Ring of Honor’s newest signing opened the show with a vignette, and business is boomin’. Slex is a great acquisition, and hopefully, it’s the start of a great shift within the company. He’s been wrestling since 2003 and has had great success in various Australian promotions such as Melbourne City Wrestling and Professional Wrestling Alliance, so I’m sure he’ll do well in ROH.

A brief introduction from Quinn McKay followed, hyping the main event that included Slex taking on Villain Enterprise’s Flip Gordon from Free Enterprise, but first up was Mark Haskins and Alex Shelley.

Mark Haskins Def. Alex Shelley via Sharpshooter

These two had a strong match, with Shelley’s technical skill and Haskin’s quick feet and aggression making for some decent spots. It’s weird seeing Shelley in Ring of Honor so soon after his Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match where he teamed up with Time Splitters partner Kushida in NXT. There was some solid work from Shelley, but Haskins’ fantastic run in the company continued when he managed to lock in the Sharpshooter and get the win. At Gateway to Honor, Haskins will finally get his shot at the ROH World Championship where he’ll face Rush and current champ PCO, and I for one can’t wait.

Up next was a video package featuring Vincent and the other members of The Righteous, helping to build the feud between him and Matt Taven. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Vincent’s new position at the head of the House of 1,000 Corpses-inspired quartet is great TV, and I hope they continue to build a strong position within Ring of Honor.

Another superb talent within ROH is Dalton Castle, and once again he delivered a great promo as he stood with his partner Joe Hendry and spoke to Quinn McKay. Not only can he work in the ring, but his personality also shines in front of a mic, and hopefully one day soon he’ll be wearing gold around his waist once again.

In another interview, McKay spoke to Haskins, and he was all smiles after his victory over Alex Shelley. McKay ashed him about his upcoming title match at Gateway to Honor, where Haskins said all his victories were “building blocks on my yellow brick road to greatness,” and it’s hard to disagree with him. A potential feud could very well arise between him and Tracy Williams, as every time Haskins speaks at the minute, Williams seems to look frustrated, and during this interview, he raised his eyebrows when Haskins talked about how successful he’s recently been.

The Righteous (Vincent & Bateman) Def. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry via Sliced Bread

The momentum continued to build for both teams going into the match, but there could only be one winner. Both teams had some good moments that led to various two counts. Vincent distracted Castle with his crutch, only for Bateman to capitalise on the distraction. Hendry clotheslined Bateman over the ropes which led to Hendry and Castle staring down Vincent, but the towering Bateman attacked Hendry and stopped him in his tracks. Hendry managed to do his signature fallaway slam on both Vincent and Bateman, but it wasn’t enough, with Vincent hitting Sliced Bread on Hendry for the win after getting distracted. It was a decent match, helping to strengthen The Righteous as a faction not to be messed with.

McKay is stood talking to Slex, and it’s just another opportunity to hear him say ‘Business in Boomin’ for the 1,000th time. It’s fine, though, because in the ring the guy’s a star so we can cope with hearing his catchphrase one too many times.

With Vincent and Bateman picking up the win against Joe Hendry and Dalton Castle, the cameraman caught up with The Righteous backstage. Vincent said,  “you’re only as sane as you want to be and madness has its own rewards. You create your own reality and it’s righteous, man.” I love this guy!

Quinn McKay popped up for the last time in the episode to remind us about the upcoming Ring of Honor events. Bound for Honor takes place on February 28th, Gateway to Honor on February 29th, the 18th Anniversary show is happening on March 13th, Past vs Present on March 14th, and finally Supercard of Honor on April 4th. Phew. She also announced that the main event for next week will be Flamita & Bandido vs The Briscoe Brothers.

Flip Gordon Def. Slex via Curb Stomp

This was one hell of a match. Slex is a powerhouse in the ring, and he delivered some solid moves on Flip. A slingshot backbreaker, a suplex onto the apron and a hanging suplex helped to wear down Gordon, rarely allowing him to catch his breath. Slex continued to be dominant, hitting a variation of his Business Bomb on Flip. Although Gordon managed to get in a twisting falcon arrow on Slex, the Business continued to assert himself with another succession of moves. Ever resilient and resourceful, Flip Gordon got the win when he hit the Flip 5 on Slex, followed by a resounding curb stomp followed by the three-count.

During Flip’s victory celebration, he raised the hand of Slex and the two stood in front of the crowd to a round of cheers and applause. Once Gordon left, the Soldiers of Savagery took to the ring, shortly followed by Shane Taylor. Already worn out from his match, Slex took a beating from Taylor who announced he’d re-signed with ROH, and that business was boomin’.

Feature image courtesy of ROH