‘ROH: Supercard of Honor 2022’ PPV Review
Welcome to our review of Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor, the first ROH pay per view under new management. Part of a stacked Wrestlemania/Wrestlecon weekend, let’s check out what Tony Khan’s got in store for the long-running ROH brand…
ZERO HOUR
Match #1: Colt Cabana def. Blake Christian
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Cabana, who spent nearly half of his 23-year career in ROH, returned to an ROH ring for the first time since 2019. Christian, a rising star, was making his ROH debut. Christian came within an eyelash of pulling an upset after hitting a Springboard 450 Splash, but Cabana recovered and hit Chicago Skyline for the win.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: AQA def. Miranda Alize
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
AQA made an impressive ROH debut by knocking off Alize, who was a finalist in the ROH Women’s World Title Tournament last summer. Alize hit a ripcord cutter and then applied a crossface, but AQA rolled on top of Alize for a two count. AQA landed an enziguri and followed with a shooting star press for the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) w/Tully Blanchard def. Shinobi Shadow Squad (Eli Isom & Cheeseburger)
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Blanchard introduced Kaun, formerly one-third of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, and Liona as the newest members of TBE (Tully Blanchard Enterprises). The GOA made quick work of 3S. Liona hit a pop-up Samoan Spike on Isom for the win in just over two minutes.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Dalton Castle def. Joe Hendry
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
The former tag team partners had a falling out at Final Battle in December when Hendry nailed Castle in the back of the head with the ROH World Television Title belt during a Four Corner Survival Match. This is the first time they’ve faced each other in a one-on-one match. Hendry used his strength advantage to stay on the offensive for much of the match, but Castle rallied and hit Bang-a-Rang for the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
SUPERCARD OF HONOR
Match #1: Swerve Strickland def. Alex Zayne
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
The first meeting between these two dynamic stars did not disappoint. Zayne hit an insane Poisonrana off the apron to the floor that popped the crowd. Zayne hit Crunch Wrap Supreme for a near fall. Strickland, making his ROH debut, hit a rolling flat-liner followed by the Swerve Stomp for a near fall. Strickland finished off Zayne with the JML Driver.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Brian Cage w/Tully Blanchard def. Ninja Mack
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Blanchard revealed Cage as his newest client and Mack’s mystery opponent. Mack is an impressive athlete, but he was simply no match for Cage. Mack tried to stick and move, but Cage repeatedly overpowered him before hitting Drill Claw for the dominant win.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Jay Lethal def. Lee Moriarty w/Matt Sydal
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
This started out as a great, back-and-forth match, with both competitors adhering to the rules and trading near falls. However, Lethal grew frustrated after Moriarty countered Hail to the King and Lethal Injection to score near falls. Lethal nailed Moriarty with a low blow behind the referee’s back, and then hit Lethal Injection for a tainted victory. Sydal, who is recovering from a dislocated knee and was on crutches, confronted Lethal about his tactics after the match. Lethal kicked one of Sydal’s crutches out from under him and began attacking him. Sonjay Dutt entered the ring and tried to get Lethal to calm down, but Lethal wasn’t interested in anything Dutt had to say.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Interim ROH Women’s World Championship – Mercedes Martinez def. Willow Nightingale
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
The winner of this match goes on to face ROH Women’s World Champion Deonna Purrazzo at a later date. This was a hard-hitting contest between two powerhouses. Nightingale rocked Martinez with a pounce, followed by a cannonball in the corner for a near fall. Martinez answered with the OG Drop for a near fall. Nightingale hit a moonsault for another near fall. Martinez recovered and applied the Brass City Sleeper for the submission victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: ROH World Tag Team Championship – FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. Jay & Mark Briscoe
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
After months of trash-talking and anticipation, two of the best tag teams in the sport were finally in the ring together to battle for the ROH World Tag Team Title and bragging rights. The atmosphere was electric, as the fans were going nuts before the match even began. After the action spilled outside the ring, FTR sling-shotted Jay Briscoe into the bottom of a table, busting him wide open. FTR continued to punish Jay for several minutes before he was able to tag in his brother. The Briscoes hit Redneck Boogie for a near fall. FTR hit a powerbomb/splash combination on Jay for a two count. The Briscoes answered with Big Rig on Harwood for a near fall. From the apron, Jay suplexed Harwood to the floor. With all four men down on the floor, the trainers checked on them. Both Briscoes and Harwood were bleeding. After the action resumed, Jay hit a neckbreaker on Harwood, and Mark followed with Froggy Bow for a near fall. The Briscoes set up for the Doomsday Device on Harwood, but Wheeler knocked Mark off the top rope to the floor. FTR hit Big Rig on Jay for the win. Both teams shook hands and embraced after the war. FTR now holds both the ROH World and AAA tag team titles. They are former AEW World, WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown and NXT tag team champions.
