Reflection of Honor for 6/17/19 (Cobb vs Rush vs Lethal vs PCO)

Ring of Honor’s 404th episode kicked off from Chicago, IL. It included an opening match between Hikuleo and New Japan’s Hirooki Goto, a blazing fast six-man tag team match between Lifeblood and Shadow Squad.

The show concluded with a Fatal Four Way matchup between Cobb, Lethal, Rush, and PCO. This week’s episode had much more wrestling and less storytelling than last week’s, which made for a good change in pace.

Cobb Rush Lethal PCO
Photo / ROH

Hikuleo vs Hirooki Goto
Hikuleo, representing Bullet Club, made his way to the ring to take on Hirooki Goto, a rising star from New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The Bullet Club member slapped away Goto’s hand, refusing the code of honor. The two exchanged some lockups and counters off the ropes, but the momentum was thwarted when Hikuleo grabbed Goto by the hair and pummeled him onto his back.

But Goto used his power to even the score with a clothesline as Hikuleo abruptly stopped mid-ring after springing off the ropes. The two men began a chopping contest and exchanged some blows.

Goto came off the ropes and ran right into a full force chop to the chest. But the pain only enraged him as he took Hikuleo down with an even more devastating clothesline.

Goto hit him with another clothesline in the corner and went to the top rope. But Hikuleo fought back and executed a super-plex off the second rope on Goto.

The two exchanged more chops, but Goto ducked a clothesline, ran into the ropes but got caught on Hikuleo’s second clothesline attempt, sending him inside out.

Goto avoided Hikuleo’s charge into the corner, then fought back with a head butt and a forearm that drove him face-first into the mat. Goto then delivered a DVD onto his knee, then finished him with a GTR to consolidate the pin.
Winner: Hirooki Goto

Kenny King Interview
Kenny King reflected his thoughts on the previous week’s match with Jay Lethal, which he won in their first matchup in a Best of Three matches. The second match was won by Jay Lethal because King disqualified himself.

King stated that Lethal couldn’t get out of “first gear” because he had “an answer for everything.” He said he knows his moves and knows everything about him, including beating him with his own move: the Lethal Injection. He concluded, “I’m not crazy. I’m just better.”

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs Lifeblood (Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams) and PJ Black
Tracy and Cheeseburger started the 6-man tag team matchup with some lockups and maneuvers off the ropes. They came to a standing draw after both competitors blocked each other’s martial arts kicks.

PJ and Eli were tagged in. PJ was caught with a knee to the face after going off the ropes multiple times. Moments later, Haskins and Nova were tagged in and went at it.

Nova ducked Haskins ducked each other’s offensives with some impressive maneuvers around the ring and off the ropes. Tracy tagged himself in and came in the ring and caught Nova with a clothesline as Haskins Irish whipped him into his direction.

Haskins tagged himself back in and catapulted Nova into PJ’s forearm. Mark and Tracy continued to exchange tags to save stamina and work down Nova.

Haskins ran towards the corner and Nova leaped over him, gaining a last-ditch effort at a tag to Eli. Eli drop-kicked all Lifeblood members to the outside, then nailed a springboard moonsault onto the outside.

Eli and Nova worked some double team maneuvers on Haskins, followed by a Swanton off the top ropes by Cheeseburger. Nova, now the legal man, attempted a pin on Haskins.

Nova attempted a kick off the ropes, but Haskins rolled out of the way, then rolled Nova up onto his shoulders and dropped him on his back. Cheeseburger and Eli attempted to enter the ring to save Nova, but PJ was ahead of them and nailed them both with a springboard moonsault.

Haskins and Tracy then took turns nailing Nova with their kicks. Finally, Haskins nailed the Spiccoli driver, setting him up for PJ. PJ went to the top ropes and nailed his moonsault double stomp for the pin.
Winner: Lifeblood and PJ Black

Tracy Williams then got on the microphone and said he had business to attend to. He then lay out a challenge to Bully Ray to pick two competitors and take on Lifeblood anytime.

Cobb Rush Lethal PCO
Photo / ROH

Jeff Cobb vs Rush vs Jay Lethal vs PCO
Matt Taven came to the announce table as a guest announcer for this match. The match started with Cobb and Rush exchanging powerful shoulder-to-shoulder takedowns. As the two challenged each other’s strength, PCO came in and double clotheslined them both.

Jay Lethal and PCO then went at it, exchanging chops and punches. Lethal took the offensive with a series of kicks and hip tosses to PCO. PCO then asked Lethal to deliver a suicide dive to him on the outside, egging him on. Lethal looked at PCO as if he was crazy. Cobb took advantage of this distraction by pummeling Lethal.

PCO then asked Cobb and Rush to do the same, but neither complied. Instead, Lethal did a suicide dive to the outside on Cobb, then followed with a dive on Rush. Finally, Lethal complied with PCO’s demands and delivered a suicide dive into him.

But PCO endured Lethal’s force and caught him in the suicide dive with his hand around Lethal’s neck, and choke slammed him on the ring apron.

PCO then hit a PCO Bomb onto Rush, but Cobb broke up the pin, only to be choke slammed as well, moments later.

Jeff Cobb vertical suplex onto Rush. Then, moments later, Rush double super-plexed PCO and Lethal off the second rope with help from Rush.

PCO was first to get up, then Lethal, as the two exchanged blows and kicks. Lethal was about to go for the Lethal Injection, but PCO pushed him into the ropes and executed a pump up powerbomb.

Cobb then nailed PCO with a Samoan drop and a standing moonsault, but Rush broke the pinfall. Rush then superkicked Cobb and delivered a belly to belly suplex into the turnbuckle.

Rush then nailed Lethal with a dropkick behind the head, but PCO surprised Rush with a clothesline moments later.

PCO setup Rush on the ring apron and went for a swanton off the top rope. Rush moved and PCO knocked himself out as he had free fallen back first onto the apron.

With PCO out cold, Lethal came in and nailed the Lethal Injection on Rush. Rush avoided the pinfall rolling to the outside of the ring, just as Cobb entered back into the ring.

Cobb came up behind Lethal and attempted a German Suplex. But Lethal escaped and was able to score a Lethal Combination on Cobb.
Out of nowhere, Kenny King made his way to the ring distracting Lethal just as he was about to execute Lethal Injection. Kenny King was verbally taunting Lethal.

Cobb took advantage of the distraction and scored the tour of the islands on Lethal for the pinfall. After the match, Kenny King was boasting that the Lethal Injection is now his move and that Lethal needs his permission to use it.
Winner: Jeff Cobb

You can catch up with every Reflection Of Honor right here!

Micah Shapiro, a native of Seattle, a father, and a husband, holds a Master of Science degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, and is a war and history junkie with a fascination for the dramatization and narration of human conflicts (obviously, pro wrestling fits that spectrum very well). He avidly watches independent pro wrestling as an escape from the daily anxieties of life in general, and his logistics day job. Though a typical hermit, sometimes he'll actually leave his house to go to DEFY's shows. Besides pro wrestling and global conflicts, he enjoys BBQ'ing (his specialty is Turkish Aleppo-pepper chicken kabobs), playing adventure and RPG video games, board games, painting war game miniatures, and reading science fiction, horror and fantasy novels.