Supercard of Honor (2023)

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Supercard of Honor
Promotional poster featuring various ROH wrestlers
PromotionRing of Honor
DateMarch 31, 2023
CityLos Angeles, California
VenueGalen Center
Attendance4,472[1]
Event chronology
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Final Battle 		Next →
Death Before Dishonor
Supercard of Honor chronology
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2024

The 2023 Supercard of Honor was the 16th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on March 31, 2023, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. Wrestlers from ROH's parent promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and partner promotions New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) were also featured.

Twelve matches were contested at the event, including four on the Zero Hour pre-show. In the main event, Claudio Castagnoli retained the ROH World Championship against Eddie Kingston. In other prominent matches, Katsuyori Shibata defeated Wheeler Yuta to become the new ROH Pure Champion, The Lucha Brothers became the new ROH World Tag Team Champions after defeating Aussie Open, The Kingdom, Top Flight and La Facción Ingobernable in a Ladder match, Samoa Joe retained the ROH World Television Championship against Mark Briscoe and, in the opening contest, El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Komander to retain the AAA Mega Championship.

Production[edit]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
Commentators Ian Riccaboni
Caprice Coleman
Nigel McGuinness
Ring announcer Bobby Cruise

Background[edit]

Supercard of Honor is a pay-per-view professional wrestling event annually presented by Ring of Honor (ROH), and primarily takes place during the weekend of WrestleMania - the flagship event of WWE, and considered to be the biggest wrestling event of the year. It has been a yearly tradition since 2006. The shows are sometimes two-day events, traditionally taking place on Friday nights and/or Saturday afternoons, and are held either in or nearby the same city as that year's WrestleMania.

On January 11, 2023, it was announced that Supercard of Honor would take place on March 31 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.[2][3]

Storylines[edit]

The event featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4] Storylines were produced on ROH's weekly series ROH Honor Club TV exclusively on their streaming service Honor Club, on television programs of sister promotion All Elite Wrestling including Dynamite and Rampage, on AEW's supplementary online streaming shows Dark and Elevation, and via promotional videos on both the ROH and AEW YouTube channels.

On December 10, 2022 at Final Battle, The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) defeated FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) in a Dog Collar match to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[5] However, Jay was killed in a car accident on January 17, 2023. Following various tributes and allowing some time to pass out of respect for Jay, the titles were formally vacated on the March 10 episode of Rampage. Mark would later announce that new champions would be crowned in a "Reach for the Sky" ladder match – named as such for being the name of the Briscoes' entrance music, and as a way to honor Jay – at Supercard of Honor. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) would be announced as the first team in the match[6][7] On March 23, the completed field was announced to include Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin), The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett), Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher), and La Facción Ingobernable (Rush and Dralístico).[8][9]

After Samoa Joe defended the ROH World Television Championship on the March 9 episode of ROH Honor Club TV, he would announce an open challenge for anyone to wrestle him for the title. His challenge would be answered by Mark Briscoe, declaring that winning the title from Joe would be his "destiny," as he had never beaten Joe in a singles match nor has he held a singles championship in ROH. The match would later be made official the next week for Supercard of Honor.[10][11]

For several weeks across AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, ROH Women's World Champion Athena would have her post-match attacks constantly be foiled by Yuka Sakazaki. The two would constantly trade blows both in-ring and backstage. They would also meet in tag team action on the January 30 episode of Dark: Elevation, with Sakazaki and Skye Blue defeating Athena and Diamante.[12] On the March 16 ROH Honor Club TV, Athena would challenge Sakazaki to a title match at Supercard of Honor.[10] On the March 30 episode, after Athena defended the title against Emi Sakura, Sakazaki prevented Athena from conducting another post-match assault. Their title match would be made official not long after.[13]

On the March 9 ROH Honor Club TV, after ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta successfully defended his title, he would have an in-ring interview where he lambasted the New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo, saying that they think they've accomplished something when they hadn't. His claims would be rebuked by dojo graduate Clark Connors, who challenged him to a title match for the following week's episode. There, Yuta retained the title against Connors.[14] Yuta would then again disrespect the LA Dojo, going so far as to call out its head trainer Katsuyori Shibata to face him for the title at Supercard of Honor. That match would be made official on March 27.[15][16]

Dating back several years, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston would be embroiled in a heated feud on the independent circuit. That heat would carry over to social media and into AEW, where Castagnoli and Kingston would find themselves fighting alongside one another against the Jericho Appreciation Society. At Blood and Guts this past June, Castagnoli would submit Matt Menard to earn the win for his team, although Kingston had Chris Jericho in another submission at the same time, with Kingston believing Castagnoli "stole" the win from him.[17] On the March 2, 2023 episode of ROH Honor Club TV, after Castagnoli retained the ROH World Championship from AR Fox, Kingston would emerge and challenge him for the title.[18] Two weeks later, Kington himself would have a match, during which he poured coffee onto Castagnoli, who was sitting in the front row of the crowd.[14] On the March 23 ROH Honor Club TV, Castagnoli and Kingston would have a sit-down interview with Caprice Coleman, during which a title match would be made official for Supercard of Honor.[19][20]

Results[edit]

