Baltimore, MD – 11.16.2020
Amy Rose warns us that when La Facción Ingobernable returns in full force, they plan to make ROH theirs. Considering RUSH and Dragon Lee are the World and TV champions respectively, I’d say they are well on their way. Quinn McKay then shows us the conclusion of last week’s episode, where Brody King pinned Dalton Castle with a Ganso Bomb.
The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. The Soldiers of Savagery (Kaun & Moses)
This is a follow-up to the six man tag team match which featured both teams from two weeks ago, where Shane Taylor pinned Mark Briscoe to win the match from his triumvirate. The Briscoes partner from that match, EC3, is on commentary for this bout. Standing still Moses knocks down a charging Jay with a shoulder block. Jay angrily boots Moses in response, and tags in Mark who comes in with a dropkick off the second turnbuckle. The Briscoes knock Kaun off the apron before going back to work on Moses. Moses intercepts a lariat from Jay, shoving him into Mark and then delivering a headbutt. Moses tags in Kaun who blasts Jay with a back elbow. The S.O.S. smother Jay with offense in their corner of the ring as Mark eagerly looks on from the apron. Jay finds a brief moment of respite after escaping a suplex and giving Kaun a forearm strike. Mark gets the tag and kicks Moses off the apron. He back suplex slams Moses and drops an elbow for two. The Briscoes double shoulder tackle Kaun, then after a boot from Jay in the corner, they give Kaun a double superplex. Moses interjects to break the pin. Back from the commercial break and the two teams are trading blows. Kaun wipes out Jay on the floor with a pescado as Moses comes off the second turnbuckle with a crossbody to Mark. A second turnbuckle headbutt follows, and Moses then wipes out Jay with a tumbleweed senton off the apron. A frog splash from Kaun onto Mark gets him a close nearfall. Jay comes back in, sending Kaun outside with a rolling forearm strike and giving Moses a neckbreaker. Mark uses a chair to propel himself onto Kaun outside the ring. Jay gives Moses a death valley driver. Mark hits the Froggy Bow to get the pin at 9:41. I was really impressed with Moses and Kaun’s performance, and even with a loss, standing toe to toe with the Briscoes does them a great service. The two teams have good chemistry, and after weeks of Pure wrestling, a slugfest was a nice change of pace. I certainly would not mind seeing these teams lock horns again in the future. **¾
EC3 stands in the aisle as the Briscoes head to the back. Jay is concerned as to why EC3 is standing in their way, standing totally motionless, but Mark says not to worry about him. EC3 looks behind his back and smirks ever so slightly as they leave.
Bateman makes his first appearance on ROH TV in a long while, saying Matt Taven is a coward who has only attacked Vincent from behind. Taven’s injury at Final Battle was his chance to get out of ROH for good, and Vincent says Taven should have taken it. Taven says Vincent is avoiding what is coming to him. If he has to go through Bateman to get to Vincent, so be it, but karma comes for everybody.
Quinn McKay interviews The Briscoes. Jay is still puzzled by EC3, while Mark is trying to call out Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham, the tag team champions. Jay takes over and challenges EC3 to a singles match next week. He tells Mark he can focus on their goals once he gets EC3 out of the way.
Shane Taylor vs. Kenny King
The pre-match profiles inform us that Kenny King’s lawyers are pursuing ROH based on the judge’s decision in his Pure title tournament bout. These two have met twice before, with King winning both of those bouts. They were also partners in the Rebellion faction in 2016-2017. King jabs Taylor after Taylor declines a handshake by spitting on King’s outstretched hand. King evades all of Taylor’s offense, scoring kicks on Taylor in the process. Taylor clobbers King with a haymaker when King puts out his hand for a handshake again. Taylor Beele tosses King across the ring after peppering him with more punches. King lands on his feet when Taylor goes for a second toss. He sticks and moves with kicks to the side of Taylor’s head, then pummels him down in the corner. Taylor shuts him down with a shoulder block. Another hard punch leaves King nearly unconscious on the apron. Taylor headbutts King when he sees King looking for a slingshot maneuver. Taylor instead slingshots him up into an elevated stunner for two. Taylor stops a charging Taylor with a spin kick. Shotgun knees send Taylor into the corner and a Blue Thunder Driver gets King a two count. Taylor blocks a super kick and knee strikes King underneath his chin. Taylor drops King with a package piledriver but King kicks out at two! King is able to hit a t-bone suplex for two. King tries to go up and over in the corner, but Taylor catches him mid-air and drops him with Welcome to the Land for the pin at 10:14. Between the win two weeks ago and tonight, Taylor has some serious momentum going forward. Scoring a first-time win over the partner of the World and TV champions certainly sends a message. His aggressive brawling style and dominance over King was very convincing, and while King’s response of sticking and moving was sound in theory, Taylor had him literally and figuratively on the ropes as soon as he scored with his first punch. More good stuff from both competitors. ***¼
Overall: Admittedly, when I saw the line-up, I was sad to see more repeat characters and not any fresh faces, but you realize repetition helps get people like the S.O.S. to the next level. This did a better job mixing the in-ring components with the story components than last week, and once again I end the episode excited for next week. Keep it up, ROH.
NEXT WEEK: Matt Taven faces Bateman, Jay Lethal takes on LSG, and EC3 answers Jay Briscoe’s challenge in his singles debut!