ROH TV recap & reactions (July 27, 2023): 8-man tournament to challenge Samoa Joe for TV title

Samoa Joe stood tall in victory to retain the ROH World Television Championship against Dalton Castle at Death Before Dishonor. The King of TV had a little help from Stokely Hathaway to turn the tide. What’s next for Joe? Hathaway used his board of directors powers to usher in an 8-man tournament to determine the next challenger. The quarterfinals took place during week twenty-two of the ROH TV revival (July 27, 2023) on Honor Club.

When asked of favoritism shown toward Joe, the champ put pressure on Big Stoke to deny those accusations. Hathaway acted tough claiming to be the rough rider in ROH. In reality, it was clear to observe that he is scared of Joe’s wrath.

On to the #1 contender tournament.

Christopher Daniels defeated JD Drake. Drake made the mistake of trying to show up the moonsault master. Drake missed the mark on that move, then Daniels rallied to connect on the Best Moonsault Ever for victory.

Tony Nese defeated Cheeseburger. Nese insulted the crowd. When mentioning Cheeseburger, he quipped that the tubbies would cheer for a fattening food. Cheeseburgers are destroying the country. Before the contest, Nese wanted to help the crowd burn calories for a session of group training. Enter Cheeseburger for the match. World Famous CB took Nese to the limit. That’s when Mark Sterling caused a distraction. Nese earned the win on a pumphandle driver.

Gravity defeated Anthony Henry. Lucha libre high-flying versus technical wrestling. Henry did well to ground Gravity, but he couldn’t keep the luchador down for the three-count. Gravity came back for a twisting scoop slam and sealed the deal on a flying splash.

Shane Taylor defeated Serpentico. Taylor’s power advantage was too much. He punished Serpentico like Rocky Balboa pounds meat. Taylor put the masked man out of his misery with a running splash.

Daniels, Nese, Gravity, and Taylor advance to the tournament semifinals. There was no official bracket presented, so the matchups are wait and see. Out of that group, I’m picking Taylor as the favorite. I don’t think the other three will be able to deal with his rage. Gravity is a dark horse, since he is on a hot streak right now in ROH.

ROH TV quick results for the rest of the matches:

Josh Woods defeated Eli Isom. Pure rules in effect. Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels, and Katsuyori Shibata were the judges. Woods caused Isom to use all three rope-breaks within the first 8 minutes. Woods snatched Isom’s neck on the apron for a sleeper. He lifted Isom into the ring with the submission still locked in to stare directly at Shibata. Woods finished with a penalty kick and the Gorilla Lock submission. The sleeper and penalty kick are signature moves of Shibata. Mark Sterling issued a Pure title challenge for next week. Shibata accepted. (Full details here.)

Trish Adora lost to Leyla Hirsch on the Death Before Dishonor pre-show, but she’s not hanging her head low. Adora has the support of the Infantry and seeks redemption for her record.

Trish Adora defeated Vita VonStarr. Adora faced adversity to kick out of a Michinoku driver. She roared back with the Lariat Tubman for victory.

Before the show, Jacked Jameson requested a six-man title shot for the Iron Savages. The Embassy laughed it off. Their stomachs were full of shrimp cocktail, but they did not hesitate to accept the challenge.

ROH World Six-Man Championship: The Embassy retained against the Iron Savages. This was a car crash hoss fight of delight. The action was heavy with the Embassy shining in the end. Toa Liona countered a running crossbody from Boulder with a big knee. Brian Cage flattened Bronson with a discus lariat. Cage caught Jameson for a belly-to-belly suplex. Bishop Kaun finished with a pedigree on Jameson for victory.

Leyla Hirsch defeated B3CCA. The pop star rallied with offense, but she missed a flying dropkick. Hirsch pounced for a German suplex and finished with a knee strike to the mush.

Athena wants tougher competition in ROH or else Lexy Nair is next on the list.

The Renegades defeated Tiara James & JC. Robyn and Charlette handled business to win via slingblade Hart Attack.

Athena defeated Christina Marie. Proving Ground match. Marie seized the opportunity for an aggressive start. That only angered the champ. Athena shed Marie into the ropes and exploded with anger. Athena mauled her opponent around the ring and closed with a vicious elbow strike. Athena added more pain after the match.

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett defeated Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams. Taven was the target of attack for much of the match. Down the stretch, he was tagged in and ate a pinpoint dropkick from Titus. Taven was down and out. Instead of going for the pin, Titus tried to finish with a belly-to-belly suplex. Bennett made the save to prevent the maneuver. The Kingdom took control to win via Proton Pack.

Lee Moriarty & Big Bill Morrissey defeated Gabriel Hodder & Adrien Soriano. Bill was a crusher to clean house with a chokeslam finish.

Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Sonny Kiss, Jeeves Kay, & Slim J. Athletic comedy flavor. Castle caught Jeeves in the air for a Bang-a-rang to win.

The cream of the crop watchlist for this episode is the six-man title fight, the Kingdom in action, Gravity versus Anthony Henry, and Tony Nese insulting the crowd. The Embassy and the Iron Savages engaged in a heavy-duty collision. Hoss fight aficionados will surely enjoy the impact of meat on meat. Both teams did well to set up moments too. It wasn’t just furious fisticuffs. They juiced the crowd to get involved. Matt Taven & Mike Bennett against Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams was a throwback ROH contest of former tag champs. Gravity and Henry put on a nifty bout of rising talent.

Speaking of rising talent, Henry was the standout of the show for prospects. He continues to be a workhorse when given the opportunity. Henry has strong skills on the mat and good intensity.

Share your thoughts on the latest ROH TV episode. Who were the standout performers?