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[29]
1PJeff Cobb defeated Tracy Williams by pinfallSingles match[21][22]5:20
2PKonosuke Takeshita defeated Willie Mack by pinfallSingles match[21][23]9:35
3PWillow Nightingale defeated Miranda Alize by pinfallSingles match[21][24]7:00
4PStu Grayson (with Evil Uno) defeated Slim J (with Ari Daivari and "Smart" Mark Sterling) by pinfallSingles match[21][25]7:00
5El Hijo del Vikingo (c) defeated Komander by pinfallSingles match for the AAA Mega Championship[26]16:00
6The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun, and Toa Liona) (c) (with Prince Nana) defeated AR Fox, Blake Christian, and Metalik by pinfallSix-man tag team match for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship[27]8:00
7Athena (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki by pinfallSingles match for the ROH Women's World Championship[13]11:40
8Samoa Joe (c) defeated Mark Briscoe by submissionSingles match for the ROH World Television Championship[11]16:30
9Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Daniel Garcia by pinfallSingles match[28]12:00
10The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) (with Alex Abrahantes) defeated Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin), The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) (with Maria Kanellis-Bennett), Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher), and La Facción Ingobernable (Rush and Dralístico) (with José the Assistant)"Reach for the Sky" ladder match for the vacant ROH World Tag Team Championship[9]20:20
11Katsuyori Shibata defeated Wheeler Yuta (c) by pinfallPure Wrestling Rules match for the ROH Pure Championship[16]13:10
12Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Eddie Kingston by pinfallSingles match for the ROH World Championship[20]20:15
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "FINAL COUNT: ROH Presents Supercard of Honor [Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA] - WrestleTix on Patreon". WrestleTix. April 4, 2023.(subscription required)
  2. ^ Russell, Skylar; Tessier, Colin (January 11, 2023). "Date, Location Announced For ROH Supercard Of Honor 2023". Fightful. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (January 11, 2023). "ROH Supercard of Honor 2023 Set For Los Angeles". 411Mania. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Powell, Jason (December 10, 2022). "ROH Final Battle results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a Double Dog Collar match for the ROH Tag Team Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena for the ROH Women's Title, Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  6. ^ AEW Staff (March 10, 2023). "AEW Rampage Results For March 10, 2023". All Elite Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "REACH FOR THE SKY LADDER MATCH ANNOUNCED FOR SUPERCARD OF HONOR". Impact Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Robert DeFelice (March 23, 2023). "Field Set For 'Reach For The Sky' Ladder Match; Vikingo vs. Kommander Set For ROH Supercard Of Honor". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THE REACH FOR THE SKY LADDER MATCH REVEALED". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Robert DeFelice (March 16, 2023). "ROH Television Title Match Set For ROH Supercard Of Honor 2023; Athena Challenges Yuka Sakazaki". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "MARK BRISCOE CHALLENGES SAMOA JOE FOR THE ROH TV TITLE". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. ^ Skylar Russell (January 30, 2023). "AEW Dark: Elevation Stream And Results (1/30): ROH World Championship Match, Athena In Action, More". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "YUKA SAKAZAKI TAKES ON ATHENA FOR THE ROH WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Luis Pulido (March 9, 2023). "Ring of Honor TV (3/16/2023) Results: Castagnoli vs Willie Mack, Eddie Kingston, Athena & More". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Colin Tessier (March 27, 2023). "Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata Announced For ROH Supercard Of Honor 2023". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "WHEELER YUTA DEFENDS THE PURE TITLE AGAINST KATSUYORI SHIBATA". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Jason Powell (June 29, 2022). "6/29 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker in a Blood & Guts match, Jade Cargill vs. Leila Grey for the TBS Title, Orange Cassidy vs. Ethan Page". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  18. ^ Robert DeFelice (March 2, 2023). "Eddie Kingston Arrives In ROH, Confronts Claudio Castagnoli". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Robert DeFelice (March 23, 2023). "Eddie Kingston Set To Challenge Claudio Castagnoli For ROH World Title At ROH Supercard Of Honor". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI DEFENDS THE ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST EDDIE KINGSTON". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d Tessier, Colin (March 31, 2023). "Jeff Cobb vs. Tracy Williams And More For ROH Supercard Of Honor 2023: Zero Hour". Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  22. ^ "JEFF COBB TAKES ON TRACY WILLIAMS AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR ZERO HOUR". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  23. ^ "KONOSUKE TAKESHITA AND WILLIE MACK BATTLE ONE-ON-ONE". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  24. ^ "WILLOW NIGHTINGALE TAKES ON MIRANDA ALIZE AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR ZERO HOUR". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  25. ^ "STU GRAYSON AND SLIM J FACE OFF AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR ZERO HOUR". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  26. ^ "THE AAA MEGA CHAMPIONSHIP IS ON THE LINE AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  27. ^ "THE EMBASSY DEFEND THE ROH SIX-MAN TITLES AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "DANIEL GARCIA TAKES ON HIROSHI TANAHASHI AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR!". ROH Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  29. ^ Powell, Jason (March 31, 2023). "ROH Supercard of Honor results: Powell's live review of Reach For The Sky ladder match for the vacant ROH Tag Titles, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston for the ROH Championship, Athena vs. Yuka Sakazaki for the ROH Women's Championship, El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Komander for the AAA Mega Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH TV Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
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