One thing that would be noticed upon arrival that there were official representative of the National Wrestling Alliance present at Ring of Honor's second event once again coming live from the Murphy Recreation Center. It would be then announced that the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship would be defended in tonight's opening contest with champion Shinya Hashimoto defending the strap against Sterling James Keenan.
- Match One - NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship -
| Shinya Hashimoto vs. Sterling James Keenan |
The bout was a classic clash of styles: Hashimoto’s bruising, disciplined strong style against Keenan’s methodical, almost cerebral offense. From the opening lock-up, Hashimoto peppered Keenan with thunderous mid-kicks, forcing the challenger into the ropes early. Keenan slowed the pace, targeting the champion’s leg with stomps and a twisting knee drop to cut down the champion’s kicking power. Midway through, Keenan shocked the crowd by countering a DDT into a sharp snap suplex, then locking in a modified STF, wrenching on Hashimoto’s neck. The champion fought free, rallying with his signature overhand chops that echoed through the arena. A desperation spinning wheel kick from Hashimoto staggered Keenan, setting up a short lariat and a huge DDT. After a tense exchange, Hashimoto blasted Keenan with a final jumping DDT, holding for the three-count to retain the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. Post-match, Hashimoto offered a respectful nod to the young challenger, who left the ring battered but defiant.
Winner: Shinya Hashimoto
After the contest as he celebrated the victory Shinya would pull on a ROH black tee which perhaps was an indication that he had an more long-term interest in being part of Ring of Honor as more than just a guest.
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Mercedes Martinez would feature in a recorded promo on the big screen for the fans at ringside to mull over. In brief Martinez would go on record in stating that she was embarrassed that Sara Del Rey, Allison Danger & Mickie Knuckles were currently ranked at all because in her books if you didn't win a match then you lost and therefore every single other woman at 'Welcome Player One' was equally a loser and she was the only woman on the books worth talking about. She would go on to make the point that when a title belt was eventually revealed she had fully expectations to be the first name on the billing. This was met with a mixed reaction, largely due to the fact that Martinez had yet to really establish herself as a big name in the independent scene and just came off as a bit bigheaded.
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- Match Two - Singles Match -
| Miss DeVille vs. Tara Charisma |
This one was a low-stakes bout between two women still trying to find their footing in the promotion, and unfortunately, it showed. The opening minutes were marked by tentative lock-ups and some mistimed strikes, drawing a restless murmur from the crowd. Miss DeVille controlled early with basic offense arm wringers, a bodyslam, and a slow chinlock, but her follow-through was sloppy. Tara Charisma mounted a short comeback with a pair of dropkicks and a swinging neckbreaker, though the timing was again off, and the impact looked light. The finish came almost out of nowhere: DeVille ducked a clothesline, hit a rudimentary bulldog, and scored the pin at around the five minute mark. The match didn’t do much to raise either woman’s stock, and the fans seemed ready for the next contest by the time the bell rang.
Winner: Miss DeVille
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Rob Feinstein would come out from the back and be flanked by various referee and backstage staff. Rob would announce that the men and women would each have a championship belt to be proud of as he would unveil the ROH Women's Championship belt and the ROH World Championship belt. He would then announce that both titles would contested for in tournament style single elimination matches and he would invite talent from around the world to compete in a hope to truly create the most prestigious inaugural champions possible but had yet to decide how many entrants would challenge and therefore what date the champions would be crowned.
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- Match Three - Tag Team Match -
| Blue World Order (Nova & Blue Meanie) vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Konnan |
The bell barely rang before Whipwreck and Konnan jumped the Blue World Order like they owed them money. Chairs, trash cans, and even a dented stop sign came into play within the first minute, with Meanie eating a chair shot so stiff the front row winced. Nova tried to fire back with a flurry of punches, but Konnan cut him off with a low blow and a DDT onto the edge of a cookie sheet. From there it was all merciless punishment, Whipwreck hitting a swinging neckbreaker to Meanie through a table propped in the corner, while Konnan choked Nova with a piece of extension cord he found under the ring. The crowd ate it up, chanting “E-C-Dub!” as the beating continued. The finish came when Whipwreck launched Nova off the top into a steel chair held by Konnan, who then casually draped an arm over him for the pin.
Winners: Mikey Whipwreck & Konnan
The Blue World Order would be laid out, drenched in blood and barely moving as the fans would show their approval of the carnage. It was an interest thought that ROH was creating a hardcore wrestling feeling to it, whilst also at the same time looking to champion Danielson's Pure Rules style at the same time. One had to wonder how long the two opposing styles could co-exist.
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Pamela Paulshock would interview Low Ki in the ring ahead of Low Ki scheduled to take part in the show's main-event. Low Ki would show his confidence ahead of the match later this evening and with confidence exclaim that a victory tonight would surely seal his place in the tournament for the ROH World Championship although would make the point that if management had any sense he suspected that both himself and Samoa Joe would be involved in the tournament for it to carry any weight.
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- Match Four - Pure Rules Match -
| Doug Williams vs. Elix Skipper |
This was a sharp stylistic contrast: Williams, the consummate British technician, against Skipper’s athletic, high-flying flair. Under Pure Rules, rope breaks and closed fists were at a premium, and Williams immediately sought to burn through Skipper’s breaks by chaining arm drags into hammerlocks and forcing the challenger to grab the ropes twice in the first five minutes. Skipper rallied with bursts of speed, hitting a spinning heel kick and a crisp tilt-a-whirl headscissors, but Williams slowed the pace, grounding him with a textbook cravat and methodical knee drops to the arm. Midway through, Skipper landed a springboard crossbody for a near fall, but it cost him his final rope break when Williams rolled through into a Fujiwara armbar. The finish came when Williams countered a sudden Play of the Day attempt into a seamless Chaos Theory rolling German suplex, bridging for the three-count. Williams extended a hand post-match a show of Pure division respect which Skipper accepted, begrudgingly.
