10/25 RING OF HONOR TV REPORT: Jay Lethal vs. Homicide, Titus vs. Deppen, Brody King & Dickinson in action, more

RING OF HONOR TV (EPISODE #527)
OCTOBER 25, 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. Vincent is shown looking into a mirror and saying he is going to love it. He asks the rest of the Righteous if they think he is going to love it. He asks the cameraperson if the thinks he will love it and Vincent says he will love it. Quinn McKay welcomes everyone to this week’s show. Today’s show is Violence vs Pure. Both factions have different philosophies and they are going to war. The main event is Homicide vs Jay Lethal who first wrestled at a dark match at the 2002 Final Battle. Chris Dickinson and Brody King will wrestle Jonathan Gresham and Tracy Williams. Up first will be Rhett Titus vs Tony Deppen.

(Maitland’s Thoughts: Vincent beginning the show making reference to a higher power is interesting and frightening at the same time.)

(1) RHETT TITUS vs TONY DEPPEN

Ian welcomes everyone to the show. Tony Deppen comes out first. In a pre-match interview. Deppen says he accomplished a lot in a fraction of the time. Deppen said he would accomplish even more through violence. Rhett Titus comes out next. In a pre-match interview, Titus says he sees a lot of similarities with Deppen but at the end of the day Titus is a professional. He says Deppen has gone all over the county but now play time is over. He is going to make Deppen go to work.

(Maitland’s Thoughts: Good promo setting up the stage for this match and the whole show, showcasing the competitor’s differences and similarities.)

Code of honor not adhered to, reluctantly by Deppen. Titus and Deppen grapple on the ground. Deppen takes control with a wrist lock. Titus counters with a head scissors. Deppen fights out. Titus wins a test of strength for multiple two counts. Deppen flips out and snap mare’s Titus. Titus reverses into a hammer lock. Titus rolls over for a two count. Titus grabs a front face lock and rolls over for a series of two counts. They stand up and Deppen takes Titus down and goes for a leg submission. Titus grabs the ropes. (c)

Titus takes down Deppen and grabs a half Nelson. Deppen puts on a vice grip. Deppen slips out and puts Titus in a submission. Titus gets out and grabs a headlock. Deppen brings Titus into the ropes for a clean break. Deppen charges and gets dropped over the apron. Deppen misses a spring board. Deppen blocks a hip toss and backslides Titus for a two count. Deppen blocks a double underhook suplex and an O’Connor Roll. They fight for control and Titus hits a belly to belly suplex followed by a butterfly suplex for a two count. Titus snap mares Deppen into the corner and misses a charge. Ttius runs towards Deppen again but gets hit with a knee to the stomach. Deppen follows with a knee to the back for a one count. Deppen goes for a sleeper but Titus tries to block it. Deppen reverses into an armbar. Titus gets out but Deppen grabs Titus’ arm and bites it. Deppen rolls up Titus with a crucifix for a two count. Titus backs Deppen into the corner and hits numerous shoulder charges. Titus follows with a forearm. Deppen hits a big boot. Homicide comes to the ring. Deppen hits a snap mare and a kick to the head for a one count. Homicide gets on the apron to argue with referee Todd Sinclair. Deppen kicks Titus in the spine. Deppen goes for a splash but Titus gets his knees up. (c)

Titus catches Deppen’s foot and hits a forearm. Titus charges Deppen but Deppen sends him to the outside Titus hits a shoulder in Deppen’s midsection and rams Deppen’s head into the turnbuckle. Titus hits a shoulder tackle. Titus hits a back suplex for a two count. Homicide gets on the apron again and grabs a chair. Titus charges Deppen but misses a boot. Deppen drop kicks Titus to the outside and hits a dive. Deppen hits a double stomp off the top rope for a two count. Homicide continues to yell that it should be a three count. Standing switch leads to Titus rolling up Deppen for a two count. Deppen and Titus trade pinning predicaments. Titus hits a Northern lights suplex followed by two running kicks. Titus hits Deppen with an implant DDT for a two count. Titus grabs a half crab. Deppen kicks Titus to get out of it but Titus responds with a kick of his own. Titus grabs the half crab again. Homicide tries to grab Deppen to pull him to the ropes but Titus pulls Deppen to the ring. Homicide starts throwing chairs into the ring. Titus throws one of the chairs out of the ring at Homicide. Todd Sinclair argues with Homicide while Deppen hits Titus in the midsection with a chair. Deppen hits a running kick for the victory.

WINNER: Tony Deppen at 12:23

-Homicide and Deppen celebrate (c)

(Maitland’s Thoughts: I liked this match and the contrast between Deppen, who can wrestle purely but is willing to do anything to win, and Titus. The finish of Homicide causing a distraction makes sense even though I don’t know how Sinclair didn’t notice the chair shot. What is the point of being in a stable if they don’t come to your aid in a match like this? I would think Homicide’s actions were the opposite of pure.)

-Brian Zane is backstage looking to speak to Rhett Titus after the Foundation didn’t come to his aid in his match. Before Zane can ask, Titus asks where the rest of the Foundation is while he is getting hit with a steel chair. Zane interviews Tony Deppen and asks him about Homicide. Deppen said Vlnce Unltd is cut from the same cloth. ROH is made of too many rules and there are too many concerns with upsetting people. Deppen says violence will always prevail.

(Maitland’s Thoughts: Titus being rightfully angry makes a lot of sense. We will see if the other Foundation members respond. Deppen’s promo seems to indicate that Vlnce Unltd will be heels. They felt like tweeners before but this could be their new direction.)

-A promo for ROH’s Championship Edition television episode airs. Those matches, which will air in two weeks, will be Bandido defending the ROH World Title against Alex Zayne and Josh Woods defending the ROH Pure title against LSG.

(Maitland’s Thoughts: Always good for ROH to promote upcoming shows and this looks like a good one.)

(2) JONATHAN GRESHAM and TRACY WILLIAMS) vs BRODY KING & CHRIS DICKINSON

Brody King and Chris Dickinson come out first. They are accompanied by Homicide. In a pre-match promo, Brody King says the Foundation’s brand of wrestling is extinct. Dickinson asks if Jay Lethal is going to get a time machine to get Karl Gotch to fight him and there is honor in violence. Jonathan Gresham and Tracy Williams come out next. They are accompanied by Jay Lethal. Tracy Williams say this war has gone on too long. All they care about causing chaos. They have a code and will stick to it but they won’t die on their swords. Gresham says pure wrestling will prevail. (c)

(Maitland’s Thoughts: Another good promo showing the contrast between the two teams. Rhett Titus must be really annoyed with Lethal coming out after no one helped him.)

Code of honor adhered to by all of the competitors. Vlnce Unlted walk back to their corners and get attacked from behind by the Foundation. King and Williams go outside and Dickinson and Gresham are inside the ring. Gresham kicks Dickinson but Dickinson blocks a suplex attempt. He throws Gresham into the corner and tags King. King chops Gresham and hits a suplex for a two count. King hits Gresham in the jaw and tags Dickinson. Dickinson hits a series of backbreakers. Dickinson goes for a leg bar but Gresham blocks it. Dickinson transitions and throws Dickinson into the corner. King tags in and they both hit Gresham with an elbow for a two count. King hits Gresham with repeated strikes followed by snap mare. King outs on a neck vice and hits Gresham in the ribs for a two count. King continues to strike Gresham and holds him down so Dickinson can tag in. Dickinson knocks Williams off the ropes and Dickinson continues to work over Gresham. Dickinson hits a short arm clothesline for a two count. King tags in but Gresham reverses and Irish whip and leap frogs a charging Dickinson who collides with King. Gresham tags Williams. Williams knocks King off the apron and hits Dickinson with an elbow. Dickinson hits a judo throw followed by a kick. Williams counters with a clothesline. Williams splashes Dickinson in the corner and hits an underhook suplex off the top rope for a two count. (c)

