SEScoops

Category: ROH

  • Marty Scurll Posts CM Punk/Bullet Club Collaboration T-Shirt on Twitter

    Marty Scurll Posts CM Punk/Bullet Club Collaboration T-Shirt on Twitter

    Ring of Honor/New Japan and Bullet Club member Marty Scurll made some comments back in June of this year wherein he challenged former WWE star CM Punk.

    Scurll said the following during an interview with Sam Roberts:

    “CM Punk, I’d like to bring CM Punk out of retirement and wrestle him for sure. I don’t know if CM Punk listens to this show, but if he [does]…CM Punk, if you’re watching, come out of retirement. We can cause quite a bother of a wrestling match. What do you say? And that’d be fun, right? Yeah, that’s one for the headlines!”

    Scurll has now added further fuel to the Punk fire by tweeting a Bullet Club concept t-shirt that hints quite heavily towards the ‘Best in the World.’ Check it out below and let us know what you think.

    https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/895326314596450304

  • Cody Rhodes On WWE Creative, Scripted Promos & If He Was Punished In WWE For Speaking Up

    Cody Rhodes On WWE Creative, Scripted Promos & If He Was Punished In WWE For Speaking Up

    Cody Rhodes recently spoke to Metro and below are some of the highlights:

    Your personality has really shined on the independent circuit, whereas in WWE it felt like sometimes you were stuck in a vacuum at times. What could have WWE done better for your character?

    “I honestly think the more time I spend away from WWE the less it was WWE’s fault and the more it was my inability to go with my guts. There would have been a big difference if I had done that. And that would have meant saying no to a writer or correcting a few folks and maybe ruffling some feathers and stepping on some toes, but I can’t think of anything more important for a wrestler than to go with his gut.”

    Specifically in backstage segments and in interviews, no matter what, if you’re not feeling it, you can’t say it. There was only a couple of incidents in my WWE career where what I said on the microphone was all me, and they were my most successful. It’s not a knock on WWE creative at all, they’re there to guide you and give you the bullet points of where it may be going, but they can’t script it. You can’t script wrestling.”

    Did you ever speak up? The stories go that if you complain in WWE you get punished.

    “I don’t recall at any point ever being punished for anything like that, but I do recall that when I did speak up for myself from time to time it didn’t make a difference. Essentially the answer I would get was thanks but no thanks. I think I developed a reputation as a complainer and that’s hard to escape. You don’t want to be a complainer, you want to be someone who says ‘I don’t like this but here’s my alternative.’

    I don’t know, maybe because I’m Dusty’s kid and I have a creative mindset that he gifted me a little of, almost every idea I ever got I thought I wanted to do something different. I’ve told a couple of people this but I feel that I wish I’d played dumb a little bit more and just have fun and do what they say. My relationship with the creative team might have been better, because essentially if you’re telling them every week you want to do something else instead, you’re telling them they’re not good at their jobs. Nobody wants to hear that.”

    People still have many complaints about WWE’s creativity – or more accurately, the lack of it. Where does the buck stop with this? Who should they be complaining to?

    “WWE is so powerful in terms of their world presence and the talent they have on board, so I think what’s going to happen at some point is that they’re going to restructure all of this. There are some guys in WWE, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Michael Hayes, Arn Anderson and Mike Rotunda included, who should be writers but instead are producers. I would hope at some point they will consolidate all of that, because if you were to get some of these megaminds in a room, you could write out two years worth of TV and stick to the plan.

    “Wrestling is not an episodic TV show. If you were to come into my office and say ‘hey I wrote 20 episodes of Friends and I want to be a WWE writer’, I’d say ‘that’s great but do you know who Lou Thesz is? Do you know who Bruno Sammartino is? Do you like wrestling?’ You’d be surprised at how many would say they’d never watched wrestling. That blows my mind, and if you were to shift the power to some of the greats in our business, you’d have a big difference.”

    Rhodes also discussed his success on the independent wrestling scene, becoming ROH Champion and more in the interview. You can read the entire interview by clicking here.

  • Kenny Omega to Defend IWGP US Title at Ring of Honor Global Wars Event

    Kenny Omega to Defend IWGP US Title at Ring of Honor Global Wars Event

    New Japan star and the first ever IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega will be defending his title for the first time on US soil in Ring of Honor.

    The match will take place at the Global Wars event on Sunday October 15th at the Odeum Expo Center in Chicago. Tickets for the event will be available to purchase as of this Wednesday August 2nd for Ringside Members and on Friday August 4th for the general public.

    Omega has been tearing it up on the current New Japan G1 tour as part of the B Block, he is set to face longtime rival Kazuchika Okada on August 12th which will complete a trilogy of historic bouts and it is certainly not one to be missed.

    Ring of Honor published the following press release hyping the title match:

    The Honor Nation in Chicago has always been one of the best and most passionate fan bases so ROH is bringing this show – as the capstone to the already announced Global Wars tour! The event will take place at a NEW LOCATION in Villa Park, Ill., with ROH debuting at the larger Odeum Expo Center, aimed at providing a greater experience to more fans in the Chicagoland area. 
     
    It wouldn’t be enough to just add a show for the Chicago fans though. Ring of Honor is happy to also announce that Kenny Omega, the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, will defend his title for the first time on US. soil at Global Wars 2017: Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 15.
     
    Omega, a member of Bullet Club’s Elite, won a two-day tournament to crown the first IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s first shows in the U.S. on July 1-2 in Long Beach, Calif. “The Cleaner” defeated former ROH World Champions Michael Elgin and Jay Lethal in the first two rounds before beating Tomohiro Ishii in the finals.
  • Raven On Scripted Promos Hurting The Wrestling Business, Helping CM Punk In ROH

    Raven On Scripted Promos Hurting The Wrestling Business, Helping CM Punk In ROH

    Raven recently was interviewed by ESPN and below are some of the highlights:

    Scripted promos being bad for the wrestling business:

    “I think it’s bad for the business. Now they write promos for people. In the old days, you got bullet points. They said, ‘Here are the points you gotta hit, so do it in your character.’ If you didn’t know how to be a character or how to be a star, you didn’t get over.

    Now they write for everybody, which is good for the lower-tier guys who can’t write, who aren’t creative enough yet or don’t have enough psychology yet. But for guys who have potential star power, you’re really killing it, because [Steve] Austin would’ve never came alive if they would’ve been writing his character for him. If they told him to just stay with these promos. It’s a whole different world now.”

    The lack of original characters in professional wrestling:

    “Ninety-nine percent of the business is two-dimensional. They don’t have points of view. People used to complain when they worked with Shane Douglas and he’d go, ‘The Franchise doesn’t do that,’ talking in the third person. I loved that about him because I want a guy that knows what his character would and wouldn’t do — because that I could work with. The character is three-dimensional. You know his point of view. The fans could probably tell you, which is ultimately what I wanted, what he would do in any situation.”

    CM Punk crediting him for being the first veteran to teach him psychology during their ROH feud in 2003:

    “I never realized I helped him that much. Maybe he was listening when I thought he was arguing with me. I thought he would’ve looked back with less than fondness on me because we butted heads quite a bit, but I’m glad he didn’t.”

    You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.

  • ROH War of the Worlds Liverpool Show to Air as PPV

    ROH War of the Worlds Liverpool Show to Air as PPV

    Ring of Honor is off to Europe in mid-August for a 3 night tour.. The company visits London on August 18th, Liverpool on August 19th, and then Edinburgh on the 20th.

    The company has just announced that the show from Liverpool on the 19th will air as a PPV on the FITE app. The main event for the show is scheduled to be Cody defending the ROH championship against SANADA from Los Ingobernables.

    For those unfamiliar with the FITE app, the streaming service carries free and PPV shows from various companies around the world. ROH TV streams a new episode on FITE every Monday and also hosts their PPV shows.

