wrestling / TV Reports
Cook’s ROH TV Review 12.3.21
Image Credit: ROH
Loading...Hey kids! We’re getting close to the end of the road here. I still can’t tell if that bright light is the sunshine on the other side, or a speeding train heading towards us. Either way, we’ve got the ROH World Champion in action & a match determining Rok-C’s opponent at Final Battle. Let’s hook em up!
Cook’s ROH TV Review 12.3.21
Quinn McKay welcomes us to Ring of Honor Wrestling, as we are on the road to Final Battle. Two massive matches today, including the main event pitting PJ Black against the ROH Champion, Bandido. It should be a fantastic match that will affect the champion’s momentum. Plus, the challenger to the Women’s Championship will be determined, as Mandy Leon goes one on one with Willow.
Rok-C joins Ian & Caprice for the first match.
Mandy Leon’s strategy is to win. It’s what the Allure does since it’s their house. Mandy’s always been featured at the top of the Women’s Division, deserves to go to Final Battle and deserves to be champion. Angelina reiterates Mandy’s points.
Willow talks about how she beat Angelina Love, and now she’ll beat Mandy. She’s bringing the smile and sunshine, and you can’t stop the sun from shining.
Mandy Leon (w/Angelina Love) vs. Willow: Methinks Quinn spoke too soon when she said this thing is going to be one on one. Just a hunch! Willow takes Mandy down to the mat, a near-fall but then Mandy gains control. Mandy with the headlock takeover. Willow with a headlock of her own, she shoulderblocks Mandy down and flexes. Mandy with some forearms in the corner, Willow with the cartwheel. Willow gets Mandy into a modified camel clutch as Mandy screams for Angelina. Mandy gets to the ropes & ducks outside. Willow tries a kick, Mandy blocks and trips her on the apron. Willow is sent into the barricade. Vertical suplex on the floor by Mandy as we go to commercial.
We return and Mandy is up top, she hits a missile dropkick, sends Willow into the corner and hits the Panic Attack. Facewash and some stomps in the corner by Mandy. Neckbreaker gets 1. Mandy with the chinlock and some elbows to the upper body. Elbowdrop gets 2. Willow fights back, hits a Russian legsweep into a lucha-style submission. Angelina distracts the referee so Mandy can get out with a hairpull. Both women back up and they exchange strikes. Willow gets the upper hand briefly before they kick each other down. Back up, and it’s Willow with the clotheslines. Spinebuster by Willow gets 2. Another big chop by Willow, and a DVD gets 2. Willow goes for a powerbomb, Mandy reverses with a delayed backdrop for two. Willow kicks Mandy into the corner and hits a cannonball. Willow up top, misses the moonsault! Shotgun dropkick by Mandy, then the Astral Projection. Mandy pauses before covering and that results in the two count. Angelina is told to get a chair, which she does, but Quinn McKay suddenly appears to try & keep her from doing anything with it. Then Chelsea Green appears, followed by Miranda Alize, and we have a clustermess going on. We have a tug of war going on over this chair, then Max the Impaler’s music plays. Max & Amy Rose appear, and Rok-C’s urge to go down to ringside seems to have disappeared. Max throws the chair down, picks up Angelina and tosses her onto the heels. So we go back to the ring now, and Willow superkicks the distracted Mandy. She hits a Doctor Bomb and gets the three count!
Winner: Willow (11:30 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
A rare handshake & a hug from Mandy afterwards. I ain’t gonna lie, Mandy Leon’s been one of my favorites since back in the day. One of the unsung highlights of ROH, in my humble opinion. Nevertheless, it’ll be Willow moving on to face Rok-C at Final Battle.
Willow tells Brian Zane that it took a lot of hard work to get her here. She tells Rok-C to put on her working boots, she’ll put on her sparkly boots, and they’ll find out who’s on top of the women’s division.
Brian Johnson talks about how he’ll take the Pure Championship and complete his quest to re-write history at Final Battle. Pure will be spelled M-E-C-C-A.
