Cook’s ROH TV Review 9.17.21

Hey kids! I see that today’s ROH TV episode is all about the Pure Division. So you won’t get a ton of run-ins or shenanigans, but you will get some talented in-ring rasslers doing their thing. Let’s hook em up!

Cook’s ROH TV Review 9.17.21

Quinn McKay welcomes us to Ring of Honor Wrestling! Today is all about Pure wrestling, which separates the best from the rest. You must eat, sleep & breathe it. The Foundation has recruited pure wrestlers from all over the world to purify the company from top to bottom. Mike Bennett will take on the Foundation’s Rhett Titus in today’s main event. Before that, a Pure Wrestling Gauntlet!

Ian & Caprice are joined by Brian Milonas for this gauntlet. Milonas claims to be pound for pound the best pure wrestler on the planet and wonders why he isn’t in this match.

Pure Wrestling Gauntlet: Eric Martin vs. World Famous CB: I think CB would have a better argument for the pound for pound thing given he weighs somewhere around 300 fewer pounds than Milonas. Martin works the arm of CB before getting headlocked. Then CB tries to drop toe hold Martin, and Martin grabs the ropes for a rope break. Martin gets worked into another rope break, so he’s down to one just a little over a minute in. Oh, and there’s a third. Difference between a trainer & a student. So now Martin boots CB off the apron. Suplexes CB in the ring and does the ol’ kip up. Clothesline in the corner, CB blocks a ramming into the turnbuckle, back & forth, CB with a cradle then a super kick. CB with a choke, and Martin taps out.

CB advances at 3:14

Delirious enters as we go to Ric Flair Carshield commercials. Well, they haven’t been paused on ROH’s website.

<b.World Famous CB vs. Delirious: The bell rings & Delirious goes crazy with pure wrestling. CB weathers the storm for the first minute, then Delirious starts working the arm. CB works into a head scissors, and Delirious goes to the ropes. Delirious locks in the cobra clutch, but CB fights out. Delirious & CB running the ropes oddly, Delirious with the waistlock takedowns, CB reverses with a dragon suplex. Delirious rolls through a rollup, locks in a cobra clutch/bodylock combo. Cobra clutch suplex, then a roaring elbow gets two. CB with an inside cradle for two. Backslide gets two. Kick was a little low by CB. Delirious goes back to that cobra clutch with a backbreaker, then works into a triangle choke. Delirious twists CB’s arm in an awkward manner, and CB taps out.

Delirious advances at 5:32

LSG enters as we go to Ric Flair Carshield commercials.

Delirious vs. LSG: Some back & forth to start. LSG wants it given to him, and they exchange strikes. Headlock takedown leads to the cobra clutch, and LSG goes to the ropes. Neckbreaker by Delirious. Suplex blocked by LSG, but Delirious keeps going for it. Headbutt to the chest by Delirious, then a jawbreaker by LSG. Strikes by LSG. LSG with some shoulderblocks. Springboard forearm gets two. LSG runs into a boot, Delirious dropkicks him in the back and runs into a chop. Delirious hits a grapevine brainbuster for two. Didn’t hook the leg, maaaan. LSG fights out of the cobra clutch attempt, hits a suplex into a Muta Lock. LSG uses Delirious’s arm to choke him, and Delirious has to tap.

LSG advances at 5:20

Milonas is outraged since he beat the next entry in the match.

LSG vs. Joe Keys: Series of reversals to start. LSG locks in the headlock. Keys turns it into a backbreaker, hits another one and another one. Keys misses in the corner but locks in an abdominal stretch. Not sure how Gorilla would rate this one. LSG hip tosses Keys out of it. Keys goes back to that backbreaker. He kicks LSG in the back before locking in the half crab. LSG uses his second rope break. Rolling germans by Keys. He hits three before LSG uses his third and final rope break. Keys places LSG up top, goes for the superplex, but LSG shifts his weight and lands on top for the three count.

LSG advances at 4:37

LSG looks in pretty poor shape at this point, whoever’s next should be able to pick up the scraps. That’s Brian Johnson, who isn’t impressed with the pure wrestlers.

LSG vs. Brian Johnson: Johnson goes to work right away, but LSG hits him with a springboard forearm, a pump kick and the Rocket Bye Baby. Hits a Saints Flowsion, but Johnson’s right next to the ropes. Johnson hits a punch, which results in a warning, then uses the ropes to get the three count. The referee saw it, but couldn’t break it since LSG used all of his rope breaks.

Winner of the Gauntlet: Brian Johnson (1:04 via pinfall)
Overall Match Rating: ***1/4

Johnson still talking smack, and he’ll be an issue for the Pure Division to deal with.

Tracy Williams joins Ian & Caprice for the main event.

Pure Rules Match: Rhett Titus vs. Mike Bennett: Headscissors by Titus, he tries to inch Bennett towards the ropes but that doesn’t work. Bennett with the power advantage early. Titus with the headlock on the mat. Titus locks in an abdominal stretch, then a rollup for two. Bennett backs off as we go to commercial.

We return and Titus is working the left leg before working into a Boston Crab. Bennett goes to the ropes. CRAVATE by Titus. Bennett gets out, shoulderblocks Titus down and evades the dropkick. Bennett tries to lock in the arm submission, but Titus wiggles out and forces Bennett into the ropes. 2 rope breaks for Bennett. Titus works the left arm, but Bennett fights back. Chop exchange. Bennett wins that, Titus reverses out of the vertical suplex, some standing switches, roaring forearm by Bennett forces a rope break out of Titus on the pin attempt. Bennett targets Titus’s left leg, which has some extra wrapping on it. Knee-DT by Bennett.

During the break, Titus hit his dropkick and regained the advantage. Big boot in the corner gets two, and Bennett has to use his final rope break. So Titus wraps Bennett up in the ropes, which can’t be broken. Titus with a gutwrench suplex for two. Titus goes up top, but takes too much time, and Bennett meets him with an ankle lock. That leads to Titus’s second rope break. Bennett uses a spinning toehold and they exchange strikes. Titus with an inside cradle for two. Bennett blocks the belly to belly and dropkicks Titus in the weakened left leg. Titus blocks the piledriver, gets a nearfall, but Bennett goes back to the anklelock. Titus rolls through for a nearfall. Titus with a schoolboy for two. One minute left as they fight for the backslide. Bennett wins that fight but only gets two. They’re still locked in that position, Titus wins the fight out of it and they keep exchanging pinfall attempts. Clotheslines by each, both men go down and there’s the time limit.

We go to judges Will Ferrara, Sumie Sakai & Gary Juster. They rule in favor of Mike Bennett by split decision!

Winner: Mike Bennett (15:00 via split decision)
Match Rating: ***1/2

Bennett had more submissions, strikes & high impact moves. Code of Honor is adhered to, and they might have to run this back at some point.

Next Week: PJ Black vs. Brian Johnson, Brody King vs. Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal vs. Shane Taylor

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

If you love the Pure Wrestling, you'll get a kick out of this episode. If you're not one that's into the Pure Wrestling, you won't like it too much. Pretty simple, right? I like it as a change of pace from pretty much everything else we see on wrestling television.