Ring Of Honor
Date: July 27, 2023
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with a high quality but mostly skippable pay per view with Death Before Dishonor. The biggest change from the show saw Aussie Open becoming the new Tag Team Champions while everyone else retained. That should lead to something interesting, though there is no word on when the next major show is going to be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

The show is back up to just shy of two hours, the longest in about a month. I’m sure what’s what was missing from the build towards Death Before Dishonor.

Josh Woods vs. Eli Isom

Pure Rules, with Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata as a guest judge (alone with Jerry Lynn and Jimmy Jacobs). Mark Sterling is here with Woods (along with the rest of the Varsity Athletes), who would rather wrestle in front of real New Yorkers rather than fake ones in Newark. Woods wrestles him into the ropes to start and that’s Isom’s first break. Back up and Isom takes him down into an armbar, only to get kicked hard out of the corner.

Another running shot to the face rocks Isom and Woods sends him shoulder first into the buckle. Isom intentionally uses a rope to escape the beating before using some forearms to stagger Woods. A swinging belly to back suplex gives Isom two but Woods armbars him over to the ropes for the final rope. Woods grabs a sleeper into a PK into the Gorilla lock for the tap at 7:55.

Rating: C. This was more or less a pure rules squash as Woods would seem to be the next challenger for Shibata. That doesn’t make for the most interesting match but that is the case with a lot of the Pure Rules matches. They work well from a technical standpoint, but seeing a lot of the same people having not the most thrilling matches in the world doesn’t do a lot o good.

Post match Sterling challenges Shibata for a title match against Woods.

Trish Adora is ready to get back on track.

Trish Adora vs. Vita Vonstarr

Vita shoves her away to start so Adora grabs a headlock. The Air Raid Crash is loaded up but Adora switches into the kneeling stretch instead (that needs a name). Back up and Vita grabs a Black Widow but Adora isn’t having any of that and runs her over with ax handles for two. Vita’s Michinoku driver gets two, only to have Adora come back with the Lariat Tubman for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Vonstarr got in some offense here, which isn’t a surprise as she used to be a regular for Ring Of Honor before everything changed. Adora gets some momentum back and still seems like someone who could be put into a heck of a title feud if given the chance. Granted it might be a bit with Leyla Hirsch back, but at least Adora didn’t lose again here.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

The Embassy, with Prince Nana, is defending. Commentary points out that Cage has been on 17/22 episodes of ROH thus far, because I guess we just haven’t gotten the point already. Jameson and Boulder take turns being thrown at Cage in the corner but Jameson gets taken into the champs’ corner to start the chops. A fireman’s carry is escaped though and it’s Bronson coming in to clean house.

Kaun wastes no time in cutting him off though and it’s Loa coming in to elbow Braun in the face. A superplex drops Bronson for two but he’s back up with a shot to the face, allowing the tag off to Boulder. Everything breaks down and Boulder powerslams Kaun for two but Toa is back in to wreck things. Bronson chokebombs Cage for two but he’s back up to suplex Jameson. Kaun hits a Pedigree of all things to pin Jameson at 10:10.

Rating: B-. The match was the kind of mostly wild power brawl that made for an entertaining ten minutes. At the same time though, the fact that Cage has been around that often doesn’t exactly keep him feeling interesting. It feels like these titles are being defended almost every week against one thrown together team after another. It’s not like the matches are exactly great, so why put them on over and over?

Leyla Hirsch vs. B3cca

Hirsch runs her over without much trouble to start and then chokes with the boot in the corner. A gutwrench suplex sets up a waistlock on B3cca but she’s back up with a shotgun dropkick. B3cca’s running knee in the corner sets up a missed middle rope dropkick, allowing Leyla to hit a running knee for the pin at 3:37.

Rating: C. This was a rather Ring Of Honor match with Leyla mostly dominating and shrugging off almost whatever B3cca throws at her. Leyla continues to feel like one of the stars ready to break through to the other side but, much like Adora, you have to let her move up a bit. Leyla has been back in the ring for a few weeks now and her feet should be adequately watered. Let her do something other than squash people already.

Athena wants someone to step up already because she’s tired of beating “local jobbers”.

Renegades vs. Tiara James/JC

JC slugs away at Charlotte to start but makes sure to knock Robyn off the apron. Robyn is right back up for a double suplex and the double stomping is on in the corner. That’s broken up and the tag brings in James to clean house, including a bulldog to Charlotte. That doesn’t last long though and it’s a Sling Blade Hart Attack to finish James at 3:57.

Rating: C. I still like the Renegades but like many women’s tag teams, there isn’t much for them to do right now. There is no women’s tag division and while one of them can be fine on their own, it’s a little weird to see one without the other in the ring. Find something for them to do and let the talent play out, but that might be a little trickier than expected.

Athena vs. Christina Marie

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Marie either wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Marie kicks her in the back to start and adds a Hennig necksnap for one. Athena gets up and blasts Marie with a forearm before hammering away on the mat.

As we hear about Tony Khan only giving title shots to people in the top five or top ten (like Aussie Open and the Best Friends, who hadn’t wrestled here in three months before getting a title shot last week), Athena knocks her outside and then chokes on the ropes. A bunch of forearms to the back set up a kick to the head, followed by the big right hand to finish Marie at 3:21.

Rating: C. Remember how Cage has been around for all but five Ring Of Honors? I’d be surprised if Athena didn’t have him beat. It’s getting really hard to get invested in Athena slaughtering someone else, especially after she beat her best challenger last week. It’s a good example of how leaving her off a show or two would help a lot, but for some reason she, and several others, are on almost every show. Marie’s minute or so looked good but what is she supposed to get out of that?

Post match Athena gives her the usual post match beatdown.

The Kingdom vs. Rhett Titus/Tracy Williams

Maria is here with the Kingdom. Bennett and Williams chop it out to start and it’s quickly off to Taven for a change. A quick middle rope dropkick takes Williams down but Titus comes in to pick up the pace. Titus gets caught in a backbreaker/middle rope elbow combination but he gets the knees up to block a Lionsault.

Williams comes back in and hits a reverse Death Valley Driver to slam Taven’s knees into the mat (that’s a new one). Bennett and Williams grab stereo holds and sit down on them, setting up the slap off. With those broken up, Titus comes in to knock Taven silly but picks him up instead of covering. The delay lets Taven hit Just The Tip, setting up the Proton Pack to finish for the Kingdom at 7:34.

Rating: B-. Another good match here as the Kingdom continues their roll, but why should I believe that this means anything? When you can get a title match at random, these matches lose the interest that they have. I still like the Kingdom a good bit, but for some reason they’re stuck either here or on Rampage while the tag division in both companies isn’t exactly deep.

Stokely Hathaway and Samoa Joe announced a new #1 contenders tournament for the TV Title. Like the one that ended last week?

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Christopher Daniels vs. JD Drake

Daniels flips him over into an armbar to start before hitting a dropkick to put Drake down. Back up and Drake hits a clothesline, setting up the chinlock with a knee in the back to keep Daniels in trouble. A swinging Boss Man Slam gives Drake two before it’s time for a chop off. Daniels kicks the knee out and hits a clothesline to the back of the head, setting up a top rope Downward Spiral for two. Drake crushes him with a cannonball in the corner for two of his own The moonsault misses though and the Best Moonsault Ever finishes for Daniels at 6:06.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected from a match between these two and that means it was decent enough. What mattered here was having Daniels get a win after fighting from underneath a bit, which he can still do rather well. Him winning the whole thing isn’t out of the question and it wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Gabriel Hodder/Adrien Soriano

Moriarty takes over on Soriano to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts. Hodder comes in and is dropped just as quickly so it’s off to Bill for a double clothesline. The chokeslam finishes Hodder at 3:09.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what the deal is going to be for Big Bill, as he is suddenly in two teams, both of whom are treated as a threat to win something. At the moment though, the team with Brian Cage seems to be a bigger deal and that is likely a better place for him to go. The Moriarty team is fine, but there is something about a big power team that works rather well.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Tony Nese vs. Cheeseburger

Before the match, Nese does the same “you people are fat so we’re going to do group training” speech he has been doing for the last few weeks. Nese whips him into the corner to start but Cheeseburger slides away and climbs on top of him for an arm crank. With that broken up, Cheeseburger is tied in the Tree of Woe for some rapid fire kicks to the ribs. Cheeseburger knees his way out of a suplex and grabs one of his own, setting up a bulldog. The Shotei palm strike gets two on Nese, followed by a DDT for two. Mark Sterling offers a distraction though and Nese grabs a pumphandle driver for the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C. Nese will be fine as a second round villain to be vanquished and that should be enough for him in the whole thing. The health nut/mocking others’ looks is a classic way to draw heat, but Nese needs something else to back it up in the ring. For now though, a win over Cheeseburger is a good way to go for him and should set him up for a better second round match.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Anthony Henry vs. Gravity

Gravity takes him down to start and then does the rapid fire nipups to escape a wristlock. Henry is back up with some forearms only to be sent outside for the big dive over the top. Back in and Henry hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up some shots to the back to keep Gravity down.

Gravity is back up with a dropkick before pulling him into kind of a reverse Koji Clutch. That’s broken up and Henry hits a PK for two, followed by a Razor’s Edge spun into a DDT for the same. Gravity shrugs it off and hits a powerslam into a top rope splash for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Gravity seems to be Tony Khan’s Flavor of the Week now as he is around on quite a few shows as of late. He’s talented enough and it’s nice to see him getting a win here and there, though I could also see him pulling a miracle run here and winning the tournament. This wasn’t exactly a classic, but as a way to give Gravity a win, it worked well enough.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Shane Taylor vs. Serpentico

Serpentico strikes away to start until a forearm knocks him silly. There’s a big toss to send Serpentico flying and then Taylor does it again. A big clothesline gives Taylor two but Serpentico flips him off. Taylor gets staggered by a kick but a release Rock Bottom puts Serpentico down again. The big splash finishes for Taylor at 4:21.

