It’s time for the second round of the ROH Pure Championship tournament, and we’re starting in the top of the ride side bracket, as former ROH World & Pure Champion Jay Lethal takes on NJPW standout, David Finlay. Both men had to fight like hell to get here, with Finlay overcoming Rocky Romero, and Lethal taking out Dalton Castle, no one had an easy path to the second round.
They’ve never met in singles, but Finlay is 2-0 over Lethal in tag team matches. It’s a fourth generation wrestler against a man who calls himself the best first generation wrestler, making this a very interesting match up right there.
The only rule change is that matches now have a 20 minute time limit, as opposed to 15 from the first round. Wrestlers still only get three ropes breaks, and one closed fist punch, otherwise needing to showcase their pure wrestling skills.
David Finlay Shows His Pure Wrestling Heritage
Code of Honor would be adhered to with a handshake, and this would begin, with them taking their time for a lock up. Finlay got a single leg takedown into a keylock, before dropping the arm into the leg. Lethal would escape, and look for a cross armbreaker, before letting Finlay go, still figuring out how to tackle this one.
Finlay would have his arm grabbed, and do his best to break wrist control with some flipping and flopping around the ring. He’d get brief control, before Lethal went back to the injured shoulder, still unsure if this is how he wanted to proceed. Finlay would manage to grab a headlock, and be shoved off, only to come back hard with a shoulder block.
Lethal would get back to his feet, and attempt a hip toss, be countered and thrown over the top rope with one from Finlay. He’d take his time getting back into the ring, only to end up back in the headlock. Lethal would counter and send Finlay into the ropes, hit an enziguri and a short dropkick, before looking for the dive, but Finlay had it scouted.
Back in the ring, they’d get back into it on the mat, Finlay getting a headscissors applied, Lethal slipping out and applying a side headlock, both men still trying to grind their opponent down. This hold wouldn’t stick, and Lethal caught Finlay with a hip toss before cartwheeling into a dropkick, first major strike of the match, but nursed his ankle afterwards. We would go into a commercial break at this time.
The Knee Is Under Attack
Coming back from the commercial break, we’d be halfway through the time limit, with Finlay in control of the match, sending a hard elbow to the back of Lethals neck. He came into control after countering the Lethal Injection with a backbreaker, and has focused on that lower back ever since. Lethal dropped Finlay and tried to apply the Figure Four Leg Lock, but failed, instead hitting the Lethal Combination.
A body slam from Lethal set up the top rope elbow drop, but he took far too long getting up due to this knee giving him issues. He’d have to jump over Finlay, and then get run through with a spear, and locked in an Indian Deathlock, all the pressure on the bad knee. Lethal would also have to deal with chops from Finlay, and was just out of the reach of the ropes.
Jay Lethal Makes A Last Minute Comeback
Finlay would stand up and come back down hard, punishing the knee even more just before Lethal made it to the rope, using his first of three rope breaks. Lethal would linger around the ropes to remain safe, but Finlay came to the apron, but Lethal found the energy to slip away and hit a dropkick, before hitting a suicide dive.
Finlay was sent into the ring for the Hail To The King elbow drop, but Lethal failed to connect, and couldn’t get the Figure Four Leg Lock either. He’d be shoved to the ropes, hit the Lethal Injection and this one was over. Lethal will go on to face the winner of Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams.
Do you think Jay Lethal will win it all? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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