8/16 RING OF HONOR TV REPORT: Ten-man tag main event, Holidead vs. Max the Impaler, more

RING OF HONOR TV (EPISODE #517)
AUGUST 16, 2021
AIRED ON SINCLAIR SYNDICATED TV & ROHWRESTLING.COM
REPORT BY CHRISTOPHER MAITLAND

Host: Quinn McKay

Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Ring Announcer: Bobby Cruise

– The opening theme aired then highlights of televised ROH Women’s Tournament first round victories for Miranda Alize, Nicole Savoy, Rok-C, Quinn McKay, and Trish Adora were shown. Ian Riccaboni welcomes fans to the episode, substituting for Quinn McKay again. Riccaboni begins by showing the updated bracket for the Women’s Tournament noting that the final first round match will air today between Max the Impaler and Holidead. The main event will be a return of a ROH staple, the Champions vs All Stars match. The Champions are Bandido, Jonathan Gresham, Dragon Lee, Homicide, and Chris Dickinson. The All-Stars are Flip Gordon, EC3, Josh Woods, and the Briscoes.

A pre-match interview airs for Holidead vs Max the Impaler. Holidead mentions that she was trained by Gangrel and has wrestled all over the world but she says she can’t get any respect in the United States. She says she doesn’t know a lot about Max but she has studied Max and that this match will be two monsters going head to head. Holidead says she has already died and been reborn so Max can’t do anything worse to her. Amy Rose does the promo for Max the Impaler who says Holidead is the first stop on Max’s path to destruction. Amy Rose says it is only a matter of time before Max is the Women’s champion. Max yells at the screen.

(Maitland’s Take: Holidead switches from mystical character to just a non-mystical character too often for my taste but I liked the promo. Having Amy Rose cut the promos for Max the Impaler gives Max an even more menacing presence. It should be noted that Max the Implaer prefers them/they pronouns and that will be used going forward by the commentators and myself.)

(1) HOLIDEAD vs. MAX THE IMPALER

Ian welcomes everyone to the show. Holidead comes out first. Max the Impaler comes out next with Amy Rose. (c)

Code of honor is not adhered to as Amy Rose tries to shake Holidead’s hand but Holidead refuses. Match begins with a stare down and trash talking. After a lock up with no advantage gain, Max and Holidead trade strikes. Holidead knocks Max into the corner but Max moves out of the way of a charge and tosses Holidead across the ring. Max body slams Holidead twice but Holidead gets up and hits Max with a headbutt. She slams Max but Max gets right up. Max and Holidead trade clotheslines with neither going to the ground. Ma finally gets control and puts Holidead in a stump puller through the ropes. Holidead continues to talk trash. Max works over Holidead’s back. Holidead hits Max with several shoulder charges in the corner. Max recovers and tosses Holidead into the middle of the ring (c)

Max works over Holidead’s back but Holidead recovers to hit them with a DDT for a one count. Holidead is shocked by the one count and gets hit with a spear. Max misses a shoulder charge and gets hit with a German suplex. They roll out to the floor. Holidead dives onto Max on the outside. Holidead rolls Max back into the ring. Holidead tries to suplex Max but Max hits a back body drop. Max charges Holidead off the rope but gets hit with a spinebuster. Holidead goes to the top rope and misses a leg drop. Max hits a uranage across the knee and hits their finisher the Wasteland for a three count. A graphic airs for next week’s quarterfinal matches which are Rok-C vs Quinn McKay and Miranda Alize vs Nicole Savoy. A graphic for Champions vs All-Stars shows that match is coming up next. (c)

WINNER: Max the Impaler at 9:18

(Maitland’s Take: The match was more even than I thought it would be. I was more impressed with Holidead and assume she should remain involved with ROH due to this performance. If Max the Impaler is going to be a dominant force, they should be booked as one. This was one of the longer matches of the first round displaying the evenness of the contest.)

-A bearded Matt Taven stares into the mirror as moments of him and Vincent from when they were in the Kingdom are shown. Taven says memories that used to bring you happiness have to be taken away as they are now the source of anger. He says Vincent says that his ego is biggest downfall but Taven says he wouldn’t be anywhere without it. He says that Vincent owes everything to being in the Kingdom and he repaid him by trying to sabotage his career. Taven said that at Glory by Honor he will show why Taven is a grand slam champion and why Vincent latched onto him. Taven looks in the mirror and shaves his beard.

(Maitland’s Take: Unnecessary beard shaving aside, this was a good promo by Taven, showing his history with Vincent and why the match at Glory by Honor is so important. How this match was put together at Best in the World was pretty clunky and the feud has gone on a bit too long, but ROH is doing a good job of hyping what should be the final match, for a while, for these two.)

