1 Supercard,” said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, MSG Marquee Events. “We expect April 6th to be another memorable night of wrestling at The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
“This is destined to join a long list of historical wrestling moments and where better to hold it than at Madison Square Garden,” ROH Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff said.
Koff would continue to say that this would not be possible without the tremendous fan support they enjoy.
Tickets will go on sale August 8th, 2017 at 10AM ET for Honor Club VIP subscribers. They will go on sale to the general public August 10th.
Ring of Honor has announced that British wrestling Legends Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch will be taking on The Young Bucks at London’s York Hall for Honor ReUnited. This clash of generations will be taking place on August 19th.
Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch both made their ROH debuts on June 22nd 2002 at the ‘Road to the Title’ at the Murphy Rec Center and were opponents on that evening. ROH sent out the following press release hyping Storm/Fleisch and the bout:
“Fleisch and Storm have a decade-plus of tag team experience teaming together with accolades that include being the first-ever 1PW Tag Team Champions and have stated they are looking to make an instant splash into the most competitive tag team division in the world in ROH! Fleisch and Storm at young ages early in their careers built their lineages that include bouts against ROH pioneers Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles and more recently against some of the top independent stars in the world and they will be in tag team action in Doncaster and London!
The Young Bucks clash with Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm for the first time in London! The Bucks are looking to get back to the top of the tag team mountain while Fleisch and Storm look to pick up victories over first the Briscoes in Doncaster and then the Young Bucks in London! Who will pick up the victory? Join us to find out!”
Tickets are available to purchase via the tweet below.
A former Ring of Honor World Champion and 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion for Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced he is attempting a return to the ring. Takeshi Morishima retired on the advice of doctors in 2015. Morishima’s test results showed abnormally high levels of glycated hemoglobin, a likely indicator of diabetes.
Morishima’s return to the ring was announced at a show held earlier today and promoted by WON Hall-of-Famer, Riki Choshu. It was revealed Morishima is planning to return this October.
Check out footage of Morishima’s match with Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem in 2007 below. The match was awarded “Match of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima held the Ring of Honor World Championship from February 17th, 2007 until October 6th, 2007. He defeated Homicide for the belt but eventually dropped it to current NXT color commentator, Nigel McGuiness. His 20 defenses of the championship are good for 7th in Ring of Honor history.
ROH World Champion Title Defenses
Bryan Danielson – 38
Nigel McGuiness – 38
Austin Aries – 29
Samoa Joe – 29
Jay Lethal – 28
Adam Cole – 22
Takeshi Morishima – 20
Kevin Steen – 18
Jay Briscoe – 18
Cody – 16
Davey Richards – 10
Morishima is a 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion, 5x GHC Tag-Team Champion, and won the Global League in 2011. He won the Cauliflower Alley Club Future Legend Award in 2007.
His highest ranking ever achieved in the PWI 500 rankings was 10th in 2007. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded him Most Improved Wrestler of the year honors in 2006 and two more awards the next year. In 2007, he won Match of the Year w/ Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem and also the “Best Brawler” award.
Yesterday, Jay Lethal released a statement regarding accusations made by Taeler Hendrix. Lethal denied all allegations against him and encouraged fans on Twitter to refrain from sending hateful messages to either himself or the accuser.
Hendrix responded on Twitter, posting direct messages sent to her by Lethal.
deny all you want. you sent me this before you pulled me aside at a live event, told me what you told me. just because the business has been a certain way for so long. I'm tired of it and I'm fighting for what's right. pic.twitter.com/CxUkFsGOrY
Hendrix made her accusations against Jay Lethal during an interaction on social media with a fan on July 4th, 2018.
also the dude your standing up for is the same dude that told me because I didn't sleep with him they sabotaged me and took me off TV. that being the all mighty Jay.
I know this is going to be on wrestling sites. My name is Taeler & this is my statement: attorneys on my behalf have an ongoing investigation. I know I'm not the only one & ppl that have known of this investigation have been supportive. I'll continue to fight for what's right.?
ROH released a statement regarding the matter to PW Torch:
“We were troubled to hear the allegations that surfaced last night on Twitter. We take these matters very seriously and will be investigating this situation thoroughly, reviewing all evidence related to the matter. Ring of Honor strives to provide an environment and workplace where male and female wrestlers are free from any misconduct or abuse. We will take appropriate action upon the conclusion of our findings.”
Jay Lethal then released a statement on the matter yesterday:
Please do not use my words here as fuel to attack myself or my accuser, there is already too much hate going around in the world so let’s not add to it. pic.twitter.com/eZ5IVcPSez
“Let me be clear, there is absolutely no validity to these baseless allegations,” Lethal wrote in his longer response. “Throughout my career, I have sought to conduct myself with honor and integrity. I would never engage in any conduct that disrespects this business or the men and women in this industry.
“Every individual has a right to be heard and must be given every opportunity to speak truth to power. Anyone engaging in misconduct or abuse of any kind simply has no place in our business or our society.