Winner: Doug Williams
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- Match Five – Triple Threat Elimination Match -
| CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. Joey Matthews & Christian York vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay) |
From the opening bell, all three teams brought frantic energy, with bodies flying in and out of the ring. Punk and Cabana used their chemistry to keep the action grounded early, isolating Matthews with quick tags and double-team holds, but The Briscoes countered with raw, youthful aggression Jay drilling Punk with a stiff forearm while Mark hit a springboard dropkick to Cabana. The first elimination came just under ten minutes in: chaos spilled to the floor, and as the referee’s attention was pulled by Cabana and Jay brawling, York slipped in behind Mark and rolled him up with a handful of tights. The three-count shocked the crowd, sending The Briscoes to the back fuming and jawing with fans at ringside.
The match then shifted into a straight tag between Punk & Cabana and Matthews & York, with momentum swinging wildly. Punk nearly had it with a Pepsi Plunge attempt, but York countered into a top-rope superplex, leaving both men down. Matthews tagged in, hit Cabana with a swinging neckbreaker, and York sealed the deal with a picture-perfect leg drop from the top for the final pin. York and Matthews celebrated like they’d stolen one, whilst Punk and Cabana stared daggers at them from the mat, setting the stage for a heated rematch down the line.
Winners: Christian York & Joey Matthews
Punk would look furious and look like he was ready to snap, but Cabana would pull his partner back knowing they would be at a disadvantage in this exact moment.
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- Match Six - Pure Rules Match -
| Bryan Danielson vs. Jerry Lynn |
This one was a masterclass in patience, precision, and heart. Lynn brought the experience edge, using slick counters and crisp chain wrestling to frustrate Danielson early. The veteran burned through none of his rope breaks in the first ten minutes, using fluid escapes to keep the match even. Danielson, for his part, tried to dictate the tempo, focusing on Lynn’s left arm with European uppercuts and twisting armbars. Midway through, Lynn nearly stole it, countering a Danielson back suplex into a cradle for a razor-close two-count, then hitting a picture-perfect tornado DDT for another near fall. Danielson, visibly rattled, found himself down to his final rope break after Lynn transitioned into a guillotine choke. Just when it looked like Lynn had the match in hand, Danielson turned the tide. Dodging a charge into the corner, he tripped Lynn into the turnbuckle, pounced with a dragon screw, and immediately flowed into the Cattle Mutilation. Lynn clawed desperately for the ropes but had no breaks left, and the referee called for the bell. Danielson collapsed back, sweat-drenched and smiling faintly, a man who had pulled victory from the jaws of certain defeat. Lynn, ever the sportsman, offered a handshake, and the crowd gave both men a standing ovation.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
Despite having lost Jerry Lynn would ask for a microphone and offer high praises in Danielson's direction. Lynn would insist that Danielson's name be thrown into the hat and couldn't think of anything better than the first ROH World Champion being Pure.
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- Main Event - No Time Limit Match -
| Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe |
One month earlier at ROH: Welcome Player One, these two tore the house down in a sixty-minute war that ended in a time limit draw. Tonight, there would be no clock to save either man. The crowd was buzzing before the bell, fully aware they were about to see something special. From the opening tie-up, the tone was set stiff, deliberate, and unrelenting. Low Ki tried to use his speed and precision strikes, peppering Joe’s legs with low kicks, then snapping off a quick dropkick to the knee. Joe absorbed the early offense, barely flinching, and responded with a crushing elbow to the jaw that sent Ki reeling. The first five minutes were a feeling-out process, but with both men landing bombs, it felt like a powder keg ready to blow. Ki targeted Joe’s base relentlessly, chopping away at the thigh and sweeping him to the mat for a kneebar. Joe broke free and shifted gears, bulldozing Ki into the corner with a flurry of body shots before lighting him up with a brutal facewash kick that had the front row gasping. The match spilled outside, where Joe whipped Ki into the guardrail with such force it nearly came loose, then crushed him with a tope suicida that looked like it could have knocked the air from his lungs.
Back inside, the pace quickened. Ki landed a desperation springboard enzuigiri that stunned Joe and followed with the Tidal Wave in the corner, earning a two-count that had the fans biting. Joe answered with a snap powerslam for his own near fall, then locked in the Coquina Clutch. Ki somehow rolled through into a pinning predicament, forcing Joe to release at two-and-a-half. The final minutes were pure grit. Ki hit the Ki Crusher for a count so close the fans were already on their feet thinking it was over. Joe roared back with a lariat that turned Ki inside out, then tried for the Muscle Buster — only for Ki to counter mid-lift into a guillotine choke. The two struggled in the center, sweat pouring, each man refusing to break. Finally, Joe muscled Ki up for a second Muscle Buster attempt, connected clean, and collapsed into the cover. And claimed the three count to pick up the win. It had taken just under 90 minutes over the course of two matches for a winner would finally be found.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Post-match, Joe, barely able to stand, extended a hand. Ki hesitated, then accepted, to a standing ovation. This wasn’t just a main event it was the definitive statement that both men were cornerstones of the promotion’s future. For the second show in a row that fan's would chant 'JOE! JOE! JOE!' nonstop until the fan favourite made his way behind the curtain.
