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As for Lethal, he comes out before the match to tell us that he had a meeting with Joe Koff where Koff wanted to sweep the incident with his mother under the rug. Lethal says Steen can kiss his ass, but he put Cornette out and sees that nobody seems too upset about that. But as for the matters at hand, ROH told him he was too nice and needed a killer instinct, so he tells ROH that they can kiss his ass too. He'd say the same to his opponent tonight, but he has a lot of respect for Davey Richards. Unfortunately, he's got a lot of anger built up in him because of the events of the last week, so Davey's just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jay Lethal vs Davey Richards
Just a little bit of background: Lethal challenged Davey for the ROH World Title twice earlier this year and lost both times. The Code of Honor is followed and the bell rings to start the match, as they tie up and go to the corner where Lethal shoves Davey on the break. Davey shoves him back, so Lethal slaps Davey down on his ass. Davey looks stunned, then gets his "okay, if that's the way he wants it" look as they get back to their feet and Lethal ducks under on Davey and goes to a waistlock. Davey snapmares Lethal out of the hold, but Lethal immediately switches to a hammerlock. Davey hits the ropes and takes Lethal down with a shoulderblock, then gets an O'Connor Roll for 2 and catches Lethal on the kickout in a surfboard. Davey turns him into a cradle for 2, but Lethal kicks out and now gets Davey in a surfboard. Davey escapes and counters Lethal to an Indian deathlock, and Lethal quickly goes to the ropes for the break and we're back at a stalemate. Lethal slaps Davey in the face again, and Davey shoves Lethal three times, Lethal goes for a right hand but Davey blocks and knocks Lethal's wind out with a spinkick to the chest. Lethal immediately returns fire and hiptosses Davey before cartwheeling into a basement dropkick for 2. Lethal whips Davey across the ring and gets a running shoulderblock to the midsection for 2. Davey doesn't remain at a disadvantage for long, turning Lethal to his belly with a hammerlock and catching the other arm for the old Nigel McGuinness bridging double armbar. Davey with a kick to the ribs and a kneedrop, but Lethal with a shot that knocks Davey back on his rear. Davey and Lethal trade blows in the middle of the ring, but Lethal takes Davey down with a chop for 2, then goes to a headscissors. Davey rolls to his base and pops his head out of the hold, then gets Lethal in another variation of the Indian deathlock. Davey dropkicks Lethal out to the apron, then runs across the apron with a boot to Lethal's chest that looks like it could stop his heart. Lethal fires back with some punches, but Davey shuts him down with a hard shot and whips him into the barricade, then charges with a boot to the face. Lethal crawls over to the corner of the guardrail, and Davey charges in with the Ole Kick. I know Lethal's seen that one before. Davey rolls Lethal back inside and comes off the top with a missile dropkick for 2, then a hard snap suplex gets another 2. Davey goes to a headscissors, rolls Lethal to his belly, and repeatedly drives Lethal's face into the mat with his hips. Davey hits a lariat and doesn't quite get all of it, but Lethal rolls out to the apron to catch a break. Davey drags him back inside and goes back to the chinlock, but Lethal gets free and dumps Davey out to the apron, then springboards off the corner and dropkicks Davey out to the floor and wipes him out with a dive through the ropes. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection on the apron, Dave blocks and connects with a leaping enziguiri, but Lethal dodges another charging kick across the apron and pops up to hit the Lethal Injection on the apron. They take a long count before rolling back inside to go face to face in the middle of the ring. They trade right hands in the middle of the ring, Lethal hits the ropes and Davey pops him into the Alarm Clock, Lethal connects with a big boot, Davey takes his head off with a lariat, but Lethal hits the Lethal Combination and gets Davey in a Koji Clutch. Davey makes the ropes and blocks a Dragon suplex, then hits a German suplex that Lethal no-sells, so Davey kicks his head off and hits another lariat for 2. The crowd is cheering for Davey as he hits a charging forearm in the corner, but Lethal pops Davey up and into a facebuster for 2. Lethal goes to the top rope, Davey nails