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ROH FINAL BATTLE REPORT
DEC. 5, 2025
COLUMBUS, OHIO AT THE GREATEST COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON HONORCLUB
BY SEAN RADICAN, PWTORCH COLUMNSIT

Announcers: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Jon Moxley

(1) DEONNA PURRAZZO vs. BILLI STARKZ – ROH Womenâ€s Pure Championship Tournament finals

Both women shook hands before the match began.

Billie used her first rope break right away to break a rope submission. They battled around ringside for several minutes before getting back into the ring. Purrazzo continued to go after Starkzâ€s arm and she forced her to use her second rope break with a Fujiwara armbar.

Starkz grabbed a submission on the mat and Purrazzo used her first rope break. The announcers noted that Purrazzo had never used a rope break during the tournament. Purrazzo ended up catching Starkz in Venus de Milo Milo and Starkz verbally submitted.

WINNER: Deonna Purrazzo to win the ROH Womenâ€s Pure Championship Tournament at 13:51. (***1/4)

(Radicanâ€s Analysis: This was a good way to start the main card. It didnâ€t seem like Purrazzo was ever in any danger of winning the match and the finish was anti-climatic, as the match seemed to be just ramping up when Purrazzo won via submission.)

-Queen Aminada came out and said she wanted next as Purrazzo made her way to the back.

(2) ROH Pure Champion LEE MORIARTY (w/Shane Taylor) vs. NIGEL McGUINNESS – 30 Minute Iron Man match

McGuinness wore the origins ROH Pure Title to the ring. Moxley was talking about how McGuinness came from the UK train at HWA and how he had an old tape of Johnny Saint during the tape trading days and it was like gold to have something different to share that nobody else had back during these era when Moriarty got a quick Border City Stretch to go up 1-0. Nigel went after Moriartyâ€s ear and forced him to use the ropes to escape.

McGuinness countered an abdominal stretch and forced Moriarty to use the ropes again to. Real the hold. Nigel continued to focus his attack on Leeâ€s arm. They went to the floor and got back into the ring and Lee caught Nigel with an inside cradle to go up 2-0. Moxley said he doesnâ€t trust anything Moriarty shows in the ring because it could be a feint to set something else up.

McGuinness grabbed an arm submission and Moxley said in commentary he uses the same one and he probably learned it from Nigel when he was 18. McGuinness tried to get Moriarty to tape out to several arm submission attempts, but he wasnâ€t successful. McGuinness got the London Dungeon in the middle of the ring, but Moriarty managed to get to the ropes while still holding a 2-0 advantage.

McGuinness finally got on the board when Moriarty tapped out to the London Dungeon and was down 2-1. He went for the London Dungeon again, but Moriarty countered it into a pinning combination to go up 3-1.

They pushed the pace with eight minutes left in the time limit for several minutes. McGuinness got a cross face, but Moriarty got to the ropes. McGuinness hit the rebound lariat for a near fall as the match approached three minutes left in the time limit.

Taylor got in his way when he went after Moriarty, who used the distraction to get a choke. He held on until seven and got back into the ring. McGuinness barely managed to get to his feet to beat the 10 count. Moriarty got the Border City stretch, but McGuinness got a counter into a pinning combination for a three count to move the deficit to 3-2.

The match had under a minute left in the time limit. McGuinness got a bridging pin a short time later with just under 30 seconds left to even the match at 3-3. He got another pinning combination to go up 4-3. Nigel went to the floor to celebrate, but Taylor attacked him and rolled him back into the ring. Somehow with two seconds left, Lee made cover and got the three count to even the match at 4-4 and time expired. This was a very tight count against the time limit and it was razor close that the pinfall beat the buzzer.

The match was announced and a draw and the fans booed. Nigel headed towards the back, he Moriarty called him back to the ring. He said Nigel has challenged him to see who was better. He said were 1-1 in previous matches. McGuinness came back to the match for one sudden death fall.

The match resumed and McGuinness got a pair of rollups, but Moriarty barely kicked out of each one. They went back and forth trading pinning combinations back and forth, but neither man could get a three count. The fans fired up with fight forever chants. Moriarty got a double arm trap pin and then did a bridge to get his shoulders up to avoids a double pin and it was good for the win.

WINNER: Lee Moriarty in overtime at 31:58 to retain the ROH Pure Championship. (****1/4)

After the match, McGuinness shot down a beaker before giving Moriarty his ROH Pure Title. McGuinness then bowed down to Moriarty. Taylor then went after McGuiness as they left the ring, but Lee backed him away.

Riccaboni noted that Leeâ€s next defense would be against Kommander.

(Radicanâ€s Analysis: What a match! They really pushed the pace almost the entire time and told a great story with Lee seemingly being a step ahead of McGuinness the entire match. McGuinness got into a 3-1 hole, but managed to tie it and go ahead late.

The finish of the 30 minute time limit was a bit much with Taylor attacking McGuinness to allow Moriarty to tie the match. It felt very rushed and it was hard to tell if the three count actually beat the buzzer. Aside from them going for a finish that was a bit too ambitious, this was tremendous from start to finish.)

—Moxley got out of his seat and fit a promo to build up his Continental Classic match against Konosuke Takeshita on Collision.

(3) ROH Womenâ€s World TV Champion MERCEDES MONE vs. RED VELVET

Velvet jumped Mone during the introductions. They went at a quick pace early and did a rolling small package spot that saw Velvet nearly get a three count. Mone took control and began taunting Velvet. She told her that sheâ€s no champion and that sparked Velvetâ€s comeback. She hit a big double knee strike up against the ropes and the fans chanted for Velvet.

Velvet missed a charge into the corner and got hung up allowing Mone to hit a lung blower. She followed up with a running double knee strike to Velvetâ€s head that was propped up on the bottom rope. Mone went for the Money Maker, but Velvet blocked it.

Velvet countered Mone up top and hit a code red. She then hit a spin kick (Stir it up) to Moneâ€s head for a near fall. The announcers said that was her finish. The fans counted along with the ref, but Mone kicked out at the last second. Velvet hit a standing Stir it Up for another near fall. Mone got the cross face, but Mone turned it into a pinning combination for the win!

WINNER: Red Velvet at 13:47 to become the new ROH Womenâ€s World TV Champion. (***3/4)

Mone sold shock inside the ring after losing. Confetti filled the ring and Velvet went to the floor to celebrate with the fans.

(Radicans Analysis: This was a big step forward for Red Velvet. She looked really good here wrestling a big star in Mercedes Mone. The match itself built nicely from start to finish with some really good near falls before Velvet got the win with a pinning combination. This was a much better match than their match on Dynamite recently.)

(4) LFI (The Beast Mortos & Sammy Guevara) vs. TOMMY BILLINGTON & ADAM PRIEST – Vacant ROH World Tag Team Championship match

Jay Lethal came out with Billington and Priest before heading to the back. This match is happening due to Rushâ€s injury. Guevara took Riccaboniâ€s headset and talked some junk while Mortonâ€s controlled the action in the ring. Guevara hit a knee to Priestâ€s back from the apron a short time later to give Mortos the upper hand.

Guevara and Mortos tagged in and out to work over Priest. The fans cheered Mortos and booed Guevara. Priest finally fended off both men and tagged in Billington, who ran wild. The action broke down and Billington and Priest hit stereo dives to the floor.

Hechicero ran down and knocked Priest off the top rope. Guevara then hit a low blow on Billington, who was up top. Mortos wiped out Billington with a clothesline. He then hit a spinal tap for the win.

WINNERS: LFI at 13:10 to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions. (**3/4)

(Radicans Analysis: Not much to this one. Billington and Priest both looked good here, but most of the match was used to set up that Mortos is a good guy and Guevara is a jerk. Iâ€m guessing this was done to foreshadow what might happen in the Survival of the Fittest main event where Guevara and Mortos will be opponents.)

-The announcers talked about Kingston facing Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship on Dynamite next week. They then aired a video package for the Joe vs. Kingston match.

(5) EDDIE KINGSTON vs. JOSH WOODS

Woods and Kingston shook hands before the match began. Kingston hit some hard chops on Woods during the early going. Woods fired back and hit a big suplex for a 2 count. Kingston fired back and hit his signifier machine gun chops and the fans applauded, but Woods quickly grabbed an arm submission on the mat.

Kingston struggled, but got to the ropes. They went up top a short time later and Kingston hit a superplex. Woods turned the tide a short time later and he hit a rolling German with a bridge and Kingston had to use the ropes to break the pin. Kingston shouted out Samoa Joe and hit a big DDT for the win.

WINNER: Eddie Kingston at 9:42. (**1/2)

(Radicans Analysis: This was a good showing for Woods, but this was more of a showcase for Kingston ahead of his match against Joe next week than anything else.

This match didnâ€t do a lot to get me excited for the Joe vs. Kingston match for the AEW World Championship on Dynamite next week.)

(6) STP (Shane Taylor & Charlie Bravo & Shawn Dean w/ Trish Adora & Anthony Ogogo) vs. SKYFLIGHT (Scorpio Sky & Dante Martin & Darius Martin w/ Christopher Daniels & Leila Grey) – ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship match

STP jumped their opponents before the bell rang and the match was on. Darius ran wild hitting a one man Spanish fly on Dean and then going right to the floor to wipe out Taylor with a Tope. Darius eventually got cut off and Taylor worked him over inside the ring. At one point Dean wiped out Dante with an incredible flip dive over the top to the floor and the fans fired up.

