Ring Of Honor
Date: November 14, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on Final Battle but since there is probably more than a month to go before the show, nothing has been announced just yet. Odds are we’ll be seeing some seeds being planted soon though and that might start this week. Last week’s show was a bit more structured than usual so hopefully the trend continues here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Card rundown.

Gates Of Agony vs. Undisputed Kingdom vs. Dark Order vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Kaun takes Taven down to start and hammers away but Taven is back up with a dropkick and the shout of his name. Bennett comes in and gets chopped down before some rapid fire chops let the Order knock Gibson down. It’s off to Drake for a step up dropkick to send Reynolds to the floor. Back in and Taven gets the tag to clean house, with Bennett’s Death Valley Driver setting up Just The Tip for two on Gibson. The Gates are back in with Open The Gates to Bennett before Silver gets to take over for a change. A quick Hail Mary gives Bennett the pin on Silver at 5:37.

Rating: C+. What are you supposed to get out of an eight man match that doesn’t even last six minutes? The Kingdom was the last team to go on a big run of offense and got the win as a result. As usual, this would have been better as a regular tag match, but it’s not like any of these teams are likely to get near the title situation anytime soon.

Post match respect is shown between the Gates and the Kingdom.

Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara vs. Shot Through The Heart

Non-title. Rhodes and Doug (as in Love Doug, because his name is Love Doug) with Rhodes shrugging off some early right hands to take over on Crawford. Guevara comes in and flips over him before hitting a dropkick to send Crawford outside. There’s the big flip dive, followed by the middle rope cutter back inside. Rhodes kicks Crawford in the face and the GTH finishes him off at 2:43. As usual, Rhodes and Guevara show absolutely nothing that makes them feel important or better than any average team.

Post match the Righteous come in and beat down Guevara and Rhodes. We get extra serious as the cowbell is used, as well as STOLEN.

We get Chris Jericho and the Learning Tree’s promo from Dynamite accepting a challenge from Tomohiro Ishii.

Preston Vance/Griff Garrison vs. Waves And Curls

Vance shoulders Jordan (of Traevon Jordan/Jaylen Brandyn) down to start and gets in another knockdown for a bonus. Brandyn comes in and lays down rather than get chopped in what might be a smart move. It’s off to Garrison to stomp away and before Vance adds a delayed vertical suplex, allowing commentary to make a Power And Glory comparison (because Power And Glory has become a great team over the years….somehow). Jordan is sent into the barricade, followed by a discus forearm into a discus lariat to give Vance the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C. Vance and Garrison aren’t exactly a great team but it’s not like either of them have anything going at the moment. I’m assuming Cole Karter is gone or something, as Vance was just thrown in there as Garrison’s new partner. It’s not a great move, but they did well enough in their first match together.

Video on the Infantry joining Shane Taylor Promotions.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Aaron Solo

Solo, Shibata’s student, jumps him before the bell and seems rather pleased as he suplexes Shibata on the floor. Shibata comes up favoring his ankle but it’s fine enough to kick Solo in the face. Shibata’s suplex drops Solo and they head inside with Shibata striking away. Some chops in the corner and a butterfly suplex drop Solo but he’s back with an exploder for two of his own. That’s not going to work for Shibata, who grabs an Octopus for the win at 4:01.

Rating: C+. They started fast here and had a physical match until Shibata crushed Solo, which is how this should have gone in the end. It’s also a match where they didn’t waste time, as there was no reason to believe that Solo was going to be able to hang in there long term. Shibata doesn’t have much going on at the moment, but he’s still far ahead of Solo.

Komander vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling is here with Woods and says the same thing he says every week (if not twice). Woods wrestles him to the mat to start but Komander is back up with a whip to the floor, setting up the flip dive. Another dive seems to hurt Komander’s knee so Sterling gets in some stomping of his own like a good villain is supposed to do.

Some Sterling choking (with Alex Abrahantes chasing him off) sets up a quickly broken chinlock as Komander kicks him in the head. A springboard crossbody gives Komander two but Woods knees him out of the air for two. They head outside again with Komander hitting a hurricanrana into the post. Sterling offers a distraction so Abrahantes spears him own, leaving Komander to grab a tornado DDT. Cielito Lindo finishes for Komander at 6:37.

Rating: C+. That’s your required Komander match of the week, though it’s not a great sign when the fans are reacting to the managers fighting more than the people in the match. Other than that, neither of them did anything out of their usual, which didn’t make for the most thrilling match. At least it didn’t go on far longer than it needed to, as is Komander’s custom.

MxM Collection has merch.

Abadon vs. Viva Van

Van goes with a slap rather than a handshake to start before snapping off a spinwheel kick for two. Abadon gets annoyed at the hair pull though and hits a knee to the face. An RKO plants Van and the Black Dahlia finishes Van at 3:06.

Rating: C. Not much to see here as they kept it short again, though this was longer than most of what Abadon tends to do. Abadon continues to feel like a star, though that doesn’t mean guaranteed future gold. For now, I’ll take a fairly hard hitting match which was a step more competitive than a normal squash.

Athena and Lexi Nair are waiting for Billie Starkz to apologize but she doesn’t want to do it. Leila Grey interrupts and challenges Athena, who laughs her off. A Proving Ground match is set for next week. Starkz is still in trouble though.

From March 16, 2023 and from a previous review.

Athena vs. Hyan

Another non-title Proving Ground match. Athena drops her to start and mocks the fans a bit, only to get kicked in the face for her rudeness. A swinging chokeslam cuts Hyan down again but she fights out of a chinlock. Athena catches her on top and spins into a powerbomb to the floor (ouch). Back in and the Crossface makes Hyan tap at 4:41.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here and a lot of that was spent on Athena playing to the fans. That powerbomb looked good though and Athena ran through an opponent who shouldn’t have caused her much trouble. This was little more than a showcase for Athena and in that regard, it went well.

Righteous vs. Matt Raymond/Sammy Diaz

Dutch has the cowbell from earlier. Diaz slugs away to start but gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. A Russian legsweep allows the tag off to Dutch for a Side Effect. Dutch suplexes Diaz down and it’s a Boss Man Slam into Orange Sunshine into an assisted Death Valley Driver to pin Diaz at 2:55.

Post match Vincent says they should have been the Tag Team Champions a long time ago and they’re coming for the belts. Dig what he is saying? Dutch mocks Dustin Rhodes with the cowbell because it used to belong to Dusty Rhodes. Apparently Dutch and Dusty were close and Dusty say potential in him. Everyone knows that Dustin is the weakest link in “our” family. Maniacal laughing ensues.

Women’s TV Title: Diamante vs. Red Velvet

Diamante is challenging in a street fight. The fight starts on the floor, where Diamante gets in some kendo stick shots to the back and then chokes on the ropes. The belt is hung on the ropes but Diamante misses a charge and goes head first instead. Diamante is fine enough to tie her in the Tree of Woe, and a trashcan, for a running dropkick and a near fall. Velvet is rammed head first into a chair a few times and it’s time to choke with a chain. That’s broken up and Diamante is sent into the corner as the fans want tables.

Instead they get a ladder from Velvet, which takes long enough that Diamante suplexes her onto the ladder for the crash. Diamante loads up the table but again it takes too long, allowing Velvet to get in some chair shots. Velvet takes too long (a pattern emerges) going up and a superplex sends her through the table for the big crash. The delayed cover gives Diamante two but Velvet is back with a flipping faceplant onto the belt to retain at 10:57.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up rather well here and it felt like a match that was built up over time. Velvet gets a win to make her seem like a more serious champion and that is good to see. At the same time, Diamante put in quite a nice performance of her own and it was a nice enough brawl. It wasn’t perfect though, as they spent too much time setting things up and it was a bunch of stuff that feels like it has been done a million or so times.

Overall Rating: C+. Overall, the show was a bit better as they trimmed the time down again (just shy of an hour and a half this week) but there is still a lot on here that feels like it could be trimmed of. I’m not sure why we needed to see Shibata beat Solo or a random non-title match from Athena from a year and a half ago. What matters the most is that it feels like they’re building some things up and that could help in the long run, assuming they stick with that style for a change.

Results
Undisputed Era b. Dark Order, Gates Of Agony and the Grizzled Young Veterans – Hail Mary to Silver
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara b. Shot Through The Heart – GTH to Crawford
Preston Vance/Griff Garrison b. Waves And Curls – Discus lariat to Jordan
Katsuyori Shibata b. Aaron Solo – Octopus
Komander b. Josh Woods – Cielito Lindo
Abadon b. Viva Van – Black Dahlia
Righteous b. Matt Raymond/Sammy Diaz – Assisted Death Valley Driver to Diaz
Red Velvet b. Diamante – Flipping faceplant onto the title belt

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: October 31, 2024
Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s Halloween and in theory that should mean we’re getting things shaken up a bit. This is the kind of show that could include some kid of change of pace or at least some fun, even if we’re back in the Chris Jericho Era. The main event will see Abadon challenging Athena for the Women’s Title so let’s get to it.

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

Happy Halloween: this show is two hours and fifty six minutes long.

The Righteous want the Tag Team Titles and don’t think Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara are family. What happens when the snake bites Dustin? The Righteous want the titles.

We run down the card.

We look at La Faccion Ingobernable beating down JD Drake and Beef.

Peter Avalon/Preston Vance vs. JD Drake/Beef

Beef makes Vance shake his hand to start before they trade shoulders. That doesn’t go very far until Beef runs him over with a shoulder. Vance’s delayed suplex cuts him off and it’s Avalon coming in for a running corner clothesline. It’s off to Drake, who shakes pinkies with Avalon and then chops him, which is kind of a mixed message.

Drake chops him in the corner and hands it back to Beef for the same thing. Another tag brings Drake back in but he seems to hurt his leg, sending Beef back in to get taken down with a hard spinebuster. Vance’s discus lariat gets two but another one hits Avalon by mistake. Drake is back in with the spinning butterfly suplex, setting up Beef’s frog splash for the pin at 7:16.

Rating: C. So Beef and the Workhorsemen are the new Action Andretti and Top Flight yes? It’s quite the similar story and if it winds up going about the same way, it means they won’t have much of an impact. That being said, I could go for something new in the six man division, assuming you actually call that a division.

We look at Chris Jericho’s promo from Dynamite, promising to elevate Ring Of Honor.

Johnny TV vs. Deonn Rusman

This is certainly elevation. Feeling out process to start with TV driving him into the corner but stopping to pose. Some kicks to the head set up a knee to Rusman’s face but a shooting star headbutt low blow (yep) misses. Rusman stomps away but gets kicked low, allowing TV to rain down some forearms. A flipping neckbreaker choke just fires Rusman up, only for TV to kick him down for two more. Rusman connects with an AA but misses a charge in the corner. The flipping neckbreaker into Starship Pain finishes for TV at 4:58.

Rating: C. This was more about featuring Rusman a bit, as you more or less know exactly what you’re going to get from TV. Rusman has done well in some previous appearances and he did decently again here, though there is only so much you can do on defense. It wasn’t quite a squash, but TV isn’t likely to move up the ladder in any meaningful way.

The MxM Collection as a fall collection.

Gates Of Agony vs. CSJ/Dave Dutra

Kaun runs Dutra over to start and Liona hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. CSJ is sent into the barricade and some running shots in the corner crush Dutra. Open The Gates finishes at 1:40.

Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes are down to face the Righteous. I still have no idea why these two are the champions, but I have less idea why Dustin is a double champion.

Lady Frost vs. Reyna Isis

Frost anklescissors her down to start but Isis runs the corner for a wristdrag. A corkscrew dive to the floor drops Frost again but Frost is back with a moonsault off the steps. Back in and Isis works on the back in the corner, with some running knees connecting for two. Frost ducks a clothesline and hits a running elbow for two but Isis ties her in the ropes. The springboard legdrop finishes for Isis at 5:41.

Rating: C+. I could go for building up Isis as a challenger for one of the titles and two matches in, that wouldn’t be the worst idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to have her around for a bit before throwing her right into something. That’s how a build is supposed to work and if that’s what we’re getting, I’ve heard worse ideas.

We look at Abadon attacking Athena again last week.

Matt Taven vs. Aaron Solo

Pure Rules. Solo knocks him into the corner to start and kicks away but Taven is back with the big dropkick. A springboard is broken up though and Solo hammers him down on the mat. Taven kicks his way out of trouble and hits a DDT, followed by a springboard kick to the head. A choke sends Solo over to the ropes for his first break, followed by a Climax for the second break. Solo gets in a kick to the face but dives into another choke for the tap at 5:49.

Rating: C. Let me guess: this puts Taven into contention for the Pure Rules Title or makes him #1 contender because he has now spent almost six minutes wrestling a Pure match. Ignore that NOTHING in this match had anything special about it that would make you realize it was a Pure Rules of course, because the Pure Rules Title is one of the most pointless titles around. The champion either doesn’t defend it for months at a time or loses in regular matches, but it just keeps existing because it was around before and therefore it has to stay around.

Post match Lee Moriarty comes out for the staredown because THAT’S WHAT WE DO in this….it’s not a division but around this title at least.

JD Drake insists he and Beef aren’t family. They’re waiting for Anthony Henry to get back. I still have no idea what the appeal of these guys is supposed to be.

Righteous vs. Jay Marston/Solomon Tupu

Marston gets dropped, Tupu gets dropped, Orange Sunshine finishes Marston at 1:19.

Post match the Righteous crush Tupu’s leg with Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara running in for the too late save.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling and Ariya Daivari are here with Woods and plug the Premiere Athletes’ new shirt. Woods wrestles him to the mat to start but Woods is back up with a shot to the face to send him outside. Back in and Woods knocks him into the corner as commentary talks about ear injuries. Ishii’s Saito suplex gets two and he snaps off a German suplex. Woods comes back with an exploder but gets caught on top for a delayed superplex. The big lariat gives Ishii two so he headbutts Woods down, setting up the brainbuster for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: B-. Easily the best match of the night so far as they were beating each other up pretty well. Ishii is old and can’t move nearly as well as he did before but there is still a certain intensity to him that you cannot fake. That’s what we saw here and Woods was hanging in there with him well enough.

Post match the villains beat Ishii down but Kyle O’Reilly runs in for the save.

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara get jumped by the Righteous, with Dustin trying to protect Guevara. As they rush through probably three weeks’ worth of stuff in about an hour.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Dante Leon/Jah-C/Trip Jordy

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to Dante Martin as Dante and Dante Leon as Leon. Darius armdrags Leon down to start and hands it off to Dante for a dropkick. The slingshot hilo sets up a double backbreaker and an assisted moonsault gets two. Jah-C comes in and gets caught with an atomic drop into a springboard spinning Downward Spiral. Leon comes back in and gets dropkicked into a German suplex. The swinging full nelson slam finishes for Dante at 4:51.

Rating: C+. As usual, Andretti and Top Flight work well together but there is no reason to believe that it’s going to lead anywhere. It’s not like it ever has before, yet here we are watching them have another (albeit entertaining) match. At some point though, I need to have a reason to get interested in these matches, as they’ve been doing the same thing for a long, long time now.

From This Means War on October 29, 2005.

Jay Lethal vs. Curry Man

Curry Man has Allison Danger with him. We get a long pose off to start with the first lockup not taking place until nearly two minutes in. Curry armbars him down into a headscissors but a hammerlock sends Lethal over to the ropes. They trade hammerlocks and that goes nowhere so it’s another standoff so the fans can have their dueling chants. Lethal turns down the option to dance but does armdrag him down into a hip swivel.

They fight over a wristlock again and then trade leg kicks like a dance…and then we pause so the referee can dance too. Danger comes in to dance as well before Curry grabs the mic and says…I think something about how he loves dancing. Lethal wristdrags him to the floor for the suicide dive, followed by a neckbreaker for two.

Curry sends him into the corner for a splash and a back elbow sends Lethal outside, setting up a dive of his own. Fan: “YOU’RE BETTER THAN PEPPER!” The chinlock goes on back inside before Lethal flips out of a suplex and knocks him down. Lethal’s middle rope leg lariat gets two but he misses the top rope headbutt. They trade rollups for two each until Lethal grabs a dragon suplex for the pin at 22:31.

Rating: C. I’m sorry what? Why in the world was this match added to this show? It runs over twenty minutes, including dance off and mid-match promo and could have easily had about fifteen minutes dropped. They were trading decent stuff but the match didn’t build to anything as Lethal just suddenly beat him. There was no need for this to be this long or added to this already marathon show.

Billie Starkz vs. Blair Onyx

Starkz takes her down by the arm to start and slowly kicks away before hitting a spinning kick to the head. Some stomping in the corner has Onyx in trouble and Starkz yells at the referee. Onyx gets a boot up but Starkz catches her on top and hits something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 4:08.

Rating: C. Just a squash here with Starkz running her over and showing more aggression now that she is seemingly on the outs with Athena. We’re likely coming up on Starkz vs. Athena at Final Battle so we can finally change the title, though that has felt like an obvious case for a long time now. Starkz did look a bit better than she did before, so maybe things are changing a bit.

The Infantry joins Shane Taylor Promotions. Well that’s consolidating losers for a change.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Infantry

Shane Taylor Promotions and Trish Adora are here with the Infantry. Dean shoulders and armdrags Angelico to start but it’s quickly off to Serpentico for a falling splash. The Infantry is knocked outside, where Adora sends Angelico into the steps. Back in and Bravo hammers away on Serpentico with a suplex getting two.

Dean sends him hard into the middle buckle and a middle rope knee/backbreaker combination gets two more. Serpentico kicks his way out of the corner though and hands it off to Angelico to clean house. Everything breaks down and Adora has to offer a distraction, allowing Moriarty to get in a belt shot. Boot Camp finishes Angelico at 9:23.

Rating: C-. The team turns heel, has multiple people interfering, including a belt shot, and they need nearly ten minutes to beat one of the lowest of the low tag teams in Ring Of Honor. That’s the Ring Of Honor mindset in a nutshell: change something around and then make sure that it has as little impact as possible. None of these teams feel like they are going anywhere and this match going so long somehow made it worse.

We look at Diamante screwing up and getting disqualified against Red Velvet.

Diamante vs. Aminah Belmont

Whip into the corner, running dropkick, rolling cutter, Diamante wins at 1:24.

Lexi Nair tells Billie Starkz to focus on Athena’s title defense but Starkz is taking the night off. Nair: “I can’t protect her. I’m just a fragile flower!”

Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages vs. Dark Order

Silver and Bronson start things off with the latter driving him into the corner. That’s fine with Silver, who knocks him into another corner for some chops from Uno. Reynolds, still with bad ribs, comes in and gets driven into the corner for some shoulders. Reynolds shoulders his way out of trouble and chokes away on the ropes.

Boulder comes in for some hip swiveling and a crash into the bad ribs. That’s broken up and Reynolds fights out of the corner, only to get taken down again. An electric chair splash misses and the tag brings in Uno to clean house. A DDT puts Bronson down and the Order’s strike sequence into the jackknife rollup is good for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C. Nothing to see here, again, as we have two teams who have been established as nothing more than the bottom of the barrel. The Order got wrecked by the Blackpool Combat Club while the Savages lose to everyone. They argued once and now they had a match to determine the second lowest team around here. Why would I want to see these guys fight for eight minutes?

Komander vs. Ariya Daivari

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods are here again and does pretty much the same promo as their first time out here. Komander works on a wristlock to start but has to fight out of a headlock. An armbar puts Daivari down again as commentary reminds us to vote on Tuesday. Some strikes to the face have Daivari in more trouble but Sterling offers a distraction so he can knock Komander off the top.

The villains get in some stomping on the floor and a neckbreaker gives Daivari two. Komander fights out of a chinlock and hits a springboard crossbody into a headscissors. The very springboardy hurricanrana sets up a top rope splash for two on Daivari. A reverse layout DDT gives Daivari two of his own and a superkick puts Komander down. The Magic Carpet Splash is cut off and Daivari rolls outside, where Woods gets in a cheap shot on Komander. He’s fine enough to hit the rope walk flip dive onto the villains, setting up Cielito Lindo for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly nice match which came at a terrible time in a long show. Komander is the designated jobber to the stars around here and has to be given a win every so often. The problem with that is he beat one of the Premiere Athletes, who lose to everyone. Not a bad match, but this show has gone on WAY too long to make a match between these two work.

Chris Jericho previews the main event. So far, he’s the only one to make any reference to this being the Halloween show.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Abadon

Athena, with Lexi Nair, is defending in a Ring Of Horror match, which is a Halloween themed hardcore match. Oh and they’re chained together. A forearm just annoys Abadon to start so some clotheslines in the corner have Athena in trouble. Athena hits a baseball slide to take it outside, where some chairs are set up.

That takes way too long though and Abadon gets in some kendo stick shots to take over. Things aren’t intense enough yet so Athena whips out a barbed wire baseball bat to miss some big swings. Some pumpkins are destroyed but Abadon uses the distraction to, eventually, spear Athena through a table for two. Another whip through another table has Athena in more trouble as they head back inside for the slugout.

Athena grabs a ladder, which is dropkicked back into her and they go back to the floor. Abadon gets in a dropkick with a trashcan and lays Athena onto a ladder onto the bottom rope. The ensuing backsplash connects and they’re both down. The fight goes outside again, where Athena gets in a hard knee against the steps for two. Back in and Abadon’s bite to the head doesn’t work very well as Athena gets in a powerbomb out of the corner.

Athena manages to slip out of the chain and swings a kendo stick, which bounces off the ropes and hits her in the head to give Abadon two. Abadon goes up but gets powerbombed onto the steps for two more. Nair slides in some skewers, which are driven into Abadon’s head. That’s shrugged off and Abadon pulls her head first into a chair in the corner. A swinging Rock Bottom plants Athena onto a bunch of thumbtacks on the floor for two more, leaving Abadon frustrated. Athena gets in a bottle shot to the face and the O Face onto the chairs retains the title at 19:48.

Rating: B. This worked rather well for a variety of reasons, including the effort that they put into the match on the way here. For once, it felt like this match had been built up for weeks and then they put in a heck of a performance in the match itself. It was violent and hard hitting, with Athena feeling like she survived. Good stuff here, as Athena continues to be the best thing about Ring Of Honor by a mile.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh this did not work, pretty awesome main event aside. This was WAY longer than it needed to be, as it felt like they were trying to cram in every single thing and person they could find. At what point do you look at a two and a half hour show and think “I KNOW! WE NEED A NINETEEN YEAR OLD CURRY MAN MATCH!”

There comes a point where a show just needs to end and they hit that point way before halfway through this week. It was a bunch of nothing matches featuring low level stars who felt like they were there to fill in an overly long card. Ring Of Honor has done this before and it never works, but I guess they just had to have all of this stuff on here because we only have what, five months between pay per views these days? Terribly put together show this week, as someone needs to tell Tony Khan to stop (again).

Results
JD Drake/Beef b. Peter Avalon/Preston Vance – Frog splash to Avalon
Johnny TV b. Deonn Rusman – Starship Pain
Gates Of Agony b. CSJ/Dave Dutra – Open The Gates to Dutra
Reyna Isis b. Lady Frost – Middle rope legdrop in the ropes
Matt Taven b. Aaron Solo – Choke
Righteous b. Jay Marston/Solomon Tupu – Orange Sunshine to Marston
Tomohiro Ishii b. Josh Woods – Brainbuster
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Dante Leon/Jah-C/Trip Jordy – Swinging full nelson slam to Leon
Billie Starkz b. Blair Onyx – Electric chair flipping slam
Infantry b. Spanish Announce Project – Boot Camp to Angelico
Diamante b. Aminah Belmont – Rolling cutter
Dark Order b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Jackknife rollup to Bronson
Komander b. Ariya Daivari – Cielito Lindo
Athena b. Abadon – O Face onto chairs

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 5, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show, but there is likely going to be a long series of matches from people who pop up around here every so often without having much else to do. It doesn’t make for the most interesting wrestling show and we are still on the same tapings from a few weeks ago, meaning things are no likely to move forward. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Aaron Solo vs. Rocky Romero

This is billed as a feature match. Romero takes him down and poses a bit, with Solo already looking frustrated. Back up and Solo gets in some forearms but Romero hits a running dropkick to the side of the head. Solo unloads with right hands to the head and chokes on the ropes for two, only to get pulled into an abdominal stretch.

Solo reverses into one of his own, which is broken up with a hiptoss. A running hurricanrana sends Solo into the corner and the Forever Lariats into a brainbuster gets two. Solo kicks him in the face and hits a top rope double stomp for two but misses a charge to the floor. Romero hits a dive and grabs a top rope Sliced Bread for the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C+. This was another perfectly acceptable Romero match but it’s still hard to imagine him getting that far ahead. Romero is the definition of a good hand and you won’t see him have many bad matches, but it’s something we’ve seen before. Odds are he gets built up and then loses in a title match. That only has so much of a shelf life and seeing him beat Solo isn’t likely to change things around that much.

Lady Frost wants the Women’s TV Title.

Nick Comoroto vs. Lee Johnson

Jacoby Watts is here with Comoroto. Johnson knocks him to the floor to start, where a Watts distraction lets Comoroto get in a posting to take over. Back in and a whip into the corner has Johnson’s back in trouble and Watts adds a cheap shot. The neck crank goes on until Johnson fights up and scores with an enziguri. A suplex gives Johnson a quick two but he charges into a fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee. Watts gets on the apron but Comoroto accidentally runs into him, allowing Johnson to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:11.

Rating: C. Johnson is in the same place as Romero, as he has been built up multiple times before losing in the big match. Beating Comoroto is a nice way to get some momentum back for him, but there is only so much you can do without having him win something of value. Comoroto continues to be stuck with Watts, due to reasons I still can’t fathom.

Post match the beatdown is on but EJ Nduka makes the save.

Anthony Henry and Beef argue over their future as a team.

Rachael Ellering vs. Gigi Rey

Rey spins out of a wristlock to start and grabs one of her own, only to get pulled into an armbar. Back up and Rey’s running shoulder doesn’t get her anywhere but she does roll Ellering up for two. Rey is whipped into the corner but comes out with a middle rope dropkick for two more. A gutwrench suplex drops Rey and Ellering elbows her down. The backsplash gives Ellering two of her own before the Boss Woman Slam finishes Rey at 3:50.

Rating: C+. Ellering needed a win to shake off some of the recent losses. She has the size to stand out in the division, which has a lot of people who are kind of bunched together. Someone like Ellering can have a place in the division but she needs to keep up the momentum. Rey got in quite a bit here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her getting another look.

Anthony Henry/Beef vs. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki

Commentary makes a bunch of teriyaki jokes as Beef tags himself in to start. A running shoulder puts Lucas down but he cuts off Beef with a raised boot in the corner. Yaki comes in and gets stomped down in the corner, with Henry adding some running knees. Lucas gets caught with a Low Down and it’s back to Beef, who seems confused by Henry’s lack of approval. Yaki comes back in for a nice German suplex on Henry, who shrugs it off and drops Yaki again. Beef wants the tag though and hits a top rope splash for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C. Beef and Henry are the latest oddball tag team and you’re only going to get so much out of a guy whose main point of interest is his weird name. Other than that, it was another basic tag match, which at least makes it stand out from the basic singles matches. Not much to see here, though Yaki’s suplex was nice enough.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages and believe it or not, he says the same thing he says every time he’s out there. Bronson teases spinning out of Angelico’s wristlock to start before just punching him in the face instead. Boulder and Serpentico come in, with Serpentico showing off the biceps. With that not working, Serpentico gets on the middle rope for the lockup before hurricanranaing Bronson into Boulder for the crash.

Jameson’s distraction causes Serpentico to be knocked outside and some sitdown splashes to the ribs have him in trouble back inside. The chinlock goes on and brings Serpentico back up so he can hand it back to Angelico. A series of strikes have the Savages in trouble as everything breaks down. The electric chair splash misses and Serpentico hits a suicide dive to Bronson and Jameson. Back in and a leglock makes Boulder tap at 8:48.

Rating: C. Here’s the problem with so many of the stars appearing on this show: these guys have been presented as losers who can’t win a big match no matter what and are often put out there to make others look good. That doesn’t make for an interesting match, as it feels like the lowest level match imaginable. That’s fine in small doses, but we’re about fifty minutes into this show and it’s all we’ve seen so far. It makes for a show that doesn’t feel important and that makes an already long show all the longer.

Lady Frost vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Frost wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Frost snaps off some armdrags to start so Velvet grabs the rope to cut her off. Back up and Velvet gets taken down in a test of strength but she comes back with a sunset flip for two. A release fisherman’s suplex drops Velvet again and a Cannonball gets two in the corner.

We hit the chinlock but Velvet reverses into an abdominal stretch. Velvet rolls her head first into the corner and then does it again, albeit back first for a change. Velvet’s standing moonsault misses but Frost’s connects for two. Back up and something like Austin Gunn’s Quick Draw gives Velvet two more, followed by a rollup for the pin on Frost at 7:48.

Rating: B-. Definitely the best match of the night so far and a lot of that is because it actually felt more important. Velvet is the biggest star on the show thus far and that was a nice change of pace. Frost is one of the more unique stars around and stands out, but she needs to stop losing so often.

Taya Valkyrie doesn’t like Mina Shirakawa with all of the shaking. Shirakawa comes in and a match is set for tonight. Then she dances with interviewer Melissa Santos.

Righteous/Lance Archer vs. Lights Camera Faction

Vincent hugs Braxton at the bell, leaving Braxton rather confused. Braxton’s right hands don’ get him very far so Vincent rolls him up into the corner for a crash. Archer comes in and misses a charge but stomps Watson out of the corner anyway. Dutch’s swinging side slam connects as everything breaks down. Orange Sunshine sets up the Blackout for the double pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. Yeah the Righteous and Archer run people over and beat them with ease. They will then be talked about as potential title challengers in a title match that doesn’t come (save for one, back in January, on an AEW show). Then we’ll do it again over and over because that’s how Ring Of Honor works, at least until there’s a pay per view coming up and someone randomly gets a title match.

Diamante vs. Tiara James

A German suplex into a spear into a rolling cutter finishes for Diamante at 48 seconds.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Red Velvet runs in for the save. So she loses the big blowoff match with Leyla Hirsch and gets a title program. Got it.

Lee Johnson is grateful to EJ Nduka, who introduces himself to the fans.

Griff Garrison vs. Angelo Parker

Maria Kanellis is here with Garrison. Parker avoids a charge and drop toeholds him to start before hitting a leg lariat to send Garrison outside. Back in and Garrison whips him hard into the corner for two as Maria is rather pleased. Garrison’s butterfly suplex gets two but Parker is back with a running neckbreaker. The referee gets distracted though and Maria hits Parker with her boot. A torture rack bomb finishes Parker at 4:01.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing special, but why in the world is a singles match between two low level tag team guys taking place an hour and twenty minutes into a show? This is a perfect example of a match that didn’t need to be added to the show as it was already running long and added pretty much nothing. It has plagued Ring Of Honor for its entire run and odds are it isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Premiere Athletes vs. Joe Alonzo/Josiah Jean

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes and says they want to win and get out of here as fast as possible. Nese drives Alonzo into he corner to start and the Athletes fire off right hands. A chop sends Alonzo to his knees and a double delayed suplex puts him down again. Jean is sent outside, leaving Nese to launch Alonzo into a cutter. The Magic Carpet Splash finishes for Daivari at 2:40.

John Silver vs. Fuego del Sol

Silver has the Dark Order with him. They run the ropes to start until Fuego grabs a running hurricanrana. Silver needs a breather on the floor and yells at Fuego, who has to take out the Order. The distraction lets Silver hammer away in the corner and yell at the fans a bit. A pull of the mask wakes Fuego up a bit but he gets knocked out of the corner again.

The reverse chinlock goes on, only for Fuego to fight up with an enziguri. The basement superkick gets two so Fuego shouts TORNADO DDT, allowing Silver to cut him off with a wheelbarrow suplex. The Order offers a distraction and interference though, allowing Silver to hit a torture rack bomb (second time in three matches) for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C. What is there to say here? Silver is the most interesting member of the Order, who have fallen so low on the roster that it is almost a running joke. I’m not sure what it means that it took three people to beat Fuego but it was another match in a rather long series of them this week.

Abadon vs. Rache Chanel

Abadon sends her into the corner and hits a running knee but Chanel hits some forearms. A hiptoss attempt just annoys Abadon though and it’s a cutter to drop Chanel. Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 1:40.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling is here with Woods. They both miss big kicks to start before going to the grappling instead. A fight over an armbar has Shibata in the ropes, where Woods gets in a cheap shot to send Shibata outside. Woods suplexes him on the floor and hits some running shots in the corner back inside.

Shibata reverses and hits a running dropkick in the corner before snapping off a suplex. Woods gets in a suplex of his own but Shibata catches him on top. The Anarchist Superplex gives Woods two and a backbreaker into a clothesline drops Shibata again. Not that it matters as Shibata is back up with the sleeper into the claw. The cross armbreaker makes Woods tap at 6:33.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t exactly a classic but I’ll take someone as polished as Shibata at half speed over most of what else we’ve seen here. The technical battle worked, with Woods being able to hang in there long enough. It’s one of the best things on the show so far and that was a nice change of pace.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with Taya. Shirakawa dances to start so Taya just kicks her into the corner for some choking. Back up and Shirakawa kicks the legs out and slams the knee into the mat. A kick to the head out of the corner gets two and a dancing shot to the knee has Taya in more trouble. The Figure Four goes on, with Taya getting straight over to the ropes. Taya ties her up in the corner for a neckbreaker and takes it to the floor, where Johnny kisses the bad knee.

Back in and Taya misses a charge, allowing Shirakawa to go after the knee again. A top rope dive takes out Taya and TV, setting up some strikes to the face back inside. Shirakawa knees her down and hits a top rope splash for two. Taya hits a spear for the same and grabs a half crab, with Shirakawa making the rope. The Road To Valhalla is reversed into the Figure Four and Taya taps at 10:35.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine match here and it worked as a main event. The interesting thing here was having Shirakawa dominate a good chunk of the match, but it was nice to see her take out the knee throughout and then win with a Figure Four. There’s very little to complain about here, as it told a simple story and Shirakawa felt like a star.

Overall Rating: D+. This was one of the least interesting shows I’ve seen in a long time and as you can tell, most of that is due to how many nothing matches were included here. There were fourteen matches on this show and three (four at most) featured stars who have not been treated as the lowest level stars either here or in AEW. The show wasn’t interesting and made me wonder why in the world I would want to watch this again. Ring of Honor is a running joke and a lot of it is due to how terribly this show is put together week after week. I’m not sure why it’s done this way, but it needs to change in a big way.

Results
Rocky Romero b. Aaron Solo – Top rope Sliced Bread #2
Lee Johnson b. Nick Comoroto – Rollup
Rachael Ellering b. Gigi Rey – Boss Woman Slam
Anthony Henry/Beef b. Jay Lucas/Terry Yaki – Splash to Lucas
Spanish Announce Project b. Iron Savages – Leglock to Boulder
Red Velvet b. Lady Frost – Rollup
Righteous/Lance Archer b. Lights Camera Faction – Double pin
Diamante b. Tiara James – Rolling cutter
Griff Garrison b. Angelo Parker – Torture rack bomb
Premiere Athletes b. Joe Alonzo/Josiah Jean – Magic Carpet Splash to Alonzo
John Silver b. Fuego del Sol – Torture rack bomb
Abadon b. Rache Chanel – Black Dahlia
Katsuyori Shibata b. Josh Woods – Cross armbreaker
Mina Shirakawa b. Taya Valkyrie – Figure Four

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 22, 2024
Location: Esports Arena Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the last few weeks of the Texas residency and we have new Tag Team Champions. Since it’s Ring Of Honor, the title change took place on Collision, with Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara beating the Kingdom to win the belts. Other than that, Mark Briscoe is defending the World Title against The Beast Mortos this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara winning the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Kingdom/Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs

It’s a brawl to start before the bell with all eight fighting on the floor and various people being sent into various objects. We officially start with Ross dropkicking Reynolds and handing it off to Marshall. Reynolds takes him into the corner and it’s off to Silver, who gets dropped with a clothesline. Dustin comes in for the atomic drop (with the funny sell), only to walk into a Death Valley Driver.

Taven hits Just The Tip for two but hang on as the Kingdom and the Dark Order have to argue. We settle down to Bennett grabbing a chinlock before hitting a dropkick to cut Dustin off again. Reynolds adds a springboard elbow for two and it’s out to the floor, where Guevara finally cuts off the double teaming. Back in and Reynolds hits Taven by mistake, allowing Dustin to grab the bulldog. Guevara gets the tag to clean house and a springboard cutter drops Reynolds.

A Swanton sets up Marshall’s moonsault for two two on Silver with the Kingdom making the save. The villains get caught in the corner for quadruple Shattered Dreams, only for Evil Uno to offer a distraction so they can hit some low blows. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Silver’s German suplex gets two on Marshall, with Ross making the save. A bunch of people go the floor so Taven hits a dive, with Guevara hitting a bigger one. Back in and Marshall’s spinning claw slam finishes Silver at 12:16.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match that had everyone going nuts at the end to make for something entertaining. It still feels like the story is “here are a bunch of good guys from Texas vs. a bunch of villains” and that only gets them so far. I’m not sure where this is going, but at least the match was quite energetic.

Mark Briscoe knows that the Beast Mortos beat him in a tag match a few weeks ago. After that though, Mortos might want to find a time machine to go back in time and NOT win that match because of the beating he’s getting as a result.

Cage Of Agony vs. Serpentico/Fuego del Sol/Atlantis Jr.

Serpentico slugs away at Liona to start and is knocked down just as fast. That means it’s time for Serpentico to be taken into the corner for the double stomping but he rolls away and hands it off to Fuego. A springboard hurricanrana takes Liona down but Kaun is right back up with a heck of a powerbomb. Cage comes in with a running legdrop and the ten rep fall away slam before flipping Fuego onto the ropes.

Kaun’s slingshot hilo gets two and we hit the seated armbar. Fuego finally fights out and gets over for the tag off to Atlantis as everything breaks down. Serpentico’s top rope splash gets two on Cage, who is right back with a powerslam. Atlantis sends the Gates outside but gets kneed in the face by Cage. Serpentico goes up but dives into the Drill Claw to give Page the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a six man tag with the biggest singles name (at least around here), Atlantis, being little more than a person filling in a spot. That didn’t make for the most thrilling match, but that is kind of to be expected with the Cage Of Agony. You know what you’re getting with them and it has been covered to death around here.

The MxM Collection is ready to procure another delicious victory but two guys in bear pelts show up. Mansoor warns Mason not to move, because bears sense fear.

Abadon vs. Alejandra Lion

Abadon jumps her to start and hits a basement dropkick, only to miss a charge into the corner. Back up and Abadon glares at her, setting up a Widow’s Peak. Black Dahlia finishes Lion at 1:33.

MxM Collection vs. Pillars of Destiny

The Pillars would be the bear enthusiasts from earlier. Grey powers out of a headlock to start but gets pulled into another one, meaning it’s time to bite Mansoor’s hand. The feet are fine enough to hit a dropkick though and it’s off to Mason for an elbow to the face. Back up and Grey runs Mansoor over with a body block before it’s time for some choking.

The bearhug goes on for a bit, only to have Mansoor fight out and hand it back to Mason. House is quickly cleaned, including a double chokeslam to both Pillars. Hold on though as the Collection walk up the ramp, only to strike a pose and run down for a double spear. Back in and an assisted double underhook implant DDT finishes Grey at 5:50.

Rating: C+. The Collection is the definition of a fun team and they know how to do their thing rather well. It helps that they’re just good enough in the ring to get by, even if it might not be enough to get them to the top of anything. I can go for an entertaining act like them, as they certainly add in a bit of spice around here.

Last week, Lee Moriarty was impressed with his win over Action Andretti. Shane Taylor says he’s injured right now but he’s coming for the World Title.

Angelico vs. Aaron Solo

Under Pure Rules. Solo grabs an armbar to start but gets taken down into a leglock, sending him straight over to the ropes. It works so well that Angelico does it again, meaning Solo has burned through two rope breaks in about two minutes. Back up and a running shoulder gives Solo two so he uses a right hand, which is good for a warning. Angelico’s sleeper sends Solo bailing to the ropes for his third and final break. Back up again and Angelico hits him with a left hand, meaning it’s a warning as well. Another leglock makes Solo tap, despite being in the ropes, at 5:20.

Rating: C. Remember last week when Action Andretti didn’t know the Pure Rules very well and burned through his rope breaks in a hurry, meaning he had to tap out when he was in the ropes? Well these two certainly remember it because this was almost a copy of the entire match. The pure division continues to be the “just kind of there” area of the roster and stuff like this doesn’t exactly make me more interested in seeing where it goes.

Trish Adora vs. Erica Leigh

Adora grabs a double underhook to start before grabbing a chickenwing/half nelson combination. With that broken up, Adora gets two off a rollup as Leigh is rather frustrated. A backbreaker into the nasty German suplex into the Lariat Tubman finishes Leigh at 2:31. Total squash.

The Righteous and Lance Archer are all threatening.

Komander vs. KM

KM squeezes his hand on the handshake to start and Komander doesn’t seem pleased. Komander’s springboard is shouldered out of the air and the much bigger KM knocks him into the corner. The threat of a stretch muffler sends Komander into the ropes but he’s back with a springboard Fameasser. Another kick to the head sets up Cielito Lindo to finish KM at 3:19.

Rating: C. Well that was a perfectly acceptable way to bring Komander back to the show, but it wasn’t exactly an interesting match. Just Komander taking down a big guy in a few minutes and then pinning him, which we’ve seen before. Not a bad match or anything, but on a long show, it probably could have been put elsewhere.

EJ Nduka vs. Deonn Rusman

Nduka powers out of a headlock to start and knocks him down, setting up a headlock of his own. Rusman shoves him away and unloads in the corner, only to miss a Stinger Splash. That’s enough for Nduka, who grabs a toss powerbomb for the pin at 2:57.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Colton Charles/Jay Alexander/Rosario Grillo

Jameson shoves Alexander away before Bronson hits the running splash. A double Rocket Launcher finishes Alexander at 1:44. The less of the Savages and Jameson, the better.

Marina Shafir vs. Tiara James

Shafir offers her a handshake from the mat to start before pulling James down to start fast. James’ forearms manage to knock Shafir into the corner but she throws James down without much effort. The bow and arrow keeps James in trouble and a running Codebreaker into Mother’s Milk finishes for Shafir at 3:24.

Rating: C. Of all the Shafir squashes I’ve seen over the last few months, this was the most recent. There’s not much to say about this one as Shafir did her thing, shrugged off James’ offense, and then did her finishing move to win. Until Shafir moves up, she’s just going to be the latest submission star who wins with a unique finisher.

Angelico, via internal monologue, wants a Pure Rules Title match.

Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

The bell rings and Watts does his catchphrase, earning Comoroto a trip out to the floor. Back in and Comoroto whips Parker hard into the corner, only to have Parker send him into Watts. Menard comes in to hammer away, with a double DDT finishing Comoroto at 3:41.

Rating: C. This has become the “hey, they still work here” show, with Menard and Parker having their first match together in quite some time. That’s a fine way to bring back a name or two, but we’re past five this week and it’s not exactly feeling important. Parker and Menard aren’t big names in the first place and this was just a quick win for them over a low level act.

Lio Rush vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who says people have been asking why the Premiere Athletes are on every show. Oh I know why. It’s just not an interesting answer. Nese jumps him to start and sends Rush outside for the stomping from Sterling. Back in and Rush does his dodging to set up a clothesline, setting up the Fameasser over the middle rope. Nese’s shot slows Rush down and a Sterling distraction lets Nese hit a running forearm for two.

Sterling gets in some cheap shots on the floor and Nese grabs a bodyscissors back inside. Nese hits the neck snap across the top but misses a springboard moonsault, but comes back with a pumphandle piledriver for two. Back up and Nese sends him into the ropes, with Rush diving onto Sterling in a nice spot. Rush gets back in, kicks him down, and this the Final Hour for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. This was the match that Rush needed to win to get his momentum back after he lost a big match on Collision because Tony Khan loves that style of booking. Not that it is going to matter as Rush isn’t likely to be put in a prominent spot (like most of the people who have to get their momentum back) but this match just had to be done. It also had to get almost ten minutes on a show this long, because everything has to happen on every show.

All In rundown.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. The Beast Mortos

Briscoe is defending and knocks him to the floor to start, setting up the dropkick through the ropes. The Bang Bang Elbow connects as well but it’s way too early for the Jay Driller. Mortos pulls the arms around the ropes but gets confused by the threat of Redneck Kung Fu. Some shoulders in the corner set up a hard chop to rock Mortos, who knocks him off the top with a chop of his own.

They fight on top, where Briscoe knocks him to the floor, setting up a big flip dive. The chair sets up another big flip dive over the top, setting up another flip dive from the top. Back in and a clothesline gives Briscoe two but another Jay Driller attempt is broken up. Instead Briscoe settles for the rolling Death Valley Driver, only to miss the Froggy Bow. Mortos’ twisting Swanton misses and Briscoe drops the Froggy Boy for two. Another clothesline sets up the Jay Driller to retain the title at 10:58.

Rating: B. By far the best match of the show here, with two talented stars working together with the slightest reason to believe that the title might be in danger. Briscoe can make anything work well and Mortos has been quite the impressive star while he has been around. Solid main event here, which felt important, which is more than most of the rest of the show can say.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah I’m back to being sick of this show, as this was over two hours and WAY too much of it felt like Tony Khan maniacally rubbing his hands together and shouting MORE MORE MORE! There were so many matches here that weren’t long, but came off like they were just thrown in for the sake of adding more to the show. On a week where I’m already being asked to watch the usual AEW shows and an additional five hour pay per view, one might think that the idea of LESS IS MORE would come into play here. Tony Khan does not seem to see it that way, and that is a big reason why Ring Of Honor is such a waste.

Results
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs b. Kingdom/Dark Order – Claw slam to Silver
Cage Of Agony b. Serpentico/Fuego del Sol/Atlantis Jr. – Drill Claw to Serpentico
Abadon b. Alejandra Lion – Black Dahlia
MxM Collection b. Pillars Of Destiny – Assisted double underhook implant DDT to Grey
Angelico b. Aaron Solo – Leglock
Trish Adora b. Erica Leigh – Lariat Tubman
Komander b. KM – Cielito Lindo
EJ Nduka b. Deonn Rusman – Toss powerbomb
Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson b. Colton Charles/Jay Alexander/Rosario Grillo – Double Rocket Launcher to Alexander
Marina Shafir b. Tiara James – Mother’s Milk
Matt Menard/Angelo Parker b. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts – Double DDT to Comoroto
Lio Rush b. Tony Nese – Final Hour
Mark Briscoe b. The Beast Mortos – Jay Driller

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 20, 2024
Location: Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a double title show this week as the Tag Team and TV Titles are on the line, with the latter in a 2/3 falls match. Other than that, we might want to start getting ready for the Death Before Dishonor card as the show is just over a month away. Then again it isn’t like the show is going to be announced until a week or two out so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Aaron Solo vs. Titan

They shake hands to start before Titan dropkicks him out to the floor. The threat of a dive brings Solo back in though and he strikes away. Titan is back up with a high crossbody to send Solo outside again, this time with a dive connecting. Back in and Solo slowly hammers away but Titan fights up for the chop off. A jumping kick to the head drops Solo but a top rope double stomp misses. Solo hits his own double stomp for two and nails a superkick, only to have Titan kick him in the face out of the corner. Now Titan’s top rope double stomp can finish at 6:20.

Rating: C+. This was just a step above a squash for Titan, as Solo isn’t exactly what I would consider a top star in any major promotion. It felt like another “hey here’s someone you might see at Forbidden Door” match and that works well enough as long as it isn’t overkill. Titan has done nicely in his few appearances and this continued that trend.

Anthony Henry/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Infantry/Sepentico

Maria and Trish Adora are here too. Henry gets caught in the wrong corner to start and the Infantry starts with the rapid fire double teaming. Karter comes in and takes Serpentico down with a clothesline, setting up and earl chinlock with Henry. A neck twist keep Serpentico down and Henry grabs another chinlock.

Serpentico fights up and grabs a hurricanrana out of the corner, allowing the tag off to Bravo. Everything breaks down and Garrison drops Dean, leaving Serpentico to hit a dive. Serpentico’s Swan Dive gets two and everyone is down. Back up and Serpentico knocks Henry down again, only to get chaired in the back by Garrison. A quick faceplant gives Henry the pin on Serpentico at 9:59.

Rating: C. I don’t know how to be subtle about this so I’ll just go with being blunt: the Garrison/Karter vs. Serpentico/Angelico feud is one of the lamest, least interesting things I have seen in wrestling in a very long time and for some reason IT JUST KEEPS GOING. There is little reason for them to be fighting anymore but here they are again because there is apparently nothing else for them to do but they must be on the show for some reason. This is one of the feuds that is making Ring Of Honor more and more annoying every time they’re on TV and for the life of me I do not get why.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson tonight in a 2/3 falls match for the TV Title.

Here are Athena and Billie Starkz for an emergency meeting….and Athena is on crutches and in a walking boot. She’s looking at being out for 4-6 months due to some torn ligaments and she has decided that it is best or her to keep the title. Cue Queen Aminata and Red Velvet, with Aminata saying she’ll hurt Athena if the injury isn’t real in the first place. Maybe Athena is faking just like Starkz did to win her title. Starkz gets shoved down and lands on Athena, which is enough to clear everyone off. Things may change, but Athena not wrestling for months and retaining the title is not exactly a good idea.

Jacoby Watts vs. Brandon Cutler

Nick Comoroto is here with Watts, who does his usual speech, with Cutler cutting him off. Cutler isn’t sure where we are but knows the fans are stupid. Watts jumps him before the bell and the slugout is on, with Cutler grabbing a cutter. Cutler is back with a suplex but Watts grabs a swinging Downward Spiral. A Stunner finishes for Watts at 2:17. That was certainly a thing that happened.

Marina Shafir vs. Maggie Minerva

Shafir takes her down with a judo throw and cranks on the neck before choking in the corner. Minerva gets in a kick to the face but walks into a powerbomb. Mother’s Milk finishes Minerva at 2:06.

The Kingdom is tired of not being respected enough and is ready to beat 2.0.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Eric Eznite/Isaiah Harris/Jay Marston

Jameson starts with Eznite, who wants to pray to start the match. Jameson agrees and then decks him from behind. It’s off to Bronson, who sends him flying into the corner so Harris can come in. Harris slips off Boulder’s shoulders and hands it off to Marston, allowing Boulder to send multiple people flying. Marston is sent into Boulder’s chest and Bronson’s top rope splash finishes at 4:30.

Rating: D+. I cannot stand this team. I can’t stand their work, I can’t stand their talking, I can’t stand how they do THE EXACT SAME THING EVERY TIME THEY’RE OUT THERE and I can’t stand the fact that they have to be on this show or AEW so often. If “they’re muscular and strong but one guy has a hairy chest” is good comedy, then I would recommend taking up drama. Or just letting the three of them go because sitting through this nonsense over and over is infuriating.

Lance Archer vs. Deonn Rusman

Archer starts fast and knocks him to the floor, setting up a Black Hole Slam….for two. Rusman charges into a boot in the corner but manages a spear. Back up and Archer grabs a chokeslam, followed by the Blackout for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. It’s quite the choice to have your monster get speared down by someone the size of Rusman, though at least Archer came back and did his usual dominance for the win. Archer isn’t going to be a big star, but he’s a good choice for a midcard boss on the way to someone getting their chance at the bigger name. Keeping him strong is a fine way to go and that’s what they did here.

Atlantis Jr. wants a TV Title shot in Arena Mexico.

Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch runs her over with a shoulder to start and then does it again, followed by a suplex. A running basement dropkick connects before Hirsch gets to hammer away in the corner. Diamanate’s gutbuster gets her out of trouble and she grabs an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Hirsch hits a knee to the ribs into a German suplex. The ribs give out though and Diamante hits a spear for two of her own. Hirsch is back up with a small package for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough way to go and the extra time made it a bit better, though forgive me for not believing that this is going to be the win that gets Hirsch off the hamster wheel and into title contention. That’s one of the biggest problems with the women’s division, as Athena has made everyone else look like a middle of the road star. The TV Title might help, though I’ll believe Hirsch getting a big shot when I see it.

Post match Diamante drops her again.

Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

The Kingdom is defending. Bennett headlocks Parker down to start and it’s quickly off to Menard, with his taped up ribs. Menard takes over on Taven’s arm and pulls him down, with Parker dropping a top rope elbow to the back. Parker gets sent outside so Menard goes after the champs outside. Back in and Taven kicks Menard in the face and grabs a suplex for two on Parker.

Just The Tip gets the same and Parker fights up, including a dropkick to put Bennett down. A neckbreaker cuts off the tag attempt but the Hail Mary is broken up. The hot tag brings in Menard to clean house, including a Boston crab to Bennett. Taven’s slaps can’t break it up so Bennett goes to the ropes instead. Double Snake Eyes into a double DDT get two on Bennett so Menard grabs the belt. The referee tries to take it away, allowing Bennett to roll him up and retain at 10:05.

Rating: C+. Well so much for that. They built up Parker trying to win the titles for the sake of his family as a feel good story and then he just loses his shot instead. I’m not saying the titles needed to change, but the Kingdom are little more than Roderick Strong’s lackeys anyway so the loss would hardly be some game changer. Not a bad match, but that finish was incredibly flat.

TV Title: Lee Johnson vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher is defending and it’s 2/3 falls, with Johnson diving over the top onto the floor to take him down. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two and Fletcher bails outside, with a big dive taking him out again. Back in and Fletcher manages a Stunner over the top rope to send Johnson to the floor for a breather. Johnson is sent into the barricade and the slow beating continues back inside.

A neckbreaker gives Johnson a quick two but Fletcher is right back with a hammerlock suplex. Johnson is back with a Death Valley Driver into a standing moonsault for two of his own. Fletcher knocks him hard to the floor but Johnson escapes a powerbomb and his a moonsault from the apron. They fight to the apron, with Fletcher hitting a brainbuster into a powerbomb back inside for two more. Back in and they fight over the Big Shot Drop until Fletcher hits another brainbuster for two another two, followed by a brainbuster for the first fall at 11:47.

Johnson says bring it so Fletcher kicks him in the chest. We pause for the doctor to check on Johnson but he’s good to go. The super brainbuster is broken up and Johnson grabs a rollup to even things up at 15:29 total. Back up and they slug it out, with Johnson getting two off a sunset flip. Johnson sends him to the floor for a sunset bomb (ok that was cool) for a nineteen count, with Fletcher diving back inside. Three straight frog splashes give Johnson two but the referee wants to check on Fletcher. The distraction lets Fletcher get in a low blow and another brainbuster to retain at 20:38 total.

Rating: B-. Best match on the show pretty handily, with Johnson continuing to look good against almost anyone. I’m assuming they’re saving the Fletcher loss for a bigger stage, but that impact might not be the same after watching him lose over and over again on AEW TV. This was a good, long match that probably could have been on Death Before Dishonor, but I get why you don’t want to run the same title match on back to back pay per views.

Overall Rating: C-. Now before people say “but the match ratings were good and that doesn’t add up”, (because someone will of course do that), this, again, wasn’t about the wrestling. This was a show that ran about 1:50:00 and A LOT of that could have been cut off for the sake of not dragging things out.

There were so many matches here that felt like they were being put on there to get an appearance out of wrestlers. That’s not a bad idea on paper, but Ring Of Honor has trotted out these same people for months on end with statements of “oh this person is building momentum and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were a champion soon”. This is probably true, save for the fact that titles change hands around here either on one of three nights a year or on AEW TV.

The same people come out there, win matches, and then someone with no experience around here will get the title shots on pay per view because that’s how Ring Of Honor works. I can live with that in smaller doses, but sitting through almost two hours of this for one rather good match is nowhere near good enough. I couldn’t stand a good chunk of this show and for the love of all things good and holy, do not let this be what the show is going to be again going forward.

Results
Titan b. Aaron Solo – Top rope double stomps
Anthony Henry/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Infantry/Serpentico – Spinning faceplant to Serpentico
Jacoby Watts b. Brandon Cutler – Stunner
Marina Shafir b. Maggie Minerva – Mother’s Milk
Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson b. Eric Eznite/Isaiah Harris/Jay Marston – Top rope splash to Marston
Lance Archer b. Deonn Rusman – Blackout
Leyla Hirsch b. Diamante – Small package
Kingdom b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Rollup to Menard
Kyle Fletcher b. Lee Johnson 2-1

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 30, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The slow road to Death Before Dishonor continues with about two months left before the show. That isn’t likely to mean much this far out but we might be able to start seeing some inklings of the card. Athena seems ready to defend her Women’s Title against Queen Aminata but that might be a long wait for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Athena vs. Vita Van

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Van can win or survive the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena backs her into the corner to start and sweeps the leg for an early two. Van grabs an armbar but Athena takes it to the floor and hits a hard powerbomb. Back in and a low superkick lets Athena pose a bit and she throws in a few slaps for a bonus. Van fights up and shoves her to the floor, with Athena coming back in favoring her foot/ankle. A big right hand ends Van at 3:50, the only thing Athena did when she got back in.

Rating: C. This didn’t have a ton of time and the ending is not exactly encouraging. They went home very quickly as soon as Athena seemed to be hurt, though it’s hard to imagine this was going to go much longer. What matters now is getting Athena back in the ring, and thankfully it wouldn’t be a stretch to have her sit out for a bit before her next title defense.

Kingdom vs. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto

Another Proving Ground match. The Kingdom jumps Comoroto to start and superkick him into the corner without much trouble. Comoroto headbutts his way to freedom, only to walk into a dropkick for his efforts. Skinning the cat gives Comoroto a nice reception but Bennett forearms him into the corner. A double clothesline drops the champs though and Comoroto snaps off some slams. Instead of tagging though, Comoroto talks to Watts and walks into a Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip to give Taven the pin at 3:21. Watts never got in the match (or took off his cowboy hat).

Rating: C+. So I’m guessing Watts is going to exploit Comoroto and have him do everything, though that is only going to make so much sense if they lose a bunch. Comoroto looked like a monster out there with his visuals being great, but he needs a bit more than that. I’m not sure if Watts is that thing, but at least they’re trying.

Watts circles around the ring and then yells at Comoroto, asking if he wants to feel like a loser.

Serpentico vs. Brady Roberts

Serpentico strikes away to start and gets two off an early superkick. Roberts actually gets in a takedown and hits a neckbreaker for two as commentary talks about Roberts’ appearances on various TV shows. A front facelock keeps Serpentico down but he’s back up for a running chop in the corner. Serpentico hits a superkick and a reverse Sling Blade, setting up a Swanton. La majistral finishes Roberts at 4:27.

Rating: C. Serpentico is definitely a crowd favorite and he’s completely passable in the ring, but that doesn’t make him the most thrilling watch. I can go for the idea of giving him a quick win on his own, as if nothing else it gets him away from the Griff Garrison/Cole Karter stuff. They kept it short too so there isn’t much bad to be seen here.

Marina Shafir demands to be asked why she is the problem. That would be because she says so, and what happens when you don’t take care of a problem? It gets worse. This was certainly someone talking.

Red Velvet vs. Kel

Kel, who towers over Velvet, mocks not being able to see her and gets kicked in the shin so aww here it goes. Velvet runs her over with a running forearm and the Final Slice finishes Kel in a hurry at 1:48. Needed more Kenan.

Post match Athena’s music plays for a distraction as Billie Starkz runs in to jump Velvet and lay her out.

Zak Knight vs. Sebastian Wolfe

Knight is now very stereotypically British and takes a long time to disrobe. He punches Wolfe down at the bell and Knight is NOT pleased with Wolfe daring to try and chop away. A slightly delayed suplex gives Knight two and a lariat gets the same, with Knight pulling him up both times. The running right hand finishes for Knight at 1:48. As usual, Knight’s intensity carries him far enough.

Lee Johnson vs. Aaron Solo vs. Action Andretti

Solo gives some rather enthusiastic handshakes to start but gets sent outside to start. Andretti and Johnson trade some rollups for two each, with Johnson being sent outside as well. Solo is back in to break up Andretti’s dive and the stomping in the corner is on. Johnson comes back in and gets kicked in the head, leaving Solo’s top rope double stomp to get two on Andretti.

This time it’s Solo being sent outside for a dive from Johnson, who is taken out by a dive from Andretti in a rather quick turnaround. Back in and Andretti hits a double handspring elbow before firing off kicks to the chests. Johnson slips out of the torture rack neckbreaker but the Big Shot Drop is escaped as well. Andretti kicks Johnson down for the split legged moonsault but Solo is there to steal the near fall. Solo drops Andretti again but gets caught in the Big Shot Drop to give Johnson the pin at 6:38.

Rating: B-. Match of the night by far to this point as you had three people out there going nuts for a bit. This could have gone on longer to a greater effect but I’ll take what I can get. Johnson continues to seem like someone who could become a bigger deal if given the chance and if ROH would ever actually pull the trigger on him, we could see how far he could go.

Premiere Athletes vs. Bollywood Boyz

The Boyz are the hometown favorites and come out in Vancouver Canucks jerseys. The Athletes break up the dancing before the match (culture haters) and the beating is on fast. Harv is sent outside to start and Gurv gets slammed down, only for Harv to come back in for the save. The Athletes are sent outside and the Boyz get to pose but the dancing is broken up AGAIN.

Nese comes in to help Daivari hammer Harv down in the corner, setting up a hard running elbow for two. Harv fights out of the corner without much trouble though and it’s Gurv coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and NOW THEY DANCE! Nese gets in a cheap shot though and the pumphandle driver finishes Gurv at 6:52.

Rating: C+. I’m not bit on the Boyz most of the time but they were absolute heroes here and the fans were all over everything they were doing. I can get why they didn’t win as the Athletes are presented as big deals, but dang the reaction to the Boyz was fun. For now though, I can settle for a one off cool match.

Post match the Athletes beat the Boyz down until the Infantry makes the save.

Video on Dalton Castle vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TV Title next week.

Workhorsemen vs. Top Flight

Henry and Darius fight over arm control to start until Darius gets two each off some rollups. Drake comes in to win the chop off but it’s quickly off to Dante for an anklescissors. Everything breaks down and they head outside, where Drake sends him into the ropes for the big right hand.

Back in and a Codebreaker/double stomp combination has Dante in trouble but he fights out of the chinlock rather quickly. It’s back to Dante as everything breaks down again, this time with Drake hitting a Sick Kick for two. Darius is back in for a double DDT and the hot tag brings in Dante to clean house. Drake gets taken out with a dive and a high crossbody gets two on Henry. Dante’s swinging half nelson slam is enough to pin Henry at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Good, fast paced main event here with the power of Drake and speed of Henry working well enough against a fast paced team like Top Flight. As tends to be the case though, it’s hard to get excited over Top Flight when they never win anything important. It’s just another meaningless win over a team that it feels like they have beaten more than once.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough as it moved by quickly, but it suffered from the normal problem of not having in the way of importance. We at least get a big time title match next week (the first time an ROH title has been on the line in over a month). This warmed things up well enough, but don’t go into it expecting it to mean much.

Results
Athena b. Viva Van – Right hand
Kingdom b. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto – Just The Tip to Comoroto
Serpentico b. Brady Roberts – La majistral
Red Velvet b. Kel – Final Slice
Zak Knight b. Sebastian Wolfe – Running right hand
Lee Johnson b. Aaron Solo and Action Andretti – Big Shot Drop to Solo
Premiere Athletes b. Bollywood Boyz – Pumphandle driver to Gurv
Top Flight b. Workhorsemen – Spinning half nelson slam to Henry

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: May 2, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have been getting back more towards the pre-Supercard Of Honor ways around here and that has not made for the most entertaining shows. What matters is getting some interest going, which will likely be centered around Athena/Billie Starkz vs. Queen Aminata/Red Velvet. Other than that, there is work to be done. Let’s get to it.

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

Of note: the sun is setting at Daily’s Place so the whole venue looks really, really cool.

We run down the card.

We recap the Outrunners and the Infantry copying each other’s stuff for weeks.

Outrunners vs. Infantry

Laser Linda (debuting) and Trish Adora are here too. Adora runs Linda over to start and the Outrunners are dropkicked out to the floor before we get the opening bell. We settle down to the Infantry working on Floyd’s arm, followed by a double hiptoss to Magnum as commentary is impressed by the basic offense. Everything breaks down and Bravo hits a slingshot dive onto Magnum, followed by an old Valiant Brothers middle rope fist drop to Floyd.

Magnum is back in with a cheap shot on Bravo though and the villains (I think?) take over. Floyd grabs the leg to Magnum can hook a headlock, setting up the Outrunners’ double hiptoss as the blatant copying continues. Bravo gets up and manages a slingshot Stunner of all things, allowing the tag off to Dean to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down again and Dean hits a top rope splash, with Magnum’s save hitting Floyd by mistake. The Outrunners load up Boot Camp but get it broken up, allowing the Infantry to hit the real thing for the pin on Magnum at 8:50.

Rating: B-. The action was good, but what made this more interesting than usual was it had a story/some stakes to it. These teams have a reason to be mad at each other and I wanted to see the Infantry get the win. It wasn’t a classic or anything close to it but I’ll definitely take a good match with a reason to see the teams fight.

Nyla Rose vs. Camron Branae

Branae is better known as Amari Miller from NXT and slugs away at Rose to start. This goes very badly as Rose launches her into the corner but Branae manages to knock Rose to the floor. Back in and Rose hits a knee, setting up the Beast Bomb for the pin at 1:24. Branae showed some fire but Rose crushed her in the end.

Angelo Parker says he was going to retire when Ruby Soho told him he was going to be a dad. Now Parker has something to fight or and Matt Menard thinks it’s time to come after the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. The Qrown

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if the Qrown wins or survives the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Bennett slugs away at Leonis to start and the Kingdom takes turns stomping away in the corner. Leonis blocks a double suplex attempt and snaps off a belly to belly but it’s too early for the tag to Maximus. Some hard clotheslines allows the tag to Maximus and house is quickly cleaned. That doesn’t last long though as the Kingdom is right back with the Hail Mary to finish Maximus at 4:17.

Rating: C+. The Qrown were a big deal in OVW when they were known as King’s Ransom, which might not be a good name but it’s a heck of a lot better than Qrown. The team definitely has potential as they are a good looking power team and I could go for seeing more of them. For now though, it was just a quick cameo and it worked pretty well.

JD Drake talks about being lost in the last month, to the point where his bowling game was messed up. He has a $2 bill and that means he has two choices. Now he is ready to come back and give a $2 bill worth of a beating as a Workhorseman.

Toa Liona vs. Jimmy Wild

Liona runs him over and chokes on the ropes, setting up an overhead belly to belly. Wild’s comeback is cut off with a superkick and a backsplash on the apron makes it worse. Liona hits a Pounce for the pin at 2:14. Total squash.

Dark Order vs. Zicky Dice/Sean Maluta/Adam Priest

Silver runs Maluta down with some shoulders to start and backdrops a charging Dice. The Order triple team Maluta for two but Dice gets in a cheap shot to Uno from the apron. Dice comes in for some mocking kicks to the head, only to have Uno neckbreaker his way out of trouble. Reynolds gets the tag to clean house and a butterfly powerbomb gets two on Priest. Everything breaks down and a Canadian Destroyer into the triple flipping slam finishes Priest at 4:42.

Rating: C. The Dark Order being on the show in Daily’s Place is a fine way to go as they were beloved here during the pandemic shows. Let the fans have something of a treat in a six man tag that isn’t going to hurt anyone. It’s not a match that took up any significant time and it was perfectly watchable so this was a fine addition to the card.

The Iron Savages are tired of being goofy without having success, so it’s time for a change of pace. They’re done trying to win over the stupid fans.

Aaron Solo vs. Jon Cruz

Solo wastes not time in stomping him into the corner and suplexing him right back out. Cruz is back with a slam as commentary praises Tony Khan for appearing at the NFL Draft in a neck brace. Solo shrugs it off and hits a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 1:31. Pushing Solo is a choice and he only looked so good here.

Queen Aminata vs. Robyn Renegade

They fight over a headlock to start with Aminata taking her down. Renegade gets up for a kick to the head into a Backstabber but Aminata drops her with some clotheslines. A running kick against the ropes knocks Renegade silly for two but a faceplant gets Renegade out of trouble. Renegade’s Death Valley Driver gets two, only for Aminata to German suplex her into the corner. The hip attack and an Air Raid Crash finish for Aminata at 5:14.

Rating: C. Aminata gets a win on the way to her likely title shot against Athena. That should make for a good showdown whenever we get there and this was her warmup. Other than that, there wasn’t much to it, though Renegade was firing back and had her usual intensity to make it decent.

Overall Rating: C+. They cut way back on the time this week and for the most part that was a good thing. While the opener is by far the best part of the show, it was nice to have things wrapped up so quickly. They featured some lower level stars this week but kept the show moving well enough that nothing overstayed its welcome. As usual, the brisk pace helps a lot around here and that was certainly true this week.

Results
Infantry b. Outrunners – Boot Camp to Magnum
Nyla Rose b. Camron Branae – Beast Bomb
Undisputed Kingdom b. Qrown – Hail Mary to Maximus
Toa Liona b. Jimmy Wild – Pounce
Dark Order b. Zicky Dice/Sean Maluta/Adam Priest – Triple flipping slam to Priest
Aaron Solo b. Jon Cruz – Spinning kick to the head
Queen Aminata b. Robyn Renegade – Air Raid Crash

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: April 25, 2024
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have been getting longer around here again and that has not often been the best thing for Ring Of Honor. It often results in matches that are just there to make the show longer and I’m still not sure how that makes for better weekly events. Odds are we’ll get more on Queen Aminata coming after the Women’s Title this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Isiah Kassidy vs. Komander

Kassidy takes him down to start and fires off some dancing as commentary talks about Shaquille O’Neal. Komander grabs an armbar into a rollup but gets dropped throat first onto the top. Stomping in the corner keeps Komander in trouble until he comes out with a kick to the face. Kassidy cutters him across the top to send Komander outside but he comes back in with a running hurricanrana.

An Asai moonsault takes out Kassidy on the floor and a springboard Swanton connects for two. A poisonrana plants Kassidy again but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for two of his own. Back up and Komander grabs a waistlock, only to have Kassidy kick him low. A reverse Twist of Fate finishes for Kassidy at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a high flying match between a perennial jobber and one half of a tag team. They both have athletic abilities and I certainly wasn’t bored with what I was seeing. At the same time though, it’s a little hard to get invested in seeing something between people that AEW has made feel so unimportant. That’s a big problem with ROH and I don’t see it being cured anytime soon.

We look at Bullet Club Gold unifying the two sets of Six Man Tag Team titles.

The Club brags about their win but they don’t have room for all of the gold.

Dark Order vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Silver and Darius start things off with Darius slipping out of a wristlock and grabbing a cravate. Andretti comes in to work on the arm before everything breaks down, meaning a triple superkick to send the Order outside. Back in and the Order takes over on Dante, who flips over to hand it right back to Andretti.

Everything breaks down again and an assisted tornado DDT puts Reynolds down. Andretti’s running shooting star gets two with the Order having to make the save. The Order isolates Darius and strike away at him until Dante makes a save of his own. Darius and Andretti grab a double spinebuster to finish Reynolds at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was the match designed to warm up Andretti and Top Flight before their shot at Bullet Club Gold this weekend. Andretti and Top Flight work well enough together but it feels like they are up and down all the time around here. Giving them a win is nice, but it doesn’t feel like anything more than getting them ready for their latest loss against better competition. It makes sense, but it’s not the most engaging stuff.

Anna Jay vs. Allysin Kay

Kay powers her into the corner to start but Jay knocks her into the corner to cut that off. A spinning kick is countered into a suplex, only to have Jay stomp her down in the corner without much trouble. Kay grabs a hotshot into a chokebomb for two but Jay is right back with a middle rope Blockbuster for the same. The Queenslayer finishes for Jay at 3:44.

Rating: C. Believe it or not, Jay goes from losing on Dynamite to winning on Ring Of Honor. That’s the story of her career, as she is so all over the place with her wins and losses that it is not wonder she can never get any kind of traction. Yes she’s on a winning streak around here, but it only means so much when she loses any big match she has.

We recap Queen Aminata seemingly coming after Athena for the Women’s Title.

Athena has an emergency Minions meeting and offers a beating to Aminata and Red Velvet.

Johnny TV vs. Will Austin

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny, who takes Austin down without much effort. A springboard hurricanrana into a dropkick works well for Austin, with Ian saying “Make your name Austin!” I’m thinking that might not be the best idea as it’s already taken. Taya offers a distraction so Johnny can get in a shot from behind and work on the arm. A spinning knee to the face sets up the Flying Chuck into Starship Pain for the pin at 3:16 (….hey).

Rating: C. As usual, there’s only so much you can get out of what was just a step ahead of a squash. TV is back after his loss at Supercard Of Honor and now he can find something else to do. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s better than having him sitting around waiting for something to happen.

Mogul Embassy vs. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman

No Prince Nana with the Embassy as they’re getting it right. Beef gets taken into the corner to start the beating in a hurry, with Toa hammering away. Kaun backbreakers him onto the turnbuckle and Cage hits the apron superplex for two. Beef finally gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Tankman, who gets to clean some house. The numbers catch up with him though and it’s a triplebomb to give Cage the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C+. This was more than I was expecting with Tankman getting to show what he could do if given the chance. The guy can be a wrecking ball when he is in there and that worked for a little while. At the same time, not having Nana out there with the Embassy is a good sign, as the face turn continues.

Video on the Premiere Athletes, focusing on Ariya Daivari.

Mark Sterling is impressed with how many people it took to stand up to the Premiere Athletes.

Leila Grey vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki takes her over with a headlock to start before hitting a spinning kick to the chest. A running dropkick misses though and Grey drops a backsplash for two. Grey gets two off a bulldog and there’s a Hennig necksnap to drop Sakazaki again. They go up top, where Grey grabs a sunset bomb for two more before it’s time to trade forearms. We go to a random replay of the sunset bomb, which has me wondering if they needed to edit something out. Sakazaki grabs a spinning hammerlock slam and hits the Magical Girl Splash for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one with that replay/seemingly an edit feeling really out of nowhere. I’m not sure what was going on here but the ending felt like they were told to go home in a hurry. Grey has done well enough in some limited roles and was working here, but the chemistry was pretty far off with this one.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are upset at their recent losses. Maria Kanellis comes in to say she is disappointed too but says it’ll work in the end. This team’s existence continues to confuse me.

Kingdom vs. Outrunners

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Outrunners win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Floyd works on Bennett’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Taven for a cheap shot to take over. Back up and Magnum fights back and manages to clear the ring but Bennett drops him again. Taven chokes away and Bennett gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock keeps Magnum down but he atomic drops his way to freedom and hands it back to Floyd to pick up the pace. A spinning suplex drops Taven and Magnum hits a top rope forearm. Boot Camp is loaded up but Bennett reverses into a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped this one, along with the fact that we saw the champs go to a time limit in a Proving Ground match a few weeks back. It adds just enough drama to make this work better than that is great to see. It wasn’t a great match, but the Outrunners are always fun and the champs get a win, meaning they are at least here for a change.

Queen Aminata and Red Velvet are ready for Billie Starkz and Athena.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Laynie Luck

Taya goes with the power to start and chokes away on the ropes but Luck strikes away. That earns her the running knees in the corner, followed a double underhook drop for two. The STF makes Luck tap at 3:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for Taya, though Luck got in a few shots of her own. That isn’t the biggest surprise as Luck is something of an indy mainstay around this area and is a step above some of the jobbers you’ll see. Taya is still someone who could be used in a bigger spot but she seems pretty stuck in the midcard gatekeeper heel spot at the moment.

The Infantry wants more but the Outrunners interrupt and brag about their own success. The challenge is on for next week, with the Outrunners repeating what the Infantry says.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz

Vincent punches GPA down to start as Ian talks to students. Dutch comes in for some clotheslines before running Jones over for a bonus. It’s off to Archer, who gets annoyed at Jones’ dropkick. A full nelson slam plants Jones, who kicks Vincent away and hands it off to Cruz. It’s back to Jones all of ten seconds later but the villains are tired of this and wreck everyone. The Blackout sends GPA onto Jones to give Dutch the double pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Archer and the Righteous are doing well with these squashes but it’s hard to believe that they’re going to get a title shot. I base this on the idea that we have seen them do something similar to this for a good while now and they have never been near the titles. That’s how Ring Of Honor works with a lot of this stuff and it can be rather frustrating.

Abadon vs. Nova

Nova takes things into the corner to start for a running shoulder to the ribs but Abadon is right back with some clotheslines. The Meteora in the corner sets up a running knee and Black Dahlia finishes Nova at 1:35.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie (the latter of whom got a shower and changed in record time) are happy about their reality series when Aaron Solo interrupts. Taya isn’t impressed and Johnny mocks his win/loss record so Solo promises to win next week. Now we’re getting an Aaron Solo story?

Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos runs them both over to start but gets sent to the corner as commentary talks about the things Christian has been doing with Missy Hyatt in GCW. Mortos is back inside and takes out Christian before powerslamming Fox for two. A shinbreaker puts Fox down again and we hit a leglock. Christian comes in off the top for the save and Sling Blades Mortos, who is back with a Samoan drop for two.

The pace picks up and Christian takes Mortos down for a quick splash. Fox is back in to double team Mortos to limited avail but they manage to knock Mortos down into the corner. With the other two up top, Mortos pulls them back down for a big crash but Fox kicks him out to the apron. Christian’s spear puts Mortos on the floor and a springboard 450 into a Swanton connects back inside. Christian goes after Fox but Mortos is back up with a spinning piledriver to finish Fox at 6:52.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show as it was more competitive but it’s not like this was anything great. There were no stakes to this and Mortos already beat Christian at Supercard Of Honor. That didn’t leave much in the way of drama here, though it was nice to see a match that had a bit more time and all three were putting in some energy.

Overall Rating: C. That was Ring Of Honor all right, with a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff and very little of it standing out. The last few weeks have gotten away from the focused version and have been back to being little more than getting as much content out there as possible. As usual, that’s great for the wrestlers who get more work, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining show. It’s almost impossible to have this much content while also having the wins and losses matter for the sake of title shots, especially when those shots are few and far between. Ring Of Honor is proving that and it’s not working well.

Results
Isiah Kassidy b. Komander – Reverse Twist of Fate
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Dark Order – Double spinebuster to Reynolds
Anna Jay b. Allysin Kay – Queenslayer
Johnny TV b. Will Austin – Starship Pain
Mogul Embassy b. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman – Triplebomb to Tankman
Yuka Sakazaki b. Leila Grey – Magical Girl Splash
Kingdom b. Outrunners – Rollup with tights to Floyd
Taya Valkyrie b. Laynie Luck – STF
Lance Archer/Righteous b. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz – Double pin
Abadon b. Nova – Black Dahlia
Beast Mortos b. Blake Christian and AR Fox – Spinning piledriver to Fox

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 18, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The show has been doing well enough in recent weeks and I could go for seeing more of what they have going on. What matters here is keeping things moving as the shows with all of the filler are by far the weakest. It also helps to have some star power around here and there is no way of knowing what you are going to be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe isn’t scared of the House Of Black because he fears no man. Bring the violence.

Aaron Solo vs. Bryan Keith

Solo slaps him in the face to start so Keith sweeps the legs and pulls him down to hammer away. A rather delayed suplex puts Solo down so he rolls to the floor for a breather. Keith follows and gets sent into the steps as things slow down a bit. Some knees to the back keep Keith in trouble and Solo chokes away in the corner for a bit.

Keith shrugs it off and hits a running boot in the corner, setting up a t-bone suplex for two. A fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee gives Keith two but Solo is back with a t-bone of his own for two of his own. Back up and an enziguri staggers Keith, who knocks Solo out of the corner. Diamond Dust finishes for Keith at 7:14

Rating: C. Keith is someone who has been around AEW and ROH so much lately and a good chunk of his appearances have resulted in losses. Giving him a win here and there keeps him looking a bit stronger, even if it is over someone like Solo. I’m a sucker for Diamond Dust too so having Keith bust it out makes things that much better.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Jon Cruz/Savion Truitt/Damian Chambers

Vincent powers Chambers into the corner to start and drops him with a running forearm for two. Truitt comes in and gets to face Archer, who looks rather enthusiastic to wreck a human. Archer easily takes him into the corner for a hard chop and Dutch adds a t-bone suplex. A Side Effect from Vincent sets up a legdrop from Dutch but Truitt crawls over to bring in Cruz. Autumn Sunshine plants Cruz in a hurry and Truitt it Blackouted onto Cruz to give Archer the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. Total and complete destruction and that’s all it needed to be. Archer and the Righteous wrecking people can be fun and that was the case again here, with the villains being little more than cannon fodder. They kept it fast too and that is what it needed to be given what was going on here.

Mark Sterling hypes up Tony Nese.

Sterling, with the Premiere Athletes, brags about how awesome his team really can be. They won at Supercard Of Honor and Sterling promises gold by the end of the year.

JD Drake vs. Lee Johnson

Drake powers him away to start and Johnson slows things down a bit. A slam puts Johnson down again so he takes Johnson down to slow him up a bit. Drake isn’t having that and comes back with Snake Eyes, only to miss a sitdown splash. Back up and Johnson sends him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. A high crossbody gives Johnson two and he avoids a Cannonball back inside. Johnson knocks him off the top and hits a frog splash for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Drake is a good example of a person who is talented and good at what he does but he’s been around so long around here that it’s hard to get interested in what he’s doing. You know what you’re going to get with him and watching Johnson take ten minutes to get there isn’t going to make for the most thrilling match. Technically fine, but not that thrilling.

Abadon vs. Allysin Kay

Abadon bites the arm to start but gets taken own with a clothesline. Kay hits a running splash in the corner but Abadon is back with a running faceplant. A high crossbody into the Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 2:17.

Taya Valkyrie says Johnny TV is off rehabbing his abs so stop asking her questions.

Iron Savages vs. Infantry

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder knocks Bravo into the corner to start but Bravo is back up with a dropkick. A double dropkick sends Boulder into the corner for the tag to Bronson, who is quickly knocked out to the floor. Jameson offers a distraction though and it’s Bronson taking over back inside. Boulder is sent into Bronson’s chest though and the hot tag brings Bravo back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jameson’s Savage Sauce is sent flying. Boot Camp finishes 4:55.

Rating: C+. Nice match and nothing that we haven’t seen from these teams over and over. It might be against different opponents, but the Infantry getting a win and going nowhere as a results isn’t a surprise. They got their one title shot and now they’re back to where they were before. Nothing to see here, as the Savages still aren’t that interesting.

Post match the Premiere Athletes come in for the beatdown but Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith, Lee Johnson and Dalton Castle of all people make the save.

Taya Valkyrie/Leila Grey/Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan/Trish Adora

Taya powers Hogan into the corner to start but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. The running hip attack to the back gives Hogan two but Diamante comes in for a running dropkick in the corner. It’s off to Adora, who gets Russian legsweeped for two, allowing Taya to hit the running knees.

Adora’s kneeling German suplex allows the tag back to Hogan, who dropkicks Diamante. Grey gets dropkicked as well but Taya hits something like a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and Grey’s running Sling Blade gets two on Adora. Lariat Tubman hits Diamante and Hogan grabs Face The Music to pin Grey at 7:53.

Rating: C+. They went with the regular wrestling for a bit until it was all chaos with Hogan getting the win. In theory this would set things up for a future title shot or something close to it, but odds are it’s just a match that comes and goes. The action was nice enough though and a parade of finishers is always worth at least a look.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter, with Maria Kanellis, have no interest in giving Serpentico’s mask back. This feud feels like it has been going on for months now, which is months too long.

Nick Comoroto vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos can’t shoulder him down to start so he goes after Comoroto’s arm to take over. Comoroto hits a hard clothesline and hammers away, setting up a splash for two. Mortos fights up and runs him over, setting up a corkscrew moonsault for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Quick and to the point here as Mortos might be the next monster around Ring Of Honor. I’ve heard worse ideas, as getting some fresh blood is nice to see. That being said, this was just one match and he’s going to need something that makes him stand out or he’ll just be another name on a long list.

We look at Queen Aminata seemingly setting herself up as the next challenger to Athena.

Lady Frost vs. Marti Belle

Belle runs her over to start but Frost is back up with the rapid fire chops in the corner as commentary makes fire vs. ice comparisons. Belle gets in some boot choking but Frost elbows back up. A Cannonball in the corner hits Belle, who is back up with a hard forearm for two. Frost isn’t having that and kicks her in the head, setting up Frost Bite for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I still think there is something to be done with Frost if she is given the chance and while this might not have been a big deal, it was better than a loss. If nothing else, Frost could be a nice first challenger for the Women’s TV Title, as Billie Starkz could use some fresh opponents. Belle is someone who has been around for a bit but this might be her high point around here.

Nick Comoroto is interrupted by Jacoby Watts, who offers to turn Comoroto’s career around.

Dark Order vs. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano

Milano headlocks Uno to start but is quickly pulled into an atomic drop. Silver comes in and poses before elbowing Patterson in the face. A charging Milano gets sent outside, allowing Patterson to come back with a dropkick. Patterson gutwrench suplexes Silver but charges into a boot in the corner. Silver’s suplex allows the tag back to Uno to clean house. The Stunner into the German suplex into Something Evil finishes Milano at 5:07.

Rating: C. Well at least it was short. Having Silver out there does take away a lot of the dullness that comes with Uno, as Silver is such a ball of energy. While I don’t think there is much of a use for the Dark Order in AEW, there are worse ways to go than having them pop the crowd in a match like this. Not much to see here, but Patterson and Milano weren’t completely destroyed.

Dynasty rundown.

Mark Briscoe vs. Griff Garrison

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison (with Cole Karter and Maria Kanellis) wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Garrison tries a sunset flip but gets headlocked on the mat for his effort. The threat of Redneck Kung Fu has Garrison in the corner but he comes out with some uppercuts.

