Misplaced Pages

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102-422: The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches , often with hardcore (or "ultraviolent", as CZW generally terms it) stipulations. There have been a total of 58 reigns among 36 different wrestlers. The current champion is Eran Ashe who is in his first reign. The championship was created and debuted on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event, where Nick Gage defeated 20 other men in

204-428: A Mortal Kombat -style cinematic match that saw The Karate Man "kill" Page in what would be Page's last appearance with Impact before leaving for AEW. Some matches have a container stationed in or near the ring, with the object of the match being to trap the opposing wrestler in it. All of these matches are fought under hardcore rules, and many of these matches take the name of the container, such as Ambulance match and

306-736: A battle royal to become the first champion. The championship has been defended and lost in countries other than the United States multiple times. The first time it changed hands on foreign soil was on April 15, 2001, when Wifebeater defeated John Zandig for the championship in Birmingham, England at a live event. Even though the CZW World Heavyweight Championship is supposed to only be eligible to "heavyweights" (wrestlers who weigh more than 220 lb (100 kg)), multiple lower-class wrestlers have held

408-402: A blizzard , however, the second half of the tournament did not take place until March 5, 2010, when Eddie Edwards defeated Davey Richards in the finals. On August 15, 2010, Ring of Honor fired head booker Adam Pearce and replaced him with Hunter Johnston , who wrestles for the company under the ring name Delirious. On September 8, 2010, Ring of Honor and Ohio Valley Wrestling announced

510-419: A storyline . Throughout professional wrestling's decades-long history , some gimmick matches have spawned many variations of the core concept. The singles match is the most common of all professional wrestling matches, which involves only two competitors competing for one fall . A victory is obtained by pinfall , submission , knockout , countout , or disqualification . One of the most common variations on

612-668: A triple threat match between Christopher Daniels , Bryan Danielson , and Low Ki (who would become known as the "founding fathers of ROH"). In its first year of operation, Ring of Honor confined itself to staging live events in a limited number of venues and cities – primarily in the northeastern United States. Ten shows ran in Philadelphia, two in Wakefield, Massachusetts ; one in metro Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; and, one in Queens, New York . In 2003, ROH expanded to other areas of

714-478: A " Boiler Room Brawl " that was largely pre-taped, incorporating props and unorthodox camera angles. In 2016, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling) held a match entitled the "Final Deletion" between brothers Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy for the July 5 episode of Impact Wrestling , which was filmed at Matt Hardy's compound. It was a hardcore wrestling match with falls count anywhere. The sequel

816-539: A "ref bump", or with some other traditional heel scenario, the live audiences reacted much more negatively than rival promotions' live audiences. In ROH's early days, on-air commentators even suggested (within kayfabe ) that getting disqualified in a match may result in that wrestler never appearing in ROH again. In early 2004, ROH's booker at the time, Gabe Sapolsky , began to feel that the Code of Honor had run its course. As

918-678: A House of Horrors match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Similar to the "Final Deletion" match in TNA, this one was held at an abandoned house, but instead of falls count anywhere, this match had to end in the ring in the arena that the event was held in (the House of Horrors scenes were pre-taped, while the in-ring portion was live). The next cinematic match would occur on the March 19, 2018 episode of Raw , which featured Matt Hardy, who had returned to WWE and became "Woken" Matt Hardy, against Bray Wyatt and

1020-569: A cinematically produced singles match between Edge and Randy Orton at Backlash (billed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever") also in June, and a Wyatt Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules in July. Following the introduction of the WWE ThunderDome and Capitol Wrestling Center (CWC) staging arenas in August and October, respectively,

1122-690: A concussion during an October 26, 2019, event. Klein sought medical treatment after suffering post-concussion-syndrome symptoms. She would not be booked for the rest of the year and her contract would expire in December. In January 2020, Ring of Honor re-signed Marty Scurll ; the deal was said to be the most lucrative in ROH history. In addition to being a wrestler, Scurll was also made head booker , working with longtime booker Hunter "Delirious" Johnston. Scurll's deal allowed him to continue to make appearances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and

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1224-431: A double-deep, double-wide casket, sometimes specially designed for specific opponents The Undertaker takes on), ambulances , dumpsters , hearses (known as a "Last Ride match", also connected to The Undertaker gimmick), and stretchers . An Ambulance match is fought under hardcore rules, no pinfalls, no submissions, no disqualifications, no countouts and the only way to win is for one wrestler to force their opponent into

1326-766: A feel of classic Shoot-style wrestling fights. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic wrestling promotions were forced to hold events behind closed doors from March 2020 onwards. WWE introduced Raw Underground in August that year. It was hosted and commentated by Shane McMahon in Raw's third hour and didn't take place in the arena, but rather in a warehouse environment, with only wrestlers and dancers present. The matches were short work shoot style and could end by knockout, submission or McMahon's call. Raw Underground segments aired from August 3 to September 21, 2020 in 8 episodes of Raw. The first NXT Underground match took place on

