By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor Wrestling TV (Episode 507)
Taped in Baltimore, Maryland at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
Aired June 5, 2021 in syndication and on SBG regional sports networks, available Mondays on FITE.TV
After the ROH opening, a brief Survival of the Fittest video aired… Quinn McKay checked in from the studio and hyped the show’s two matches. She recapped Silas Young beating Josh Woods while using the ropes for leverage in their previous match…
The graphics for the Survival of the Fittest listed Rey Horus vs. Flamita, Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper, and Bandido vs. Bateman, Brian Johnson vs. Sledge, Chris Dickinson vs. O’Shay Edwards, and Danhausen vs. Rhett Titus as first-round matches The winners of those matches will meet in the six-way final with the winner earning an ROH World Title match…
A “Demonic Flamita” video aired. He spoke in Spanish while subtitles were show. Flamita said Horus will be his victim. He added that hell has arrived and hell’s name is Flamita… A Rey Horus video aired. He said he came to ROH to make a name for himself and he will show Flamita that he has a disrespectful side…
Flamita made his entrance with a new demonic video. He wore a black robe with a hood that he removed once he was on the stage to reveal his black mask, pants, and boots. The broadcast team of Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman checked in on commentary. Rey Horus made his entrance with ring announcer Bobby Cruise handling the introductions for both men head into a commercial break… [C]
1. Rey Horus vs. Demonic Flamita in the first Survival of the Fittest match. Horus offered a handshake. Flamita slapped his hand. Riccaboni claimed the Code of Honor was adhered to even though it looked like Flamita was being disrespectful. Riccaboni said the ROH Week By Week show would have Brian Johnson vs. Sledge in a Survival of the Fittest match. Flamita gave a clean break in the corner, then turned and attacked Horus once his guard was down.
Flamita performed the Big E spear through the ropes that sent both men to the floor. Flamita introduced a chair and slammed Horus’s face onto it, then sat him down on it. Flamita went to the apron, but Horus stood up and tripped him. Horus performed a flip dive onto Flamita, who was seated on the chair.
Flamita beat the referee’s count by rolling back inside the ring and then going right back to ringside. Horus followed and charged Flamita, who performed a standing Spanish Fly on the floor. Back inside the ring, Flamita performed a Frogsplash for a near fall. [C]
Horus performed a wild tornado DDT for a near fall. Horus went up top, but Flamita tripped him up. Flamita picked up Horus in Muscle Buster position and then dropped him into a gut buster. Flamita rolled up Horus and scored the pin…
Demonic Flamita defeated Rey Horus in 11:02 to advance to the Survival of the Fittest final.
A graphic listed the Pure Rules match… [C]
Powell’s POV: Flamita’s new look is solid and helps him stand out from from fellow luchadors Horus and Bandido. I’m not really sold on the “Demonic” part of his name. It meshes with his entrance video more than what he’s doing in the ring, but perhaps it’s still a work in progress.
