Ring Of Honor
Date: February 27, 2025
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week’s show featured one match from the CMLL stars and now we are going to be seeing a bunch more of them. That’s at least something different from what we usually get around here, which has been the case in the last few weeks. Other than that, Chris Jericho is going to need a new challenger, though I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing that established here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Atlantis/Esfinge/Fuego vs. Euforia/Gran Guerrero/Rocky Romero

Gran kicks Atlantis (62 years old) to start but walks into some armdrags. Atlantis gets knocked outside so it’s off to Fuego vs. Romero. Fuego dances a bit, then sends Romero and company to the floor for some more dancing. Esfinge comes in for some superkicks and a heck of a monkey flip to Romero. A springboard splash misses Euforia though and Romero decks Esfinge to take over again.

Euforia hits his own springboard splash so Fuego comes in and gets caught with a package tiger driver for two. Romero and company triple team Atlantis and Romero goes for the mask, which seems rather evil for him. Atlantis manages a quick high crossbody and Romero hits Guerrero by mistake. Euforia gets knocked down as well but he comes back up to kick Guerrero by mistake as well. Fuego comes in to clean house as everything breaks down. Back in and Esfinge grabs a wacky leg tying rollup to pin Romero at 7:44.

Rating: B-. The match was the usual fun stuff, though a good number of these people have an AEW/ROH background of commentary telling us that they’re awesome. That’s the issue with guest stars like this, as they’re very talented, but I have little to no idea who some of them are as they’re barely around here. It’s a nice enough treat though, and it was a good choice for an opener.

La Catalina vs. Lady Frost

Catalina takes her to the mat to start, which goes to a standoff. An exchange of quick near falls gives us another standoff before Catalina scores with a dropkick. The running hip attack against the ropes gets two but Frost is back up with a running clothesline. Frost’s front flip into a Cannonball connects for two and they’re back up for an exchange of forearms.

A German suplex drops Catalina and Frost adds a spinning slam for two more. Catalina is rocked and a corkscrew dive from the top gets another near fall. Back up and Catalina sends her into the corner and comes out with an electric chair drop, setting up a top rope splash to end Frost at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Frost had a good showing here, though Catalina seemed to be a bit more smooth out there. If the CMLL stars are staying around, Catalina getting a one off shot at Athena would be a fine way to go. It isn’t like there is anyone else to come after the title at the moment, so see what they have here.

We look back at Chris Jericho retaining the ROH World Title over Bandido on Collision.

The Beast Mortos vs. Adam Priest

Priest chops away to start but his sunset flip attempt is easily blocked. A knee to the leg actually cuts Mortos off and a middle rope dropkick to the back gives Priest two. Mortos shrugs it off and hits his big backbreaker into the spinning piledriver for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C. It was nice to see Priest get in a bit of offense but Mortos has a tendency to let everyone get in their stuff. Mortos is someone who can do quite a few things against anyone, which is why he’s here winning not quite squash matches on Ring Of Honor. Find something better for him to do already. If nothing else, it might help fill in some of the empty seats which were very visible during this match (which was taped in Tennessee rather than Texas).

Infantry vs. Jimmy Wild/Rosario Grillo

Shane Taylor is here with the Infantry. Dean powers Grillo into the corner to start but Wild comes in for a double suplex. The Infantry shrugs that off and takes over, allowing Taylor to talk to the camera. A backbreaker puts Wild down and a spinning slam drops him again. Wild manages a double DDT but Bravo cuts off the tag and sends Grillo into the barricade. A running double stomp finishes Wild at 4:44.

Rating: C. Of all the perfectly watchable Infantry matches I’ve seen, this was the latest. We’ve seen them do their thing for months, if not years now, and it’s only so good. As is the case with so many people in Ring Of Honor, it would be nice to see them actually do something new or different for a change but here we are, seeing the same kind of match that we’ve seen them have for so long.

Blake Christian vs. Fuego del Sol

Christian jumps him during the entrance and takes him outside for some standing on the head on the barricade. Back in and Fuego’s rope walk is cut off, allowing Christian to rake his boot over Fuego’s mask. Christian sends him outside again for a dive but Fuego is back with a kick to the head. A springboard moonsault gives Fuego two and a rope walk moonsault DDT gets the same. Christian crotches him on top though and a super Spanish Fly sets up the Last Chancery for the win at 5:23.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of Christian as the most boring wrestler alive but they’re leaning into it, which helps quite a bit. As has been the case before though, he actually needs to do something and move up the ladder but that’s not how it works around here most of the time. Fuego was almost squashed here, which is pretty normal for him.

Athena is impressed by Catalina but is sick of people trying to show up here and take over her show. Next time, Athena won’t be so nice. They’re set for a title match next week. I mean, it’s not like Athena has fought a bunch of random challengers over and over and could be moved up to AEW already and put near the top of the women’s division. Because of course.

Dark Panther vs. Gravity

Panther flips over him to start and grabs an ankle lock as we look at Komander in the crowd. Back up and Gravity sends him to the floor for the running flip dive. They get back inside with Panther hitting a 619, then swinging his feet into Gravity a second time. Back up and they slug it out until Panther misses a charge in the corner.

A bridging German suplex gives Gravity two but he has to get to the ropes to escape a Fujiwara armbar. Gravity is sent to the floor for a suicide dive, followed by another to drop him again. A middle rope elbow misses for Panther, just like Gravity’s top rope splash. Panther hits a middle rope basement dropkick for the pin at 6:47.

Rating: B-. Another entertaining match here with someone who has been here a few times and you might remember, plus Gravity, who hasn’t been around for a year. It’s another match where there is only so much to get interested in here, which is a problem with shows like this. And Ring Of Honor in general.

Atlantis Jr./Mascara Dorada/Templario vs. Magnus/Soberano Jr./Volador Jr.

Soberano and company aren’t interested in handshakes so Templario spins over Magnus and armdrags him down. Some headscissors let Templario clear the ring, meaning it’s time for some dancing. Dives take the villains out on the floor and it’s Dorada coming in with a high crossbody. Dorada clears the ring and hits a middle rope hurricanrana on Magnus.

Back in and Dorada gets tied in the Tree Of Woe, leaving Soberano to mock the fans. Atlantis comes in and won’t get in a cheap shot, earning himself a beating. Soberano makes Atlantis flip his partners off and a triple boot knocks Atlantis outside. It’s off to Templario, who gets caught in a rocking horse/Fameasser combination.

Dorada gets beaten up as well and it’s back to Atlantis, who manages to start the comeback. A monkey flip sends Magnus flying but Volador hurricanranas Templario out of the corner. Soberano comes back in to pick up the pace but Templario grabs a wheelbarrow suplex. Templario spins up, only to get caught with a 619 from Magnus. Back up and Atlantis powerslams Magnus, setting up the top rope splash for the pin at 12:55.

Rating: B. Issues aside with how this doesn’t mean much of anything around here, this is the kind of entertaining showcase of talent that you do not get to see around here very often. These are incredibly talented people and they know how to do this style rather well. If this is the focus of the show, they could have done far worse for a main event.

Overall Rating: B. I have no idea what to make of this show anymore. They tried adding in the classic matches and they added nothing, so now we’re seeing things like the Jericho Cruise and the CMLL guest stars. There is still nothing to suggest that TV is coming anytime soon and I can’t say I’m surprised. The show is just not that interesting and that shows more and more every time. The guest stars here were fun, but they’re going to be gone in a week or two and then it’s back to the same stuff that hasn’t worked for months around here.

Results
Atlantis/Esfinge/Fuego b. Euforia/Gran Guerrero/Rocky Romero – Leg trap rollup to Romero
Catalina b. Lady Frost – Top rope splash
The Beast Mortos b. Adam Priest – Spinning piledriver
Infantry b. Jimmy Wild/Rosario Grillo – Running double stomp to Wild
Blake Christian b. Fuego del Sol – Last Chancery
Dark Panther b. Gravity – Middle rope basement dropkick
Atlantis Jr./Mascara Dorada/Templario b. Magnus/Soberano Jr./Volador Jr. – Top rope splash to Magnus

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 20, 2025
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back on land this week and it’s another somewhat special episode as we have some guest stars from CMLL. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it almost has to be more interesting than what we usually get around here. Other than that, we have a Ring Of Honor World Title match on Collision this weekend so it might be time to hype it up some more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Global Wars recap.