Dante got the hot tag and got right to work on cutting STP down to size. Adora eventually tripped him to give her team the upper hand, so Grey returned the favor and tripped Bravo in the other side. Adora and grey went at it some the ring before rolling to the floor. Ogogo tried to interfere, but Daniels nailed him with Angels Wings. The action broke down and Taylor nailed Darius with a punch from the floor and Dean rolled him up for the win.

WINNERS: STP at 11:30 to retain the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship. (**1/2)

(Radicans Analysis: This was fine, but itâ€s hard to care about a match with the six man titles on the line in ROH, especially one thatâ€s filled with outside interference. It felt at times they were just hitting spots back and forth with neither team trying to end the match. Thereâ€s a fine line when it comes to doing that styles of match and it just didnâ€t work well here.)

(7) RICOCHET vs. DALTON CASTLE (w/The Boys) – AEW National Championship match

This is the first time an AEW Championship has been defended in ROH. Ricochet snapped Castleâ€s neck over the ropes and wiped him out with a dive to the floor. They had a fast exchange and Ricochet ended up hitting Naitoâ€s signature corner basement drop kick on Castle.

Castle kept rolling out of the way when Ricochet tried to go up top. Ricochet tried to go for a handspring, but Castle caught him and hit a release German and both men were down. Castle countered the Spirit Gun and went for the Bang-a-Rang, but Ricochet escaped at the last second.

Ricochet blocked another Bang-a-Rang attempt. They went at it on the apron and Castle eventually hit a suplex. He hit another suplex on the floor. Castle finally hit the Bang-a-Rang, but Ricochet kicked out at the last second. Ricochet pushed one of The Boys into Castle on the floor. He then nailed Castle with the Spirit Gun once he got back into the Ring.

WINNER: Ricochet at 14:55. (***1/4)

(Radicans Analysis: This was very good at times and Castle looked to be moving better than he has in quite some time. The crowd didnâ€t support the match much and that hurt the atmosphere. It also didnâ€t help the crowd response to the finish that the previous match had had a fluke finish as well.)

(8) ROH World Champion BANDIDO VS. SAMMY GUEVARA vs. THE BEAST MORTOS vs. BLAKE CHRISTIAN vs. HECHICERO vs. KOMAMDER – Survival of the Fittest match

LFI ended up clearing the ring. They then immediately turned on each other and began fighting inside the ring. Guevara and Mortos went after Hechicero. LFI then got overtaken and the other participants took control and worked together. For some reason Blake just stood there to take a double DDT from Komander. Bandido set up Guevara for Komander, who walked the ropes and hit a gorgeous moonsault for the pin.

The match turned into a spot fest with some crazy moves executed on Mortos. Hechicero took down Mortos with a running headscissors driver to eliminate him. Christian hit a flurry of offense and eliminated Komander with a Lethal Injection.

Itâ€s down to Christian, Bandido, and Hechicero. They pulled off some spectacular spots and the crowd fired up. Bandido hit a big frog splash on Christian, but he kicked out at the last second. Christian countered the 21 Plex into a Lethal Injection for a near fall. Bandido flipped off Hechicero right into a code red on Christian to eliminate him. Christian ended up snapping Bandidoâ€s arm before leaving.

The last two men in the match are Bandido and Hechicero. Bandido was attended to on the outside. He ended up back in the ring. Hechicero tried to take a chair into the ring, but the ref stopped him. Hechicero got a rolling crucifix and turned it into a pinning combination for a near fall. Bandido eventually got a small package for the win.

WINNER: Bandido at 27:55 to retain the ROH World Championship. (***3/4)

(Radicanâ€s Analysis: This was a collection of some great multi-man spots from start to finish. It seemed to be a bit too choreographed to me at times, but the live crowd ate it up. It felt like this was going to be just a spot-fest, but Bandido ended up selling his arm down the stretch to add some much needed drama to the match.)

-Mercedes Mone was shown backstage after her loss. Grey tried to comfort her, but Mone told her to get out of her face. She tried to challenge Mone, but she said sheâ€s getting the hell out of Ohio. Riccaboni then said Mone would defend her TBS Championshop against Grey.

-The announcers previewed Collision. They then transitioned to plugging the matches coming on Dynamite next week.

The announcers said it was time for the main event part 2.

(9) ROH Womenâ€s World Champion Athena vs. Persephone

Persephone, who is from CMLL, got the upper hand early and worked over Athena. The match became a war of attrition as it wore on. Athena eventually sent Persephone to the floor and Athena wiped her out witn a tope. She went for another dive, but Persephone caught her and hit a roll of the dice on the floor.

Persephone lifted up Athena, but Diamanté interfered. Persephone wiped her out and then set up a dive to wipe out Athena and Diamanté. The announcers said the match was going longer than Persephone is used to. She continued to target Athenaâ€s back. She locked in a Texas Cloverleaf and Athena screamed in pain and almost tapped, but she managed to get to the ropes.

