Ring Of Honor – September 18, 2025: Pure Waste
Ring Of Honor
Date: September 18, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
It’s another week of the show and we’re back to a regular edition after last year’s Action Dean edition. That means we should be back to the same style that we tend to get around here and hopefully the action is there to back it up. At the same time, it would be nice to see some bigger storyline developments. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We run down the card.
Mistico vs. Mansoor
The rest of MxM TV is here with Mansoor, who kicks him down to start, followed by a running shoulder. Mistico is right back with a running hurricanrana to take over. Hold on though as Mansoor claims a cheap shot from Alex Abrahantes, allowing him to jump Mistico and take over again. Mansoor misses a moonsault though and Mistico powerslams him down for two. Taya Valkyrie gets caught interfering and Mistico fights back with a kick to the face. A springboard high crossbody into La Mistica finishes Mansoor at 5:22.
Rating: C+. Mistico is set for a big title match against MJF in CMLL this week and this is his last boost up before the show. At the same time, I’m not sure how much that really matters as this match was barely (if at all) advertised in advance and it’s not like Mansoor means much. I’m still not sure why you would waste Mistico like this, but it’s what they keep doing.
We recap the Women’s Pure Rules Title tournament.
Olympia vs. Viva Van
Pure Rules. Olympia hits a clothesline to start and adds a basement dropkick but Van knocks her into the corner. That’s broken up and Van is back with a slingshot Bronco Buster for two. Van gets in another running shot but Olympia is back with a fireman’s carry and does some squats. That’s escaped as well and Van hits a springboard crossbody. Olympia is right back up with a German suplex into a swinging Side Effect for the pin at 4:49.
Rating: C-. Olympia was impressive here, but there was zero reason for this to be a Pure Rules match other than getting to say it was a special match. There wasn’t even a rope break here, which is often the big focal point of the Pure Rules. We’re getting a lot more of these things and it still feels like they’re just trying to validate having another title that doesn’t need to be around.
Alan Angels vs. The Beast Mortos
Angels actually drops him with a quick dropkick and kicks Mortos out to the floor. A suicide dive connects as well but Mortos is back in with a backbreaker. The Samoan drop finishes for Mortos at 1:52.
MJF’s Abraham Lincoln looking associate threatens MJF in English and Spanish.
Matt Mako vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Pure Rules. Shibata works on the wrist to start and pulls him down into an armbar. The cross armbreaker is switched into a Figure Four, which Mako turns over, but Shibata turns it right back over. The first rope break gets Mako out of trouble so it’s back to the armbar, with Mako’s attempt at a counter getting pulled into a triangle choke. That’s escaped as well and Mako kicks him into a suplex for two. Mako’s choke is countered into a legbar, with Mako going to the second rope. Another legbar makes Mako use his final rope break so Shibata sleepers him into the PK for the win at 7:27.
Rating: C. At least they seemed to understand what kind of match they were having. At the same time, this was another match that felt like it was tacked onto the card for the sake of putting people on the show. Shibata has nothing going on in Ring Of Honor but here he is anyway, doing just about the same thing he always does.
Respect is shown post match.
We look at the Premiere Athletes’ contingency plan, who will join them in the ring next week.
Death Riders vs. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss
James is sent outside, leaving Yuta to take over on Dereiss. That’s broken up and Dereiss gets to stomp away in the corner. It’s off to the women, with Shafir kicking James down without much trouble. James snaps off a headscissors but Shafir ties up all of her limbs in quite the painful visual.
James gets thrown down again so it’s off to Dereiss for a 619 to Yuta, who kicks Dereiss in the head. Dereiss ducks a clothesline though and comes back with a jumping cutter. A high crossbody gives James two on Shafir, who judo throws her down into Mother’s Milk to make James tap at 5:22.
Rating: C. The Death Riders showing up to wreck people on here isn’t exactly interesting but at least they’re important on another show. At the same time, it would be nice to see Dereiss used for something better than a way to make Yuta look good. He’s a talented star but he didn’t get to show much of that here for the sake of the Death Riders.
Lance Archer beats up various people backstage, including Beef.
The Frat House do frat things.
Satnam Singh vs. CPA
Yes he’s a wrestling accountant. For some reason CPA goes for the leg and loses his tie as a result. Singh finishes with a chokeslam at 1:07.
We go to QTV, where the cast is a bit confused about QT Marshall’s match with Paul Walter Hauser. He’s also not sure what is up with the Costco Guys.
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Janai Kai
Pure Rules. Again. The grappling doesn’t go anywhere to start and they trade armdrags. Sakazaki sends her outside for a dive but Kai nails a big kick to the head back inside. Kai grabs a dragon sleeper and Sakazaki has to use her first rope break. A running hurricanrana and dropkick put Kai down and Sakazaki’s spinning hammerlock slam finishes at 4:42.
Rating: C. Yeah it’s another one, as we have Sakazaki in the tournament so she needs to beat someone who isn’t around very often in a Pure Rules match. It’s still not a particularly good match as they barely had time to do anything and the Pure Rules didn’t change anything. Why should that matter though when we have another tournament for a new title? That’s what matters most right?
Shane Taylor Promotions wants competition.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom/AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor Promotions
Fox and the Kingdom are challenging and they’ve at least won a match as a trio before. The champs clear the ring to start until Bennett gets caught in the corner for some running forearms from the Infantry. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Taylor for a loud chop in the corner.
Bennett fights out of trouble and shrugs off a knee, setting up a bit clothesline to put Taylor down. Taven comes in to clean house but misses the Lionsault. Fox is in with a spinning suplex, followed by Taven and Fox hitting big dives to the floor. Back in and Rockstar Supernova into a 450 gets two on Bravo with Dean making the save. Taylor knees Fox into the double stomp to give Bravo the pin to retain at 6:38.
Rating: C+. That’s one of the best parts of the show, as if nothing else it had something of a story to build upon and that helped. Fox and the Kingdom worked well together, though it still only means so much when they’ve barely teamed up before. At least it wasn’t more Pure Rules for a change.
Overall Rating: D+. This was the latest edition of Ring Of Honor where they threw a bunch of matches out there and tried to act like there was some reason to have them out there. Instead, it was a bunch of people having matches which mean very little, with a big focus on the Pure Rules stuff. As in the tournament that took months to be set up, started, and is now getting what feel like preview matches because we have to stretch this out longer and longer. Just more matches to fill in time that doesn’t need to be done and that’s going to be the case most of the time.
Results
Mistico b. Mansoor – La Mistica
Olympia b. Viva Van – Swinging Side Effect
The Beast Mortos b. Alan Angels – Samoan drop
Katsuyori Shibata b. Matt Mako – PK
Death Riders b. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss – Mother’s Milk to James
Satnam Singh b. CPA – Chokeslam
Yuka Sakazaki b. Janai Kai – Spinning hammerlock slam
Shane Taylor Promotions b. AR Fox/Kingdom – Double stomp to Bravo
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:
Recent Comments