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We're back! Let's get into the latest episode of Ring of Honor television!
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Before we even get into the opening video package this week, we get a PHENOMENAL Dalton Castle promo. He talks about how him and the boys were relaxing with cookies and mojitos, but he started dreaming of wrestling glory. I reached a higher plane of consciousness when he talked about his mouth being full of macaroons, but trust me: this episode of ROH is worth watching for this promo ALONE.
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Top Prospect Tournament Finals: Lio Rush def. Brian Fury
As noted last week, this is a matchup of experience vs. ability. Rush made his pro wrestling debut in 2015, while Fury has been in the business since 1999. The Code of Honor is recognized before the match.
Sure enough, Rush keeps taking over with his exciting, fast-paced offense, but Fury keeps using veteran caginess to escape ... including attempting to grab the ropes to get leverage on a pinfall. A hot finishing stretch leads to Rush catching a running Fury in a standing Spanish Fly to get the pin.
What we learned: Both Rush and Fury are likely to stick around after this. Fury in particular did a great job of heeling in the match and could potentially be ROH's very own Baron Corbin. Fury could very well be the next premiere high-flier on the indies.
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ReDRagon cuts a promo to hype a Tag Team Gauntlet match next week. Should be fun!
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Moose def. Kongo
Kongo is a big dude wrestling "out of South America" who wears facepaint, an Andre single-strap singlet with writing on the belly AND a loincloth, AND has the Umaga hair. Buddy, pick one. We get it.
Moose's theme song remains wonderful. Kongo takes off the loincloth before the match and boy howdy is this a study in body contrasts.
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Kongo actually gets some offense in, but Moose gets the win in short order with a spear.
What we learned: MOOSE. MOOSE. MOOSE. He busted out a full-flip senton in this, which delighted the announcers (and me) no end. He keeps getting better. God help everyone else.
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The Young Bucks ALSO hype next week's Tag Team Gauntlet match.
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Earlier today, Mike "P Dog" Posey and his posse, the Get-Along Gang, stormed the ROH ring prior to the taping and cut a really wacky white-guy-rap promo ... to call out Cheeseburger of all people. What even is ALL of this.
Cheeseburger cleared the ring with a series of Shotei palm strikes. This basically served as a segue to remind us that the New Japan tapings will begin airing on ROH television in two weeks.
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We get a recap of last week, when Veda Scott offered Jonathan Gresham money to give his TV title to Cedric Alexander. That leads into Alexander's match this week!
Cedric Alexander NC Adam Page
This is Page's first TV match since breaking away from BJ Whitmer and the Decade. After Page makes his entrance, Whitmer jumps Page and hits him with the Exploder. Gresham hits the ring to help fend off a two-man beatdown.
What we learned: Well, I mean, Page and Gresham are going to team up to take on Whitmer and Alexander, right? Simple enough.
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Last week, Silas Young and the Beer City Bruiser faced The Boys. Young offered to quit wrestling if the Boys won. They weren't able to. Young and Bruiser beat down the Boys and Dalton Castle after the match.
Christopher Daniels def. Dalton Castle
Silas Young joins commentary for the main event and Kevin Kelly basically immediately accuses him of only being out here to interfere in Castle's match. Young says he's already proved his point against Castle and the Boys and he's out here because Christopher Daniels asked him to be.
Daniels' fascist general/quasi-Nazi thing is still difficult to get used to. It's perhaps even stranger because his new general gimmick means he now follows the Code of Honor? Maybe it's sarcastic. Probably.
Castle's peacock preening confuses Daniels, then leads to him mocking it. This all serves to remind me how good he is at comedy wrestling. Kazarian is also lurking around ringside, accusing the Boys of not having a manager's license. YES. Kelly calls Kaz out for ALSO not having a manager's license and Kazarian tells him to shut up. This is basically all my favorite things about wrestling in the same match.
Interference from both sides leads to Kazarian holding Castle's leg while attempting a Bangarang and Daniels hitting Angel's Wings for the pinfall victory.
What we learned: Silas Young gets in Castle's face after the match and says he beat him, then walks away. Castle grabs the microphone and says everyone knows he's fantastic. He promises that he's going to win "every championship this world has to offer." But he says it's hard to do that when he's focused so much on Silas. He's tried to convince himself they're done, but it makes him miserable.
He says he wants to end this the only way he sees fit: he wants a fight. Not one with security guards, not one with rules. HE WANTS A FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR. YESSSSSSSSSS.
Okay, I was complaining about the Castle/Young feud continuing to play out, but this really is the only way it can end. I'm all-in on Castle in what (by what I can determine) is only the 18th Fight Without Honor in company history. LET'S DO THIS.
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That's it for this week. You can watch ROH's weekly television on Comet or in syndication on Sinclair stations, or with a Ringside Membership on ROHwrestling.com.