BY SACNILK
On Thursday, March 16, 2023, Ring of Honor presented the second episode of its new era, which aired on ROH Honor Club. The headline match featured Samoa Joe defending his ROH TV Championship against ROH veteran Cheeseburger. ##
Other matches on the card included RUSH & Dralistico teaming up to face Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams, Aussie Open facing the team of Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels, Mark Briscoe facing Tony Nese, and Shane Taylor taking on Silas Young in a singles competition. ##
Mark Briscoe Vs Tony Nese (w/Josh Woods & Smart Mark Sterling) ##
At the beginning of the match, Nese jump-started his attack against Briscoe while he was praying in the corner. However, Briscoe quickly turned the tables and took control of the match. Briscoe then threw Nese around on the floor and landed the Cactus Jack elbow off the apron. Sterling, Nese's partner, distracted Briscoe, allowing Nese to send Briscoe into the ring post. ##
Nese continued his attack on Briscoe while the referee was distracted, with Woods assisting by laying out Briscoe on the floor with a suplex. Back in the ring, Nese got Briscoe in the tree of woe and proceeded to do crunches before kicking a defenseless Briscoe in the chest. Nese then sent Briscoe into the corner, but Briscoe countered with a boot. Briscoe attempted the Jay Driller, but Nese managed to get out of it and hit a spin kick to Briscoe's head, getting a near fall.####
Briscoe fought out of a body scissors, but Nese hit a hot shot to Briscoe over the ropes. Nese then missed a springboard moonsault, giving Briscoe an opportunity to unload with chops in the corner. Briscoe attempted an Iconoclasm out of the corner, but it only got a near fall. Briscoe followed up with a capture suplex and a big neckbreaker, also getting a near fall. Nese slipped out of a Redneck Boogie attempt, but Briscoe hit a brainbuster. ##
Although Nese managed to escape another Jay Driller attempt, Briscoe caught Nese with the Spicolli Driver. Briscoe then finished off the match with the Froggy Bow to score the victory. Big Murph, a member of Briscoe's family, was seen in the crowd as Briscoe celebrated with them after the match. ##
WINNER: Mark Briscoe ##
MATCH RATING: ** ##
AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik Vs The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Jeeves Kay & Slim J) (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) ##
The match started with Fox facing off against Jeeves Kay, who quickly took Fox down with some swift offense. However, Fox soon retaliated with some fast and dynamic moves of his own. Christian then tagged in and used his speed to gain the upper hand on Daivari. He hit a springboard crossbody on Daivari, but was later sent into the corner where he was beaten down by the Trustbusters. ##
The Trustbusters continued to work over Christian until Metalik got the tag and fired up against Daivari. He even walked the ropes before hitting a splash for a two-count. However, Daivari eventually sent Metalik to the floor and slammed him ribs first into the apron. The Trustbusters then continued their assault on Metalik, but he managed to hit a handspring elbow on Kay. Daivari cut off a tag attempt before taking a springboard elbow. ##
Fox eventually got the hot tag and fired up against all three Trustbusters with his impressive cutters. He even used Kay as a base to hit a dive on Daivari and Slim J on the floor. Christian followed up with a twisting dive to the floor, taking out all three men. Kay managed to use a Sterling distraction to hit an underhook suplex for a near fall. However, a Tower of Doom spot took Kay and Slim J out, allowing Fox to hit a cutter and a 450 for the win. ##
WINNER: AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik ##
MATCH RATING: ** ##
Skye Blue Vs Lady Frost ##
Blue started the match with a pair of armdrags on Frost, who then sent her into the corner and hit a high boot. Frost followed up with a hurricane kick on Blue in the corner and an acrobatic cannonball for a nearfall. Frost maintained control with a kneesault and booted Blue off the apron. Frost hit another cannonball off the apron onto Blue on the floor. ##
After trading kicks, both Frost and Blue went down to the mat. Blue picked up the pace and unleashed a flurry of offense, culminating in a spinning ground kick for a nearfall. Frost executed a cartwheel into an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall, but Blue cut her off on a moonsault attempt and hit a high crossbody for another nearfall. Blue finished off the match with the Skyfall to secure the win. ##
WINNER: Skye Blue ##
MATCH RATING: * ##
La Faccion Ingobernable (Dralistico & Rush) (w/Jose The Assistant) Vs The Foundation (Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams) ##
The match began with LFI rejecting the Code of Honor and immediately attacking Titus and Williams, resulting in a chaotic brawl. Rush and Dralistico took advantage of the situation and focused on Williams, with Dralistico executing a hurricane kick to take him down. Williams endured a lot of punishment, but eventually managed to hit a crotch-lift suplex on Dralistico and tag in Titus. ##
Titus and Rush engaged in a fierce forearm battle, with Titus gaining the upper hand and hitting a pair of yakuza kicks. Williams joined in for some tandem offense, and Titus pinned Rush, with Dralistico accidentally falling on the pile as he tried to break up the pin. The action continued with everyone taking each other out, culminating in Williams spearing Rush out of a Bull's Horns attempt. ##