A Sledge featured aired. Sledge spoke about his match against Brian Johnson in Survival of the Fittest. Sledge said ROH doesn’t owe Johnson anything. He said Johnson is a man who takes shortcuts in the ring and takes everything for granted. Sledge said Johnson disrespects his father. Sledge spoke about losing his own father. He told Johnson to look into his eyes. He said he would kick his ass to the point that Johnson would beg his father for forgiveness…
A Brian Johnson feature aired. Johnson said Sledge has been open regarding his battle with addiction and demons. Johnson said he thinks Sledge is a complete jackass, but he knows what it’s like to go to bed at night wonder when he’d get his next fix. Johnson said Sledge knows what it’s like to have that pit in your stomach where you will double cross anyone just to scratch that itch. Johnson said he does too. Johnson said he would run through Sledge while en route to establishing his legacy in ROH…
A graphic listed Sledge vs. Johnson for the June 8 edition of the ROH Week by Week online show…
Silas Young made his entrance. Meanwhile, a Young promo aired. He boasted about beating Woods in their previous match. Young said Woods can’t touch his pro wrestling intelligence. Josh Woods made his entrance. A Woods promo aired with him stating that Young knows he can’t beat him fair and square. He said he would prove that he’s the better pro wrestler… [C]
2. Josh Woods vs. Silas Young in a Pure Rules match. The wrestlers adhered to the Code of Honor. Woods pulled Young in tight before releasing his hand. Woods escaped a head scissors on the mat and stood up. Young did a handstand onto his feet. Woods applauded him and then Young clapped back heading into a break around 5:40 with both men having all three rope breaks. [C]
Young offered a handshake and said he was just trying to teach Woods, who took the bait. Young pulled him into a headlock and then punched him while shielding the referee from the illegal strike. Woods drove Young into the corner. Young punched him again without the referee seeing him. Woods punched Young in front of the referee, who gave Woods his one warning about using a closed fist. Later, Young performed a front suplex heading into a break. [C]
Young whipped Woods into the corner face first and then covered him for a two count. Young worked over Woods in the corner while the broadcast team pointed out that Woods said, “That’s it?” regarding Young’s attack. Young worked over Woods with clotheslines in the corner. Young set up for a superplex on the ropes, but Woods fought him off and performed what Riccaboni labeled as a twisting superplex instead.
Woods went for a rear naked choke. Young tried to block it, but Woods eventually applied the hold. Young elbowed his way free briefly. Young used the ropes for leverage while pushing on top of Woods. The referee caught Young with his foot on the ropes and called it a rope break, but it also caused Woods to release his hold.
Both men ended up on the apron. Woods tried to suplex Young from the apron, but Young held onto the ropes. The referee called it a rope break, leaving Young with only one remaining. Young kicked Woods and then DDT’d him on the apron, causing both men to fall to ringside.
Young rolled Woods back inside the ring and covered him for a near fall. The wrestlers jockeyed for position, which eventually resulted in Young performing a rolling senton. Young went up top for his usual followup, but Woods caught him and forced Young to use his final rope break. Young hit him with a backbreaker and a clothesline.
Young threw a knee to the head of Woods and then performed an anarchist suplex. Young went for the cover, but Woods put his foot on the bottom rope to use his first rope break shortly before the 20:00 mark. Young set up for a suplex, but Woods countered into a running roll of the dice into a corner of the ring.
Woods charged Young, who hit him with another rolling senton. Woods came back by rolling Young into his Beast Lock finisher. Young reached the ropes, but he didn’t have any rope breaks remaining. Young tapped out.
Josh Woods defeated Silas Young in 21:29 in a Pure Rules match.
Afterward, Woods offered a handshake, which Young accepted with a quick slap of the hand before rolling out of the ring…
Graphics listed Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper in a Survival of the Fittest match, and Rhett Titus and Tracy Williams vs. Dragon Lee and Kenny King in a Pure Rules match for the ROH Tag Titles. Sadly, they apparently cut off Riccaboni’s “Happy Wrestling” closing line…
Powell’s POV: How can we have happy wrestling if Riccaboni doesn’t get to close the show with his signature finish?!? Boo!!! Anyway, the main event was a good match. Young stole their first match, so it was logical for Woods to take the second match. I assume we’ll get a rubber match at some point, though Young slapping his former protege’s hand at the end has me less than certain that it will happen. Either way, ROH needs to create new stars and Woods should be one of them. Overall, it was a solid episode with two quality matches.
I am surprised that ROH didn’t devote a couple weeks of television to the first-round Survival of the Fittest matches. I get that they want to establish their online show, but it would have been a nice hook for two or three weeks of television followed by the six-way final. Nevertheless, at least the Survival of the Fittest first round matches will all be available for free either via the television show or the ROH YouTube page. My weekly ROH Wrestling audio review will be available for Dot Net Members coming up later today.
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