SEScoops

Category: ROH

  • Major Stipulation Added To ROH Death Before Dishonor Title Match

    Major Stipulation Added To ROH Death Before Dishonor Title Match

    One of the biggest rematches of the year just got a major stipulation added to it.

    Team FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) will be defending the ROH tag team titles against the former champions, the Briscoes (Mark & Jay), at the July 23rd Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view in Lowell Massachusetts next weekend.

    This is a rematch from ROH Supercard of Honor earlier this year, which was won by FTR and called one of the best tag team bouts of the last few years.

    The two teams met face-to-face to hype the highly-anticipated contest, where it was revealed that it will now be 2-out-of-3 falls to determine the new ROH tag team champions. AEW has released the sit-down on their company Youtube channel. You can check it out below.

    UPDATED LINEUP FOR DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR:

    FTR vs. The Briscoes 2-out-of-3 falls for the ROH tag team championship

    Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH Television championship

    -Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure chamipionshp

    -Mercedes Martinez vs. Serena Deeb for the ROH women’s championship

  • The Briscoes Respond To FTR, Death Before Dishonor Match Official

    The Briscoes Respond To FTR, Death Before Dishonor Match Official

    FTR threw out the challenge on AEW Dynamite and The Briscoes have accepted.

    Due to Ring of Honor not having a television deal, some of this week’s AEW programming was used to set up matches for ROH’s upcoming Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view.

    FTR & The Briscoes’ History

    One of the matches that were teased is a rematch for the ROH tag titles. FTR defeated The Briscoes for the championships at April’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view in a match that has received critical acclaim. 

    On last night’s episode of Dynamite, FTR issued a challenge to the Briscoes for a rematch. That challenge has now been accepted. 

    The Briscoes Accept The Challenge

    The Briscoes have accepted the challenge in the only way they know how:

    Ring of Honor will host their Death Before Dishonor PPV on July 23. The event will take place at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, July 8, at 10 a.m. ET.

    Death Before Dishonor Card

    Below, you can find the current card of announced matches for the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view:

    • ROH World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Jay Lethal
    • ROH Pure Championship Match (Pure Rules Match): Wheeler Yuta (c) vs Daniel Garcia
    • ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs The Briscoes
    ROH Death Before Dishonor: Matches, Date, How to Watch
  • Tony Khan On Death Before Dishonor & Possible ROH TV Deal

    Tony Khan On Death Before Dishonor & Possible ROH TV Deal

    Recently, it was announced that Ring of Honor will be back on the air for their ‘Death Before Dishonor’ pay-per-view. AEW and ROH Owner Tony Khan recently spoke about the upcoming pay-per-view and the possibility of getting the promotion on TV.

    Ring of Honor will host their Death Before Dishonor PPV on July 23. The event will take place at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. Tickets will go on sale on July 8 at 10 a.m. ET.

    The following stars are featured on the poster for the event: ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham, ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe, ROH Tag Team Champions FTR, ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, and Jay Lethal.

    ROH Death Before Dishonor: Matches, Date, How to Watch

    Tony Khan On Death Before Dishonor

    Tony Khan recently sat down for an interview with Joseph Staszewski for the New York Post. The ROH Owner spoke about their upcoming pay-per-view event and the business side of his ROH dealings.

    Khan said, “Death Before Dishonor,” I think is going to do well, based on the success of “SuperCard of Honor” I would say probably. I think the fans are gonna support “Death Before Dishonor.” It will get good sales. 

    I believe “Death Before Dishonor” is going to be … the year is gonna get better and better as we go as more wrestlers get healthy, and the forbidden door continues year-round. I think “Death Before Dishonor” will be one of the best wrestling shows of the year and I think it will be one of the best Ring of Honor shows ever. “Death Before Dishonor” is going to be great and I’m very excited for it.

    I think it will do well as a live event and believe it will do well for Bleacher Report and hopefully continue the interest of Warner Bro. Discovery in not only AEW and expanding that relationship and continuing to create new revenue streams and really preserve and deliver on the ones we do have, but also get Ring of Honor involved. 

    I also think there is a lot of potential in the future in the world of streaming with these big PPV events but also the historical libraries of AEW and Ring of Honor, which are both growing.”

    ROH On TV Streaming?

    Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Ring of Honor getting its own on-air programming. Since Tony purchased the company, we’ve seen many of the ROH champions on AEW TV, but as of now, their only home is on the pay-per-views.

    Khan spoke about this in his recent interview as well.

    “I would like weekly Ring of Honor episodes to be the best episodes and to be the best customer experience. What does that mean? The means probably being on a platform that’s easy and friendly to the customer and a good reputable platform, it could be TV streaming,” Tony stated.