    Ring of Honor Press Release

    ROH WAR OF THE WORLDS UK – LIVERPOOL EXCLUSIVELY  ON ROHWRESTLING.COM AND THE FITE TV DIGITAL PPV PLATFORM AUGUST 19TH

    “New York, NY (July 17, 2017)? – FITE TV and Ring of Honor Wrestling announced today that, that FITE TV will be the exclusive digital PPV broadcast platform for Ring of Honor’s War of the Worlds UK – Liverpool which takes place Saturday August 19th at 1:00PM EDT live from Liverpool, England. This event will be available in the United States and Canada only on the FITE app, www.FITE.tv and on FITE through the ROHWrestling.com website at a $19.99 price point.

    This marks the first time that Ring of Honor will broadcast a live event from outside of North America as a digital pay-per-view. ROH continues to bring the best wrestling on the planet to its fans and the War of the Worlds UK Tour will be no exception. Furthermore, ROH officials have chosen Liverpool to be the site of its pay-per-view with some major match announcements to come this week, including a change to the rematch between Dalton Castle and Marty Scurll. Both of these ROH stars are at the top of their game and certainly deserve their share of gold, but NJPW’s Kushida still holds the ROH World Television championship from the War of the Worlds Tour in the US. Also, former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and arch rival to Kushida, Hiromu Takahashi has made his claim that he should be next in line for this ROH title. Officials from both companies got together and decided that this match will be now be a 4-corner survival match for the ROH World Television Championship! Fans will not want to miss this one live or on the FITE App.

    Fans can also watch the Facebook Live Pre-Show on the Ring of Honor Facebook page with special guest and FITE TV personality SoCal Val as she brings you analysis and previews of all the matchups.

    “We are ecstatic that we have the opportunity to continue to work with Ring of Honor and to help make the programming available on a continued basis.  Live PPV events always bring the best out of the wrestlers and we can’t wait to see this event in-front of loyal ROH UK fans.”  said Michael Weber, COO of FITE TV.

    “Anytime we can deliver more ROH to our passionate fans, it is a good thing,” said Greg Gilleland , ROH General Manager. “Along with FITE, I am very happy in being able to make this event a little more special, with a card that our fans in North America definitely won’t want to, and now don’t have to miss.”

    ROH Wrestling’s weekly shows debut on FITE TV everyone Monday night at 7:00pm ET.  Make sure you tune in each week to keep up with the latest from ROH.  The FITE app can be downloaded at your Google Play or Apple app stores.”

  • Kevin Kelly Confirms Ring of Honor Departure

    Kevin Kelly Confirms Ring of Honor Departure

    Kevin Kelly has announced that he will be leaving Ring of Honor imminently. Kelly cited his work with New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as ‘new opportunities’ as the reason for leaving.

    Kevin Kelly had been working for ROH since 2010 when he was brought in during the Jim Cornette administration. Kelly’s departure leaves a huge gap in Ring of Honor’s presentation and his replacement has not yet been formally announced.

    Will you miss Kelly as the voice of ROH? Are you looking forward to hearing him in the booth more with NJPW? Let us know in the comments.

  • Cody Rhodes Talks Possible Match With Daniel Bryan & Where He’d Like it to Take Place

    Cody Rhodes Talks Possible Match With Daniel Bryan & Where He’d Like it to Take Place

    Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Cody Rhodes participated in a media call to promote New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) upcoming G1 Special live from Long Beach, California. During the call, Rhodes was asked about the possibility of sharing the ring with former WWE World Heavyweight Champion (and current SmackDown Live General Manager) Daniel Bryan:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y14INrzBmNs

    “Super speculative. I don’t know, I know Daniel just had a baby. Loves his wife. Loves the home life,” said Cody. “I never totally understood why Dan was put in a position to retire and you know, it’s not a conversation I’ve had with him. It’s a tough conversation. You know, if he wanted to, if there was a little pressure to do so, I really don’t know. But I know that what we do isn’t necessarily, doesn’t need to abide by the guidelines of perhaps say the NCAA. What we do there’s a little bit more Shakespeare to if you catch my drift.

    Rhodes said he’d love to face Bryan under the ROH banner to prove that the promotion can sell out a major arena:

    “I would love that match-up, I would welcome that match-up,” Cody explained. “I want to solidify my bet with those who thought Ring of Honor could not currently fill a 10,000 seat arena. I said we would do it with the talent we have in-house but I think they may be able to give me an exception if we were able to swing Daniel Bryan.”

    “I would love to make it happen,” said Cody. “I would love to make it happen in Ring of Honor.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

  • Cody Rhodes: Wrestling Daniel Bryan Would Be “Major, Major Box Office”

    Cody Rhodes: Wrestling Daniel Bryan Would Be “Major, Major Box Office”

    On Monday Sports Illustrated published a new interview with Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare spoke about winning the Ring of Honor World Championship this past weekend, his upcoming match against IWGP champion Kazuchika Okada and Daniel Bryan’s tweet about challenging him for the ROH World title next September if Cody is still champion by then.

    Daniel Bryan, a former Ring of Honor World Champion himself, has stated in numerous recent interviews that he’s interested in wrestling again next year around the time his WWE contract expires — if he’s healthy enough. Bryan congratulated Cody on his first world title win and issued the following tongue-in-cheek challenge:

    Cody told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated that Daniel Bryan’s tweet was probably not entirely serious, but he thinks they would do “major, major box office” if they ever did square off in the future.

    “I don’t think it was a challenge, just fun,” said Rhodes. “Daniel Bryan remains one of my friends. Final Countdown would be a welcomed tune, even as a competitor. I have always looked up to Dan. It would be major, major box office for all involved.”

    Head over to SI.com to read more about Cody’s comments about wrestling Okada this weekend at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s first-ever live event from California, Kenny Omega, his brother Goldust and much more.

  • Looking At The Lineage of Ring of Honor’s World Championship

    Looking At The Lineage of Ring of Honor’s World Championship

    Cody (Rhodes) became the 23rd world champion in Ring of Honor history this weekend. His reign will begin the 27th in the history of the championship.

    Cody defeated Christopher Daniels in the main event of BITW on Saturday to win the title. Daniels had defeated Adam Cole for the belt on March 10th earlier this year. Christopher Daniels oddly enough, was involved in the 1st ever ROH championship match as well, back in 2002.