Opening sequence.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Fuego del Sol

Yuta jumps him at the bell and starts fast, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. A dropkick staggers Yuta but he comes back with a running clothesline to drop Fuego in a hurry. Yuta faceplants him and hits a basement dropkick before tying up the leg. Fuego makes the rope and fights up, setting up a basement superkick. Yuta ducks something off the top and hits a running knee for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here for Yuta and that still doesn’t make him overly interesting. Fuego is one of those fun people who doesn’t win much but isn’t going to be a thing in AEW so this is about as far as he’s going. I’m not sure what it says for Yuta to count as star power around here but it’s not the best sign.

Post match Yuta grabs a chain and ties Fuego up in a surfboard for a choke.

Rachael Ellering vs. Abadon

Ellering grabs a headlock to start and gets her hand bitten as a result. A basement kick to the face cuts Ellering down but she’s right back with a running elbow to the face. The backsplash misses though and Abadon hits an apron legdrop to take over. Ellering is right back with a suplex and now the backsplash connects for two. Back up and Abadon grabs a running cutter, setting up the Black Dahlia for the pin at 4:08.

Rating: C-. There is something missing from Ellering’s matches and I’m not sure what it is. Granted some of the problem might be that she only exists to put people over and that isn’t going to get her very far. At some point she needs to win something, or the little value that she has is going to go away rather quickly. Abadon continues to look weird, but there is a pretty firm ceiling when you’re only around every few months.

Jacked Jameson is fired up about his potential stable mates, who interrupt and say the Frat House is now a thing. They share a drink and give Jameson a hat.

Frat House/Premiere Athletes/Mark Sterling vs. Top Flight/Outrunners/Von Erichs

The Von Erichs have been gone for six months and the Six Man Tag Team Titles have been sitting cold since then and they come back in a random twelve man tag. Because of course. Darius and Nese start things off with Nese taking him into the corner so Garrison can come in. That means Dante can come in for a jumping stomp to the back as the rapid fire tags continue.

Ross kicks Jameson down and Marshall hits a standing moonsault for two more. Magnum comes in and gets knocked into the wrong corner so it’s off to Sterling to hammer away. The chinlock goes on but Magnum fights up, only for the villains to pull his partners off the apron. Magnum suplexes his way to freedom and the tag brings in Floyd to clean house. Sterling gets slammed down to set up the Mega Powers Elbow. Total Recall finishes Sterling off at 8:53.

Rating: C. The Six Man Titles are coming up on seven months without a defense but we needed to have the Von Erichs in here because it’s TEXAS and therefore we need TEXAS wrestlers in there. Ignore the issue of the Von Erichs really not being that interesting and the Six Man Tag Team Titles feeling less than worthless and it’s a bit hard to care about them. The rest of the people are the usual goons around here, which is why this match was a Dark Order short of hitting every check mark in an ROH match.

The MxM Collection celebrates stealing the Tag Team Title again at Global Wars, despite not winning the belts.

Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

Athena is here with Starkz, who flips out of a wristlock to start. A German suplex drops Hyan again and a kick to the head out of the corner does it again. Hyan avoids the Swanton though and grabs a suplex of her own. Starkz forearms the heck out of her in the corner though and finishes with an electric chair slam at 4:00.

Rating: C+. For the love of all things good and holy, tell me we are not building towards Starkz vs. Athena again. It seems that’s where we’re going, and my goodness I cannot fathom having to see that a third time, especially if Starkz finally beats her. The title has just gone ice cold lately as Athena has been out of major challengers for so long. The action here was at least good, which somehow is the best thing so far tonight.

TV Title: Komander vs. Lee Johnson

Komander is defending and Johnson has EJ Nduka in his corner. They trade standing switches to start before Komander nips out of a headscissors for a standoff. A springboard wristdrag is broken up so Komander sends him outside and moonsaults into a headscissors. Nduka offers a distraction though and Johnson drops Komander to take over. Johnson sends him outside for a bit, followed by a chinlock back inside.

That’s broken up so they head to the apron for a slugout, with Komander grabbing a running hurricanrana driver. A springboard moonsault to a standing Johnson connects back inside but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Johnson fights up but gets dropped with a poisonrana for two. They fight over a suplex and go out to the floor, where Johnson plants him hard.

That’s not good enough so Johnson rams him ankle first into the barricade over and over. Back in and Komander unlaces his boot, allowing Johnson to hit a frog splash. Johnson gets knocked off the top so Komander dives onto both of them for the big crash. Back in and Cielito Lindo connects anyway for the pin to retain at 15:22.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was good, but it still feels like a match between people who are here because they don’t belong anywhere else. Komander has been treated like a loser for so long on AEW TV that it’s hard to care about him being the midcard champion in the minor league. On the other hand you have Johnson, who isn’t bad in the ring but keeps losing his big shots. Fix that and he might be worth something.

Video on Red Velvet.

Gates Of Agony vs. Exodus Prime/Josiah G

A Samoan drop and Open The Gates means a double pin for Kaun at 1:15. Total decimation.

The World Title match for Collision gets a graphic. Thanks for bothering.

Barbaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Soberano Jr. vs. Dark Panther/Fuego/Sammy Guevara

Cue the MxM Collection to watch from the stage. It’s a brawl to start with Guevara’s team being knocked down with a triple clothesline. Soberano bites Guevara’s boot before Hechicero pounds away on his head. Guevara gets caught in a triple flipping slam (I believe BDK used to call it Ragnarok) so he rolls outside, allowing Fuego to come in.

Hechicero grabs a Rocking Horse and Soberano gets dropped down with a Fameasser at the same time. Panther comes in and gets faceplanted, allowing the villains (I guess?) to take him into the corner. Some tilt-a-whirl backbreaker get Panther out of trouble and we settle down to Hechicero vs. Guevara. The latter clears the ring and hits a dive, which counts as a tag so it isn’t that nuts.

Instead of switching places, Guevara comes back in and hits a big dive of his own, only for Cavernario to take him down. Now it’s off to Fuego, who seems confused by Cavernario’s Worm. Everything breaks down and Hechicero is sent outside and Soberano dives onto Panther. Fuego takes Soberano out with a dive of his own but Mansoor comes in to hit Guevara with the belt. Hechicero flips Fuego into a very spinny rollup for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: B. One match. Not the entire card and not some invasion angle that no one was asking to see. It was one match where the talented CMLL guys got in, did their stuff to pop the crowd and then got out. That’s WAY more effective than having them around week after week in some feud that feels tacked on. Treat these guys as a special attraction, because they’re good enough to warrant popping in on occasion, which was the case again here in the best thing on the show.

Post match Hechicero touches tips with the Collection but Guevara gives Mansoor the GTH. Madden escapes with the belt to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a good illustration of why this series rarely works. So many of the matches either feel like they’re stretching out something that lasts for a long time (Athena/Starkz) or is just there to fill in time with little being gained (pick almost anything on the card) while the important stuff (the World Title match) is taking place on another show. There’s nothing interesting to get behind here and it makes for a very dry show most of the time. The wrestling isn’t the worst, but I need a reason to care about these people other than “they have some pretty good matches”.

Results
Wheeler Yuta b. Fuego del Sol – Running knee
Abadon b. Rachael Ellering – Black Dahlia
Top Flight/Outrunners/Von Erichs b. Frat House/Premiere Athletes/Mark Sterling – Total Recall to Sterling
Billie Starkz b. Hyan – Electric chair slam
Komander b. Lee Johnson – Cielito Lindo
Gates Of Agony b. Exodus Prime/Josiah G – Double pin
Hechicero/Barbaro Cavernario/Soberano Jr. b. Fuego/Sammy Guevara/Dark Panther – Spinning rollup to Fuego

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 13, 2025
Location: Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship, International Waters
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Well this is different. This show was taped on the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager At Sea cruise, meaning the matches are taking place on a ship in international waters. One of my biggest issues with this show has been that nothing about it really stands out as different week to week but that won’t be the case here. Let’s get to it.

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

Chris Jericho welcomes us to the show and presents the idea of what we are going to see tonight. And he speaks some Spanish.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

You can see the water through the portholes and it’s rather cool to see.

Jay Lethal vs. Mason Madden

Mansoor, in limited clothing, is here with Madden, with the stolen Tag Team Title belt. To make things a bit more festive, Lethal is Black Machismo. We get a pose off to start as Mansoor puts on the bedazzled title. They tease a finger point before Madden kicks him in the ribs to take over.

