ROH TV
Episode 502
Original Air Date: April 30, 2021
Event Date: ?
City: Baltimore, MD
Venue: UMBC Event Center (empty arena)
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Ring Announcer: Bobby Cruise
Intro Video
Video
Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and goes over tonight’s matches. She also announces that she will be facing Angelina Love in McKay’s first match in ROH.
Match 1
Flamita vs Bandido
(referee: Todd Sinclair)
Result: Flamita wins via pinfall after a low blow
Time: 10:56 (with commercial 2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Bandido was looking forward to some healthy competition which might bring himself and Flamita closer as partners, but Flamita was angry and looking for a fight. The pace of the match was high from the start, and Flamita’s aggression eventually drove Bandido to get equally aggressive. Flamita worked on Bandido’s arm, and Bandido worked on Flamita’s leg, so both wrestlers had to adjust somewhat as the fight went on. Bandido began to gain better advantages throughout the fight, but some shenanigans near the end all but assured that we’ll see a rematch between these two (which is something I’d like to see).
Match 2
Ken Dixon & Beer City Bruiser vs Matt Taven & Mike Bennett
(referee: Todd Sinclair)
Result: Mike Bennett pins Ken Dixon after combination running single-leg dropkick (Taven) and backpack stunner (Bennett)
Time: 8:08 (with 1 commercial break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. The OGK (Taven & Bennett) worked great together as a team, and they flowed through the match very well. Bruiser and Dixon had a lot of strong moments, but, being brand new team, they didn’t work well as a unit. Dixon also made a few very poor decisions that really cost his team. Overall, the action was fast and fun, and I enjoyed the match a lot. Also, Matt Taven nearly had his head crushed by Bruiser in one of the closest moments I’ve ever seen where a big guy sits down into a pin attempt while the smaller guy is below him on the mat. So that was fun too.
Ring Area
After the match, Matt Taven smashes a Beer City Brew over the Beer City Bruiser’s head. Brian Milonas (who had been doing commentary) has some harsh words for Taven before heading to the ring to check on Bruiser. Milonas says Bruiser was right all along (presumably about Taven being a jerk and about Bruiser’s idea of winning by any means necessary). Milonas then attacks Dixon, sending Dixon out of the ring. It looks like Bruiser and Milonas are back together and on the same page.
Match 3
ROH World TV Title Match
Tony Deppen vs “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams (ROH Tag & TV Champ) w/ Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, Rhett Titus
(referee: Todd Sinclair)
Result: Tony Deppen wins via pinfall with a hammer-lock roll-up and becomes the 25th champion in his first reign
Time: 10:58 (with 1 commercial break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Williams was confident and seemed to have at least a slight upper-hand throughout most of the match, but Deppen was scrappy and took great advantage of the openings he could find. The commentators mentioned that this might feel like a Pure Rules match, and at times it did, but Deppen also helped to make the match feel more aggressive than most Pure matches. I enjoyed the balance between technique and fighting. I kind of wish the match had been a little longer, but hopefully we’ll see a rematch at some point that will take this fight even further.
Show Impressions
This was a really good show. I was looking forward to the first and last matches, and they delivered what I hoped for. I wasn’t looking forward to the tag match as much, but it surprised me. The action was good, and they did manage to draw me in to the story of revenge for Taven and of a partnership renewed with Milonas and Bruiser. It was well done all around.
Match of the Night
Tony Deppen vs Tracy Williams
This was a lot of fun, and it was another step in the brewing rivalry between The Foundation and VLNCE UNLTD.