Rating: C-. Another match without any serious doubt for the winner and that isn’t exactly something that gets my interest up this late into a very, very long show. There was nothing to make me believe that Serpentico was going to win here and it felt like waiting around until Taylor beat on him enough before getting the win.

Trustbusters vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Ari Daivari is here with the Trustbusters. A double hiptoss takes Kay down to start so Kiss comes in to choke away in the corner. It’s off to Castle to take Kiss in the corner, where castle gets slapped in the face. They both miss clotheslines until Brent comes in and backflips out of a pair of belly to back suplexes, allowing the hot tag back to Castle. The Boys are thrown outside and onto the Trustbusters (that’s always a cool spot) and the Bang A Rang finishes Kay at 5:19.

Rating: C. I could watch Dalton Castle all day and he looked good here, but I’m not exactly going to get invested in the idea of Castle and the Boys going after the Six Man Tag Team Titles again. I can get the idea of sending the fans home happy with these guys though, as they are about as entertaining of a team as you’re going to get.

Overall Rating: D. Before I’m told that “a bunch of B’s and C’s doesn’t make a D”, that’s not the point of this show. The problem here is that this was not an entertaining wrestling show. It was a bunch of stuff that you get almost every week with the first round of a not exactly interesting tournament added in. Commentary even flat out said something to the effect of “yeah Brian Cage is here A LOT”. See also Athena, Tony Nese, the Workhorsemen and more.

This show was long, not interesting, and felt like it could have come from any point in Ring Of Honor’s history with almost no changes. There were probably three shows crammed into one here for no reason, as the pay per view card shows how little this show means for important shows down the road.

Ring Of Honor’s wrestling is usually pretty solid to good, but the structure, the presentation and everything else is about as bad and boring as you can get in wrestling. I could not stand this show and if not for some talented people on the card, it would have been one of the worst shows that I have seen in a long, long time. Dreadful stuff this week.

Results
Josh Woods b. Eli Isom – Gorilla lock
Trish Adora b. Vita Vonstarr – Lariat Tubman
Mogul Embassy b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Pedigree to James
Leyla Hirsch b. B3cca – Running knee
Renegades b. Tiana James/JC – Sling Blade hart Attack to James
Athena b. Christina Marie – Right hand
The Kingdom b. Rhett Titus/Tracy Williams – Proton Pack to Titus
Christopher Daniels b. JD Drake – Best Moonsault Ever
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Gabriel Hodder/Adrien Soriano
Tony Nese b. Cheeseburger – Pumphandle driver
Gravity b. Anthony Henry – Top rope splash
Shane Taylor b. Serpentico – Big splash
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Trustbusters – Bang A Rang to Kay

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: July 13, 2023
Location: Brandt Center, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We are eight days away from Death Before Dishonor and have a total of one match announced for the show. That leaves a lot of open spots, but it has me worried about how many matches are going to be dumped onto the card in rapid succession. Just getting a handful of them covered this week would be nice so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Sydal calls in Brian Cage for a chat, saying Cage can’t beat him. Cage tells him to find two partners, which Sydal says will be easy.

Serpentico vs. Big Bill

Serpentico tells Bill to bring it and is quickly knocked outside. Back in and Bill sends him outside again so this time Serpentico strikes away. Bill charges after him and gets caught with a suicide shove but Bill sends him flying inside. The chokeslam is escaped though and a headscissors sends Bill into the corner. Then Bill knocks him out of the corner and nails a big boot. Another big boot sets up the chokeslam to finish Serpentico at 4:30.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash as Serpentico was more like a fly buzzing around Bill, who eventually caught him. Bill is getting the idea of being a to the point giant and that should work well for him. Don’t overthink him and it will work out well, and thankfully AEW seems to get that.

We’re having a four man tournament for a TV Title shot at Death Before Dishonor and here are the brackets:

Dalton Castle
Tony Nese

Shane Taylor
Shawn Dean

Athena vs. Ava Lawless

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Lawless wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Lawless hits her in the face a few times and grabs a Sling Blade. That’s too much for Athena, who BLASTS her with a shot to the face. A big boot sets up a crossface to make Lawless tap at 1:43.

Post match Athena sends her face first into the title, as usual.

The Righteous/Stu Grayson vs. Levi Night/Michael Allen Richard Clark/Evan Rivers

Grayson jumps Rivers to start so it’s off to Night, who gets a nice reaction. He also gets driven into the corner so Dutch can come in to put him down. Cue Evil Uno to sit in a chair at ringside as Vincent comes in to stomp on Night. A double belly to back suplex is broken up and it’s the hot tag to bring in Clark for the house cleaning. The Righteous isn’t having that and it’s Nightfall into the triple flipping slam to finish Clark at 4:14.

Rating: C. That’s what he gets for having such an unnecessarily long name. The Righteous and Grayson are fine but the Evil Uno stuff continues to be there for the sake of trying to draw some interest. Evil Uno isn’t interesting on Dynamite and he’s not going to be here either, but he’s going to stick around no matter what for some reason.

Post match Uno is told to come in but he chairs Rivers in the back instead.

Matt Sydal has found Christopher Daniels and Darius Martin to go after the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Bambi Hall vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hall powers her down to start but Hirsch is right back up with a running forearm. Some clotheslines against the ropes have Hall in more trouble but she powers back up. A Backpack Stunner is broken up though and Hirsch cross armbreakers her for the tap at 3:16.

Rating: C. Hirsch instantly feels like someone who could be a big player in the women’s division and that is great to see. She has a different enough style that it makes you want to see what she can do and that is a rare treat. I still think there could be something in Hall, but she needs a lot more ring time to get polished up.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament: Dalton Castle vs. Tony Nese

Before the match, Nese (with the rest of the Varsity Athletes) does his usual insults to the health and hygiene of the fans. Castle, with the Boys, interrupt and we’re ready to go. They trade waistlocks to start but it’s too early for the Bang A Rang, with Castle getting knocked into the ropes. Back up and Castle wrestles him down without much trouble and hits a splash.

They head outside with Castle clotheslining the post by mistake to give Nese a big target. Back in and Nese cranks on the bad arm before missing a springboard moonsault. Castle snaps off the overhead belly to belly suplexes but Ari Daivari offers a distraction. Not that it matters as Castle snaps off the Bang A Rang for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: B-. It’s amazing how much easier Nese is to watch when there is SOMETHING on the line. That being said, Castle winning here, and probably the whole tournament, is absolutely the right way to go. He feels like an absolute star and it makes sense to give him the title shot, if not the title outright.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Shawn Dean vs. Shane Taylor

Dean fires off a dropkick to start but Shane hits one heck of a shot to the face to knock him down. Some shots to the ribs have Dean in trouble and a bearhug makes it worse. Taylor misses a charge into the corner though, allowing Dean to hit a jumping knee to the face. Dean gets planted again but Taylor misses a middle rope splash. An uppercut staggers Taylor but he comes right back with a headbutt. The big forearm finishes Dean at 6:39.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a competitive match as much as it was a study in Dean trying to survive. Taylor is a monster and was wrestling like one here, which didn’t leave many openings for Dean. There’s nothing wrong with a match without much drama and that is what we had here, as Dean tried but was completely overwhelmed.

The Boys vs. The Kingdom

There’s no Maria here (as Jerry Lynn is apparently investigating her injury from last week). Taven takes Brent into the corner to start and then scores with a dropkick. Brent doesn’t like Taven ordering Brent to call him daddy and hits Taven in the face, earning himself a bigger beating.

It’s off to Brandon, who gets chopped down by Bennett as the fans wonder where Maria is. Brandon gets knocked silly with a left hand and the backbreaker/elbow combination gets two. An armbar sends Brandon over to the ropes as commentary thinks the Boys are being taken lightly. Brandon manages to flip out of a belly to back suplex though and it’s time for Brent to clean house. Not that it matters as the Kingdom cleans house, setting up Just The Tip into Rockstar Supernova to finish Brent at 8:50.

Rating: C+. The Kingdom is still good in the ring, but you can really feel the lack of Maria here. She makes the team that much more interesting and it hurt a lot to have her gone. Hopefully she is back soon, as I could go for the Kingdom getting a title shot, perhaps even at the pay per view.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: The Embassy vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal/Darius Martin

The Embassy is defending. Kaun takes Daniels into the corner to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts. Daniels manages to knock him into the corner for a Downward Spiral and Sydal comes in. Martin hits a dropkick but gets dropped with a chop so Toa can come in. That doesn’t last long so Cage comes in for the curling all away slam to Daniels. A corner splash crushes Daniels and Cage suplexes him for two.

Daniels slips away and brings in Martin to clean house, including a bulldog to send Toa throat first into the middle rope (that’s a new one). Martin kicks Cage in the chest and hands it back to Sydal for the top rope Meteora. An F5 gives Cage two but Sydal counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana for two. Everything breaks down and Sydal has to be saved from Open The Gates. Sydal small packages Cage for two but gets caught with the Drill Claw for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. And so we continue to see how little these titles matter, as a group of challengers are literally thrown together and get their title shot on the same night. Other than giving Cage something to do, why are these titles here? Yes I know that they were around because New Japan had some years ago and Ring Of Honor copied them, but look around. There is no division and it isn’t like they make anyone look more important. Granted that has been the case for years and nothing has changed, but egads it’s getting worse every time they’re out there.