Athena mounted a comeback and hit a running knee to the head and then a step up moonsault out of the corner for a near fall. They traded counters and Persephone went for the Razors Edge, but Athena countered it and hit a Flatliner and then applied the Koji Clutch. Persephone escaped the Koji Clutch and Athena taunted her after hitting a slap.

Persephone fired up and hit a flurry of offense. She hit a big spear and then went for the Razors Edge, but Athena kicked out! WOW! She went up top, but Athena rose from the ashes and hit a release German out of the corner. OMG! She then hit the O-face for the win. What a match!

WINNER: Athena at 27:06 to retain the ROH Womenâ€s World Championship. (****1/2)

(Radicans Analysis: This was an epic main event. Persephone gave it everything she had. She targeted Athenaâ€s back and the match built up to her trying to hit the Razorâ€s Edge for the win. Athena kept countering it, but Persephone finally landed it. Athenaâ€s kickout at the last second really was shocking.)

Overall thoughts: (7.5) – The show really dragged in parts and was entirely too long. Several matches could have been cut and saved for ROH TV episodes. A more concise show featuring mostly the best matches on this card would have made for a great three hours of viewing.  The feeling that there’s not much potential for upward momentum for the wrestlers on the ROH roster makes it hard to care about a lot of the action.

This PPV had some really good matches on it that are worth going out of your way to see, but on a weekend as busy as this one it’s likely a lot of people are going to overlook the show. It was a real treat having Jon Moxley on commentary for the first couple of matches on the card as well. He was really good and added in some great stories, especially during the Lee Moriarty vs. Nigel McGuinness ROH Pure Title match.

The Nigel McGuiness vs. Lee Moriarty ROH Pure Championship  match was a delight. The finish of the time limit was a bit too much, but outside of that, it was fantastic. Mercedes Mone vs. Red Velvet was what felt like a huge moment for Red Velvet, as she beat Mone to capture the ROH Women’s World TV Championship. If Velvet stays on ROH TV and doesn’t get any AEW TV exposure after this, it won’t do much for her career going forward.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Survival of the Fittest format, but the match was a lot of fun in spots on this card. The match was heavy on multi-man spots for a long period of time and they were really good, but it got to be a bit too much at times. What made the march work for me was Bandido selling his arm to set up the finish. It seemed like he was in danger of losing to either Christian or Hechicero down the stretch only to pull out the victory in the end.

The main event was the best match of the show. Persephone put in a great performance here and set up her finish by working over Athena’s back for most of the match. The match built up to Persephone giving it everything she had to put Athena away. She couldn’t hit the Razor’s Edge and when she finally did, Athena kicked out at the last second. This was a really strong main event to cap off the show.

Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow on Blusky: @SeanRadican and on X: @SR_Torch

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

ROH FINAL BATTLE RESULTS
DEC. 5, 2025
COLUMBUS, OHIO AT THE GREATEST COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON HONORCLUB

(1) ROH Pure Womenâ€s Championship Tournament Final: Deonna Purrazzo beat Billie Starkz to become the first ROH Pure Women’s Champion

(2) Lee Moriarty (w/ Shane Taylor) beat Nigel McGuinness (5-4) in a 30 Minute Iron Man match

(3) Red Velvet beat Mercedes Moné to become the new ROH Womenâ€s World Television Champion

(4) La Facción Ingobernable (Sammy Guevara & The Beast Mortos) beat Adam Prieast & Tommy Billington to win the vacant ROH World Tag Team titles

(5) Eddie Kingston beat Josh Woods

(6) Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & Carlie Bravo & sa Shawn Dean w/ Anthony Ogogo & Trish Adora) beat SkyFlight (Scorpio Sky & Dante Martin & Darius Martin w/ Christopher Daniels & Leila Grey) to retain the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship

(7) Ricochet beat Dalton Castle to retain the AEW National Championship

(8) Bandido beat Blake Christian and The Beast Mortos and Sammy Guevara and Komander and Hechicero in a Survival of the Fittest match to retain the ROH World Championship

(9) Athena (w/Diamante) beat Persephone to retain the ROH Womenâ€s World ChampionshipSSA

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
NOVEMBER 19, 2025
BOSTON, MASS. ATÂAGGANIS ARENA
AIRED ON TBS & HBO MAX
REPORT BY JOSHUA WHITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Excalibur & Tony Schiavone & Bryan Danielson

Attendance: WrestleTix reported that 3,016 tickets had been distributed; arena was set up for 3,013. The arena has a capacity of 8,000 spectators when configured for concerts.

-The third hour of Dynamite becomes the first and only hour of Collision this evening. After coming out victorious over Shibata, Hangman takes the microphone and addresses Samoa Joe, who had been sitting in on commentary. Hangman referenced Joeâ€s stint on commentary that infamously involved him wearing a poncho. Hangman told Joe that he was now alone and told him to remember that he doesnâ€t have Hobbs because heâ€s in the hospital. He said Joe wonâ€t have Shibata because he just sent him to somewhere that was bleeped out on the audio. Whatever it was, the crowd laughed and then chanted it briefly (it may well have been “dick suregon.” Hangman signed off by reminding Joe what happened last time he was in a steel cage with someone.