Briscoe isn’t having that and knocks him to the floor for a flip dive. The Bang Bang Elbow connects but Karter offers a distraction, allowing Garrison to get in a cheap shot. A big boot give Garrison two and a torture rack powerbomb is good for the same. Briscoe is back up and sends him outside for the slingshot dive, followed by a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller finishes Garrison at 5:41.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have the World Champion around here as the star power alone helped a bit. That being said, Briscoe started the show talking about his match at Dynasty rather than anything he was doing here. When he’s already fighting half of a low level tag team who is in a story that should have ended forever ago, it didn’t make for the most thrilling match.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh just no. This was every lame thing about Ring Of Honor rolled into one. It was about an hour and a half of matches that didn’t feel like they were going anywhere and had no stakes while not being anything special. It makes for one heck of a dull show and I can’t imagine sitting through this, Collision and Battle Of The Belts in the same night. Ring Of Honor can be a fun show but this was a nightmare to get through as there was just nothing worth seeing. They were on a nice little roll for a few weeks and then hit the way hard here in a huge disappointment.

Results
Bryan Keith b. Aaron Solo – Diamond Dust
Righteous/Lee Johnson b. Jon Cruz/Damian Chambers/Savion Truitt
Lee Johnson b. JD Drake – Frog splash
Abadon b. Allysin Kay – Black Dahlia
Infantry b. Iron Savages – Boot Camp to Bronson
Trish Adora/Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey/Taya Valkyrie/Diamante – Face The Music to Grey
Beast Mortos b. Nick Comoroto – Corkscrew moonsault
Lady Frost b. Marti Belle – Frost Bite
Dark Order b. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano – Something Evil to Milano
Mark Briscoe b. Griff Garrison – Jay Driller

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: March 14, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are less than a month away from Supercard Of Honor and it should be time to announce some matches. That could make things all the more complicated as there isn’t much time left to build up the card. Then again ROH has a tendency to just throw things together and that will probably be the case again here. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Diamante vs. Billie Starkz

They trade rollups to start until Diamante knocks her into the corner for a running dropkick. The beating heads outside with Starkz being knocked into the barricade. Starkz is right back with a hurricanrana off the steps to take over. Diamante drives some shoulders in the corner and we hit the neck crank. Starkz fights up but gets splashed for two, only to kick her back to the floor.

There’s the suicide dive, followed by two more to make it worse. Back in and a suplex onto the knee gives Starkz another near fall, followed by a faceplant to plant Diamante on her face. Diamante is back with a rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner for two, only to have Starkz blast her with a clothesline. They forearm it out (of course) until Diamante grabs a quick Stunner. A standing Sliced Bread #2 gives Diamante two but Starkz kicks her in the face. The Swanton gets two so Starkz goes for a half nelson crossface for the tap at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This got rolling near the end and I was digging what they were doing. The tournament matches have been made a good bit more exciting s there is SOMETHING for these people to fight over. The fact that there was a pretty obvious winner in Starkz but they had me wondering on some of those near falls is proof that they were doing something right. Good stuff here and one of Starkz’ better matches to date.

Lee Johnson vs. Aaron Solo

They trade arm control to start until Johnson grabs a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Solo gives him a sarcastic handshake. Solo is sent outside and shakes the fans’ hands but runs into a dropkick back inside. Back up and Solo sends him hard into the ropes with Johnson seemingly hitting his throat on the top rope to cut him down fast. A suplex gives Solo two and we hit the chinlock.

Johnson fights up and sends him throat first into the ropes to even things up with a double knockdown. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two but the Big Shot Drop is broken up. Solo kicks him down for two and a top rope double stomp gets the same. A butterfly powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana from Johnson, who lawn darts Solo into the buckle. The Big Shot Drop finishes Solo at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Lee Johnson is being pushed, with six straight wins coming into this match. This was near his hometown of Atlanta. It took him ten minutes to beat a perennial jobber in Solo. There was little reason for this to be anywhere near as competitive if Johnson is supposed to be something important. In theory he is on the way to a title shot, but why should I believe he can beat someone important if it is this hard to beat Solo?

Robyn Renegade vs. Lady Frost vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Leyla Hirsch

Renegade gets triple teamed down to start, leaving the other three to fight in the ring. Frost sends Hirsch into the corner but gets legdropped by Hogan for two. Robyn comes back in but gets choked by Hirsch, only to have Hogan break it up with some kicks to the head. They all slug it out until Frost sends them into the corner for a pair of flipping Cannonballs. Hogan is back up with a running hip attack against the ropes to Renegade, followed by Face The Music for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. Hey look: another four way match where the winner is no further ahead than she was before the match. It also didn’t get a ton of time so they didn’t have the time to shine or get anything going. The action was fine enough, but these things coming and going every week have taken away almost all of their interest.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are ready for their big match but Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes in to blame their lack of Collision appearances on Garrison’s loss to Adam Copeland. Don’t disappoint her.

Athena vs. Aisha

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Aisha gets a title shot if she survives the ten minute time limit or wins. Athena starts fast with a toss suplex but Aisha kicks her into the corner. They head outside with Athena sending her into the barricade a few times. Aisha comes back with a spinebuster for two inside but Athena grabs the Codebreaker. Something like an abdominal stretch makes Aisha tap at 4:29.

Rating: C. This is what you get from an Athena Proving Ground match and there isn’t much to be gained from them. The good thing is they got through the match rather quickly and Aisha didn’t put up much of a fight. Athena needs a new challenger and we’ll probably get that sooner than later, but for now there isn’t much for her to do.

Post match Athena keeps up the beating and runs down the city of Atlanta. Cue Hikaru Shida to interrupt and we seem to have a challenger for Supercard of Honor. That would be another person from outside ROH getting the title shot because the division has been wrecked so badly by this Athena title reign that could have ended months ago without her losing a thing. But then again it’s not like this show matters in the slightest so why should I expect it to be well put together?

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Iron Savages

Before the match, we get a drink off between the Savage Sauce and Andretti’s water. Andretti wins and we’re ready to go, with Top Flight/Andretti hitting dives out to the floor. Back in and Dante kicks away at Bronson and everything breaks down again. Dante avoids going into a hairy chest and brings Darius back in to clean house.

Darius gets knocked down in the corner but Bronson spends too much time on pelvic thrusting and misses the moonsault. A kick to the face out of the corner allows the tag to Dante, meaning things pick up again. Everything breaks down and Jameson gets caught with a shooting star press followed by a frog splash to give Dante the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. Nice six man here with Top Flight and Andretti continuing to work well together. That being said, it’s another case where a team is floating around from win to win without getting much of a chance to go anywhere. Granted it might help if the Six Man Tag Team Titles had been defended here but that hasn’t happened on this show since September.

Lee Johnson is just getting started.

Workhorsemen vs. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto

The Workhorsemen jump them from behind to start and Comoroto is knocked into the wrong corner. Comoroto slugs his way out of corner but Henry kicks him down for two. Everything breaks down and Drake suplexes Comoroto, setting up Henry’s top rope double stomp for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that was fine but since it didn’t really add anything, it probably didn’t need to be on a show that is running over two hours. The Workhorsemen have been around here for months and don’t seem to be going anywhere, which again might have something to do with the champions almost never being around here (with their one title defense since winning the titles in December).

Post match Watts holds the ropes for Comoroto and they take their time leaving together.

Lance Archer vs. Darian Bengston

Jake Roberts bothers to show up for once. Archer misses a charge into the corner but pulls Bengston out of the air without much trouble. Another missed charge lets Bengston strike away but Archer plants him with a chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:17.

We look at Dalton Castle losing the Boys to Johnny TV/Taya Valkyrie two weeks ago.

Taya Valkyrie is thinking about buying the Boys matching outfits but Dalton Castle comes in to say he can smell them. They shout at each other over the boys diets (sushi vs. tater tots) until security drags Castle away. This was amusing.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Mercedes Martinez vs. Abadon

Abadon slugs away to start and hits some running knees in the corner. Martinez is knocked outside and taken down again, only to come back with a big boot. Back in and some rolling butterfly suplexes have Abadon in trouble and a clothesline gives Martinez two. Abadon fights up and hits a running Codebreaker for two, only for Martinez to come back with a hard suplex.

The half crab has Abadon crawling over to the ropes for the break, followed by a quick cutter to send Martinez outside. Martinez is back up with a hard knee on the apron, setting up a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. Back in and Abadon grabs a quick DDT for two…but someone pops out from under the ring to deck Abadon. The fisherwoman’s buster gives Martinez the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t as good as the opener but it was still a nice showdown between two talented stars. Martinez going forward is a good choice as she is at least a minor threat to win the title but also someone who can be beaten to give someone a rub. I’m curious about the interference, as it’s at least a fresh ending for one of the tournament matches.

And it’s Diamante as the interfering scoundrel.

The final four:

Billie Starkz
Mercedes Martinez

Red Velvet
Queen Aminata

Slim J vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. AR Fox vs. Komander

Oh this is ROH in 2024 all right. J isn’t interested in a handshake and instead flips everyone off before heading to the floor for the bell. Fox takes him out with a dive, as he won’t stand for that kind of disrespect. That leaves Komander to miss a charge in the corner so Cartwheel hits a flipping elbow for two. J is back in to hit Fox low and another one cuts off Cartwheel, setting up a running cutter for two more. Fox flips J off the top and steps through into a cutter of his own for two of his own.

Komander has to make a save before kicking J down in the corner. Komander’s backbreaker puts Fox down before going to the top with Cartwheel. A middle rope Codebreaker on the apron rocks Cartwheel but J is there with a suicide dive to drop Komander. Back in and a top rope reverse DDT gives J two on Fox before Cartwheel and Komander go flipping up (and down) the ramp. Komander gets the better of things, setting up Cielito Lindo to finish J at 8:20.

Rating: B-. Remember the women’s version of this match earlier, where it was more or less the same kind of match that they’ve had for months and it is mainly just flashy yet meaningless? Same thing here, but with the men instead. It was entertaining enough, but when you’ve seen it over and over again for weeks, it’s hard to get interested again.

Eddie Kingston says Mark Briscoe was supposed to get a World Title shot last year. He can have it this year at Supercard Of Honor instead. There is no mention of anything but the ROH World Title on the line. Naturally this had to be a pre-tape because the champ isn’t going to be on the regular show.

Cole Karter/Griff Garrison vs. Trent Beretta/Orange Cassidy

Maria Kanellis Bennett is here with Karter and Garrison so Chuck Taylor is here to cancel her out. Karter misses an armdrag attempt to start so Cassidy puts his hands in the pockets to take over. Beretta comes in to hiptoss Garrison, setting up a quick double suplex for two. Cassidy sends Garrison face first into the buckle over and over but Karter is back in with a snap suplex.

Cassidy manages to kick his way to freedom though and there’s the hot tag to Beretta. A dive to the floor takes out Garrison but some double teaming puts Beretta in trouble for a change. Karter misses a 450 though and Beretta suplexes Garrison, allowing the real tag off to Cassidy. A bunch of kicks put the villains down and Garrison gets high crossbodied. The tornado DDT gets two on Karter but Maria offers a distraction, meaning it’s time for an exchange of kicks to the head. Maria gets up for another distraction and offers a hug, but Beretta would rather hug Chuck. The Orange Punch finishes Karter at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, even if it is near impossible to care about Karter and Garrison no matter what they do. They have been up and down for months and still seem to be going nowhere as I still wonder why Maria is stuck with them. Cassidy and Beretta were the big guest stars and it makes perfect sense to close with them, even if they needed better opponents.

Post match the Spanish Announce Project comes in to get Serpentico’s mask back but manage to get beaten down. Cassidy and Beretta make the save and pose with the Project to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. And we’re back to the old format with two hours of stuff, much of which could have easily been dropped with absolutely nothing being lost. The four ways feel like little more than ways to get people on the show and when they feature a lot of the same people week in and week out, it’s rather hard to care. Other than that you had a bunch of the usual stuff, with the tournament matches at least feeling important. So yeah, it’s back to what makes ROH annoying after weeks of having it be what it should have been.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Diamante – Half nelson crossface
Lee Johnson b. Aaron Solo – Big Shot Drop
Kiera Hogan b. Robyn Renegade, Lady Frost and Leyla Hirsch – Face The Music to Renegade
Athena b. Aisha – Abdominal stretch
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Frog splash to James
Workhorsemen b. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto – Top rope double stomp to Comoroto
Lance Archer b. Darian Bengston – Blackout
Mercedes Martinez b. Abadon – Fisherwoman’s buster
Komander b. AR Fox, Slim J and Jack Cartwheel – Cielito Lindo to J
Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter – Orange Punch to Karter

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

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