Ring Of Honor TV – May 26, 2021: It Worked For NXT

Ring of Honor
Date: May 26, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week’s show felt a bit more unique with a nice mixture of stuff so hopefully they can keep it up here. I’m never sure what to expect from this show, but they have been surprising me enough lately. The match quality has been better as well so maybe they can keep that up too. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay is back, thanking everyone for her support and promising to have another match. We get the card run down as well and we’re ready to go.

Matt Taven has been attacked and his ankle is hurt again. The Tag Team Title match tonight might be a little bit in trouble.

Fred Yehi vs. Rocky Romero

Pure Rules and the World Famous CB is on commentary. During the entrances, Yehi wonders if he is pure or anti-pure, while Rocky is ready for Yehi. They go slow to start with some grappling on their feet, followed by a bit more on the mat. Yehi takes him down and cranks on the neck, which is enough to send Romero bailing to the corner and us to a break. Back with Romero hitting a shoulder block and grabbing a headlock as the first gear continues.

Yehi gets a headscissors on the mat but Romero reverses into a headlock, which actually sends Yehi to the ropes for his first break. A slugout goes to Yehi, who steps on Romero’s hand to slow him down. A lifting wristlock keeps Romero’s arm in trouble and it’s time for more cranking. We take another break and come back again with Romero having to throw his way out of a sleeper. Yehi doesn’t seem to mind and hooks a fisherman’s suplex for two. Romero pulls him into a cross armbreaker, meaning it’s time for the second rope break.

A t-bone suplex sends Romero down to set up the Koji Clutch, meaning Romero needs his first break. We have less than two minutes to go as Romero snaps the arm over the top rope. A dropkick to the back gets two but Romero still can’t get the cross armbreaker with a minute left. Yehi gets the legs tied up and pounds on the ribs, followed by a sliding kick to the head. The Koji Clutch makes Romero tap at 14:44.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty good technical exchange but there is something about Romero’s style that keeps me from getting into his matches. There are times where he’s rather good but this felt like one of those same matches which have never held my interest. It was not bad in any way, but it feels like a performance instead of a match and that keeps it at a certain level.

Matt Taven’s ankle is screwed up but he isn’t letting a title shot pass by.

Here is Flip Gordon to say he is sick of waiting because he wants his World Title shot (which he has earned) at Rush. Instead he gets EC3, who comes to the ring, says Gordon has been warned, and leaves. Yeah….still not feeling EC3 in Ring of Honor at all.

The Foundation is ready to defend the Tag Team Titles but Jay Lethal comes in to mention Taven’s injury. Lethal isn’t happy with this but the fact that Taven wants to wrestle shows how much this means to him. The champs seem down.

Tag Team Titles: OGK vs. Foundation

OGK (Matt Taven/Mike Bennett) are challenging Rhett Titus/Tracy Williams. Bennett and Williams start things off with Williams taking him down by the arm without much trouble. The headlock doesn’t last very long so Williams takes him down by the leg. Cranking ensues but Bennett reverses into an armbar of his own. Taven comes in for an elbow to the back of the neck but the ankle gives out, meaning it’s time for a trip to the floor.

Back from a break with Bennett bringing Taven back in for a dropkick into a chinlock. Titus gets smart by going after the ankle, with Williams cranking on a half crab. A chinlock with the knee in the back has Taven in more trouble before it’s back to Titus to stay on the leg. Some knees to the neck and shoulder set up a chickenwing as Williams likes to mix up his submissions. Taven gets away and brings in Bennett for the rapid fire chops, followed by a hammerlock DDT to Williams.

A Death Valley Driver plants Williams as everything breaks down. Titus gets superkicked into a spear for two and we take another break. Back again with Williams forearming Taven down for two with Bennett making the save. The DDT onto the turnbuckle rocks Taven again but he manages a legsweep for a breather. Bennett comes back in and cranks on the ankle lock as everything breaks down again.

Williams puts Taven in a half crab as Bennett armbars Titus, allowing them to stare at each other and slap each other at the same time. That is broken up so a pair of piledrivers put everyone down. Bennett and Williams forearm it out but Taven breaks it up. That earns him a kneebar but Bennett makes a save. Taven misses a middle rope crossbody and Titus clotheslines him into a piledriver from Williams to retain the titles at 19:28.

Rating: B. This got the time that it needed and they told a nice story with the ankle slowing Taven down. The injury was the main focal point and it gets even better when you have Williams, who can pick apart anyone even when they are healthy. It was a good story and the action backed it up, as you probably expected.

Respect is shown post match. The champs leave and Taven is frustrated. Cue Vincent on the screen to say that HE is Matt Taven, with commentary confirming that Vincent attacked him. You mean Taven’s archenemy is the person who attacked him before a big match? How shocking.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty lame reveal at the end aside, this was another good show as they don’t try to do anything more than set some simple goals and then accomplish them. That is what made NXT work so well and Ring of Honor is making it work too, because it is a good formula. This was another solid show and Ring of Honor continues to be one of the easiest shows to watch every week.

 

 

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