Overall Rating: C+. Now this is more like it. This show went just shy of 80 minutes, didn’t overstay its welcome, and never felt like it was dragging. I’ve said from the beginning that there is a nice hour to hour and a half show in there somewhere and that is what we were seeing here. This was WAY easier to watch and they even had something on the line in some of the matches. Now granted I’m scared of the huge card dump that we’re going to get because Death Before Dishonor is in eight days and has two matches, but that’s a Tony Khan production for you. This was a much better way of doing things and please keep it up.

Results
Big Bill b. Serpentico – Chokeslam
Athena b. Ava Lawless – Crossface
The Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Levi Night/Michael Allen Richard Clark/Evan Rivers
Leyla Hirsch b. Bambi Hall – Cross armbreaker
Dalton Castle b. Tony Nese – Bang A Rang
Shane Taylor b. Shawn Dean – Forearm
The Kingdom b. The Boys – Rockstar Supernova to Brent
The Embassy b. Darius Martin/Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Drill Claw to Sydal

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: July 6, 2023
Location: First Ontario Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have three shows to go before Death Before Dishonor and a grand total of nothing has been announced for the show. Coming out of last week, Claudio Castagnoli has no one set up as a challenger to the World Title and that means something needs to change. Some stuff needs to be announced for the show this week but there is no guarantee that it will get done. Let’s get to it.

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

Gringo Loco vs. Komander

Komander has Alex Abrahantes with him. Loco takes him down to start and fires off some jumping jacks but Komander is back with a rather spinny armdrag. Back up and Loco flips away a few times before sending Komander hard into the corner. A running kick to the head gives Loco two but Komander runs up the corner into another flipping armdrag.

Loco scores with a backbreaker and chokes in the corner a bit but a headscissors gives Komander a breather. Another armdrag sends Loco outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and they both go up top, with Loco jumping from one rope to another into a super Spanish Fly (that was awesome).

Komander is right back with a cutter but they head back outside with Loco powerbombing him against the barricade. Back in again and a top rope cutter gives Loco two but Komander runs the corner for a super hurricanrana. A double springboard dive wipes out Loco on the floor and a double springboard 450 finishes for Komander at 10:42.

Rating: B. This wasn’t about psychology or storytelling but rather doing their big flips and dives all over the place. As a result, it was one of the more entertaining things I’ve seen from either of them in a long time. It might be the best I’ve seen Komander look, as he didn’t waste time with a bunch of nonsense and just did his thing with the flying all over. Good stuff here and a rather entertaining match.

Lee Moriarty and Big Bill want the Tag Team Titles and are going to wreck the Boys tonight. It’s not exactly an exciting match but they would be fine enough for one off opponents for the Lucha Bros. Granted it would be nice to see the titles defended at all as the Bros won them three months ago and have defended them twice (both times in AEW).

Daniel Garcia vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels works on a hammerlock to start but Garcia takes him down and gets in the dancing. Then Daniels walks over him and does the Curry Man dance for a bonus. Back up and Garcia knocks him out to the floor as we hear about Daniels getting his eye worked on and his vision improving.

Garcia gets an STF but Daniels grabs the rope, as well as a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. They slug it out until an STO puts Garcia down and there’s Angel’s Wings, but Garcia rolls outside. Back in and Garcia kicks the rope into the eye, setting up a gutbuster to finish Daniels at 7:34.

Rating: C+. This is where people like Garcia and Daniels can shine: by going out there and having a completely watchable match without going much higher. Daniels is mainly going to be around to put people over and Garcia’s push towards the top didn’t exactly go so well. Let them stay here where they belong and they’re much easier to watch, as was certainly the case here.

Willie Mack is ready to win a six way scramble and the $25,000 prize. He could go to Jamaica and get some real jerk chicken!

Gates Of Agony vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin

Kaun drives Andretti into the corner to start but gets caught with a quick dropkick. Andretti and Martin clear the ring with some more dropkicks but a Prince Nana distraction cuts that off. The Gates send Andretti and Martin into various hard objects to take over and it’s Andretti getting beaten up inside.

Andretti gets over for the tag to Martin though and house is cleaned as everything breaks down. Toa catches Andretti in the air on the floor so Martin hits a dive to take them both down again. A standing Spanish Fly hits Kaun but Nana offers another distraction. Andretti makes the mistake of chopping both Gates and it’s Opening The Gates to finish him off at 6:35.

Rating: B-. As usual, power vs. speed is a difficult concept to screw up and they made it work well here. Andretti and Martin are still in that weird place of being a makeshift team though and that is only going to get them so far. The Gates actually won something over a more worthwhile team too and that is a nice change of pace for them. Keep doing that and they might actually start to matter.

Righteous/Stu Grayson vs. Rip Impact/Zak Patterson/Macrae Martin

The beating starts fast and it’s Grayson planting Impact with a release Rock Bottom. The triple flipping faceplant finishes Impact at 1:03.

The Boys vs. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill

Moriarty wrestles Brandon down to start but Brett comes in to pick up the pace. Bill comes in so Brent gets on Brandon’s shoulders (Muppet references are made on commentary), which is quickly broken up by a big boot. The Boys try to pick up the pace and manage to send the villains outside for some suicide dives. Bill chokeslams Brent onto the apron though and it’s Moriarty hitting a running forearm to finish Brandon at 4:45.

Rating: C. The Muppet Man bit was funny but other than that this was the Boys trying to slug away at the monster and coming up short. Moriarty and Bill seem like they are being primed for a Tag Team Title shot and having them pick up wins like this will bolster their case. Not a bad match and it might have served a purpose so well done.

Athena vs. Seleziya Sparx

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Sparx wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Apparently Sparx was in Ring Of Honor nine years ago. I’m not sure why that matters but commentary felt the need to bring it up. Athena kicks her in the face but Sparx muscles her up for a slam. A t-bone suplex drops Sparx though and a hard forearm finishes her off at 2:07. Sparx was starting to show something here when she got knocked silly in a hurry.

Post match the beatdown is on again, as no one stops Athena.

JD Drake vs. Tony Nese

They’re kidding right? Anthony Henry and Mark Sterling are here too. Hold on though, as before the match, Nese says that Drake is a bit big so instead of the match, we’re going to do group training! Drake doesn’t approve, because he doesn’t like Canadian food in the first place. He’ll beat Nese up anyway, but here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He and Tony Khan agree: no one cares about these two and we’re making this a three way.

JD Drake vs. Tony Nese vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is sent to the apron but comes back with a bunch of chops to take over. Drake and Nese are sent outside for the big flip dive (thanks chair) as it’s all Briscoe to start. Back in and Drake blasts Briscoe with a clothesline to take over and the stomping ensues in the corner. Briscoe is tied in the Tree of Woe and the villains take turns stomping away.

We pause for some jumping jacks though, allowing Briscoe to fight back. Drake slams Briscoe for two though, with Nese not being happy as he breaks it up. Nese breaks up the Froggy Bow to Drake and takes Drake out of the corner. Now the Froggy Boy can hit Drake, followed by the Jay Driller to give Briscoe the pin on Nese at 5:56.

Rating: C+. It was a quick match and I’m really not sure why this needed to be a three way. Granted it was more interesting than having Briscoe beat up someone like Nese or Drake on their own, but Briscoe needs to get to the TV Title already, as he isn’t getting anywhere with something like this. Decent match, but Briscoe didn’t get much out of it.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the Strong Openweight Title.

Kingston says he won’t be at Death Before Dishonor, so he wants Mark Briscoe to go beat Claudio Castagnoli for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

Briscoe says the match is on and Tony Khan has approved it. Claudio Castagnoli comes in to say Briscoe hasn’t manned up yet but he wants Briscoe to do it at Death Before Dishonor. Deal. So we’re dropping the TV Title stuff and having Briscoe jump into the main event scene out of nowhere? Ok then.

Diamante vs. Vanessa Kraven

Kraven is rather tall so Diamante goes after the legs. That earns her a fast knock out to the floor but Diamante sends her into the post. Back in and a dropkick sends Kraven into the corner for a running dropkick and two. A wheelbarrow Stunner into a Code Red gives Diamante the pin at 2:26.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods vs. Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack vs. Dalton Castle vs. Trent Seven

The winner gets $25,000 and it’s one fall to a finish. Woods catches Trent’s crossbody as the other four fight on the floor. Mack comes in to kick seven in the face and then sends Castle outside in a crash. We settle down to Taylor and Mack slugging it out but Cage takes Mack’s place.

Castle and Woods fight over a hiptoss until it’s off to the parade of shots to the face from everyone involved. Woods Doctor Bombs Castle but gets taken out by Mack, who gets taken out by Cage. Castle gets shoved off the top and onto the pile at ringside before Cage apron superplexes Seven onto everyone else. Back in and Mack frog splashes Cage for two before hitting a parade of Stunners. Cage is back up though and rolls Mack up (with trunks) for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Matches like these are always hard to rate as there is very little in the way of structure. Instead it’s just a big series of spots and moves, which does make for an exciting match. Having some kind of a prize on the line is a great touch too, as it automatically gives the match some stakes. Fun stuff here and I could go for something like this every once in awhile.