“I am confident that these unfortunate allegations will be proven to be completely unfounded at the conclusion of Ring Of Honor’s investigation.”
Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated ROH officials told them Hendrix was never released from the promotion. “According to ROH, Taeler Hendrix was never fired,” Alvarez Tweeted. “She was not under contract, was working on a per-show basis, and was booked for events in April 2017, but then resigned in writing prior to those events.”
Ring Of Honor (ROH) has issued out an official statement, initially sent to PWTorch, in regards to the allegations towards ROH World Champion Jay Lethal from former promotion star Taeler Hendrix.
Hendrix alleged on Twitter that her push was “sabotaged” because she refused to sleep with Lethal. It all began when Hendrix started Tweeting negative comments about Lethal before a fan begun to defend him.
She responded by saying “the dude your standing up for is the same dude that told me because I didn’t sleep with him they sabotaged me and took me off TV. that being the all mighty Jay.”
She then revealed in a Tweet that her attorneys are in the midst of an ongoing investigation into the matter:
I know this is going to be on wrestling sites. My name is Taeler & this is my statement: attorneys on my behalf have an ongoing investigation. I know I'm not the only one & ppl that have known of this investigation have been supportive. I'll continue to fight for what's right.?
Let the hate roll in. Doesn't change what happened. I came forward privately long ago & now it's public. If I stay silent I'll be part of the problem. I can't live w/ that. I'll fight for what's right. Threatening me/supposed burned bridges changes nothing. Let the hate roll in.
“I know this is going to be on wrestling sites. My name is Taeler & this is my statement: attorneys on my behalf have an ongoing investigation. I know I’m not the only one & ppl that have known of this investigation have been supportive. I’ll continue to fight for what’s right.Let the hate roll in. Doesn’t change what happened. I came forward privately long ago & now it’s public. If I stay silent I’ll be part of the problem. I can’t live w/ that. I’ll fight for what’s right. Threatening me/supposed burned bridges changes nothing. Let the hate roll in.”
ROH responded with the following:
”We were troubled to hear the allegations that surfaced last night on Twitter. We take these matters very seriously and will be investigating this situation thoroughly, reviewing all evidence related to the matter.
“Ring of Honor strives to provide an environment and workplace where male and female wrestlers are free from any misconduct or abuse. We will take appropriate action upon the conclusion of our findings.”
We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available…
Ring of Honor have announced that two of British Independent wrestling’s greatest icons will be taking part in their upcoming Honor ReUnited tour that starts on August 18th from Doncaster, England.
Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch both made their ROH debuts on June 22nd 2002 at the Road to the Title at the Murphy Rec Center and were opponents on that evening. Ring of Honor issued the following as part of a press release on the duo and announced that they will be teaming for the tour:
“Fleisch and Storm have a decade-plus of tag team experience teaming together with accolades that include being the first-ever 1PW Tag Team Champions and have stated they are looking to make an instant splash into the most competitive tag team division in the world in ROH! Fleisch and Storm at young ages early in their careers built their lineages that include bouts against ROH pioneers Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles and more recently against some of the top independent stars in the world and they will be in tag team action in Doncaster and London!”
This follows the news that PROGRESS star Jimmy Havoc will be taking part in the tour as part of the International Cup. You can read more on that story here.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm return to #ROH for the #HonorReUnited Tour!
Jay Lethal is on top of the mountain in Ring of Honor once again.
Ring of Honor held TV taping last weekend in Fairfax, Virginia at the EagleBank Arena. At the show, Lethal beat Matt Taven, Cody and champion Dalton Castle in a fatal 4-way match to win the ROH World Title. This is Lethal’s second time winning the title. Castle won it back in December at Final Battle. It was a surprise to most fans as the promotion held its Best in the World PPV just 24 hours before this taping.
Lethal spoke with the official Ring of Honor website about his big win and how he wants it to be longer than his first reign as champion. The newly crowned ROH Champion stated that this title win means that he’s at the top of his game once again as being champion comes with operating at a higher level, a level that most people never reach. “There’s only a select few people that have been at that level twice. I plan on making this title reign way longer than my first title reign.”
Lethal also talked about winning the title for the second time and how it differs from the first time in 2015. He brought up the fact that when he won the title the first time there was a lot of bragging because he could back it up.
“Maybe had a few people in my ear, helping me think that way, being a little bit braggadocious. As to now, it’s not overconfidence, I’m more comfortable and confident in my abilities – not over confident – but confident. That would probably be the biggest comparison between now and then. Just a little more trash talking before – while still backing it up – this time maybe all actions will be in the ring and a little less trash talking.”
What are your thoughts on Lethal’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Cody Rhodes is generally complimentary of Triple H when he speaks about his time in WWE. He decided to take a jab at WWE’s COO recently on Twitter, however.
Cody’s jab came after it was revealed that Deonna Purrazzo has pulled out of All-In on September 1st, 2018. Speculation is Purrazzo is likely going to be competing in the Mae Young Classic next month.
“It’s been incredible to see first hand what @MattJackson13, @NickJacksonYB, & @CodyRhodes envision for pro wrestling. I am so sad I won’t be wrestling at #AllIn but my heart will be there September 1st ”
Cody responded to Deonna’s Tweet with some advice on how to handle her potential photo with Triple H.
Take 1 large step forward in the photo, he likes to make people look shorter than him.
“Take 1 large step forward in the photo, he likes to make people look shorter than him. Good luck D. Beat everybody. Run up the score.”
WWE Signing All-In Talents?
Last month, Cody addressed the possibility of WWE signing talents scheduled to appear at All-In. The discussion began when a fan asked Dave Meltzer on Twitter about how WWE might decide to counter the Chicago event.
“Nope and tickets are sold,” Meltzer responded to a fan’s question of possible WWE action against the event. “All they can do it try and sign the talent on the show and pull them, and most are under contract elsewhere past that date.”
Cody saw the Twitter conversation and responded. “That’s a possibility,” Cody admitted. “Everybody has different goals. If your goal is to take a meet/greet style handshake photo, and pretend to be excited about going back to wrestling school…that’s your prerogative ha.”
In the Being the Elite universe, Joey Ryan is presumed dead. That Ryan has been wrestling regularly on the independent scene is not referenced on the show. The characters on Being the Elite believe Joey Ryan is missing and presumed dead, however. Stephen Amell had been considered a suspect.
Marty Scurll and Hangman Page ran into Joey Ryan’s hot-wife, Laura James, to start off the episode. James noted that Page looks an awful lot like Amell. Scurll and James then talked about how they would beat up Joey’s killer if he was there. This caused Page to storm off from the scene.
James then told Scurll that she is unable to make her late husband’s funeral and Scurll commented on how poorly Ryan’s funeral is going to draw.
Later in the show, it was revealed that actor, Stephen Amell, had been let out of prison due to insufficient evidence.
Matt Jackson confronted Page about having killed Ryan and Page responded by strangling him and storming off. Jackson then told his brother he believes Page is responsible for Ryan’s disappearance.
During the funeral, Flip Gordon noted that since Ryan was presumed dead there is an open spot on All-In.
Hangman Page showed up to the funeral at the very end despite Matt Jackson not inviting him. He said Joey Ryan taught him to never give up and to never quit. Page continued to say he believes Ryan would be proud that he became a famous dick-wrestler just like him. As Page is in the hallway collecting himself a mysterious voice tells him “I know you didn’t kill Joey Ryan, because I did.”
Other Developments Stemming From the Show
The Bucks released their Funko Pops at Hot Topic. They showed footage of them taking their kids to Hot Topic and buying some.
Matt Jackson also has a kids book coming out soon about anti-bullying. Pre-orders are available at Tasselson.com.
Most of the scenes were filmed while ROH was in Baltimore for Best in the World.
The members of SCU offered the Bucks and Flip Gordon some “gimmicks” from a pill bottle. This caused Scurll to pause the live action and give a Zack Morris-style narration promo. After un-freezing, the Bucks and Flip said they didn’t want any because they are drug-free. They would later show up to Joey Ryan’s funeral but only because Joey was from Southern California. It was the worst funeral they had ever been to.
Cody came out after this and confronted the Bucks about their attitudes leading into his second match with Kenny Omega. He said he’s aware the Bucks meant to kick him in the face at SuperCard of Honor.
Nakamura and Tanahashi have faced each other a number of times before in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and were considered the top rivals in the company.
Both of them have main evented Wrestle Kingdom, in 2008 and 2014 for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Intercontinental Championship respectively.
Another Match Added To Chris Jericho’s Cruise
Ring of Honor Wrestling has announced that their Sea of Honor Tournament on Chris Jericho’s upcoming Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager cruise will feature another match. “Hangman” Adam Page will go against Kazarian in singles action:
Ring of Honor has announced that UK star Jimmy Havoc will be taking part in the upcoming International Cup as part of the Honor ReUnited tour of the United Kingdom in August.
Havoc is a former CZW Tournament of Death winner, the longest reigning Champion in PROGRESS Wrestling history and has performed on a consistent basis for the top promotions in the UK including DEFIANT, Rev Pro, XWA:UK, IPW:UK, ICW Fight Club: Pro and the aforementioned PROGRESS.
The tournament is being billed as “United States vs United Kingdom” and ROH issued the following press release for the announcement of Havoc:
“One of the most sadistic and masochistic wrestlers in the world makes his Ring of Honor debut in Edinburgh as part of Ring of Honor’s Inaugural International Cup! Jimmy Havoc has held championships from all around the globe, including the Progress Championship and CZW Tournament of Death 2016, and is the first competitor announced for the inaugural ROH International Cup! Havoc thrives against more physical and violent wrestlers like Masada and Matt Tremont but is known for his victories against Pete Dunne, Tommy End, Will Ospreay, and Matt Riddle! Havoc is most dangerous not because of the violence he can deliver but because of his ability to wrestle his own match within the confines of the rules of the bout.