1428-481: A feel similar to Japanese professional wrestling . When the promotion began, the Code of Honor included five "Laws" mentioned at some point during each ROH production. ROH considered it a moral requirement to follow these rules, which usually appeared in the following order: This initial Code of Honor (COH) (especially its first three rules) helped heels get over more quickly than in other promotions. The first rule applied especially to Christopher Daniels , whom

1530-640: A later time, typically for a pay-per-view event. They are also usually filmed on-location or at a custom built set. While not considered a cinematic match at the time, the Hollywood Backlot Brawl between Roddy Piper and Goldust at WrestleMania XII in 1996 is considered an early cinematic match by the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE ), as it used techniques now featured in cinematic matches. Unlike future cinematic matches (which typically air during one segment),

1632-615: A new ROH Women's World Championship , following the deactivation of the Women of Honor World Championship title. However, in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic , Ring of Honor would postpone live events beginning in March. Television tapings for Ring of Honor Wrestling would resume in August at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (formerly known as the UMBC Event Center) from

1734-547: A new title, the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship . The inaugural champions were crowned in December. On November 9, 2017, ROH COO Joe Koff announced that ROH would be developing an OTT streaming service , similar to WWE Network and Impact Wrestling's Global Wrestling Network . The service, Honor Club , would be unveiled on February 2, 2018, and launch on February 19. At Final Battle 2017 , on December 15, 2017, ROH announced

1836-477: A non-title match or as a singles match. It was also used in a tag team format. World TV Champion Arn Anderson vs. Paul Orndorff at Clash of the Champions XI was one example. Though Orndorff won the match, Anderson remained champion. A champion vs. champion match can also be referenced to a Winner Takes All match , but in some cases each superstars' title is not contested in the match or only one title

1938-481: A one-ring, over-the-top-rope elimination. A typical battle royale, except this one features tables covered with barbed wire, thumbtacks, and light bulbs on the outside of the ring, which may catch wrestlers as they are thrown out of the ring. The National Wrestling Alliance 's (NWA) Bunkhouse Stampede involved wrestlers wearing what was described as "bunkhouse gear"—cowboy boots, jeans , T-shirts—instead of their normal wrestling tights and not only allowed but encouraged

2040-504: A predecessor to Extreme Championship Wrestling . Generally used in TNA / Impact Wrestling , a reverse battle royale begins with wrestlers surrounding the ring instead of inside it. At the start of the match they battle for half of them to get into the ring, at which point a standard last person standing wins the battle royale. The Cage Reverse Battle Royale is another TNA variation of this match type. This actually has three stages; It begins

2142-460: A reduced live show attendance that year. According to Dave Meltzer , ROH's average live show attendance in 2019 was 1,082—lower than its averages in 2018 and 2017. In October 2019, ROH producer/road agent Joey Mercury resigned in protest, criticizing ROH for a lack of creative direction as well as having no concussion protocol for wrestlers. Mercury would reveal that ROH allowed then- Women of Honor Champion Kelly Klein to wrestle after suffering

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2244-598: A result, wrestlers no longer had to follow it. The Code of Honor eventually re-appeared – revamped – as the following three rules: Future of Honor (FOH) is a series of events featuring the promotion's young wrestlers and trainees from the ROH Dojo . The term "Future of Honor" is additionally used by the promotion to refer to their young wrestlers and graduates from the dojo system (regardless of gender). The ROH Women of Honor (WOH) division began in 2002, with women's wrestlers sporadically appearing on ROH events until

2346-573: A second sister promotion from 2005 to 2010) and even some merchandise from competitors, such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla . Under Silkin, ROH branched out across the world. On January 23, 2007, ROH announced plans for a Japanese tour, resulting in a show on July 16 in Tokyo called "Live In Tokyo", co-promoted with Pro Wrestling Noah and a show on July 17 called "Live In Osaka" in Osaka co-promoted with Dragon Gate . On May 2, 2007, Ring of Honor announced

2448-524: A unique ruleset compared to a traditional pro wrestling event, in that every match must end in either a knockout or submission. The traditional wrestling ring is replaced by a ring canvas with no ropes or turnbuckles. This event features worked shoot matches in a style that mimics the early days of MMA and catch wrestling . It is common for Bloodsport competitors to have some knowledge in other combat sports and/or MMA, as well as professional wrestling, as these one on one matches often appear stiff and have

