Ring of Honor Review - April 19, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham def. Jay Lethal

Interestingly enough, this match wasn't contested under Pure Rules. They've had a handful of matches against each other before, but this one meant the most given the occasion and how they've been partners for close to two years now. The pre-match sit-down interviews with both men set the stage nicely for this championship clash and it was entertaining as expected. A few more minutes would have made it feel even more special, but it was still quite great. Gresham going over Lethal was the ultimate endorsement of Gresham as champion.

Mark Briscoe def. Jay Briscoe by Count-Out

I don't think this was officially contested under hardcore rules, but a chair and a table were incorporated at one point. Either way, this was a very good main event and the usual excellence from the Briscoe brothers. They took the fight to each other despite there being no bad blood between them currently and it made for a top-notch main event. My only nitpick was that it ended in a count-out. That was pretty lame for the main event of the 500th episode, even though it was well done with Mark barely getting into the ring in time.

Overall Show

The video package that aired at the beginning discussing the history of Ring of Honor and its weekly television show over the last decade was terrific and was the perfect way to kick off the historic 500th episode. I like that they choose to feature two meaningful matches with people that have been a part of the program since the start. Advertising two matches for next week (Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper and Violence Unlimited vs. La Faccion Ingobernable) was also appreciated. It would have been cool if we heard from more wrestlers that were there for the first episode, but this was a strong milestone show, nonetheless.