    ROH World Championship Lineage

    Lineage

    1. Low-Ki (defeated Christopher Daniels, Brian Kendrick and Doug Williams)
      Date of championship win: July 27th, 2002
      Title Defences: 1
      Days as Champion: 56
    2. Xavier 
      Date of championship win: September 21, 2002
      Title Defences: 4
      Days as Champion: 182
    3. Samoa Joe 
      Date of championship win: March 22, 2003
      Title Defences: 29
      Days as Champion: 645
    4. Austin Aries
      Date of championship win: December 26, 2004
      Title Defences: 16
      Days as Champion: 174
    5. CM Punk
      Date of championship win: June 18, 2005
      Title Defences: 5
      Days as Champion: 55
    6. James Gibson
      Date of championship win: August 12, 2005
      Title Defences: 4
      Days as Champion: 36
    7. Bryan Danielson
      Date of championship win: September 17, 2005
      Title Defences: 38
      Days as Champion: 462
    8. Homicide
      Date of championship win: December 23rd, 2006
      Title Defences: 3
      Days as Champion: 56
    9. Takeshi Morishima
      Date of championship win: February 17, 2007
      Title Defences: 20
      Days as Champion: 231
    10. Nigel McGuiness
      Date of championship win: JOctober 6, 2007
      Title Defences: 38
      Days as Champion: 545
    11. Jerry Lynn
      Date of championship win: April 3rd, 2009
      Title Defences: 6
      Days as Champion: 71
    12. Austin Aries (2nd reign)
      Date of championship win: June 13, 2009
      Title Defences: 13
      Days as Champion: 245
    13. Tyler Black
      Date of championship win: February 13, 2010
      Title Defences: 7
      Days as Champion: 210
    14. Roderick Strong
      Date of championship win: September 11th 2010
      Title Defences: 5
      Days as Champion: 189
    15. Eddie Edwards
      Date of championship win: March 19th, 2011
      Title Defences: 3
      Days as Champion: 99
    16. Davey Richards
      Date of championship win: June 26th, 2011
      Title Defences: 10
      Days as Champion: 321
    17. Kevin Steen
      Date of championship win: May 12th, 2012
      Title Defences: 18
      Days as Champion: 328
    18. Jay Briscoe
      Date of championship win: April 5th, 2013
      Title Defences: 6
      Days as Champion: 89Title vacated due to Briscoe injury on June 23rd, 2013 (in storyline)
    19. Adam Cole
      Date of championship win: September 20th, 2013
      Title Defences: 13
      Days as Champion: 275
    20. Michael Elgin
      Date of championship win: June 22nd, 2014
      Title Defences: 7
      Days as Champion: 76
    21. Jay Briscoe
      Date of championship win: September 6th 2014
      Title Defences: 12
      Days as Champion: 286
    22. Jay Lethal
      Date of championship win: June 19, 2015
      Title Defences: 28
      Days as Champion: 427
    23. Adam Cole (2nd reign)
      Date of championship win: August 19, 2016
      Title Defences: 6
      Days as Champion: 105
    24. Kyle O’Reilly 
      Date of championship win: December 2nd, 2016
      Title Defences: 0
      Days as Champion: 33
    25. Adam Cole 
      Date of championship win: January 4th, 2017
      Title Defences: 3
      Days as Champion: 65
    26. Christopher Daniels
      Date of championship win: March 10, 2017
      Title Defences: 8
      Days as Champion: 105
    27. Cody (Rhodes)
      Date of championship win: June 23rd, 2017
      Title Defences: 0+
      Days as Champion: current
  • Cody Rhodes Wins the Ring of Honor World Championship

    Cody Rhodes Wins the Ring of Honor World Championship

    Cody Rhodes captured the ROH World Championship from Christopher Daniels at last night’s Best in the World Pay Per View.

    This marks the first World Title to be held by a Rhodes family member in 31 years (that of course being legend Dusty Rhodes). Cody now makes his way to the New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Specials in July against IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada….Cody has been promising fans that he will be a double World Champion, could it happen?

    After Cody’s ROH Title win many performers in the industry took to Twitter to congratulate the new champ, including his brother Goldust:

    https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/878464542304612352

    https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/878487136865062912

    Check out our exclusive interview with Cody from earlier this year here.

  • ROH Best in the World PPV Lineup for Tonight

    ROH Best in the World PPV Lineup for Tonight

    Ring of Honor returns to PPV tonight from Lowell, MA.

    The main event of the night features Cody attempting to win the ROH World Championship from Christopher Daniels. Cody feels he was cheated out of the title at the last PPV, as he had a figure-four locked on Lethal when Daniels hit Lethal with a moonsault and got the pin in a 3-way match.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmoq5ygDmTM

    Lineup for ROH Best in the World 2017

    1. 8-Man Tag (losing stable must disband)
    The Rebellion (Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Caprice Coleman & Shane Taylor) vs. Search and Destroy (Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin, Jay White, and Jonathan Gresham)

    2. the Kingdom (Matt Taven and Vinny Marselglia) vs. Ultimo Guerrero and El Terrible

    3. Strap Match
    Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    4. Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal
    5. ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships
    Bully Ray and the Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle and the Boys
    6. ROH Tag Team Championships
    the Young Bucks (c)(Bullet Club) vs. War Machine
    7. ROH TV Championship
    Kushida (c) vs. Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
    8. ROH World Championship
    Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)
  • Ring of Honor Talent Announced for War of the Worlds UK Tour

    Ring of Honor Talent Announced for War of the Worlds UK Tour

    Ring of Honor will be hosting a 3 day UK Tour in August alongside CMLL, New Japan and Rev Pro. The scheduled dates for the tour are as follows:

    August 18th – WOTW UK Night 1  @ York Hall – London , England
     
    August 19th – WOTW UK Night 2 @ Liverpool Olympia – Liverpool, England
     
    August 20th – WOTW UK Night 3 @ Edinburgh Corn Exchange – Edinburgh , Scotland
    Ring of Honor has already named CMLL stars Atlantis, Rey Bucanero, Ultimo Guerrero, and Mistico as confirmed participants for the tour. They have now also revealed the first ROH roster members that will be making the trip over to the United Kingdom in August:
    • ROH WORLD CHAMPION CHRISTOPHER DANIELS
    • ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE YOUNG BUCKS
    • THE BRISCOES
    • JAY LETHAL
    • FRANKIE KAZARIAN

  • ROH Weekly Report and TV Results: Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page

    ROH Weekly Report and TV Results: Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page

    Ring of Honor held TV tapings this weekend in Chicago. Those episodes will probably not begin airing until after the “Best in the World” PPV on June 23rd.

    This week, ROH TV was once again from Philadelphia, having been taped the night after the War of the Worlds PPV. The main event for the show was Adam Cole taking on Bullet Club’s Hangman Page. Next week, Kushida defends the TV title against the newest member of Bullet Club, Marty Scurll.

    ROH War of the Worlds UK Tour

    This week ROH announced some of the talent that will be appearing on their UK tour from August 18-20 in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh.

    ROH wrestlers announced for the tour so far:

    • Jay Briscoe
    • Mark Briscoe
    • Jay Lethal
    • Christopher Daniels
    • the Young Bucks
    • Frankie Kazarian

    CMLL luchadors announced for the tour so far:

    • Atlantis
    • Rey Bucanero
    • Ultimo Guerrero
    • Mistico

    Revolution Pro Wrestling stars are also expected to participate on the tour.

    Ring of Honor Television This Week

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frayd9GvWD0

    ROH TV
    air date: June 6th 2017 (Fite App)
    Philadelphia, PA

    1. Will Ferrara & Cheeseburger vs. War Machine 

    • War Machine will defend their IWGP Heavyweight tag team championships this weekend at Dominion, against the Guerrillas of Destiny.
    • Ferrara and Cheeseburger did get some offence in, but for the most part they were overpowered by War Machine here.
    • Hanson backflipped Cheeseburger into the air and Rowe caught him and gave him a sit-down power-bomb. The move got a big pop from the crowd, and an even bigger one when Cheeseburger kicked out at 2.
    • Burger began to make a comeback after, using the palm strike he learned from Jushin Liger.
    • He went off the ropes but was caught by Hanson who threw him high in the air, then Rowe caught him and power slammed him and got the 3-count.

    Winners: War Machine

    • After the match, War Machine cut a promo about how Philly is an important wrestling town, and an important town for War Machine.
    • They said they want the titles, and said the Young Bucks were next.
    • The Young Bucks, currently hold the ROH tag team championships, and will challenge Roppongi Vice for the IWGP Jr. heavyweight tag team titles at Dominion this weekend.

    2. Bushi, Sanada, EVIL, and Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables) vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe, Bully Ray and Dalton Castle

    • This 8-man tag involved NJPW’s 6-man tag team champions (Sanada, Bushi, Evil), and ROHs (Briscoes & Bully Ray).
    • The finish of the match came when Bully Ray called for the Briscoes & Castle to get the tables. Castle then began to get really into doing the “Get the Tables” part, when the Boys pushed him out of the ring to avoid an attack from Bushi.
    • Bushi then hit Jay Briscoe with the poison mist and Naito rolled him up for a 3-count.

    Winner: Los Ingobernables

    • After the match Bully Ray got in Castle’s face. The Briscoes and Bully Ray blamed Castle for the boys pushing him out of the way of Bushi’s attack, putting Jay in the path of the poison mist.
    • The Briscoes chased the Boys and Dalton Castle away from ringside. Perhaps there is something building there.