-FTR was backstage with Stokely. Stokely said FTR has been around for nine years now, but nothing Brodido has done will be remembered in nine years. Cash said they wonâ€t do anything tonight, but they will beat them on Saturday. Dax ran down some of their accolades before saying that winning at Full Gear will solidify this as their era.

(1) MEGAN BAYNE (w/Penelope Ford) & MARINA SHAFIR vs. TAYJAY (Anna Jay & Tay Melo) – Tag Team tournament first round match

Megan Bayne made her entrance, accompanied by Penelope still in a sling. The Death Riders†opening notes played before Marinaâ€s music kicked in to bring her out through the crowd. TayJay entered as a pair as commentary highlighted them as AEWâ€s original womenâ€s tag team.

The bell rang ten minutes into the hour and Marina and Tay traded Juda throws before Tay hit a few ineffective forearms. Marina took Tay down, but Tay managed to fight Marina into the corner. Anna entered and they hit Marina with a double suplex. Bayne entered and ate a double kick from Tay and Anna.

Bayne and Marina both rolled to the outside, Tay and Anna followed. Tay and Anna hit simultaneous cross bodies off of the barricade onto the floor. They returned to the ring where Marina caught Tay with a kick. Anna went for a kick, but Marina caught and suplexed her. Bayne tagged in and dropped Anna with a clothesline as they went to break. [c]

They returned from commercial as Anna hit a flipping blockbuster from the middle of the rope. Tay got the tag and blasted BGayne with a running knee. Tay kicked away at Bayne in the corner. Marina entered, but Tay caught her with a low angle German suplex. Anna tagged in and hit Bayne with a kick as Tay held her and then finished it with a German suplex.

Anna and Tay went back and forth each delivering kick=s to Marina and Bayne in opposite corners. They then hit Bayne and Marina with simultaneous snap suplexes.  Tay and Anna tried to go for double guillotine chokes, but Bayne and Marina countered them simultaneously into suplexes.

Marina and Bayne planted Anna with a double team back suplex. Bayne made the cover, but Tay broke it up. Tay caught Bayne with a back elbow and Anna landed a flatliner. Anna and Tay hit a combination running knee and flipping neck snap. Anna made the cover, but Bayne kicked out at two.

Anna went for the gory bomb, but Bayne powered out of it. Bayne hit Tay with a boot allowing Anna to jump on Bayneâ€s back with a sleeper. Bayne struggled and backed into her own corner, allowing Marina to tag in. Marina raked Annaâ€s back, took her down with a judo throw and immediately locked in the Motherâ€s Milk submission. Anna tapped out quickly.

WINNERS: Megan Bayne & Marina Shafir in 9:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Pretty good match, considering the participants. TayJay looked like a viable tag team, which is nice given how long theyâ€ve been together, but Bayne and Shafir looked basically unbeatable, which adds some intrigue to this tournament.)

-After the match, Toni and Mina appeared on the big screen to call out Bayne and Marina. Toni ran down a few possible stipulations they could choose if they won their match. Toni told Moxley that when he sees what they do to their “little women†he will piss himself with blood.

-They went to a video of Kris Statlander, showing highlights while she repeated “focus†in reference to Mercedes. [c]

-They returned from commercial as Austin Gunn talked excitedly about their match at the Tailgate Brawl. Austin tried to address his opponents, but Juice interrupted reminding him, repeatedly, that itâ€s for $200,000, and he canâ€t wait to invest it.

(2) MASCARA DORADA vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA (w/Don Callis & Hechicero) – double jeopardy eliminator match

Mascara Dorada entered first, with the CMLL six-man title. Okada entered next, with Callis and Hechicero in tow. Excalibur explained that is Dorada wins, heâ€ll get a shot at Okadaâ€s Unified Championship, while if Okada wins, members of the Don Callis will get a shot at the CMLL trios titles.

The bell rang 30 minutes into the hour as Don Callis joined the commentary team. They tied up and Okada forced Dorada into the ropes. They locked up again, and Dorada reversed Okada into the ropes. Okada caught Dorada with a cheap shot kick to the gut and then dropped him with a right hand.

Dorada dodged Okada with impressive acrobatics before taking Okada down with a double springboard armdrag. Okada rolled to the outside and Dorada feigned a dive before posing in the ring. Okada teased rolling into the ring, before rolling right back out, frustrating Dorada and the crowd.

Dorada got tired of Okadaâ€s shenanigans and rolled to the outside. Okada met him and rammed him into the barricade. Okada returned to the ring, but Dorada sprung onto the apron and nailed Okada with a springboard twisting crossbody. Okada rolled to the outside and Dorada caught him immediately with a suicide dive.

