Eck’s Files: Brian Johnson To Face Dragon Lee For TV Title; Date Set For Pure Title Match; Watch Classic Kingdom-Bullet Club Match With Maria Kanellis Bennett

Eck’s Files: Brian Johnson To Face Dragon Lee For TV Title; Date Set For Pure Title Match; Watch Classic Kingdom-Bullet Club Match With Maria Kanellis Bennett

January 22, 2021

,

By Kevin Eck

“The Mecca” Brian Johnson is always ranting about not getting the opportunities he deserves and how all fans are bozos. As he loves to say, it’s Mecca versus everybody.

Well, Johnson is getting a great opportunity and he has the “bozos” to thank for it. It’s going to be “Mecca” versus Dragon Lee for the ROH World Television Championship.

Johnson won a poll on the ROH The Experience Facebook page to determine who among the six competitors listed should get a shot at Lee’s title.

The match will be shown exclusively on the ROH The Experience Facebook page at a date to be announced.

In other news regarding Johnson, a rematch from Final Battle between him and Danhausen has been signed and will take place in the near future. 

Danhausen defeated Johnson by disqualification in a match Danhausen had to win in order for his ROH contract to go into effect.

Danhausen used some chicanery to score the victory, and Johnson has been fuming about it ever since. Johnson complains and yells about everything, but in this particular instance he actually has a valid gripe.

***

The Pure Title Match between champion Jonathan Gresham and ROH Dojo student Joe Keys will take place on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” the weekend of Jan. 30.

Keys earned the title shot by winning a four-man gauntlet match over fellow Dojo students Dante Caballero, Ken Dixon and Eric Martin in a bout that aired on this week’s “ROH Week By Week” on YouTube.

The gauntlet match was proposed by Dojo coaches Gresham and Will Ferrara because they were impressed by how well Keys, Caballero, Dixon and Martin performed in a tag match on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” a few weeks ago.

Keys is obviously a heavy underdog in the student vs. teacher match, but I don’t expect it to be an easy match for Gresham.

I’ve known Keys since he started as a student at the MCW Pro Wrestling Training Center in Maryland, and I know how hard he has worked to learn his craft and how determined he is to make it big in the sport. 

***

Maria Kanellis Bennett will be doing a watch along on the ROH The Experience Facebook page on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. 

She will be watching a match between The Kingdom (Adam Cole, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, with Maria in their corner) and Bullet Club (AJ Styles and The Young Bucks) from ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds in 2015.

Speaking of The Kingdom, the OGK (Taven and Bennett) will face The Bouncers (Beery City Bruiser and Brawler Milonas” on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” the weekend of Jan. 30.

***

Tony Deppen was my guest on the latest episode of “The ROHStrong Podcast,” which drops this coming Monday morning on ROHWrestling.com and most podcast platforms.

Deppen talked about being invited back to ROH due to overwhelming fan support, having COVID-19, his match against Lee for the ROH World Television Title at Final Battle, participating in the Pure Title Tournament, getting his start in backyard wrestling and much more.

On a personal note, it was a pleasure to have a gracious guest such as Deppen on the show after having to deal with Johnson the week before. 

 

***

Brody King has kept a low profile since his controversial loss to ROH World Champion RUSH at Final Battle last month, but if RUSH and the rest of La Faccion Ingobernable think they’ve heard the last of King, they recently found out they’re wrong.

After Lee successfully defended his ROH World Television Title against Rey Horus on last weekend’s episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling,” he was being interviewed by Quinn McKay backstage when King interrupted him.

“You want to get in my business? Tell your family this is just the beginning,” King told Lee.

At Final Battle, King appeared to be on the verge of defeating RUSH, but the world champion retained his title thanks to interference by his brother, Lee, and their father, La Bestia del Ring.

 

By the way, if you missed the Lee-Horus bout, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s available for free on ROHWrestling.com through Sunday, and then it’ll be exclusively on HonorClub in perpetuity.

 

***

I agree with the ROH Board of Directors’ decision to suspend Flip Gordon from the Pure division.  

Gordon refused to adhere to the Code of Honor in his Pure Rules Match against Rhett Titus on last weekend’s “Ring of Honor Wrestling.” It was the second time Gordon disrespected the Code of Honor. There won’t be a third.

 

***

There are two big matches on this weekend’s episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling.”

Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor and The Soldiers of Savagery) face The Foundation (Gresham, Jay Lethal and Tracy Williams) in a six-man tag match, and Dalton Castle and Josh Woods meet in a Pure Rules Match.

 

***

Until next time, keep safe and stay #ROHStrong!

Kevin Eck is a veteran pro wrestling journalist who has worked for The Baltimore Sun, WWE and WCW before joining ROHWrestling.com. Eck’s Files appears every Friday.

,

Be Sure to Visit Ring of Honor for more news and updates

Post Your Comments...