PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

RUSH VS. BANDIDO FOR ROH TITLE & MORE: COMPLETE RING OF HONOR BEST IN THE WORLD PPV COVERAGE

Backstage, Matt Taven promised to Quinn McKay he was going to leave Vincent with scars he would remember forever at Glory by Honor.

Jay Lethal with Tracy Williams vs. Brody King.

While not cleared to compete, Williams was at ringside.

King manhandled Lethal early on.  Lethal got frustrated and began swinging.  He nailed a series of forearms and kicks but was sent hard into the buckles and chopped with authority.  Lethal avoided a move and hit the Lethal Injection out of nowhere but scored only a one count.  Lethal nailed a series of suicide dives to the outside on King.  After a quartet of dives, Lethal nailed a sliding kick to the outside.  King snatched him and dumped Lethal backwards over the ropes, leaving him to crash to the floor.

This left King a chance to recover.  He pulled Lethal up from the floor and chopped him back into the ring.    King was now in full control. Jay tried to fire back but kept getting beaten back down to the mat with hard shots, barely kicking up.    Lethal was placed on the top and was chopped hard by King.  King went for a superplex.  Lethal blocked it and kept beating him across the back, then slipped underneath and powerbombed King off the ropes.  Lethal went for the figure four but instead went for a pinfall attempt.  King kicked out and muscled Jay into a DVDR.  Lethal rolled to the outside.  King continued the beating with hard chops in the floor and whipped Jay into the guard rail.  The story has really been that King has been taking the fight to the vet, who has been battling to survive.

King shoved Lethal down into a sitting position in a chair on the floor but Lethal popped up and fired back.  King chopped him down, sending Lethal and the chair crashing down.  He placed Jay back in a sitting position and charged with a flying bodypress attack, sending Jay crashing backwards into the ring barrier while in the chair.  That looked brutal.  Back on the apron, Lethal fired away with right hands but was chopped into oblivion and hit with a DVDR on the apron.  Lethal was out on his feet and forced back into the ring, where he kicked up at the last second.

King went for the powerbomb but Lethal kept collapsing to the mat.   King missed a lariat.  Lethal fired back but it had little effect.  King drilled Jay and nailed a scary as hell running powerbomb.  He nailed another and scored the pin.

Your winner, Brody King!

This felt like another crowning moment to reinforce King as a top player here.  He came off like a monster just beating down Lethal, who fought with all his heart but was overwhelmed and never regained any momentum.  Some of those powerbombs at the end scared the hell out of me.

Officials and Williams checked on Lethal after the bout.  Remember, the story is that Lethal is subbing for Williams in the ROH Tag Team title bout later tonight.

ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bennett.

They lock up and it's a lot of good back and forth grappling early on as you might expect.  Bennett finally drilled Gresham to the mat with a big shoulderblock.  Gresham did not look thrilled.  They locked up and Bennett was able to escape a waistlock and took him down with an armbar.  Gresham grabbed the ring ropes, losing a break after under three minutes.  That was a bit of a surprise.

Gresham used a leg pick to take down Bennett and control him on the mat.  Gresham began working over his arm, elbow and fingers, manipulating them and trying to force a pinfall.  Bennett kicked up but Gresham took him back down with a deep armdrag.  Gresham went back to attacking the arm but then drilled him in the exposed kidneys.  He used his legs to tie up Bennet and then snapped backwards.  Gresham then went after the leg, effectively tying Bennett's right side up.  He tried to pin Bennett, who kicked up at the last second.  Gresham kicked away at him, then went to continue working over the arm.  Bennett sent him into the ropes and went for a slam but Gresham held on and cinched in a hammerlock.  Bennett used the ropes to force a break, using his first a little over seven minutes in.

Bennett was sent to the floor.  Gresham went for a pescado but was caught.  Gresham still went for a Kimura and locked it in on the floor.  He walked Bennett around the ringside area in the hold.   They returned to the ring with Bennett selling his arm was hurt.  He was able to trap Gresham for a two count but cinched in an armbar after the kick out, forcing Gresham to grab the ropes ten minutes in.

Gresham has one rope break left.

Gresham and Bennett battled back and forth.  Bennett nailed a DVDR and went right back to the armbar.  They continued back and forth with near falls and it's been a strong bout thus far.  Gresham snatched Bennett's arm with his legs and used turned him into a cradle for a two count.  Gresham tried to lock in a submission but Bennett fought out and nailed a back elbow.  Gresham nailed a springboard moonsault into a double stomps and used a Backlund Bridge for a near fall, then wrecked Bennett with a kick to the face.

Gresham went for the Octopus but Bennett grabbed the ropes at just under 15 minutes.

Bennett only has one rope break left.   Gresham began hammering him with forearms.  Bennett went for the arm but Gresham kept battering him.   He told Bennett to bring it and fired away with rights that snapped Bennett backwards.  He nailed an enziguiri and a moonsault.  Bennett went to the floor, where Gresham hit a dive and sent him back into the ring.  Gresham hit a springboard move but was kicked in the mouth with a superkick.  They went back and forth with near falls and it was excellent.

Gresham locked on a submission and then pulled Bennett away from the ropes.  He began beating Bennett with elbows to the back of the neck.  Bennett fought to his feet with Gresham on his back.  He flipped into the corner and wiped out Gresham.  He nailed a piledriver, a lariat and another piledriver and covered Gresham.  He scored the pin and it looked like he won, but Gresham got his foot on the ropes at the last possible moment.  Hell of a false finish.

Gresham has zero rope breaks left but he does have a lot of weapons.  He attacked Bennett's knee and scored a two count with a La Magistral.  He trapped Bennett in a leg submission and Bennett had no choice but to tap.

Your winner and still ROH Pure Champion, Jonathan Gresham!

This was a hell of a gritty, hard fought, scientific wrestling match.  Just great from bell to bell with a hell of back and forth story.  

They shook hands after the bout.

Coverage continues on Page 4!

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet