Ring of Honor TV Episode #489 1/29/2021

Ring of Honor TV Episode #489 1/29/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/ring-of-honor-tv-1252021.html

I can't gif this one even though I would like to. 

Joe Keys did a promo. He said Gresham came to bat for him and helped them. Joe said Gresham wasn't his first trainer and he didn't teach him everything he knew. He said his original trainer died. He said he carries the burden of his trainer. He said Gresham had a lot of passion and the passion Keys got from him may cost Gresham the pure title.

Gresham then did a promo. He said Flip Gordon is not a pure professional wrestler like he or Joe Keys is. Gresham told Keys not to look at him as his trainer, but the foundation of ROH.

ROH Pure Title - Pure Rules - Jonathan Gresham vs Joey Keys

Keys won a four way gauntlet match to get this shot with other wrestlers from Gresham's ROH dojo. Gresham is really small and Keys looks like Andre the Giant next to him, even though Keys is average height.

They each burn a rope break early and shoulderblock battle each other with Keys winning. We go to break where we were told Keys had the advantage, then they trade forearms as we return. Gresham starts working Keys' arm. Keys catches Gresham running into him an rolls him up into a suplex then a pin attempt.

Keys grabs Gresham from behind and Gres tries to get out but gets deadlift german suplexed. Keys goes up to the ropes and slips then headbutts Gres from the 2nd rope. They start slapping each other anf then forearming each other. Gres gets knocked down with one, kips up then germans Keys, but then is lariated. Keys goes for a headbutt off the top but Gres moves. Gres hiptopsses Keys then turns into a hammerlock for the win. 

Thoughts: This went 12:41 but the break took up a lot of it and I'm not sure they made the best of their time. Gres stayed on the arm though throughout the match.

Mike Bennett is getting taped up in the back and Matt Taven tries to talk him out of wrestling. Mike says he is OK and to let him do this. 

Danhausen gets a video. He says everyone knows who he is, saying he is from far away. He talks about himself in 3rd person and talks like a super nerd. He said he won his contract with ROH and wants his blimp. This was awful and I fast forwarded through it.

Brian Johnson did a promo. He said he loves wrestling. He talked about his favorite wrestlers and said he is an incredible professional wrestler and worked hard for it. Brian said nobody talks about him and complained about internet fans trying to get Danhausen a contract. He was completely losing his mind over Danhausen and said Danhausen cheated to beat him. He said he is putting him in the grave on February 3rd, which we will not be watching here. His fire was nice though.

The Bouncers did a promo. They said Mike Bennett left and they became the best team while he was gone. They said they start the road to the ROH tag titles tonight.

OGK did a promo. Bennett said he didn't come back for celebrations but came back for The Kingdom. They said let's not think about other things except The Kingdom.

The Bouncers(Beer City Bruiser and Brawler Milonas) vs OGK(Matt Taven and Mike Bennett)

Mike gets thrown on his injured ankle to start, then he starts limping.

OGK hits a double dropkick on Brawler. Mike holds the ropes down so Taven can dive over it onto Brawler, but Bruiser walks in the way and they stop in their tracks. The Bouncers hit a side slam + dropkick combo on Taven for 2. Taven hits an enzugiri and tags out and Bruiser crossbodies him down. Bralwer takes 2v1 and is dropkicked over Bennett who is on all fours and trips him.

Bennett did a leapfrog on Brawler and held his ankle. Bruiser then went to work on the ankle of Bennett. Brawler sits on Bennett in the corner as we go to break and we were told The Bouncers worked his ankle during the break. Taven dropkicked Bruiser through the ropes then dove onto Brawler, then dove onto both. Bruiser rolled in and Taven frogsplashed him from the top. Taven went for something but Bruiser was able to samoan drop him.

Brawler hit a sitout side rock bottom. OGK hit some kicks on Brawler and pounded on him, but he pushed them off. Taven jumped on Brawler's back and Bennett superkicked Brawler, then Brawler fell backwards with Taven on him, squashing him. Brawler hit a superplex on Taven but Taven avoided Bruiser's top rope splash. Bennett then speared Bruiser. Taven then picked up the win out of nowhere with a trendsetter(la mistica into a type of crossface). 

Thoughts: This was fine but I'm not sure that Taven and Bennett got enough in here to justify the win.

The Bouncers offered Taven a beer after but Vincent came out. He said Bruiser has no direction and isn't on any kind of path.  Vinnie said while Brawler was stuck going nowhere, ROH gave Bennett a break for returning. Vincent said Taven has a new house, where does Bruiser live? He said Bruiser needs to move it or lose it. Then Bruiser nailed Taven with a beer bottle and ddt'd Bennett. I thought the announcers talking over this hurt it a little but Vincent wasn't bad on the mic.

Overall thoughts: It was a fine episode minus a few bad promos. Both matches were decent, but I thought they could have gotten a little more out of the time they had.