ROH Recap: Pure Title Tournament Block Semifinals: Jay Lethal Beats David Finlay; Jonathan Gresham Makes Matt Sydal Tap

October 13, 2020

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“Ring of Honor Wrestling” #473
Airdate: Weekend of Oct. 10, 2020

Host Quinn McKay welcomed viewers to Week 5 of the ROH Pure Title Tournament. She recapped last week’s show and pitched to highlights of Tracy Williams’ win over Rust Taylor in a Block A first-round match and PJ Black’s win over Tony Deppen in a Block B first-round match.

Tracy Williams’ post-match comments

Williams said he thrives on competition and he was unable to compete for six months. He said Rust Taylor took him to his limit and he hopes to face him again. Williams said Taylor knocked the ring rust right off him. He said he goes way back with Fred Yehi, his opponent in the Block A semifinals next week, and said they are two of the best catch wrestlers in the world.

PJ Black’s post-match comments

Black said he has a thousand moves in his back pocket that nobody’s ever seen, and his opponents only get three rope breaks, so do the math. He said to always bet on Black. He said maybe he took Tony Deppen too lightly but he’ll remember his name from now on.

Block A Semifinal Match: Jay Lethal vs. David Finlay

With Finlay standing on the apron, Lethal delivered a running kick to Finlay’s left knee that knocked him off. A short time later, Lethal tweaked his left knee executing a cartwheel into a dropkick. Lethal went for Lethal Injection, but Finlay countered with a backbreaker. 

Lethal Combination halted Finlay’s momentum, but Finlay answered with a spear for a near fall. Finlay applied a leglock, and Lethal had to use the first of his allotted three rope breaks. Lethal hit a springboard dropkick and a suicide dive. He went for the figure-four leglock, but Finlay countered with an inside cradle for a near fall. Lethal caught Finlay with Lethal Injection for the win at 14:57.

Lethal advances to the Block A final, where he will face the winner of next week’s semifinal between Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams.

Vincent delivers his message, but Matt Taven returns and sends a message of his own

Vincent stood in the ring and said that to be successful you have to have friends, but to be very successful you have to make enemies. Suddenly, the Follow The Trend video was shown on the tron, and Taven hit the ring and attacked Vincent. It’s the first time Taven has been seen since Vincent attacked him in his own home in June.

Taven went after Vincent’s eye, and then ripped off the canvas to expose the wood. He hit Climax on Vincent on the wood. Taven put Vincent on a table outside the ring and hit a frog splash that sent Vincent through the table. Taven told Vincent this is just the beginning.

EC3’s “Control Your Narrative” video aired

Block B Semifinal Match: Jonathan Gresham vs. Matt Sydal

Gresham targeted Sydal’s surgically repaired left foot. Sydal answered with a stiff kick to Gresham’s left leg and an ankle lock. Gresham kicked Sydal in the face to force him to release the hold. Gresham caught Sydal in a bow and arrow and turned it into a pinning combination for a near fall. Sydal regained the advantage with a series of chops and kicks. Sydal stunned Gresham with a spinning kick to the head and followed with a modified power slam for a two count.

Sydal locked on the Cobra Clutch, the move he used to defeat Delirious in the first round, but Gresham escaped. After Gresham and Sydal exchanged near falls on rollups, Gresham caught Sydal in a surfboard. Gresham dropped Sydal down, keeping Sydal’s left leg hooked while wrenching back on his left arm. Sydal immediately tapped out at 13:27.

Gresham advances to the Block B final, where he will face the winner of next week’s semifinal between Josh Woods and PJ Black.

Another “Control Your Narrative” video aired

Next week
Block A Semifinal: Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams
Block B Semifinal: Josh Woods vs. PJ Black

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

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