    Death Before Dishonor Card

    Below, you can find the current card of announced matches for the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view:

    • ROH World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Jay Lethal
    • ROH Pure Championship Match (Pure Rules Match): Wheeler Yuta (c) vs Daniel Garcia
    • ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs The Briscoes
  • Major Champion Turns Heel on AEW Rampage (Spoilers)

    Major Champion Turns Heel on AEW Rampage (Spoilers)

    A big heel turn has taken place at the AEW Rampage taping.

    The heel-babyface turns in pro wrestling continue on. Fans recently witnessed Christian Cage turn his back on Jungle Boy, nailing him with the Killswitch and a Conchairto.

    Add another turn to the list.

    AEW Rampage was taped following the July 6 episode of Dynamite. The action was held inside the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. At the conclusion of a tag team match, one major champion turned on his partner.

    Jonathan Gresham Turns Heel

    Jonathan Gresham
    (via ROH)

    On this week’s edition of Rampage, set to air on July 8, ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham teamed with Lee Moriarty to take on Tully Blanchard’s Gates of Agony team.

    The Gates of Agony won the match as Gresham walked out on Moriarty. He has now aligned himself with Tully Blanchard.

    ROH’s Death Before Dishonor PPV is coming up on July 23.

    While it hasn’t been made official, the direction certainly seems to be leaning towards an ROH World Title Match between Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty.

    Keep it locked on SEScoops for live coverage of ROH Death Before Dishonor on the event date.

  • Former ROH Star Pulled From Segment on AEW TV

    Former ROH Star Pulled From Segment on AEW TV

    The May 4 episode of AEW Dynamite almost had a former ROH star appear as a security guard.

    In an interview with Ringsiders Wrestling, Tony Deppen shared that he was supposed to be a member of the security team that Wardlow had attacked. The AEW star faced former Impact Wrestling talent W. Morrissey at the May 4 episode of AEW Dynamite in Baltimore, Maryland.

    After the match, Deppen was supposed to be one of the security guards that Wardlow beat down. He had already had a taped match with John Silver for AEW Dark that day.

    However, according to the former ROH star, AEW pulled him because they didn’t want to hurt his value as a wrestler.

    “…When I did AEW in Baltimore, I was supposed to do the run-in with Wardlow as well, and you know that Baltimore’s prime Ring of Honor territory. Everyone knows me there, and I did my match, got in the back, and the extra coordinator pulled me to the side.

    “He’s like, ‘You’re not going out there for that,’” said Deppen. He continued, “I was like, ‘oh, why?’ He just like, ‘we don’t want to hurt you like everyone knows who you are out there.’ They didn’t want me to get hurt as like my value, I guess, which I understand that but also in the same sense I’m like, ‘yo I would’ve got an extra payday.’”

    Tony deppen

    What is Former ROH Star Tony Deppen Doing Now?

    Since he departed from ROH, Deppen has competed for different independent wrestling promotions. He has also become one of the frequent talents competing in Game Changer Wrestling.

    He faced Jon Moxley for the GCW World Championship at GCW: You Wouldn’t Understand on June 18. While Deppen pushed the champion to his limit, Moxley defeated him to retain the title.

    Deppen also recently competed in a scramble match at GCW: Dead or Alive on June 30, which he won by pinning Dark Sheik.

    If AEW President Tony Khan wants to revive the ROH brand, he could consider signing Deppen. Although, it seems like Deppen is keeping himself active and having success.

  • ROH Returns to PPV in July With Death Before Dishonor

    ROH Returns to PPV in July With Death Before Dishonor

    Ring of Honor will be back on the air for a special PPV event next month.

    There’s been a lot of talk about the future of ROH. Tony Khan purchased the company and while we’ve seen a lot of ROH champions on AEW TV, Ring of Honor has yet to score a broadcast deal of its own.

    As Khan continues his search, ROH will keep trucking along. The promotion has announced its Death Before Dishonor PPV set for July 23.

    ROH Death Before Dishonor: Matches, Date, How to Watch

    Death Before Dishonor

    The PPV will be held on July 23. The action will emanate from Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. Tickets will go on sale on July 8 at 10 a.m. ET.

    Featured on the poster are ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham, ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe, ROH Tag Team Champions FTR, ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, and Jay Lethal.

    No matches have been announced at this time.

    Be sure to check back on the SEScoops homepage as we’ll be providing live coverage of ROH Death Before Dishonor on July 23.

  • What’s Next For ROH Under Tony Khan

    What’s Next For ROH Under Tony Khan

    Only one event has been produced under the ROH brand since Tony Khan bought the company. Fans have been waiting to hear more about the future of the promotion.

    Now a new report is suggesting that things may change in future. Per PWinsider, the word-making round is that an announcement regarding the next Ring of Honor event ‘should be coming in the next few days.’

