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RING OF HONOR TAPING RESULTS REPORT
JUNE 17, 2023
TAPED AT THE UNITED CENTER IN CHICAGO BEFORE AND AFTER AEW COLLISION
REPORT BY ERIC KROL, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
They taped three matches before Collision and the rest after.
(1) Gringo Loco defeated Gringo Loco
They went about eight minutes. Nice counter sequence at the start. Mack hit a cannonball into the corner and it showed air. Double down after a Mack DVD. Loco hit a nice moonsault and followed up with a dive to the outside. He went for a twisting moonsault but no one home. Mack a sit out power bomb for two. Mack got caught up top and Loco hit a top rope Spanish fly for the win. Solid match. The code of honor was adhered to. Gringo is a Chicago guy.
(2) Trish Adora defeated Allisyn Kay
Trish got a ring entrance and Kay did not. Weird spot early on where Kay ended up dropping Adora on the ropes. Trish hit a wicked clothesline after about 4:30 for the pin.
(3) Kyle Fletcher defeated Silas Young
Fletcher got a decent reaction. He hit Young with a big boot to the face and then a plancha. Young took over with a hot shot onto the top rope and punches/kicks. Fletcher hit a back suplex and a brainbuster. Young got a back breaker for two and tried for his version of You Can’t Escape but nobody home. Fletcher hit a sidewalk slam-type move for the win in 6 minutes.
(Next, Collision took place and aired live. Maybe half the crowd left after Collision.)
(4) ROH Pure Rules match: Daniel Garcia defeated Rocky Romero
Garcia is being built up for a Pure title match against Shibata, so they were getting him a win here. Romero used a rope break a minute in and Garcia did 30 seconds later. Garcia used his second rope break at 4:12. Romero used his second break a minute later. Garcia mocked Rocky’s shoulder dance. It was hard to get the crowd into this because they were coming off the main event from Collision and half the people left. Garcia used his last rope break about 8 minutes in. Then he got Rocky in a Boston crab. Rocky used his last rope break. Garcia slapped on a sleeper. Garcia applied a submission that had Rocky bent six ways to Sunday. Rocky got to the ropes but he didn’t have breaks left so he tapped. Garcia put Rocky in a crab again after but Orange Cassidy made the save, waking up the crowd.
(5) The Embasy (w/Prince Nana) defeated Three Local Talents (one was Storm Grayson)
Local fav Storm Grayson hit a nice drop kick on Brian Cage but was cut off. The enhancement guys were worked over and all three took finishers for the pin in about five minutes.
(6) Dalton Castle defeated Josh Woods
Tony Nese, much recovered from his squash loss to Miro two hours earlier, accompanied his Varsity Athletes partner to the ring with manager Smart Mark Sterling. The Boys were with Castle, who got nice crowd reactions for his schtick.
Stalling at first but Nese distracted Castle and Woods took advantage, hitting a German suplex. Castle made a comeback with his trademark throws and a German of his own for two. Crowd sticking with this one, into Dalton. Sterling distracted and Woods hit a running knee for two. Dalton requested a Boy and threw both of them one at a time onto Nese. Dalton hit bang-a-rang for the win in 9:30.
(7) The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) defeated The Kingdom (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett)
Dean and Bravo wore Bulls jerseys. Crowd starting to file out. Decent back-and-forth action. Maria distracted the ref, heels used a chair. Trish Adora came out and chased away Maria and Infrantry took advantage of the distraction to hit their finisher on Mike Bennett for the win in about 7 minutes.
(8) Lee Moriarty & Big Bill defeated Matt Sydal & Blake Christian
This was fine. Good, even. But man, what’s left of the crowd is tired four hours in. Big Bill mocked Sydal’s third eye. Quite the height difference. Heels did the beat down, faces his some flying moves, Big Bill hit a tilt a whirl slam on Christian. Bill chokeslammed Blake on the ring and then a pendulum-like move for the win in 9 minutes.
(9) Dark Order (w/Negative One) defeated The Bang Bros.
The Bang Bros are local indy guys with a following. It’s really just sort of a grim, grueling endurance test at this point. A slog. Tony Khan really just loves wrestling. He keeps sending guys out there for matches.
Anyway, this went about 2:15 and Dark Order won. Afterward, Stu Grayson cut a promo with Dutch and Vinny. They challenge the Dark Order to show more aggression, so they beat up one of the enhancement guys.
(10) Leila Grey (w/Mark Sterling) defeated Diamante
Leila in ROH for a spell with Jade Cargill out for a bit. We are 4.5 hours in at this point. Diamanté hit a woo drop kick in the corner. Sterling distracted Diamante. Leila rolled her up and got the pin with her feet on the ropes. About 2:30.
(11) A.R. Fox & Action Andretti & Darius Martin defeated Shane Taylor Promotions
JD Drake is part of Shane Taylor Promotions now. Back and forth action and a “fight forever” chant started. Fox pinned JD Griffey for the win in four minutes after his 450 (630?) splash.
(12) Athena defeated Kiera Hogan in a Chicago Street Fight – ROH Women’s Title Match
They brought a ladder, tables, garbage cans and other gimmicks out before the match started. We are at nearly five hours since we sat down for the tapings to begin.
Kiera came out with a pride flag. Athena tried to bring a ladder in early and Kiera kicked it into her. Athena took a bump into the ladder and it almost fell over into the crowd. Athena recovered and set up a table on the guard rail. But Kiera cut her off and tossed a kendo stick and garbage can in the ring. Athena hit her with a trash can lid. Athena used the kendo stick and tossed Kiera into the garbage can head first by the ropes and used the kendo stick on the can. Only a two count.
Athena tried a springboard elbow but got hit with the trash can. Kiera a woo drop kick into the trash can on Athena. Kiera a neck breaker for two. Crowd clapping at this point. Kiera assembles a ladder bridge on the outside. Puts Athena on it. Kiera off the top but Athena moves and Kiera tastes ladder.
A “We want tables” chant. Athena set one up. Stomped on a Clark Street sign (Wrigley Field where the Cubs play is on Clark Street). Athena set up a chair pyramid structure. But Kiera kicks her into a different table she’d set up earlier. Kiera with the kendo stick again. Then Athena struck back with a kendo stick of her own. Kiera jumped onto Athena, who was on a table but it didn’t break. One more time chant. Table fell over the second time. Kiera got a third table from outside the ring and set it up inside the ring. Athena took over and powerbombed Kiera off the top and broke a table. Only a two somehow. Athena with the NXT Shocked Face. This is awesome chant from the 2,000 or so fans left.
Athena got a bag of thumbtacks from under the ring. You sick f—k chants. Kiera throws Athena backward onto the tacks. Yikes. Kiera chokes Athena with her long braid. Athena thumbs to the eyes. Athena duplexes Kiera outside from the top onto the chair structure. Rolls her back in and Athena retains in 19:20.
Tony Khan came out and thanks the crowd and plugs Dynamite Wednesday. He thanked us for helping AEW make history tonight. He hinted at wanting to come back to the United Center at some point.
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