2550-635: A weekly television program. The first tapings for Ring of Honor Wrestling took place on February 28 and March 1, 2009, at The Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and series premiered on HDNet on March 21, 2009. After nearly a year of producing weekly television broadcasts, RoH announced on January 20, 2010, that it would commission a new title, the ROH World Television Championship, to be decided in an eight-man tournament beginning February 5, 2010, and ending February 6, 2010, on its Ring of Honor Wrestling program. Due to

2652-411: A working relationship between the two companies. On January 11, 2011, Ring of Honor announced the ending of Ring of Honor Wrestling , after the completion of the promotion's two-year contract with HDNet. The final tapings of the show would be taking place on January 21 and 22, with the final episode airing on April 4, 2011. On May 21, 2011, Ring of Honor and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that

2754-670: A working relationship which would see talent exchanges and dual events between the two promotions. The first co-promoted shows Global Wars and War of the Worlds, took place in May 2014, in Toronto and New York City respectively, with the two companies again co-promoting these events in May 2015 – with the War of the Worlds '15 taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on May 12 and 13, and

2856-568: Is Earned" , taped on May 12, first aired on July 1 on Dish Network. Ring of Honor continued to expand throughout 2008, debuting in Orlando, Florida on March 28 for Dragon Gate Challenge II, in Manassas, Virginia on May 9 for Southern Navigation and in Toronto , Ontario on July 25 for Northern Navigation. On May 10, 2008, Ring of Honor set an attendance record in its debut show, A New Level, from

2958-427: Is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until only one is left. Typical battle royales begin with 20 or more participants all in the ring at the same time, who are then eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor. The Battlebowl is a two-ring variation on a battle royale. In these matches, the wrestlers start in one ring and try to throw wrestlers into

3060-541: Is at Vengeance (2003) between Stephanie McMahon and Sable , which Sable won. A pure wrestling rules match originally appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH), and still exists as the "official rules" for the ROH Pure Championship . Under the rules, each wrestler is allowed only three rope breaks; once they are all used, the wrestler cannot use the ropes to escape pins or submissions. Closed fists are illegal, and

3162-461: Is by forcing your opponent into a dumpster and closing the lid. The first match occurred was at WrestleMania XIV , pitting The New Age Outlaws against Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie . Ring of Honor Ring of Honor ( ROH ) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida . The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and

CZW World Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-439: Is on the line. During WWE's second brand extension , this type of match was frequently used at Survivor Series , with both titles not defended, up until 2021, with the champion vs. champion matches being replaced by WarGames . This type of match has now been used at Crown Jewel since 2024 , with both the men's and women's world title holders facing each other for a commemorative Crown Jewel Championship. This event consists of

3366-539: Is one in which the object is for one wrestler to throw his opponent into a grave dug out of a large mound of soil placed outside the ring. Once in the grave, the wrestler must bury his opponent in dirt and soil to the referee's discretion. Equipment ranging from shovels and wheelbarrows to bulldozers are often made available to completely bury the opponent. The Buried Alive match is one of three of The Undertaker 's signature matches (the Casket and Last Ride matches being

3468-491: Is reduced to two, and there is a subsequent episode where the final two compete, in this case, "AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring". In New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the 2021 New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 15 was conducted as a semi-final battle royale. Chase Owens , Bad Luck Fale , Tetsuya Bushi , and Toru Yano were the final four that competed in a championship match the next day. The tag team battle royale consist of designated tag teams of wrestlers with two members on

3570-664: The Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center in New York City. It had plans for shows in St. Louis, Missouri , Nashville, Tennessee , and Montreal before the end of 2008. On October 26, 2008, the company announced the departure of head booker Gabe Sapolsky , and his replacement by Adam Pearce . On January 26, 2009, Ring of Honor announced that it had signed an agreement with HDNet Fights for

3672-612: The National Wrestling Alliance , where he began a cross-promotional feud with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis . However, during the Speaking Out Movement , Scurll was accused of taking advantage of a 16-year-old girl who was inebriated. Scurll would release two statements in which he did not deny the allegations, but claimed the encounter was consensual. On June 25, the promotion announced that they launched an investigation concerning

3774-463: The ROH Hall of Fame (HOF) was introduced inducting the company's first four Hall of Famers plus one due to one induction being a ROH tag team. As part of ROH's re-launch the promotion added a new contest: the "Proving Ground" match. The match features an up-and-coming star against a seasoned professional who is a title-holder. If the up-and-coming star can defeat, or at least last 10 minutes with,

3876-680: The Women of Honor World Championship , the Shimmer Championship , and the Shimmer Tag Team Championship . ROH also runs a professional wrestling school . Originally named the "ROH Wrestling Academy", and based in Bristol, Pennsylvania , ROH announced in July 2016 that the following month it was re-opening the school as the "ROH Dojo" in Baltimore, Maryland. Delirious operates as the head trainer of