    Tully Blanchard who was shifted to ROH previously made an appearance on Rampage this past Friday. He teased that his Tully Blanchard Enterprises faction will be going after Jonathan Gresham.

    This might be an indication that a match between Gresham, who currently holds the ROH world champion and Brian Cage will be built up in coming times.

    The report also suggests that there won’t be any change to the ROH commentary team. Caprice Coleman and Ian Riccaboni will continue being the voices of the brand.

    While it’s unknown what Tony Khan is actually planning, the belief is that Death Before Dishonor will be the company’s next PPV event during the 4th weekend of July.

    It’s expected to take place in Lowell, Massachusetts. Several ROH events have been produced there in the past. It’ll also play well with AEW’s touring schedule as the July 27th Dynamite is scheduled to take place from Worcester, Massachusetts.

  • Ex-Ring of Honor World Champion Out With an Injury

    Ex-Ring of Honor World Champion Out With an Injury

    Fans of former Ring of Honor World Champion Bandido won’t be seeing much of him, as he’s currently dealing with some kind of injury.

    Bandido was advertised for a WrestleRex event set to go down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 30, but has now been pulled from the event.

    The promotion confirmed that Bandido is dealing with some kind of injury, but did not specify what has happened to the wrestler.

    It isn’t known who Bandido was scheduled to face at the event, but he has been replaced by former WWE Superstar Lince Dorado.

    The Injury

    Bandido hasn’t confirmed when exactly the injury took place, but the current belief is that it happened at the recent AAA TripleMania event.

    On the show, Bandido faced Rey Fenix, Black Taurus, Laredo Kid and El Hijo Del Vikingo in a match for both the AAA World Cruiserweight and Latin American Championships.

    During the match, Bandido landed badly on his head and was stretchered out.

    He later stated on Instagram that his neck was not fractured though added that he did need to rest.

    Fenix would win the match and both titles.

    Future Plans

    At tomorrow’s Battle Riot IV event in New York, Bandido had been scheduled to face MLW World Champion Alex Hammerstone.

    However, given this injury, it is unlikely that Bandido will make it to the match.

    At this moment, no timeline has been given as to when Bandido will be fully healed and back in the ring.

    Bandido Breaks Silence On No-Showing GCW Event
  • ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV Planned For Next Month

    ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV Planned For Next Month

    ROH is expected to return to pay-per-view in July, according to a new report by Fightful. 

    The report stated AEW talent has been told that ROH Death Before Dishonor is being planned for the weekend of July 23, 2022 with the expectation that it will take place in Lowell, Massachusetts. A venue is not known for the event. 

    ROH owner Tony Khan spoke to ESPN regarding the future of the promotion in April after holding the SuperCard of Honor event: 

    “I’ve been having more conversations with WarnerMedia about what we can do together to grow Ring of Honor,” Khan said. “I think it would make sense for Ring of Honor to continue as a weekly series and major events, like we just had with Supercard.”

    Jonathan Gresham told Fightful recently that ROH would be starting back up soon. As noted, company also filed to trademark two potential new logos last month.

    Another New ROH Logo Revealed by Trademark Application

    The first Death Before Dishonor took place on July 19, 2003 that featured Samoa Joe defending the ROH World Championship against Paul London in the main event. The promotion has held the show every year except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  • Update On Colt Cabana’s Status With AEW-ROH

    Update On Colt Cabana’s Status With AEW-ROH

    It looks like Colt Cabana will have a strong presence in Ring of Honor.

    Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Colt has signed a new deal with AEW.

    While Colt has re-upped with AEW, he’s expected to play a role in Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.

    Meltzer notes that Colt’s involvement with ROH could very well be due to his sour relationship with CM Punk.

    Colt Cabana and Punk used to be close friends but a lawsuit changed that.

    Colt believed that Punk owed him money for lawyer fees stemming from a lawsuit filed by WWE doctor Chris Amann.

    Punk appeared on Colt’s podcast and accused WWE doctors of missing his staph infection and telling him to use Z-Paks whenever he had an ailment.

    Ultimately, CM Punk won the civil trial in the defamation lawsuit.

    Colt ended up suing Punk for breach of contract. The case would soon be dropped.

    Many have suspected that Colt’s lack of TV time as a late is due to the situation with Punk. With that said, it appears AEW still sees value in having Colt Cabana around.

  • Another New ROH Logo Revealed by Trademark Application

    Another New ROH Logo Revealed by Trademark Application

    We have an updated look at two new Ring of Honor logos.

    ROH Acquisition Co., LLC, an entity based out of AEW headquarters at 1 TIAA Bank Field Drive in Jacksonville, Florida, submitted a trademark application with the US Patent & Trademark office on May 6.

    The “word mark” usage for this logo includes:

    Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of television shows and multimedia entertainment content featuring wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media over a Global Computer Network.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cda07M-uY6T/

    Update: ROH Acquisition Co., LLC filed another trademark application on May 12th or the following alternate logo:

    ROH Acquisition Co., LLC

    The entity also filed to trademark the phrase, “Ring of Honor.” The Goods and Services description includes the following:

    “Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of television shows and multimedia entertainment content featuring wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; over a global computer network or via a global computer.“

    SEScoops’ Fernando Quiles Jr. was first to report that a new Ring of Honor logo was on the way.

    Prior to being acquired by Tony Khan, Ring of Honor’s previous owners had a new logo designed and a total rebranding in the works that would represent the company’s “new chapter” after Supercard of Honor.

    ROH had a new company logo set to debut at Supercard of Honor. The logo was used on digital assets, ring skirts and turnbuckle pads. However, none of those were used at the event.

    The new ROH regime, leg by Tony Khan, wanted to use the “classic” logo at Supercard of Honor, to represent the final chapter of the previous era of ROH.

    It’s unknown if this new ROH logo is the one that was going to be used at Supercard of Honor, or if Khan’s team created this entirely new logo for the company’s new direction.

  • Killer Kross on Not Appearing at ROH Supercard of Honor

    Killer Kross on Not Appearing at ROH Supercard of Honor

    Killer Kross has reflected on not making an appearance at ROH Supercard of Honor.

    When ROH underwent a “reconceptualization” period, many were skeptical of the future of the promotion. The company announced it would be releasing all of its talent but was aiming for a return in the spring.

    The wrestling world was turned upside down when AEW President Tony Khan announced he was purchasing ROH. This caught many off guard including someone who was trying to get Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux on the Supercard of Honor show.

    Killer Kross On What Went Wrong

    Killer Kross was expecting to be featured on the Supercard of Honor show before Tony Khan made the deal. This gave some the impression that Khan blocked Kross and Scarlett from appearing.

    As it turns out, Kross may have simply been the victim of many moving parts. He told Wrestling Inc that the person who was trying to get him on the show lost his job due to the acquisition.

    “I was like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to keep this quiet,’ we were really pumped about this, it’s going to be awesome. She might be able to revisit some stuff from Ring Of Honor that she previously did,” he said. “We can do something new, so, all of these ideas are coming to light.

    “Then it was announced on TV that Tony Khan had bought Ring Of Honor. So, I hit my correspondent back, and I was like, ‘what the f*ck is going on here?’

    “He’s like, ‘I have no idea,’ and then a little bit of time went on, and then we began to find out through my other friends in the company, who didn’t even know. Because we were fading them too, not like we thought they’d maliciously stooge it off, we just didn’t want it to leak. We are very old school, we don’t tell anybody what is going on.

    “So, what happened was everybody lost their jobs, or they were out of jobs. They didn’t have work anymore at Ring Of Honor.”

    Kross said at that point, it wouldn’t have been right to keep asking the person about his appearance.

    “At that point, on a humane level, there was no way I could continue talking to this person. I felt bad for that person on the phone. Like, here is this person that was offering us work, and then they’re not there anymore.

    “My heart was broken for them, I was like, I don’t think this is something, just on a human level, that we should continue pursuing. I guess, that’s just basically what happened, it was kind of like sad actually. I felt bad, I didn’t pursue it beyond that.”

    During the Supercard of Honor media scrum, Tony Khan dismissed the notion that he didn’t want Kross and Scarlett on the show. He insisted that the two weren’t booked when he took over ROH and that he actually likes them.

  • Former ROH TV Champion Rhett Titus Involved In Car Crash Over The Weekend

    Former ROH TV Champion Rhett Titus Involved In Car Crash Over The Weekend

    Pro-wrestling star Rhett Titus recently took to Twitter and announced that he was involved in a car accident over the weekend.

    The former ROH television champion says he was driving home from his appearance at the Independent Superstars Of Pro Wrestling event in New Jersey when a car drove head first into him. Fortunately for Titus, he came out of the collision completely unscathed. In his tweet he shares a photo of what the damage was to his vehicle, as well as an update on his condition.

    “I AM OK AND NOT INJURED. Driving home from the @ispwwrestling show last night a car drove head on into mine on the Garden State Parkway (which is a one way highway). I am extremely lucky to have been able to walk away from it unscathed.”

    Titus has been staying busy working the independent circuit, but it is not known if he will be involved in ROH now that it is owned by Tony Khan. His last appearance for the promotion was at Supercard of Honor, where he dropped the ROH TV title to Minor Suzuki.