(2) CHAMPIONS (BANDIDO, DRAGON LEE, JONATHAN GRESHAM, CHRIS DICKINSON and HOMICIDE) vs. ALL STARS (FLIP GORDON, EC3, JOSH WORDS and THE BRISCOES)

Introduction order was as follows: Flip Gordon, The Briscoes, Josh Woods, EC3 (c), Dragon Lee, Chris Dickinson and Homicide, Jonathan Gresham, and Bandido. The champions stand in the ring together while the All Stars stand outside. (c)

Code of honor adhered to by Gresham and Woods. Gresham and Woods grapple on the mat. After a stalemate, they stand up, go to the ground and get up. They shake hands and hit each other with arm drags. They stand up again. Gresham yells at Jay Briscoe if he is going to do some pure wrestling and Briscoe responds that he doesn’t have to. Dickinson tags himself in, stating that it is too nice in the ring. Dickinson goes for a takedown but Woods blocks it and takes Dickinson down. Dickinson goes for a knee bar but Woods breaks out and knocks Dickinson to the ground. After attempting EC3, who didn’t put out his hand, Woods tags Mark Briscoe. Dickinson tags out to Dragon Lee. Mark Briscoe and Lee trade strikes until Mark Briscoe hits Lee with a flying forearm. Mark Briscoe has the advantage until Lee hits him with a DDT. Lee gets caught in his opponent’s corner and Jay Briscoe tags in to stomp on Lee. EC3 tags in and he hits a neck breaker on Dragon Lee. Flip Gordon tags EC3 from behind and commands him to leave the ring. Gordon hits a snap mare and a splash onto Lee. (c)

Gordon whips Lee into the corner but Lee reverses and throws Gordon into the corner. Dickinson tags himself in. He hits Gordon with an elbow for a two count. Gordon kicks Dickinson and tags Woods in. Woods suplexes Dickinson. Homicide runs in and thumbs Woods in the eyes to block a Woods suplex. HE throws Woods out and taunts the Briscoes. The Briscoes get into a fight with Dickinson and Homicide which ends up on the outside. Woods and Dickinson continue to fight until Gresham tags himself in. Gresham and Woods grapple, attempting standing switches until Gresham hits a DDT for a two count. Woods goes for a choke but Gresham reverses for a two count. Woods tags in EC3. EC3 suplexes Gresham and Jay Briscoe tags in. Jay Briscoe hits Gresham with several forearms and Mark Briscoe tags in. Mark Briscoe hits Gresham in the throat and tags in EC3. EC3 grabs Gresham but before he can do anything, Gordon tags himself in. They reluctantly work together but aren’t on the same page and Gresham moves out of the way of a charging EC3 who hits Gordon. EC3 smiles at Gordon as Bandido tags in. Bandido hits Gordon with a splash of the top rope for a two count. Everyone runs in. The Briscoes and Homicide and Dickinson end up fighting outside. In the ring, Woods and Gordon attempt to double team Bandido but Lee enters to help. Lee and Bandido nod at each other and dive onto Gordon and Woods on the outside. Back inside, Mark Briscoe hits Bandido with a drop kick causing him to tag Homicide. Everyone runs in and hits a move on one of their opponents until Homicide and Gordon are the only two left in the ring. Gordon misses an enziguri and Homicide hits an uranage for a two count. Gordon rolls up Homicide for a two count. He runs the ropes and Homicide hits him with a belly to belly suplex for a two count. Homicide goes for the Cop Killer but Gordon blocks him and hits a superkick. He hits Homicide with the Flip 5 for a two count. Gordon hits Homicide with a piledriver for the win. The Briscoes brawl with Dickinson while Gordon stares at EC3. Gordon and the Briscoes argue as the show ends with the card for Glory by Honor on August 20 and 21 which are available on Honor Club.

WINNER: All Stars at 13:29

(Maitland’s Thoughts: The match had a lot of action and was entertaining. The match that it built up the most was the Briscoes against Homicide and Chris Dickinson which is not part of the Gory by Honor card. There was not enough interaction between Flip Gordon and Bandido which is the main event of night 1. The match that this got me most excited for was Josh Woods vs Jonathan Gresham which should be happening at Death Before Dishonor. Another good episode of Ring of Honor television.)

CATCH-UP: 8/16 ROH TV RESULTS: Pageot’s alt-perspective on champions vs. all-stars ten-man tag, Holidead vs. Max The Impaler in the ROH Women’s Championship tournament