Undisputed Kingdom

Undisputed Kingdom (formerly known as The Kingdom) is a villainous professional wrestling stable that mainly appears in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and also makes appearances in its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), consisting of leader Adam Cole, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, and Wardlow.

The stable rose to prominence during the mid-2010s in Ring of Honor (ROH) and also made appearances in Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Some major Championships held by the stable include the ROH World Championship (two times), ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (three times, inaugural), ROH World Tag Team Championship (three times), IWGP Tag Team Championship (one time), Impact World Tag Team Championship (one time), AEW International Championship (one time), and NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship (one time).

History

Ring of Honor (2014–2019)

Formation as The Kingdom

On July 12, 2014, The Kingdom officially made their debut as a stable in Ring of Honor when Hardy, Bennett, and Adam Cole faced War Machine ( Hanson and Raymond Rowe) along with Michael Elgin in a six-man tag team match which ended in a no contest. On November 15, 2014, at Glory By Honor XIII, Matt Taven, who had joined the stable back in September, teamed with Bennett as they unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon ( Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. At Best in the World 2014 Cole lost the ROH World Championship to Michael Elgin. In July, Hardy opted out of his ROH contract and went back to TNA. After failing to regain the ROH World Championship from now champion Jay Briscoe at Final Battle 2014, Cole announced he had suffered a shoulder injury which would require surgery.

On March 1, 2015, at the 13th Anniversary Show, Bennett and Taven defeated The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) as well as Karl Anderson (who competed on his own due to Doc Gallows suffering travel issues) in a three-way tag team match. On March 27, 2015, at Supercard of Honor IX, Bennett and Taven unsuccessfully challenged reDRagon ( Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Cole returned from his injury at War of the Worlds ‘15, where he lost to A.J. Styles. Cole then began having tension with Bennett and Taven and even teased a reunion with former Future Shock partner Kyle O’Reilly. On September 18 at All Star Extravaganza VII, Bennett and Taven won their first-ever ROH World Tag Team Championship, when they defeated the then champions The Addiction ( Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels) and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson). Later that night Cole betrayed O’Reilly during his world championship match against Jay Lethal remaining with The Kingdom and turning heel once again. Bennett and Taven lost the title to War Machine on December 18 at Final Battle. Bennett and Kanellis left ROH after the following day's '' Ring of Honor Wrestling'' taping, after failing to come to terms on a new contract with the promotion. With Taven suffering a legitimate knee injury and subsequently turning on Cole (who would later join the Bullet Club as its U.S. side's de facto leader), The Kingdom went on hiatus.

Matt Taven's Kingdom

On the September 18, 2016 episode of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Taven returned and announced that The Kingdom would be competing in the tournament for the new ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship, but wouldn't announce his partners. On a match taped on October 1, 2016 for the October 23rd, 2016 episode of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Matt Taven revealed T. K. O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia as new members of The Kingdom and defeated Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) to advance to the semi-finals of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament. On the November 19 episode of ROH TV The Kingdom defeated Team CMLL (Hechicero, Okumura and Ultimo Guerrero) to advance to the finals at the Final Battle 2016 PPV. On December 2, The Kingdom defeated Jay White, Kushida and Lio Rush in the finals to become the inaugural ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions.

On March 11, 2017, at Ring of Honor TV taping, Taven, Marseglia and Silas Young, who filled in for an injured T. K. O'Ryan, lost the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship to Bully Ray and The Briscoes.

On May 10, 2017, during the second night of ROH/NJPW War Of The Worlds, Taven was unsuccessful at winning the ROH World Championship against Christopher Daniels.

At Final Battle 2017, Taven defeated Will Ospreay.

In January 2018, Taven started a rivalry with Cody Rhodes when he attacked him, it all lead and culminated at the ROH 16th Anniversary Show, where Taven was defeated by Cody.

On May 9, 2018, at ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Tour, The Kingdom would regain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship by defeating SoCal Uncensored. During a match for the ROH World Championship, Taven achieved a three count in the match, however the referee was not looking and the match ended with Jay Lethal winning the title. The Kingdom would lose the titles to Bullet Club, later known as The Elite (Cody and the Young Bucks).

At Death Before Dishonor XVI, The Kingdom attacked Will Ospreay and Jay Lethal. After the assault, Taven pulled out of a bag a copy of the Ring Of Honor World Championship which was purple instead of black leather, saying he is the true Ring Of Honor World Champion.

On November 2, 2018, The Kingdom would win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship for the third time, beating The Elite, holding them until March 16, 2019

On March 15, 2019, at the ROH 17th Anniversary Show, Taven challenge Lethal for the Ring of Honor World Championship, with the match ending in a 60-minute time-limit draw.