My Score: 5 out of 5
Match #6: ROH World Television Championship – Minoru Suzuki def. Rhett Titus
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Having won numerous championships in Japan throughout his storied career, the legendary Suzuki captured his first title in the United States. After several minutes of back-and-forth action, Titus nailed Suzuki with a dropkick. Titus has finished off many opponents with that move, but Suzuki kicked out at two. Shortly thereafter, Suzuki planted Titus with a Gotch-style piledriver for the win.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: ROH Pure Championship – Wheeler Yuta def. Josh Woods
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
The competitors exchanged holds and counter holds during the first 10 minutes with neither man able to sustain an advantage. Woods rocked Yuta with a spiral suplex into the turnbuckle and made the cover. Yuta used his third and final rope break to stay alive. The challenger rallied, stunning Woods with a series of elbow strikes. Yuta then rolled Woods into a pinning combination and scored the biggest victory of his career.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #8: Undisputed ROH World Championship – Jonathan Gresham def. Bandido w/Chavo Guerrero Jr.
The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Gresham came to the ring with the original ROH World Title belt, while Bandido had the current version of the championship belt. Bandido was accompanied by Chavo Guerrero Jr.. Bandido made it clear to Guerrero in a pre-match interview that he did not want to win by cheating. In an amazing display of strength, Bandido held Gresham in a vertical suplex position for a minute before completing the move. After a series of near falls by both men, Bandido was outside the ring and Gresham set up for a dive. Guerrero pulled Bandido out of the way, which did not sit well with Bandido. After the action returned to inside the ring, Bandido superkicked Gresham, who inadvertently knocked down the referee. With the referee temporarily incapacitated, Guerrero nailed Gresham with one of the championship belts. Bandido was irate at Guerrero and ordered the referee to eject his manager. Bandido hit a pop-up cutter for a near fall and then attempted 21 Plex, but Gresham landed on his feet and caught Bandido in La Magistral Cradle into a bridge for a near fall. Bandido got on a roll, hitting Fosbury Flop and Go To Sleep before completing 21 Plex. Remarkably, Gresham kicked out. Bandido landed three superkicks, but Gresham answered with a springboard moonsault. Gresham then countered into a cradle for the three count.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
I’ve heard all the complaints, that Tony Khan has ruined ROH in one pay per view but… as someone who hasn’t watched ROH since AEW started, having Tony Khan now mixing up his AEW roster with ROH stars has actually brought me BACK to watching Ring of Honor. In terms of Supercard of Honor, I really loved seeing Kaun in action after enjoying his appearances on AEW as enhancement talent; Willow Nightingale was her usual fantastic in-ring self and we also got a GREAT video package from her that showed more of her personality – which I loved. Whilst I’m not a fan of Jay Lethal, his heel turn actually worked wonders for getting him over with me; Wheeler Yuta’s Pure Championship win is probably going to feed into his appearances in AEW, which have been building seemingly to him joining Danielson & Moxley, or at least being trained by one of both of them. And then we got THAT tag team match… and instant classic if ever there was one, and a match that even though it’s early in the year should be in the running for match of the year. Plus we got the surprise appearance of one Samoa Joe as the pay per view came to a close. Honestly, if we can get ROH like this – maybe adding more ROH originals and even NEW wrestlers – then I’ll be back to watching Ring of Honor on a weekly basis when the show, eventually, returns!
