Cook’s ROH TV Review 5.21.21

Hey kids! We’ve got a tag team championship match and some pure wrestling this week. Should be a hoot & a holler!

Cook’s ROH TV Review 5.21.21

Quinn McKay welcomes us to Ring of Honor Wrestling! She thanks Ian for filling in the last couple of weeks and the fans for following her through her journey to her first match. It might have been her first, but it won’t be her last. We’ve got two matches this week, the main event sees the Foundation defending the ROH Tag Team Championship against The OGK. First, it’s a Pure Rules match between Fred Yehi & Rocky Romero.

Backstage, it seems that Matt Taven has been attacked. His ankle has been smashed by an unknown assailant. That probably doesn’t bode well for their later match.

Ian & Caprice are on the call as usual.

Fred Yehi ponders what the definition of purity is. Is he pure or anti-pure? Meanwhile, Rocky Romero talks about how it’s a big night & Fred Yehi is where he wants to be in the Pure rankings.

Pure Rules Match: Fred Yehi vs. Rocky Romero: Rocky can rap a little bit. Yehi has four inches & fifteen pounds on Romero, who has the experience edge. Handshake and we’re off with the rasslin. Some reversals, Rocky gets put in a deathlock on the mat & locks in a cravate momentarily. We go to a Ric Flair commercial about 1:30 into the match.

Rocky slow to tie up with Fred, but locks in the headlock. He won’t let it go immediately, but Yehi with a shoulderblock. Back to the headlock for Romero, Yehi gets out, big chop, back to the Romero headlock. Elbowblock for Yehi, Romero slow to follow up. Yehi has to use a rope break to get out of a headlock, but does get out of the headlock and bodyslams Romero. Yehi stomps Romero’s fingers, then chops him back into the corner. Another chop in the corner. Yehi keeps targeting that left hand & wrist, which will keep Romero from utilizing the headlock offense. Romero fights back, tries the forever clotheslines in the corner, Yehi blocks but gets single-arm DDTed for his trouble. Time for a commercial!

During the break, Romero continued to target Yehi’s left arm. Yehi chops with his right arm, so he can still do that. Yehi locks in the Koji Clutch for a second, but Romero gets out. Big backhand knocks Rocky down. Fisherman’s suplex gets a two count. Romero goes for the cross arm-breaker, gets it locked in but Yehi breaks it with the ropes. One rope break left for Yehi. Three minutes left, Rocky goes for Sliced Bread, but Yehi blocks and sends Romero into the corner. Rocky gets yanked off the top rope, T-Bone suplexed & Koji Clutched. He uses his first rope break with two minutes left. Yehi’s arm snapped on the top rope, Rocky takes him to the other side, top rope dropkick to the side gets two. Romero goes back to the cross arm breaker with a minute left, but Yehi slips out and is in the mount position. Lands some big strikes, but Rocky’s back up. Couple of big strikes rock Rocky, and Fred locks in the Koji Clutch. Rocky taps out!

Winner: Fred Yehi (14:44 via submission)
Match Rating: ***

Yehi wins and will have a future meeting with World Famous CB to determine who Jonathan Gresham’s next challenger is.

Backstage, Mike Bennett tells Matt Taven he doesn’t have to compete tonight. Totally not a big deal, they can do it some other time. Taven is not sold on that since it’s taken so long to get this opportunity, he’ll get the ankle taped up and they’ll be fine.

Flip Gordon makes his way down to the ring dressed for competition, but apparently he’s here to address his status with ROH. He is done waiting on Rush, as he has him exactly where he wants him. It’s his turn to do what others couldn’t, and defeat Rush for the ROH Championship. He tells Rush to get out here, but EC3 appears instead. He tells Flip “You have been warned”, and makes his exit.

Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams are about to address their upcoming match when a shirtless Jay Lethal strolls in and says he heard that Matt Taven got attacked and is in the trainers’ room. Williams says they can move the match, and Lethal says that would be good, but Taven says he still wants to wrestle. It’s not the ideal situation, but they shouldn’t take the opportunity away.

ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: Challengers The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Champions The Foundation (Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams): Handshakes all around. Williams & Bennett start things off. Bennett tries to target the arm, but Williams with the early advantage. Bennett fights back, tag to Taven and a double dropkick gets two. That ankle’s giving Taven problems, but he maintains the offense on Williams. The up & over in the corner goes very poorly, and Taven has to make the tag and duck out of the ring. Bennett goes to check on him while the Foundation hangs back and we go to commercial.

Bennett working Rhett Titus’s arm as we return. Taven tags back in for the doubleteam, dropkick off the middle rope gets two. Time for a Foundation doubleteam, which leads to a Texas Cloverleaf by Williams. Taven finds the ropes. Chinlock by Williams, tag to Titus, and now Titus begins to work that ankle. Taven gets some daylight with a dropkick, but can’t make it to the corner. A couple of well placed knee drops by Williams, he maintains the advantage until Taven hits the knee strike. Tag to Bennett, who is a house affire and chopping away on both Foundation members. Hammerlock DDT to Williams, DVD to Titus gets a two count. Taven tags in, but the double team is foiled by the ankle. Taven hits a spear for two as we go to commercial.

Taven’s knee still providing problems when we return. Tracy goes all Hot Sauce, hits a double underhook suplex off the middle rope for two. Bennett in there now, Tracy with the sleeper, Taven breaks it up but gets DDTed on the top turnbuckle. Flatliner into a crossface by Taven, Williams fights out and hits a suplex. He locks in a facelock, but Bennett tags in and applies the anklelock to Williams. Williams kicks his way out of it, a small package gets two. Now it’s a kickfest for everybody. Bennett with the London Dungeon on Titus, who isn’t legal. Williams with the Boston Crab on Taven. Bennett & Williams are legal, and now they’re slapping each other. Now they’re piledriving their respective opponents. They forearm away on each other. Pump kick by Williams, tag to Taven, who gets a rollup, but then gets put in an ankle lock. Fortunately for him, Bennett is there to break that up. Titus belly to bellies Bennett. Williams watches the kick and Taven misses. Titus with some kicks of his own, a dropkick into a Williams piledriver, and Titus gets the three count on Taven.

Winners: Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams (19:28 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***3/4

The Foundation retain the straps, and inform OGK they’ll be happy to give them another shot when Taven is 100%. As Bennett & Taven discuss their fate, Vincent appears on the CaryTron yelling “I’M MATT TAVEN!”. So that’s who attacked Taven, to the surprise of very few.

7.4

The final score: review Good

The 411

Some pretty good wrestling this week, and some furthering of a direction for Flip Gordon. Not much to complain about here this week. The tag team match is definitely worth checking out if you're into the tag team thing, which I am.