Ring of Honor Episode 253 Recap Jay Lethal vs Kyle O’Reilly For The ROH World Heavyweight Title

Welcome to the Fightful.com recap for Ring of Honor episode 253, I’m Ryan Cook. Tonight history will be made as Jay Lethal defends his ROH World Heavyweight title against Kyle O’Reilly. This match is set to take up the entire they announce at the beginning of the show so this should be great!

-Adam Cole comes out and interrupts O’Reilly who’s in the ring already, saying he won’t be facing Lethal for the title tonight as The Young Bucks come out of the crowd and hit a double super kick on O’Reilly as Cole comes down to the ring. Cole comes in and hits O’Reilly with a chair then targets his arm and shoulder with it as they pin his arm in one and hit it with another chair, trying to break his arm as Bobby Fish comes out to save him. Cole & The Bucks slither away as we go to commercial. As we come back they show a video of what just happened. 

We go to O’Reilly backstage who is with the medical team, Bobby FIsh trying to convince him to wait until he’s healed. They announce that they have standby matches. 

Tough Guy Inc. vs War Machine

War Machine take out Tough Guy Inc. on the outside then tosses them in the ring. War Machine then hit Fallout for the pin and the win. This match didn’t last 2 minutes.

Winner: War Machine

-After the match Keith Lee & Shane Taylor come out and attack War Machine. It seems Lee & Taylor will get the upper hand, but after Hanson hits a swanton off the top rope to the outside War Machine stands tall as we go to commercial. The Briscoe brothers are backstage talking about their IWGP match against The Young Bucks.

Cheeseburger vs WIll Ferrara

They start off the match, but are quickly interrupted byThe Cabinet who comes out to the ring. Coleman says that the match is cancelled. Kenny King says that they don’t look like wrestlers, they look like the fans, saying that they can either leave the ring and go be a fan or they’ll remove them from professional wrestling. Cheeseburger says that they don’t have various animals, but they do have one thing as MOOSE comes out. 

Winner: No Contest

The Cabinet vs Cheeseburger, Will Ferrara & MOOSE

As the match starts Nigel says he’s getting an update on Kyle O’Reily. Cheeseburger, Ferrara & Moose quickly clear the ring as Cheeseburger and Ferrara double team King as we’re told O’Reily is refusing to give up his title shot. King gets the upperhand on Ferarra as The Cabinet tag each other in and out, not letting Will get to his corner. Ferrrara tags in Moose who takes out all three members of The Cabinet, Moose sends King & Coleman out with a double dropkick then hits a sitout powerbomb off the top rope on Titus for a close 2 count.The Cabinet then overwhelm Cheeseburger and get the pin and the win after a brainbuster. 

-After the match we are told that Kyle O’Reily will go against doctors orders and face Jay Lethal as we go to commercial.

Jay Lethal vs Kyle O’Reilly for the ROH World Heavyweight Title

Kyle comes out with a heavily tapped shoulder as we are told Bullet Club have been escorted from the building. Before the match starts Jay says that he has a lot of respect for Kyle and that he has nothing to prove and that they can have the match some other time. O’Reilly says as long as there’s breath in his body he’ll fight for the belt. O’Reilly starts off at a distance with kicks until Lethal drops him with a side headlock, O’Reilly gets back up but Lethal knocks him down on the bad shoulder. Lethal smartly focuses on the injured shoulder as O’Reilly takes a break outside. O’Reilly goes for a triangle choke, but can’t get the tap then tosses Lethal into the corner. Lethal goes for a dropkick, but it’s ducked then O’Reilly goes for a rear naked choke in the ropes, but his arm is too badly hurt to apply pressure.

O’Reilly tries for a standing guillotine, but can’t apply pressure, Lethal yanking him to the mat. O’Reilly hits a flurry of offense with punches, kicks and a leg sweep, dropping Lethal. Jay hits the Lethal combination out of no where for a close 2 count. Lethal then locks in a crossface, but O’Reilly gets to the rope, putting a lot of torque on the injured shoulder in the process. Lethal comes out and tosses O’Reilly into the railings, rolling back into the ring, Lethal visibly doubtful. Lethal comes out and tosses O’Reilly back into the ring, but Kyle sends Lethal over the top rope then dives through the ropes. They both get back into the ring and O’Reilly hits a missile dropkick as Kevin Kelly pleads with the referee to stop the match, that O’Reilly can’t continue. O’Reilly hits an armbar, transitions to a triangle, but Lethal gets out and stomps on the arm. Lethal hits a release german suplex then O’Reilly goes for a german, but can’t get Lethal up, Lethal hits a superkick that sends O’Reily into the ropes, but O’Reilly turns Lethal inside out with a rebound lariat ala Dean Ambrose. O’Reilly hits a brainbuster next for a 2 count.

O’Reilly hits a t-bone suplex out of no where, but Lethal sets him up for a tombstone, driving his knees into the shoulder of O’Reilly. They exchange forearms, until Jay Lethal hits the Lethal Injection for the pin and the win. That was a really good match, a lot of psychology involved.

WInner: Jay Lethal via pinfall with The Lethal Injection

-After the match The Young Bucks come out of no where and attack O’Reilly who’s already in agony on the mat. Adam Cole brings in two chairs, looking to finish what they started earlier. The Bucks hits a Meltzer Driver off the top rope into a chair as Kevin Kelly is screaming at ringside. Bullet Club slip out of the ring yet again, just as Bobby Fish and Jay Lethal come to O’Reilly’s aid a bit too late. Nigel gets on the mic and says he’s had enough and says as long as he’s match maker Adam Cole will never have another shot at the ROH World title.