3978-445: The "footage looked awfully familiar"; in reality, repurposed footage of Simpson's infamous Bronco chase was actually used as part of the match.) The match eventually ended in the ring live, when Piper stripped Goldust down to women's lingerie and kissed him as part of "making him a man". WrestleMania XII featured a second cinematic match between " The Huckster " and " Nacho Man ". At SummerSlam 1996 , The Undertaker faced Mankind in

4080-723: The 1970s fought between Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff . The coffin match was revived as one of The Undertaker 's signature matches and first appeared on television at the Survivor Series as the coffin match against Kamala . Prior to that, at a house show on July 14, 1991, the Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker in a casket match in St. Louis, Missouri at Busch Stadium. There have been 17 casket matches, 11 of which have been won by The Undertaker. The 20th edition

4182-461: The Casket match. A similar type of match aims to restrain opposing wrestlers somehow, and the match often takes the name of the restraining device – for example, the Stretcher. None of these matches can end in a pinfall, submission, countout, or disqualification. Common containers used for these matches are caskets (connected to The Undertaker 's Deadman persona, either using a typical coffin or

CZW World Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

4284-569: The ECW void by starting his own pro wrestling promotion, and distributing its made-for-DVD/VHS productions exclusively through RF Video. The first event, titled The Era of Honor Begins , took place on February 23, 2002, in Philadelphia , the former home area of ECW. It featured nine matches, including a match between Eddy Guerrero and Super Crazy for the IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and

4386-532: The Firefly Inferno match between Orton and The Fiend at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, where Orton set The Fiend's entire body on fire, and an intergender match between Orton and Bliss at Fastlane in March 2021, where Bliss used supernatural powers. Since the resumption of live touring in July 2021, WWE ceased producing cinematic matches. AEW also incorporated cinematic matches during pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021, most notably

4488-534: The Grave Consequences (subsequently Graver Consequences) match. Another toned-down version of the Casket Match is when a victory is not obtained by placing the opponent in the coffin but by pinfall or submission. However, the defeated wrestler is then placed into the coffin. The Last Rites match is a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling variation where a casket is lowered into the center of the ring, and

4590-445: The July 4, 2023 episode of NXT between Eddy Thorpe and Damon Kemp , for which Thorpe sought the help of Gable Steveson (Kemp's real life brother) to train him. Thorpe won the match. On the December 26, 2023 episode of NXT, Thorpe defeated Dijak in the second NXT Underground match. The first women's NXT Underground match took place on week 2 of NXT Spring Breakin' (2024) , where Lola Vice defeated Natalya . The battle royale

4692-429: The March 2 episode of All Elite Wrestling 's live weekly series Dynamite , president and co-founder Tony Khan announced that he had purchased Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group, including its brand assets, intellectual property, and video library. Khan also announced that he intends to make the ROH library available to the public in its entirety. It was clarified through a press release issued that night that

4794-462: The Ring of Honor wrestlers, replica title belts and more. On May 27, 2015, ROH announced a 26-week television deal with Destination America , beginning on June 3. On December 13, 2015, ROH announced a partnership with Southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), which would allow ROH contracted wrestlers to continue working for PWG. On August 30, 2016, ROH announced the creation of

4896-590: The Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing 2020 , which was a 5v5 empty arena match in the TIAA Bank Field stadium. During that period, AEW featured at least one cinematic match at each of their PPVs: a "Tooth and Nail match" at All Out 2020 between Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and Big Swole at Baker's real-life dental office, a match entitled "The Elite Deletion" at Full Gear 2020 , featuring Matt Hardy against Sammy Guevara and similar to

4998-409: The U.S., expanded their television visibility through Sinclair's broadcast stations, and eventually established its own streaming service in 2018 called Honor Club . As Sinclair was struggling with debt in the late 2010s, ROH went on a hiatus at the end of 2021. The promotion would later be sold to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) founder, co-owner, president and CEO Tony Khan in March 2022, with

5100-499: The United States, including Ohio , New Jersey , Connecticut , and Maryland . In Florida , ROH supported Full Impact Pro , which would serve as a sister promotion until 2009. It also began to build its international identity by co-promoting an event with Frontier Wrestling Alliance in London, England on May 17, 2003. In 2004, Feinstein was caught in an internet-based sting operation, in which he allegedly tried to solicit sex on

5202-599: The World , from the Nashville State Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee. In September, Sinclair began syndicating ROH to other stations; the first deal was reached with WATL , a Gannett -owned Atlanta station, which began airing ROH on September 13, 2014. On October 27, 2014, ROH announced a toy licensing deal with Figures Toy Company, which would see the distribution of action figures based on

