The big takeaway from Supercard of Honor is that it seems clear Tony Khan has an idea toward there being a future for Ring of Honor.
Khan booked FTR to go over The Briscoes for the ROH world tag titles, then announced that the team will defend the belts on “Dynamite” next week, and there’s a hint that The Briscoes might have reason to be there.
And then there was the promised big surprise to end the show, in the form of a returning Samoa Joe, who appeared to make the save for new ROH world champ Jonathan Gresham, who was being attacked by Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt.
Joe, it was announced before the show was over, will also appear on “Dynamite” on Wednesday.
The near-term weekly TV future of ROH is uncertain, but with Joe, Gresham, Lethal and perhaps The Briscoes in the fold, all with storylines already built in, that’s a good sign for the promotion.
Supercard of Honor notes
Khan told reporters after Supercard of Honor that he doesn’t have anything to announce regarding a possible new ROH TV deal, and that he doesn’t have a timetable for when there might be something in place.
Other surprises: Chavo Guerrero, who had said a few weeks ago that Khan had let his AEW contract expire without telling him why, was on the show as the manager for Bandido in the main event. Tully Blanchard introduced Brian Cage as a member of his new stable, which includes a new tag team, The Gates of Agony, Kaun and Toa Liona, who wrestled on the pre-show.
Lethal turned heel to secure a win over Lee Moriarty, finalizing a turn that had been hinted at in recent weeks, with Lethal expressing frustration over a losing skid. He later appeared after Gresham had defeated Bandido for the world title to challenge Gresham for his first title defense. The two got into a scrum, prompting Dutt, in the apparent role of agent, to try to intervene. Dutt then joined Lethal in an attack on Gresham, ahead of Joe’s surprise entrance and save.
Defending champs didn’t fare well on the show. In addition to The Briscoes, Pure champ Josh Woods lost to Wheeler Yuta, TV champ Rhett Titus lost to Minoru Suzuki, and interim women’s champ Willow Nightingale lost to Mercedes Martinez. Martinez and Yuta are AEW regulars, but Woods had been appearing as the Pure champ on AEW’s YouTube shows recently. Suzuki, of New Japan, would appear to be a short-term champ, with New Japan’s top stars on an extended tour of the States.
Story by Chris Graham
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