New Age Of Honor: Ring Of Honor 3/2/23 Preview
Ring Of Honor television took a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. The following year, ROH has its ups and downs with Sinclair broadcasting before being bought out by AEW’s owner, Tony Khan. Under Tony Khan ownership, Ring Of Honor continued with Pay-Per-View events but now, a year later, Ring Of Honor television is back this Thursday. The new Ring Of Honor will air on the HonorClub subscription service for $9.99 and will have ROH TV every Thursday at 7 pm eastern time, as well as a catalog of previous events from decades in the past.
This Thursday, March 2, 2023, starts ROH television under Tony Khan’s ownership and it kicks off with a jam-packed episode with over ten matches announced. Let’s take a look at what’s to come tomorrow night.
Mark Briscoe vs. Slim J
On the first Ring Of Honor event, Jay Briscoe was apart of the first match on the show. Sadly, Jay Briscoe tragically passed away earlier this year. Now, to honor his brother’s legacy, Mark Briscoe will kick off the new age of ROH in the opening match against another ROH veteran in Slim J. We’ve seen Slim J on AEW television in recent months as apart of the Trust Busters alongside Ari Daivari, Sonny Kiss, Jeeves Kay, and Parker Bordeaux.
On AEW television, the Trust Busters haven’t had the best luck, but they’re looking to turn it around in ROH and knock off one-half of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions in Mark Briscoe. But, the Sussex County Chicken is no easy task and he’s bringing everything he has to honor the other half of the ROH Tag Team Champions and fallen brother. Two veterans clash, but only one can stand tall in the opening contest.
Christopher Daniels vs. Rohit Raju
Speaking of firsts, wrestling legend Christopher Daniels was in the main event of the first-ever Ring Of Honor show. Now, twenty-plus years later, the Fallen Angel is still kicking ass and will be apart of the new age of honor when he battles the debuting Rohit Raju. Rohit was most famously known for his time in IMPACT Wrestling. But, after parting ways with the company last year, Rohit has had a few appearances on AEW Dark and various independent shows. Now, he has a chance to make a big splash in Ring Of Honor by defeating a legend in his debut match. Can he come up with a big win Thursday night?
The Infantry vs. The Kingdom
Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo make up the tag team called ‘The Infantry’. Both men being former Veterans outside of the ring, they were perfect for a duo. They’ve teamed up on AEW television a few times as well as the independent scene. But, the team is still fairly new and trying to gain momentum.
So, what better way for Dean and Bravo to gain steam than to make their debut in Ring Of Honor against former Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champions, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven, known collectively as ‘The Kingdom’. Taven and Bennett have long been a staple of the ROH brand and at certain points have been the focal point of the company. But, getting back into the swing of things with ROH, they have to put a stop to a young, hungry tag team looking to make a name for themselves.
Metalik vs. Ari Daivari
As we’ve seen in previous matchups, many veterans are looking to keep things rolling in their careers, but there’s also young guns looking to make a statement and this is a match for that. Both Metalik and Daivari are newer to the Ring Of Honor brand and are looking to throw their name into the hat as future championship contenders in Ring Of Honor. Not only could a win boost them into the limelight for the brand, but a great performance from both men could help them out as standouts for the new age. This could very well be a ‘break out’ type match for Metalik and Daivari.
The Embassy vs. Joe Keys, Rex Lawless and LSG
The Embassy, consisting of Brian Cage, Toa Liona, and Kaun are the current ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions. They won the championships last year at ROH Final Battle, the second big Pay-Per-View for ROH under the Tony Khan management. Now, the Six-Man Champions are back in what is seen as a tune-up match for the trio. LSG has competed in ROH in the past but didn’t have a large amount of success. Rex Lawless and Joe Keys are alongside LSG to try and make an impression, but The Embassy is a tall task ahead. Could an upset happen? Possibly. But very, very unlikely against the dominant Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
Willow Nightingale vs. Lady Frost
Women Of Honor was a big part of ROH under Sinclair broadcasting and Willow Nightingale was apart of ROH in the year leading up to the management change. But, when ROH went on hiatus, Willow signed with AEW and is now back with Ring Of Honor in the new age. Lady Frost, on the other hand, is one of the hottest women’s free agents in the wrestling world right now. After she departed from IMPACT Wrestling, Frost continued to wrestle on the independent scene and even took a trip to wrestle in Mexico.