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5304-598: The World . It was revealed during their 2021 Q3 financial results that Sinclair had $ 12,530,000 USD in debt , largely due to the Diamond Sports Group (the subsidiary that operates the Bally Sports networks). On October 27, 2021, Ring of Honor announced that it would go on a hiatus after Final Battle in December, with a return tentatively scheduled for April 2022. All personnel would also be released from their contracts as part of plans to "reimagine"

5406-422: The acquisition was made through an entity separate from AEW and wholly-owned by Khan. In a media scrum following AEW's Revolution PPV on March 6, Khan revealed that he eventually planned to run ROH separately from AEW, and also indicated that ROH could be used as a developmental brand for AEW. On April 1 at Supercard of Honor XV , the first ROH event after the hiatus, Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido in

5508-423: The adjacent Daily's Place . The audience in attendance watched the first half of the match on video screens before the action spilled into the amphitheater. This would be AEW's final cinematic match produced before the company resumed live touring in July that year. Impact Wrestling would also return to producing cinematic matches in 2021 when Ethan Page wrestled his alter ego "The Karate Man" at Hard to Kill in

5610-437: The allegations, and Scurll was removed from his position as booker. By January 2021, Ring of Honor announced that Marty Scurll was no longer under contract after the two parties mutually agreed to part ways. On January 31, 2020, Ring of Honor announced the return of the ROH Pure Championship , with a tournament to crown the first Pure champion since 2006. The following month, the promotion announced another tournament to crown

5712-407: The back of an ambulance and close the door. The first ambulance match took place at Survivor Series 2003 where Kane defeated Shane McMahon . The second one took place at Elimination Chamber (2012) which also involved Kane as one of the competitors. His opponent was John Cena, who won the match, where an additional rule was added in that the ambulance has to leave to win. The third Ambulance match

5814-523: The biggest and most attended event in ROH history. In early 2019, Rhodes, the Bucks, and several other talents left the company to start their own promotion – All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The departure of Ring of Honor's top talent for AEW was viewed by many wrestling journalists and commenters as the beginning of a decline for the promotion in 2019. Much of the criticism focused on the reign of then-ROH World Champion Matt Taven . ROH had fewer PPV buys and

5916-626: The bringing of weapons . In 1988 the NWA named a pay-per-view after the Bunkhouse Stampede , headlined by a Bunkhouse Stampede match held inside a cage . Recently, the match has been revitalized by Ricky Morton of the Rock n' Roll Express at his wrestling academy in Chuckey, Tennessee. A battle royale with hardcore rules (no disqualifications and no count-outs) involving several competitors in

6018-588: The broadcast carrier had purchased ROH, with former owner Cary Silkin remaining with the company in an executive role. The promotion's programming began airing the weekend of September 24, 2011, with a relaunched Ring of Honor Wrestling airing on several Sinclair owned-or-operated stations; the show airs primarily on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or late nights, or on prime time on some of Sinclair's CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates (as those networks do not run programming on weekend evenings). On June 22, Ring of Honor held their first live pay-per-view event, Best in

6120-407: The championship. Wrestlers such as John Silver , Drake Younger , Nick Gage , Nick Berk , and Yoshihiro Tajiri are a few who have been storyline exceptions. The championship's current design involves five metal plates positioned on a leather strap. The central plate has the word "World" at the top, while the word "Champion" at the bottom. There are two light tubes that are placed at each end of

6222-683: The company as a "fan-focused product". In the interim, the men's and woman's championships were defended at events held by various other promotions, including Impact Wrestling and Jonathan Gresham's new Terminus promotion. On January 10, 2022, ROH announced that Supercard of Honor XV would take place at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas , on April 1. These matches will also be seen on Ring of Honor Wrestling . In addition, it's been said that Ring of Honor would operate "like an indie", using non-contracted talent. On

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6324-410: The creation of the Women of Honor Championship , adding its fifth championship and the first for its female roster . On September 1, 2018, ROH wrestlers Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) promoted and wrestled at All In – an event that was produced in collaboration with ROH, featuring wrestlers from numerous promotions that drew over 11,000 fans in suburban Chicago . This

6426-541: The division was reformed into a permanent feature of the promotion in 2015. The term "Women of Honor" is additionally used by the promotion to refer to their female wrestlers and other female talent. The current top championship in the Women of Honor division is the ROH Women's World Championship and their other women's title is the ROH Women's World Television Championship . Previous women's championships used by ROH include

6528-512: The first offense (if seen by the official) results in a warning. A second offense results in disqualification. The wrestlers must shake hands before and after the match. A special challenge match was often used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to refer to a singles match in which the champion is not defending the title, so the title doesn't change hands if the champion loses the match. It can be announced by name, as

6630-440: The first stage as an inside-out battle royale with 15 or more wrestlers involved. The first seven to enter the ring over the top cage will advance to the second stage which is a gauntlet match. When it gets down to the final stage, only two wrestlers will battle in a singles match which is decided by pinfall or submission. A semi-final battle royale consists of a battle royale where when a specific number of wrestlers are remaining,

