ROH Supercard Of Honor Results (3/31): Claudio Castagnoli Vs. Eddie Kingston, Reach For The Sky Ladder Match
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Tonight's event will be headlined by Claudio Castagnoli defending his ROH World Championship against his long-time rival Eddie Kingston, while brand new ROH World Tag Team Champions will be crowned in a 'Reach For The Sky' ladder match which will honor Jay Briscoe. Every ROH title will be defended tonight while there will also be a showcase singles match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Daniel Garcia, and El Hijo Del Vikingo will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Komander.
Announced card for the main show:
- Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Eddie Kingston (ROH World Championship Match)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Daniel Garcia
- El Hijo Del Vikingo (c) vs. Komander (AAA Mega Championship Match)
- Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (ROH Pure Championship Match)
- Athena (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki (ROH Women's World Championship Match)
- Samoa Joe (c) vs. Mark Briscoe (ROH World Television Championship Match)
- The Embassy (c) vs. Blake Christian, AR Fox, & Metalik (ROH World Six-Man Championship Match)
- The Lucha Brothers vs. Top Flight vs. The Kingdom vs. Aussie Open vs. La Faccion Ingobernable (Reach For The Sky ROH World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match)
Zero-Hour Matches
- Jeff Cobb vs. Tracy Williams
- Willow Nightingale vs. Miranda Alize
- Stu Grayson vs. Slim J
- Konosuke Takeshita vs. Willie Mack
Tracy Williams vs. Stu Grayson
Tracy Williams manages to take down Jeff Cobb early on by going for the knee, but the United Empire star is quick to grab the ropes, and he uses his power to block a takedown by launching Williams across the ring instead. Williams fires back with some forearm shorts, but Cobb manages to make a bigger impact with a thrust to the throat which is followed by a delayed running suplex.
Williams showcases his own strength with a suplex which he follows with a back elbow and further forearm strikes. He goes to the second rope only for Cobb to yank Williams down, but he immediately catches Cobb with a DDT as he comes down from that height. Cobb then tries to power up Williams, but he is able to reverse with a roll-up which almost catches the big man out. Williams then misses with a couple of punches which allows Cobb to hit a German suplex and then a lariat. He quickly grabs Williams again and connects with Tour Of The Islands to secure the win.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
After the match, Williams reaches out for a handshake and Cobb accepts the code of honor and shakes it. It is then revealed that Nigel McGuinness will be on commentary tonight as he makes his way out to return to a great ovation from the ROH crowd.
Willie Mack vs. Konosuke Takeshita
The two men shake hands to start and then start hitting the ropes to tackle each other inside the ring which they do three times with neither man budging until Willie Mack slaps Konosuke Takeshita. However, the AEW star avoids a back elbow and hits a diving forearm, but as the action spills to the floor it is Mack who regains control with a huge clothesline. Mack then shows his athletic style with a hurricanrana inside the ring, but Takeshita responds with one of his own as he dives from the second rope to hit it.
Takeshita then launches himself over the top rope to wipe out his opponent, but he takes too long pumping up the crowd, and that allows Mack to get back into the ring and hit his own dive to the outside. Back inside the ring, both men look for clotheslines but it is Mack then connects and he follows it with a standing shining wizard as he then picks up Takeshita for a Samoan Drop.
Mack hits a standing moonsault but Takeshita can kick out of it. He then wastes no time in getting back up and responding with a big clothesline of his own, but Mack blocks the German suplex and then just punches Takeshita into the corner before hitting a Stunner. However, Takeshita stays on his feet and hits a jumping knee and then a Stunner of his own, but as they both drop down it is Mack who gets the final blow with a shining wizard!
Takeshita tries to get back in control with a lariat but Mack blocks it with a T-Bone suplex, and that sets Takeshita up to receive a cannonball in the corner. The big man then heads to the top but misses with a Frog Splash and Takeshita connects with a Blue Thunder Bomb and then a running knee strike for the win.
Winner: Konosuke Takeshita
Willow Nightingale vs. Miranda Alize
Miranda Alize isn't interested in the handshake at the start of the match, but Willow Nightingale doesn't take kindly to that and takes it to her opponent with a series of bodyslams as she showcases her power advantage straight away. Alize makes her opponent chase her outside the ring and as Nightingale tries to dive through the bottom rope she gets caught with a forearm as Alize comes back into the ring by slamming Nightingale down.
She follows that up by biting Nightingale in the corner, but she responds with a huge set of chops. Despite that, Alize gets back in control with a running knee in the corner and then a suplex which gets her a near fall. Nightingale cartwheels out of Alize's next move which allows her to turn things around with a forearm and then a huge spine buster which forces Alize to kick out.
Alize hits a ripcord and a neck breaker, and once again it is Nightingale kicking out. Alize's suplex attempt gets blocked but she responds with a low dropkick to the knees before dropping Nightingale to the mat. Nightingale immediately responds by driving Alize down to the mat and that sets up for her to hit a cannonball, but Alize gets out of the way and Nightingale crashes and burns.
The two then throw hands until Alize hits a cutter, but she misses with the Drive By and Nightingale then she hits a big pounce which is followed by a huge powerbomb to secure the win.
Winner: Willow Nightingale
Stu Grayson w/Evil Uno vs. Slim J w/Ari Daivari & Mark Sterling
Slim J shakes Stu Grayson's hand but then kicks it away as The Dark Order star immediately takes the fight to his opponent. Slim J does connect with a big boot in the corner, but he is then immediately suplexed across the ring as J heads outside to take a breather. Grayson sends J to the outside again and then trips him on the ring apron which he follows by leaping over the top rope to land on his opponent on the apron.
Grayson then sets J on the top turnbuckle but distractions from Mark Sterling and Ari Daivari allow their man to flip from the top to connect with a kick to the face of Grayson. Daivari then takes advantage with the official not looking again by pulling down on Grayson while he leans on the middle rope. J then hits a reverse DDT after springboarding from the second rope, but Grayson manages to kick out.
Slim J hits several punches but Grayson just absorbs them and then turns his opponent inside out with a clothesline and then a urinagi which is followed by a springboard moonsault. Grayson then connects with a pop-up power slam but that gets another near fall, but J then hits a standing twisting sliced bread, and this time it is Grayson having to kick out at the last second.
However, he crashes and burns with his high-risk attempt, but Sterling once again provides a distraction that allows Slim J to rake the eyes, meanwhile on the outside Evil Uno hits a double clothesline. Back in the ring, Grayson gets J up and hits the Nightfall.
Winner: Stu Grayson
After the match, a video is shown and Dutch and Vincent make their way out and stare down The Dark Order stars.
El Hijo Del Vikingo (c) vs. Komander (AAA Mega Championship Match)
Komander instantly tries to bring El Hijo Del Vikingo down to the mat by working on his legs, but the champion responds with a double leg takedown and the two men then start unloading on chops against each other as they then both have the same ideas, and avoid each other in a stalemate start. Vikingo sends Komander outside the ring and he dives out but catches Komander instead of landing on him, but the masked man is able to send the champion back in to hit a dropkick.
Komander then dives out and launches through Vikingo as he then pulls out a table. He then launches himself off the stage with a moonsault to attack Vikingo, and inside the ring, he walks the ropes but Vikingo moves and then nails an enziguri. He flips from the top rope and sends Komander flying before hitting a running knee strike that wipes Komander outside the ring. However, Komander gets his feet up when Vikingo launches himself from the apron to the floor, but Vikingo responds in the same way when Komander tries to dive into him from the top rope.
Vikingo then plants him with a frankensteiner but Komander kicks out only to be planted down to the mat straight after. The champion then stands on the ring post and jumps to the top rope to leapfrog toward Komander, but he reverses in mid-air with a powerbomb! However, as he scales the turnbuckles, Vikingo just shoves him to the floor, and he then bounces from the ring post to the top rope to the outside where he slams Komander into the barricade.
Back inside the ring, Vikingo hits an inside-outside corkscrew splash, but it doesn't get the job done. The two then brawl on the ring apron, but Komander comes out on top by dropping Vikingo with a Canadian Destroyer on the apron. Komander then runs across the entire rope to dive outside the ring and wipe out the champion. Komander then nails the springboard Shooting Star Press, but Vikingo kicks out.
Komander tries to run the ropes again, but this time Vikingo knocks him and as he stands back up on the top rope Vikingo jumps and hits a Destroyer from the top rope. This sets Komander up onto the table just outside the ring and Vikingo nails the 630 dive onto Komander – but the table doesn't break! Vikingo then tries for a 630 from the top turnbuckle but he crashes and burns as Komander then hits the Hidden Ace, but Vikingo grabs the ropes!
Vikingo nails a swing-out slam from the top turnbuckle as he follows up with running knees into the corner and then the 630 to retain.