him and tries a superplex, they trade punches, Davey connects with a flurry of headbutts and a superplex, then rolls through but Lethal gets a small package for 2. Davey maintains the grip and gets a Flatliner, a knockout kick, and a brainbuster for 2. Davey immediately goes to the top rope and comes off with a double stomp for 2, then goes to the anklelock. Davey has Lethal right in the middle of the ring, Lethal kicks him off but Davey comes off the ropes with a kick to the chest and covers for 1. Lethal with a pair of superkicks for a very close 2, and Davey rolls out to the apron. Oh, I do not want to know what they're doing out there, especially that close to the timekeeper's table. Lethal climbs the corner and drags Davey up with him, and they trade punches on the top rope. Lethal tries a sunset flip onto the table, Davey holds on and punches Lethal in the face, so Lethal rolls into the ring and drills Richards with a right hand that knocks him backward onto the table...which doesn't break as Davey hits with a thud and rolls out to the floor. The referee starts the count, but Davey somehow beats the count at 19, so Lethal comes off the top rope with Hail to the King...for 2! Lethal with the Dragon suplex for another 2 as Davey refuses to die. Lethal pulls off his elbowpad and goes for the Lethal Injection again, but Davey swats him away and gets the anklelock. Lethal goes for the ropes, but Davey pulls him back to the middle of the ring. Lethal rolls through and gets his weird Condo Clutch submission, Davey reverses to one of his own, Lethal rolls through to send Davey into the corner and superkicks him in the back of the head for 2, then goes back to the Koji Clutch. The referee checks the arm three times and calls for the bell.
Winner: Jay Lethal
This match was off the charts, undoubtedly a MOTYC as Lethal finally gets a win over Davey Richards. The crowd starts a "that was awesome" chant at the unbelievable war we just saw. Eddie Edwards comes in to check on Davey, and Davey shoves him away until he realizes who it is, then gets to his feet and raises Lethal's hand.
INTERMISSION
Roderick Strong comes out for his next match in street clothes and says it's BS that he's on the first match back from intermission, especially against a guy like Tadarius Thomas who hasn't beaten anyone. As of now he's not just on strike, he's quitting the House of Truth and he's going to watch Michael Elgin fail to win the ROH World Title. Strong heads to the back and the referee starts a count, but Truth Martini runs back out with Rhino, who will now (despite not looking too thrilled about it) take the place of Strong in our next match...
Rhino vs Tadarius Thomas
Thomas is like half the size of Rhino, but he doesn't back down and goes right into a tie up with Rhino, cartwheeling away from Rhino's grasp. Rhino sends Truth Martini to the back to "get his stuff" as Thomas unloads with some quick punches and sweeps Rhino's legs out from under him. Rhino goes out to the floor as Truth Martini comes back to ringside with a big red duffelbag. Rhino picks Thomas up and hits a TKO for 2, then Truth Martini tosses him a roll of tape that he uses to tape up his wrists. I get it, because he wasn't expecting to wrestle. Rhino continues putting the boots to Thomas as he tapes up his wrists and then dumps him out to the floor where Truth Martini gets in some free kicks. Rhino goes out to the floor and tells Truth to back off, then rams Thomas back first into the barricade. Rhino rolls Thomas back inside and cinches in a bearhug, then hits a snapmare and a legdrop for 2 before going back to the bearhug. Thomas escapes the hold and blocks Rhino's punches with the top of his head, then get a series of cartwheel kicks before baseball sliding Truth off the apron. Rhino gets ahole of him and hits a belly to belly suplex, then sets up for the Gore...but Truth Martini trips Thomas from the outside. Rhino goes to yell at Truth because he doesn't need his help, then tries the Gore again and Thomas has now had enough time to recover to get a sweep kick to the face of Rhino and a rolling cradle for the win.
Winner: Tadarius Thomas
Rhino is pissed off and grabs Truth Martini by the neck, and Truth tries showing him the money to save his butt, but Rhino presses Truth over his head and press slams him out to the floor so hard that the barricade tears his pants open and leaves a big red mark on the side of his ass.
The title matches begin on Page 3!
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