The CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, served as the venue for Ring of Honor’s 20th Death Before Dishonor event on July 21, 2023. The card featured twelve matches, including four bouts on the Zero Hour pre‑show, and concluded with a mix of retained championships and a fresh tag‑team reign.
In the women’s division, Athena emerged victorious in the main event, defeating Willow Nightingale to remain ROH Women’s World Champion. The win adds to Athena’s recent string of successful defenses, underscoring her position as the division’s dominant force. The penultimate contest saw ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli retain his title against Pac.
Castagnoli’s methodical, power‑based approach proved decisive against Pac’s faster, more aggressive style, extending Castagnoli’s reign and further solidifying his status as a top contender. Tag team titles changed hands when Aussie Open—Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis—captured the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
Their victory came in a four‑team scramble that also involved The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett), Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta), and The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fénix and Penta El Zero Miedo). The Australian duo’s hard‑hitting, precise style earned them the belts, ending The Kingdom’s previous hold on the championships. In a Pure Wrestling Rules match, veteran Katsuyori Shibata defended the ROH Pure Championship against rising talent Daniel Garcia.
The bout, which limits rope breaks and closed‑fist strikes, highlighted Shibata’s technical expertise, allowing him to retain the title and preserve the championship’s emphasis on disciplined wrestling. The Dark Order—Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver—won a Fight Without Honor against Stu Grayson and The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch).
The no‑disqualification format permitted the use of weapons, and the stable’s victory keeps them relevant within a division often dominated by newer teams. Celebrating two decades since the inaugural 2003 show, Death Before Dishonor 2023 reinforced the existing hierarchy while introducing new variables. Athena and Castagnoli remain the faces of their respective divisions, while Aussie Open’s ascent signals a potential reshaping of the tag‑team scene for the coming months.
Shibata’s continued defense of the Pure title adds prestige to a championship that rewards technical mastery over brute force. Looking ahead, the retained champions are expected to face fresh challenges, and the newly crowned tag team will likely become a target for established rivals.
The event demonstrated Ring of Honor’s enduring blend of veteran resilience, title prestige, and a steady influx of contenders, all on display in front of a Trenton audience.
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