    3. Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

    • After a fairly even match, the finish to the match began when Cole hit a flipping piledriver (Canadian destroyer) to Page on the outside.
    • Cole rolled him into the ring and looked to do the move again, but Page countered it into the Right of Passage piledriver. Cole kicked out at 2.
    • Page then hit Cole with a big lariat, and gave him the Right of Passage again. This time he got a 3-count.

    Winner: Hangman Page

    • After the match, Page looked to attack Cole some more, but Kazarian ran out to make the save.
  • ROH Champ Chris Daniels Reveals Which WWE Superstar He’d Love to Get in The Ring With

    ROH Champ Chris Daniels Reveals Which WWE Superstar He’d Love to Get in The Ring With

    Ring Of Honor (ROH) Champion Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with A Music Blog, Yea? (AMBY) to comment on different wrestling topics. You can check out the highlights here below:

    What he felt like after winning the Ring Of Honor title:

    “Certainly a sense of relief, an idea that a long journey had come to an end. If you’d asked me a year if I would ever get an opportunity to be World Champion again, I probably would have said, ‘No.’ I concentrated so much on the tag team [division], with Frankie [Kazarian].”

    Still wrestling at 47-years-old:

    “I’m sort of proud of it, actually Hulk Hogan once told me – this was maybe four or five years ago – he told me that I should lie about my age. So, I started telling everyone I was seventy-five and that didn’t really work out. I feel like people that have watched me and know that I started in 1993, even if I was 18 when I started and you add 24 years to that, you know I’m getting up there and I wasn’t 18 when I started wrestling. So, I mean I’m sort of leaning into the idea of my age. I feel like I still performing at a top level and nobody has to slow down, so that I can keep up with them.”

    Who he’d like to get into the ring with that he hasn’t against yet: 

    “Chris Jericho, I don’t think it’s going to happen, just because of his schedule. [A] very busy man and when he goes back to the wrestling ring, it’s for the WWE and I don’t think I’ll ever get an opportunity to wrestle for them, but that was a dream of mine to wrestle him. Someone I respected and tried to emulate, the perfect combination of athlete and entertainer was Chris Jericho.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • ROH Report: Cody vs. Frankie Kazarian

    ROH Report: Cody vs. Frankie Kazarian

    Ring of Honor this week was the first new episode since the “War of the Worlds” PPV. On that night, Kenny Omega fired Adam Cole from Bullet Club and announced their newest member, Marty Scurll.

    ROH TV
    airdate: May 29th 2017(on Fite App)
    Philadelphia, PA

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEpox5tsdQk

    Bullet Club Segment

    The show opened up this week with Hangman Page and the Young Bucks introducing the newest member of Bullet Club, Marty Scurrl. Marty cut a promo saying he was going to throw a “tea party with Marty” but is interrupted by Adam Cole.

    Cole said that Bullet Club firing him was the worst mistake they will ever make. Hangman Page then challenged Cole to a match, which is later made official for next week.

    1. Josh Woods vs. David Starr

    David Starr got a hometown reaction from the Philly crowd, but it didn’t help him any. This was Woods’ first match since winning the 2017 prospects tournament. He works an MMA gimmick and took most of the offence in this match.

    Woods wins with a rolling knee-bar for a submission.

    Winner: Josh Woods via submission

    • Adam Cole vs Hangman Page is made official as next week’s main event.
    • Before the 2nd match, Silas Young cut a promo on Jay Lethal. Silas doesn’t like it that Lethal gets all the commercials in ROH, and all the opportunities. He says he doesn’t get what is so great about Jay Lethal. Silas reminds everyone that he beat Jay Lethal in singles competition last time they met. Last week, Silas was shown jumping Lethal in the locker-room after learning he had been given another commercial.
    • This brings out Jay Lethal, who wants a match with him. Silas told Lethal he would face the Bruiser instead.

    2. Jay Lethal vs. the Beer City Bruiser

    The match started off as a brawl, as Silas joined the commentary team. Lethal gained the advantage on the outside as the show went to commercial. After the break, the match was back inside where Lethal once again got the advantage. He looked to go for his flying elbow, but Bruiser rolled out of the ring.

    Lethal hit a flying cross body on Bruiser on the outside, then turned his sights to Silas, who was seated at the commentary table. Lethal started throwing punches at Silas and the match was called off.

    Silas and Bruiser started to double-team Lethal, but Bobby Fish made the save. Fish and Silas have a long-standing rivalry., so that is probably setting up a tag-team match somewhere down the line.

    Result: No Contest. 

    3. Cody (Bullet Club) vs. Frankie Kazarian 

    Before the match Cody cut a promo saying he should be ROH Champion. His reasoning is that in the main event at War of the Worlds, he had Lethal in a figure-four when Daniels pinned Lethal. Cody claims that since he had the figure-four on the pinned opponent that he should be the winner, not Daniels. So this could mean we get Cody vs Daniels for the title next.

    The match was very even, with each guy hitting a few of their signature moves. Cody hit a disaster kick and an Alabama slam. Kazarian hit a spring-board cutter, and a flying moonsault to the outside in the opening moments of the match.

    In the final moments, Kazarian countered the Cross Rhodes twice, but Cody’s third attempt was successful, scoring him the win.

    Winner: Cody 

  • The Young Bucks Say They Don’t Need to Sign With WWE

    The Young Bucks Say They Don’t Need to Sign With WWE

    The Young Bucks recently did an interview with A Music Blog, Yea? (AMBY) to talk about their careers in the professional wrestling industry, as well as the possibility of signing with the WWE one day. You can check out some of the highlights from their interview here below:

    How much longer they plan on wrestling:

    Matt: “It’s a constant state of jet lag, and tiredness, and caffeine. This is our life.”

    Nick: “It’s cool though, because we know we only have a certain window to do this and we’re trying to enjoy every minute of it. Because, I’m not going to be do this in fifteen years.”

    Matt: “No! I’m not going to be doing this in eight years.”

    How they formed the ‘Elite’ idea:

    Matt: “Yeah, it was like a tongue-in-cheek thing, ‘Yeah, we’re the elite wrestlers in the world,’ right? Then one day, on the fly- it was scripted for Kenny [Omega] to turn on AJ [Styles], but it wasn’t scripted for us to return to the ring – just the three of us – and then jump him and beat him up more, and then take a picture. That was something we just did on our own, and then we get to the back and people are already sending me picture on Twitter. I put ‘The Elite of the Bullet Club’ as a caption, and immediately people were like ‘Woah, what’s that?’ and I’m like ‘We need a shirt! We need a shirt!’”

    Staying independent wrestlers:

    Matt: “It’s because of them [the fans] that we still able to be independent, we haven’t had to go ‘corporate’ – or whatever you want to call it – and go sign with WWE, because we don’t have to. We absolutely don’t have to. We actually, probably, make more money with what we’re doing now, independently, as artists, than we do if we join that place, which is crazy, it’s mind-blowing to me that’s a thing. It’s a road less travel, or a road that’s never really done [before]. We paved this thing. Not a lot of people have gotten to do this, we’re kind of like the first guys to do, there [are] guys like Colt Cabana, who I have to give credit to, because the guy is a genius. He’s like the forefather of this whole thing.”

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

  • Cody Rhodes on When He’ll Make a Decision For His ‘New Home’

    Cody Rhodes on When He’ll Make a Decision For His ‘New Home’

    Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes recently did an interview with CBS Sports’ Chuck Carroll to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. You can check out some highlights here below:

    You mentioned your wife [Brandi Rhodes]. When last we spoke, she was still training and premiered with Impact. How is that coming along? What does the future hold for her?

    “She’s crazy. She wants to do tables and tacks. She asked me about flash paper the other day.”

    Shut up. Seriously?