We see clips from Chris Dickinson’s match with Taylor Rust. Dickinson got the win, but Rust will have a chance to face the rest of Dickinson’s faction at Final Battle in a 6-man Violence vs. Pure match.
Road to Final Battle matches will be appearing on YouTube, here’s a list!
December 6: Jonathan Gresham vs. Dragon Lee
December 7: Dalton Castle & Dak Draper vs. PJ Black & Flip Gordon
December 8: Beer City Bruiser vs. Caprice Coleman
December 9: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. VLNCE UNLTD for the 6-man championship
December 10: Demonic Flaimita vs. EC3
Jay & Mark Briscoe talk about how blessed they’ve been to spend their careers in ROH. It might be the end of an era, but it isn’t the end of the book. Exciting uncertainty is coming.
Jonathan Gresham joins Ian & Caprice for the next match.
Dr. PJ Black hypnotizes Flip Gordon into becoming a mercenary.
Non-Title Match: PJ Black (w/Flip Gordon) vs. ROH World Champion Bandido (w/Rey Horus): Code of Honor is adhered to. Black goes to Bandido’s arm, series of reversals leads to Black powering Bandido down and into a armlock. Bandido kicks out of a nearfall and they’re back on their feet. Bandido gains the upper hand, Black takes him into the corner. Bandido blocks a punch, works Black into a hammerlock. Dueling headlocks, Bandido with a shoulderblock, Black with one of his own. They’re mirroring each other now, leading to the INDY STANDOFF~! Black sends Bandido into the corner. Black with some strikes, into another corner. Black tosses Bandido at the feet of Flip, who doesn’t do anything. Black kicks Bandido back outside. We go to commercial as Bandido gets back in the ring.
Black stomps Bandido down as we return. Tosses Bandido back outside. He holds Bandido for Flip to hit him, but Flip refuses, saying it’s not honorable. Apparently Black forgot to clap twice to make Flip a mercenary, so he claps twice and now Gordon fires away on Bandido. Todd Sinclair calls for the bell, as that sort of thing is a disqualification. Todd talks to Black & Gordon, then Rey Horus jumps over Todd and dives onto the two. So now we’re going all Teddy Long SmackDown on this thing and making it a tag team match. Holla holla holla?
PJ Black & Flip Gordon vs. Bandido & Rey Horus: Flip hits a missile dropkick on Horus in the ring. Sling blade & a tag to Black. This Horus kid finally gets his jacket removed by Black. Horus fights back and tries a tornado DDT, but it’s Black with a suplex for two. Gordon tags back in, hits an elbowdrop for two. Horus is placed up top, gets knocked back down for two. Black tags in. He locks in an Octopus hold & mocks Bandido. Flip tags in as we go to commercial.
Horus still getting doubleteamed when we return, but he fights back. Swinging DDT to Black and now he should be able to get the tag. Bandido tags in and goes all ham on these fools. Baaaack body drop to Black, gorilla press to Flip, tossing him on top of Black on the floor. Assisted flip dive by Horus. Gordon rolled back in, Bandido up top, big frog splash gets 2. Horus tags back in. They kick Flip down, Horus gets dropped onto Flip for a two count. Black breaks that up and tosses Bandido outside. Assisted Blockbuster by Gordon & Black gets two. Doomsday Destroyer gets two, Bandido makes the save. That one gets a couple of replays. Bandido goes for the Spanish Fly, he hits it on Black for two. 21-plex gets the three count on Black.
Winners: Bandido & Rey Horus (about 16 minutes in total via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
The announcers sure liked this one more than I did. Some cool moves, story was…something.
Bandido poses with the belt & Gresham claps at the announce table.
Jonathan Gresham & Bandido talk about why they both want to be ROH World Champion after Final Battle.
We close with a rundown of the Final Battle card.
Next Week: Sledge vs. PCO, Miranda Alize vs. Chelsea Green, Eli Isom vs. EC3
