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ROH TV REPORT
AUGUST 30, 2021
AIRED ON ROHWRESTLING.COM
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Opening theme.
-Ian Riccaboni was at the backstage news desk. He sent out consolation to Quinn McKay over her being eliminated from the women’s tournament and ran down tonight’s card.
-Video package on Angelina Love. She’s a seven-time women’s champion and one-time tag champion. She’s not threatened by anybody. She spoke about getting a bye in the first round of the tournament by beating McKay and implied that Amy Rose asked her to take a dive here in exchange for Max doing some of The Allure’s dirty work for them on the Wednesday YouTube show.
-No video package on Max The Impaler.
-In the arena Love made her entrance alone without Mandy Leon. She kept looking over her shoulder. Lenny Leonard was on commentary and Max had Amy Rose with them. They were undefeated in ROH thus far.
Rose took a mic and asked Love if she was sure she wanted to do this. Love brushed her off and Rose said she warned her. Max charged.
(1) MAX THE IMPALER (w/Amy Rose) vs. ANGELINA LOVE – QUARTER-FINAL MATCH IN THE ROH WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Love clubbed them in the back to no effect. Max charged again but Love jumped out of the way and bailed to ringside. Rose got her in face again. Max used the distraction to grab Love. Max tossed Love into the barricade. [C]
Max stalked Love at ringside. Max swung, Love moved again, and Max’s hand smacked the ring post. Love shoved them into the ring post and scrambled into the ring. Max continued to no-sell Love’s attacks. Torture rack to Love. Love thrown throat-first across the top rope. Love fell to the floor. Love thrown into the ring post. Sleeperhold to Love in the ropes. She wouldn’t break the hold so she was disqualified.
WINNER: Angelina Love in 5:53.
-Rose smiled, then signaled for Max to let go. They dropped Love, who fell to the floor. Rose held up Max’s hand in victory. Love rolled around on the floor, nursing her arm. [C]
(Pageot’s Perspective: Terrible booking. When they announced the brackets, I questioned why they were putting the top two heels in the division against each other but assumed there must be a good reason. Nope. Love gets double-teamed and tossed around like a rag doll for five minutes to the extent that we actually feel sympathetic for her by the end. Max’s undefeated streak ends. Rose looks stupid for allowing Max to get disqualified and then celebrating, despite them being eliminated from the tournament. And we still have no explanation for their partnership in the first place. If Max is so tough and invulnerable, why do they need Rose? What does she offer to Max? Certainly not experience and guidance, as we saw here. If Max went berserk and got themselves disqualified while Rose tried to talk them into letting go of the sleeperhold, there might have been something there. Instead we got this, which makes no sense on any level.
Love faces Rok-C in the semi-finals. Unless this was the start of a face turn for Love and we see a clean fight there with Rok-C going over and Love adhering to the code of honor, I don’t understand what the point of this was. But I also don’t see the point of a Love face turn either when there are barely any heels in the division to begin with.)
-Chelsea Green replaced Caprice Coleman, joining Riccaboni and Leonard on commentary.
Allysin Kay got a picture in picture promo during her entrance. She hyped this as lariat vs. lariat. Adora got a PIP promo too. She is technically sound and has the entire community on her back.
(2) PAN AFRIKAN WORLD DIASPORA WRESTLING CHAMPION TRISH ADORA vs. NWA WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPION ALLYSIN KAY – QUARTER-FINAL MATCH IN THE ROH WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Side headlocks exchanged. Roll-up from Adora for two. Even back and forth grappling. Adora wanted a headscissors but Kay slammed her to the mat and tried for a cross arm breaker. [C]
More submission grappling on the mat with neither woman getting an advantage. Kay dumped Adora to ringside. Kay took control in the ring and leaned heel with some strikes and trash talk. Adora fired up and hit a crossbody. Backbreaker. DDT. Kay avoided Lariat Tubman and tried for a kimura. Adora avoided it but got caught with a rear naked choke. Adora ducked a discus clothesline and hit an enziguiri. Kay with a flurry of elbows. Adora came off the ropes with a clothesline that Riccaboni called as Lariat Tubman (though I’ve always seen Tubman delivered as a spin-out discus clothesline).
WINNER: Trish Adora in 12:22.
-The commentary team put over Love and “three relative newcomers” as the tournament’s final four. [C]
(Pageot’s Perspective: A slow moving match that would have greatly benefited from live fans. I believe this was their first time meeting and this is a rivalry that will only get better if it gets run back a couple times. I’m thrilled to see Adora advance and also a bit surprised. Due to her time in Impact and NWA, Kay was one of the biggest names in the tournament to ROH fans who aren’t familiar with the indies. Adora faces Miranda Alize in the semi-finals. Alize going to the finals would be baffling but right now the scenario that makes the most sense in my mind is Rok-C beating Alize to win the belt. Adora going over Love for the title is my #2 guess but I can’t get past the fact that Rok-C’s win over Sumie Sakai is still the only match in the tournament to get a TV main event slot. That means something.)
-A video ran down the lineup so far for September 12’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view:
Eli Isom vs. Dalton Castle
The OGK vs. The Briscoes
LFI vs. Shane Taylor Promotions for the trios titles
Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham for the pure title
Bandido vs. Brody King vs. Demonic Flamita vs. EC3 for the world title
-Dalton Castle joined Riccaboni and Coleman on commentary.
-Eli Isom got a backstage promo. For months, his sole focus has been the TV title. For months, he’s climbed the ranks and overcome every obstacle. He made a promise to his family that he will beat Dragon Lee. (Prediction: he won’t.)
Lee got a PIP promo. He said Isom’s a good wrestler but he’s the champion and he’d defend what he never lost. Castle took a phone call before the match could start.
(3) DRAGON LEE vs. “INFINITE” ELI ISOM – ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Collar and elbow tie-up. Quick commercial break. [C]
Hurricanrana sent Isom to the floor. Lee flew over the ropes and took him out. Isom returned the favor a couple minutes later. High Fly Flow from Isom for a near-fall. They traded boots mid-ring. [C]
They traded German suplexes with both no-selling. Poisonrana from Lee. Clothesline from Isom. Clothesline from Lee. Neckbreaker from Isom for two. Lee hung Isom over the top rope. Isom held himself in place so Lee could dropkick him off the top rope. Lee wanted a running knee but Isom blocked. Two knees to Isom’s head. More kicks to the shoulder. Isom with a brainbuster for a near-fall. Lee pulled down his knee pad and hit Incinerator for the pin.
WINNER: Dragon Lee in 12:25 to retain the TV title.
-Code of honor and hug from Lee. Riccaboni wondered if Lee was turning face.
(Pageot’s Perspective: As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I’ve only been back following ROH for a month now after being gone for a year and a half. Isom definitely looks more matured and confident than his days as enhancement talent with Shinobi Shadow Squad. Like Josh Woods, it’s been a long, long, slow climb up the card but he’s still not there yet. This was my first taste of 2021 Dalton Castle and that’s definitely a star that’s fallen. I fear he’s stayed too long in ROH. He’s somebody that could use a real breath of fresh air from a run on the indies or a couple months in another promotion. Lee felt like one of any dozen luchadors here, though it’s hard to get too much personality across in one match.)
-Next week: it’s Angelina Love vs. Rok-C and Trish Adora vs. Miranda Alize in the semi-finals of the Women’s Championship tournament plus Shane Taylor Promotions vs. La Faccion Ingobernable in an eight-man tag.
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