ROH Death Before Dishonor is back with an absolutely stacked card. As we enter the Tony Kahn era of the company we are finally getting to see a real taste of what is in store for Ring Of Honor moving forward.

ROH World Championship Match | Claudio Castagnoli Vs Johnathan Gresham

The match starts off with the code of honor, a handshake in the middle of the ring before these two ring generals begin grappling down to the mat. This match starts off with submission holds and counters with Gresham taking great care to work on Claudio’s knees and ankles, trying to cut the much taller man down to size. News has come out since this event that Gresham has requested his release from AEW/ROH which is really disappointing cause I would love to see him face off against Daniel Garcia and Bryan Danialson.

This is Claudio Castagnoli‘s first ever World Championship in his 22-year career and it is absolutely criminal that it has taken this long. It is an emotional moment not just for him but also for all the fans who have followed his career. What a great way to open ROH Death Before Dishonor.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship Match | Dalton Castle & The Boys Vs The Ritchous

This match is a little slow and kinda sloppy in places but it is really a great moment for Dalton Castle and his Boys. He really gets to show off his skills here and proved to everyone why he deserves a championship in this company. Despite being the least anticipated on the card and taking place between two absolute bangers on the night, this match is still a must-watch if you have never seen Castle & The Boys in action before.

Winner: Dalton Castle & The Boys

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

ROH Pure Championship | Danial Garcia Vs Wheeler Yuta

The rules for the ROH Pure Championship are long but once you get your head around them the matches are very enjoyable. If you really appreciate an old-school style of wrestling with a focus on submission and technical ability then this is the championship in Ring of Honor for you. We have time limits, three rope breaks maximum, and no champion advantage.

Both men are on their game tonight from submission wresting to hard shops and slaps, as closed fists are not permitted. they have both been two of the hottest and most talented young stars in AEW for some time and you can see how much they have improved during their time there. It truly feels like they will be the backbone of ROH moving forward. Along with huge power moves their transitions are so smooth.

Winner: Wheeler Yuta

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75

Battle Of The Brothers | RUSH Vs Dragon Lee

This is very exciting, RUSH and Dragon Lee are two of the best wrestlers to come out of Mexico. RUSH is in white tonight which is a hallmark of Los Ingobernables with both Tetsuya Naito and Andrada El Idelo sporting the color on many occasions. Dragon Lee, on the other hand, is in black tonight, if you haven’t seen him before I would recommend his work in New Japan and his series of matches against LIJ member and ACE of the Junior Heavyweight division Hiromu Takahashi.

The beauty of this match really lies in how well they know one another. When you are siblings in this industry it just makes sense that you would know exactly how the other one thinks. This match is full of surprising kickouts, great technique, and hard-hitting moments. It’s very true, take it from me, that we always hit our siblings harder and take it to them the hardest, we are meaner and fight dirtier than with anyone else. This match shows this and might lead to something more for Dragon Lee and his connection to Los Ingobernables in ROH and AEW moving forward.

Winner: RUSH

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

ROH World Women’s Championship Match | Mercedes Martinez Vs Serena Deeb

This is the only women’s match on the main card of ROH Death Before Dishonor, but it sure didn’t disappoint. Completely different from the matches that came just before and after, Martinez and Deeb brought the fire and technical prowess of two of women wrestling most underrated workers. I think the ROH World Women’s Championship needs a few more challenges but with these women’s styles inside the ring, you could put a case forward for another match between the two. Give us a pure style match, that would be really fun.

I highly recommend watching this match and fully embracing what women’s wrestling is all about, two highly skilled individuals who will put on one of the best matchs on the card when given the time. More of this please Tony.

Winner: Mercedes Martinez

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

ROH Television Championship Match | Samoa Joe Vs Jay Lethal

This is a 20-year blood feud that is finally being played out inside an ROH ring and what better place than ROH Death Before Dishonor. The match doesn’t actually start for a good 10 minutes, with both men brutally attacking each other before entering the ring. This is a very smart move for both parties as the bell hasn’t run, which means there is no chance of disqualification.

Once the match gets going it just builds and builds until the very end. Samoa Joe looks possibly better than when he won the ROH World TV Championship a few months ago and despite my opinions on Lethal he really shows why he has been one of the best in ROH for the last few years. Hopefully, after this victory for Joe, we can move on from this and see him face someone else.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

ROH Death Before Dishonor Main Event | ROH Tag Team Championship Match | 2 Out Of 3 Falls | The Briscoes Vs FTR

This match is the one that I have been most looking forward to, after their absolute classic at ROH Supercard of Honor XV where FTR defeated The Briscoes for the ROH World Tag Team Championships, we were all wondering if this one could live up. Well with the Kings of Old Scool Wrestling against the Kings of the 2 out of 3 Falls Match we were not disappointed at ROH Death Before Dishonor.

First Fall via a Doomsday: The Briscoes

The first fall takes place almost 20 minutes into the match, which doesn’t feel like it, the pacing is masterful and The Briscoes go into the next phase of the match one fall up. The hot blind tag from Harwood to Wheeler received an almighty pop from the crowd after The Briscoes had spent so much time cutting the ring in half and doing their best to destroy Dax. This match also has some beautiful moments which harken back to some of the greatest matches in wrestling history.

Second Fall via The Big Rig: FTR

The second fall comes almost 10 minutes later, halfway through the time limit thanks to The Big Rig, their nod to their friend Brodie Lee. This puts both teams on an even playing field and this is when the action really heats up, which is saying something cause the second phase was full of action. There is a ref bump that is expertly timed and results in both teams at one point getting a visual pinfall over the other. Soon enough the referee is back and we are at the 40-minute mark.

The Briscoes put both of FTR into submission holds and just like in their epic encounter with American Alpha in NXT they hold each other hands so they don’t tap. There is even some in-ring phycology courtesy of the King Road style of wrestling. Cash Wheeler takes Mark Brisco out with a scary-looking table spot from the top turnbuckle. This leaves both Jay and Dax the last two men standing and fitting to a brilliant crescendo of a finish.

Winner via a Top Rope Piledriver: FTR

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ROH Death Before Dishonor, How Was The Whole Event?

Absolutely fantastic, every match was top quality and it feels like the old Ring of Honor once again. the ending to the show saw our new ROH World Champion, Claudio Castagnoli, and the ROH Pure Champion, Wheeler Yuta come out with William Regal to stare down FTR. It looks like their next opposites could be the Blackpool Combat Club. Samoa Joe turned back the years while we finally got to see everyone’s favorite swiss superman retch the top of the mountain.

Dalton Castel had a fantastic showing while it seems the ROH Women’s World Championship is in better hands than with the privious incarnation of Ring of Honor. The Pure Championship might be the premotions biggest achievement and its champion is the perfect choice.

MOTN: 2 out of 3 falls match | FTR vs The Briscoes

Total | Average: 31/35 | 4.42