6732-892: The internet from a person that he thought to be an underage boy (but was actually an adult, posing as a minor). After this was publicized by some news outlets, Feinstein resigned from ROH in March 2004. In the aftermath of the scandal, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) ended its talent-sharing agreement with Ring of Honor, abruptly withdrawing all of its contracted wrestlers from their prior commitments to perform in ROH shows—including major ROH draws A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels, who held and were about to hold ROH championships, respectively. Doug Gentry eventually bought Feinstein's stake in ROH, and later sold it to Cary Silkin. ROH then started its own mail-order and online store operations, which sold DVDs of its live events, plus shoot interviews (dubbed The Straight Shootin' Series) with wrestlers and managers, DVDs of SHIMMER (which would serve as

6834-580: The main event to unify the ROH World Championship , and numerous other ROH titles changed hands. The event also saw the return of former ROH champion, and recently inducted ROH Hall of Famer , Samoa Joe . On May 4, the sale of ROH to Tony Khan was officially completed. ROH matches began appearing on AEW programs , and Death Before Dishonor was the first ROH PPV under the new ownership. On December 10, after Final Battle , Khan announced that ROH's weekly televised program will be aired on

6936-465: The match aired during several segments in between matches inside the ring, and featured both pre-taped segments outside the Arrowhead Pond of the two fighting as well as Piper "chasing" Goldust's solid gold Cadillac in a white Ford Bronco in an obvious reference to the then-ongoing O. J. Simpson murder case . ( Vince McMahon mentioned on commentary without completely breaking kayfabe that

7038-592: The match and the official champion. The most famous example is the Hardcore Title Battle Royal from WWF's WrestleMania 2000 . A last blood battle royale is essentially a multi-competitor First Blood match . All competitors start at the same time and wrestlers are eliminated when they start bleeding. The winner is the last wrestler in the match not bleeding. This match was held in the Tri-State Wrestling Association,

7140-402: The match ends, and those that remain are placed in a standard wrestling match for the prize at stake. An example of this occurred on a January 2024 episode of NXT , where 20 women competed in a battle royal that became a Fatal 4-Way once there were four competitors remaining. In All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it is known as a Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale , as twelve competitors compete until it

7242-540: The middle of the ring for the victory. This was one of The Undertaker ’s early gimmick matches; he had one of these matches in 1992 against The Ultimate Warrior at the Madison Square Garden . The casket match (also known as the Coffin match ) has a casket near the ring, with the objective of the match being to trap the opposing wrestler inside. The casket match began its life as a one-off coffin match in

7344-407: The objective is to get your opponent into the casket, which is raised to the ceiling following the match. The first Last Rites match was done between Sting and Abyss . Vince Russo came up with this match; it was perceived to be a disaster because neither wrestler could work properly due to the placement of the casket in the center of the ring, which limited and obstructed their workspace. The match

7446-469: The other "Deletion" matches involving Hardy, and a tag team street fight pitting Darby Allin and Sting against Team Taz ( Brian Cage and Ricky Starks ) at Revolution 2021 , which was held at an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Atlanta , Georgia. At Double or Nothing 2021 the Stadium Stampede match was a hybrid cinematic match with the first half recorded at TIAA Bank Field, then concluding live at

7548-416: The others). A cinematic Buried Alive match was held between The Undertaker and AJ Styles for WrestleMania 36 , referred to as a "Boneyard match" . The match took place outdoors in a cemetery-like setting near an abandoned warehouse rather than in a traditional ring. A Body Bag match is a no-disqualification match where the objective is for a wrestler to put an opposing wrestler in a body bag situated in

7650-443: The plate. The CZW logo is engraved at the very center of the plate. The inaugural champion was Gage, who won the championship by defeating 20 other men in a battle royal on March 27, 1999 at CZW's The Staple Gun event. Drake Younger 's first reign is the longest in the title's history. John Zandig , Nick Berk, Yoshihiro Tajiri , Joe Gacy and David Starr are tied for shortest in the title's history at less than 1 day. Zandig holds

7752-437: The promotion pushed as its first major heel. Daniels and his faction, The Prophecy, rejected the Code of Honor and refused to shake anyone's hand. The fourth and fifth rules emphasized the finishes of ROH matches – the vast majority of which ended decisively (with clean pinfalls , submissions, or knockouts) – unlike what most rival promotions at the time did. On the rare occasion that a match did end with outside interference, with