Infantry/Trish Adora vs. Kingdom/Maria Kanellis-Bennett

Hold on though as Maria says that she isn’t medically cleared to wrestle so she has a replacement: Leyla Hirsch, making her return after a year plus away with a torn ACL. Bennett and Bravo chop it out to start until Bravo hits a dropkick so he can get in a salute. It’s off to Dean to headlock Taven and a quick legdrop gets two. The women come in and the fans are happy to see Hirsch back.

Hirsch works on the arm and sends Adora shoulder first into the buckle. Adora manages a quick Lariat Tubman for a breather and brings Bravo back in to clean house. Dean comes in with a running elbow in the corner as everything breaks down. Taven breaks up Bravo’s dive, setting up the Flight Of The Conqueror. Back in and Maria offers a distraction, allowing Hirsch to cross armbreaker Adora for the win at 7:32.

Rating: C. This was about Hirsch’s return and that’s a cool thing to see. She has been gone for so long after just starting to get the hang of things before she got hurt and now she might be able to make it work. In addition, I have no idea why the Kingdom is stuck down here when they would make perfect challengers for FTR, that’s how Ring Of Honor works in a lot of ways.

Leyla says she’s here in Ring Of Honor to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show felt rather different and that is a good thing. In addition to being on the shorter side at just over an hour and a half, they mixed it up a bit with the three way, the match for the money and more promos. It felt like they were actually trying to develop some people and stories more and that helped a lot. The show was much easier to watch than most weeks and that is a very nice change of pace. Now just add a lot more to the Death Before Dishonor card and we’re good to go.

Results
Komander b. Gringo Loco – Double springboard 450
Daniel Garcia b. Christopher Daniels – Gutbuster
Gates Of Agony b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Opening The Gates to Andretti
Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Rip Impact/Zak Patterson/Macrae Martin – Triple flipping faceplant to Impact
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. The Boys – Running forearm to Brandon
Athena b. Seleziya Sparx – Forearm
Mark Briscoe b. JD Drake and Tony Nese – Jay Driller to Nese
Diamante b. Vanessa Kraven – Code Red
Brian Cage b. Shane Taylor, Josh Woods, Willie Mack, Dalton Castle and Trent Seven – Rollup with trunks to Mack
Leyla Hirsch/Kingdom b. Infantry/Trish Adora – Cross armbreaker to Adora

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 29, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Forbidden Door but like so many other things AEW does, we’ll be seeing some of the same people here this week. There are likely going to be several New Japan stars on this show and that means we could be in for a high quality week. Not so high quality that Jerry Lynn could actually say something important, but still good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Khan and Stokely Hathaway are here to talk about how there are a bunch of New Japan stars here. We hear about some of the stars, with Tony saying he’ll be at the Gorilla position and Hathaway can find him if needed. Another thing AEW does better than ROH: not having Tony Khan on the show so often. It feels like he’s using this show for practice to be on AEW TV more and no. Please goodness no.

Dralistico/Preston Vance vs. Mark Wheeler/Vikram Prashar

Dralistico knocks Wheeler down to start and strikes away to take over fast. Vance comes in with his spinebuster for two and demands the now legal Prashar to hit him. It’s back to Dralistico for a knee to the face and Vance adds the lariat for the double pin at 2:25. Well that was efficient.

Dark Order vs. The Righteous

Evil Uno is here with the Order while Stu Grayson is here with the Righteous. The Order jumps them to start fast and clears the ring, allowing Grayson to hand Uno a chair. That’s enough for an ejection, with the distraction letting Dutch run Silver over for two. Silver gets caught in the wrong corner and the beating is on until Dutch charges into a boot.

The big tag brings in Reynolds to clean house, including a hard running knee to Vincent in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Righteous is sent into various things on the floor. Back in and Silver brainbusters Vincent but Dutch makes the save. Vincent grabs a small package to finish Reynolds at 5:32.

Rating: C+. The Order did look more aggressive here and that helps, but at the end of the day, it’s another loss in a rather long string of them. The Righteous might not be great, but they’re more interesting than the Order. I could go for more of the Righteous’ mind games, though it’s almost time to move them over to some new opponents.

Post match the beatdown is on until Uno runs back out for the save. Grayson gets in the way of the chair shot though and we get the big staredown, with Grayson leaving before anything gets violent.

Leila Grey vs. Diamante

Mark Sterling is here with Grey. A headlock has Diamante in some early trouble but she slips out and works on the arm instead. Grey bails to the floor and gets sent into the steps for her efforts. Sterling offers a distraction though and Grey gets in a cheap shot to take over. The double arm crank with a knee in Diamante’s back doesn’t last long so we’ll go with a normal chinlock instead. Diamante jawbreaks her way to freedom but it’s too early for a running knee in the corner. A running corner dropkick connects instead but Sterling puts the foot on the rope. Not that it matters as Diamante hits Cross Rhodes for the pin at 6:03.

Rating: C. This was more about Diamante overcoming Sterling’s interference, as it isn’t like beating Grey is overly impressive. I still think there is something to be done with Diamante as she has a unique look and the charisma to make it work. Give her a chance already, as this feud isn’t getting her anywhere.

Claudio Castagnoli says no one wants the World Title because they’re scared of him. Cue Chuck Taylor to say he’ll challenge if Castagnoli is interested. Taylor leaves and Castagnoli says it can be a Proving Ground match, but they’ll scrap the time limit so the beating can be on.

Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Kommander b. Gringo Loco/Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen

Wouldn’t be Ring Of Honor without the Workhorsemen getting in their required appearance. Penta and Loco start things off and the fans are a bit split here. There’s no major contact for a minute and a half so everything breaks down with a series of strikes and flips to the floor. The spike Fear Factor is loaded up for Loco but he slips out and kicks Fenix down. Taylor’s splash gets two so it’s Kommander coming in to get crushed in the corner as well.

A springboard moonsault gives Loco two but Kommander kicks his way over to bring in Vikingo. Everything breaks down and the Bros snap off kicks. Drake breaks up the Fear Factor and it’s off to Fenix vs. Henry in a chop off. Taylor comes in and gets to wreck some people until Kommander and Vikingo do their big dives to the floor. The spike Fear Factor finishes Henry at 8:55.

Rating: B-. It was exactly the fun match that you would expect and they got a bit of time to make it work. This is where the Lucha Bros get to shine, though I’m not sure who is supposed to be their next challengers. Other than that, Vikingo and Kommander flipped, Loco did well when he could, Taylor is a monster and the Workhorsemen are here a lot.

Samoa Joe is ready to defeat Roderick Strong in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Stokely Hathaway comes in to say he runs things around here but Joe says he runs Hathaway, which has panic ensuing.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Karou/Tariq

Karou slugs at Bill to start and can’t get very far, even with the heavy shots. The swinging Boss Man Slam drops Karou and it’s off to Moriarty to take over on Tariq. A hurricanrana sends Moriarty into the corner but he slips away and brings in Bill for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Border City Stretch makes Tariq tap at 3:22.

Rating: C. Tariq and Karou didn’t exactly look great in there and Bill/Moriarty still don’t feel like anything important. Some of that might have to do with the fact that one of their names is “Big Bill” but it also might be that they aren’t exactly interesting. They could be fine enough as a one off challenger for the Tag Team Titles, though that could still be a ways off.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: The Embassy vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

The Embassy is defending and has Prince Nana with them. Bushi bounces off of Cage to start so Takagi comes in to strike away. With that not working, Takahashi comes in and sends Cage into the corner for a triple team. The Gates make a save and Cage hits the apron superplex on Takahashi. Toa grabs a neck crank but Takahashi DDTs his way to freedom. Takagi comes in to clean house but gets cut off by Kaun’s Backstabber.

Kaun gets dropped as well though and it’s Bushi coming in off a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down and Kaun blasts Bushi with a clothesline. Cage World’s Strongest Slams Takagi and powerbombs Takahashi at the same time (because that’s something someone can do) but Bushi mists him. Back in and Opening The Gates finishes Bushi at 7:42.

Rating: B-. They packed a ton into this match and it’s nice to see a match where the Embassy breaks a sweat. The six man division more or less doesn’t exist but Ring Of Honor insists on having one anyway, which makes things quite annoying. The Embassy still is only so interesting, but as shown here, they can rise up against better opponents.

The United Empire want better opponents around here.

El Desperado vs. Willie Mack

Feeling out process to start until Mack hits a heck of a dropkick to take over. Desperado can’t strike his way out of the corner and gets knocked down much harder. The fall away slam into the nip up into the standing moonsault gives Mack two but Desperado starts in on the leg to take him out.

A leglock, with what looks like a Tranquilo pose thrown in, has Mack in more trouble but Mack makes the rope. Mack knocks him silly with a right hand but he has to kick Desperado away again. The double underhook faceplant is broken up but the second attempt finishes Mack at 9:05.

Rating: B-. More good stuff here, even as Mack’s losing streak continues. The guy can’t catch a break around here but it still works well as he is able to put on a nice match against anyone. At some point he needs to win, but that wasn’t going to come at the expense of one of the New Japan guest stars. Granted commentary hyping up Desperado’s upcoming match with Jon Moxley didn’t help either.

Roppongi Vice vs. Sho/Yujiro Takahashi

Vice get jumped at the bell but come back with stereo dropkicks to send them into the corner. A kick to the chest and standing moonsault get two on Takahashi as we hear about all of Romero’s partners and students (including Sho but save for Trent) turning on him. Sho gets in a cheap shot on Trent on the floor though and a backdrop gets…well nothing back inside actually.

Some kicks rock Trent but he gets a boot up on Takahashi so the hot tag can bring Romero back in. The Forever Lariats crush Sho and Takahashi but Strong Zero is broken up. Takahashi brings in the cane but gets it taken away, only to have Sho hit a backstabber for two on Trent. Everything breaks down and Vice hits a double jumping knee on Sho. Strong Zero finishes Takahashi at 8:53.