    “Yeah! She did tacks with Joey Ryan at WrestlePro in Orlando. I gave her the worst advice ever and said you won’t feel it because of the adrenaline. And then I could tell she felt every bit of it. But flash paper is when you’re literally throwing a fireball at somebody. So, I might draw the line at flash paper. She likes that gritty element of what we do. It’s funny, because I don’t know if she watched any ECW or death-match stuff or any old Terry Funk stuff. Maybe she has been.”

    You did an interview with Sports Illustrated not long ago where you said that it was almost time to make a decision on a permanent new home. What goes into the decision?

    “I guess I spoke too soon. It’s probably not time to make a decision. But if I did make a decision, it’s just a matter of trust. There’s so little trust in pro wrestling. So little. And there should be. We all love this thing and want to put on the best show and fill all of the seats in the house. But it’s trust and being around people in the office that I trust. I trust every guy in the locker room for the most part. But it’s finding that top brass in most companies that I know, if I put my name on the dotted line, that I’ll be taken care of. Honestly, any offer that came my way I haven’t really looked at. My date book is still pretty deep — all the way through September. It goes everywhere. We’ll probably revisit it then.”

    So end of September, but you don’t have a firm date?

    “No, and I keep adding independent dates. So who knows?”

  • Ring of Honor Announce War of the Worlds UK Tour Alongside NJPW, Rev Pro and CMLL

    Ring of Honor Announce War of the Worlds UK Tour Alongside NJPW, Rev Pro and CMLL

    Ring of Honor has announced that they will be returning to the UK this August for the first ever War of the Worlds UK Tour.

    ROH will be joining Rev Pro, CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling for three dates in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh. Ring of Honor sent out the following press release for the Tour:

    “Coming hot off the heels of the sold-out War of the Worlds 2017 Tour in North America, ROH is thrilled to announce, in conjunction with NJPW, CMLL and Revolution Pro Wrestling, the first-ever War of the Worlds UK Tour from August 18th , 2017 – August 20th, 2017! With stronger-than-ever partnerships, stars from the top professional wrestling organizations in the world will do battle over the course of three nights!
     
    The tour comes in overwhelming response to not only the resoundingly successful ROH Reach for the Sky UK Tour, but also to the rapid sellouts of Ring of Honor, New Japan, CMLL, and Rev Pro events around the globe. The match possibilities are endless, dream teams could be formed, and various championships WILL be contested! 
     
    ALSO, RPW (Rev Pro) will host their annual ‘Summer Sizzler’, which will serve as a special Kickoff Event on Thursday August 17 at York Hall in London! From there, the stars of ROH, CMLL, NJPW, and RPW will compete at York Hall on Friday August 18 and then head the Liverpool Olympia on Saturday August 19!  The tour will wrap up on August 20th in at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange to mark ROH’s first ever event in Scotland! Tickets for the most-recent WOTW USA Tour sold out so keep it locked into ROHWrestling.com to ensure you are the first to have the opportunity to purchase tickets to these historic events!
     
    If history is any indication, anything can and will happen on these tours! On the Reach for the Sky Tour, the ROH World Television Title changed hands twice, while on the most recent War of the Worlds Tour, a New Japan star captured the World Television title!”
    The last UK tour for Ring of Honor saw the company debuts of Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay, although there has been no indication of any debutants for this tour expect Ring of Honor to make a blockbuster announcement for their return to one of the hotbeds of pro wrestling later this year.
    Ring of Honor has also announced that CMLL stars Atlantis, Rey Bucanero, Ultimo Guerrero and Mistico will be joining the historic tour in August.
    https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/867878180564217856
    Event Dates : 
    August 17th – RevPro Summer Sizzler 2017 @ York Hall – London , England
     
    August 18th – WOTW UK Night 1  @ York Hall – London , England
     
    August 19th – WOTW UK Night 2 @ Liverpool Olympia – Liverpool, England
     
    August 20th – WOTW UK Night 3 @ Edinburgh Corn Exchange – Edinburgh , Scotland

  • The Young Bucks Welcome Marty Scurll to Bullet Club, Video

    The Young Bucks Welcome Marty Scurll to Bullet Club, Video

    Marty Scurll joined Bullet Club at the War of the Worlds PPV event this weekend. The Young Bucks have now released previously unseen footage from backstage at the event.

    The Bucks insinuate that Scurll has been with Bullet Club longer than what has been shown on television.

    Bullet Club’s “Villain”

    At the War of the Worlds PPV, Adam Cole lost a singles match to Hiroshi Tanahashi. After the match the Bucks came out and acted like they were going to super-kick Cole, but then 2-sweeted him instead.

    The lights went out and Kenny Omega’s face appeared on the screen. Omega publicly fired Cole, and announced “the Villian” Marty Scurll as the newest member of Bullet Club. The lights went out again, Scurll was in the ring, and the Bucks super-kicked Cole, officially ending his time in the faction.

  • ROH TV Report: Bully Ray & the Briscoes Defend Titles

    ROH TV Report: Bully Ray & the Briscoes Defend Titles

    ROH TV
    airdate May 15th 2017 (Fite App)
    Baltimore, MD (taped before War of the Worlds PPV)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PoAoqbUQ3k

    1. Will Ferrara & Cheeseburger vs. Chris Sabin & Jonathan Gresham (Search & Destroy)

    Alex Shelley cut a promo before the match, talking about how Jonathan “the Octopus” Gresham is one of the best up-and-coming wrestlers in ROH. Gresham would get the win for his team here as well, forcing Cheeseburger to tap to an octopus stretch.

    After the match, there was a little teased dissension between Cheeseburger and Ferrara, as Ferrara stormed to the back without his partner.

    Winners: Chris Sabin & Jonathan Gresham

    • We are shown a segment of Jay Lethal in the back being given a script for an upcoming commercial. Silas Young took offence to this and beat Lethal up, injuring his leg against a locker.

    2. Bobby Fish vs. Silas Young w/Beer City Bruiser

    Silas Young pulled off a big upset here, but under dubious circumstances. The Beer City Bruiser distracted the referee, and Young hit Fish with his knee brace (which he took of earlier in the match) and pinned him. We should get a rematch from this in the not-too-distant future.

    Winner: Silas Young

    • Dalton Castle cut a promo backstage about how much it hurt to lose his ROH championship match to Christopher Daniels. Evidently, it reminded him of a blind date that went terribly wrong while in Dubai. He promised to come back stronger and work towards winning the title.

    3. 6-Man Tag Team Championships
    Bully Ray & the Briscoes (c) vs. the Rebellion (Shane Taylor, Caprice Coleman, Rhett Titus)

    Commentary played up how the Briscoes used to ask their Dad to take them to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, so they could see Bully Ray wrestle. Bully will turn on them eventually, but for right now they are a fun team.

    Bully Ray got a hot tag to start the closing moments of the match. He took out everyone and got a big pop. He then tagged in Mark Briscoe who did his Redneck Kung Fu on everyone. Mark took out each member of the Rebellion with a moonsault on the floor, then Jay followed with a suicide dive….dive.

    Titus blocked the Froggy-bow from Mark, then missed his own frog splash. Mark then tagged in Jay, they did the 3-D with Bully and pinned Rhett. Commentary mentioned that we never got to see Shane Taylor and Bully Ray go at it, which probably means we will eventually see just that.

    Winners: Bully Ray & the Briscoes (retain championships)

    After the match, the Briscoes brought out a table, and Bully powerbombed Coleman through it from the 2nd rope. Bully led the crowd in “ROH!” chants, and the 3 held up their titles to close the show.

