ROH Supercard of Honor 2023 live results: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston world title fight, more!

The night for Supercard of Honor is here. ROH put together a show with potential to be the best of 2023 from all of Tony Khan’s wrestling properties. Eddie Kingston aims to realize his dream of winning a world championship, Mark Briscoe plans to fulfill his destiny to win the TV title, new tag team champions will be crowned by reaching for the sky in a ladder match, Japanese legends are in the house, and more.

Supercard of Honor goes live at 7 pm ET on Friday, March 31, 2023. The PPV will stream on Bleacher Report in the USA and Fite TV for the rest of the world

Join us for updates and have fun chatting in the open thread.

Results:

Pre-show

• Jeff Cobb def. Tracy Williams via pinfall after Tour of the Islands

• Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman welcome the third man in their booth tonight — former ROH World champ Nigel McGuinness!

• Konosuke Takeshita def. Willie Mack via pinfall after a running knee. This was as good as expected.

• Willow Nightingale def. Miranda Alize via pinfall with a powerbomb

• Stu Grayson def. Slim J via pinfall with the Nightfall backbreaker after Evil Uno finally dealt with Smart Mark Sterling

• After the match, Dutch & Vincent of The Righteous (who at one point had been rumored to be WWE bound to work with Bray Wyatt) return. They strut onto the stage while the Dark Order boys look on from the ring.

PPV

• Hijo del Vikingo def. Komander via pinfall following a 630 senton to retain the AAA Mega championship

Well deserved “This is lucha” chants as these two made the most of their showcase. Komander ran the length of the top rope to hit a tope on the floor, and Vikingo fired back with some kind of super Canadian Destroyer, and then a springboard 630 onto a table (where the table didn’t break). Komander hit his Hidden Ace finisher, but the champ grabbed the bottom rope before the three count. They went back up top where Vikingo hit a super sideslam, then his finisher. The two men adhered to Code of Honor and hugged it out after the bell.

• The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun, & Toa Liona) def. Metalik, Blake Christian, & AR Fox to retain ROH Six-Man titles. With everyone else busy/incapacitated on the outside, Cage hit Drillclaw on Metalik and pinned him.The champs power was too much for the high-flying challengers.

• A newly designed Women’s title is show off for our next match.

• Athena def. Yuka Sakazaki via pinfall after O-Face to retain the ROH Women’s World championship

Sakazaki came in selling a neck injury, and after spiking herself on the outside early in the match the announcers played up a possible head injury to go with it. The sadistic champ targeted the area, but of course the TJPW star fought back for a few nearfalls. She displayed her fighting spirit, but to no avail.

• Samoa Joe def. Mark Briscoe via referee stoppage to retain the ROH World Television title

Briscoe came out hot, motivated by a loud “Dem Boys” chant early. That momentum led to some characteristically reckless attacks that Joe shut down with his own signature quick burst of power. Joe brought in a chair that Briscoe used for his step-up senton (then kissed one of his kids at ringside). He set-up a table that he eventually bulldog-ed Joe into. That bloodied Joe’s nose, but couldn’t put him away. Mark goes for a tag, but of course his late brother isn’t there. It still seems to fire Briscoe up, and he survived Joe’s power to hit a Froggy Bow... one, two, NO! He can’t get Joe up for the Jay Driller or a Cut-Throat Driver. Joe with a choke, and when Mark keeps his arm raised, throws him out of the hold, before locking it in again. The champ pulls Briscoe in for a meaningful show of respect afterwards. Mark spends time with the extended Pugh family at ringside before leaving to a standing ovation.

• Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Daniel Garcia via pinfall after High Fly Flow

Ace in control early, which lets him pop the crowd with some air guitar. Garcia grabs those gorgeous locks to start turning the tide, and does his own dancing taunt before a stretch with him in the driver’s seat. Tanahashi fights back — and probably sends a message to Chris Jericho with a Liontamer. The sports entertainer responded with a Shinsuke Nakamura impression, and targeted Tana’s bad knees throughout and controlled much of the action, but when he missed a piledriver it led to a slingblade and the end. Garcia refuses a handshake afterwards.

• Lucha Bros def. Rush & Dralistico, The Kingdom, Top Flight & Aussie Open in the Reach for the Sky ladder match to win the ROH World Tag Team champs

The expected madness, with an array of tributes to Dem Boys like The Kingdom hitting one of the Darius Martin with electric chair spot the first used against The Briscoes back in 2015. Top Flight were central to the action as the announce team played up the brother teams involved. A particularly brutal stretch saw Dralistico send Kyle Fletcher through the announce table, then Matt Taven splashing Dralistico through a ladder. That was followed by a Darius Martin vs, Lucha Bros sequence that ended with Penta and Martin going through four tables on the floor off a ladder set-up between the top rope and another ladder (Martin suffered a nasty looking leg injury taking this — more here). Fenix found himself on the ladder with Taven & Mike Bennett, but fought them off and grabbed the belts.

• Mark Briscoe and FTR were out to share a moment in honor of Jay and celebrate with the new champs. The Kingdom joined them as the announce team reminded us they and Dem Boys held down the final days of the Sinclair era.

• Katsuyori Shibata def. Wheeler Yuta via pinfall after a PK to become the new ROH Pure champion

Yuta was accompanied to the stage by his Blackpool Combat Club teammate Jon Moxley, but Mox returned to the back after we met the judges — Christopher Daniels, Madison Rayne & Pat Buck. The theme was that Wheeler was in over his head, having to resort to a low blow while the ref’s back was turned and getting a warning for using a closed fist. Shibata wasn’t impressed with Yuta’s attacks, and worked him into submissions that caused him to use his rope breaks. The finish came after the Wrestler put the younger man down with a choke. Wild to see Shibata as an active champion after he almost died back in 2017. Yuta refused to adhere to the Code of Honor after the match.

• Claudio Castagnoli def. Eddie Kingston via pinfall to retain the ROH World championship

Fell behind on recapping this because I got sucked into the story, if that tells you anything. Kingston took the fight to the champ from the bell, but was sent to the outside by a big European uppercut. They did a great job getting across how much they (or their characters, I hope) despise each other, and that Claudio isn’t quite as superior to Eddie as he thinks he is. Each man’s trash talks was met with fists, and we got some amazing spots like Castagnoli deadlift suplexing Kingston off the apron. The crowd popped huge when Eddie kicked out at one after a Neutralizer. He survived another big uppercut and countered the Ricola Bomb into a cover, but Claudio rolled through with one of his own for the win.

• Wheeler Yuta came out and he and the Claudio cornered Eddie, which brought out new PURE champ Katsuyori Shibata. A staredown and pose/cheer-off followed, then the heels left. Kingston got on the mic for a lot of cursing, shout-outs for Shibata & Tanahashi, then a vow to beat Castagnoli’s ass and take the title from him as the stream ended.

That’s the show folks.