Rating: B-. Another fast paced match here between teams that know how to do that style. Vice getting the win is nice to see as they might actually be around here for a little while. Takahashi and Sho are a good team but they’re going to be back in Japan sooner than later. Let the regular AEW/ROH team get the win instead, which is exactly what they did here.

Post match Sho is back up for the beatdown but Orange Cassidy makes the save.

United Empire vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Christopher Daniels

Andretti and TJP start things off and go to the mat with TJP headstanding his way out of a headscissors. A cartwheel gets TJP out of a hurricanrana but Andretti hits a dropkick (harder to block you see). Daniels comes in to take over on Fletcher but it’s Cobb coming in to muscle Daniels up.

Cobb and Fletcher do the passing suplex for two on Daniels, who manages to get over to Andretti anyway. TJP is right there to plant him with a Falcon Arrow and the Mamba Splash gets two. The Empire clears the ring as everything breaks down. Back in and Daniels sends TJP into a kind of double slam from Andretti and Martin for the pin at 8:15 (TJP kicked out at about 3.1 and things seemed a bit confused).

Rating: C+. I didn’t see that ending coming and based on how things looked, I’m not sure how many others did either. The match was what you would expect, but they did something new with having the normal powers lose. I can’t imagine Andretti and company win the titles out of this, but they are likely set up for a title shot if/when no one better comes along.

Jerry Lynn actually gets to talk! This time it’s to the Kingdom, who have been sucking up to him about what a legend he is. Mike Bennett brings up retiring Lynn and as a result, it’s the Kingdom vs. the Infantry/Trish Adora. Maria isn’t happy.

Athena vs. KC Spinelli

Non-title Proving Ground match, so if Spinelli can win or survive the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Spinelli runs her over with a shoulder to start but Athena does the same and stops to dance. A backslide gives Spinelli two so Athena hammers her down. Athena hits a right hand for the pin at 2:41.

Post match Athena crushes her against the steps.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chuck Taylor

Another non-title Proving Ground match but with no time limit. Taylor wastes no time in hammering away in the corner and Soul Food sends Castagnoli outside. Castagnoli knocks him over the barricade and sends Taylor face first into various things. Cue Roppongi Vice to check on him and the revived Taylor grabs the Koji Clutch back inside. Castagnoli breaks that up so a piledriver gives Taylor two and the Neutralizer is countered into a rollup for the same. Back up and Castagnoli hits the Riccola Bomb for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C+. They were trying here but Taylor is the weakest link in a lower level group so this wasn’t the biggest challenge. That’s the problem for Castagnoli: despite having an insane amount of opponents to pick from, he hasn’t felt like he has been in any real jeopardy in a long, long time outside of Eddie Kingston. That is going to have to change, but right now there is no one on the horizon, as even Kingston has only been wanting to fight him and not go after the title.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was having some fresh blood around, but I did like this show a bit better than recent efforts. It’s also a hair shorter at just under two hours, which does take away some of that “how much longer is this thing” feeling. The one issue I’d have is the same thing that happens with a lot of Tony Khan produced wrestling: there are three episodes of this show left before Death Before Dishonor and a grand total of nothing has been announced.

There are a few matches ready, likely including Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli (taking place pretty much solely on AEW), but it would be nice to not have most of the card dumped on us with a week or two to go. I’m not sure why this is such a common thing around here/in AEW but you can almost guarantee that is how things are going. For now though, nice show with the New Japan stars adding in some nice flavor.

Results
Dralistico/Preston Vance b. Mark Wheeler/Vikram Prashar – Double pin
Righteous b. Dark Order – Small package to Reynolds
Diamante b. Leila Grey – Cross Rhodes
Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Kommander b. Gringo Loco/Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen – Spike Fear Factor to Henry
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Tariq/Karou – Border City Stretch to Tariq
The Embassy b. Los Ingobernables de Japon – Opening The Gates to Bushi
El Desperado b. Willie Mack – Double underhook faceplant
Roppongi Vice b. Sho/Yujiro Takahashi – Strong Zero to Takahashi
Action Andretti/Christopher Daniels/Darius Martin b. United Empire – Double slam to TJP
Athena b. KC Spinelli – Right hand
Claudio Castagnoli b. Chuck Taylor – Riccola Bomb

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 8, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to Ring Of Honor and that could mean more than a few things. The show has settled more into a pattern (save for that one nearly three hour outlier) and you can all but guarantee a few matches every week. At the same time, there are a few wildcards that pop up every now and then, and thankfully last week felt like some stories moved forward. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christopher Daniels vs. Kyle Fletcher

Daniels works on the arm to start and then starts kicking away at the leg. Fletcher cuts off a charge with a slam but Daniels is right back with a running neckbreaker. We hit the neck crank the arm trapped as Daniels is staying on the neck for the most part. Fletcher can’t get a suplex but can send him into the corner for a running forearm.

A belly to back suplex gives Fletcher two, only to have Daniels get a boot up in the corner. The middle rope cutter sets up a Koji Clutch to keep Fletcher in trouble, sending him over to the ropes. There’s the double clothesline to put them both down and it’s Daniels back up with some suplexes. Angel’s Wings is blocked and Fletcher comes back with the spinning Tombstone for the pin at 11:23.

Rating: B. I’m not sure why Fletcher needs to be around so often but he’s looking good in the ring. Putting him in the ring with someone like Daniels is a good idea, as Daniels can still hang in there with just about anyone. They had a good match here as Fletcher’s kind of odd singles push continues.

Matt Sydal vs. Zack Clayton

Cole Karter is here with Clayton. Sydal strikes away and snaps off a hurricanrana, followed by a superkick for two. A standing twisting moonsault gets two on Clayton, who takes Sydal down and hammers away. Sydal scores with another knockdown and the top rope Meteora finishes Clayton at 3:07.

Rating: C. They kept this one moving and Sydal more or less squashed him, as he should with the Television Title in his sights. I have no reason to believe that Sydal is going to beat Samoa Joe as no one has in over a year, but at least they’re making it into a story. Sydal is a talented star and he got to look good here, even over a lower level opponent like Clayton.

Post match Sydal says he wants Samoa Joe and the TV Title.

Dralistico vs. Willie Mack

Dralistico won’t shake hands to start but he will knock Mack to the floor for the big running flip dive. Back in and Dralistico hits a running basement dropkick, followed by a low superkick in the corner. Mack gets up and hits a running Shining Wizard to send Dralistico outside this time, setting up the big running flip dive.

Dralistico kicks him down again back inside, setting up the standing exchange of chops. They trade shots for a double knockdown until Mack is back with the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two. Mack’s frog splash hits raised knees though and Dralistico knees him down. Mack gets up again but it’s a Jose the Assistant distraction, allowing Dralistico to get in a low blow. The Incinerator knee finishes for Dralistico at 7:42.

Rating: B-. They were rocking until the ending here with the low blow hurting things a bit. Mack continues to lose most of the time, which doesn’t have me expecting him to do much outside of Ring Of Honor. Dralistico getting a win is nice, but it’s still hard to imagine him as being anything more than Rush’s partner.

Here is Tony Khan to announce that Matt Sydal will face Samoa Joe for the TV Title next week. As for this week, we will now have a Board Of Directors (who he makes clear will answer to him): Stokely Hathaway and Jerry Lynn. They’re all going to have a good time! They’re not actually doing anything here, but it’ll be fun when they actually do!

NJPW Strong Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Rachael Ellering

Nightingale is defending and wastes no time in rolling some suplexes. Ellering comes back with a running forearm as commentary talks about how they would love to have Chris Hero around here. An enziguri gets Nightingale out of trouble and she hits a string of clotheslines. The Pounce sets up the Cannonball for two, with Ellering reversing the cover into a crucifix for the same. Nightingale has had it with her and hits a spinebuster into a camel clutch to retain at 6:46.

Rating: C. Nightingale continues to mix things up and adding in another good power move makes sense. You don’t see many women like her and not only is she incredibly charismatic, but she can have quality matches to back it up. Ellering is someone who can work well with anyone and I could go for having her around more often.

Embassy vs. Cheeseburger/Marcus Kross/Eli Isom

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Cheeseburger and company win or survive the ten minute time limit, they get a title shot. Isom avoids a charging Cage to start and slips out of a Drill Claw as well. A superkick drops Isom though and it’s Toa coming in for some shoulders in the corner. Another missed charge allows the tag to Cheeseburger, who is tossed from Toa to Kaun. Cheeseburger manages to bring in Kross as everything breaks down. The Embassy gets to run everyone over and a toss powerbomb finishes Kross at 5:01.

Rating: C-. You know how the Embassy has run a bunch of trios over and rarely felt like they were in any trouble? This was the most recent of those matches. The Embassy has no serious challengers and they’re just being fed various three man combinations to keep them on the show. Not much to see here, as usual.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Vertvixen

Vixen hits a dropkick to start but walks into a big boot. Martinez grabs a seated abdominal stretch, followed by a Saito suplex. Vixen is back with a rolling Stunner into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Back up and Martinez grabs a swinging suplex out of the corner for two more, followed by a forearm to the back of the head. The Brass City Sleeper finishes Vixen at 4:18.

Rating: C. It’s nice to have Martinez back and she ran over Vertvixen here. It was just a step above a squash as Vixen barely got anything in, but at least they finished it quickly instead of dragging it out. I could see Martinez getting back into the title hunt, as it isn’t like there are many serious challengers around at the moment.