  • Adam Cole Says Farewell To Ring Of Honor (Video)

    Adam Cole Says Farewell To Ring Of Honor (Video)

    At Sunday’s ROH TV tapings from Philadelphia, PA, Adam Cole gave a farewell address to the fans of Ring of Honor. Cole recently became a free agent and has been doing interviews discussing what might be next for him.  Big thanks for SEScoops correspondent Michael Hottle for sending in this recap of Adam Cole’s speech that took place after the tapings:

    “Thank you Adam”, “Please Don’t Go”, & “Speech” chants filled The 2300 Arena as Adam Cole asks, “Who’s ready for story time with Adam Cole baybay?” A “We will miss you” rang out. Cole then delivered his farewell address to the ROH crowd.

    “I fell in love with pro wrestling at the young age of nine years old and I was infatuated with guys like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock and all the countless superstars that I saw. But what really made me decide that I wanted to be a professional wrestler was Ring of Honor.

    I’ve said this countless times and it’s the truth, this place- not just the locker room, not just the camera men, not just the referees, but all of you, we are one big, giant family. The love and respect that each and every one of you have shown me is the reason I can stand before you here today nine years a pro wrestler, three times a world champion traveling the globe because you guys thought I was good enough. No matter what happens going forward, I just want each and every one of you to know that I deeply love you and Ring of Honor will always be my home. And I’ll end it with this, since she’s here, Mom- Happy Mother’s Day!”

    Cole’s music hits as the crowd applauded. Cole held up his index finger indicating “one more time”. Cole bent down and throws ‘em up as the crowd let out a thunderous, “ADAM COLE BAYBAY!!!” The crowd chants “Thank you Adam” as he departs.

  • ROH War of the Worlds TV Tapings Results from Philadelphia (5/14)

    ROH War of the Worlds TV Tapings Results from Philadelphia (5/14)

    Thanks to SEScoops correspondent Michael Hottle for sending in the following results from Sunday’s ROH War of the Worlds TV tapings from the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA:

    Dark Match

    The Tempura Boyz (Sho & Yohei) defeated Coast 2 Coast (Leon St. Giovanni & Shaheem Ali) by pinfall

    Episode 1

    The show opens with a promo from The Young Bucks and Hangman Page. They announce it’s a new era in the Bullet Club and welcome Marty Scurll to the ring. Marty talked about how stupid Adam Cole was at the War of the Worlds PPV. He continues and asks, “Who’s ready to have tea time with Marty?” Adam Cole interrupted asking, “Why have a tea party with Marty when you can have story time with Adam Cole?” Cole declares himself as the franchise player in the company. Page then says he’s going to run Adam Cole out of the company.

    Match 1) Josh Woods defeated David Starr by submission with a rolling knee bar

    Silas Young and The Beer City Bruiser come to the ring for a promo. Silas mocked Jay Lethal for being the franchise and asks what makes him special or better than him? Silas says he beat him clean in the ring in Milwaukee and claims he has his number. Lethal interrupted, walking down to the ring, saying this isn’t a company where we talk about our problems. This is a company where we fight. Silas informs Lethal, “You don’t get what you want. You get what I give you” as the Bruiser sneaks up on Lethal from behind and the next match begins. Silas joins the commentary team.

    Match 2) Beer City Bruiser v. Jay Lethal

    Lethal wins by DQ after Silas interferes. A beat down from both men commences on Lethal as Bobby Fish runs in for the save.

    Cody comes to the ring and blames ROH management for not wanting a guy like him, a guy without an ROH contract, to be their world champion. Kazarian comes out, presumably early and by accident, as Cody continues his lengthy rant. He turns his attention to Colt Cabana on commentary asking what he said at the War of the Worlds PPV. Eventually Cody points out that Colt stated Lethal’s shoulders were down flat on the mat when Cody had him in the figure four and the referee didn’t do his job ignoring a pin.

    TV Main Event

    Match 3) Cody defeated Kazarian with Crossroads

    Hangman Page comes down and they double team Kazarian. Christopher Daniels runs in for the save.

    Women of Honor

    Gabi Ortiz & Sumi Sakai defeated Tasha Steelz & “Bonesaw” Jessie Brooks after Sumi pinned Tasha following a northern lights suplex

    Episode 2

    Match 1) War Machine defeated Will Ferrera & Cheeseburger by pinfall

    War Machine cut a promo talking about their IWGP tag title reign and then challenged The Young Bucks.

    Match 2) BUSHI, Sanada, EVIL, & Naito defeated Mark & Jay Briscoe, Bully Ray, & Dalton Castle after Bushi nailed Mark Briscoe in the face with mist and Naito capitalized for the win.

    TV Main Event

    Match 3) Hangman Page defeated Adam Cole by pinfall following two reverse Tombstone Piledrivers

    Lots of “Thank you Adam” chants before the bell. Following the match Page pushes referee Todd Sinclair down, takes his belt, and begins whipping Cole. Kazarian runs in for the save. Page & Kazarian quickly vacant the ring area. “Thank you Adam” chants break out again throughout the arena. As Cole raises his hand thanking the fans Marty Scurll attacks Cole from behind. Marty says he just stole his moment like he did at the War of the Worlds PPV.  It is then announced that the non-televised main event of the evening will be Marty Scurll v. Adam Cole in a Philadelphia Street Fight.

    Intermission

    Women of Honor

    Kelly Klein defeated Jenny Rose by submission with a dragon sleeper

    Episode 3

    Match 1) Roppongi Vice & “The Kentucky Gentleman” Chuckie T (Chuck Taylor) defeated Hangman Page & The Young Bucks when Taylor pinned Matt Jackson

    Match 2) The Rebellion (Rhett Titus & Shane Taylor) w/ Caprice Coleman v. Jay White & Jonathan Gresham

    The match appeared to be a no contest after Kenny King and the Motor City Machine Guns interfered. King attacked Gresham first directly in front of the ref but let the action go. There was no official announcement. After the melee, the babyfaces stood in the ring and challenged The Rebellion to a match at the next ROH PPV on June 23rd. They declared that the losing team must disband. So the match is set- Search & Destroy v. The Rebellion at ROH Best in the World.

    TV Main Event for the ROH Television Title

    Match 3) Kushida defeated Marty Scurll by pinfall after Adam Cole came to the ring dressed as Marty Scurll, distracted Marty, and Kushida capitalized for the win becoming the new ROH TV champ.

    Episode 4 (TV Episode 300)

    Match 1) Silas Young & The Beer City Bruiser defeated Bobby Fish & Jay Lethal after Silas scored the pin on Lethal

    Match 2) The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia & Matt Taven w/TK O’Ryan) defeated Dalton Castle’s Boys

    Following the match Mark Briscoe enters the ring and confronts Castle in what was a heated verbal exchange. Jay Briscoe comes down to intervene followed by Bully Ray. After talking him down, Mark then leaves through the crowd.

    Match 3) Punishment Martinez destroys Joey “Diesel” Daddiego in under two minutes

    Cody comes out to join the commentary team

    TV Main Event

    Match 4) The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) & Tanahashi defeated Gedo, Goto, & Will Ospreay after Daniels nails Gedo with the Best Moonsault Ever

    Following the match Tanahashi vacants the area and Hangman Page and Cody attack Daniels & Kazarian


    ROH Web Exclusive – Philadelphia Street Fight

    Marty Scurll defeated Adam Cole with the chicken wing after countless interference from The Bullet Club

    “Thank you Adam”, “Please Don’t Go”, & “Speech” chants filled The 2300 Arena as Adam Cole asks, “Who’s ready for story time with Adam Cole baybay?” A “We will miss you” rang out. Cole then delivered his farewell address to the ROH crowd.

    “I fell in love with pro wrestling at the young age of nine years old and I was infatuated with guys like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock and all the countless superstars that I saw. But what really made me decide that I wanted to be a professional wrestler was Ring of Honor. [applause]

    I’ve said this countless times and it’s the truth, this place- not just the locker room, not just the camera men, not just the referees, but all of you, we are one big, giant family. The love and respect that each and every one of you have shown me is the reason I can stand before you here today nine years a pro wrestler, three times a world champion traveling the globe because you guys thought I was good enough. No matter what happens going forward, I just want each and every one of you to know that I deeply love you and Ring of Honor will always be my home. And I’ll end it with this, since she’s here, Mom- Happy Mother’s Day!”

