Samoa Joe Appears At ROH Supercard Of Honor
ROH Supercard of Honor XVÂ took place on Friday, April 1, 2022, on FITE TV and saw new champions crowned, plus Samoa Joe and The Young Bucks return to the promotion.
It was Ring of Honor's first event since being acquired by All Elite Wrestling Owner and President, Tony Khan on March 2. The company had been on a hiatus since December 2021 and last produced Final Battle on December 11, 2021.
A change in direction was clearly felt, as new champions were crowned. Mercedes Martinez became the interim ROH Women's World Champion by defeating Willow Nightingale. FTR defeated The Briscoes to capture the ROH World Tag Team Championship, who then had a confrontation with the returning Young Bucks, setting up a match for this week's AEW Dynamite.
Minoru Suzuki overcame Rhett Titus to win the ROH World Television Championship and Wheeler YUTA defeated Josh Woods to become the new ROH Pure Champion.
In the main event of the evening, Jonathan Gresham pinned Bandido to become the Undisputed ROH World Champion, after months of both wrestlers carrying a version of Ring of Honor's leading prize. However, after the match, a former notable ROH legend made his shocking return.
The longest reigning ROH World Champion of all time Samoa Joe made his presence felt at the end of the night, saving Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty from a beatdown from Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. Lethal, who had turned on his longtime friend Matt Sydal earlier in the night, challenged Gresham to a title match immediately after his victory over Bandido. Gresham was having none of it because of his earlier actions, which resulted in Dutt punching Gresham and the beating taking place.
After Moriarty tried to help and failed, Samoa Joe had no other choice but to make his way down to the ring. Initially, he got in the face of Jay Lethal, before choking out Sonjay Dutt in the middle of the ring.
The return marks Joe's first major wrestling appearance since his NXT Championship victory against Karrion Kross in August 2021. Samoa Joe was forced to relinquish the title the following month, before being released by WWE on January 6.