Ring of Honor Review - July 5, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham def. Fred Yehi

Yehi has been a revelation for Ring of Honor since the relaunch late last year. I hope they continue to use him if not lock him down to a deal if they haven't already. As expected, he and Gresham had a really fun, well-wrestled match here. Hell, they could have gone a few more minutes and I wouldn't have complained. This was what the Pure Division is all about and I've been digging it. It's also now official that Gresham will defend against Mike Bennett at Best in the World.

Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe in a Fight on the Farm Ended in a No Contest

The video package that preceded this was really well done. I was wondering why this wasn't saved for Best in the World, but since that show will have fans in attendance, I guess they didn't want to cheat the crowd by having them watch the big screen for 20 minutes. If this was the cinematic match we see in the pandemic era of wrestling, then it was a great note to end on. It was well-produced, their real-life dad serving as the special guest referee of sorts was a nice touch, and they beat the holy hell out of each other. I mean, they were several warnings that aired throughout prompting viewers to not try any of this at home. I'm not typically a fan of the hardcore wrestling, but I don't think they did anything insanely stupid (by today's standards) and I found it to be a fun spectacle. The ending felt a little anticlimactic with the two punching each other in the ring until they collapsed. I assume the outcome could technically be ruled a no contest, but I'm not completely sure. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this on the whole.

Overall Show

That fight on the farm is bound to get more people talking about ROH TV than anything else the show has featured since the relaunch. It won't be for everyone, but I liked more than other cinematic matches I've seen from other companies and even in ROH. If it generates some much-needed buzz for ROH, then I'd consider it a success, especially since it probably won't be negative buzz. Gresham vs. Yehi was a a treat as well, so this was an easy thumbs-up episode. Next will, PJ Black will return to take on Flip Gordan and members from La Faccion Ingobernable, Violence Unlimited and The Foundation will face off in a three-way tag team match.

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