Back in the ring, Dorada charged Okada in the corner, but Okada sidestepped him and placed him onto the turnbuckle. Okada delivered his signature dropkick, sending Dorada crashing off the apron to ringside as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Okada charged and Dorada dropped him into the apron and connected with a kick. Dorada hopped onto the top rope, and stumbled into a DDT off the turnbuckle onto the apron. Dorada hit Okada with a monkey flip followed by a springboard into a hurricanrana.

Okada rolled to the outside and Dorada executed a spinning tornillo over the top rope onto Okada on the floor. Dorada got a running start and leapt over the barricade while catching Okada with a cutter, ramming his face into the barricade. Dorada jumped off the barricade and took Okada down with a hurricanrana.

Back in the ring, Dorada climbed to the top rope and went for a 450 splash, but Okada rolled out of the way and Dorada crashed hard. Okada took advantage and nailed Dorada with an air raid crash neckbreaker. Okada bodyslammed Dorada and climbed to the top rope. Okada came down with a lazy flying elbow and then flipped off the crowd.

Okada attempted the Rainmaker, but Dorada escaped and hit the ropes before he ran into a dropkick from Okada. Dorada came back with a victory roll into a two count. Dorada placed Okada onto the top rope and nailed him with a kick. Dorada put Okada on his shoulders and then slammed him down. Dorada returned to the top rope and this time connected with the 450 splash. Dorada hooked the leg, but Okada kicked out at two.

Okada and Dorada fought onto the top rope. With both men standing, Dorada went for a hurricanrana from the top rope, but Okada turned it into a jumping powerbomb that looked like it killed Dorada. Okada set up the Rainmaker to finish the match, but Dorada countered it with an inside cradle for a two count.

Back to their feet, Okada immediately nailed Dorada with a dropkick. Okada performed a version of Takeshitaâ€s Raging Fire and and then finally connected with the Rainmaker. Okada made the cover and got the victory.

WINNER: Kazuchika Okada in 13:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Okada remains in cruise control, but Dorada still pushed the pace, making for a very good match. Dorada looked great, but that powerbomb from the top rope looked brutal.) Â

-After the match Don Callis proclaimed that The Don Callis would challenge for the trios championships on the Tailgate Brawl on Saturday. Callis announced that his team would consist of Okada, Hechicero, and Takeshita (much to Okadaâ€s disappointment).

-Renee was backstage with The Sisters of Sin. Sky Blue said their first sin is wrath and their second sin is pride. Julia joined in to claim that they would be the third sin. Thekla appeared and said that theyâ€re going to come up with some sick, twisted stuff if they get to choose the next stipulation.

-Back in the arena, Kris Statlanderâ€s music played. She came to the ring as Excalibur said sheâ€ll be on commentary for the main event. [c]

(3) RED VELVET vs. MERCEDES MONE – ROH TV title unification match

Mercedeâ€s music played, and she made her entrance through lines of shirtless men holding her various titles. She carried the TBS and interim ROH title to the ring. Red Velvet made her entrance, thankfully resisting the “stir it up†pose along the way. Velvet and Mercedes got into a quick shoving match in the ring before the bell rang.

The bell rang to start the match 53 minutes into the hour as the Boston crowd chanted “C-E-O.†Mercedes went for two quick rollups, each getting a one count. Velvet ducked a clothesline and took Mercedes down with a pair of armdrags.

Mercedes threw Velvet to the amt but ran into a low spinning kick from Velvet. Velvet hit Mercedes in the corner with body shots before choking Mercedes in the corner with her boot. Mercedes dodged Velvet in the ropes and then knocked Velvet to the floor with a dropkick to the back.

Mercedes drilled Velvet with a meteora from the apron onto Velvet on the floor. Mercedes stopped to pose with two of her titles. Velvet took advantage with a kick and they brawled to the ground before Mercedes shoved Velvet right into Statlander at the desk.

They returned to the ring and Statlander got onto the apron, but the ref talked her down. Meanwhile, Velvet tried the Eddie Guerrero spot, tossing Mercedes the belt and falling to the mat behind the refâ€s back. Mercedes innocently dropped it and Velvet took advantage with a roll up for a two count. Mercedes got back to her feet and Velvet met her with a kick to the head. Velvet went for the pin again, but Mercedes kicked out again as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Velvet reversed a back suplex attempt with a crossbody. Velvet took Mercedes down with a clothesline and a cazadora into a bulldog. Velvet nailed Mercedes with running double knees against the ropes and went for the pin, but Mercedes kicked out at two.

Velvet set up for a big knockout punch, but Mercedes dodged it and caught her arm, taking Velvet down into the Statement Maker. Velvet crawled for the ropes to break the submission, but Mercedes rolled off of the ropes back to the center of the ring. During the roll, Velvet escaped and then caught Mercedes in a magistral cradle for a two count.

