The main event for the 22nd annual Ring of Honor Death Before Dishonor has been made official. On Monday, ROH announced that the reigning ROH World Champion, Bandido, will defend his championship against the legendary CMLL luchador, Hechicero. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 29, from the historic former ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
ROH World Championship to be Defended in a First-Time-Ever Match
The championship match between Bandido and Hechicero is the culmination of a rivalry that has been building for several weeks on ROH television. The two have been on opposite sides of a series of multi-man tag team matches, with the animosity between them growing each week. The feud reached its boiling point in a recent tag team bout where Hechicero managed to score a pinfall victory over the world champion, a win that immediately established him as the number one contender for the title. According to Cagematch, the upcoming title match at Death Before Dishonor will be the first-ever one-on-one encounter between the two celebrated luchadors, adding a layer of unpredictability to the high-stakes main event.
A Clash of Styles and Generations
The match pits two of the most respected and talented luchadors in the world against each other. Bandido has been a fighting champion since winning the ROH World Title, holding the championship for over 120 days and successfully defending it four times against a variety of challengers. He is known for his incredible high-flying ability and his unique blend of Lucha Libre and modern strong style. Hechicero, on the other hand, is a master of the more traditional, mat-based style of Lucha Libre, known for his complex submission holds and his incredible technical prowess. For Hechicero, this will be an opportunity to capture his first major championship since June 2023, when he was a champion in his home promotion of CMLL. The clash of their distinct styles promises to create a classic and memorable ROH World Championship main event.
The Legacy of Death Before Dishonor
This year’s event will be the 22nd Death Before Dishonor in the history of Ring of Honor, a tradition that dates all the way back to 2003. The event has a storied legacy and has been the site of many of the promotion’s most iconic matches. This will be the fifth time that the event has been held in Philadelphia, a city with a deep and passionate history with professional wrestling, and the first time it has been held in the legendary 2300 Arena (formerly the ECW Arena) since 2021, which was before Tony Khan purchased the company. With a main event that showcases the best of Lucha Libre and the spirit of Ring of Honor, this year’s Death Before Dishonor looks to continue that proud legacy.
With the main event now set, the rest of the card for the HonorClub streaming special is expected to take shape in the coming weeks on ROH’s weekly television show.