ROH Wrestling recap: King & Castle fight for world title positioning

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Jonathan Gresham is the new Pure champ and also has a new faction to purify pro wrestling. Now, it is time for the rest of the roster to shine on ROH’s weekly television program. Episode 477 of ROH Wrestling featured a Pure clash between Dak Draper and Brian Johnson as well as Brody King looking to make a statement against Dalton Castle.

Let’s jump right in.

The show opened with a recap of last week’s Pure Championship tournament final with Jonathan Gresham submitting Tracy Williams. Gresham then introduced his new faction, The Foundation.

Dak Draper vs Brian Johnson

Both men were alternates for the Pure tournament, but neither were needed. Johnson called out Draper, so a match was made with Pure rules. Draper and Johnson were showcased in fiery promo packages discussing their path in the business to this point.

Johnson sucker punched Draper with a closed fist in the opening seconds. The referee issued Johnson a warning. Johnson fired up with a suicide dice and a flying clothesline.

Draper locked his grip on Johnson, so Johnson grabbed the rope for his first break. Draper used a closed fist to punch Johnson as payback. Draper received a warning for his conduct. No more closed-fist punches or else there will be a disqualification.

Johnson hurt his arm when being clotheslined out of the ring. Draper focused his attack on the injured limb. That led to a doctor bomb and Johnson using his second rope break to escape the pinfall. Draper was caught in the ropes after missing a big boot, so Johnson set him up for a hanging cutter. Fast and furious pinfall counters followed. Johnson was called for his third and final rope break after being caught cheating with his feet on the ropes as leverage for a pin.

Johnson hit his new finisher in a neckbreaker driver, but Draper was able to get his foot on the ropes for his first break. Johnson slapped Draper across the face in anger. Johnson was his own worst enemy in the finish. He was ready to clock Draper with a closed fist but hesitated after realizing it would result in a DQ. Draper pounced to pick up Johnson for a fireman’s carry front slam to win.

Brody King vs Dalton Castle

King discussed his personal background and finding professional wrestling. He wants a championship match against Rush. Castle is looking to correct his mistakes in losing. He will be looking to shoot low to take the big man down.

Castle had early success using his amateur wrestling skills to ground King. Castle then used his speed for a few strikes. King exploded with a crossbody block to flatten the peacock. King took his time landing heavy hits then connected on a running senton.

Castle came back with a surprise DDT. He continued the flurry with an exploder suplex, running knee, and German suplex. Castle tried to finish the fight with Bang-A-Rang, but King countered into a piledriver. The action spilled to the floor, where King dumped Castle over the barricade. Back in the ring, Castle had more gas in his tank to gain momentum with a running knee and a bulldog. King stayed alive to kick out.

In the end, Castle ran into a swinging slam. King shifted into a higher gear of punishment for a German suplex, brutal clothesline, and piledriver to win.

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ROH put on a very good episode of wrestling. The format was simple. Start with promo packages to become invested as a fan, then put on a slugfest fight. That’s all the show was, and it worked great. Both winners were impressive, and both losers looked strong in defeat. I was left wanting to see more from all four men. If ROH keeps this style up, then it will be time for their product to rise again.

Brody King convinced me that he can handle a world title shot against Rush. I was never engaged with his tag team or trios performances, but he has my curiosity as a singles star. King knows how to use his size to his advantage. I would still favor Rush, although, King would be a stiff test to pass. On the other side with Dalton Castle, his heart shined bright. I genuinely root for his return to glory.

Share your thoughts about episode 477 of ROH Wrestling. Which match was your favorite? Who stole the show? Do you think Brody King could carry ROH as world champ?

Check for ROH channel listings in your area. Watch the episode on ROH Honor Club (here) or Fite TV (here) released on Mondays.

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