The following month at G1 Supercard, Taven would defeat Lethal and Marty Scurll in a ladder match to win the ROH World Title, and with that becoming the second ROH Grand Slam winner. His title win over the more popular Marty Scurll has been criticized, usually calling him a "critical and financial flop". During a 411Mania podcast, Jerome Cusson said his title win "actively hurt ROH" since it was not "a draw" and he "wasn't over".

On September 27, 2019, at Death Before Dishonor, Matt Taven was defeated by Rush for the ROH Championship, ending his reign at 174 days. After the match, O'Ryan and Marseglia were shown having been attacked backstage (to explain why neither of them had interfered on Taven's behalf to prevent the defeat, which they regularly had done in the past).

On the ROH Death Before Dishonor Fallout TV episode, Marseglia attacked Taven in the ring, signalling the start of a storyline feud between the two former allies.

On December 13, 2019 at ROH's Final Battle PPV, Marseglia scored an upset victory over Taven. After the match, Marseglia and Bateman attacked Taven, attempting to break Taven's ankles.
On the December 14, 2019 episode of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', O'Ryan announced that The Kingdom had disbanded.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2014–2015)

On August 10, 2014, during the G1 Climax The Kingdom, represented by Cole and Bennett and accompanied by Maria Kanellis, made their New Japan Pro-Wrestling debuts, defeating Captain New Japan and Jushin Thunder Liger. The Kingdom, now represented by Bennett and Taven, returned to New Japan in November 2014, to take part in the 2014 World Tag League. They finished third in their block with a record of four wins and three losses. Bennett and Taven returned to NJPW on April 5, 2015, at Invasion Attack 2015, where they defeated Bullet Club ( Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. On July 5 at Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, The Kingdom lost the IWGP Tag Team Championship back to Bullet Club in their first defense. Bennett and Taven returned to NJPW in November to take part in the 2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of two wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block.

Impact Wrestling (2022)

On October 27, 2021, Ring of Honor announced that it would go on a hiatus after Final Battle in December of that year. All personnel would be released from their contracts as part of plans to "reimagine" the company as a "fan-focused product". At Hard To Kill on January 8, 2022, an event that featured appearances by notable ROH personnel, Honor No More would make their first appearance by attacking Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Heath and Rhino. After further attacks over the next several weeks, Maria Kanellis-Bennett would formally announce the name of their group at the end of the January 20 episode of '' Impact!''. Kenny King returned to Impact Wrestling on the February 3 episode of ''Impact!'' to join the faction.

On February 19 at No Surrender, Eddie Edwards would join the group after costing Team Impact a 10-man tag team match against Honor No More, where the latter team would have had to leave Impact Wrestling if they had lost. At the end of the February 24 episode of ''Impact!'', Kanellis would introduce Edwards as "the man who opened the door for Honor No More" before the latter would explain his actions. After Kenny Omega won the Impact World Championship in a cross-promotional match at Rebellion in 2021, Edwards waited to be chosen by Impact management to challenge for the title and "restore honor" to the company. Instead, it was Moose and Sami Callihan who both challenged and failed to beat Omega over the Summer. Josh Alexander would ultimately win the Impact World title at Bound for Glory (only for Moose to invoke his Call Your Shot Gauntlet championship match privilege which he won earlier that night, then immediately challenged, and defeat, Alexander for the title). Feeling betrayed by Impact Wrestling (as well as by Ring of Honor, a company Edwards once wrestled for, going on a hiatus and releasing members of Honor No More from their contracts), Edwards cost Team Impact the match at No Surrender.

On March 5 at Sacrifice, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett lost to Rich Swann and Willie Mack in the pre-show, Eddie Edwards defeated Rhino, and PCO lost to Jonah. On April 1 at Multiverse of Matches, Vincent failed to capture the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X match, Edwards lost to New Japan Pro-Wrestling talent Tomohiro Ishii, and PCO teamed with Impact World Champion Moose to face Jonah and Josh Alexander in a losing effort. On April 23 at Rebellion, Kenny King lost to Crazzy Steve in a dark match taped for an Impact Digital Exclusive, Edwards lost to Chris Bey in the pre-show, and Taven and Bennett failed to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship in an Eight-Team Elimination Challenge. On May 7 at Under Siege, Honor No More defeated Bullet Club ( Jay White, Chris Bey, Doc Gallows, El Phantasmo, and Karl Anderson) in a 10-man tag team match. On June 19 at Slammiversary, King failed to capture the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X match, and the rest of Honor No More lost a 10-man tag team match against the Impact Originals (Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian, Nick Aldis, and Davey Richards). On July 1 at Against All Odds, Honor No More lost another 10-man tag team match against Heath, America's Most Wanted ( Chris Harris and James Storm), and The Good Brothers ( Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson).

On the July 28 episode of ''Impact!'', after Eddie Edwards defeated Ace Austin, he and the rest of Honor No More attacked the production truck and caused technical difficulties with the broadcast. Impact Executive Vice President Scott D'Amore confronted the group and put them in a 10-man tag team match against Bullet Club at Emergence; if Honor No More won, they would get a shot at the Impact World Tag Team Championship, but if Bullet Club won, Honor No More must permanently disband. At the event, Honor No More won the match. On the August 18 episode of ''Impact!'', Edwards won a six-way elimination match to become the number one contender to Josh Alexander's Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory. On August 26 (which aired on tape delay on September 1), Matt Taven and Mike Bennett defeated The Good Brothers to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship for the first time. On September 23 at Victory Road, PCO and Vincent lost to The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin), King failed to win the number one contendership for the X-Division Championship in an Intergender Triple Threat Revolver, and Edwards, Taven and Bennett defeated Heath, Alexander and Swann in a six-man tag team match. On October 7 at Bound for Glory, Taven and Bennett successfully defended the tag team titles against the Motor City Machine Guns, PCO failed to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet, and Edwards was unsuccessful in capturing the Impact World Championship from Alexander.

On October 8 (which aired on tape delay on October 20), after Taven and Bennett dropped the Impact World Tag Team Championship to Heath and Rhino, it was announced that they along with Kanellis and Vincent had left Impact Wrestling. That same date, PCO also left the stable after attacking his partners.

All Elite Wrestling / The Undisputed Kingdom (2022–present)

From late 2022, Taven and Bennett made appearances as The Kingdom. Roderick Strong aligned with them from mid 2023, then Bennett's wife Maria Kanellis-Bennett has left the team and she later joined with Cole Karter and Griff Garrison as their manager.

Starting from the September 27, 2023, episode of ''Dynamite'', AEW World and ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF was the target of a masked individual known as The Devil and his associates, The Devil’s Henchmen. On the December 27 episode of ''Dynamite'': New Year's Smash, The Devil’s Henchmen won the ROH World Tag Team Championship by defeating MJF in a 2-on-1 handicap match. Three days later at Worlds End, MJF was once again attacked by The Devil’s Henchman following his AEW World Championship loss to Samoa Joe. Adam Cole, who was one half of Better Than You Bay Bay with MJF, had accompanied MJF to the ring for the match and was held back by The Devil’s Henchman whilst MJF shouted at them not to “fucking hit ole��. The lights went out and when they turned on it was revealed that The Devil had been Cole all along and he had reformed The Kingdom as its leader with Taven, Bennett (who together were revealed as the ROH World Tag Team Champions), Strong and Wardlow. On the January 3, 2024, episode of ''Dynamite'', Cole announced that the stable had changed its name to the "Undisputed Kingdom" (using a similar name to The Undisputed Era, Cole and Strong's previous faction from their time in WWE NXT).

On March 3, 2024 at Revolution, Wardlow defeated Chris Jericho, Powerhouse Hobbs, Lance Archer, Hook, Brian Cage, Magnus, and Dante Martin in an All-Star Scramble match where he will receive a AEW World Championship match. Later in the show, Strong defeated Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship. After the match, Strong, Taven and Bennett was confronted by a returning Kyle O'Reilly, who refused an offer to join the Undisputed Kingdom. On May 26, Strong lost the International Championship to Will Ospreay at Double or Nothing. On August 17 episode of Collision, Bennett and Taven lost their ROH World Tag Team Championships to Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara.

Members

File:Adam Cole, June 2022 (cropped).jpg, Adam Cole
File:Michael Bennett at Smash 2015.jpg, Mike Bennett
File:TavenMSG.jpg, Matt Taven
File:Roderick Strong 2016.png, Roderick Strong
File:Wardlow, 2018 (cropped 2).jpg, Wardlow

Current

Former

Sub-groups

Timeline

Championships and accomplishments

* All Elite Wrestling
** AEW International Championship ( 1 time) – Strong
*Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
** NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship ( 1 time) – Taven
*Impact Wrestling
** Impact World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – Bennett and Taven
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
** IWGP Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – Bennett and Taven
*Ring of Honor
**ROH World Championship (2 times) – Cole (1) and Taven (1)
** ROH World Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – Bennett and Taven
** ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship ( 3 times, inaugural) – Taven, O'Ryan and Marseglia
** Honor Rumble (2014) – Bennett
**Survival of the Fittest (2014) – Cole
** ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament (2016) – Taven, O'Ryan, and Marseglia

*The Wrestling Revolver
**Revolver Tag Team Championship (1 time)

See also

* The OGK
* The Undisputed Era

Notes

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Undisputed Kingdom
All Elite Wrestling teams and stables
Independent promotions teams and stables
New Japan Pro-Wrestling teams and stables
Ring of Honor teams and stables