ROH Classics: Samoa Joe & AJ Styles in four-way, bloody Adam Cole, more!

ROH returned with your wrestling hook-up of classic bouts. This week contains Samoa Joe and AJ Styles duking it out in a four-way, The Honor List with a bloody Adam Cole, Silas Young showcasing his aptitude for Last Man Standing matches, and a message from NWA Worlds Champ Nick Aldis.

Let’s kick off with a free YouTube match from ROH. Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Jimmy Yang competed against each other in a Four Corner Survival match from 2006. The rules were two men in the ring at one time, tags necessary to get in, and first fall wins. This was a very athletic bout with a wild finish.

The rules were thrown out as the match progressed. There were no tags in the flurry of action at the end. Styles had a sweet counter to CD’s Angel Wings as he flipped CD over onto his back while his arms were still hooked. CD powered up before the 3 count. They rolled around a little then Styles tried to set up the Styles Clash. CD broke free with an upward kick. That sent Styles into Joe’s arms for a standing choke. Styles escaped and climbed the turnbuckles, but Joe booted Styles and squashed him with a musclebuster to win.

Other free matches posted on ROH’s YouTube channel include:

• Silas Young vs Josh Woods with commentary from both men (here)
• Dalton Castle’s ROH debut against Ashley Sixx (here)

The Honor List

ROH counted down the 8 greatest moments from Best in the World.

8. Silas Young beats down Jay Lethal (2017)
7. El Generico wins TV title from Christopher Daniels (2011)
6. Michael Elgin wins ROH World Championship from Adam Cole (2014)
5. Bloody battle between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly (2012)
4. Davey Richards wins ROH World Championship from Eddie Edwards (2011)
3. Cody Rhodes beats Christopher Daniels for ROH World Championship (2017)
2. Samoa Joe & Bryan Danielson vs KENTA & Marufuji (2006)
1. Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe in Champ vs Champ (2015)

That list has some great career moments for the victors, but the one image from this video that stood out to me was a bloody Adam Cole.

ROH The Honor List

The Last Real Man Standing

Silas Young was profiled on ROH Wrestling, episode #456 (here). “The Last Real Man” reflected on Last Man Standing matches against Jay Lethal and Kenny King, as well as the #1 contender tag bout with partner Josh Woods against the Briscoes.

Highlights aired for Young vs Lethal in Last Man Standing at Death Before Dishonor on September 22, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV. The finish came on a ladder spot. Both men were at the top throwing fists when they tipped over and crashed through a table. Young got to his feet to beat the 10 count and win.

Young mentioned that he was won the most Last Man Standing matches in the ROH record books, so he choose to spotlight the full Last Man Standing match against Kenny King for the ROH World Television Championship at Supercard of Honor XII on April 7, 2018 in New Orleans, LA. The finish once again involved a ladder and a table. King pounded Young with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex onto a ladder. King took flight with a shooting star press through a table onto the floor. The 10 count began as both men were in pain. King’s feet were under the apron, then he mysteriously couldn’t stand. It was revealed that Beer City Cruiser was under the ring and tied King’s feet together. King lost, and Young won the TV title.

The main event for the episode was Young and Woods competing against the Briscoes in a #1 contender contest at Final Battle Fallout on December 15, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA. Woods was the standout with wrestling prowess, submission acumen, and the will to win. The finish was sullied when tag champs Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham caused a distraction for Woods to win on a rolling German suplex bridging pin.

The episode as a whole was decent. There probably isn’t anything from Young that is going to wow you, but it was a manly display of manliness from “The Last Real Man.”

Unfinished business

For a bit of current storylines, NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis wants to remind ROH fans that he has unfinished business with Marty Scurll. They were scheduled to wrestle in the main event of the Crockett Cup on April 19, 2020 before being cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. Aldis announced that his faction, Strictly Business, will be attending future ROH shows to take care of business.

We’ll close with a t-shirt sale from ROH.