Ring Of Honor – October 16, 2025: So What?
Ring Of Honor
Date: October 16, 2025
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
We continue the slow, deliberate, at its own pace build towards Final Battle, which has pretty much nothing set up yet. You can probably figure out some of the matches from here, but nothing feels ready to announce anytime soon. This week’s show features a name from years past making a bit of a surprise appearance, which could be fun. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We run down the card.
Sidney Akeem vs. Alex Zayne
Akeem flips over him to start so Zayne does the same thing for a staredown. They trade stereo dropkicks and stare at each other until Akeem kicks him into the corner. Zayne gets in a forearm and twists the arm, followed by a flipping kick to the back of the head in the ropes. Akeem fights up from a wristlock but gets double kneed in the back, only to catch Zayne with a dive on the floor.
Back in and a high crossbody gives Akeem two, followed by a pumphandle slam for the same. They knock each other down before trading forearms, only for Zayne to catch Akeem up top with a super hurricanrana. Zayne’s Molly Go Round misses though and Akeem backflips into a cutter for the pin at 6:52.
Rating: C+. It was a fun enough way to open the show with the exchange of flips. Akeem getting the win is a bit of a surprise as Zayne has been treated as a bigger deal around here. Odds are neither of them wind up going anywhere anytime soon, but at least they got to show off a bit here.
Isla Dawn is glad to make her debut here but the Premiere Athletes interrupt. Dawn isn’t impressed and the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to have her back.
Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn vs. Gabriel Aeros/Javi/Carolina Cruz
Drake and Javi (formerly Javier Bernal in NXT) with Drake forearming away before handing it off to Gibson. Drake is sent into a leg lariat and it’s off to Cruz vs. Dawn. A quick suplex drops Cruz but she’s back with a basement clothesline for two. Some clotheslines and a kick to the head stagger Cruz so it’s off to Aeros, who is dropped just as fast. Drake and Dawn get dropped onto Aeros, before a sliding boot to the face knocks him silly. A high/low finishes for Drake at 4:02.
Rating: C. Pretty much total destruction here, as Dawn and the Veterans weren’t messing around. Dawn is someone who could be a nice addition to the women’s division if she is given a chance, though the Veterans aren’t exactly people who will boost them up. They’re a talented team, but they haven’t done anything important in months and it doesn’t bode well for Dawn.
Post match the Premiere Athletes run in to lay out the Veterans and Dawn. Eh I’ll take a story of any kind over absolutely nothing.
Riccaboni: “The Ring Of Honor Women’s Pure Championship tournament has been heating up.” Liar.
We recap the tournament thus far.
Deonna Purrazzo chides Trish Adora over her lack of honor. She’ll prove that to Adora the next time they’re in the ring. Naturally there is no date given, as we are coming up on two months since the first match.
Diamante vs. Aleah James
Diamante sends her face first into the mat to start before grinding away on a headlock. An armbar has James down but she spins up into a monkey flip. Diamante is right back on the armbar and whips her hard into the corner. A German suplex drops James for two and Diamante muscles her up for a bridging German suplex and the pin at 4:25.
Rating: C+. Both of these two could be something if they were given the chance but commentary spent most of the match talking about the Pure Rules tournament. Neither of these two are in the tournament, but it’s what we focused on anyway. Diamante was wrestling a bit more seriously here and that was nice for a change, even if she isn’t around much.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Oro
Yuta shoves him in the corner to start but gets hit in the face. Oro plants him down for two and wins a slugout but gets backdropped out to the floor. Back in and Yuta hits a top rope forearm as there are A LOT of empty seats in the first few rows. Oro chops his way out of trouble and hits a tornado DDT neck snap across the top rope. Yuta shrugs that off and hits some elbows to the head, followed by the chinlock.
Back up and Oro kicks him in the head for two and then does it again…but Yuta shrugs it off and German suplexes him for two. Cattle Mutilation is broken up thanks to the ropes, though Yuta HAS TIL FIVE. Oro pops back up with an alley oop for two but Yuta goes to the eyes. The running knee finishes for Yuta at 8:55.
Rating: B-. So we’re building to Yuta vs. Bryan Danielson, or at least we should be as otherwise this is a rather big waste of time. Yuta is still about as dull as you can get and doing a knockoff/ripoff of Danielson’s stuff is not about to change that. That being said, it was a nice match here and rather competitive, even if that is a bit of an odd way to go with these two.
Shannon Moore vs. Blake Christian
Somehow this is Moore’s first match in ROH. Christian knocks him into the corner to start and hits a running dropkick for a bonus. Moore gets in some armdrags and a spinning middle rope crossbody as Coleman mentions recently facing Moore in an independent match. They go outside, where Lee Johnson’s distraction lets Christian get in a superkick. Christian does a strut on the barricade and then dances into a double knee stomp back inside.
Moore’s knees are fine enough to hit a Whisper In The Wind for two but Christian anklescissors him down. A springboard 450 gets two but Moore knocks him outside again. The big dive connects and a top rope flipping neckbreaker gets two back inside. The Lethal Injection cuts Moore off though and Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Moore at 7:59.
Rating: C+. Well, it was fine, if you’re into having 46 year old Moore around here. He’s not bad at all and did some of his signature stuff, but there is only so much to get out of having him appear. Christian is still one of the better heels around here, though I’m not sure when he’s going to be doing anything important.
QTV mocks the Don Callis Family but Don Callis himself comes in to call QT Marshall a mark. Then the Family comes in and beats the crew down. I really have to put up with the Family on this show too?
We look back at LFI taking out the Von Erichs.
Frat House vs. Von Erichs
Karter and Ross start things off with Karter hitting a running shoulder. Marshall comes in with a dropkick but a cheap shot lets Karter bring Garrison in instead. Jacked Jameson’s distraction doesn’t work but Preston Vance gets in a shot on the floor to Ross to take over. Back in and Garrison hammers away, followed by the chinlock. Vance takes Marshall down on the floor but Ross sends the House together. Marshall comes back in and cleans the House’s house until Karter scores with a jumping knee. Everything breaks down and stereo Claws finish for the Von Erichs at 6:36.
Rating: C. Yeah they’re still the Von Erichs, meaning they’re still as uninteresting as they’ve ever been. There’s just nothing to make them stand out at all and their “aww shucks, we’re just good old nice guys” isn’t exactly thrilling. This was what they used as a main event here and my goodness that’s not a great sign.
Overall Rating: C-. So what was the big development here? The Premiere Athletes attacking the Grizzled Young Veterans and Isla Dawn? That’s about all we got here, and I’m going to need a lot more than that. In other words, it’s the kind of Ring Of Honor show that makes this place feel like such a waste of time. Almost nothing changes and it’s a bunch of the same people doing the same matches. But I’m sure the Pure Title tournament will pick up again anytime. As has been the case for months. Like so much else.
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You mentioned about how the first couple of rows had empty seats. Are these shows taped before/after AEW televised programs?
I’ve seen it before and between the shows. Depends on the week.