  • Samoa Joe Almost Missed Supercard of Honor

    Samoa Joe Almost Missed Supercard of Honor

    Samoa Joe made a surprise appearance to close the ROH Supercard of Honor show but it almost didn’t happen.

    On April 1, ROH held its first show under a new regime. Supercard of Honor took place inside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. In the main event, Jonathan Gresham became the undisputed ROH World Champion, defeating Bandido.

    After the match, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt attacked Gresham. Lee Moriarty attempted to make the save but the numbers game was too much.

    Luckily for them, Samoa Joe made his surprise return. He sent Lethal cowering out of the ring and choked Dutt.

    Samoa Joe Barely Made It

    During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Joe recalled nearly being unable to make it to Supercard of Honor (h/t Wrestling Inc).

    “Oh, absolutely, I know there was weather permitting jets to get to Tampa on time. And a lot of mechanical issues on flights that went out.

    “So, I had to end up driving to Cross City, Florida, a small little rural town in the middle of Florida to catch a private jet to get up to the show.

    “The best part was, as I arrived to the airport and I walked into this little office, this little man sitting behind the counter looked at me.

    “I said, ‘hey man, I am here, I’ve got a jet coming in to pick me up,’ he said, ‘what time?’ I said, ‘I think seven o’clock,’ he said, ‘well, we close a six, man, I’ll see what I can do.’”

    Joe has already made waves under Tony Khan’s ROH. He captured the ROH World Television Championship from Minoru Suzuki on the April 13 episode of AEW Dynamite.

    He is currently involved in a feud with Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and their new muscle Satnam Singh.

  • Rush Teases In-Ring Return, Wants to Wrestle AEW’s Top Stars

    Rush Teases In-Ring Return, Wants to Wrestle AEW’s Top Stars

    Former Ring of Honor World Champion Rush is ready to return to in-ring competition and is looking to compete in All Elite Wrestling.

    After suffering a knee injury at Glory By Honor on Aug. 21, 2021, Rush has shared that he recovered. However, Rush isn’t signed to ROH. Before the sale to AEW President Tony Khan, ROH had released all talent from their contracts.

    Now a free agent, Rush hopes to compete for AEW and wants to compete against the company’s biggest stars. In a tweet on May. 7, Rush expressed a desire to wrestle against Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk.

    “For all my fans in America, after 8 months out of the ring, I’m back and stronger than ever. I want Rush vs. Kenny Omega, Rush VS Daniel Bryan, and Rush VS CM Punk,” wrote Rush.

    What’s Next for the Ring of Honor Brand Under AEW

    Since the purchase of ROH, Khan has featured ROH title matches and had former talent in AEW. On the May. 4 episode of AEW Dynamite, the main event had Mercedes Martinez vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the Undisputed ROH Women’s World Championship. However, it doesn’t seem like a weekly ROH show isn’t happening soon.

    Free agents like Rush want to return to ROH or sign with AEW, but it’s unclear if Khan will sign former ROH talent. Wrestling fans are also speculating if ROH will turn into a developmental system like NXT is to WWE. The AEW President shared after the purchase that he’s still unsure about the immediate future of ROH.

    Rush
    (via ROH)

    Could Another Wrestling Company Sign Rush?

    While Rush is interested in AEW, it’s possible that another wrestling company could sign him. A wrestling fan expressed interest in other companies like Impact Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling hiring Rush, which the former ROH champion retweeted. Impact Wrestling has also had former ROH talents wrestling competing for them.

    MLW CEO Court Bauer has also expressed interest in Rush. In an interview with Busted Open last year, he shared that he tried to sign Rush before ROH did.

    “Rush because I had him before and with my fans, I mean, I have a Spanish language show on beIN Espanol, we always go down to Mexico. We offered him a deal, Ring of Honor countered, and he went with Ring of Honor. I sold out Cicero Stadium with RUSH. I know his [drawing] power. I know the guy’s injured, but I think he’s gonna come back strong”(h/t Fernando Quiles Jr).

    The free agent could have plenty of options on who he will sign with next.

  • Former ROH TV Champion Holder Debuts for AEW (Spoiler)

    Former ROH TV Champion Holder Debuts for AEW (Spoiler)

    Ahead of last night’s Dynamite broadcast on TBS AEW taped several matches for their weekly Youtube episodic Dark: Elevation, which featured a new debut for the men’s division.

    That man was indie sensation and former Ring of Honor Television champion Tony Deppen, who wrestled John Silver from the Dark Order. Reports had surfaced earlier in the day that Deppen had been spotted backstage, but it was not certain what his role would be at that time. You can see a photo from his matchup below. (Thanks to @darbygargano for sharing)

    https://twitter.com/darbygargano/status/1521994613405495297

    Deppen made his debut for ROH in 2020 in their Pure title tournament, where he would eventually be eliminated by PJ Black. This was right in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak so ROH was running taped shows in front of zero fans.

    He would unsuccessfully challenge for the ROH TV title several times before finally dethroning Tracy Williams. Aside from ROH Deppen has wrestled for Chikara, CZW, PWG, and has become a regular for the very popular, GCW.

    Deppen’s match with Silver will most likely air on next Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation. As of this writing it is not known whether Deppen will continue appearing for AEW, or if he has possibly signed with ROH now that they are owned by Tony Khan. We will keep you updated on Deppen’s status in the competitive wrestling market.

  • Mercedes Martinez is the Undisputed ROH Women’s Champion

    Mercedes Martinez is the Undisputed ROH Women’s Champion

    Mercedes Martinez has ushered in a new era for ROH by unifying the women’s gold.

    On the May 4 episode of AEW Dynamite, Martinez went toe-to-toe with Deonna Purrazzo. Going into the match, Martinez was the interim ROH Women’s Champion while Purrazzo was the main titleholder.

    Something had to give in the main event of Dynamite. In the end, it was Mercedes Martinez who forced Purrazzo to tap out via Surfboard Dragon Sleeper. She is now the undisputed ROH Women’s Champion.

    Peep the highlights below:

  • Tony Khan Lays Out His Vision for the Future of Ring of Honor

    Tony Khan Lays Out His Vision for the Future of Ring of Honor

    AEW President Tony Khan spoke with Marc Raimondi for ESPN this week about the future of Ring of Honor. Khan shocked the wrestling world last month by announcing he was purchasing the company’s video library, brand assets and intellectual property.

    Last weekend’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view from Dallas, TX was the first ROH show under Khan’s control. The event was well received by wrestling fans and critics. He really tried to make it an ROH show, including cameos from ROH alums like Samoa Joe and The Young Bucks.

    AEW, ROH & WarnerMedia

    When asked about the short-term plans for Ring of Honor, Khan expressed uncertainty. “It’s hard to say,” he told ESPN.

    Due to Tony Khan’s business relationship with WarnerMedia, AEW’s media partner in the United States, he had to get an ‘exemption’ from Warner in order to promote the Supercard PPV.

    Khan says there’s great potential in continuing ROH as a weekly series, along with occasional special events.

    He did not answer whether or not ROH would serve as a developmental system for AEW, but did reveal he’s had talks with WarnerMedia about what can be done with ROH.

    “I think the success of Supercard, critically and commercially, will bode very well for WarnerMedia really taking an interest in Ring of Honor, as well as AEW,” he said. “I think there’s great potential to have a complementary wrestling brand.”

    Booking ROH

    Tony Khan has stated that he plans to be the booker of Ring Honor. However, he already has a lot of responsibilities with AEW, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC.

    There is a risk that he is spreading himself too thin, but Khan said it was “very natural” for him to handle the booking for the Supercard PPV.

    Visit ESPN to read the full interview with Tony Khan.

  • Tony Khan: “I Really Like Killer Kross And Scarlett”

    Tony Khan: “I Really Like Killer Kross And Scarlett”

    Tony Khan has recently said that he is a fan of Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux.

    On April 1, Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor show marked their official return from their hiatus. This was also the first event for the promotion under Tony Khan’s ownership. Tony Khan announced on the March 2 Dynamite that he had bought the legendary promotion.

    Tony Khan On Talks Between ROH And Kross & Scarlett Prior To Ownership

    At one point, it seems that Killer Kross and Scarlett had been in talks with prior management about appearing. At the Supercard of Honor media scrum, Tony Khan addressed this report by explaining that he is a fan of both of them, but that neither of the pair were locked in for anything specific. Khan noted that prior management had reached out to a lot of people. However, he wanted to stay true to the stories of Ring of Honor.

    “They weren’t booked by…nothing was really booked until I took over. There was some stuff that had been announced, but they had never been announced on the show. Given some of the stuff on the show, I thought…I really like Killer Kross and Scarlett, I don’t think they were specifically locked into any match or a specific thing, although it’s possible the prior management had talked to them. The prior management had talked to a lot of people. 

    I tried to stay true to the stories of Ring of Honor and I want to build a new era of Ring of Honor and I tried to feature a lot of the former names and a lot of names of the past and also debut people in Ring of Honor for the first time, some wrestlers from AEW like Brian Cage and Swerve and others. It was very cool and there was a lot of people who had history in Ring of Honor and wrestled there in the past or recently who are in AEW. 

    When I took over the booking, there had only been a few things announced and that wasn’t one of the things and there was no match locked in. Total respect for both of them and could’ve easily seen that fitting in too,” Khan said.