Winner (and still AAA Mega Champion): El Hijo Del Vikingo
The Embassy (c) vs. Blake Christian, AR Fox, & Metalik (ROH World Six-Man Championship Match)
The two teams shake hands but then instantly brawl as the challneges send the champions outside the ring and they all hit dives to start the match hot. However, Metalik attempts a crossbody in the ring but he is caught by Toa Liona who just slams him to the mat. Brian Cage then comes in and slams Metalik to the mat, but he responds with a springboard elbow and AR Fox tags in.
Fox nails an enziguri and then an elbow, but as he goes to the top rope Cage bounces him off only for Fox to respond with back-to-back cutters and Kaun then gets nailed with one as well. However, Liona is able to counter the cutter only to then miss wildly with a splash in the corner and Fox dives out to Kaun and then again to Cage to take control. Fox hits a Swanton inside the ring, but Cage manages to kick out.
Blake Christian then comes in and nails a Spear to Kaun on the ring apron before diving out to take out Lioana with a Flosbury Flop. Metalik only gets a one-count from Liona and then Cage hits Christian and Fox with a big double clothesline. Kaun drops Christian onto the top turnbuckle as Liona then hits a running splash on him as he lays on the apron. Cage then ends up being powerbombed by Fox which allows Christian to dive onto him being followed by Metalik, but Cage kicks out.
Cage takes Metalik out, but Christian then lifts the big man and slams him down, but Kaun hits him with a double knee until he is taken out by Fox who gets wiped out by Liona. Metalik dives into the big man but gets caught, only to turn things around with a DDT as everyone is down. Christian then takes his eyes off the prize and gets smashed by Liona as action breaks down all over the place.
Metalik almost catches Cage with a pinfall, but the big man then nails a clothesline to Metalik before slamming him down to the mat to retain.
Winners (and still ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion): The Embassy
Athena (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki (ROH Women's World Championship Match)
Athena starts out aggressively by grabbing Yuka Sakazaki's hair to slam her to the mat, but the challenger hits a hurricanrana to send the champion outside the ring before hitting a cannonball dive to crash into her. Sakazaki then spins around when Athena tries to throw her into the ring, hitting Athena with a kick to the face, but she misses with the missile dropkick when they return to the ring.
Athena then slams her down to the mat and starts nailing several forearm strikes before once again driving her down to the mat. However, Sakazaki begins fighting back and connects with a low lariat which gets her a near fall. Sakazaki then tries for a hurricanrana but Athena blocks it and just powerbombs her to the mat repeatedly, refusing to let go before hitting a sit-out version and the challenger then kicks out.
Athena then lifts up Sakazaki and dropkicks her across the ring to get a near fall, following it with a baseball slide that dumps the challenger to the floor. Athena catches the attempted slide around kick that Sakazaki hit earlier and she just suplexes her onto the floor before aiming for a dropkick, but Sakazaki avoids it and Athena slams into the barricade and then gets slammed onto the floor by the challenger who launches the challenger into the stairs.
Sakazaki heads to the stage and launches herself off with a dive which wipes out her opponent and back in the ring she nails several stiff strikes until Sakazaki gets dropped by a big right hand. She falls down onto her, but Sakazaki gets her hand on the bottom rope. Sakazaki hits a suplex from the second rope and then spins and plants the champion face-first, but she kicks out just in time. Athena then pulls out the O-Face out of nowhere to retain.
Winner (and still ROH Women's World Champion): Athena
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Mark Briscoe (ROH World Television Championship Match)
Samoa Joe starts out playing mind games by heading out of the ring and walking around, but when he gets into the ring Mark Briscoe showcases his aggression by catching the champion with several big boots until Joe fires back with a chop. The two then start trading them back and forth until Briscoe brings out his kung fu style with a shot to the throat and he lifts Joe and slams him down, but the champion scurries away before Briscoe can hit a top rope move.
Briscoe then sprints toward him outside the ring only to be caught with a suplex by Joe who then slams Briscoe head-first into the ring post. Back inside the ring, Briscoe nails several forearm shots, but he is unable to build any momentum due to a running elbow strike from Joe. The two continue to brawl against each other, but Joe once again has too much as he hits his classic charge into the corner being followed by an enziguri.
Briscoe then hits a diving dropkick and he follows it by leaping off a chair inside the ring to wipe out Joe as he then embraces his family. Briscoe then pulls out a table and sends Joe crashing through it with a blockbuster. Inside the ring the two throw chops once again. Briscoe then looks to the corner with inspiration and then plants Joe down to the mat, but Joe responds with a headbutt to stop the J-Driller and he then hits a power slam for a near fall. Joe powerbombs Briscoe and immediately transitions into a cross-face, but the challenger reaches the ropes.
