9 Live Observations From ROH Supercard Of Honor XV

5. Mercedes Martinez Vs. Willow Nightingale

Samoa Joe ROH
ROH

Belt collector and ROH Women's World Champion Deonna Purazzo was so in demand over WrestleMania weekend that she couldn't make this historic event for making history of her own.

Set to work the Multiverse Of Matches for Impact at WrestleCon, Purzzao's absence necessitated this interim women's championship bout, with Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale serving as the first two performers to test Tony Khan's mettle booking women's wrestling second time around.

It was a huge leap in the right direction.

This was a big night for Willow Nightingale, and she capped it off with an unbelievable moonsault that probably should have been the finish. Martinez kicked out and locked her in a submission for the win, but despite her victory being well received, the finish felt tacked on to the contest’s apex. Minor complaint aside, the body of the match ruled hard, and comments later on from Tony Khan spoke to just how important the likes of Martinez will be in the division's continued growth.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett