7/20 ROH Results – This week’s ROH emanated from Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the Saddledome as part of last Saturday’s AEW Collision tapings. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on commentary.
We start with a video package hyping the Pure Title match between Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata at Death Before Dishonor. Since last week, we’ve had five title matches set for the PPV, including an ROH World Title match against Claudio Castagnoli and PAC.
Pure Rules Match – Daniel Garcia defeated Jason Geiger
This was a good opener, although I do wonder why Garcia gave so much offense to a local yokel before a PPV Title match.
The judges for this match were Matt Taven, Christopher Daniels, and Jerry Lynn.
The announcers hyped Geiger’s jiu-jitsu prowess, noting his high ranks in both Canada and the US. Garcia knocked down Geiger with a shoulder block but waved off his dance to boos. He changed his mind after escaping a headscissors, dancing in Geiger’s face. Geiger got some shots in on Garcia and mocked his dance before catching Garcia in an armbar. That forced Garcia to use his first rope break.
Garcia dropped Geiger over the ropes with a hotshot to regain control. Garcia locked on a front facelock, spun Geiger around, then dropped into a guillotine submission. Geiger got back to his feet and pulled Garcia over into a suplex.
A strike exchange ended with Geiger getting the upper hand, hitting a suplex for a nearfall. Geiger went for a submission, but Garcia peppered him with strikes before laying him out with a lariat. Garcia locked Geiger into a Boston Crab, but Geiger reversed it into a triangle choke. Garcia escaped and locked on the Dragon Tamer sharpshooter – to massive boos in Calgary – to get the win.
After the match, Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata came to the ring to face off with his challenger for tomorrow night.
Utami Hayashishita defeated Trish Adora
This started slowly, but it built up well and the crowd got behind it. Hayashishita looked good, and Adora hung in there with her acclaimed opponent.
No entrance for Hayashishita, as the former World of Stardom Champion makes her ROH debut here. Adora held onto Hayashishita’s arm early on, sneaking in a La Magistral cradle for a nearfall. Adora twisted Hayashishita in a submission hold, but she escaped and hit a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Hayashishita struggled with a bodyslam attempt due to the arm work but got it for a nearfall.
Adora landed body shots, but Hayashishita scored with forearms to the face that knocked Adora down. They traded waist locks until Adora snatched the arm and hit an overhead kick to it. Adora went for the Lariat Tubman, but Hayashishita ducked and hit a set of German Suplexes for a nearfall. Hayashishita went for an Air Raid Crash, but Adora locked on a wrist lock that forced Hayashishita to the ropes.
Adora fired up, landing a pump kick and a senton for a nearfall. Adora hit the kneeling German suplex for a nearfall. Hayashishita followed Adora off the ropes and hit a lariat. Hayashishita hit a twisting Torture Rack bomb for a nearfall, then hit a spinning Razor’s Edge to score the win.
ROH World Television Title Eliminator Tournament Final Match – Shane Taylor defeated Dalton Castle
Castle’s feats of strength energized the crowd, peaking with the impressive Bangarang on Taylor. To his credit, Taylor worked very well here too. Hopefully, he can play a more meaningful role on ROH television moving forward.
Castle tried to get Taylor with a single-leg takedown, but Taylor kept warding him off. Castle caught Taylor with a flurry that ended with a DDT that sent Taylor to the floor. Taylor caught Castle by the feet and dropped him to the floor with the Tower of London. Castle got back in the ring but quickly got taken down with a sidewalk slam for a nearfall.
Taylor worked on Castle’s back before dropping him with a headbutt. Taylor followed up with a pull-up uranage and a big splash for a nearfall. Taylor locked in a sleeper hold, but Castle escaped it with a roll-up attempt before low-bridging Taylor to the floor. Castle caught Taylor with a hurricanrana on the floor. Castle avoided a corner charge and fought back with strikes, but Taylor caught Castle with a body shot that took him down.