Joe then suplexes Briscoe right onto his neck but that only fires him up, yet he is then turned inside out with a big clothesline from Joe who maintains the pressure. Briscoe blocks the Muscle Buster and follows with a running dropkick from the apron which allows Briscoe to hit the Froggy Bow, but Joe kicks out! However, Briscoe then gets caught in the Coquina Clutch as he gets launched with a sleeper suplex. Joe then locks in a sleeper and Briscoe fades out.
Winner (and still ROH World Television Champion): Samoa Joe
After the match, Joe showcases his respect for Mark Briscoe by shaking his hand.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia grabs the hair to take control of Hiroshi Tanahashi, yanking him down to the mat, but Tanahashi then hits an elbow and an immediate crossbody. Tanahashi hits a few forearm strikes outside the ring, but Garcia then sends him into the steel stairs before kicking his legs into the stairs as he then focuses on the knees by stomping down onto them.
He then takes a page out of Shinsuke Nakamura's book by hitting his traditional stomp in the corner before doing Nakamura's pose with the top rope and that gets Tanahashi going as he hits a running forearm. Tanahashi then fires in several punches before planting Garcia down which he follows with the cannonball from the top turnbuckle which gets him a near fall. However, Garcia then attacks the knee once again and follows it with a dropkick that gets Garcia a near fall this time around.
Tanahashi decides to do the same thing though and that leads to them going back and forth with kicks to the legs, but it is the Jericho Appreciation Society member who comes out on top. Tanhashi uses his experience to get a Cloverleaf locked in though, but the younger man is able to get to the ropes to break it. Garcia responds with a stunner to the knee and then a suplex, hitting the running knee but Tanahashi kicks out.The veteran turns things around with a slingblade and then heads to the top rope to hit High Fly Flow.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
The Lucha Brothers vs. Top Flight vs. The Kingdom vs. Aussie Open vs. La Faccion Ingobernable (Reach For The Sky ROH World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match)
Straight away the action unfolds as everyone begins brawling with The Kingdom taking charge of the ring due to having a ladder, but they end up being dropped down as Top Flight dropkicks the ladder, but that doesn't last long as Dralisto sets a ladder in front of the brothers as RUSH sprints in and kicks it into them. Aussie Open then turns up and begin brawling with LFI, but it is the NJPW stars who come out on top.
Lucha Brothers then get their time to shine, and they end up launching Matt Taven into the ladder which is propped in front of Aussie Open. They then create a ladder sandwich for them as Penta drops Rey Fenix onto them. Darius Martin then dives out to take down Fenix, and LFI then both launch out of the ring to take down their opponents as well. Mike Bennett then holds up Darie Martin as Taven launches himself over the top rope to wipe him out with a big clothesline.
The Kingdom set up some tables outside the ring, meanwhile, Penta gets launched into the ring post. Aussie Open attacks The Kingdom and they hit piledrivers to them on top of the ramp. The duo then grab a ladder each and run around the ring to smash it into Dante Martin with a sandwich. Kyle Fletcher then gets a hand on the titles but Lucha Bros fight them down and they then get stopped by LFI.
The Kingdom gets back to the ring as Bennett and RUSH meet on top of the ladder but come down, put the ladder to one side, and then start brawling with Bennett bleeding from the earlier piledriver. RUSH comes out on top but Taven nails him with a kick, only for Dralistico to launch him onto the ladder. Dante Martin meets him at the top of the ladder and Top Flight almost have it won until Dralistico breaks things up only to be planted to the mat.
RUSH tries to throw a chair at Dante Martin but he catches it, and throws it at RUSH as his brother springboards off his back to dropkick it into his face. Aussie Open then starts dominating, throwing Penta into a ladder. They try to climb the ladder but Top Flight breaks it up as Darius Martin then hits a Spanish Fly to Taven from a ladder bridge. Dante then gets up there to stop Bennett and he flips over with a sunset bomb to take him down.
Aussie Open then slam Darius into a ladder bridge on the outside as the announce table gets wiped. Dralistico then gets splashed through a ladder outside the ring by Taven, and RUSH throws Davies through the other section of that. Back in the ring Fenix has a hand on the gold but he is stopped by Dante as they brawl on top and he does the same to Penta, but they then fight to a bridge heading to the top as they go flying through the tables as Dante appears seriously injured. Meanwhile Fenix takes out The Kingdom and claims the gold.
