By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor Wrestling TV (Episode 409)
Taped June 29, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Aired in syndication on July 20, 2019, Mondays on the FITE TV app
The opening video aired and they went right to the ring and the bell sounded for the opening match… Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice Coleman were on commentary…
1. Dalton Castle vs. Kenny King vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Jonathan Gresham in a four corner survival match. Gresham was isolated early on by Castle and King even though it was every man for himself. [C]
Cobb had a dominant stretch until King cut him off with a Blockbuster. King performed a Blue Thunder Bomb on Gresham for a two count. King went to the timekeepers table and took a shoe from timekeeper Amy Rose and brought it into the ring. Cobb tried to take it from King, who dropped it while King performed an enzuigiri. Gresham ended up with the shoe, hit King with it, and held the tights while pinning him…
Jonathan Gresham beat Kenny King, Dalton Castle, and Jeff Cobb in a four corner survival match.
Powell’s POV: I thought this would be a bounce back win for Cobb in his first television match since losing clean to Matt Taven at the Best in the World pay-per-view. Instead, they opted to continue the story of Gresham developing an edge or breaking bad. And they did so at the expense of King, who has followed up his upset win over Jay Lethal in their best of three series by giving Rhett Titus a pep talk last week and losing the four corner match this week.
Quinn McKay interviewed the “Shinobi Shadow Squad” trio of Eli Isom, Cheeseburger, and Ryan Nova about getting an ROH Six-Man Tag Title shot. Isom said they have grinded for months and now they are number one contenders. Cheeseburger said it felt great and will feel even greater when they take the titles. Nova said they will take what is theirs and leave Villain Enterprises bankrupt… [C]
Powell’s POV: How in the hell did the undercard comedy trio become No. 1 contenders? They probably won a match, but I honestly don’t care since it pertains to the meaningless ROH Six-Man Tag Titles (even though I really enjoy the current six-man champions). It continues to be a head scratcher that the talented Isom continues to be dragged down by his sidekicks.
A video package aired on Sumie Sakai and how she is returning to action after suffering a broken orbital bone at the Madison Square Garden event. Riccaboni narrated the video and said Sakai will face Karissa Rivera in Philadelphia (on next week’s television show?)…
The Guerrillas of Destiny defeating The Briscoes at the Chicago War of the Worlds event was recapped in a video. A graphic hyped their ROH Tag Title rematch for the Manhattan Mayhem show that took place over the weekend…
Riccaboni hyped Rush and Dragon Lee vs. The Briscoes for next week…
Riccaboni narrated footage of Tasha Steelz becoming No. 1 contender to the WOH Championship last week, the post match appearance by Maria Manic, and Kenny King criticizing Rhett Titus. Cabana said he thinks King is trying to wake up Titus…
A brief clip aired of the Soldiers of Savagery attacking Lifeblood while Bully Ray and Shane Taylor acted clueless on a past television show, then attacking Lifeblood again at Best in the World…
2. “Soldiers of Savagery” Moses and Kaun vs. “Primal Fear” Matthew Omen and Manny Soriano. A siren played while the SOS duo made their entrance. Their opponents were not introduced by the ring announcer because the SOS duo attacked them. Riccaboni filled in viewers on Primal Scream, who were squashed quickly. SOS used a double chokeslam to get the pin…
Soldiers of Savagery defeated Primal Scream.
Powell’s POV: A good squash. It’s exactly what ROH should be doing with the SOS duo this early in their run.
Jay Lethal chased after Jonathan Gresham into the parking lot and asked what’s gotten into him. Lethal said Gresham is one of the best pure wrestlers in the world and he doesn’t have to do the things he’s been doing lately. Gresham asked Lethal if he thinks he’s his dad. Gresham said he came to ROH to restore honor, but he failed. He said his opponents cheat and lie and he learned how to play their game. Gresham said Lethal couldn’t beat King, but he did. Gresham told Lethal to think about that…
Powell’s POV: So that explains the logic behind Gresham beating King in the opening match. It makes sense now. Is Gresham turning Lethal with him or are they working toward a feud against one another?
Footage aired from the Best in the World pay-per-view of Flip Gordon teasing that he was joining Lifeblood only to be revealed as the newest member of Villain Enterprises. They also showed the Villain Enterprises attack on the Lifeblood members, including Gordon performing the 450 splash from the top rope that drove Tracy Williams through a table at ringside and injured Gordon in the process…
Lifeblood members Bandido, Tracy Williams, and Mark Haskins headed to the ring. Haskins expressed frustration over Villain Enterprises pulling a fast one on them at the pay-per-view, then called them out. Marty Scurll, PCO, Brody King, and Flip Gordon came out. Scurll reintroduced Gordon as the newest member of Villain Enterprises, then gave him the night off (since Gordon was injured).
