Supercard of Honor – March 31

Supercard of Honor – March 31

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The show starts now, and I’m live blogging!

Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are on commentary with Bobby Cruise doing the ring announcing.

The venue is the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Zero Hour Matches

Jeff Cobb v. Tracy Williams

Jeff Cobb picked up Williams in a suplex position, and with Williams still up in the air, Cobb did laps around the ring. Awesome. Cobb got the pinfall using Tour of the Islands.

Winner: Jeff Cobb in 5:15

Ian and Caprice seem to indicate that there is going to be a guest commentator, but we don’t know who it is yet. I’m guessing Kevin Kelly or Colt Cabana. Before we find out, we have a Wheeler Yuta and Katsuyori Shibata video package.

Bobby Cruise introduces former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness as guest commentator.

Konosuke Takeshita v. Willie Mack 

Takeshita had control until action moved to the floor where Mack surprised Takeshita with a clothesline. The next time Mack rolled out, Takeshita nailed him with a dive over the top rope. Of course, Takeshita didn’t follow up fast enough so Mack connected with a dive of his own. The blue thunder bomb was the setup for a running knee to earn Takeshita the pinfall victory.

Winner: Konsuke Takeshita 

Willow Nightingale v. Miranda Alize

Good to have a second women’s match on the card. I was surprised that Athena got past Willow a few weeks ago, but they’re keeping her active in ROH. Maybe they’ll come back to that match again down the road. Alize putting on a good performance here, but it’s just a matter of time. Willow used a sit down powerbomb for the pinfall.

Winner: Willow Nightingale in 6:56

They made mention of this being the biggest crowd in Southern California. It’s a big crowd tonight. Probably only outdone by the MSG show a few years back.

They play a video package hyping the Reach for the Sky Ladder Match.

Slim J w/ Trustbusters v. Stu Grayson w/ Evil Uno

The match gets off to a quick start. I’m thinking this might be the Slim J match I’ve ever seen because Stu Grayson is a beast. Mark Sterling and Ari Daivari provide a distraction allowing Slim J to come off the top with a big roundhouse kick. Slim J ripped his shirt off, and Ian is disgusted because those tank tops cost $600 (serious escalation as they were only $300 a week or so ago). Slim J keeps hitting Grayson, but Stu is no selling everything. Evil Uno took out both Ari and Mark on the outside, and Stu used his nightfall back breaker to get the pinfall.

Winner: Stu Grayson in 6:46

Before the Zero Hour goes off the air, Vincent and Dutch come out and have a stare down with Uno and Grayson.

Main Show

El Hijo del Viking (c) v. Komander – AAA Mega Championship

The crowd knows they’re about to see something special because they started clapping and chanting before the two men ever touched. The story of this match early on is that they know each other so well that they go for the exact same moves. It’s like looking in the mirror. We get a pair of dives around the 3:30 mark.

Komander did a 450 from the stage to the floor and then walked the ropes, but Vikingo got out of the way. Vikingo did the spot where he does the flip off the ropes into a hurricanrana . . .that spot is nuts. This match continues to be all counters. Fun stuff. Vikingo jumped off the post, bounced on the ropes, but Komander evaded the offense and hit Vikingo with a powerbomb. There’s too many awesome spots to document them all .. . . just know that Vikingo is moving in ways that he really shouldn’t be able to move. The crowd is loving it.

Komander hit a Canadian destroyer on the apron, and the crowd ate that up. The crowd got silent long enough for Komander to walk the ropes from one side of the ring straight to the other before diving onto Vikingo with a tornillo.

Vikingo did the springboard 630 rolling senton onto Komander on a table, but the table did not break . . .ouch.

Komander answered back with his finisher, but Vikingo grabbed the ropes. Vikingo used a 630 splash for the pinfall . . . honestly . . . given all that we saw in this match. . . it’s almost a let down that a normal 630 splash inside the ring is the finisher. That’s how crazy this was. WOW.

Winner: Vikingo in 15:38

AR Fox, Metalik, and Blake Christian v. Embassy (ch) w/ Prince Nana – ROH World Trios Championship

After that last match . . . I doubt I’ll write two sentences for each of the next matches. Lot’s of action in this one too. I didn’t expect the good guys to have so much offense early on. Cage is doing all the selling for Metalik, Blake, and Fox. Toa, on the other hand, is completely invincible. Brian Cage has connected with almost no offense until finally he hits the drill claw on Metalik for the pinfall.

Winners: The Embassy

Athena (ch) v. Yuka Sakazaki – ROH World Women’s Championship

During her entrance, Athena crushed a porcelain doll . . .  because she thinks Yuka is nothing more than a doll. Athena wears the new ROH World title out to the ring. The new belts are so shiny.

Something appears off with Yuka. The commentary team says she’s working hurt. In any case, this match has been almost all Athena through the first 6 minutes.

Yuka finally connected with a big body slam on the floor before shoving Athena into the stairs.

As Yuka set up for her springboard off the ropes, Athena hopped up on the ropes and hit an avalanche O Face for the pinfall.

Winner: Athena in 11:36

Samoa Joe (ch) v. Mark Briscoe – World Television Championship Match

Paul Turner calls for and gets the code of honor from Mark and Joe as a “Dem Boys” chant rings through the crowd.