7854-674: The promotion's homebase in Maryland but without fans in attendance. New episodes would begin syndication on September 12, with a revamped format, and the beginning of the Pure title tournament. Ten days prior, Ring of Honor launched a Free ad-supported television (FAST) channel on the Sinclair-owned streaming service Stirr called "ROH Best On The Planet". Final Battle would be the promotion's sole pay-per-view event in 2020, while live audiences would return on July 11, 2021, at Best in

7956-440: The record for most reigns, with six. Professional wrestling match types Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Many types of wrestling matches , sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business , are performed in professional wrestling . Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude

8058-480: The relaunched Honor Club streaming platform, starting in 2023. On January 18, 2023, a one-off special tribute show to ROH mainstay Jay Briscoe , who had been killed in a car accident the day before, was taped for Honor Club . On February 25 and 26, new episodes of the relaunched Ring of Honor Wrestling program were taped at Soundstage 21 in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. On March 2,

8160-410: The ring at the same time. The match could last for either 15 or 20 minutes. All participants are not eliminated by being thrown out of the ring and both feet touching the floor. Pinning or forcing to submit whoever was current Hardcore champion would result in the victorious participant becoming the interim champion. Whoever the person held the title at end of the time limit would be declared the winner of

8262-754: The sale completed on May 4 of that year. Currently, ROH operates as a sister promotion to AEW. Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s In April 2001, the pro wrestling video-distribution company RF Video needed a new promotion to lead its video sales when its best-seller – Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) – went out of business and WWE purchased its assets. RF Video also videotaped events held by other, less-popular, regional wrestling promotions; it sold these through its catalog and website. After months of trying to join Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), RF Video's owner, Rob Feinstein, decided to fill

8364-616: The school with Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara as his assistants. Previous head trainers of the academy include former ROH World Champions CM Punk, Austin Aries, and Bryan Danielson. From 2005 to 2008, ROH used a "Top of the Class" trophy to promote the students on the main show; while wrestlers win and lose the Trophy in matches, the School's head trainer chooses the winners. On January 26, 2022,

8466-846: The seasoned professional, the newcomer would earn a future title shot. To date, only 1 newcomer has earned a title shot from a proving ground match, that being Lee Moriarty , who lasted 10 minutes against then- ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta , earning a title shot against Yuta at Death Before Dishonor 2024 , where Moriarty would defeat Yuta to become the new ROH Pure Champion. "Proving Ground" matches were also relevant for new coming talent in Ring of Honor (ROH) back in 2011 as well. Throughout its history, Ring of Honor has had working agreements with various domestic and international wrestling promotions at different times. ROH shows have had outside championships defended on them and on some occasions, wrestlers have held both ROH and outside championships simultaneously. In February 2014, ROH and NJPW announced

8568-540: The second ring, after which they can be eliminated by being thrown out of that ring. The last remaining wrestler in the first ring can rest until only one wrestler is left in the second ring, after which they fight in both rings until one is eliminated and a winner is declared, in similar fashion to a double elimination tournament . This was held by World Championship Wrestling at the 1991 Starrcade event, but future Battlebowl matches were contested under normal battle royale rules. The battle zone features any number of men in

8670-496: The signing of a PPV and VOD deal with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment to bring ROH into homes with In Demand Networks, TVN , and the Dish Network . The deal called for six taped pay-per-view events to air every 60 days. Because of the move to pay-per-view, TNA Wrestling immediately pulled its contracted stars ( Austin Aries , Christopher Daniels , and Homicide ) from ROH shows. The first pay-per-view, titled "Respect

8772-517: The singles match is to restrict the possible means for victory. In a blindfold match, the two participants must wear a blindfold over their eyes for the entire duration of the match. A well-known example of this match is the WrestleMania VII match between Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Rick Martel . A no count-out match is a singles match in which both competitors can stay outside of the ring without being counted out. A well-known example

8874-414: The team. This match uses the normal battle royale rules, teams may be eliminated when either one or both partners are thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor. This match is conducted similarly to a battle royale but in these cases, both wrestlers are considered active at the same time and there are no tags using the tornado tag team stipulation. This variation of the tag team battle royale

8976-491: The two that occurred at WrestleMania 36 ; a Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles , which was a Buried Alive match held at a custom built cemetery set in the Orlando area, and a Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. (Although the match ended with The Fiend pinning Cena in a ring, the match itself was a dream-like sequence of Cena's career, showing his perceived character flaws;

9078-579: The use of cinematic matches was greatly reduced, as these new staging arenas allowed fans to attend the events virtually. To go with the Halloween -theme at NXT : Halloween Havoc in October, a Haunted House of Terrors match was held between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes , which was similar to the House of Horrors match from Payback 2017. Matches involving Randy Orton, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, and Alexa Bliss have also used cinematic techniques, such as

9180-510: The various segments were filmed at WWE's Titan Towers headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut ). Following this, cinematic matches occurred at Money in the Bank in May, which was the event's eponymous ladder matches that occurred at WWE's headquarters, a Backlot Brawl between Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream in the parking lot of Full Sail University at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in June,