Scurll said they weren’t defending the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles again so quickly. Williams said it’s not about the tag titles. “You can leave those pieces of trash in the back,” Williams said before challenging Villain Enterprises to face them in a street fight. Scurll accepted the challenge and told them to be careful what they wish for…
3. ROH Six-Man Tag Champions “Villain Enterprises” Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King vs. “Lifeblood” Bandido, Tracy Williams, and Mark Haskins in a non-title match. The teams started fighting and the bell rang to start the match. Referee Todd Sinclair was entering the ring as the teams threw punches at one another going into a break. [C]
Williams worked over King with a kendo stick. Cabana reminded viewers that there were no rules in the street fight. PCO brought two chairs into the ring and tossed them to Bandido and Williams, let them hit him with the chairs, then plowed through them. Villain Enterprises took control. Scurll put Haskins in a Boston Crab, then PCO performed a legdrop from the middle rope onto Haskins. Scurll catapulted Haskins into a kendo stick shot from King, who placed Haskins onto the knees of Scurll, placed a chair over him, then performed a senton onto him. [C]
Villain Enterprises worked over Haskins in the corner and had six chairs set up behind them. King placed Haskins on the ropes and they set up for a move, but Bandido and Williams returned and fought off Scurll and PCO, then performed a double powerbomb that sent King onto the chairs in the ring, which led to a near fall. A short time later, Scurll placed Williams on a table at ringside. PCO went up top, but Bandido cut him off. Bandido performed a huracanrana that drove PCO through the table after Williams moved.
Williams and Haskins cornered Scurll in the ring. Haskins applied his deep Sharpshooter, then Williams hit Scurll with a kendo stick. Williams used the kendo stick to wrench back on the eye and head of Scurll, who still didn’t tap out. King returned to break up the spot (which lasted too long given how punishing they’ve made Haskins’ Sharpshooter out to be on its own). King cleared Haskins and Williams to ringside, then performed a flip dive onto them and played to the crowd. PCO ran the ropes and was backdropped by King over the top rope and onto Haskins and Williams. Bandido superkicked Scurll to ringside, then performed a corkscrew moonsault onto the pile. [C]
Bandido powered up PCO and performed a GTS. Bandido grabbed a chair and set it up in the middle of the ring, then performed his 21-Plex, which slammed PCO onto the chair. Bandido covered PCO, but Scurll and King broke up the pin. A short time later, Haskins and Williams worked over King with several kendo stick shots. Williams grabbed a chair and threw it at King, who caught it, then Haskins blasted the chair with a kendo stick.
Scurll returned and hit all three Lifeblood members with his umbrella. Scurll placed Bandido onto a table that was set in in the ring. Scurll went up top, but Bandido recovered and hit him with his own umbrella. Bandido went to the ropes and fought with Scurll, who did the finger snap. Bandido sold it for one second, then teased returning the favor and instead poked Scurll in the eyes. Bandido performed his fallaway slam moonsault combo and drove Scurll through the table and scored the pin…
Bandido, Tracy Williams, and Mark Haskins defeated Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King in a non-title street fight.
Riccaboni hyped Sumie Sakai vs. Karissa Rivera, and The Briscoes vs. Rush and Dragon Lee for next week’s show…
Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe were standing in a barn with an unidentified man sitting on a tractor behind them. The Briscoes spoke about next week’s main event being two American brothers facing two Mexican brothers, and said Rush and Dragon Lee haven’t seen two gringos like them before. Mark told people not to miss it on their television…
A video package showcased the Briscoes, Rush, and Lee to close the show…
Powell’s POV: Wow, a wild street fight. Lifeblood desperately needed the win and they got it. They looked like major chumps at the pay-per-view, so this helped them bounce back and also set them up for future shot at the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles. Haskins will need to explain that he was burying the new Villain Enterprises themed title belts and not the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles if that’s the plan given that he buried the titles in his promo. It’s still a strange dynamic between these teams as Villain Enterprises are the heels, yet they are the most popular act in the company.
With all of the video packages from Best in the World and a main event that stemmed from the pay-per-view, it actually felt like this should have been the show to air last week coming out of the pay-per-view. It was an entertaining hour of television. Sure, there were a lot of video packages, but the matches all served a purpose and provided good entertainment, and the main event was nuts. I like the post main event touch of promoting next week’s main event with a Briscoes’ promo and a video package on all four men. That made the match feel more important than the usual graphic. I will have more to say about this show in my members’ exclusive audio review coming up shortly.
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