ROH Glory By Honor XVIII Night One preview/predictions

Ring Of Honor will present Glory By Honor XVIII nights one and two this upcoming Friday, Aug. 20 and Saturday, Aug. 21. Both events will emanate live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. These will only be ROH’s second and third events that have had fans in attendance since the pandemic began. The shows will also run head to head against SmackDown/AEW: Rampage on night one and SummerSlam on night two.

The pair of shows will follow up the events of the critically acclaimed Best In The World Pay-Per-View that took place on July 11, 2021.

Glory By Honor Night One Predictions

Brian Johnson vs. EC3

EC3’s time in Ring Of Honor has been disappointing, to say the least. He’s had a few good matches here and there, but there’s been some stuff that’s fallen flat as well.

Nobody is to blame exactly, as he’s dealt with multiple health issues, but one can only hope his direction in the company is defined with this match and going forward.

Brian Johnson didn’t get much exposure in ROH before the pandemic, which he took personally because he’s been a great character since the company returned. Johnson is a great promo and an average wrestler that hasn’t got that “big break” just yet.

Both of these guys could use a win, but I’m gonna stick with EC3 here.

Prediction: EC3

Rey Horus vs. Silas Young

Both of these guys feel a bit directionless at the moment, which is fine because I don’t see either guy playing into any of the major components or storylines of the company.

Horus is ranked third in the Television Championship rankings, so a win for Silas would surely boost him into the lineup. Coming off a loss to Josh Woods at Best In The World, I see Young scoring the upset here.

Prediction: Silas Young

The Briscoes vs. The Righteous (Bateman & Dutch)

The Briscoes are working on rebuilding themselves and working their way up the Tag Team rankings. The brothers had internal issues over the past number of months and settled their differences in a Fight On A Farm cinematic affair a few weeks ago.

This is the first time that Bateman and Dutch are teaming together, and I just don’t see them beating the 11-time Tag Team Champions.

Prediction: The Briscoes

Dak Draper vs. Danhausen vs. Demonic Flamita vs. Eli Isom vs. Mike Bennett vs. PJ Black 

This will be a Six-Man Mayhem match that will see the winner placed into the World Championship rankings.

I like the usage of this match for two reasons: It gets guys like Danhausen, Eli Isom, and Flamita on the card and it has stakes. ROH has improved vastly when it comes to making matches matter and this is a prime example of it.

Danhausen has a clear ceiling (especially in ROH’s sports-like environment), but I’m still confused on why the company didn’t capitalize on his Conan O’Brien appearance and his recent uptick in fame. I would have him winning if he wasn’t in a current tag team with PCO.

This is a genuine pick’ em as none of these guys have a ton of momentum, but I’m gonna go with Flamita simply for the history between him and Bandido.

Prediction: Demonic Flamita

The Allure (Angelina Love & Mandy Leon vs. Vita VonStarr & TBA)

This will be the first women’s match in front of ROH fans since February 29th, 2020. The company is in the midst of rebooting its women’s division with a Women’s Championship tournament, but none of those matches have taken place in front of a live audience.

I think VonStarr’s partner will be either Max The Impaler or Maria Manic. Manic destroyed Love at the Final Battle PPV in 2019 and has other history with her, while Max is Love’s upcoming opponent in the tournament.

This match will just depend on who VonStarr’s partner is, but I’ll stick with my guesses and pick her team.

Prediction: Vita VonStarr & Maria Manic/Max The Impaler

La Facción Ingobernable (Dragon Lee, Kenny King, La Bestia del Ring, and Rush) vs. Violence Unlimited (Brody King, Tony Deppen, Homicide and Chris Dickinson)

Faction warfare has been a primary focus of Ring Of Honor television for a great duration of its post-pandemic run and it’s made for some great storytelling and matches.

Violence Unlimited was created in March 2021 when Brody King simply needed some friends to battle Rush and his group. They’ve been quite entertaining and it was a fantastic way to introduce Chris Dickinson into ROH.

Even though Dickinson and Homicide are Tag Team Champions, I don’t feel like the group has a big win under their belt and they should definitely win this match. As long as they protect Rush and Dragon Lee, I’m betting on a win for Violence Unlimited.

Prediction: Violence Unlimited

Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Rhett Titus – ROH Pure Championship Match

Jonathan Gresham is on the run of his life with the Pure Championship right now. I consider Gresham to be a top-five wrestler on the planet and hope he holds the Pure Title until someone who is undeniable comes along.

Rhett Titus, while he’s being elevated significantly and improving by the day, isn’t the guy to dethrone Gresham. This match will be great and will only further the tension within The Foundation, but it won’t do much else.

Prediction: Jonathan Gresham retains the Pure Championship 

Bandido (c) vs. Flip Gordon – ROH World Championship Match

Flip Gordon has had a ROH Title match “in his pocket” since February 2020 when he won a number one contenders battle royal. Gordon waited until Rush lost his championship and now has decided to cash in that championship shot.

It makes sense, in storyline, because Gordon is 2-0 against Bandido, but since this is the first championship defense for the “Most Wanted” luchador, I feel like it’s obvious who goes over here.

Prediction: Bandido retains the ROH World Championship 

Stay tuned for Glory By Honor XVIII night two predictions.