Rush then suplexed Titus into the corner, and Dralistico dove onto Williams on the outside. Rush finished off the match by hitting the Bull's Horns dropkick in the corner, with the crowd enthusiastically finishing his catchphrase "Mess with the bull, you get the horns," for the win. ##
WINNER: La Faccion Ingobernable (Dralistico & Rush) (w/Jose The Assistant) ##
MATCH RATING: **##
Matt Taven (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett & Mike Bennett) Vs Darius Martin ##
WINNER: Matt Taven (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett & Mike Bennett) ##
MATCH RATING: **##
Brian Cage (w/Bishop Kaun, Prince Nana & Toa Liona) Vs Tony Deppen ##
Deppen landed a couple of slaps on Cage as he bounced around him, but Cage caught him with a superkick before executing an outside-in superplex. Cage maintained control of Deppen, but took time to toy with him. However, Deppen slipped from Cage’s grip and hit a lungblower out of the corner. He followed it up with a cannonball dive to the floor and running knees to the face. ##
Deppen then hit a double stomp off the top rope for a nearfall. Cage avoided a Shining Wizard but hit a rebound lariat. Deppen caught Cage with a small package and got a jumping knee in before Cage shut him down with a Drillclaw for the win. After the match, The Embassy beat down Deppen before Metalik, Blake Christian, & AR Fox came out with weapons to avenge the attack earlier. ##
WINNER: Brian Cage ##
MATCH RATING: *##
Shane Taylor (w/JD Griffey) Vs Silas Young ##
The crowd rallied behind Taylor as the match began and the men locked up. Taylor took down Young with a shoulder block, but Young quickly retaliated by hanging Taylor up on the ropes. They exchanged forearms before Taylor sent Young to the floor with a heavy elbow strike. However, Taylor missed a legdrop on the apron, allowing Young to hit him with a knee that sent him crashing to the floor. ##
Young continued to work on Taylor, keeping him on the mat with elbow drops. He taunted Taylor, but Taylor managed to catch him with a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Taylor then went on the offensive, catching Young with a knee strike and a Sky High for a nearfall. However, Young caught Taylor with his own knees and followed up with a tornado DDT for a two count. ##
Young attempted to pick Taylor up, but Taylor took him down with a headbutt before hitting him with a uranage for a nearfall. Young dodged the package piledriver and hit Taylor with a spinning knee. He then tried to execute the rolling slam, but missed the Pee Gee Waja Plunge. Taylor seized the opportunity and hit Young with a running knee before planting him with the Package Piledriver for the victory. ##
WINNER: Shane Taylor ##
MATCH RATING: *** ##
Billie Starkz Vs Miranda Alize ##
WINNER: Billie Starkz ##
MATCH RATING: ** ##
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) Vs Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal ##
Daniels and Sydal seemed to have the advantage, given all the flying that Aussie Open has been doing between the US and Japan. Sydal and Fletcher started, with Sydal catching Fletcher with a rollup for a two-count. Daniels came in, but Fletcher quickly slammed him down and tagged out to Davis. Davis laid in chops to Daniels, but Daniels tripped him into the corner before landing a lariat to the back of the head. ##
Daniels and Sydal double-teamed Davis, with Sydal throwing Daniels up and over onto Davis before landing a standing moonsault. Daniels went for a sunset flip on Davis, but Fletcher got a blind tag. They took out both Daniels and Sydal before crashing them into each other on the outside.
##
Aussie Open worked on Daniels, with Davis starting a vertical suplex before passing him off to Fletcher. Daniels caught Fletcher in an inside cradle for a two-count. More work on Daniels, but as Aussie Open went for the tandem cutter, Daniels fought his way out with a flatliner to Davis. ##
Sydal got the tag in and laid in kicks on both men. Sydal hit an incredible frankensteiner for a nearfall. Sydal hit a jumping frankensteiner on Fletcher out of the corner for another nearfall. Davis cut Sydal off as he went to the top rope, allowing Fletcher to hit a boot in the corner. Daniels low-bridged Davis to the floor and helped Sydal hit a powerbomb/meteora combination for two. A run of big moves left Fletcher and Daniels in the ring as the crowd chanted for ROH. ##
Davis hip tossed Daniels to the floor before going for the Close Your Eyes piledriver on Sydal. Sydal caught Davis with a frankensteiner and fought both men off before getting caught with the Dental Plan and the tandem cutter for a nearfall that Daniels broke up. Daniels dragged Sydal to the corner to tag in. Daniels hit a double noggin knocker before getting a nearfall on a Blue Thunder Bomb. ##
An Angel’s Wings attempt got cut off, but Daniels avoided the Dental Plan. Sydal tried cutting off Aussie Open, but Fletcher cut him off with a spinning Tombstone. Daniels went for the Angel’s Wings on Fletcher, but Davis cut him off with a forearm. Aussie Open hit the double forearms on Daniels before landing the Coreolis for the win. ##
WINNER: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) ##
MATCH RATING: **** ##
ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) Vs Cheeseburger ##
Joe wasted no time and started attacking Cheeseburger with punches in the corner, followed by a lariat. He then finished the match quickly with a Muscle Buster. After the match, Joe continued his assault and hit Cheeseburger with another Muscle Buster, while also calling out Mark Briscoe. Joe picked up a chair, but Briscoe arrived with a chair of his own, and the show ended with them facing off. ##
WINNER: Samoa Joe ##
MATCH RATING: ** ##
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