Velvet locked Mercedes into a reverse short arm scissor. Mercedes struggled but managed to roll Velvet into a pin to break the hold. Velvet dodged a punch and landed a kick, but Mercedes caught the second kick. Mercedes went for double knees in the corner, but Velvet dodged it and then landed running double knees to Mercedes†back.

Velvet followed up with a German suplex and then a spinning roundhouse. Velvet went for the pin and Mercedes kicked out two. Velvet ran into Mercedes and tried to lock in a flying octopus hold, but Mercedes powered her up and brought her down into a lungblower. Mercedes hooked the leg, but Velvet kicked out at two.

Mercedes climbed to the top rope, but Velvet met her up, and brought Mercedes down with an avalanche victory roll that slammed Mercedes down into the pin. Mercedes kicked out at two. The crowd started a “this is awesome†chant as Mercedes landed a back elbow and set Velvet up into tombstone position. Velvet countered out with a headcsissors and placed Mercedes onto the top rope.

Velvet went for the superplex, but Mercedes fought her off. Mercedes lifted Velvet up into tombstone position on the turnbuckle, and leapt off, bringing Velvet down into a huge lungblower. Mercedes went for the pin and got the three-count.

WINNER: Mercedes in 12:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Solid main event. Mercedes is reliably good in the ring, but I hadnâ€t seen Red Velvet recently. Apparently, sheâ€s improved during her time in ROH and made a rather impressive showing, particularly considering sheâ€s been out with injury since June. Of course, the winner was never in doubt, but I particularly enjoyed the finishing sequence.)

-Mercedes grabbed her belt to celebrate after the match. Mercedes stood on the commentary desk holding up her title as Statlander held her title on the floor. Mercedes threw the belt into Statlanderâ€s face and then hit a meteora from the table onto Statlander on the floor. Mercedes locked Statlander into the Statement Maker on the floor. Statlander struggled in the hold for a while before Mercedes let it go. Mercedes held the AEW Womenâ€s World title over her head on the commentary desk as they went off the air.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This really felt like a one-hour Collision as opposed to third hour of Dynamite. Getting the Hangman promo at the beginning was a nice surprise. All the matches were good, and each one had stakes (or varying real or perceived value), but still had obvious winners. Otherwise, it was well-paced, with a welcome handful of promos sprinkled in, all working towards Full Gear on Saturday.

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Velvet Sky recalls Dixie Carter’s infamous speech from 2009 that left fans confused and talent irritated.

When footage of the speech surfaced online, Velvet Sky—who was just inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame last month—spoke out very negatively about Carterâ€s speech, and about Carter herself.Â

“I remember this day,†Sky wrote. “The consensus of the locker room and staff during this ‘meeting†was not one single person gave a s*** what she was saying and we actually had to take time out of production day for this nonsense from her and it had to be filmed so she could have her ‘my way or the highway†ego stroked even more. She was not well received by most because of the way she treated people who could do nothing for her and the way she would talk down to people. Vile.â€

I remember this day. The consensus of the locker room and staff during this “meeting†was not one single person gave a shit what she was saying and we actually had to take time out of production day for this nonsense from her and it had to be filmed so she could have her “my way… https://t.co/EgoqsXyCjL

— Velvet Sky (@VelVelHoller) November 7, 2025

One of Skyâ€s followers said it was stupid to do this segment “as a work.†Skyâ€s response: “None of what she said was a work.â€

In November of 2009, Total Nonstop Action had publicly announced the signing of former WWF and WCW world champion Hulk Hogan, but he had not yet appeared nor been directly mentioned on their television show. It was a turbulent time in TNA, with several wrestlers reportedly requesting their releases in the weeks leading up to the Hogan signing.

In that environment, Dixie Carter—who had rarely been seen on TNA television up to that point—opened Impact by laying down the law to her entire roster, who sat glumly in the stands as she spoke.

“Nobody likes drastic change. Nobody likes big moves. I understand that. And it affects different people different ways. And while I respect that those of you out there that might have differing opinions of the decisions that Iâ€m making, I expect you to support me 100%. When you question things in this company, youâ€re questioning me. And I cannot allow that to happen,” she said at one point.

“Business is about choices,” she continued further. “Iâ€ve made the choice to put my finances, my reputation, my passion, my love behind each and every one of you and this company. And itâ€s time for you to do the same thing. You have a choice to make. You can choose to support me, you can choose to support the direction TNA is going, or you can choose not to. But youâ€ll need to find another place to work.”

“This was hardly a rah-rah speech,†Bryan Alvarez wrote at the time. “Essentially, she told the world that a lot of people thought she was crazy for bringing in Hulk Hogan, a lot of people were second-guessing her, she didnâ€t like it, and if they werenâ€t happy they needed to find work elsewhere.â€Â

Dixie Carter started running TNA when her parents, the owners of Panda Energy, purchased the company in 2002. She was in charge of TNA for 14 years before the promotion was sold to Anthem Entertainment in 2017. Her last on-camera appearance was in 2016, in a segement with EC3, Eric Young, and Matt Hardy.