Griff Garrison vs. Lee Moriarty

This is Garrison’s first match since October. Moriarty gets sent into the corner to start and Garrison boots him in the face for a bonus. That earns him an arm snap across the top and Moriarty starts stomping away. The arm is sent into the corner as commentary starts talking about the Jericho Appreciation Society. Garrison hits a clothesline out of the corner and a discus forearm gets two. Moriarty rakes him in the eyes though and grabs a rollup for the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C. So remember when Garrison was a decent looking guy in a low level tag team? Well here he was a decent looking guy in a low level singles match. It’s cool to have him back and I’m glad he’s healthy, but this wasn’t some big, epic comeback. It wasn’t a squash, but it’s a bit difficult to get excited about Moriarty, who has been a jobber to the stars for weeks in AEW, getting a win here.

Robyn Renegade vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan takes her down to start and hits a springboard legdrop for two. Renegade avoids a charge though and chokes in the corner, followed by the forearms on the mat. We hit the armbar for a bit before they trade chops in the corner. Hogan stomps her down in another corner but here is Charlotte Renegade for the failed Twin Magic. Not that it matters as Hogan hits a superkick for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C. The parade of “eh, that was fine” matches continues as Hogan has to be built up again for a likely rematch with Athena. I still think there is something with the Renegades, but they’re cannon fodder for Hogan here and that is not exactly the best place to be. Let them try something, because they’re being wasted in spots like this one.

Post match Athena comes in to kendo stick Hogan, who takes it away and unloads on Athena instead.

Dark Order vs. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen

They start the brawl during the Code Of Honor and it’s Silver kicking away at the much bigger Taylor to get things going. Reynolds comes in to slug away but Henry trips him down on the floor. It’s off to Henry to pound on Reynolds before Drake adds a belly to belly. A Cannonball connects in the corner and Henry comes back in for a chinlock.

Reynolds fights up and gets over to Uno for the tag to pick up the pace. We get the long awaited Taylor vs. Uno showdown as everything breaks down. Drake gets caught in the series of strikes from Reynolds and Silver, setting up the Stunner into the German suplex to finish Drake at 7:21.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure I get what is impressive about the Dark Order but they are around on a pretty regular basis. Beating Taylor and the Workhorsemen at least gives them a boost, but there’s just not much interesting about either group. The stuff with Stu Grayson was at least a story, but other than that, I’m not sure why they’re around so often. Allegedly they get big reactions from the fans, though that didn’t seem to be the case here.

The Righteous and Stu Grayson aren’t impressed by the Dark Order, but want them to be more aggressive. Tune in next week.

Darius Martin/Action Andretti/AR Fox vs. Trustbusters

Fox and Slim J start things off, which Riccaboni calls a “dream match for me”. Riccaboni needs to work on his dream matches. They trade flips to start until Fox gets two off a spinning suplex. Kay comes in and gets caught in the corner for some rapid fire running shots to the chest. Andretti’s shotgun dropkick sets up a missed split legged moonsault and it’s Kiss coming in to hammer away.

Kiss’ gorilla press into a standing moonsault gets two on Andretti and a splits splash is good for the same. Andretti fights up and brings in Martin for a pumphandle facebuster to Kay but an assisted Sliced Bread takes him down. Fox is back with a series of cutters and it’s back to Andretti. Something like a double swinging powerbomb finishes Kay at 6:02.

Rating: C+. They kept the pace up here and Kiss’ gorilla press was rather impressive. Andretti is much better suited in a role like this than as a singles star and he did his thing rather well in this one. The Trustbusters are still about as uninteresting as you can get, but at least they’re being relegated to jobbing status most of the time.

The Kingdom vs. El Cobarde/El Dragon

Maria is here with the Kingdom. Taven knees Cobarde in the ribs but gets dropkicked for his efforts. It’s off to Dragon for a bunch of flips as Bennett comes in to say “hit me like a man.” Not a dragon mind you, but a man. One of those shows busts Bennett open so he knocks Cobarde off the apron to blow off some steam. Everything breaks down fast and the Kingdom gets taken down by running flip dives. Purple Thunder gets two on Dragon but Aurora Borealis misses. Everything breaks down again though and it’s Just The Tip into the Proton Pack to finish Cobarde at 5:28.

Rating: C+. Cobarde and Dragon looked good int heir debuts here and that’s a nice thing to see as there is always room for a high flying lucha team. As usual with their almost weekly win, the Kingdom should be in the title hunt but instead they’re just kind of here, winning a match and staying on their treadmill. I’m still not sure why they’re not given a bigger spot, but I’m sure another midcard AEW team can get the title shot instead.

Here are Tony Khan, Jerry Lynn and Stokely Hathaway, with Khan again announcing that “this is great”. Hathaway apparently wants mass layoffs but also wants Action Andretti vs. the entire Embassy. Khan instead says Andretti/Fox/Martin vs. the Embassy for the Six Man Tag Team Titles. OF COURSE that’s what Hathaway wanted. Khan talks about how great a star Bandido is….but he’s not here tonight! Instead, here’s his brother! Jerry Lynn didn’t say a word during his appearance.

Rey Fenix vs. Gravity

They grapple into a rollup exchange for two each until Gravity runs in slow motion (because gravity you see). Fenix reverses a sunset flip into an ankle lock and Gravity certainly appears to tap but it doesn’t matter. Gravity reverses a suplex into a small package for two before sending Fenix outside for a springboard dive.

Back in and a standing moonsault gives Gravity two, followed by a torture rack Samoan driver for two. Fenix spins him into a faceplant for two of his own but Gravity muscles him up into a powerbomb for the same. Gravity misses a top rope splash and gets kicked down for another near fall. One heck of a crucifix bomb gives Gravity two more but Fenix is back with a cutter. The Black Fire Driver finishes Gravity at 10:40.

Rating: B. Take two guys, let them fly around for about ten minutes and blow the fans’ minds with some insane stuff. Fenix specializes in just such a style and he was on fire here. Gravity had some good stuff as well, but it doesn’t help to have your introduction be “well this star isn’t here but here is his brother instead!”. I will take the “Rey Fenix is better than gravity” joke though.

Overall Rating: C. The opener and main event helped but I was rather bored by a good chunk of the middle. It isn’t that the matches were bad (they were mostly good to acceptable on the bad end) but it was the same thing you see almost every week around here: a bunch of people with nothing going on, winning a match with the vague possibility of moving up the ladder for a possible title shot down the line. Almost nothing in the middle of this show stood out and it was almost mind numbing to watch the same middle of the road stuff throughout.

They desperately need to trim this down, though I’d be stunned if they actually did. As long as these shows are taped at Universal, there is nothing that is going to make them slow down, as they can more or less tape as much as they want and then air it all at once. For the life of me I have no idea how this is supposed to be the best thing they can put out there, but it’s not exactly thrilling, or even interesting, most of the time.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Christopher Daniels – Spinning Tombstone
Matt Sydal b. Zack Clayton – Top rope Meteora
Dralistico b. Willie Mack – Incinerator
Willow Nightingale b. Rachael Ellering – Camel clutch
The Embassy b. Cheeseburger/Marcus Kross/Eli Isom – Toss powerbomb to Kross
Mercedes Martinez b. Vertvixen – Brass City Sleeper
Lee Moriarty b. Griff Garrison – Rollup
Kiera Hogan b. Robyn Renegade – Superkick
Dark Order b. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen – German suplex to Drake
Action Andretti/Darius Martin/AR Fox b. Trustbusters – Double swinging powerbomb to Kay
The Kingdom b. El Cobarde/El Dragon – Proton Pack to Dragon
Rey Fenix b. Gravity – Black Fire Driver

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 25, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

It’s Double Or Nothing week but Ring Of Honor still doesn’t have a major show of its own to build towards. I would assume that we might be seeing something like that being announced in the next few weeks, but for now we’ll have to settle for this show producing acts like Metalik/AR Fox/Blake Christian to be fed to the House Of Black on Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

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

By the way: this show sets new records at 2:56:30 and 19 matches.

JD Drake vs. Mark Briscoe

Anthony Henry is here with Drake. Briscoe sticks his chest out for the chop so Drake does the same, meaning the chops abound. A boot to the chest rocks Drake and Briscoe sends him outside. That means a dive to take out Henry and Drake at the same time but Drake is back in with more chops. A spinebuster gives Drake two more and a Boss Man Slam is good for the same.

Briscoe knocks him off the top though and a missile dropkick puts Drake down. Drake is willing to let Briscoe chop him, but Briscoe grabs a swinging Rock Bottom for two instead. Henry’s distraction breaks up the Jay Driller and Drake hits his moonsault for two more. For some reason Henry tries his own Jay Driller, which is reversed into a Death valley Driver. The Froggy Bow finishes for Briscoe at 9:24.

Rating: C. Drake continues to move well for a big guy but he was outmatched here against Briscoe. That’s part of the problem with Briscoe at the moment as he doesn’t want to be in a team (fair) but he’s a big enough star that he needs to win something. The TV Title was done at Supercard Of Honor and the World Title is mainly stuck on Proving Ground matches, so instead Briscoe just kind of floats, in this case as a guest referee on the main show.

Respect is shown post match and Briscoe says he wants the TV Title. I could go for a rematch, but Briscoe needs to actually win the thing.