9282-522: The weekly series began to air exclusively through Honor Club . During the December 16, 2023 TV tapings, Tony Khan debuted a new ROH Women's World Television Championship . On November 1, 2024 negotiations were affirmed that ROH will be making a TV deal with TruTV . ROH distinguishes its image from other wrestling promotions through the "Code of Honor", a set of rules dictating how wrestlers should conduct themselves during matches. The Code of Honor aimed to infuse Ring of Honor's matches with

9384-404: Was a brawl between The Broken Hardys and Decay titled "Delete or Decay". The Broken Hardys and Decay continued their feud at Bound for Glory , where Decay lost their TNA World Tag Team Championship to The Hardys in "The Great War". The Hardys issued an open tag team invitational at their compound on the December 15 episode of Impact Wrestling , titled Total Nonstop Deletion . The main event

9486-464: Was called the "Ultimate Deletion;" this was just like the "Final Deletion," including being held at Matt's compound. Cinematic matches became more frequent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ; the pandemic began affecting the professional wrestling industry in March that year, forcing promotions to hold events behind closed doors . WWE would hold several cinematic matches at their pay-per-views between March and August, being highly praised for

9588-632: Was held at Halloween Havoc and the first following the retirement of The Undertaker involving Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews in which Crews won. WWE held its first women's casket match on the October 29, 2024 episode of NXT involving Tatum Paxley and Wendy Choo in which the Paxley won. In addition to WWE, the casket match has been adopted for use in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , All Elite Wrestling , and Lucha Underground , with Lucha Underground denominating it as

9690-601: Was left standing. A cinematic match is not technically a match type itself, but rather, it is a term used to refer to matches that are produced with various cinematic techniques . The rules vary from match to match, but generally have a basis in hardcore wrestling. Unlike a normal wrestling match, which is done in one take and typically in front of a live audience, cinematic matches are shot over several hours with various scenes filmed, similar to filmmaking, with higher-budget production involved. The final product (the complete match) generally lasts from 20 to 40 minutes and airs at

9792-500: Was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; when the promotion was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group . Throughout the 2010s, ROH was considered the third largest wrestling promotion in the United States, behind WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , initially operating on an internet distribution model. Under Sinclair's ownership, ROH began talent-sharing deals with wrestling companies outside

9894-570: Was part of Three Stages of Hell match at WWE Payback on June 16, 2013, in Rosemont, Illinois between John Cena and Ryback for the WWE Championship . The most recent was at NXT Halloween Havoc in October 2024, between Ridge Holland and Andre Chase . The famous 2017 Lucha Underground "Hell of War" bout between Dante Fox ( A.R. Fox ) and Killshot ( Swerve Strickland ) was that promotion's only ambulance match. A buried alive match

9996-465: Was such a failure that during the match, the enraged crowd screamed "Fire Russo!" so loudly that the commentators had to yell into their microphones to be heard. In 2023, TNA Wrestling brought back the Last Rites match, but modified it to be more of a basic casket match. A dumpster match is a no-disqualification, no-submission, no-countout, no-fall hardcore match in which the only objective to win

10098-505: Was the "Tag Team Apocalypto" where The Hardys last defeated Decay. Although not contested as a match, WWE followed this up shortly after and filmed a cinematic-style brawl between The New Day ( Big E , Kofi Kingston , and Xavier Woods ) and The Wyatt Family ( Bray Wyatt , Erick Rowan , and Braun Strowman ) that was held at The Wyatt Family Compound and shown on the July 11, 2016 episode of WWE Raw . WWE then taped their own cinematic match for their 2017 pay-per-view Payback , called

10200-464: Was the first U.S. pro wrestling event not promoted by WWE or the defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to reach the 10,000 attendance mark since the 1990s. Also in 2018, ROH and longtime partner New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced a joint event at Madison Square Garden in New York City called G1 Supercard , which was held on April 6, 2019. The event quickly sold out, and became

10302-564: Was used at the WrestleMania XV as well. Created by WCW in 1995, the World War 3 battle royale involved a three-ring setup and 60 competitors; 20 wrestlers started in each of the three rings, in which they would wrestle under regular battle royale rules. Once there were 30 competitors remaining (except in 1997, where the number was 20), all competitors would enter the center ring and continue under regular rules until only one wrestler

10404-425: Was used during the 2011 WWE Draft on April 25, 2011; where the wrestler's team has to eliminate all members of the opposing team, much like an elimination tag team match where the losing wrestler of a team, who just got thrown over the ring ropes with both feet touching the floor, must return to their locker room. The team winner receives a #1 draft pick for their respective brand. Another notable version of this match

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