Eck’s Files: Date Set For Quinn McKay-Angelina Love Match On TV; Homicide Guests On Next ROHStrong Podcast

Eck’s Files: Date Set For Quinn McKay-Angelina Love Match On TV; Homicide Guests On Next ROHStrong Podcast

April 24, 2021

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By Kevin Eck

Quinn McKay found out at last month’s 19th Anniversary show that she would get her long-awaited match against Angelina Love on a future episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling.” Now we know when it will happen.

The bitter rivals will square off on the episode that airs the weekend of May 8. It will be McKay’s in-ring debut in ROH.

The match was made by ROH Board of Director Maria Kanellis-Bennett, with the stipulation that Love will get a first-round bye in the ROH Women’s World Title Tournament this summer if she defeats McKay.

McKay has been wanting a match with Love ever since Love (with an assist from fellow Allure member Mandy Leon) attacked her on the “ROH Week By Week” set last fall. Prior to that incident, McKay and Love engaged in a war of words for well over a year.

As I’ve stated several times, McKay’s desire for revenge is understandable, and her determination to put The Allure in their place is commendable, but I believe her decision to challenge Love will ultimately prove regrettable.

Before becoming a backstage correspondent and on-air host for ROH, McKay trained at the ROH Dojo and competed in several matches on the independent scene. That hardly qualifies her to go against a seven-time former world champion with 20 years experience who is still at the top of her game.

Moreover, Love is bigger, stronger and meaner than McKay.

As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

On a side note, did you see the video of Love taking over the “Week By Week” set and doing her own version of the show? 

For her first time as host, Love did well. Probably a lot better than McKay will do in her first ROH match.

 

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In addition to the McKay-Love match, the Briscoes will face EC3 and “The Mercenary” Flip Gordon in tag action on that episode.

I was told that the BOD put EC3 and Gordon together as a team for this match. So it wasn’t a case of EC3 paying Gordon to be his partner. The matchup makes sense in that Jay Briscoe and EC3 have had issues, as have Mark Briscoe and Gordon.

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“The Notorious 187” Homicide was my guest on the latest episode of “The ROHStrong Podcast,” which drops Monday morning on ROHWrestling.com and most podcast platforms.

Homicide talked about returning to ROH after a seven-year absence to join Brody King, Chris Dickinson and Tony Deppen in Violence Unlimited; wrestling on the inaugural ROH show; winning the ROH World Title from Bryan Danielson and their best-of-five series; his long history with Jay Lethal; wrestling CM Punk in a strip club; his infamous match against Necro Butcher; the four wrestlers he thinks should be first-ballot ROH Hall of Famers, and much more.

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In case you missed the big news earlier this week, ROH announced that the women’s division will make its return next week.

Beginning April 28, ROH will present Women’s Division Wednesday on YouTube. There will be a new women’s match every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern featuring newcomers as well as ROH veterans. 

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I was pleasantly surprised when Shane Taylor said on this week’s “Week By Week” that he’s not looking to exact revenge on former friend Kenny King for hitting him over the head with a chair and costing him his match against ROH World Champion RUSH in February.

In last week’s Eck’s Files, I wrote that I’d hate to see Taylor consumed by a feud with King instead of focusing on winning the ROH World Title and defending the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Title with The Soldiers of Savagery.

Taylor clearly has his priorities straight. 

“For now, Kenny, you get a pass,” Taylor said. “And as long as you stay on your side of the street, you’ll be safe. But come back over to my side of the street, force me back into that mentality, Kenny … I’ll make your mother cry for you.”

If I’m Kenny King, I’m breathing a sigh of relief. And I’m not even thinking about leaving my side of the street.

 

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It appears that Beer City Bruiser has a new tag team partner in Ken Dixon. The brutal, beer-drinking duo will face The OGK (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” the weekend of May 1.

After Bruiser defeated Joe Keys on this week’s “Week By Week,” he continued to assault Keys after the match. That prompted Keys’ fellow Dojo trainees Dixon, Dante Caballero and Eric Martin to hit the ring.

Dixon snatched a beer bottle from Bruiser’s hand only to smash it over Caballero’s head. Then he and Bruiser double-teamed Martin.

The obvious question now is: Where does this leave Bruiser’s longtime tag partner and best friend Brawler Milonas? It’s no secret that Bruiser and Milonas haven’t been on the same page, but as far as I knew they hadn’t officially split up.

 

One thing I do know is that Dixon is a psychopath. I watched him raise hell in MCW Pro Wrestling in Maryland for years. He has a sadistic streak much like the one Bruiser has shown of late.

It was obvious that Dixon was ill-suited for the Dojo system under the direction of coaches Jonathan Gresham and Will Ferrara, who stressed pure wrestling and competing with honor. I’m surprised it took this long for Dixon to snap and show his true colors. 

As for the tag match pitting Bruiser and Dixon against The OGK, Taven is looking to settle the score with Bruiser, who shattered a beer bottle over his head a few months ago.

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As previously announced for the May 1 episode, ROH World Television Champion Tracy Williams makes his first title defense against Deppen, and Bandido faces former MexiSquad partner Flamita in a grudge match.

On this weekend’s episode of TV, Violence Unlimited (Brody King, Homicide and Dickinson) and La Facción Ingobernable (RUSH, Kenny King and Bestia del Ring) collide in a six-man tag match, and Eli Isom faces Dak Draper.

 

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“Roleplay of Honor” returns with a new episode on Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern.

 

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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.

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