Velvet Sky started with TNA in 2007 and was a regular part of the promotion through 2016, making sporadic appearances since then. She is a two-time Knockouts champion and a former Knockouts tag team champion.

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In 1996, it was modern-day shock/industrial rock revolutionist, Marilyn Manson, who released the mainstream hit, “The Beautiful People.” Eleven years later, on December 2, 2007, The Beautiful People had a face and an image to uphold to in the pro wrestling world, as its original starlights,  Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, commanded and conquered the TNA Knockouts division for nearly 16 years. Looking back on their humble yet elegant roots, Sky reflects on how one choice in character work could’ve changed the dynamic of their Hall of Fame status.

“When TNA first put Angelina and I together as the Beautiful People, they sent us out there as babyfaces, which is why one of our…first match coming out together…the crowd booed the s**t out of us,” Sky revealed in an interview on “Velvet Ropes.” “Well, their mentality was, you know, this was a Spike TV era. Spike TV was a men’s network. They figure the crowd of mostly men, they want to see happy, hot girls in short skirts. I don’t think they were thinking like, ‘Oh, they’re going to get booed.’ I think they were thinking like, ‘They look the way they do. They’re wearing short skirts, whatever. They’re going to appeal to the masses…Girls, just go down there and just shake hands, kiss babies, and slap hands. Just do it.'”

After seeing how their debut did not appeal to the masses, the TNA office then retreated to returning the two mean girls back to their heelish roots. Embracing vain and narcissistic prima donnas, it was Vince Russo who saw a lot of potential not just in them, but in the Knockouts division as a whole. Thanks to his vision – via what the ratings were saying – women like Sky and Love carried a legacy torch that remains unmatched in TNA to this day.

 “Vince was a total ratings guy. He was like, ‘The ratings are in. Who’s at the top of the list?’ And, you know, the Knockouts and the Beautiful People, we were always at…we were the ratings breakers,” Sky added. “We were told by Spike TV every week like, ‘Hey congrats, girls! Top of the ratings again.’ He was featuring the girls all over the show, and that’s why he saw the transition of so many Knockouts were on the show because of the ratings.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Nearly a week after Mercedes Mone won the interim Ring of Honor Women’s TV title, the reigning titleholder announced she is ready to return.

During Thursday’s ROH on HonorClub, Red Velvet appeared (seen below) to say that she is medically cleared and was focused on rebuilding her body. She told Mone to enjoy her time with the title and remember her face as the next time she sees it, her entire empire crumbles.

AEW & ROH head Tony Khan revealed in July that Velvet was injured and a new interim champion would be crowned. Our Dave Meltzer reported that she suffered a neck injury during a June 20 match in CMLL during AEW Grand Slam Mexico week at Arena Mexico. She hasn’t wrestled anywhere since.

Mina Shirakawa became the interim champion, got injured herself, and then lost the title to Mone at this past Saturday’s WrestleDream.

Mone, who currently holds 12 title belts, is teaming with ROH Women’s World Champion Athena in the inaugural AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament that begins next week so there’s no clear answer as to when a unification match could happen. She is also slated to challenge Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s World title at next month’s Full Gear.

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Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He’s a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.

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By Ella Jay

Oct. 19, 2025 1:41 pm EST

TNA

Last weekend, TNA Wrestling honored three Knockouts with Hall of Fame inductions, two of whom were Angelina Love and Velvet Sky of The Beautiful People. During a recent interview with “Velvet Ropes,” Sky opened up about the dreamlike feeling of accepting her respective place as a part of the 2025 TNA Hall of Fame class.

“It’s so surreal to me,” she said. “It’s very humbling. I mean, you get into wrestling hoping to get your name out there, hoping to be noticed by one of the major TV companies. It’s like that was good enough for me, just making it to TNA, being recognized and doing what I did with Angelina’s Beautiful People. Then taking it a step further and having this honor be like the highest honor of one’s career and getting inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame and having our legacy forever be cemented in TNA history is like what is this life? It’s amazing and I’m just so humbled and so grateful.”

With the additions of Lacey Von Erich, Madison Rayne, and Billy Gunn, The Beautiful People dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s in TNA Wrestling. Together, the group enjoyed one reign as Knockouts Tag Team Champions. Individually, Love earned six reigns as Knockouts Champion, while Sky held the title for two runs.

Per Love and Sky’s request, TNA executive Tommy Dreamer inducted them into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony, held right before the Bound For Glory pay-per-view on October 12. In the case of Mickie James, her own HOF induction was preceded by an emotional speech from Lisa Marie Varon, known to TNA fans as Tara.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Velvet Ropes” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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