Back up and Lethal presses strong grapple and flicks the controller stick to fire off the alternating punches to the face and ribs. Madden chokebombs him down for two and it’s time to start working on the arm. Lethal is back up with a springboard high crossbody and they trade some shots to the face for some alternating staggers. A big boot sets up the missed elbow and Lethal Injection puts Madden down. Hail To The King finishes for Lethal at 6:06.

Rating: C+. This was already more fun than almost anything ROH has done in months and it made for a nice start to the show. What matters the most here is that things are at least interesting and I’m actually wanting to see what else is going to happen on the show. Lethal as Black Machismo was a fun little surprise and he does a great impression of Savage’s movements. Good enough here, with the right vibe already being set.

Last week, Athena yelled at Billie Starkz for not living up to expectations.

Billie Starkz vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron grabs a headlock to start but gets reversed into an armbar. Back up and Starks gets in a quick spank against the ropes, only for Cameron to do the same. Some right hands in the corner have Starkz in trouble but she’s back with a DDT as commentary talks about the movie Trading Places. Starkz chokes on the ropes and she ducks an enziguri to set up a choke.

That’s broken up and Cameron makes the Clothesline Comeback, followed by some choking in the corner. Now the enziguri can connect for two on Starkz and Cameron’s pumphandle back suplex gets two. Starkz is with a twisting implant DDT spun into a backbreaker for two, only for Cameron to grab a crucifix for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C. It was another win for Cameron as her confidence is growing, but I’m still not buying her as a threat against Mercedes Mone. She’s putting in the work in the ring and it’s working far better than it did before, but Cameron is going to be better known for everything else for a good while. Starkz losing again isn’t going to set well for Athena, though I don’t think I can take another match between the two of them.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tommy Billington

Non-title and the sun is setting for a really cool visual. Takeshita misses a charge to start and doesn’t seem thrilled. Back up and they take turns avoiding the other to a nice reaction…so Takeshita pulls out a spoon. Some shots to the head set up a suplex for two as the referee is fine with Takeshita spooning Billington. A snap suplex gets Billington out of trouble and they fight over a Tombstone until Takeshita gets planted. The Swan Dive misses though and Takeshita hits the running knee. The Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Billington at 5:52.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a disappointment as I was expecting something more out of them. Granted they didn’t have enough time to do much, but it felt like they went from the middle of the match to the end without much in the middle. That made for kind of a weird showcase, as Billington has done better multiple times before.

Outrunners vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Magnum poses at Drake to start before cranking on the arm. A headscissors has Drake in more trouble so it’s off to Gibson to take over in the corner. Some atomic drops set up stereo airplane spins to stagger the Veterans, meaning we have more atomic drops. Drake trips Magnum down though and a running boot to the head gets two. Gibson comes in off a blind tag to elbow Magnum and cut off anything resembling a comeback.

We hit the chinlock but Magnum is up with a suplex for a breather. The diving tag brings in Floyd to clean house and yes we do get a double noggin knocker. The double slam sets up the Mega Powers Elbow but Total Recall is broken up. Drake uses the scarf for some choking but Magnum is back in for Total Recall and the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. The Outrunners being on something like this is about as easy of an idea as you can have and it worked well here. As has been the pint tonight, the match was more about having fun than advancing anything else and that’s perfectly fine in a case like this. As usual, the Veterans have fallen through the floor and they really aren’t that bad. I don’t get it, but it doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

Earlier this week, Serena Deeb challenged Queen Aminata to a Pure Rules match. Works for Aminata.

Serpentico vs. Ricochet

Ricochet wastes no time in knocking him into the corner and hitting a running shoulder. Back up and Serepentico knocks Ricochet outside where it’s time for a breather on the ramp. A cheap shot takes Serpentico down though and drops an elbow to keep him in trouble.

Ricochet grabs a headscissor choke before driving Serpentico’s head into the mat for a hard crash. The People’s Moonsault gives Ricochet two and a running shooting star press gets the same. The Benedryller is loaded up but Serpentico reverses into a Canadian Destroyer. That’s enough for Ricochet, who is back with Vertigo into the Spirit Gun for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C. This was an extended squash for Ricochet and that isn’t a surprise as he’s a main roster star and Serpentico is, uh, Serpentico. Ricochet gives Serpentico a bit of offense here but it was only ever going to be so interesting. For a match designed to add in some star power, it could have been much worse.

TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Komander

Komander is defending. They fight over a test of strength to start before Komander sticks the landing on a monkey flip. They trade some flips until Wayne knocks him into the corner to take over. Komander flips around a bit and grabs a headscissors to the floor, where Wayne cuts off a dive.

Wayne plants him on the ramp and then works on the eyes back inside. A kick to the back gives Wayne two but Komander dives onto the ramp to leave Wayne confused. Back in and a dive gives Komander two, only for Wayne to come back with a dragon suplex for the same. A Canadian Destroyer plants Wayne though and sets up Cielito Lindo for the retaining pin at 9:22.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is pretty much no particular rhyme or reason to set up the title matches around here and that doesn’t make for the best continuity. At the same time, Wayne is at least a name in AEW and they were able to have an entertaining enough match. I’ll take the title being on the line over nothing at all and it was a fine enough main event.

Overall Rating: C+. Fun. That was the best thing I can say about this show and it was what Ring Of Honor has been missing for such a long time. Yes it was just a one off show and it wasn’t the most thrilling event with nothing worth going out of your way to see, but it was ANYTHING different after months and months of the same stuff. That was such a relief around here and my goodness was it nice to have this instead of the same show we see every week.

Results
Jay Lethal b. Mason Madden – Hail To The King
Harley Cameron b. Billie Starkz – Crucifix
Konosuke Takeshita b. Tommy Billington – Blue Thunder Bomb
Outrunners b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Total Recall to Drake
Ricochet b. Serpentico – Spirit Gun
Komander b. Nick Wayne – Cielito Lindo

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Global Wars 2025
Date: February 17, 2025
Location: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Since AEW is in Australia, Ring Of Honor has to dust off one of its traditions. In this case, we have a bunch of Ring Of Honor stars against wrestlers from Australia, plus one or two other things to fill in the time on this special. It would be nice if we have a big Ring Of Honor only show coming up but that seems to be too much to ask. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the card, which does make the show feel more important than usual.

Learning Tree vs. Bandido/Los Outrunners

Jericho waves at Bandido to start rather than shake his hand and we get the opening bell. Then Jericho flips him off and it’s off to Keith, which has Bandido rather pleased. They run the ropes and Bandido knocks him into the corner before Jericho comes back in. Jericho takes him down but Bandido switches places and steps on his back for some annoyance.

El Turbo comes in, loses his mask, and then puts it back on to take over on Jericho. A double Japanese armdrag puts Jericho down and it’s off to Bill, who gets quite the positive reaction. It’s back to El Turbo, who goes Old School and walks around all four ropes, as Bill is powerless to do anything about this whatsoever. After taking about a minute plus, El Turbo armdrags him down but Keith offers a distraction, allowing Bill to get in a big boot. The neck crank doesn’t work long on El Turbo and he avoids the Lionsault.

The falling tag brings in Bandido to clean house, including tossing Jericho at Keith. El Turbo kind of slams Bill and a Mega Powers Elbow hits him as well. Jericho pulls Bandido into the Walls but Jericho slips out, leaving Keith to hit a splash on Bandido. Jericho tries a belt shot but gets caught by Los Outrunners, meaning it’s the 21 Plex to give Bandido the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B-. What matters the most here is that they did something that actually mattered. This should set Bandido up for a title shot in the near future, though I’m not sure if I can imagine that being the big title change. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Jericho in action on the show as it’s more than a lot of recent World Champions have been able to say. Nice opener, with Los Outrunners being a funny gag.

Post match the beatdown is on but Powerhouse Hobbs makes the save. Big Bill walks away from the fight.

Athena is ready to beat up Alex Windsor.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Robbie Eagles

Moriarty is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Moriarty has to use his first rope break less than a minute in. Back up and Moriarty backs the referee into the ropes so he can throw a fist. Eagles comes up with a right hand but gets caught for the official warning. Some posing takes up too much time though, allowing Moriarty to snap the arm over the top. Moriarty grabs a Border City Stretch, sending Eagles over to his first rope break.

They fight over a double arm crank until Eagles has to use his second break. Eagles pulls him into a leglock and the second rope break is burned as well, leaving them with one each. Back up and Eagles knees him into the corner for the running Meteora but Sliced Bread is blocked. Another Border City Stretch makes Eagles use his third rope break but he’s up with a springboard missile dropkick to the leg.

