By Kevin Eck

Here’s the latest ROH news and notes:

LifeBlood still has not received an answer from Flip Gordon as to whether he will become a member of the group, but I’m told the offer is still on the table. Meanwhile, PJ Black has certainly put himself on LifeBlood’s radar. Black has made a real effort to show that he embodies everything LifeBlood stands for.

When LifeBlood’s Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams were being beaten down by Bully Ray, Shane Taylor and The Soldiers of Savagery a few weeks ago, Black stepped up and took a bullet for them. The following week, Black, Haskins and Williams teamed up to win a six-man tag match over Shinobi Shadow Squad, thus earning them a shot at ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO and Brody King) on the Best in the World pay-per-view in Baltimore on Friday night.

Will Black end up becoming a full-fledged member of LifeBlood? If so, where would that leave Gordon? On the other hand, if Gordon accepts LifeBlood’s offer, what would that mean for Black? Is it possible both men could join the group? It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. …

Speaking of Villain Enterprises, they will unveil their personalized six-man title belts on the pay-per-view. Scurll asked PCO and Destro to design the new belts, and the monster and his creator did exactly that.

Monday Night PCO and Destro. The @ringofhonor Monster and his creator are on a very crucial mission for Villain Enterprises !!#VE #BITW #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/8wW5H1AAgj — PCO Perfect Creation One (@PCOisNotHuman) June 24, 2019

Clearly, Scurll is confident Villain Enterprises will be holding onto the titles for a long time, but turning back the challenge of Haskins, Williams and Black won’t be easy.

In addition to revealing their new title belts, expect Villain Enterprises to also reveal their fourth member in Baltimore.

It seems a lot of fans have a pretty good idea of who is behind the “Maneater” video that surfaced recently on social media. I have it on good authority that the person in question is likely to make their presence felt in Baltimore and at the Best in the World international television taping Saturday in Philadelphia. ...

In case you missed it, NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis announced that the mystery man who will team with him in place of the injured Colt Cabana against the Briscoes in a grudge tag match on the Best in the World pay-per-view just signed a contract with the NWA. I’ve learned that Aldis’ partner is a former world champion. His identity will be revealed during the Best in the World pre-show Friday, which airs live and for free at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Ring of Honor Wrestling Facebook Live, FITE TV and all major cable and satellite operators…

BREAKING!@RealNickAldis reveals that his partner for #ROHBITW has also signed an exclusive deal with the NWA! Full Video - https://t.co/K8gD67d89Y pic.twitter.com/xQ6ccKln5L — NWA (@nwa) June 26, 2019

Kudos to ROH officials for putting a main event-worthy match such as Gordon versus the undefeated RUSH on the free pre-show. According to a member of the ROH office, the company made the decision as a way of giving back to its loyal fans, but also to prove once again to all wrestling fans that ROH lives up to its moniker of “The Best Wrestling on the Planet.” ...

An interesting development took place when Silas Young visited the ROH Dojo recently. Young said he was going to teach the students “how to win,’ but his teaching methods left a lot to be desired, as he proceeded to bully and humiliate one of the smaller students. When Young asked if any of the other students wanted to challenge him, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Dak Draper stepped right up. Young’s demeanor immediately softened. He told Draper his opportunity would come and then exited the ring.

Draper’s opportunity might be coming very soon. According to a source, Draper is at the top of the list of possible participants for the upcoming Top Prospect Tournament, which begins on July 21 at Mass Hysteria in Lowell, Mass.

As seen in a video posted on social media by Dalton Castle, the former ROH World Champion is doing some rather unique training for his match against Dragon Lee in Baltimore. ...

I fear NO Luchador!

I've never been more prepared for a match in my life. WATCH NOW: https://t.co/eMUdftgguF At Best in the World, @dragonlee95 doesn't stand a chance. #BITW @ringofhonor pic.twitter.com/uUPltHnz5k — Dalton Castle (@theDALTONcastle) June 21, 2019

ROH stars interviewed in the media this week ahead of Best in the World include ROH World Champion Matt Taven with Sports Illustrated and the website for the CBS affiliate in Baltimore; PCO with Newsweek; and Women of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein with “Let’s Talk Live” on the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. ...

The Soldiers of Savagery will make their official ROH in-ring television debut in Philadelphia. …

The Flex Express will roll into Philadelphia, as Rhett Titus has been booked against Shane Taylor. If Taylor retains the ROH World Television Title against Bandido the night before, there’s a chance the Titus-Taylor bout could be for the championship, but that’s not official. Titus is in peak physical condition and he’s a wily veteran, but he’ll obviously have his work cut out for him against the dangerous Taylor. …

Popular backstage correspondent Quinn McKay will be conducting interviews in Baltimore and Philadelphia. …

I’ll be asking the hard hitting questions this Friday, like

“Who tf is @TheRealSquidROH and what is @TheJonGresham gonna do about him?”,

“Why is @theDALTONcastle so obsessed with dragons?”,

and “Does @sauce_williams really have a bionic arm?” https://t.co/wQz7Bpw8A5 — Quinn McKay (@QuinnIt_ToWinIt) June 24, 2019

Entertaining underdogs Master and Machine (Marcus Kross and Griff Garrison) return to ROH for the first time since January to meet Coast 2 Coast (LSG and Shaheem Ali) in Philadelphia. Kross and Garrison lost to The Bouncers in their last appearance in ROH earlier this year, but they put forth a spirited effort despite giving up nearly 350 pounds

Kevin Eck is a veteran pro wrestling journalist who has worked for The Baltimore Sun, WWE and WCW before joining ROHWrestling.com.