Castle caught Taylor with an overhead suplex that surprised the crowd. Castle hit a bulldog for a nearfall. Taylor used a rope break to land a cheap shot punch, but Taylor came back with a stalling German suplex. Castle then got Taylor up for a massive Bangarang to score the win and the TV Title shot against Samoa Joe.
Pure Rules Match –Josh Woods (w/The Varsity Athletes) defeated James Stone
The judges for this match were a fresh Dalton Castle, Christopher Daniels, and Jerry Lynn.
Woods controlled the early portion of this match, forcing Stone to use his first rope break early on. Woods locked on the Gorilla Lock to force Stone to use his second rope break within the first two minutes. Woods hit a knee then landed an ugly Anarchist Suplex for the win. Hopefully Stone is okay, he landed high on his neck.
In a video from last week, Tony Khan announced the Women’s Title match for Death Before Dishonor. It will be Athena defending the title against Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner Willow Nightingale, who beat her on last week’s Rampage. Nightingale noted that she’s got experience with big title matches at this point and that she’s going to win this title as well.
In a video from earlier today, Athena complained to the Board of Directors, but Tony Khan made it clear that the title match was on.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match – Athena defeated Nikita
Athena came out in her street clothes, with Coleman noting that she was wearing the same clothes at the airport. Athena was upset in the corner and sat in the corner as the bell rang. Nikita piefaced her to get the match started. The match then ended with Athena hitting a knockout forearm for the win.
Athena then beat down Nikita after the match, booting her across the ring and sending her into the barricades. Willow Nightingale came out to face off with her.
The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) (w/Stu Grayson) defeated The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
Dutch blindsided the Boys to start the match. Vincent and Dutch double-teamed Brandon until slipping out to make a tag to Brent. Brent tried to knock down Dutch, but Dutch hit a body block to cut him off. Vincent tagged in, hitting the Autumn Sunshine for the win. Vincent talked to the camera to send a message to the Dark Order, but Evil Uno came out with a chair. Grayson was fired up, hitting a backbreaker on Brent as Uno watched on.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Nicole Matthews
Hirsch and Matthews worked on each other on the mat. Matthews got the upper hand, with Hirsch quickly forcing her into the corner to cut her off. Hirsch took Matthews down before hitting elbows to the back of the neck. Matthews hit a neckbreaker and fired up with forearms, but Hirsch brought Matthews down and hit a knee strike for the win.
We got a rundown of the Death Before Dishonor card. Matches announced for the Zero Hour include:
· Action Andretti & Darius Martin vs. The WorkHorsemen
· Josh Woods vs. Tracy Williams
· Leyla Hirsch vs. Trish Adora
· AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor
Matches added to the main card include:
· The Dark Order vs. The Righteous and Stu Grayson in a Fight Without Honor
· Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Leon Ruffin vs. The Mogul Embassy for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles
· Komander vs. Gravity in a lucha showcase
We then got video packages for the four-way ROH Tag Team Title match and the ROH World Title match between Claudio Castagnoli and PAC.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett) defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra & Harv Sihra), The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake), & Action Andretti & Darius Martin
Drake and Bennett started with a chop exchange. Bennett went low with a dropkick, leading to a tag exchange that ended with Andretti and Martin running wild on the Workhorsemen. Drake and Henry hit an assisted powerbomb on Martin for a nearfall before isolating Martin. Bennett tagged in, leading to a tag team flurry from the Kingdom on Martin. Taven hit Just The Tip on Martin for a nearfall that Drake broke up.
Martin hit a tornado DDT/death drop combo to escape the Kingdom, but Henry hit a high kick on Martin to cut him off. Henry locked Martin in the corner, hitting a combo that scored a nearfall that Taven broke up. The Kingdom and the Workhorsemen fought each other, with Andretti hitting a dive on both teams.
Martin tagged in Gurv Sihra, who ran wild on Bennett. The Bollywood Boys ran wild, landing superkicks on everyone. They hit the Demolition Decapitation on Bennett for a nearfall that Andretti broke up with a Shooting Star Press. The match devolved into a Pier Eight Brawl, ending with the Kingdom hitting the Proton Pack to score the win.
7/20 ROH Results