Havoc has one of the premiere reputations on the independent scene and enters the tournament as not only its first entrant but also its favorite. Havoc will face an American star to be named in the coming weeks as part of the first round in Edinburgh, with the winners of the first four matches of the International Cup meeting in the semifinals in Doncaster, and the winners of the two semifinal matches meeting in the finals in Doncaster. The inaugural winner of the International Cup will face whomever the Ring of Honor World Champion may be on Sunday August 19 in London!“
Kevin Sullivan does not believe wrestling fans think Ring of Honor’s product is cool. He believes the roster is as talented as any he’s ever seen but he lacks faith in the promotion itself.
The 68-year-old former Dungeon of Doom leader was a guest on Interactive Wrestling Radio in May. Sullivan had plenty to say regarding his feelings towards Ring of Honor during the show.
Kevin Sullivan Interview Highlights
On the topic of Ring of Honor’s roster, Sullivan had this to say.
“Let me tell you about their talent. I’ve seen them all in my 40 years. Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe matches are just as good as Funk and Brisco, Flair and Steamboat,” Sullivan said. These guys are just superb. They’ve got some great young talent. Dalton Castle? He’s a special talent. They get Cody [Rhodes] there. He’s a special talent and an influx of New Japan guys.”
Sullivan believes the only reason ROH broke their attendance record at Supercard of Honor this year is the event is held over WrestleMania weekend. He believes WWE draws the house for them in that situation.
“What are they going to do if they’re wrestling fans?” Sullivan asked out loud. “Of course, you’re going to go to the show! They haven’t drawn! Are you kidding me? What else would a wrestling fan do?”
Sullivan then described what he feels is definitive proof that ROH is not seen as cool by fans.
“I’ll give you why and I think this is the definite proof. Last Saturday, Ring of Honor was in Chicago with Cody and all of the boys, right? They drew 1,600 people. On Sunday, All In drew 11,000 people in 29 minutes and 31 seconds. What is wrong with this picture? People look at Ring of Honor and think it is uncool.”
What do you think of Kevin Sullivan’s comments about Ring of Honor?
Former WWE Superstar and current Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Tenille Dashwood (a.k.a. Emma) recently did an interview with Daily Mirror to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Dashwood first shared her thoughts on the Women’s Revolution in ROH:
“What I’d like to do is bring some of what I’ve already done into Ring of Honor and Women of Honor. With the timing of the championship tournament back in April, Ring of Honor is putting a lot behind the women this year. So it’s really good timing and exciting for me to be a part of it.
“I want to continue to grow that and the awareness of the skill both ROH and the women have here and continue to kinda push those boundaries. Maybe we could do those things like intergender matches or women main-eventing pay-per-views and just pushing all those boundaries, especially now that we have the Women of Honor championship on the show as well.”
She then discussed having more control of her identity as a character, as well as having more freedom in the ring with ROH as opposed to WWE:
“It’s amazing. I guess you could say I’ve found this newfound energy in life and in wrestling. All of a sudden, all of these ideas started flowing through my head again. I wanted to try new things, I had ideas for things that I had done in the past and I watched people, I saw their styles, new things came to me and I’ve integrated that into my matches.
“All of a sudden, I just had this almost like new passion and energy. Excitement was there because I had the realization of having matches that weren’t always TV matches, that weren’t always strict on timelines or storylines and more so focused on the wrestling, different opponents I hadn’t worked before and a lot of one-on-one matches. I’m able to get out there and wrestle for longer periods of time. It was like a whole new thing I hadn’t done really in years.”
Finally, Dashwood named which WWE stars she’d like to see crossover into the ROH brand one day:
“It’s hard to name just one haha, but if I had to pick I’d say Bayley and I’ll explain why. She is one of the most passionate, dedicated and hardworking women I have come across in this business.
“Her and I are very close, we lived together at one point throughout NXT and still to this day, I admire her so much for the hard work she constantly puts in, the new ideas she has, the drive she has to never settle and always want more and those are all feelings I have within as well. If there’s anyone I could go out there and kill it with in a Ring of Honor ring that would be Bayley.”
You can read Dashwood’s full interview with Daily Mirror by clicking this link here.
Ring of Honor crowned a new World Champion last night in Fairfax, VA.
Following his ROH World title defense at Best in the World 2018, Dalton Castle would have to defend his title again for the second night in a row. Not only that, Castle would have to defend the belt in a fatal 4-way match against Cody, Jay Lethal, and Matt Taven.
The winner of the match and new ROH World Champion is Jay Lethal. He is now just the 4th person to ever hold the title on multiple occasions.
The show in Fairfax last night was a scheduled TV taping but the world title match streamed live for Honor Club subscribers. Normally, TV tapings don’t air on the streaming service until after they have aired on television.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 1, 2018
New ROH World Champion
Jay Lethal’s first run with the ROH World title lasted 427 days. During his reign, Lethal successfully defended his title 28 times. He would eventually drop the title to Adam Cole.
As for the former champion, Dalton Castle, it looks as though he’ll be taking some time off. Castle was walking gingerly on his left leg last night and at Best in the World on Friday. Commentary let fans know that he was also suffering from a herniated disc in his lower back as well.
Castle’s reign as ROH World Champion concludes at 198 days. He defeated Cody for the title at Final Battle 2017. He defended the title 5x during his reign. He defeated Punishment Martinez, Tarkan Aslan, the Beer City Bruiser and Beretta (3-way), Jay Lethal, and Cody and Marty Scurll (3-way).
Only Adam Cole has won the ROH World title more than 2x. Lethal now joins Austin Aries and Jay Briscoe as the only others to hold the title multiple times.
Lethal currently sits at #5 on the all-time list of most combined days spent with the title. The record holder is still Samoa Joe, whose one reign with the belt lasted 645 days.
Ring of Honor’s Best in the World pay-per-view last night was from just outside Baltimore in the UMBC Event Center.
The venue holds just over 6000 for basketball and the commentary team said attendance was 2.5x more than for any other Ring of Honor event in the area. ROH has also been looking at booking bigger venues in most markets they run as of late.
The company was also looking to run Madison Square Garden in New York next spring. That deal ended up falling through, however.
ROH Best in the World 2018 Results
ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships
The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia) (c) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Evil and Sanada)
Flip Gordon defeated Bully Ray via DQ
Bully hit him with a low blow.
Several ROH “young boys” attempted to help. Cheeseburger made the final save.
Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose, Mayu Iwatani and Tenille Dashwood defeated Kelly Klein and Oedo Tai (Hazuki, Kagetsu and Hana Kimura)
Kagetsu is the Stardom champion and Sakai the WOH champ. They were teasing something between the two.
Iwatani got the pin for her team.
Austin Aries defeated Kenny King
They mentioned Aries is the Impact World champion but Cabana pretended as though they shouldn’t have said that.
Jay Lethal defeated KUSHIDA
They teased some dissension between the two here. KUSHIDA refused to shake Lethal’s hand before the match. He also later mocked Lethal with a Randy Savage styled axehandle. I feel as though this is something which could be explained during a later episode of Being the Elite. Lethal has been slipping in and out of his old Black Machismo gimmick on the show.
ROH World TV Championship
Punishment Martinez (c) defeated Hangman Page
The finish of this match came when Martinez delivered a South of Heaven chokeslam to his opponent through a table. As the ref counted the three, however, both wrestlers’ shoulders were against the mat. Despite this, the ref awarded the victory to Martinez. ROH officials may have a later ruling due to the controversy at the finish of this match.
ROH World Tag Team Championships
the Briscoes (c) defeated the Young Bucks
The Briscoes have now defeated the Bucks 8 out of their 13 meetings with the Bucks.
After the match, SCU came out and looked as though they were going to attack the Bucks. Instead, they attacked the Briscoes and made their intentions of being the next title challengers clear.
ROH World Championship 3-Way
Dalton Castle (c) defeated Cody and Marty Scurll
Castle retains his title despite seemingly dealing with several nagging injuries. His leg and shoulder were taped up for this match.
NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, was ringside. At one point, Aldis pulled the ref out of the ring when it looked like Scurll would win the title.
The finish came when Scurll gave Cody his own Cross Rhodes finisher but then Castle gave Scurll the Bangarang and got the pin.
Cody loses the first of 3 big title opportunities he has this summer.
Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Flip Gordon recently did an interview with the New York Post to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Gordon first talked about trying to get booked for “All In”:
“[Brandi Rhodes and I], we’re gonna figure out what she can do to help me get booked. In the meantime, Cody still hates my guts and has no plans on booking me, and I don’t know why. Maybe that’s my next step, figuring out why he doesn’t want to book me. If I figure out why, maybe I can change that why.
“That or break in. Don’t tell the cops. I can’t believe I just said that. Now they are going to be waiting for me at the door. Now, I’m going to have to buy a ticket. It’s sold out, so I’m screwed. I’ve had lots of fans who told me they got me an extra ticket.”
He then talked about today’s professional wrestling product compared to the past. Gordon feels today’s style is more fast and presents a more athletic style than ever before:
“I think it is a faster, more unique, athletic style. I think wrestling now is more like an action-movie fight, not necessarily amateur wrestling like it was back in high school. It’s evolved. It’s different. It’s not just headlocks and hips tosses.”
Gordon then discussed his role on “Being The Elite” and how weird it feels to be the “little brother”:
“It’s kind of funny because I’ve never been the little brother. I’ve always been the oldest brother out of my family. I’ve never had an older brother. I always looked to my cousins or other people that I looked up to as big brothers. So it’s kind of funny. I guess that is kind of my character because the Young Bucks, Marty, all them are like big brothers to me.”
You can read Gordon’s full interview with the New York Post by clicking this link here.
Marty Scurll is preparing for one of the biggest matches of his career.