    Cole’s music hits as the crowd applauded. Cole held up his index finger indicating “one more time”. Cole bent down and throws ‘em up as the crowd let out a thunderous, “ADAM COLE BAYBAY!!!” The crowd chants “Thank you Adam” as he departs.

  • ROH War of the Worlds PPV Report: Kenny Omega appears, New Bullet Club Member, more…

    ROH War of the Worlds PPV Report: Kenny Omega appears, New Bullet Club Member, more…

    ROH: War of the Worlds
    Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC
    May 12th 2017

    1. Silas Young vs. Kushida vs. Dalton Castle vs. Bobby Fish

    Kushida came out in a Yankees jersey. Silas Young cut a promo on Kushida pandering to the crowd and attacked him to start the match.

    Everyone got some offence in but Kushida in particular seemed to be made to look strong. He got armbars on both Bobby Fish and Dalton Castle, with each having to be broken up before the guy tapped. He will be participating in the Best of the Super Juniors next week.

    The finish of the match started when Kushida was taken out by a clothesline by Silas. Then Fish took Silas out with a legsweep. This left Fish and Castle in the ring alone, Castle hit Bang-A-Rang and got the pin.

    Bobby Fish successfully defended the ROH TV title against Dalton Castle earlier this year, so there could be another match between those two coming. They shook hands after the match.

    Winner: Dalton Castle

    • A video package of the history between Kazarian and Hangman Page/Bullet Club is shown. Kazarian had convinced Bullet Club he had joined the faction and had betrayed Christopher Daniels, his longtime tag partner. It was a swerve however, and Kazarian helped Daniels beat Adam Cole to win the ROH Championship. Now Kazarian is feuding with Bullet Club.

    1. Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

    Kazarian hit Page with a diving cannonball before he could enter the ring, and the match started with a brawl on the outside.

    There were a couple of fun moves early; Page hit a standing shooting star press from the apron to the floor on Kazarian. Then Kazarian hit an unprettier (aka Christian’s finishing move).

    Eventually they started spitting at each other. Literally they took turns spitting at each other similar to how strong-style wrestlers exchange forearms. They had a similar gross spitting spot on television recently.

    Finish of the match came when Page hooked the ropes in the corner while Kazarian was going for a sunset flip. Page continued to hold onto the ropes as he had Kazarian’s shoulders pinned and got the 3-count. Kevin Kelly made sure to mention that there will be more to come between these two.

    Winner: Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

    1. Evil & Sanada (Los Ingobernables) vs. War Machine vs. Chris Sabin & Jonathon Gresham w/ Alex Shelley (Search & Destroy)

    There were a lot of fun spots here. Rowe gave an overhead belly-to-belly to both members of Search & Destroy at the same time. Evil then wrapped Hanson’s head in a chair, and then hit that chair with another chair. War Machine definitely looked strong. They just defended their tag titles last month in NJPW, and are scheduled to do so again next month against the Guerillas of Destiny.

    The beginning of the end started when Sanada took everyone out on the outside with a plancha. Sabin then ended up alone in the ring with both members of War Machine, who gave him a pop-up powerslam for the win.

    Winners: War Machine

    1. Jay White vs. Will Ospreay

    This match is interesting from an NJPW perspective, as Jay White was a young lion and is now on loan/excursion to ROH. Meanwhile, Ospreay won the Best of the Juniors last year, so a win for Jay White would indicate they have big plans for him. Cabana mentioned on commentary that White is putting on weight to wrestle as a heavyweight however.

    Jay White got in a lot of offence, including a Muta-clutch, brainbuster on the apron, and a flying dropkick. Ospreay got in a lot of his office as well, including a standing spanish fly, reversing a move into a cutter, and lots of kicks and his normal array of impressive offence.

    An interesting part of the match was when White reversed a springboard move by Ospreay into a position where he had both of his arms trapped, allowing him to freely land elbows to Ospreay’s head. It looked as though the ref was going to step in, but White ended up getting free.

    Ospreay hit the most ridiculous springboard shooting star press to the outside that you will ever see. He then rolled White into the ring, hit a springboard cutter and picked up the win. The crowd was very into this.

    Winner: Will Ospreay (CHAOS)

     

    • After the match Punishment Martinez hit the ring and took out Osprey. White tried to help, but he got hit with the South of Heaven Chokeslam.

    1. ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship
      Bully Ray & the Briscoes © vs. Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero, & Beretta (CHAOS)

    Roppongi Vice recently won the IWGP jr heavyweight tag titles, so they had a chance to become double champs in this match.

    Bully Ray came out in the rafters and announced this will be a no DQ match. He has a lot of history in this building, and there were ECW chants periodically throughout the match.

    There were a lot of diving moves to the outside and chairshots early here, with each team getting in time on offence. There was some throwing of chairs to the head, but not unprotected swinging chair shots..

    Aside from the early chair useage, the match wasn’t that hardcore for the most part. It was high paced however. At one point Jay Briscoe hit a double doomsday device, followed by Mark hitting an elbow from the top to Goto. Bully Ray then called for the tables. Ray powerbombed Berretta through a table from the 2nd rope, then they hit 3-D on Romero for the win.

    Winners: Bully Ray & the Briscoes 

     

    • We were shown a replay of earlier this month on television, when Marty Scurll was cutting a promo about being out of opponents. Sydal came down to the ringside and simply pointed at Scurll’s belt to let him know he was challenging him for a title shot.
    • Last week on ROH TV, Sydal had just won a singles match when Scurll ran to ringside and attacked him from behind, but Sydal was able to fend him off.

    6. ROH TV Title
    Marty Scurll © vs. Matt Sydal

    Each guy got in the majority of their offensive arsenal, and Sydal even added a new move.

    Sydal reversed Scurll’s chickenwing at least twice. The first time he reversed it, Scurll transitioned into that finger-breaking move he does. Sydal hit a hurricanrana and a flying knee shortly after that however.

    Not long after Sydal countered the chickenwing for the second time, he landed what looked to be a Gory-bomb, i.e the Guerreros. After that, he went to the top for the shooting star press. Scurll got his knees up however, then was finally able to lock in the chickenwing and got the tap.

    Winner: Marty Scurrll 

    7. ROH Tag Team Championship
    The Young Bucks © vs. Tetsuya Naito & Bushi (Los Ingobernables)

    It seemed as though the Bucks were getting the majority of the offence in the first part of this match. They did a lot of their innovative tag team moves, but were eventually slowed down when Naito hit a tornado DDT on Nick, followed by a reverse hurricanarana on Matt.

    Naito then went for Destino on Matt but it was reversed to a piledriver position, and the Bucks started to go for the Meltzer Driver. Bushi prevented Nick from springboarding into the ring however, and then with the ref out of position he sprayed poison mist into Matt’s eyes. Naito rolled him up for the pin, but Matt kicked out just in time.

    When Matt got up he was blind and walking around the ring, but he could still hit super kicks! He hit Naito, Bushi, then his own brother Nick, and then the referee because he didn’t know who was who. He finally got a bottle of water to clear out his eyes. Then Naito hit him with Destino, but Nick broke up the pin with a swanton.

    Matt Jackson took out Naito with a tornado DDT on the apron, which allowed Nick to go to the top and Matt to roll Bushi into the ring. Matt hit a standing moonsault, and Nick came off the top in unison. Nick covered Bushi for a near-fall only.

    Finally, Nick took Naito out on the outside with a flying cannonball, allowing Matt to grab Bushi and put him in position for the Meltzer Driver. The Bucks hit their finish and got the win.

    Winners: the Young Bucks

    • A Very Interesting announcement after this match! NJPW has created a new championship: The IWGP U.S Championship. There will be a tournament for the title shortly, with Jay Lethal already announced as participating.
    • NJPW will be running a G1 show in LA on July 1st. They also announced the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental championships will also be defended on that show. This is all apart of NJPW’s US expansion plans.

    8. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Adam Cole (Bullet Club)

    Commentary talked about how this match is between arguably the greatest champion in modern day NJPW against the same in ROH. Cole is a 3x ROH champion, and Tanahashi ruled NJPW for the last decade. After his loss to Okada at WrestleKingdom Tanahashi has fallen out of the IWGP heavyweight title picture, but will wrestle Naito for the Intercontinental championship next month.

    Each guy got a lot of offence in. Cole hit the Last Shot, countered Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow,  and even his own version of the High Fly Flow at one point. Tanahashi finally landed his patented High Fly Flow frog splash and got the pin.

    Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

    • After the match, Cole remained in the ring while some fans chanted “thank you Adam!” (has Cole signed with someone?) The Young Bucks then hit the ring and played it up like they were going to finally superkick Cole after weeks of building towards a split. Cole turned around and the Bucks acted like everything was fine and gave him the 2 sweet signal. Kelly referred to it as them doing their own version of a curtain call.
    • Then the lights went out and we cut to a video of Kenny Omega. He says he was disappointed in the Bucks for standing with Cole after he tried to fire them from Bullet Club. He tells Adam he has had a long and storied career, but just like all fairy tales there “has to be a hero and a villain”. The camera fades back to reveal the bird mask worn by Marty Scurll. Omega then tells Cole he is officially fired.

    • The lights go back on in the building and Marty Scurll is in the ring. He reveals an umbrella with the Bullet Club logo. Then the Young Bucks superkick Adam Cole. Scurll then reveals a Bullet Club shirt.

    9. ROH World Championship
    Christopher Daniels © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

    Commentary was playing up how Cody is a free agent, and looking to achieve as much as he can all over the world.

    Lethal began favouring his shoulder after landing a suicide dive, but it didn’t seem to impact him too much. Later in the match Cody would bring out a table, though it wouldn’t be used immediately.

    Cody ended up hitting Daniels with the Cross Rhodes, but when he went for the pin Lethal came off the top for an elbow. Cody got out of the way just in time, and Lethal ended up hitting Daniels. He stumbled onto the apron, and Cody ended up hitting him off the apron and through the table. This left Cody and Lethal alone in the ring.

    There was a ref bump, followed by Cody hitting a low blow on Lethal. When Cody went for the Disaster Kick, Lethal countered into a cutter for a nearfall. Lethal then went for the Lethal Injection, but Cody countered into the Cross Rhodes, but Lethal kicked out just in time.

    Cody then put Lethal in a figure-four, but Daniels got back into the match, hit the Best Moonsault Ever on Cody and pinned him while Lethal was still trapped in his figure-four. The crowd was into it. They were into most things on this show.

    Winner: Christopher Daniels 

  • ROH War of the Worlds PPV Preview

    ROH War of the Worlds PPV Preview

    Ring of Honor returns to PPV tonight, Friday May 12th 2017. The show will broadcast from the famed Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

    War of the Worlds Lineup & Preview

    ROH World Championship Match
    Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Jay Lethal vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

    Originally this match was supposed to be just Jay Lethal challenging Christopher Daniels, but Cody interjected himself into the title picture by attacking Daniels at a set of TV tapings.

    This has angered Lethal to no end, as he feels Cody shouldn’t have been included int he match, due to Lethal defeating him in a Bullrope match at the last PPV.

    ROH TV concluded last week with Lethal laying out both Daniels and Cody with the Lethal Injection.

    ROH Tag Team Championship Match
    The Young Bucks (c) vs. Los Ingobernables (Tetsuya Naito & Bushi)

    As it is the War of the Worlds tour, NJPW faction Los Ingobernables gets a shot at the tag team championship. Don’t think that NJPW wrestlers won’t win ROH gold however, as that has happened previously.

    For the second year in a row the Bucks will not take part in NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament later in the month.

    It should be interesting to see how Naito responds to the Young Bucks’ chicanery in this bout.

    ROH TV Title 
    Marty Scurll (c) vs. Matt Sydal

    Scurll will defend the TV title against “Reborn” Matt Sydal on the PPV. Sydal lost his gig in NJPW due to being arrested in Japan for marijuana possession. He actually spent some time in jail before being allowed to travel home.

    Sydal is splitting his time between ROH & Impact Wrestling now, one of only 2 people to receive special permission to do so (Cody being the other).

    It will be the UK technical style of Scurll vs. the high flying style of Sydal, which should make for an interesting match-up.

    ROH 6-Man Championships
    Bully Ray & the Briscoes (c) vs. Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero & Beretta (CHAOS)
    Ray & the Briscoes successfully defended their titles on the 2nd night of the tour against

    Los Ingobernables, but they will now go up against the longstanding NJPW faction of CHAOS here.

    It’s been a good run for Bully Ray since joining up with the Briscoes in ROH. You just have to wonder if his partnership with the tag team will come to an end under dubious circumstances however.

    Adam Cole vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

    Cole and the rest of Bullet Club have not been seeing eye-to-eye as of late. While Kenny Omega will not be in New York for this show, the two of them have shown signs of dissension whilst in NJPW.

    Last month at a set of TV tapings, Cole attempted to fire the Young Bucks from Bullet Club, however the Bucks countered by pointing out that Cole didn’t have the ability to do so.

    It might be interesting to see if there are any developments in that storyline in this match here.

    It’s an excellent opportunity for Cole to show what he can do against arguably the biggest star in Japanese pro-wrestling in several decades.

    Also on the card:
    • Jay White vs. Will Ospreay (CHAOS)
    • Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    • Sanada & Evil (Los Ingobernables) vs. Chris Sabin & Johnathan Gresham (Search & Destroy) vs. War Machine
    • Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle vs. Kushida vs. Silas Young
  • Adam Cole Talks About Free Agency & Evaluating His Next Career Move

    Adam Cole Talks About Free Agency & Evaluating His Next Career Move

    Former Ring of Honor world Champion Adam Cole was a guest on Live Audio Wrestling this week and spoke at length about his status as a free agent. After a 7 year run with ROH, he’s not really sure what the future holds for him.

    “It’s really tough to say actually right now, what exactly I want,” Cole said. “I will say this, since 2010 I have been contracted to Ring of Honor Wrestling so for the past seven years, I’ve been contracted to Ring of Honor and haven’t even considered the idea of going anywhere else. So, for me, this is a situation where I have had and still am having the time of my life in Ring of Honor. So for me to just take a step back and look at the landscape and decide if I want to stick around, if I want to go elsewhere and making that decision.”

    Despite a lengthy career up to this point, Adam Cole is only 27 years old. He has a ton of respect for Ring of Honor and says his next move won’t be moving up, but ‘moving on.’ He sounds excited about new challenges elsewhere, but still needs time to evaluate where he’ll work next.

    “Unfortunately, you can’t make those decisions in a couple of days. You’ve got to think about it and process what would be best for you but I’m in a very cool, very lucky scenario right now where I have the option of exploring these different areas. At the end of the day, the decision that is made will be the one that makes me the happiest.”

    Adam Cole understands he’s at a crossroads and does not want to make any decisions before he’s ready.

    “For me, I don’t want to have anything that I’m second-guessing. I want to totally make sure, this is the decision I want to make, this is where I want to go, this is what I want to do. And for me, that does take some time because, again, a lot of people think this is just some easy, okay you just make your decision and you go, it’s not. My entire life could potentially change so this is definitely something that I need to sit back and think about, talk to the people that I’m closest with and decide what is best for me, what is best for Adam Cole.”

    Head over to FightNetwork.com to listen to Live Audio Wrestling.

    Discussion: Where do you think we will see Adam Cole next ?