Former ROH champ joins ROH invading faction against Impact

Kenny K-i-n-g KING! The two-time ROH TV champ and three-time ROH tag champ crashed the Impact Zone for a surprise appearance in the ROH invasion storyline for Impact Wrestling.

The Honor No More troupe of Matt Taven, Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, Vincent, and PCO have been stirring up trouble in Impact. Scott D’Amore had enough and booked them in a jumbo tag match for No Surrender on February 19. If the ROH invaders win, then they get to stay in Impact. If they lose, then they won’t come back. It seemed odd that Maria was listed as one of the wrestlers. The ROH crew had a trick up their sleeve to correct the situation.

The ROH crossover on Thursday night’s edition of Impact Wrestling began with Jonathan Gresham wrestling Steve Maclin in a rematch with standard rules (not Pure rules). The ROH World Championship was not on the line. It was a heated affair. Maclin gained an edge by catching Gresham on a springboard moonsault for a powerslam.

Maclin used legal dirty tactics to maintain control, but he went over the line on the finish. Maclin wanted to drag Gresham to the center of the ring for a submission, however, Gresham grabbed the ropes and wouldn’t let go. An enraged Maclin punched Gresham several times and ignored the referee’s warning for a rope break. That resulted in a disqualification on Maclin.

As Gresham was declared the official winner, Maclin snapped. He speared the ROH champ in the Tree of Woe then cinched tight a Boston crab. Gresham tapped out on the mat, but Maclin refused to release the hold.

Matt Taven ran in for the save. The rest of the ROH goons followed to stomp on Maclin. That was a bit of a surprise since Gresham has no desire to associate with Honor No More. He exited without acknowledging the ROH wrestlers. Gresham shook his head in disgust on stage as Honor No More encouraged an alliance.

That led right into the next match. Josh Alexander entered on stage while eyeing Gresham. Alexander’s opponent was Vincent. The Walking Weapon was alone, while the entire ROH 5 were ringside. They often caused distractions helping Vincent gain an advantage. Vincent was close to victory on a swanton, but Alexander kicked out.

Alexander eventually received help from Chris Sabin, Rich Swann, and Rhino to even the odds. That freed up Alexander to focus on winning via ankle lock.

In the aftermath, Honor No More had the last laugh. Kenny King appeared out of nowhere to hit Alexander with the Royal Flush fireman’s carry slam. King high-stepped into the arms of his ROH mates to join their crusade.

Honor No More was pumped backstage. King was there after being lied to that honor is real. They plan to take over with no room for lies, games, or honor.

The 10-man tag match for No Surrender now becomes Taven, Bennett, Vincent, PCO, and King against Alexander, Sabin, Swann, Rhino, and Eddie Edwards, who was conspicuous by his absence this week.

How do you rate the arrival of Kenny King to the Impact Zone? Is he a good fit for Honor No More?