Ring of Honor holds their Best in the World PPV event tonight from Maryland, Baltimore at the UMBC Event Center. Scurll is involved in the show’s main event, a triple threat match involving Ring of Honor World Champion Dalton Castle and fellow Bullet Club member Cody Rhodes.
Scurll spoke with SI.com this week to promote the event and spoke about what it would mean for him to capture the ROH World Championship. He also addressed critics who have said he’s being ‘overlooked’ and lost in the shuffle of the title match.
“I wouldn’t see myself as the “third man”. I’m the man that the fans want to see as Ring of Honor champion. It’s time. You can’t beat my popularity at Ring of Honor. It’s time for a change. The fans want a champion who can give them those matches and memories that last forever. One that can take them on a ride. Both Cody and Dalton are great wrestlers, but if we’re all brutally honest with ourselves, they can’t lace my boots.”
Scurll referenced the legendary title reigns of guys like Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, two men who stole the show every time they defended the gold. He doesn’t believe the ROH World Championship has had the prestige it once was and sees Best In The World as his chance to be the fighting champion fans crave.
Scurll is a main character in the Being The Elite series. In this interview, he was asked what he has gained from his time on the show and the creativity of the Young Bucks.
“Wrestling is about connecting with the audience. Giving them a reason to care. Same reason I binge watch series on Netflix, because the stories and characters get me invested. It’s hard to get fans invested in just wrestling. Good wrestling will do that, but there’s lots of good wrestling these days. You have to be prepared to do more. To go the extra mile. Being The Elite is our platform. It’s our Monday Night Raw. You’re seeing our creativity and passion firsthand. There are no writers here, we’re not doing something we’re told to do. We’re the artists and we’re holding the paintbrushes.”
Do you think Marty Scurll will win the ROH World Championship Tonight ?
ROH COO Joe Koff is gearing up for the promotion’s next pay-per-view event.
The executive of the Baltimore-based promotion recently spoke with CageSideSeats to promote their Best in the World PPV event on Friday night in Maryland, Baltimore at the UMBC Event Center.
In this interview, he was asked about the main event of the show, which will see Dalton Castle defending his ROH World Title against Cody Rhodes and Marty Scurll in a Triple Threat Match. Some could say that this could be one of the bigger main events of the year so far for ROH and Koff would agree. “I think it’s a big event. Every time we do a show, I always feel like the main event is the main event — that’s why it’s called that. We have two actually with the tag team titles, the Briscoes versus The Young Bucks. I think what’s interesting about this title defense this Friday night is both Cody and Marty have defeated Dalton Castle previously. And we’re not quite sure quite frankly about Dalton’s physical condition. He’s wrestling, he says he’s fine. Don’t want to doubt him. But I’ve watched him wrestle in Japan, I’ve watched him wrestle in England. I’ve seen title defenses here in America. He’s definitely laboring a little bit. I’m hoping he’s had enough rest, so he can be our champion and can compete like a champion. So yeah, I think this is a big main event, because so many outcomes can come from it. Especially side stories with Marty an Cody. I think a good story will be told in that match.”
Exciting prospect Flip Gordon has a big match on this card as he is slated to take on Bully Ray. Koff sees Gordon as someone to keep an eye on going forward despite starting in the business just three years ago.
“I’m not sure I can say it better than you just said it. I probably would have said the same things. I think there is no cap on how good this guy can be. He is a natural. He’s a naturally gifted talent and very, very tough. And very, very eager to learn and better himself and I think his military background is very helpful, because I think they learn discipline and I think they learn structure and I think all of those things are important to anyone’s success. So, I really have high hopes and I think we all do. I think the fans, they acknowledge it already. This is a tough, tough wrestler. And very, very skilled and very, very fast. I think he’s got a very big match on his hands this Friday and I’m interested to see how that plays out.”
What are your thoughts on Koff’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Ring of Honor is back on pay-per-view tonight. Best in the World 2018 will also stream live for VIP Honor Club subscribers. The event will emanate from the UMBC Event Center (holds approx. 6000) from Catonsville, Maryland.
ROH Best in the World 2018 Lineup and Preview
ROH World Championship 3-Way Match Dalton Castle (c) vs Cody vs Marty Scurll
Castle has held the title since December 15th, 2017 when he defeated Cody at Final Battle 2017. Tonight could easily be his last with the belt.
Scurll and Cody have not been on the same page as of late and competing for the World Title in the same match will not make things easier. This match could lead to a full-blown Cody and Scurll feud, although Cody has a lot of other things going on as well.
This will be the first of 3 big championship matches for Cody this summer. He will also challenge Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Special in San Francisco. He will then challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on September 1st.
ROH World Tag Team Championships The Briscoes (c) vs the Young Bucks
This match pits the most successful two tag-teams in Ring of Honor history against one another. Technically, the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Cesaro) and reDragon (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) have held the tag belts longer than the Bucks, though nobody has held them longer than the Briscoes.
