Bandido vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bandido (RoH World Title Supercard of Honor 07/11/2025)

I'm finally getting a chance to watch this match since RoH uploaded it to their channel and even after all the hype it still lives up to it. These are two of the best wrestlers going right now so it's not a huge surprise, but it's good to see Bandido still has it after being off for quite a long time from injuries. Bandido is top tier at emoting through his mask. Another factor that plays into how well this match works is that the camera work often plays up into Takeshita's size advantage. There are a lot of shots up from the ringside camera while Takeshita is over Bandido that emphasize his height advantage. That point is also helped by a comment by Callis where he says Bandido might be the strongest pound for pound, but Takeshit is bigger and still has a strength advantage.

We start the match off with some nice technical wrestling and back and forth grappling while the crowd is hot for Bandido. The next segment they go into a back and forth wrist control segment without breaking contact for over a minute then they go back and forth exchanging quick pins and then do an indy respect standoff. A move that has to happen in an RoH main events. Bandido gets the advantage and targets the midsection of Takeshita with some stomps and knees in the corner. They go back to the center and after a quick forearm exchange go into a test of strength. Takeshita easily wins, powering Bandido to the mat, but he gets a head scissors and takes Takeshita over and has control with the headscissors before rolling through and hitting a double stomp to the midsection of Takeshita.

Bandido charges at Takeshita who dodges and lets him run shoulder first into the ring post, grabs him and throws him into the ring post again sending him to the outside. Takeshita puts him into a hammerlock and runs him shoulder first into another ring post. They get back into the ring and Takeshita utilizes his reach to keep the advantage and work over the arm of Bandido. I love a match where both men target different body parts for their strategy and while it's not always the focus, they keep coming back to that body part when they need an advantage. Bandido starts a comeback by dodging a back suplex two times then runs up the ropes and hits a spinning crossbody block right into a double stomp to the midsection of Takeshita. The two of them exchange Yakuza kicks then Takeshita hits a blue thunder bomb that gets a two count.

Bandido hits an unanswered yakuza kick, a sick kick, then goes for a 21-plex, but Takeshita blocks it and sends Bandido to the apron where he rips the mask. Takeshita teases a chair shot, but Bandido dodges it and goes for a suicide dive that Takeshit blocks with a chair to the head. Takeshita starts taunting with Callis and when we go back to Bandido he's bleeding under the mask. Takeshita drags him up the ramp and hits a disgusting brainbuster by the entrance and goes back to the ring and Bandido rushes down and barely beats the 20 count. Takeshita is cocky with the advantage and just punches the cut on his forehead knocking Bandido back down to the mat and Bandido eventually fights back enough to go for a suplex that's blocked, he blocks Takeshita's suplex attempt, and then hits a deadlift vertical suplex. Bandido dodges a charge in the corner from Takeshita and hits a poison rana. Takeshita escapes before Bandido can attempt a 21-plex but Bandido still hits a big tope over the top rope onto him. Back in the ring Bandido hits a frog splash for a two count.

Bandido goes to the top rope and goes for a moonsault onto a standing Takeshita that was supposed to go into some kind of rollup or other move that doesn't quite work right, although they cover it up by going into a small package pretty well. Bandido follows up by hitting an Angel's Wings for a two count and then transitions into a cattle mutilation that Takeshita escapes. We get a double clothesline and the crowd is hot as both men make their way to their feet. They signal to start exchanging strikes with the crowd cheering Bandido and booking Takeshita, they both hit yakuza kicks and then Bandido counters Takeshita's attempt with a spinning back fist. Bandido goes for a 21-plex, but Takeshita flips out of it and then Takeshita goes for a chaos theory and Bandido flips out of that. Bandido hits the X knee then hits a 21-plex for a two count. They go up top and Bandido hits the avalanche fall away slam moonsault for a two count. Bandido goes back up top for a shooting star press and Takeshita gets his knees up and rolls him into a pin for a two count.

Takeshita goes for a pop up powerbomb, but Bandido hits' a hurrincanranna that Takeshita rolls through for a pin of his own for a two count and then Bandido kicks him in the face. Bandido hits a modified version of his X knee to the midsection then goes for the 21-plex, but Takeshita blocks it to hit a strong zero into a wheel barrow German suplex followed by a running knee that gets a two count. Takeshita hits a very loud forearm and goes for a falcon arrow, but Bandido counters with a rollup for the three count.

This match featured a lot of great work from both men and their body work early in the match plays into the rest of the match in more subtle ways as working the midsection of Takeshita stops him from kick out of a rollup and there is a lot of striking that Bandido doesn't return because his arm is injured. The highlight is how well both men counter each others moves and transition into their own and they do a great job of making the match feel epic and big without relying on too many kick outs of big moves and exchanging the finishers too much. It does a great job of echoing what made the original RoH run feel so special with their main events and hearkens back to the glory days of the company that has not had that vibe for over a decade. I don't think RoH will ever get back to what it was, but at least it continues to produce matches like this in main events for the big shows.

Takeshita has been one of the best wrestlers for the last five years at least and Bandido has shown a strong return to form after his injuries not only with his run as champ, but also teaming with Brody King showcasing his ability to work in a tag team as well. It seems obvious when two of the best workers have a match together it should be great, but chemistry doesn't always work that way so it's great to see these two make the match work as well as everybody hoped and watching it a month after it happened and seeing it called the match of the year it's amazing that it lived up to that hype as well. The crazy thing is both of these guys are still getting better and haven't reached the peak of what they can do and are putting on matches like this.