ROH Results 10/22/26: Lee Moriarty Retains Pure Championship, Bishop Kaun Targets Bandido, and Mina Shirakawa Defeats Isla Dawn
Ring of Honor delivered another championship-focused episode Thursday night, October 22, with Lee Moriarty defending the ROH Pure Championship against Mance Warner, Mina Shirakawa facing Isla Dawn, and Bishop Kaun making his intentions toward ROH World Champion Bandido abundantly clear.
And while the evening featured seven matches, the biggest story wasn't simply who won. It was how several of those victories established the next direction for the competitors involved.
The broadcast opened with Shane Taylor Promotions addressing the audience, as Shane Taylor emphasized the group's strength and highlighted Lee Moriarty, Trish Adora, and Tehuti Miles.
From there, Bishop Kaun faced Main Man Oro in singles competition.
Oro attempted to use his speed and striking ability to disrupt Kaun's offense, but the powerhouse gradually took control. Kaun punished Oro around ringside before eventually securing the victory with a facebuster.
Winner: Bishop Kaun defeated Main Man Oro via pinfall.
Apparently, winning wasn't enough.
Kaun continued attacking Oro after the bell, prompting ROH World Champion Bandido to make the save. Kaun subsequently issued a challenge for Bandido's championship, establishing himself as a potential threat to the titleholder.
And I appreciate the simplicity of that presentation.
Kaun didn't need an elaborate explanation about why he deserved an opportunity. He demonstrated his physical dominance, provoked the champion, and made his intentions clear.
Sometimes professional wrestling benefits from allowing the actions to do the talking.
The Rascalz were also victorious, with Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz defeating Cole Radrick and Matt Diesel.
The match featured the quick combinations and tag-team chemistry that have become synonymous with The Rascalz. Xavier helped create the opening before Wentz connected with Hot Fire Flame to secure the pinfall.
Winners: The Rascalz defeated Cole Radrick and Matt Diesel.
Meanwhile, Dark Order's Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and Preston Vance defeated Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, and BEEF in six-man tag team competition.
The encounter featured interference attempts from Mark Sterling and several momentum changes before Vance secured the victory.
Winners: Dark Order defeated Premier Athletes and BEEF via pinfall.
One aspect of six-person tag team wrestling that I particularly appreciate is how much personality can be communicated through the smallest interactions.
You have several performers attempting to establish themselves simultaneously, which means the transitions, reactions, and moments between the bigger offensive sequences become especially important.
The strongest teams understand how to make those moments feel natural rather than simply waiting for their next opportunity to execute a maneuver.
Elsewhere, Zayda Steel continued building momentum with a victory over Xanti Li.
Accompanied by Christopher Daniels, Steel encountered considerable resistance from Li, who demonstrated an aggressive approach and nearly secured the victory following a superkick.
Steel eventually countered with a spinning variation of the Killswitch to finish the encounter.
Winner: Zayda Steel defeated Xanti Li via pinfall.
The Swirl's Blake Christian and Lee Johnson also secured a victory over KayJay Impala and Hayden Seal of Il Cartello Grillo.
Christian and Johnson relied on their speed and increasingly effective double-team offense before finishing the match with a combination involving a double stomp and Spicolli Driver.
Winners: The Swirl defeated Il Cartello Grillo via pinfall.
With The Swirl preparing to participate in NJPW's Super Junior Tag League, the victory provided another opportunity to demonstrate their chemistry before international competition.
Mina Shirakawa and Isla Dawn then delivered one of the evening's more competitive singles encounters.
Dawn attempted to impose her physicality early, using strikes and submission offense to disrupt Shirakawa's rhythm. But Shirakawa gradually began targeting Dawn's leg, creating opportunities for her own offense.
After several convincing near falls, Shirakawa successfully applied a figure-four leglock and forced Dawn to submit.
Winner: Mina Shirakawa defeated Isla Dawn via submission.
And that's the kind of finishing sequence I appreciate.
Shirakawa established a target, continued attacking it, and eventually used that strategy to secure the victory.
It's a reminder that match psychology doesn't need to be complicated to be effective. The important part is making the audience understand why the finish happened.
The evening concluded with Lee Moriarty defending the ROH Pure Championship against Mance Warner.
Now, this was an interesting matchup.
Moriarty's technical approach contrasted with Warner's more physical, unpredictable style, creating an encounter where the Pure Rules became increasingly important.
Both competitors were forced to use their limited rope breaks as the match progressed.
Warner also suffered a bloody injury during the encounter, but continued fighting and nearly secured the championship following a superplex and additional offense.
What made the closing stretch particularly effective was the emphasis on the consequences of those earlier rope breaks.
Warner eventually found himself without another available escape under the Pure Rules.
Moriarty capitalized by applying a rope-assisted hammerlock, leaving Warner with no alternative but to submit.
Winner: Lee Moriarty defeated Mance Warner via submission to retain the ROH Pure Championship.
The two competitors shook hands following the match, concluding the evening with an acknowledgment of the contest they had just delivered.
And I think that's an appropriate ending for a championship match built around technical wrestling and the rules governing it.
Moriarty didn't simply survive another defense.
He demonstrated an understanding of the championship's unique stipulations and used them to his advantage.
That's an important distinction.
A wrestler who understands the rules better than an opponent possesses an advantage before the opening bell even rings.
ROH also confirmed that Final Battle 2026 will take place Friday, December 4, in San Antonio, Texas.
With Kaun now targeting Bandido, Moriarty continuing his Pure Championship reign, and several other competitors building momentum, the promotion has multiple directions available as it approaches its next major event.
And that's ultimately what I want from weekly wrestling programming.
Not simply a collection of matches.
I want the results to mean something.
Thursday's episode provided several opportunities for those stories to continue developing.
Complete ROH Results — October 22, 2026
Bishop Kaun defeated Main Man Oro.
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz) defeated Cole Radrick and Matt Diesel.
Dark Order (Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and Preston Vance) defeated Premier Athletes (Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari) and BEEF.
Zayda Steel defeated Xanti Li.
The Swirl (Blake Christian and Lee Johnson) defeated Il Cartello Grillo (KayJay Impala and Hayden Seal).
Mina Shirakawa defeated Isla Dawn via submission.
Lee Moriarty defeated Mance Warner via submission to retain the ROH Pure Championship.
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