The Briscoes have adopted an anti-Bullet Club stance as of late. Now working as heels, this will be the most high-profile match yet featuring the Briscoes rivalry with the American faction of Bullet Club.
The Young Bucks are fresh off having won the IWGP heavyweight tag team championships in NJPW. They will have to defend those titles at the Cow Palace next weekend, however, against former champions, Evil and Sanada.
Flip Gordon vs Bully Ray
Bully Ray has been trying to take out all the lower-card and younger guys on the roster. He’s already bullied Cheeseburger and several other wrestlers.
Tonight, Flip will try and upset the veteran and maybe try and impress the All-In bookers in the process.
ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, Vinny Marseglia) (c) vs Bushi, Evil, and Sanada
The Kingdom is the only 2-time holders of these titles. They have defended the titles more times than any other team as well. They are just 52 days away from breaking the Hung Bucks record for most combined days spent with the title.
LIJ has held 6-man gold in NJPW but never in ROH. In fact, no team from NJPW has ever won these titles. Tonight could easily be the first time it happens, however.
ROH World Television Championship Baltimore Street Fight Punishment Martinez vs Adam Page
Martinez won a 6-way proving ground match and then defeated Silas Young for the belt last weekend in Texas. He will be in tough against Page, who is still trying to win his first singles title in either ROH or NJPW.
Also Booked for the show:
Jay Lethal vs KUSHIDA
Kenny King vs Austin Aries
Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose, Mayu Iwatani, and Tenille Dashwood vs Kelly Klein, Hazuki, Kagetsu, and Hana Kimura
Ring Of Honor (ROH) is gearing up for their Best In The World pay-per-view (PPV) tomorrow night (Fri. June 29, 2018), which will feature some of the promotion’s biggest names.
ROH COO Joe Joff recently took part in a media call to promote the event, and was asked about the ROH dojo which is grooming the promotion’s stars of tomorrow. When asked for the long-term plans for the dojo, Koff said that he’s more focused on the short-term.
Koff explained the promotion’s priority is identifying talent in order to bring them over to TV or their digital network:
“I’d like to look ten years ahead but I think we’ll just focus on the next twelve to eighteen months,” Koff said. “What I’m hoping for what our expectation is identifying talent that we can bring pretty quickly to over the air TV or our digital network.
“We’re just looking to just bring talent through. Identify them from their local promotions or other places give them training and give them the opportunities. Understand the Ring Of Honor brand, understand the Ring Of Honor style so they get better before they’re seen in the bigger matches on TV or pay-per-view.”
Several matches have been announced for the next set of ROH TV tapings.
Ring of Honor will hold their Fairfax Excellence event on Saturday night in Fairfax, Virginia at the EagleBank Arena.
This taping will feature the fallout from the Best in the World pay-per-view event that is slated to place on Friday night. For those who are planning to attend this event, you can buy tickets here.
The Card
– KUSHIDA vs. Jonathan Gresham
– Adam Page & The Young Bucks vs. EVIL, BUSHI, & SANADA
– Kagetsu & Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose & Mayu Iwatani
– Women of Honor #1 Contender’s Match: Kelly Klein vs. Karen Q vs. Tenille Dashwood vs. Madison Rayne
– Women of Honor Title Match: Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Hazuki
What are your thoughts on this card? Sound off in the comment section.
Dalton Castle is set to make the biggest title defense thus far in his reign as ROH World Champion.
Castle will defend his title against Cody Rhodes and Marty Scurll in a Triple Threat Match at the Best in the World pay-per-view event, which takes place on Friday, June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland at the UMBC Event Center. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app.
Cody has gone on record in the past by stating in previous interviews that he plans to win the ROH World Title at this show that way he can put it on the line against Nick Aldis at ‘All In’ that way it would be a title for title match as Aldis’ NWA World Heavyweight Title would be up for grabs at All In. “Absolutely not,” Dalton replied when asked if he feels pressure to retain his title during a recent media conference call to promote Best in the World (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc).
“That’s pressure Cody’s putting on himself thinking too far ahead. What’s the saying? Putting the carriage in front of the horse. He has made these plans for this world championship he has yet to win. He forgets that if he wants to bring that title to ‘All In’ and challenge Nick Aldis for his title he has to first get through Dalton Castle.”
It didn’t take long for the son of the late great WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes to respond to the comments made by the ROH World Champion as he wrote the following on his official Twitter account:
We tried this out Dalton. It’s not for you. The days where all the trainees/dojo kids get a participation trophy is over. https://t.co/30HWQWApbF
Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Shane Taylor recently did an interview with Wrestling Epicenter to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Taylor first offered his thoughts on former EVOLVE and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) star Keith Lee recently signing with WWE:
“I am overjoyed for Keith. When he decided to sign on with EVOLVE, I told him I was proud of him then. He’s been absolutely tearing the globe up going everywhere doing everything. I am incredibly proud of him. He’s like a big brother to me. I can’t wait to watch him on the Network and see the things that they do and that they accomplish.”
Taylor was then asked if he’d like to have a WWE run of his own. While he admits that many professional wrestlers want WrestleMania moments, he’d like to be the guy that sticks with one promotion and puts it on his back:
“I like what I’m doing. I have a lot of goals I want to reach in Ring of Honor and I don’t want to go anywhere until those are completed. But, again, there are a million variables that go with that. Time, business, money, opportunity, my family – of course. Obviously, everybody wants to have those big stages, those big moments – WrestleMania moments.
“But for me, and I told this to Jay Briscoe, there is something very cool about being the guy that sticks with one company and puts that company on his back and says, “We’re going to go as far as I can take you.” For me, there is something very, very cool about that. One of my goals, whether I stay there my entire career or not, is that people look back at my era in Ring of Honor – with all the talent that we have – and go ‘That was Shane Taylor’s era. That was my era!’ That’s something I work hard for everyday.”
Finally, Taylor offered his thoughts on Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks’ self-funded “All In” event scheduled for September 1st in Chicago:
“I think what “All In” does, and what Bullet Club does by proxy, is they present a very DIY punk rock style. They represent that sort of counter-culture to other promotions. People gravitate towards them because they feel like they’re the outcasts, they’re the rebels. They’re the guys who do things by their own rules.
“People can get behind that. When you have something like that, when you have a movement like that and you are able to capitalize like that, I want to say 10,000 seats sold in under 30 minutes? I want to say we were in Chicago, the last stop of the War of the Worlds tour, when they found out.
“I went up to all of them and congratulated them because that’s awesome! To stick your neck out like that and to have it pay off like that only means better things for wrestling, better things for them, and better things for ROH!”
You can read Taylor’s full interview with Wrestling Epicenter by clicking this link here.
Former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with Monsters and Critics to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Daniels first discussed how his latest run with ROH compared to his previous ones:
“I was there in 2011 and left right when Sinclair bought the company. I came back in 2014 with Frankie [Kazarian] and it was different because over those three years, Sinclair brought Ring of Honor from a company that was just starting to do syndicated television. In those three years, they brought them to the point where they were doing live pay-per-views, which is where Frankie and I debuted at their first broadcast pay-per-view.
“It was great to get back. It was different because over the course of my career there, I’d sort of been by myself, but I came back with Frankie, who was the best partner I have ever had. It put a different dynamic into what we were doing and what I brought to the company, anyway. Over the course of the last four years, Frankie and I have held the tag team titles twice and just recently we were the six-man tag team champions with Scorpio Sky. We have been very successful, and it has been very beneficial to the three of us.”
Daniels then named two ROH stars that he thinks professional wrestling fans should keep their eyes on – Scorpio Sky and Adam Page:
“The first guy I have to talk about is Scorpio Sky. We were very fortunate to get Scorpio as a part of Ring of Honor and to bring him in as part of SoCal Uncensored with me and Frankie. I mean, he’s been wrestling for 15 years but I feel like people weren’t really aware of him because he hadn’t had that breakout performance on a national stage. In the last year in Ring of Honor, people have started to see that Scorpio is, hands down, one of the best guys on the planet.
“I feel like whatever the future holds for him and us, as SoCal Uncensored, no matter what happens, Scorpio is going to be a big part of Ring of Honor for a very long time. Another guy that I feel has the world in front of him as far as wrestling goes is Adam Page. In the last couple of years as part of Bullet Club, people have started to see Adam grow as a performer and as a wrestler. It is tough too because there are so many dynamic personalities in Bullet Club that, for a while, it seemed that Adam was in the background.
“Now, he sort of stands out front and he is one of the dynamic personalities that people have come to expect from Bullet Club. He has become one of the more popular guys and certainly one of the most talented guys that Ring of Honor has had in the last couple of years. There is probably going to be championship gold in his future.”
At 48-years-old Daniels is still putting on great matches. He offered his explanation as to how that is:
“It is not an age thing for me. It is, for me in my head, I have always tried to do the things that I know I can do no matter what part of the match it was in. I’ve always told other wrestlers that, in terms of staying safe and staying smart, you do the things that you can do whether it is the first five minutes of the match or the last five minutes of the match. For me, I have been very cognizant of taking very calculated risks. I am not a high flier in the sense that I take those high risks in every part of my match.
“I wrestle what I feel is a very safe style for me. That might be comical to an outside eye to see some of the things I do at the age of 48. It’s something I feel comfortable doing and I feel safe doing. Whatever acrobatic things that I do that seems high risk to other people, to me it is a very calculated risk. Those are the risks that I take any time I wrestle. I know that no matter what I am doing — if it seems dangerous — it is something I know I can do 10 times out of 10.
“I have been fortunate to avoid the accidental injuries that come and go in everybody’s career. I keep my risks at a minimum in my head. That is something all pro wrestlers have to learn. There are things they can do every time and not suffer from fatigue or mistake and keep it within that risk factor.”
You can read Daniels’ full interview with Monsters and Critics by clicking this link here.