    Kross & Scarlett’s WWE Release

    Kross and Scarlett were released by WWE in November 2021. Since then, Kross has been appearing for Major League Wrestling and the Control Your Narrative promotion. Kross also made his debut for NJPW Strong last night at NJPW Lonestar Shootout.

    H/T to Jeremy Lambert & Gisberto Guzzo of Fightful for the transcription

  • Watch: Samoa Joe Makes Surprise Appearance At Supercard Of Honor

    Watch: Samoa Joe Makes Surprise Appearance At Supercard Of Honor

    Samoa Joe is back in ROH.

    AEW President and the new owner of Ring Of Honor Tony Khan had been teasing something big for the Supercard Of Honor event this Friday night.

    He had told the audience in attendance to not leave before the show was over and asked everyone to keep watching till the end.

    The big surprise Khan had promised turned out to be none other than the Samoan Submission Machine and one of ROH originals, Samoa Joe.

    The main event of the show saw Jonathan Gresham defeating Bandido to become the Undisputed ROH World Heavyweight champion.

    Another ROH veteran Jay Lethal then made an appearance on the show. He challenged Gresham. Lethal and Sonjay Dutt proceeded to attack the world champion. Lee Moriarty tried to make the save but he got laid out by the pair.

    Lethal held both the world title belts high and it looked as if that will be the end of the event. This is when Samoa Joe made his return to the promotion. He got into Lethal’s face and Joe choked out Sonjay Dutt to end the ppv.

    Tony Khan later took on his Twitter to officially announce the former NXT champion’s signing. He teased Joe’s appearance for next week’s episode of Dynamite:

  • Bandido Would Be “Thrilled” To Be A Part Of Tony Khan’s ROH Long Term

    Bandido Would Be “Thrilled” To Be A Part Of Tony Khan’s ROH Long Term

    Bandido isn’t opposed to being a part of Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.

    Khan shook up the wrestling industry by announcing he is now the owner of Ring of Honor. The AEW head honcho plans to take over the booking reins of ROH. SEScoops was the first to report that all ROH employees would be let go.

    As for the talent, they were also released from their contracts months before Khan’s purchase. ROH did this to undergo a “reconceptualization” period.

    Bandido Wants In On Tony Khan’s ROH

    Speaking to the folks at Más Lucha, Bandido said that he’d jump at the chance to compete for ROH long term with Tony Khan at the helm (h/t Fightful).

    “It’s incredible but it did take me by surprise, admittedly. They always say that change is for the better, so I’m interested to see what is next in this new phase (of Ring of Honor). If I continue, and I would love to continue, I will be thrilled to be there. If not, then I look forward to closing that chapter the best possible manner.

    “They haven’t reached out to me. We (Bandido & Khan) have not spoken since the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, unfortunately.”

    PWInsider reported that Bandido’s future in the United States is up in the air due to his visa. If he can’t score a deal with Khan or another big promotion before his visa expires, it’s been said that he’ll wrestle in Mexico in the short term.

    Bandido is set for a title unification match against Jonathan Gresham. Both men lay claim to being called the ROH World Champion but there can only be one. The two will settle things at Supercard of Honor on April 1.

  • Jonathan Gresham Feared His Career Was In Jeopardy During COVID-19 Pandemic

    Jonathan Gresham Feared His Career Was In Jeopardy During COVID-19 Pandemic

    Jonathan Gresham was in a good spot financially when the COVID-19 pandemic first took effect but he thought his in-ring career could be over.

    Gresham has been renowned for his technical wrestling and his hard work has paid off. He is the current ROH World Champion and is set for a big undisputed title match with Bandido at Supercard of Honor on April 1.

    While it looks to be smooth sailing for Gresham now, there was some uncertainty back in 2020.

    Jonathan Gresham On Dealing With Pandemic

    Jonathan Gresham appeared on The Kurt Angle Show and said that from a financial standpoint, he was more worried about wrestlers who were on per appearance deals and didn’t have a job guaranteed. With that said, he was still concerned about his own career (h/t Fightful).

    “Yes. I try to stay optimistic. I’m a pessimist from the start, but when it hit I was financially in a pretty good situation but I was more concerned about my comrades, guys that were coming up and on pay-per-appearance with Ring of Honor. So, I was really thinking about them.

    “ROH did a really good job of keeping us on payroll the entire pandemic, so I was concerned but I was also thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to jump to what next?’ I spent my entire adult life becoming a professional wrestler, so there was really nothing else I could really use that knowledge for, so that was kind of scary.

    “But yeah, I thought it was over for me. But I was just going to ride the wave of the contract. Money was still coming in and hope for the best.”