Now, she’s back on television with her ROH Television debut. Frost worked ROH Dark matches years ago, but she is now getting more eyes on her during this match. A big showcase from Lady Frost could surely get her a contract offer and those who’ve seen Lady Frost compete, know she deserves it. Women Of Honor is back in full effect.
Madison Rayne and Skye Blue vs. The Renegades
I’m recent weeks, Madison Rayne has taken Skye Blue under her wing in AEW. The long time wrestling veteran taking the new young talent under their wing is a story as old as time. But for these two, it’s the perfect duo add to the ROH roster. Yet, they have a strange task ahead of them as they take on The Renegades, a tag team consisting of twin sisters Charlette and Robin Renegade. The twin magic is in full effect when these two step into the ring, making it hard for their opponents and the referee to know who’s the legal competitor at all times. But, can their sneaking twin tricks work on a veteran like Rayne? Or will Madison and Skye Blue prevail? Women’s action is heating up Thursday night!
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Josh Woods
Takeshita has taken the world by storm when he came over to AEW from Japan and immediately had fans craving more. His high-flying, athletic style has had people on the edge of their seats and surely has become a big fan favorite in All Elite Wrestling. Now, he’s looking to make even more fans when he steps into Ring Of Honor for the first time. But, it’ll be a tough task when he takes on former ROH Pure Champion, Josh Woods.
The exact opposite of Takeshita, Josh isn’t about the high-flying, fast pace action. In fact, he’d like a slow, mythological pace as he breaks down his opponent’s limb by limb on the mat. The former champion is no slouch in the ring and is looking to spoil Konosuke Takeshita’s big debut as violently as he can. Former Champion vs. Hot Young Rising Star, this one is can’t miss!
NJPW World TV Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Blake Christian
Blake Christian was another competitor who is fairly new to Ring Of Honor and is trying to jump start a big career ahead of him. Well, what a better way to kick off the new age by challenging for a championship! This would be huge for the talented, young Blake Christian. Stepping across the ring from him is the defending champion, Zack Sabre Jr. Ring Of Honor has had a long-standing relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, often trading talent and doing joint shows with each other in the 2000-2010s.
Now, New Japan has a relationship with AEW and it only makes sense to have NJPW jump back on board with ROH under the Khan umbrella. Plus, what a way to kick off the first television episode of the new era than with a NJPW Television Championship match when the technical assassin in Zack Sabre Jr. defends against ‘All Heart’ Blake Christian. Get your popcorn ready for this one.
ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli vs. AR Fox
It only makes sense to main event the first show of the new era with a ROH World Championship match. The title is currently help by Claudio Castagnoli, a man who is no stranger to Ring Of Honor. Claudio got his first big break in wrestling with ROH in the early 2000’s and it pushed his career to take off. Claudio went from being a mainstay on RIH to signing a contract with WWE. After years in WWE, Claudio left the company only to make his way to AEW and eventually return to ROH where he would capture the World Championship against the current champion at the time, Chris Jericho. Now, Claudio is looking to defend against all challengers old and young, and that leads him to another veteran coming after some gold.
In the wrestling world, AR Fox is a veteran of the game. Making his wrestling debut in 2007, Fox has been grinding on the Independent scene for years and even runs his own training school. It wasn’t until this year that finally, AR Fox got the recognition he deserves when he made his nation TV debut and signed with AEW. Quickly, AR Fox has become a big fan favorite because of his unique high-flying style, but, recognition isn’t enough. He’s looking to become a champion and what a better statement to make than to beat Claudio and take the gold on the first episode of ROH TV of the new era? This main event will be big time.
All these big matches will take place this Thursday at 7PM EST on ROH’s HonorClub. But, that’s not it. ROH has also taken to social media to reveal that ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler YUTA and ROH Women’s Champion Athena will be appearing on the show in some capacity. This stacked lineup is only the first of many weekly shows to come for the new age of Ring Of Honor. We’re just getting started.
By: Brady Alexander
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