Christopher Daniels wants Matt Sydal to get a TV Title and they’ll start the path tonight.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Serpentico

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Serpentico wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Castagnoli shoves him down to start as commentary talks about what kind of dog these two would be. Serpentico grabs his Castagnoli’s hands for a test of strength but gets sent flying off a suplex. A rollup gives Serpentico two and Castagnoli is sent to the floor for a big flip dive. Castagnoli sends him into the steps and hits about ten straight clotheslines back inside. A big clothesline finishes Serpentico at 3:39.

Rating: C-. Pretty much a squash here as there was no reason to believe that perennial jobber Serpentico was going to be a threat to Castagnoli. We’re currently waiting to see who is next for a title shot and the pickings are fairly slim at the moment. Maybe someone steps up soon, but for now, we might be stuck with little more than this from the champ.

Vertvixen vs. Kiera Hogan

Vertvixen grabs a headlock to start, followed by a running dropkick. Hogan fights up with a kick of her own as Athena comes out to watch. A Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch has Hogan in trouble but she sends Vertvixen face first into the buckle for two. Vertvixen is back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but Hogan grabs a Saito suplex for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. Hogan wasn’t a serious threat to Jade Cargill in AEW and she isn’t going to be a threat to Athena anytime soon. Athena has been great in her role but she needs a much stronger challenger than she has been getting recently. Skye Blue worked as she has at least done something, but Hogan beating Vertvixen in about five minutes isn’t going to make her a viable challenger.

Post match Athena shoves Hogan, who trips over Vertvixen, just to make her look even more like a goof.

Kyle Fletcher vs. AR Fox

Fletcher takes him down to start without much trouble and then circles the standing Fox a few times. Some hard shots put Fox down and Fletcher gets to stomp away but Fox blocks a suplex attempt. Instead it’s a suplex to drop Fletcher for a change, setting up the rolling cutter for two.

Another jumping cutter is countered into a dragon suplex but Fox kicks him in the face. Fletcher gets kicked to the floor for a big flip dive from the top, followed by a 450 for two back inside. They both go up top where Fletcher snaps off a super Falcon Arrow. The spinning Tombstone finishes for Fletcher at 10:12.

Rating: B-. I’m kind of amazed that it only took one drop on the head to finish Fox but my goodness that’s a nice change of pace from the usual amount of kickouts you see from similar moves. Fletcher is getting a nice singles run while Mark Davis is hurt but it’s hard to imagine it lasting when the team is ready to go again. Fox can have an exciting match against anyone and thankfully that one ridiculous match a few weeks ago was an anomaly.

Willow Nightingale vs. Hyan

Nightingale runs her over and poses a bit before grabbing something like a reverse Koji Clutch. Hyan gets in a few shots in the corner but Nightingale hits a running shoulder. The middle rope dropkick sets up a cannonball, followed by the Babe With The Powerbomb to finish Hyan at 4:14.

Rating: C. Nightingale could drop a box of puppies into a woodchipper and find a way to make it charming. You don’t see that kind of delightfulness very often and it is infectious every time she is out there. There is no such thing as too much Nightingale and I could go for her moving up the ladder rather soon.

The Kingdom vs. Willie Mack/Ninja Mack

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with the Kingdom. Willie hiptosses and armdrags Taven to start but Bennett comes in to take over. Taven is right back in with a middle rope dropkick but Willie clotheslines his way to freedom. Ninja comes in and reverses Taven’s suplex attempt to keep the pace up. A superkick rocks Taven but Bennett grabs a suplex to take over.

Taven’s frog splash gives Bennett two, only to have Ninja slip away and make the tag to Willie for the house cleaning. House is quickly cleaned, including the Samoan drop to Taven. The standing moonsault gives Willie two and Ninja hits a double backflip into a moonsault onto both of them at ringside. Back in and something like a 3D hits Taven but Bennett forearms Willie. The Proton Pack finishes Ninja at 7:44.

Rating: C+. Well, there’s your debut of the hot new team, as the Kingdom rightfully beats them. I’m not sure why Mack and Mack needed to lose in their first match together but at least it was a decent one. The Kingdom continues to be a team who could and probably should be higher up on the card, but here they are for the time being.

Dream Girl Ellie vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez runs her over to start and hammers away on the mat. A big boot drops Ellie again and some hard knees to the face make it worse. The surfboard dragon sleeper finishes Ellie at 2:59.

Willie Mack and Ninja Mack aren’t done.

Ashley D’Amboise vs. Danielle Kamela

They fight over wrist control to start until Kamela takes her into the corner for the stomping. D’Amboise gets tied in the ropes for some kicks to the back, followed by the chinlock. That’s broken up and D’Amboise hits a running flipping neckbreaker for two. Kamela is back with a faceplant, only to have D’Amboise hit a reverse AA for two more. A Rock Bottom finishes Kamela at 5:08.

Rating: C. Kamela definitely felt polished and it isn’t surprising that she had a stint in NXT before (as Vanessa Borne). If she can go at this pace and improve beyond that, she could absolutely be something in the future. Other than that, D’Amboise feels like someone with potential, and keeping her around makes sense.

Rocky Romero vs. Titus Alexander

Alexander elbows him in the face and hits a sliding dropkick, setting up a quick dance. Back up and Romero hits some Forever Lariats, only to walk into another dropkick. Romero is right back with a springboard tornado DDT before a missed charge sends Alexander outside. A standing Sliced Bread gets two on Alexander back inside but he grabs a brainbuster for two of his own. Romero has had it with him and puts on a cross armbreaker for the tap at 4:17.

Rating: C+. Alexander was bringing it here and did get to showcase some nice cocky heel stuff. Romero can wrestle a smooth match with anyone and got in some stuff to make both of them look good here. If this was a tryout for Alexander, he might have done well enough to stick around for a bit so nice work.

The Righteous/Stu Grayson vs. Marcus Kross/Vary Morales/LSG

Morales has to spin/roll away from Grayson to start before it’s off to Kross. Grayson throws him into the corner and brings Dutch in to power Kross around a bit more. Vincent’s basement Downward Spiral has him rather pleased but LSG comes in for a springboard forearm. Cue the Dark Order to worry about Grayson as Dutch’s swinging Boss Man Slam cuts Morales in half. Knightfall finishes Kross at 4:09.

Rating: C. Well at least they’re doing something with Grayson and the Righteous after so many weeks of just having them stare at each other. Granted we’re still not sure what is going on, but I’ll take this over the Dark Order running around without really doing anything. The Righteous are a decent team and could be in the title hunt if given the chance, but they get to work with the Dark Order instead.

The Dark Order and the Righteous yell at each other as Grayson is left in the ring.

Zack Sabre Jr. and Samoa Joe are ready for their tag match, with Sabre wanting to show that his TV Title is the one that matters most.

Shane Taylor vs. Tracy Williams

Shane Taylor has the Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry/JD Drake) with him while Williams has Rhett Titus. Taylor powers him around to start and unloads in the corner, only to get armbarred over the top. Back in and a side slam plants Williams but he’s right back with a middle rope DDT. A frog splash gives Williams two but Taylor gives him a release Rock Bottom. The big splash gets two and the package piledriver finishes Williams at 5:12.

Rating: C. Taylor continues to be a wrecking ball who runs through everyone in front of him (save for Mark Briscoe) and that could be used in a bigger spot later. Williams is still someone who can wrestle with anyone, but if he keeps losing over and over, I’m not sure how much good that is going to do. For now though, this was another perfectly fine match.

Athena vs. Promise Braxton

Non-title Proving Ground match. Athena takes her down and hits a shoulder, meaning it’s time to dance. Back up and Braxton snaps off an armdrag but Athena kicks her in the face. Athena’s release front suplex gets two more but Braxton gets in a shot of her own. That’s enough for Athena, who forearms the heck out of her and grabs a cobra sleeper for the win at 5:58.

Rating: C-. Of all the times where Athena has beaten up someone with no chance of beating her in a Proving Ground match, this was the most recent. It’s fun to see, but we’ve seen this so many times now that it is starting to lose its charm. She doesn’t need to be around every week, and having Kiera Hogan as the next victim isn’t going to make things much better.

Post match Athena stays on her but Kiera Hogan makes the save.

Dralistico vs. Tony Deppen

Deppen dropkicks him to the floor to start and hits the big flip dive through the ropes. Dralistico whips Deppen into various things, setting up a springboard Swanton back inside. A kick to the face lets Dralistico pose on the top rope but he misses a charge, allowing Deppen to hit a springboard flipping dive to the floor. Back in and Deppen lets Dralistico chop away until they trade knees to the face. A poisonrana plants Deppen but Dralistico can’t follow up. Dralistico cuts off a springboard and hits a springboard hurricanrana. That and a Fujiwara armbar finish Deppen at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Deppen is one of the better jobbers to the stars around here and he made Dralistico look good here. At the same time, Dralistico hasn’t exactly done anything on his own in ROH or AEW. He has talent, but there isn’t much about him that makes him stand out. Granted not being around Rush so often should help him a bit, and he looked good here.

Nick Comoroto, in his sweet hat, is ready to face Blake Christian, who looks like everyone else.

Miranda Alize vs. Skye Blue

Blue snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and the chase is on, with Alize catching her with a DDT back inside. Alize kicks her in the head in the corner and a double underhook DDT gets two. A kick to the back of the head gives Blue one but Alize pulls her into the Miranda Rights. With that broken up, Alize misses a charge in the corner and gets rolled up for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. This was a match where they didn’t have the time to do much, which is a shame given who was involved. These two could have a good match if they are given the chance but not even making it to four minutes isn’t going to let that work. Alize has done well in her time around ROH and Blue has shown her talents multiple times. Just give them more time.

Athena yells a lot and seems to want to hurt Kiera Hogan.

