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By Kevin Eck
Shane Taylor isn’t the only one who feels he deserves an ROH World Title shot.
Taylor was the winner by a wide margin of a poll on the ROH The Experience Facebook group page that asked which top contender should challenge two-time ROH World Champion RUSH.
Honor Nation demanded it, and ROH is going to deliver it.
The Taylor-RUSH match will happen as a direct result of the fans making their voices heard. It’s what The Experience, ROH’s groundbreaking fan engagement initiative, is all about.
A date has not yet been set for the first-time-ever singles match between the two hard-hitting competitors.
Taylor is coming off a big win over two-time former ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe at Final Battle last month. RUSH, who scored a controversial victory over Brody King at Final Battle, has only been pinned once in ROH since making his debut in December 2018.
In other news regarding The Experience, Tony Deppen will return to ROH due to popular demand. Also, a match fans said they want to see will take place at the next set of TV tapings and air exclusively for members of the ROH The Experience Facebook group. Stay tuned for details.
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The Allure’s suspension ended today. Angelina Love and Mandy Leon were fined and suspended in November for their attack on Quinn McKay on the “ROH Week By Week” set.
Your wish may come true very soon https://t.co/IXZkQdTgvE
— Lauren/Angelina Love (@ActualALove) January 13, 2021
After the attack, a resolute McKay said she was going into intensive training with the goal of facing Love in a match when the suspension is over.
Now that McKay has had some time to cool off, perhaps she will rethink her desire to step into the ring with the seven-time former world champion. Knowing McKay, I doubt it.
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“The Mecca” Brian Johnson was my guest on the latest episode of “The ROHStrong Podcast,” and to say things got out of hand would be an understatement.
Even though he had just signed a new contract with ROH, Johnson was his usual irascible self right from the start. The contentious conversation gradually escalated to an explosive conclusion.
It’s safe to say that Johnson will never be invited back to the podcast.
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This weekend’s episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling” is headlined by a must-see match for the ROH World Television Title between champion Dragon Lee and Rey Horus. Horus earned the title shot by defeating former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle at Final Battle.
From what I’ve been told, the Lee-Horus bout is an early Match of the Year candidate. A sneak peek of the match will be available on ROH’s YouTube channel and ROH The Experience Facebook group page on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Also on this weekend’s show, Rhett Titus faces Flip Gordon in a Pure Rules Match. Titus demanded the match because he was angered that Gordon refused to adhere to the Code of Honor after losing to Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham at Final Battle.
Preview of this weekend’s episode of ROH TV: https://t.co/tQhRiGuKhL
ROH World Television Title Match: Champion Dragon Lee vs. Rey Horus
Pure Rules Match: Flip Gordon vs. Rhett Titus
TV Listings: https://t.co/7wgWAA43tX#WatchROH pic.twitter.com/jzHQEs98LH
— ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 14, 2021
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Two big matches have been signed for next weekend’s “Ring of Honor Wrestling.”
Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor and The Soldiers of Savagery) will face The Foundation (Gresham, Jay Lethal and Tracy Williams) in a six-man tag match, and Castle will take on Josh Woods in a Pure Rules Match.
This will be a huge test for STP, who are still owed a shot at ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita and Horus). The title match was scheduled to take place at Final Battle but was postponed due to Bandido and Flamita not being able to travel as a result of COVID-19 testing.
Castle is looking to break into the top five rankings in the Pure division, and a win over Woods, ranked No. 3, would most likely earn him a spot.
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Voting is open for the 2020 ROH awards and will take place exclusively on the ROH The Experience Facebook group page.
Ring of Honor went on hiatus for five months in 2020 due to the pandemic, but there were still a number of great moments, matches, performances and debuts during the year.
It’s up to you to decide the best of the best.
Full details: https://t.co/weO2N3XnfJ pic.twitter.com/EuDARMjnsE
— ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) January 14, 2021
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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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