Ring of Honor TV Episode #496 3/20/2021

Ring of Honor TV Episode #496 3/20/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/ring-of-honor-tv-episode-495-3122021.html 

As always, the show airs on different days depending on how you are watching it. It is best to keep count of the episodes by their episode number.

They promise us that the Anniversary show will be 4 hours. That is too much.

The Foundation vs LFI is the main event tonight and we will also see Eli Isom vs Rey Horus.

Eli Isom does a promo. He was a 3 sport athlete in high school. He's from Indiana. He talked about his early career and forming the "Shinobi Shadow Squad" with Cheeseburger. He said the stars of ROH started off by capturing the TV Title and he wants to capture it too. He said he will be a major player here.

Rey Horus then did a promo. He said he was close to beating Dragon Lee and the loss helped him grow as a wrestler. He said it would be a different story next time. He said Eli might be the future, but he is the present. He said he will show that lucha libre is #1. 

Eli Isom vs Rey Horus

We have no Pure Rules matches this week and I'm happy about that. They wrestle around early and Eli gets back body dropped to the outside. Rey then flips over the post area to dive on Eli. Eli gets thrown into the rails outside as we go to break.

Back from break and we get no report on what we missed. Eli deadlift overhead suplexes Rey then tries to squat with him in the vertical suplex position but can't. Eli runs the ropes and gets caught with a spanish fly by Rey. Rey swears and they bleep it out.

They trade forearms and Isom gets overhead thrown into the buckles. Rey gets caught on a tornado ddt and is brainbustered for a surprise win at 8:04. The finish was out of nowhere really and this was fine I guess.

We got a promo for an unknown group or wrestler. It said they are going to restore violence.

Matt Taven did a promo. He said it all comes to an end at the 19th Anniversary Show when he goes against Vincent in an unsanctioned match.

 

EC3 did a video package. He said if you want to take the island, you have to burn the boats. He said Jay Briscoe is an island and he wants him to defend his island like his life depends on it. Jay said WWE has called him many times but he turned it down and said EC3 should have turned them down too to control his own narrative. Jay said he isn't going anywhere and said he wouldn't shake his hand because EC3 didn't deserve to. He talked about going up against Misawa, Samoa Joe and Kensuke Sasaki. He said EC3 can't look him in the eye. He said if EC3 does look him in the eye and give him a fight, he will shake his hand. I don't really like the storyline here but Jay gave it a good try.

 
The Foundation(Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Rhett Titus and Tracy Williams) vs La Faccion Ingobernale(Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring and Kenny King)

LFI does an inset promo. Rush said when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. King said they look good with the titles. Bestia said humiliation awaits them. Lee said they are the past, present and the future.

The Foundation does an inset promo. Rhett said they are ready to go to war with LFI. Tracy said LFI has no respect and they stand in the way of them restoring honor. Tracy said power is in championships and they will win multiple titles on the same night at the Anniversary show. They said they will restore honor.

Gresh and Lee have a quick exchange where they slap each other and grab each other by the throat. Tension heat up with everyone getting in the ring, which referee Todd Sinclair has to break up. Tracy and Bestia exchange chest chops, then Bestia spits at Lethal getting him mad. Tracy missile dropkicks Bestia.

Lethal calls out Rush. Rush challenges him to chest chop him but Rush nails him before he can. Lethal springboard dropkicks Rush off the apron then hits a tope on him. We go to break and return with Rhett and King (former partners) staring each other down. Rhett crossbodies him off the top for 2. Things slow down a little as King gets worked on.

Everyone gets in the ring. Lethal gets his head banged off the barricade door and Rhett and Lee fight at the announcer's table as everyone fights outside. Lethal takes a hard back body drop on the floor. Rush chokes Rhett with the cable wire by Rush and Gresham takes a hard ride into the rails.

We go to break and return with Lethal taking a 1v4 including a 4 person dropkick. Tracy goes up against all 4 and gets bullied around. Rhett sits on the top rope and gets pulled off then King hits a big frogsplash on him. Gresham then gets some offense in and makes the hot tag to Rhett. Rhett does a big belly to belly on King and Rhett catches Bestia in a northern lights suplex off a slingshot attempt. Rhett dropkicks Bestia into a Tracy piledriver.

Rhett takes a bounce off the ropes german from Lee then everyone pops in to hit a big move. Greshamn springboard moonsaults King then does a flip dive onto Lethal and two LFI members. Bestia then his the reverse samurai driver and grabs the win over Tracy at 18:50.

Really fun match here. These two teams don't like each other and actually fought like it. This was an aggressive brawl and was very well done. The heels were good here and the faces did a job trying to fight back.

LFI poses in the ring with all the titles after. Jay Lethal cuts a show closing taped promo where he says he will be the next champ and will set the company right again.

ROH's 19th Anniversary Show is Friday and I intend to cover it.

Overall thoughts: The main was one of the better matches I've seen this year and is definitely worth a look. Horus/Isom wasn't anything too special though.