Everyone inside The DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids on May 11, 2019 was fully invested in the action taking place. Ring Of Honor World Champion Matt Taven was at the mercy of his challenger Mark Haskins.
With the world title on the line, Taven found himself locked into a sharpshooter submission just inches from the ring ropes. If Taven could grab them the referee would order Haskins to relent.
Aware of his opponents attempt to escape, Haskins pulled Taven to the center of the ring and intensified the hold. Everyone on hand sprang from their seats with excitement thinking the world championship was about to change hands.
ROH, one of top professional wrestling promotions in the world, brought their “War of the Worlds Tour” to Michigan’s second largest city and didn’t disappoint. On this special run their athletes share the road with stars from international powerhouse New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The results of their collaboration are awe-inspiring athleticism, topnotch physical storytelling, and a fun experience for all.
After an entertaining 6-man tag team match that saw The Kingdom (Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia) defeat the hugely popular Guerrillas of Destiny (real life brothers Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, currently the IWGP Tag Team Champions and ROH Tag Team Champions) and their partner Hikuleo, Haskins confronted Taven about granting him a world title shot.
The two gritty stars put on the match of the night, with Taven retaining thanks to outside interference from Hall of Fame legend Bully Ray.
In the star-studded, action-packed main event, the team of Jay Lethal, Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto, Satoshi Kojima, and Jeff Cobb defeated Bully Ray, Silas Young, brothers Mark and Jay Briscoe, and ROH Television Champion Shane Taylor. Following the contest Lethal expressed his gratitude to everyone for their support of ROH and NJPW, and he thanked everyone for coming out for “War of the Worlds”.
The night opened with Kelly Klein retaining her Women of Honor Championship against Stacey Shadows. Dalton Castle made a surprise appearance during the match-up of Cheeseburger vs Clark Connors, injecting himself into the clash, making it a triple threat match. In the end Castle walked away victorious.
The rest of the card saw Flip Gordon defeat Rhett Titus, the team of legends EVIL and Sanada defeated The Bouncers, and Tracy Williams won a high-flying four corners match against PJ Black, Rush, and Eli Isom. |THIS [Written by Mr. Joe Walker | Follow THIS on Twitter @THISENT1]