Winners (and new AEW World Tag Team Champions): The Lucha Bros
After the match FTR and Mark Briscoe come out and pay respect to the new champions.
Wheeler Yuta (c) w/Jon Moxley vs. Katsuyori Shibata (ROH Pure Championship Match)
The two men start with some mat-based wrestling as Katsuyori Shibata aims for a PK but Wheeler Yuta manages to avoid it just in time. Once again it gets back to being mat-based as Shibata locks in the Figure Four Leglock and he goads in Yuta to attack his neck, but that allows him to lock the submission in even tighter, and this leads to Yuta having to use one of his three rope breaks.
Shibata continues dominating but Yuta eventually gets out and starts throwing several chops but they make zero impact while one forearm does plenty of damage as Shibara then hits several kicks. However, with the official unable to see it, Yuta connects with a low blow and then uses his one closed-fist punch for the match which he follows with a series of forearm strikes.
Yuta once again goes for a series of chops and yet again they have no impact as Shibata shoves his boot into Yuta's face and then kicks back at him repeatedly. Shibata then charges in with a huge dropkick and a suplex, and Yuta then ends up using his second rope break. Shibata continues to use several big strikes but Yta then spits at his opponent and connects with a dropkick of his own. However, Shibata goads him in and delivers a huge blow and then a sleeper hold, but he lets go to hit the PK.
Winner (and new ROH Pure Champion): Katsuyori Shibata
Claudio Castagnoli (c)vs. Eddie Kingston (ROH World Championship Match)
Eddie Kingston charges into Claudio Castagnoli straight away and hits several chops to the face of the champion, but the Blackpool Combat Club member responds with a few of his own and then some big uppercuts that sends Kingston stumbling to the floor. Kingston then brings in a chair but the official takes it from him, but Kingston nails another chop and even though Castagnoli hits a back suplex, Kingston hits another chop straight away.
Kingston then tries to dive outside the ring, but he gets cut off by an uppercut as he attempts it. He then hits several slaps while Kingston his stuck on the ropes as the champion pulls him out and hits a suplex to the floor. Back inside the ring, Castagnoli hits a flying headbutt, but Kingston is able to kick out of it. The two then kick it into the next level of aggression by just slapping each other repeatedly, but Catasgnoli takes him down and hits the Giant Swing, but his knee gives way and he has to stop.
He puts Kingston on the top turnbuckle and the two continue slapping each other until Castagnoli hits a standing dropkick to Kingston which sends him back down. Castagnoli then scales to the second turnbuckle and powers Kingston over the ropes and back into the ring with a suplex. Castagnoli stomps Kingston's face, but the challenger then just rakes at the eyes of the champion.
Kingston fires back with a clothesline and he follows it by diving out of the ring to take out Castagnoli. Kingston follows it with a bulldog from the second rope, but it isn't enough to keep the champion down. Castagnoli then blocks a move and starts hammering down with elbow strikes, but as he looks for a clothesline Kingston reverses and locks in the Stretched Plum.
Both men then throw back-and-forth punches at each other, but Castagnoli wins out with a lariat which then forces Kingston to kick out. However, Castagnoli then tries to lift Kingston up only for him to reverse with the back fist, yet the champion kicks out again! The fight continues onto the apron and Castagnoli's power proves to be too much as he gut-wrenches his challenger off and to the floor.
Castagnoli then opts to use the barricade itself to slam into Kingston's leg, and inside the ring, he nails a running uppercut yet Kingston kicks out to keep the match alive! Castagnoli then trash-talks Kingston and slaps him several times as he locks in a choke and swings him at the same time before hitting the Neutralizer, but Kingston kicks out immediately, but he eats another big uppercut.
Castagnoli then hits some very fast open-hand slaps, and then looks for a Ricola Bomb, but Kingston reverses and almost catches him out with a roll-up. However, Castagnoli then rolls him up and retains.
Winner (and still ROH World Champion): Claudio Castagnoli
After the match Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta surround him, but Shibata comes out to make the save, and the heels back off. Kingston then gets on the microphone and swears a bunch of times and tells HR to fine him. He says he doesn't care if they are going off the air as MJF gets 30 minutes and all he wants is five. But then he says they are going off the air and he tells the fans he's not f****ng going anywhere and he will beat Castagnoli's ass.