Williams chops Dickinson in the corner and tags Gresham. Gresham repeatedly chops Dickinson. Dickinson blocks a suplex attempt but Gresham hits Dickinson’s arm and tags Williams. Gresham and Williams take Dickinson down with a series of kicks ending with stomping in Dickinson’s leg. Williams traps Dickinson’s right leg. Dickinson tries to break out but William’s catches his left leg and gets a submission. King breaks it up. Williams works over Dickinson and tags in Gresham. Gresham hits Dickinson in the knee for a two count. Gresham and Dickinson trade chops until Gresham hits Dickinson in the knee. Gresham hits King on the outside. Gresham wrenches Dickinson’s knee. Dickinson kicks Gresham off who runs the rope and fakes a leap frog. Gresham runs the ropes and Dickinson hits him with a knee to the face. Dickinson tags King. Dickinson and King double team Gresham and Williams breaks up the pinning attempt. King charges Gresham in the corner and Gresham blocks a big boot. Gresham grabs King by the throat but Gresham breaks out and hyperextends King’s knee. Gresham puts King in a sleeper hold while Williams holds off Dickinson. Dickinson pushes Williams to break Gresham’s hold. Gresham tags Williams and Williams hits a series of forearms. King counters with a bunch of forearms and tags Dickinson. Williams, unaware, kicks King and charges him. Dickinson shoves King out of the way and hits Williams with an enziguri for a two count. (c)

Dickinson chops Williams and tags King. They double team Williams and King applies the Boston Crab. Gresham slaps King in an attempt to break the hold but Dickinson puts Gresham in the STF. Williams gets to the ropes. Dickinson tags in. Williams blocks several piledriver attempts and strikes Dickinson with chops and elbows. Dickinson counters a piledriver with a back body drop and applies the STF. Williams reverses it while Gresham and King fight on the outside. Dickinson rolls up Williams for a two count. Williams replies the STF but Dickinson fights out. Dickinson kicks Gresham and applies a submission. Referee Joe Mandak stops the match.

WINNER: Brody King & Chris Dickinson at 12:52

-Gresham and Lethal check on Williams. Homicide goes over to mock Williams. King and Gresham have a tense handshake. Lethal wants to fight Homicide immediately. Williams and Gresham leave the ring. Dickinson and King do not. Lethal and Homicide continue to argue. Referee Todd Sinclair tries to establish order. (c)

(Maitland’s Thoughts: A good match. Vlnce Unltd’s pre-match comments about being able to do pure wrestling get validated. Not a good look for the Foundation to get beat fair and square especially after they attacked Vlnce Unltd at the beginning of the match.)

(3) JAY LETHAL vs HOMICIDE

The bell rings and Homicide and Lethal trade punches. Lethal hits Homicide with several chops. Homicide fights back but Lethal gets control. Lethal throws Homicide over the top rope and hits a springboard dropkick followed by three dives. Lethal brings Homicide to the ring apron and Homicide blocks punches with an eye rake. Homicide hits Lethal in the midsection followed by a dive of his own. They both get back into the ring and the same time. Homicide headbutts Lethal. Lethal and Homicide trade strikes until Homicide puts Lethal on the ropes. Lethal fights way off but misses a missile dropkick. Lethal takes Homicide down and goes for the figure four. Lethal takes a fork out of Homicide’s knee pad and gives it to Sinclair. Homicide takes it back. Homicide goes to stab Lethal but it ends up in the turnbuckle. Homicide goes to put Lethal in the turnbuckle but Lethal blocks it. Lethal does the same and Homicide blocks it. Homicide grabs the fork but drops it as Lethal rolls him up for a two count. Homicide hits a T bone suplex for a two count. Sinclair disposes of the fork. Homicide says he hates Lethal. Homicide knees Lethal in the back and chokes him with his shirt while biting Lethal. Homicide goes for the Cop Killer but Lethal fights out and hits a Superkick. Deppen comes out with a chair but Dutch from the Righteous takes him out. Lethal ducks a clothesline and hits the Lethal Injection for the victory. (c)

WINNER: Jay Lethal at 5:37

-The rest of the Righteous come out to applaud and cheer for Lethal who is very confused. Lethal shakes Homicide’s hand. On next week’s show, labeled a Halloween special, Rok-C and Quinn McKay team up to wrestle Max the Impaler and Miranda Alize, and Shane Taylor Promotions will defend the ROH Six Man Tag Team Championships against Danhausen, PCO, and Sledge.

(Maitland’s Thoughts: A quick match was what I was expected especially after the tension that Lethal and Homicide have had since Homicide’s return to the company. It appears that the Righteous are focused on Jay Lethal which could lead to some interesting possibilities. An entertaining show this week that poses questions for the future.)

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ROH TV REPORT: 10/18 RING OF HONOR TV REPORT: Dragon Lee & Kenny King vs. S.O.S for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, eight-man tag main event, more