Mark is wrestling an uphill battle here because it seems like all his offense is just bouncing off the much bigger Joe.

“We know when that chair is in the ring, chicken is gonna fly,” might be the line of the night. Thanks Ian.

Lots and lots of chops from both men in this match. Mark hit Froggy-Bow at the 13 minute mark, but Samoa Joe kicked out. Mark motioned for the Jay Driller, but Joe got out of it.

Samoa Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch and got the shocking referee stoppage victory.

Code of honor adhered to after the match.

Winner: Samoa Joe in 14:24

We see Mark hug his mother, sister, and family as “reach for the sky” plays through the arena. Eve Vlad the superfan gets a hug from Mark Briscoe.

Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Daniel Garcia – “International Dream Match”

Apparently Tanahashi lost his front teeth last night, and he looks like a really old man.

Garcia is using some of Nakamura’s poses and moves to get under Tana’s skin. The Ace took back control with a sling blade.

Tanahashi hit a high fly flow for the pinfall victory . . . it was a bit of an abrupt ending.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi in 11:58

Reach for the Sky Ladder Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Bros v. Top Fight v. OGK v. Aussie Open v. Rush and Dralistico

The question everybody is asking . . . how many people will be injured after this match.

There was a whole bunch of dives, but the craziest one was when Matt Taven dove over the top ropes to execute a doomsday device on Darius to the floor.

Both members of the Kingdom are a bloody mess. Obviously there are tons of spots that I’m not writing about, but rest assured. . . there are a lot.

There was a crazy spot where Penta hit a Canadian Destroyer off a ladder platform through stacked tables on the floor. Dante Martin might have been seriously hurt. We’ll know soon enough.

Lucha Bros retrieve the belts for the win.

Winners: The Lucha Bros – New Tag Team Champions

After the match, Mark Briscoe and FTR congratulate The Lucha Brothers on the stage.

Wheeler Yuta (c) v. Katsuyori Shibata – ROH Pure Title

Remember the rules. 60 minute time limit. If it goes to the limit, the judges will decide. Each person is allowed one closed fist and three rope breaks. After the third rope break, the referee will not break up a submission or a pin. A second closed fist will result in a disqualification.

The judges tonight are Pat Buck, Christopher Daniels, and Madison Rayne.

Wheeler Yuta is accompanied by Jon Moxley.

Shibata had Yuta in a figure four leg lock, and Yuta needed to use a rope break.

Yuta is having a tough night because Shibata isn’t selling a darn thing for him through the first 8 minutes, but Yuta used a low blow and a closed fist. He got the warning for the closed fist, but referee Mike Posey didn’t see the low blow.

Somewhere Yuta lost another rope break.

Shibata is destroying Yuta. In most Pure fights, Yuta pushes people to use their rope breaks, but in this match Shibata pushed Yuta to use his breaks.

It was all Shibata the whole match and when Shibata connected with the PK, he got the pinfall.

Wheeler refused the Code of Honor.

Winner: Katsuyori Shibata – TITLE CHANGE

Ian Riccaboni has hyped Tony Khan’s major announcement all night. I hope it’s a good announcement . . .

Claudio Castagnoli (c) v. Eddie Kingston for the ROH World Championship.

Really good bout with some convincing near falls toward the end. Claudio went for the Ricola Bomb, but Eddie used a victory roll that Claudio countered into a roll up for the pinfall.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Post Match: Claudio asks for the Code of Honor as Wheeler Yuta crowds him. Shibata walked out to stand with Eddie. A weird ending, but Shibata and Kingston posed to close the show.

Eddie Kingston cuts a promo. Gets all his swear words out, and he asks people to give it up for Shibata and Tanahashi.

Kingston gets to say he’s not going anywhere, and he’s gonna beat Claudio’s ass.

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AEW Dynamite PREVIEW – April. 5, 2023 – Long Island, NY

+ Hear from the Blackpool Combat Club

+ Komander v. Sammy Guevara

+ Acclaimed answer the JAS

+ The Gunns v. FTR – Career v. Titles

+ Tony Khan’s Major Announcement

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ROH on Honor Club PREVIEW – April. 6, 2023 – Location TBD

+ Athena v. Miyu Yamashita

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ROH Supercard of Honor PPV PREVIEW – Friday March 31, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA.

+ Claudio Castagnoli (c) v. Eddie Kingston for the ROH World Championship.

+ Reach for the Sky Ladder Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships: Lucha Bros v. Top Fight v. OGK v. Aussie Open v. Rush and Dralistico

+ Samoa Joe (c) v. Mark Briscoe for the ROH World Television Championship

+ Wheeler Yuta (c) v. Katsuyori Shibata – ROH Pure Title

+ Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Daniel Garcia

+ Willow Nightingale v. Yuka Sakazaki

+ El Hijo del Vikingo v. Kommander

+Brian Cage and Gates of Agony (ch) v. AR Fox, Metalik, Blake Christian – ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championships

Zero Hour

+ Willow Nightingale v. Miranda Alize

+ Jeff Cobb v. Tracy Williams

+ Slim J v. Stu Grayson

+ Willie Mack v. Konosuke Takeshita