    It’s safe to say that Gresham will be sticking around in the wrestling business. Reports have already surfaced claiming that Gresham could very well be in business with both ROH and AEW for the foreseeable future.

  • Bandido’s Status After ROH Supercard Of Honor Up In The Air

    Bandido’s Status After ROH Supercard Of Honor Up In The Air

    ROH star Bandido is prepping for Supercard of Honor but things could get a bit murky after the event.

    PWInsider is reporting that Bandido’s work visa under the ROH banner will be expiring soon. It’s been said that ROH had no plans of renewing any work visas before Tony Khan purchased the promotion.

    Mike Johnson also notes in the report that Bandido could find himself in a similar situation that other international talents in ROH could be facing. That being, international stars may need to pull out of independent bookings this summer if their visas can’t be renewed.

    The report claims that if Bandido can’t get his visa renewed, then he will take booking dates in Mexico in the short term.

    Bandido is scheduled to take on Jonathan Gresham at Supercard of Honor on April 1. The winner will be recognized as the undisputed ROH World Champion.

  • Ethan Page Excited To See Tony Khan’s Plan For ROH

    Ethan Page Excited To See Tony Khan’s Plan For ROH

    Ethan Page puts his trust in Tony Khan’s plan for ROH.

    In early March, Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group. The AEW boss later revealed to reporters that he plans to be the booker of ROH.

    Ethan Page Trusts The Process

    Appearing as a guest on the Sports Guys Talking Wrestling podcast, Ethan Page explained how he believes Tony Khan’s purchase of ROH will be beneficial (via Fightful).

    “It’s incredible because it offers more opportunities for the giant roster that AEW has. I want to say there are over 100 professional wrestlers under the AEW banner, as far as talent. Now we’re going to have more chances for guys, especially the younger guys, to get in-ring experience and mingle with even more wrestlers.

    “So if you’re a fan, this is even crazier for you. Because there’s going to be more live events, there’s going to be more content for you to consume, there’s gonna be more dream matches and possibilities. It’s just very exciting.”

    Page went on to say that he feels Khan’s vision for ROH will be exciting.

    “I can’t wait to see what Tony does with it. This is a guy who put me and Sky together. That’s not an idea or thing I even thought was possible and it turned out to be my absolute favorite thing in my career so far.

    “So I have an unrivaled trust in Tony Khan for his vision and goals and I can’t wait to see what he does with Ring of Honor.”

    SEScoops exclusively reported that current ROH employees were told that the consensus is that Khan isn’t interested in retaining them. SEScoops was also the first to report that Khan planned to produce Supercard of Honor along with his AEW team.

  • Jonathan Gresham Won Another World Title Over The Weekend

    Jonathan Gresham Won Another World Title Over The Weekend

    Jonathan Gresham captured the Progress World Championship on Sunday.

    Gresham’s ROH Championship was on the line when he ended Cara Noir’s 2-year reign at Progress Chapter 130: Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, Dodge from London, England.

    This is a big win for Gresham. He now holds the title prize for multiple promotions as he looks ahead to his next big match ROH Supercard of Honor during WrestleMania 38 weekend from Dallas, Texas.

    The Supercard of Honor main event will see Gresham and Bandido clash in a “Winner Take All” match to determine an Undisputed ROH World Champion. The event begins a new era for ROH under the ownership of AEW President Tony Khan.

    PROGRESS Wrestling sent in the following press release detailing Gresham’s victory:

    Jonathan Gresham Crowned PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion at Chapter 130: Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, Dodge

    Sunday 20th March 2022, London, England: After a titanic title vs. title bout with two of the most prestigious titles in wrestling on the line, Jonathan Gresham defeated Cara Noir to add the PROGRESS Wrestling World Championship to his Ring Of Honor Championship at Progress Chapter 130: Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, Dodge.

    The finish of the match saw Cara Noir’s record-setting 26-month reign come to an end after interference from Spike Trivet who nailed Noir with a vicious chair shot. Gresham immediately capitalized on the situation by hitting Noir with an illegal low blow before pinning the champion to end his reign at the 791-day mark. Immediately following the bout, PROGRESS fans surrounded the ring, hammering on the apron en masse to pay tribute to the now-former titleholder.

    The win means that Gresham may now make the first defense of his newly won title in his scheduled bout with Malik at Wednesday’s Everything Patterned: London event.

    Gresham’s win means that for the first time in history, the PROGRESS Wrestling World Championship is in the hands of an American wrestler.

    Chapter 130 was the start of a monumental Anniversary Week for PROGRESS Wrestling who will also promote their first-ever all women’s event, Who Run The World?, on Tuesday 22nd March at The Dome, Tufnell Park, London as well as their landmark, sold out 10th Anniversary Show from The Garage in London. This show will see Cara Noir face NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov.