Ring Of Honor – January 16, 2025: Well…It’s Better

Ring Of Honor
Date: January 16, 2025
Location: Akins Ford Arena, Athens, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still kind of in the middle of nowhere with Ring Of Honor at the moment, though next week’s big 100th episode should help a bit. Chris Jericho seems to be feuding with Cope and Jericho has at least been around a little more frequently, though last week’s show needs a lot of improvement. Let’s get to it.

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

QT Marshall talks about how he’s going to move his TV Title match until next week for the special show. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Katsuyori Shibata/Komander/Outrunners vs. Dylan Stewart/Zach Stewart/Rosario Grillo/Colby Carter

Shibata takes over on Grillo’s arm to start and fires off some big chops against the ropes. Zach comes in and pulls Komander out of the air, only to get caught with a hurricanrana. It’s off to Floyd for a bicep pose, followed by a double bicep from both Outrunners. Magnum gets taken into the corner though and the villains take turns stomping away. Carter misses a knee drop but Grillo cuts off the tag attempt. Said tag brings in Floyd to clean house a few seconds later (as tends to be the case) and the Mega Powers elbow connects. A parade of finishers sets up the PK to finish Grillo at 7:49.

Rating: C. There is only so much that you can do with having so many people in a glorified squash match. The good guys were never in any danger and that’s how it should have been. Giving the Outrunners a win is nice, but maybe giving the champion a showcase of his own would make a bit more sense?

Shane Taylor talks about growing up in real fights and how he and his Promotions are ready to fight anyone. I’m ready for them to stop talking.

Tony Nese vs. The Beast Mortos

The rest of the Premiere Athletes are here with Nese. Mortos shoves him down to start but Nese poses a bit and grabs a headlock. Some left hands just annoy Mortos and he runs Nese over without much effort. A high crossbody doesn’t work for Nese either and Mortos knocks him outside for the dive.

The Athletes offer a distraction though and Nese scores with a superkick. Back in and we hit the chinlock, only for Nese to miss the springboard moonsault. Mortos’ backbreaker gets two and he hits a headbutt, but the Athletes grab his leg. That’s enough for the ejection and Mortos’ spinning piledriver is enough for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: C-. Why in the world is someone at Mortos’ level taking so long to beat someone at Nese’s level? Nese has barely ever done anything around here but he’s getting ten minutes against someone who has been as successful as Mortos? That’s more than a stretch and the match was boring on top of that. Just let Mortos smash him and move on.

The MxM Collection wants the Tag Team Titles. They would certainly be more entertaining.

Blake Christian vs. Parker Li

The fans like Li, who is taken down by a headlock takeover to start. Christian shoulders him down and poses before hitting a quick running dropkick. A suicide shoulder drops Li again and there’s a springboard clothesline for more posing. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Christian plants him out of the corner for two. Christian hits a spear and some running knees to the back for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. Christian is starting to be a bit of something around here, but it’s going to take a lot to get out of the incredibly stuffed midcard. The fans are starting to get behind the idea of booing him and that’s not a bad thing, but there is only so much to get out of this kind of a match. That being said, Christian is at least standing out a bit and that’s nice to see around here.

We look at Athena successfully retaining the Women’s Title in Japan for a Stardom event.

Red Velvet vs. Angelica Risk

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Risk wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future Women’s TV Title shot. Risk talks a lot of trash to start and shrugs off the shoves to the face. Some hiptosses and a crossbody have Velvet in some trouble and Risk gives her some gyrating hips to the face. Velvet fights back with some chops against the barricade, followed by running knees against the ropes back inside. Risk fights up and gets two off a 619, only for Velvet to hit a hard left hand for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C-. This was more annoying than anything else and that was due to Risk’s constant talking. She wouldn’t shut up and that wasn’t so much charming as much as it was making me want to see Velvet shut her up. That’s a fine idea in theory, but it doesn’t work so well when you factor in that Velvet is a fresh villain.

From March 2, 2023 (and from a previous review):

Mark Briscoe vs. Slim J

The rest of the Trustbusters are here with Slim J, who kicks away the Code Of Honor before the bell. Redneck Kung Fu sends J outside but a Mark Sterling distraction lets J get in a low blow. Briscoe is fine enough to kick J to the floor, setting up the dropkick through the ropes. It’s too early for the chair assisted dive so Briscoe strikes away back inside.

Another Sterling distraction lets J hit a knee to the face, setting up a reverse DDT for two. Briscoe is busted open as J chokes away in the corner, followed by the chinlock. With that broken up, Briscoe grabs a neckbreaker for two and a powerbomb plants J again. The Froggy Bow misses but Briscoe kicks him in the face and hits the Jay Driller for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C. So the first thing we see on Ring Of Honor TV is an unpopular AEW faction and the continuation of a lame Briscoe vs. Sterling feud. I know there is no secret to the fact that the promotions are basically the same, but could you at least wait a bit to throw the first AEW regular out there? Having Briscoe out there in the opener made perfect sense though, as he is as much of a symbol of ROH as you can get. It helps that he can have a pretty good match against anyone, but the Sterling feud needs to go far away.

Shane Taylor Promotions/LeeJ vs. Serpentico/Boulder/Dark Order

Moriarty takes Reynolds down without much effort to start and they trade rollups for two each. Johnson and Uno come in with Uno hitting a running shoulder before it’s quickly off to Serpentico to work on the arm. Nduka pulls Serpentico to the floor though and a drop onto the apron lets the villains take over. Taylor’s clothesline and legdrop get two and Johnson adds a suplex for the same.

The chinlock is broken up though and Serpentico hits a quick jumping Downward Spiral. It’s off to Boulder to clean house, including a Samoan drop/fall away slam combination to Johnson and Moriarty. Taylor gets powerslammed for two as everything breaks down. Moriarty and Reynolds strike it out until Reynolds has to reverse a Border City Stretch. Boulder and Taylor collide for a double knockdown, leaving Johnson and Serpentico to hit stereo frog splashes. Serpentico hits a running cutter on Johnson, who isn’t legal. Moriarty Border City Stretches Serpentico for the win at 11:46.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a match that took place and it did in fact have eight people involved. The problem is that Shane Taylor Promotions has not been very interesting in a long time and that was on display here. LeeJ isn’t much better and you know what you’re getting with the other four. I’m not sure how much of a main event this make, but it certainly went on last.

Overall Rating: C. This was miles better than last week’s show, but that’s about as low of a bar as you can ask. I’m not sure if there is much of an interest in next week’s milestone show, but it would be nice to have the show be something other than long. Not much of a show here, though it didn’t have me wondering what could be wrong with the people putting it together so…progress?

Results
Katsuyori Shibata/Komander/Outrunners b. Dylan Stewart/Zach Stewart/Rosaraio Grillo/Colby Carter – PK to Grillo
The Beast Mortos b. Tony Nese – Spinning piledriver
Blake Christian b. Parker Li – Running knees to the back
Red Velvet b. Angelica Risk – Left hand
Shane Taylor Promotions/LeeJ b. Serpentico/Boulder/Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Serpentico

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