Another leglock makes Moriarty use his last rope break but he’s right back with the Fang. They trade kicks to the head until Eagles knees him down, setting up a 450 onto the leg. Eagles goes for another leglock but Moriarty rolls him up and grabs the ropes for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. The action was impressive but it’s the same stuff you see every time in these title matches. The rope breaks deal gets annoying fast because it’s just about burning them off until they can do the finish. It’s fine for a rare one off thing, but there is still no reason for this to be a regular title.

Mark Davis vs. Tommy Knight

Davis kicks at the rather large Knight to start and hits a few chops, setting up a double stomp for two. Knight is up with some chops but gets sent into the corner without much effort. The chinlock goes on but Knight is back up with a big boot. Davis’ forearm is cut off by a forearm and Knight hits a Death Valley Driver for one. A pendulum piledriver gives Davis the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C+. It was more of a hoss fight and Knight can move well despite being a rather big guy. It’s weird seeing Davis getting such a positive reaction as he’s normally a heel stateside, but this isn’t something that is going to be taking place most of the time. Just a quick match here, but Knight did well enough in his chance on the bigger stage.

Alex Windsor is ready to face a bigger star than Athena.

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. MxM Collection

The Sons are defending but the Collection has stolen Sammy Guevara’s title. Rhodes and Mansoor start things off with Mansoor sending him into the corner for some early posing. An armdrag drops Mansoor, who wants a nip up challenge. Rhodes wants Guevara to do it for him but it’s back to Rhodes, who goes to the mat but is ready when Mansoor tries an elbow.

Guevara comes back in and snaps off the nip up before Madden comes in. The Collection teases a dive but stop to pose instead, only for Rhodes to do the same. Guevara hits his own flip dive, setting up a Shining Wizard from Rhodes. Madden comes in off a blind tag and hits a running boot to the face before dropping an elbow to the back. Some hips to the head set up Mansoor’s missed elbow drop but he’s smart enough to knock Guevara off the apron.

The running Blockbuster gives Mansoor a breather but he misses a splash, allowing the tag off to Guevara. Everything breaks down and Mansoor counters the GTH. The Centerfold is broken up though and Rhodes hits Shattered Dreams on Mansoor. GTH hits Madden and the Final Reckoning into a Swanton finishes Mansoor at 12:53.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have even something of a story over the titles so this could have been a lot worse. The Collection are at least a team who can give the champions a run for their money, but it is seeming like we are really going to see the champs hold the titles until All In: Texas because we need a nine or so month to set up a likely pre-show match. Not bad here, though the Sons are still such a weird team for a long term title reign.

Post match, Madden steals the title again because this story isn’t over.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Alex Windsor

Athena is defending and bails to the floor early on. Back in and Windsor takes her down, setting up an early basement dropkick. Athena sends her outside though and a baseball slide takes her out. Back in and the neck crank goes on for a bit before Athena hammers away. Windsor fights up and grabs a neckbreaker out of the corner for two.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two more and Windsor grabs a Sharpshooter. Back up and they strike it out until Athena hits a superkick and a spinning facebuster. The running right hand gets two and Athena is stunned. Windsor headbutts her way out of trouble, setting up something like a swinging fisherman’s superplex for two. Athena dropkicks her into the corner though and hits the O Face to retain at 11:49.

Rating: B-. Windsor felt like a polished star out there and someone who gave Athena a good match. Athena has become one of the bigger stars in the history of Ring Of Honor and certainly an established champion. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from her, but I would hope that it’s not Billie Starkz after everything we’ve seen so far. For now though, good match and it felt like a big enough showdown.

Post match Athena has a staredown with Momo Watanabe.

Overall Rating: B-. For a random special, I’ve seen far worse. They had a bunch of title matches and the World Champion in the opener. This felt a lot more important than a regular show, which is part of the problem with most of Ring Of Honor: it rarely feels like they’re building to something, so when you get something nicer like this, it stands out that much more. It was a good show, but it doesn’t exactly make me think that Ring Of Honor has turned a corner.

Results
Bandido/Los Outrunners b. Learning Tree – 21 Plex to Jericho
Lee Moriarty b. Robbie Eagles – Rollup while holding the rope
Mark Davis b. Tommy Knight – Pendulum piledriver
Sons Of Texas b. MxM Collection – Swanton to Mansoor
Athena b. Alex Windsor – O Face

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 6, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are still fresh into the new year and that means very little around here, as Supercard Of Honor is usually coming up in about two months. That doesn’t seem to be the case this time though and that is going to slow things down a lot. This time around though, Athena is back and that could make things interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Blake Christian vs. Adam Priest

Christian flips him off so Priest grabs the finger, only to get pulled into a headlock. Back up and Priest grabs his own headlock but Christian pops out. A springboard clothesline drops Priest and Christian throws him outside for some choking on the barricade. Back in and Christian charges out of the corner but gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A snap powerslam gives Christian a breather and a 450 double stomp sets up the Vanilla Choke Zero (like a Last Chancery) for the tap at 6:03.

Rating: C. Well, they are in fact doing something with Christian and it does feel like he is rising up the ranks a bit. I’ll take some kind of storytelling and progress over nothing and this is going better than a lot of other stories around here. Leaning into the idea of Christian being boring is a way to go, but I’ll take it over some of the things around here.

Cole Carter/Preston Vance vs. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros

Griff Garrison is here with Carter and Vance. Garrison takes Eli down to start but actually gets sent into the corner for a running elbow. Eli does something close to Rene Dupree’s French Tickler but here is Jacked Jameson of all people to interrupt. The villains knock Eli outside before Vance grabs a delayed vertical suplex. A slow motion elbow hits Eli and it’s back to Garrison for a front facelock. Eli actually fights up and hands it off to Gabriel to pick up the pace. Vance isn’t having that though and hits a discus lariat for the pin at 6:27.

Rating: C. Remember how I said I would take Christian over some of the things around here? Anything involving Carter and Garrison would fit the description. I have no idea what their appeal is supposed to be but it hasn’t been effective in a rather long time now. The match was fine enough, with Theseus/Aeros, apparently a regular team, looking decent.

Billie Starkz doesn’t quite get Athena’s entrance right so Athena walks her through it, albeit with some anger.

Lee Johnson vs. Jon Davis

EJ Nduka is here with Johnson. Davis (a former tag star in ROH) goes after Johnson to start but gets slapped in the head for his efforts. Johnson sends him outside and Nduka offers the distraction to set up the big dive. Back in and a moonsault gives Johnson two but a chop just annoys Davis. Johnson misses a dropkick and Davis rolls him into a German suplex. Nduka gets in a cheap shot though and Johnson hits the frog splash for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. So is this supposed to be a tag team or just Johnson doing the wrestling while Nduka looks like a monster? Either way, it’s only so interesting as Johnson isn’t much of anything special and we haven’t seen enough of Nduka for her to matter. Davis is someone who used to be something, albeit in a tag team, so he was only going to get so far here.

Athena vs. Carolina Cruz

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Cruz wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena dropkicks her into the corner to start fast and a Wasteland puts Cruz down. Some yelling at Starkz lets Cruz get in a right hand and full nelson slam but Athena powerbombs her down. The running forearm finishes for Athena at 2:42.

Post match Athena yells at Starkz and beats up Cruz some more.

We look at Bandido returning (again) on Collision.

Sammy Guevara vs. Mansoor

Mason Madden is here with Mansoor while Dustin Rhodes can’t be bothered to be there with his partner. Mansoor grabs a headlock to start and grinds away on the mat, setting up the pose. Back up and Guevara runs him over again and strikes his own pose, which doesn’t go as well.

Guevara sends him outside for a big running flip dive but Mansoor gets smart by going after the leg. A fisherman’s suplex gives Mansoor two and we hit the half crab. The rope is grabbed and Guevara starts the comeback with some dragon screw legwhips. Mason’s interference doesn’t work and Guevara grabs a Figure Four for the tap at 7:27.

Rating: C+. I still have no idea why I’m supposed to care about the Tag Team Titles, which have now not been defended in over a month. The act that this puts them above the AEW Trios Titles (three months) and the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles (six months) isn’t a great sign, but that’s quite the ROH problem. For now though, we likely have the next challengers for the titles, even if it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Dustin can’t even be bothered to show up again and…can you blame him?

Post match the MxM Collection beats Guevara down and pose with his Tag Team Title. This would mean a lot more if he hadn’t just basically beaten both of them in less than seven and a half minutes.

Women’s TV Title: Robyn Renegade vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and grabs a headlock to start. That’s broken up and Renegade takes her into the corner for a shot to the face. Velvet gets sent outside for a needed breather but she is able to cut off a baseball slide. Back in and Velvet chokes away, setting up some running knees against the ropes.

Renegade manages a knee to the face and a faceplant for two. A double down gives them both a needed breather before Velvet hammers away with some shots to the ribs. Renegade tries a pumphandle slam but gets reversed into the flipping faceplant to retain the title at 8:11.

Rating: C+ Better than I was expecting here, with Renegade putting up a solid fight. Renegade continues to be a bright spot when she is given the chance, but unfortunately that is not overly often. Velvet is finding herself more in the ring, so at least something seems to be working.

Premiere Athletes vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Dark Order vs. Outrunners

One fall to a finish with the Athletes taking Magnum into the corner to start fast. Reynolds tags himself in and hits a high crossbody for two as the fast start continues. A backbreaker into a DDT gives Uno two and the good guys hit four way right hands in the corner. We settle down to the non-involved Athletes stomping away on Reynolds outside. That’s broken up and Uno gets to hammer away, including a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER!

Magnum tags himself in and hammers away on Daivari for two but Gibson comes in with a belly to back suplex for two. The villains argue over who gets to go after Magnum, which is enough for him to get in a quick shot. The hot tag brings in Floyd to clean house and the Mega Powers Elbow hits Drake. Uno takes out Mark Sterling and an assisted Sliced Bread gives Drake two. Back up and the Total Recall finishes Drake for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Well I’m a sucker for a good double noggin knocker, even if it comes in another four way match with no reason to believe that the Outrunners are getting anything out of this. That’s the ROH tag division and it isn’t getting any better. Kind of like the Athletes and the Dark Order who just won’t go away.

Overall Rating: C-. The biggest issue around here continues to be that things just aren’t that interesting. Dustin Rhodes is still treated as a huge deal by way of being a double champion but it’s still Rhodes, which means there is only so much interest. Just another weak show, with little to keep me interested, though the lack of an old match was nice for a change.

Results
Blake Christian b. Adam Priest – Vanilla Choke Zero
Cole Carter/Preston Vance b. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros – Discus lariat to Aeros
Lee Johnson b. Jon Davis – Frog splash
Athena b. Carolina Cruz – Running forearm
Sammy Guevara b. Mansoor – Figure Four
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Flipping faceplant
Outrunners b. Grizzled Young Veterans, Dark Order and Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Drake

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 30, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are now on the second hundred episodes of the show and that means we are likely going to see a lot of the same things over and over. That tends to be the case around here, but what matters the most is that Komander got to lose again on an AEW show, making ROH feel that unimportant. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Sammy Guevara vs. Aaron Solo

Guevara flips out of a wristlock to start and dropkicks him out to the floor. That lets Guevara spin into his pose and there’s the big running flip dive to take him down again. Back in and Guevara’s springboard is broken up and a snap suplex gets two. Guevara is back up with a running crossbody and some knees to the head connect for two. They go to the ramp for a slugout and a Canadian Destroyer plants Guevara. Since it’s just a flipping piledriver on the ramp, Guevara is right back with the GTH for the win 58 seconds later at 6:42.

Rating: C. This was a fine enough match but at the same time it was also ice cold. You have half of the Tag Team Champions against a jobber to the stars for a few minutes and that is only going to get you so far. Then again, I’ll take this over more of the SONS OF TEXAS, who are still a thing due to reasons.

Queen Aminata vs. Allysin Kay

Aminata does her mock hip shaking to start and gets rolled up to start. Kay knocks her down and hammers away in the corner, setting up the cross arm choke. Aminata fights up and hits a running knee in the ropes. The big headbutt gives Aminata the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. Another decent enough match here but Aminata continues to be the same person she has been for months now. There just isn’t much to her and while she is fine in the ring, she hasn’t moved up the card in a good while. Other than that, just another short match here, making it a perfectly normal ROH match.

We look at Kazuchika Okada beating Komander on Collision. Just in case you forgot about it.

Lee Johnson vs. Komander

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Johnson (with EJ Nduka) wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Johnson takes him down to start and seems rather cocky early on. Some headlock takeovers have Komander in more trouble and a running shoulder drops him again. Back up and Komander kicks him to the floor, where Nduka breaks up the attempted dive.

That lets Johnson send him into the barricade, only to get knocked off the top. A high crossbody gives Komander two but Johnson is right back with a Death Valley Driver. Komander is back with a sunset bomb but his ribs are banged up with a minute left. A springboard splash gives Komander two with thirty seconds left. Johnson falls out to the floor and time runs out at 9:55 (close enough).

Rating: C+. Does Komander owe Tony Khan money or something? He loses to Okada on Collision and then goes to a draw here. I’m not sure how smart that really is, but it’s not like the TV Title has been treated as anything important before. Maybe just try to make it look good every so often?

Serpentico vs. Brandon Cutler

Serpentico shoulders him down to start and they trade some quick near falls for two each. A rather big armdrag staggers Serpentico, who sends him into the corner without much effort. Cutler misses a dive off the top and some chops, to the front and back, have him in trouble. Back up and a tornado DDT lets Cutler take his jacket off, setting up a top rope double stomp to the back of the head. Serpentico is back up with a running cutter into a frog splash for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This is about as low level of a match as you can get and that didn’t make for the best match when we’re about forty minutes into the show and there hasn’t been much interesting. It’s just hard to get interested in this, even if it was a match built around a feud that started on Dark: Elevation years ago. That’s all we have here and I guess it works here?

From March 9, 2023 (and from a previous review).

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Tony Deppen

Joe is defending and works on the wrist to start. For some reason Deppen strikes away, earning himself a beating in the corner. Deppen fights back though and hits a running corner dropkick. A knee gives Deppen two more but Joe Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe blasts him with a clothesline though and the MuscleBuster retains the title at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Deppen was trying and they had the action going, but Joe isn’t about to lose to someone who has only made infrequent appearances in his first defense on this show. Joe doesn’t really need to get built up in Ring of Honor again but breaking a bit of a sweat against a former champion is a good thing. Now just get Joe a more serious challenger and we could be getting somewhere.

We look at Daniel Garcia and the Undisputed Kingdom chasing off Shane Taylor Promotions.

The Infantry is happy with the changes that have been coming around here and tell people that ROH now means Run Or Hide.

Blake Christian vs. Evil Uno

Christian gets shoved away to start so he has a lounge on the top rope. A quick trip on the floor doesn’t do much for Christian, who is shouldered down into a nip up. Christian bails outside again and this time Uno runs him down again. Back in and some corner clotheslines have Christian in trouble but he snaps Uno’s arm across the top rope.

A dive through the ropes from the ramp drops Uno again and Christian kicks him in the face. Uno fights up with some clotheslines and a DDT drops Christian again. A brainbuster plants Christian but he kicks Uno down and drops a frog splash for two. Uno’s piledriver gets the same, only for Christian to take him down and hit a 450. The running knee to the back of the head finishes Uno at 8:26.

Rating: C. So the deal is that Christian is really boring and doesn’t make you care about him? Then he has a match where he is rather boring and doesn’t make me care about him? I’m not sure if I’m getting the idea here but at last Christian is someone new. Now just do something important with him already.

Women’s TV Title: Leila Grey vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and grinds away with a headlock to start. A running shoulder drops Velvet and Grey hits a running dropkick to put her down again. They head outside with Velvet sending her into the apron, only to miss a hip shaking chop. Back in and Velvet hammers away, setting up a boot choke in the corner.

The running knees set up a quickly broken seated full nelson so Velvet switches to a chinlock instead. Grey fights out again and hits a running knee in the corner, setting up a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up as well and Velvet hits an Iconoclasm for two. Back up and Velvet hits the flipping faceplant to retain at 8:25.

Rating: C. So this whole match was set up with Grey winning another match and then asking for this match. They then have a pretty nothing eight minute match before Velvet retains, getting her right back where we were a few weeks ago. Nothing to see here, as Grey’s momentum comes to a screeching halt.

Overall Rating: D+. This was on purpose right? I mean, they were trying to have as uninteresting of a match as they could yes? There was no reason to watch any of this and it was one boring star after another out there. Ring Of Honor has its reputation as being bottom of the barrel for a reason and this is a great example of what happened. Another totally skippable show, with the five minute Samoa Joe match being as confusing of a “classic” match as you could have.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Aaron Solo – GTH
Queen Aminata b. Allysin Kay – Headbutt
Komander vs. Lee Johnson went to a time limit draw
Serpentico b. Brandon Cutler – Frog splash
Blake Christian b. Evil Uno – Running knee to the back of the head
Red Velvet b. Leila Grey – Flipping faceplant

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 23, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the 100th episode and that means we should be getting something special around here. The key word there is “should”, as this show certainly doesn’t follow the norm for a wrestling series. We do at least have a TV Title match, as QT Marshall and Komander are this show’s version of a big showdown. Let’s get to it.

Mark Briscoe congratulates ROH on 100 episodes.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

TV Title: QT Marshall vs. Komander

Komander is defending and is quickly powered down to start. Marshall sends him to the corner and then the apron, only to get caught with a quick hurricanrana. They go outside where Marshall chops the post by mistake but is fine enough to hit an elbow back inside. A Lionsault gives Marshall two but Komander knocks him outside.

That means a big dive to take Marshall down again, setting up a high crossbody for two back inside. Marshall gets his boots up to block another moonsault, only to get caught with a Code Red for two. A 450 to the apron misses but Marshall goes after Alex Abrahantes. That’s enough for Komander to grab a springboard Code Red, allowing Cielito Lindo to retain the title at 9:41.

Rating: C+. And that’s the big match on the show, which had a pretty hard cap on it coming in. Komander isn’t so much presented as a big deal as much as he is presented as someone who is around a lot. Beating Marshall doesn’t mean much because Marshall doesn’t mean much, and Komander is regularly just a warm body to get beaten up in E. Having him win here is fine, but the AEW losses need to stop if this title is supposed to mean anything.

Post match Lee Johnson comes out for a staredown with Komander, who is more than game.

Leila Grey vs. Marti Belle

Grey starts fast with a rollup for two and then runs Belle over for a crash. A flipping neckbreaker drops Belle but she catches Grey on top. Belle hits a running shot in the corner and gets in some posing, followed by a running shot to the face. The chinlock is countered with a jawbreaker and Grey makes the comeback. A neckbreaker into a dragon sleeper makes Belle tap at 4:30.

Rating: C. Grey continues to improve and there is a chance that she could be something if she is given the chance and some more time. That’s the kind of thing that we need around here but it might take some time to get there. For now though, I’ll take a nice win over someone with a bit of name value as Grey gets some ring time.

Outrunners vs. Rosario Grillo/Jon Cruz

Magnum works on Cruz’s arm to start and the non Outrunners need a breather on the floor. They use said breather to STOMP ON THE OUTRUNNERS’ SUNGLASSES, meaning it’s time for a Hennig necksnap on Cruz. The Mega Powers Elbow sets up Total Recall to finish Grillo at 3:38.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for the Outrunners here and that’s fine, as the fans are going to go nuts for them no matter what they are doing. They are the definition of a fun act and that is what AEW/ROH could use in a big way. Let them come out there and let them pop the crowd a bit.

Athena is proud of 100 episodes and she’ll be back soon.

The Beast Mortos vs. Lord Crewe

Mortos uses the ropes to flip out of a wristlock to start before going after the leg. La majistral gets two on Crewe and they fight up to a standoff. Crewe kicks him down but Mortos is back with a pop up Samoan drop. A running forearm gives Crewe two but Mortos hits the spinning piledriver for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why Mortos gives up so much in his matches as he is the definition of someone who can run through all kinds of people but he’s going move for move with someone like Crewe. That’s a nice way to make Crewe look good, but you might want to use someone other than Mortos to do that.

From International Challenge.

Tag Team Titles: Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. Cima/Shingo

Daniels and Sydal are defending. Shingo and Daniels start things off with Shingo pulling him down by the leg to take over. The bigger Shingo runs him over with a shoulder but Daniels, with a lot of momentum, does the same to take Shingo down. Sydal comes in for a spinwheel kick and it’s off to Cima, with the fans approving.

Cima runs Sydal over and it’s back to Daniels, who gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. Sydal comes back in and snapmares Cima down to crank on the neck before Daniels gets two off a slam. A belly to back suplex/springboard elbow to the face combination gets two on Cima but Shingo comes in to choke Sydal down. Shingo starts working on the leg before sending him into the barricade, setting up Cima’s seated full nelson.

More leg cranking ensues before Sydal is caught in a swinging sleeper toss. A cutter/wheelbarrow faceplant combination gets two but Sydal manages a DDT and dropkick. The tag brings Daniels in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Sydal hitting a moonsault out to the floor. Back in and Sydal gets powerbombed into the corner before it’s back to Daniels, who gets caught in an Indian Deathlock.

Cima ties Daniels’ legs up for a brainbuster and a near fall, with Sydal diving in for a tornado DDT. Shingo nails Sydal with a lariat to leave everyone down as the fans approve. Cima superkicks Shingo by mistake and it’s a release Rock Bottom into the BME into the shooting star press to give Sydal the pin on Shingo at 23:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, with the champions feeling like they were fighting from underneath and capitalizing on Cima’s mistake with the superkick. Daniels and Sydal looked good as a team even when they felt like they escaped with a win here. It’s a nice match, though I’m not sure how much of a Daniels show case this really was.

Leila Grey wants the Women’s TV Title.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Lady Frost

Deonna Purrazzo is here with Valkyrie, who powers Frost down to start and hammers away on the mat. Back up and Frost kicks her out to the floor and we pause for a breather. Back in and Valkyrie knocks her down again but gets dropkicked in the back for her efforts. Valkyrie gets in another knockdown and we hit the chinlock to slow things down again. That’s broken up and Frost hits a flipping Cannonball in the corner for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb sets up Shania Pain to finish Frost at 6:00.

Rating: C. This was a back and forth match but it was only so interesting. Frost is someone who is there to make someone else look good and she did it well enough here, but there was only so much that was going to work here. Valkyrie feels like someone who has been around for awhile and not done much, with this match not really doing much to elevate her.

Jacked Jameson pitches a new group to Cole Karter, Griff Garrison and Preston Vance but they aren’t overly interested. Thinking about it is promise.

Gates Of Agony vs. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki

Lucas strikes away at Kaun to absolutely no effect. A heck of a clothesline into a German suplex drops Lucas and it’s off to Yaki, who is beaten down down as well. That means it’s back to Lucas, who gets planted with a double spinebuster for the pin at 2:15.

Chris Jericho talks about the greatness of Ring Of Honor and lists off some historic names, albeit ARMBAR style with various Jericho names coming up over and over.

Shane Taylor vs. Katsuyori Shibata

The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions are here too. The larger Taylor powers him up against the ropes but Shibata strikes his way out of trouble. Taylor strikes him out to the floor and Shibata gets sent into the barricade for a crash. Some heavy forearms set up the chinlock but Shibata is right back up. A clothesline gives Taylor two but he misses a charge into the corner and gets chopped a lot. They strike it out until the Marcus Garvey Driver gives Taylor two. Welcome To The Land is blocked though and Shibata grabs the sleeper. The PK finishes Taylor at 7:18.

Rating: C. Not a bad match but I’m not sure why I’m supposed to stay interested in Taylor and his Promotions when they lose so often. We’ve been seeing hype videos for Taylor and company for weeks now and here their leader just loses clean. I get the idea of having Shibata look good because he’s a bigger star, but there was little reason for him to go over Taylor completely clean here. Just pick someone else for Shibata to beat.

Post match the Promotions jumps Shibata and beats him down. Daniel Garcia and the Undisputed Kingdom make the save. The Kingdom showing up is a nice touch for the anniversary show.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita pop up to challenge Katsuyori Shibata for Collision. I have no idea why this needed to be on Ring Of Honor.

Overall Rating: C. So that’s the big milestone show and I’m not sure what was supposed to be special about this. They did throw in a few cameos with the congratulations and the Undisputed Kingdom at the end was nice, but the wrestling itself was absolutely nothing special. It was a run of the mill show and while nothing was bad, it was another show you didn’t need to see. It also doesn’t help that the classic match, which was good, was longer than the three longest new matches combined. It’s just extending the show and easily could have been trimmed down to about five minutes. Not much to see here, as usual.

Results
Komander b. QT Marshall – Cielito Lindo
Leila Grey b. Marti Belle – Dragon sleeper
Outrunners b. Rosario Grillo/Jon Cruz – Total Recall to Grillo
The Beast Mortos b. Lord Crewe – Spinning piledriver
Taya Valkyrie b. Lady Frost – Shania Pain
Gates Of Agony b. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki – Double spinebuster to Lucas
Katsuyori Shibata b. Shane Taylor – PK

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 9, 2025
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the slow crawl towards Supercard Of Honor in a few months and as you might have expected, pretty much nothing happened at Wrestle Dynasty. Ring Of Honor was relegated to the pre-show where the Sons Of Texas retained the Tag Team Titles, likely on their way to what is supposed to be a special title defense at All In: Texas. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the lineup.

Trish Adora vs. Harley Cameron

Adora rolls her down to start but Cameron does the same thing to her to keep it even. Back up and a flying headscissors takes Cameron down, followed by a northern lights suplex to make it worse. Adora’s snap German suplex sends Cameron into the corner and a Boss Man Slam backbreaker has her down again. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Adora switches to a double arm crank. Cameron fights up and starts striking away, setting up a Shining Wizard for two. Back up and the Lariat Tubman gives Adora the clean pin at 6:23.

Rating: C-. OH COME ON! Harley Cameron is the most charismatic woman in AEW right now and she’s losing clean to Trish Adora, who has done a grand total of nothing in months. Cameron is set to face the AEW Women’s Champion in two days and yet here we are, because Adora needs a win or something. I’m sure she’ll benefit from this win, which will ABSOLUTELY have title implications. Maybe Adora can get one of the better seats in catering when someone else comes in from Japan to get the next title shot after doing nothing in ROH. This place is baffling and this is a perfect example of why.

Blake Christian vs. Serpentico

Christian jumps him before the bell but gets caught with an early dropkick for two. They head outside with Serpentico being sent into the barricade, allowing Christian to stomp him onto said barricade. Christian stomps his head onto the steps before they trade kicks to the face back inside. A neckbreaker gets two on Christian but he’s right back with some running knees to the head for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. This was as lower midcard as you can get around here as ROH is now deciding to push Christian as something. Then again, winning matches around here isn’t the way to get title opportunities and that is what Christian is doing so far. Other than that, perfectly fine match here which isn’t likely to mean much going forward.

Griff Garrison vs. Boulder

Boulder powers him around to start but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Garrison to hit a running clothesline. The straps come down as Boulder gets fired up and there’s the running splash in the corner. More splashes have Garrison in trouble and a side slam gives Boulder two. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Garrison again and the basement crossbody (Boulderdash) finishes him at 5:00.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as the Iron Savages are now good guys and winning matches. The match was the same short form stuff that we’ve seen around here before and little more than a squash. The show could use a good match to pick up the steam and this wasn’t what it needed.

We’re thirty minutes into an eighty five minute show and the biggest star we’ve seen so far is comedy jobber Harley Cameron. In the words of Lenny Haise, this is an opportune time to pick it up a little.

Billie Starkz vs. Brittany Jade

Starkz rolls her up for two before stomping away. Jade fights up and hits a clothesline in the corner but gets dropped face first onto the turnbuckle. Starkz drops a Swanton for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Another nothing match with Starkz squashing her without much effort. Other than Jade being Caprice Coleman’s student to tie it into the commentary a bit, this was another match which came and went to fill in time. When you’re over a third of the way through a show, you should have had something more than that by now.

Rachael Ellering vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata takes her down by the arm for some hip swiveling, earning herself a gutwrench suplex. The shout of a splash sends Aminata bailing to the floor, with commentary wondering how smart the shout was. Back in and Ellering takes her down again, setting up the backsplash (with shout) for two. Aminata tries a leglock but gets rolled up for two instead. That doesn’t matter much though as Aminata hits the headbutt for the win at 4:44.

Rating: C. Again, it’s not that these matches are bad, but they’re between people who have nothing going on and they aren’t exactly making things interesting. Neither of the have been anywhere near a title match in months but here they are, getting time on a random show. It feels like a match thrown out there to fill in time and that’s not a great thing to see.

From July 25, 2018 (and from a previous review).

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Hazuki

Hazuki is challenging and has her Oedo Tai stable mates with her. Sakai starts with the Mongolian chops and gets tossed into the corner with no effort. The announcers make a big deal out of Hazuki being just 20 years old, which is quite the point worth bragging about. A facewash sends Sakai outside and Hazuki hits a middle rope backsplash to a standing champion as we take a break.

Back with Sakai getting rolled up for two but slugging Hazuki in the face to take over. A full nelson slam and another backsplash (this time with Sakai down) give Hazuki two. Sakai is right back with a running dropkick and a missile dropkick to send Hazuki to the floor. That means a big dive onto all three but Hazuki catches her with a Codebreaker off the top for a very close two. The rest of the team fails at interfering and it’s Smash Mouth to retain at 9:55.

Rating: C+. It’s not a good sign when you need to bring in this many people to even have a division, or when a 20 year old showed up your first champion this badly. Sakai has no spark to anything she does and I still have no connection to her, even after the whole tournament. Hazuki came off like a star with a better offense and charisma, but we’re still getting Sakai no matter what logic may dictate.

MxM Collection vs. Dawsons

Mason and Zane fight over a lock up to start with Mason powering him into the corner. Everything breaks down and the Dawsons are cleaned out, meaning it’s time to pose. Mansoor gets in trouble for all of three seconds, meaning it’s a double clothesline to set up the tag off to Mason. The Centerfold finishes Dave at 4:05.

Rating: C. Another squash here but at least they didn’t give it much time. The Collection is another team that came in hot but isn’t doing anything at the moment, while we count down the days to All In: Texas so the Sons Of Texas can have some kind of moment. It would be fun to see the Collection or the Outrunners getting a nice moment with a short title reign, but here we are instead.

Red Velvet vs. Jazmyne Hao

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Hao wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. They start somewhat slowly before Velvet stomps away in the corner to take over. Some forearms and running knees to the back have Hao down and a left hand (or right according to Riccaboni) finishes for Velvet at 2:51.

QT Marshall is ready for his TV Title shot next week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Gates Of Agony

Kaun and Moriarty start things off with Kaun taking him down, setting up an exchange of leapfrogs. Taylor comes in for the power showdown with Kaun and takes him into the corner. Moriarty works on the arm before Taylor hits a hard knee to the face for two. A splash gets the same but Kaun fights up with a double crossbody for a double knockdown.

Toa and Taylor come in for the big showdown, including an exchange of headbutts. Toa gets the better of things but Moriarty comes in off a blind tag. That earns him Open The Gates for two but Trish Adora offers a distraction. Cue the Infantry to jump Kaun, allowing Moriarty to roll him up for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C. Again, fine, but spare me the idea of Shane Taylor Promotions getting back into the title picture or whatever the line commentary is going to feed us will be. Another watchable enough match with some nice power stuff, but the people involved have been running on a treadmill for so long that it’s hard to get interested. Same as always around here.

Here is Chris Jericho, with Bryan Keith, for a chat as we have about five minutes left in the show. Jericho complains about the lack of people cheering for him in the last few matches because the people were chanting for the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Rock N Roll Express, with Jericho saying he hates rock and roll. Ricky Morton made fun of him in 1994 and Jericho has hated him ever since. The Express quickly clears the ring and Morton says they’re glad to be back in Charlotte to end the show. Morton didn’t even talk for ten seconds.

Overall Rating: F+. Nope. Before I get into this, let me make it clear: the wrestlers aren’t at fault here. They were trying and putting in some effort and the matches were hardly awful. This show’s problems aren’t on them and I don’t want it to seem like this is some dumpster fire of bad wrestling.

The problem here is this show committed the ultimate sin in wrestling: it felt like a waste of time. This show featured absolutely nothing important, with a bunch of lower card stars having matches or a bunch of squashes. I did not care about what I was watching because it didn’t feel like Ring Of Honor cared about what they were presenting. This is one of the most useless wrestling shows that I have seen in a LONG time and shows you just how nothing ROH is right now. I’m sure someone will blame this on people being in Japan for Wrestle Dynasty, but three people being gone didn’t make this show feel so unimportant.

Results
Trish Adora b. Harley Cameron – Lariat Tubman
Blake Christian b. Serpentico – Running knees to the head
Boulder b. Griff Garrison – Boulderdash
Billie Starkz b. Brittany Jade – Swanton
Queen Aminata b. Rachael Ellering – Headbutt
MxM Collection b. The Dawsons – Centerfold to Dave
Red Velvet b. Jazmyne Hao – Left hand
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Gates Of Agony – Rollup to Kaun

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 2, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re starting a new year and that could make things more interesting around here. I mean it probably won’t as tends to be the case with this series, but we do at least have some title matches coming up at Wrestle Dynasty. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it’s better than the usual stuff around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We preview the show.

Women’s TV Title: Red Velvet vs. Hanako

Hanako is challenging after defeating Harley Cameron on the Final Battle kickoff show. Velvet poses at her to start and they fight over arm control. Back up and Hanako shoves her into the ropes, where Velvet tells her to get away. More mocking earns Velvet a hard shoulder before a slam sends Velvet outside.

Back in and Velvet starts working on the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Hanako’s knee is fine enough to muscle her up with a suplex and hit some running corner clotheslines. Velvet is back with running knees against the ropes and the Stir It Up gets two. A flipping faceplant finishes Hanako at 8:36.

Rating: C. The match was fine, but Velvet’s incredibly sudden heel turn isn’t exactly doing anything for her. The problem is she doesn’t really have that much of a personality in the first place so it wasn’t some shocking moment when she turned. Without a reason to care about her in the first place, the turn doesn’t have any impact. Throw in Hanako having wrestled for less than ten minutes in ROH coming into this match and there wasn’t much to get interested in here.

Shane Taylor Promotions wants it all. Cool. Now stop talking about it and do something already.

Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Homicide/Rocky Romero

Rush jumps Romero to start before it’s off to Andretti to draw Romero in. Homicide comes in legally to chase Rush to the floor, followed by a double shoulder to take him down back inside. The Forever Lariats are broken up and a double suplex drops Romero. A double flapjack sets up Rush’s front facelock but Andretti accidentally decks Rush. Romero kicks Andretti in the face and it’s back to Homicide to clean house. The cutter gives Homicide two and everything breaks down. Romero misses a dive to the floor, allowing Andretti to hit Homicide low for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was more action packed to keep the pace up, though it definitely felt like a match that had been written out to the letter to set it up. Rush and Andretti are the new team around AEW/ROH and they are getting some wins together, which makes sense for their future. They could use a name of some kind, but getting a win is what matters most.

We look at Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara retaining the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle.

After the match, Rhodes talked about how important this was and how they have grown together. They’re ready for a match at Wrestle Dynasty, as the House Of Torture have challenged them for the titles.

Harley Cameron vs. Ashley Vox

Vox takes her down to start but Cameron gets a drive into the corner. Cameron avoids a quick Cannonball attempt and grabs a suplex for two. The cross arm choke is broken up in a hurry so Vox can hammer away in the corner. The Cannonball connects as the camera rapidly cuts away from a row of empty seats. Cameron is back with some forearms into the Shining Wizard for the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see and in Cameron’s case, it makes sense that she isn’t running through people. She isn’t presented as some kind of dominant force but rather someone who is so out there that she believes she’s amazing. It makes her close to the female Danhausen and it’s nice to see that kind of talent featured here.

Red Velvet is asked why she cheated at Final Battle. She’s tired of being asked that but Leyla Hirsch comes in to demand a rematch. Velvet says sure but on her time.

Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry vs. Iron Savages/Dark Order

Trish Adora, Jon Silver and Jacked Jameson are here too. Reynolds and Moriarty grapple to the mat to start with Moriarty getting two off a crucifix. Bravo comes in to hit Boulder in the face so Bronson comes in for his hairy chest spot to make Bravo scream. Adora gets in a cheap shot from the floor and it’s Taylor coming in to take Bronson into the corner. A belly to back suplex/backbreaker combination drops Bronson but he piledrives Bronson onto Dean.

Uno comes in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Boulder hitting a double Downward Spiral. Boulder powerslams Taylor but Bronson gets posted. Moriarty gets Reynolds in the Border City Stretch on the floor and Uno is caught with a double stomp inside. Moriarty comes back in to Border City Stretch Uno for the win at 9:10.

Rating: D+. There is so much wrong with this match, I don’t know where to start. First and foremost, the problem here is the Iron Savages, who have been the most obnoxious villains in the company for months, are suddenly good. There was no promo, no action and no explanation, but now we’re supposed to cheer them. That’s poor storytelling no matter how you look at it. On top of that, forgive me for believing that THIS will be the time that Shane Taylor Promotions finally starts moving up the card. I’ve heard it for so long that I have no reason to believe it. The action was fine, but this match was annoying on multiple levels.

We look at Athena firing Lexi Nair last week.

From Death Before Dishonor 2023 (and from a previous review).

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Athena is defending in the rubber match and immediately bails to the floor. Back in and Willow powers her around before they forearm it out. Athena gets two off a crucifix but Willow’s fisherman’s buster gets the same. A crucifix gives Athena two and she sends Willow outside in a crash. Back in and the double knees connect in the corner, setting up the chinlock.

Willow powers her way up and hammers away, only to get dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Willow is fine enough to try the Babe With The Powerbomb but Athena reverses into a snapmare driver for two. Willow’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Athena is right back with Obliteration. She muscles Willow up and into a sitout powerbomb for two (that was impressive) before going up.

That takes too long as well though and Willow grabs a super Death Valley Driver for a rather near fall. They head outside and Athena posts her, setting up the O Face for a VERY near fall back inside. The Babe With The Powerbomb gets the same but Athena is back up with another O Face. The crossface goes on and Athena even grabs a leg. Willow passes out to retain Athena’s title at 20:28.

Rating: B-. Well. Ok then. I’m not sure what this weird obsession Ring Of Honor has lately with the heroes losing in the end but they did it again here. It also makes me wonder why the Owen Hart tournament wasn’t just for the title shot with someone else in Athena’s place, thereby giving us the same result and no Athena loss. They had a hard hitting fight, but that was one more deflating ending on a long list of them in Ring Of Honor’s recent history. Someone is going to have to beat Athena, and it’s going to have to be an AEW import at this point. Anyway, solid main event with a rather surprising result.

QT Marshall vs. Komander

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Marshall gets a title shot if he wins or survives the ten minute time limit. Marshall immediately bails to the floor to burn off a minute to start. Komander isn’t having this and hammers away but gets sent into the corner for a chop. A kick to the ribs staggers Komander and a knee drop gets one. Marshall grabs a neck crank before switching to a basic choke, followed by a chinlock to complete the trifecta.

Komander fights up and his the very springboardy hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Marshall gets two off a suplex powerbomb and they go up top. Marshall’s super cutter is countered into a super hurricanrana. Marshall is sent outside again for a big springboard moonsault and a springboard Canadian Destroyer sets up Cielito Lindo…but Marshall rolls outside for the time limit at 10:00.

Rating: C+. If there was one match that summed up why this show can be so annoying, it might be this one right here. First and foremost, Marshall hasn’t won a match in AEW or ROH in over a year. Why is he getting this chance? Why not former champion Brian Cage or Survival Of The Fittest runner up Blake Christian? No, instead it’s someone who is known for losing low level matches on Zero Hour getting this shot, again with absolutely no explanation as to why.

Second, Komander, who just got the biggest win of his career and followed it up with an upset in the Continental Classic suddenly can’t be comedy jobber QT Marshall. This is what I mean when I saw this show feels like it just comes and goes with no logic or reasoning behind almost anything that happens, and my goodness it is so frustrating at times.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all kinds of frustrating, if nothing else due to just how all of the place it felt. Case in point, you have three title matches coming up and they were earned by someone winning their only match in ROH, someone just asking for a shot, and someone losing every match they have before going to a draw. Meanwhile, how many people are THIS CLOSE to a title shot and have been for months now?

I’m not expecting this show to be the greatest, tightest booked show of all tie but having it include some sort of continuity or sense. Throw in the unforgivable sin of trying to make me like the Iron Savages and this was a really hard show to watch. As usual, the action was fine, but the show feels like it’s thrown together with an excuse of “oh who cares” when it comes to structure or internal logic.

Results
Red Velvet b. Hanako – Flipping faceplant
Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Homicide/Rocky Romero – Low blow to Homicide
Harley Cameron b. Ashley Vox – Shining Wizard
Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry b. Iron Savages/Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Uno
QT Marshall vs. Komander went to a time limit draw

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.