Cole Karter/Zack Clayton vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin

Andretti flips over Clayton to start and sends him into the corner before hitting a nice dropkick. Martin comes in and gets his head taken off with a clothesline. It’s already back to Andretti, who kicks Karter down. Back up and Karter is able to shove Andretti off the ropes and out to the floor in a crash. They get back in and Andretti kicks his way out of trouble, allowing the tag back to Martin. House is cleaned until Clayton grabs a powerslam, setting up a frog splash to give Karter two. Back in and Andretti/Martin hit a double pendulum slam to finish Karter at 4:48.

Rating: C+. Another decent match here as Andretti and Martin continue to look like a nice young, high flying team. Granted it doesn’t matter much until Dante gets back, though commentary might have had a good idea of Top Flight and Andretti as a trio. Until then though, I can settle for them doing something like this a few more times.

Blake Christian vs. Nick Comoroto

Comoroto throws a toothpick at him to start so Christian kicks him in the head. The chase is on around the ring and it works so well that they do it again. Christian manages to get back inside and hit a big flip dive to drop Comoroto for the first time. Back up and Comoroto posts him hard to take over, only to miss a charge into the buckle. Christian knocks him to the floor for the dive, followed by a top rope double stomp to the back on the apron. Comoroto hits a fireman’s carry slam for two so Christian….throws a chair across the ring. As Comoroto goes to get it, Christian rolls him up for the pin at 6:31.

Rating: C+. I still see potential in Comoroto, just due to how different he looks and how he has the power and charisma (the hair helps too). Christian continues to be good, but I don’t know if there is really anything he does that makes him stand out. The skill is there, but he’s going to need something more than that to move up to the next level.

Diamante vs. Trish Adora

Adora goes straight to a Kimura to start but has to deal with a headscissors attempt. A neckbreaker drops Adora and a baseball slide sends her to the floor. Back in and Diamante hits a basement dropkick in the corner but Adora punches her into the corner. Diamante neckbreakers her again and puts on an armbar for the tap at 4:47.

Rating: C. Diamante has always shown a lot of fire in her appearances and it was good to see it again. Adora is someone I’ve seen do some impressive things on the independent circuit but she didn’t have the chance to showcase it here. Both of these two are worth some time, but they are a long way from being big deals around here.

Alex Coughlin wants Katsuyori Shibata for the Pure Title next week.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Slim J

The Trustbusters are here with Slim J, who breaks up CERO MIEDO to start. Penta superkicks him to the floor but a suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Back in and we hit the chinlock but Penta pops up for the Sling Blades. The Fear Factor is countered into a swinging cutter, only to have Penta kick him down in the corner. That means the Alberto double stomp but Slim J hits a wheelbarrow Downward Spiral for two. Penta has had it with him though and punches Slim J out of the air, setting up the Fear Factor for the pin at 4:43.

Rating: B-. I could have gone for more of this as Penta can still do his thing well when his brother isn’t around. He is someone who feels like a big deal and that isn’t something you can teach. On the other hand you have Slim J, who is kind of hard to take seriously but he can go in the ring if he is given the chance.

Zack Sabre Jr./Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal

Sabre and Sydal start things off with Sabre taking him down by the arms. Sydal spins up and kicks him into the corner, meaning it’s off to Joe vs. Daniels for a flashback. That doesn’t last long as Sabre comes back in and is quickly double teamed down. Joe comes back in to kick Daniels in the corner as commentary wonders about who gets a TV Title shot if Daniels gets the pin.

The armbar goes on to keep Daniels in trouble before Joe cranks on a wristlock. Sabre tags himself in and doesn’t seem happy with Joe, so it’s right back to Joe for a neck crank. The snap powerslam gives Joe two but Daniels fights up and gets away. The tag brings in Sydal to clean house, at least until a neckbreaker cuts him off. Sabre grabs a single underhook suplex but Sydal pulls him into a crossface.

Daniels gets the Koji Clutch on Joe at the same time, leaving Joe’s eyes rolling back in his head. Sabre makes the rope and saves Joe, who is able to break the Angel’s Wings. Sabre takes Sydal down and twists his neck, only to walk into Angel’s Wings to send him outside. Back up and Daniels charges into a Rock Bottom out of the corner, setting up a Koquina Clutch to give Joe the win at 15:17.

Rating: B. Match of the night here and the extra time, plus the talent involved, would seem to be why. I’m curious to see what is next for these guys, as Joe vs. Sabre would be a showdown, but Daniels vs. Sydal seems like a possibility as well. Either one would work, and this was a good example of a rather nice TV main event.

Joe and Sabre show respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. What do you want me to say here? It was nineteen matches over about three hours. There was some good stuff in there but when you’re nine matches in and not even halfway done, it’s a little hard to stay interested. There were a bunch of women’s matches and the division certainly has talent, but most of the matches were four to five minutes long and no one really stood out in a big way. The same is true with the men’s matches, leaving me wondering why this show was put together this way.

That’s what I really don’t get here: how is a show running this long with this much content supposed to be the best possible option. Who was putting this show together, got to twelve matches, and thought they needed seven more? This was long for the sake of being long and it didn’t work out very well, just due to how much was there and very little getting the chance to stand out in any significant way.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Anthony Henry – Froggy Bow
Claudio Castagnoli b. Serpentico – Clothesline
Kiera Hogan b. Vertvixen – Saito suplex
Kyle Fletcher b. AR Fox – Spinning Tombstone
Willow Nightingale b. Hyan – Babe With The Powerbomb
The Kingdom b. Ninja Mack/Willie Mack – Proton Pack to Ninja
Mercedes Martinez b. Dream Girl Ellie – Surfboard dragon sleeper
Ashley D’Amboise b. Danielle Kamela – Rock Bottom
Rocky Romero b. Titus Alexander – Cross armbreaker
The Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Vary Morales/Marcus Kross/LSG – Knightfall to Kross
Shane Taylor b. Tracy Williams – Package piledriver
Athena b. Promise Braxton – Cobra sleeper
Dralistico b. Tony Deppen – Fujiwara armbar
Skye Blue b. Miranda Alize – Rollup
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Cole Karter/Zack Clayton – Double slam to Karter
Blake Christian b. Nick Comoroto – Rollup
Diamante b. Trish Adora – Armbar
Penta El Zero Miedo b. Slim J – Fear Factor
Samoa Joe/Zack Sabre Jr. b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Koquina Clutch to Daniels

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 18, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back at the studio show this week and that means the show is probably going to run long. As was the case last week, there is a heck of a show in here somewhere, but adding in so many other things bogs it down. The main attraction this week is a Fight Without Honor between Action Andretti/Darius Martin and the Kingdom so let’s get to it.

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

Willie Mack and Ninja Mack respect each other and they seem ready to team together.

Opening sequence.

Gringo Loco vs. Rey Fenix

Loco slaps him during the handshake so Fenix fires off the rapid kicks. A multi springboard hurricanrana sends Loco outside and more springboards set up a dive to take him down again. Back in and a gorilla press sitout facebuster gets two on Fenix, meaning it’s time to rip at the mask. A flipping faceplant gives Loco two more but Fenix is right back with a kick to the head.

They trade kicks to the head until both of them are down for a breather. Fenix loads up a rolling cutter but Loco grabs one of his own for two more. Another kick drops Loco again and a super hurricanrana gets two. Loco shoves him away on top and grabs a twisting super Canadian Destroyer for two more. Fenix is right back with a poisonrana though and now the rolling cutter can finish Loco at 8:49.

Rating: B. This was the formula that has worked for years and still does to this day: take two high fliers and let them go nuts with one big spot after another. It made for a fast paced opener and the fans were way into it as well. Fenix can make anything look good and Loco can work very well with him. Heck of an opener here, which shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

Peter Avalon and Ryan Nemeth make fun of the Iron Savages with bear puns.

Willow Nightingale vs. Madi Wrenkowski

Nightingale gyrates a bit to counter a waistlock but gets pulled down by the hair. Back up and a shoulder into a backsplash crushes Madi but she trips Nightingale down. Some slaps get one on Nightingale and we hit the chinlock. A facebuster gives Madi two more but Nightingale Pounces her HARD. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Madi at 3:46.

Rating: C. Madi got in a lot of offense here and has been around a few times in AEW/ROH before, so the success shouldn’t be that shocking. That being said, there was no reason to have Madi be a real threat here (which she wasn’t), as Nightingale is a much stronger star. I’m not sure what kind of major push she can get, but she does need to beat some bigger names (and eventually get some gold) at some point.

Peter Avalon/Ryan Nemeth vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages, who seem rather interested in lifting weights these days. Bronson shoves Avalon down to start and then hits a shoulder for a bonus. Nemeth comes in and gets beaten up as well, with Avalon taking a backdrop for trying to interfere. It’s off to Boulder for a running splash in the corner but Nemeth gets in a chop block for a breather. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Bronson, who gets to run some people over. The middle rope moonsault misses but Avalon can only get a bunch of near falls. Boulder picks Bronson up on his shoulders for an electric chair splash to end Avalon at 5:14.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but the Savages are nice for a big man team who can move well enough. Nemeth and Avalon aren’t exactly a top team but they have been around long enough to get in just a bit of offense here. I could see the Savages going somewhere though, and Ring Of Honor really needs to build up some teams, making this a nice fit.

Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. Cole Karter/Zack Clayton

Daniels and Karter trade wristlocks to start until Daniels hits a leg lariat. Sydal comes in with a standing legdrop and an assisted moonsault for two. Daniels drop toeholds Clayton into a basement dropkick and Sydal fires off some kicks to the shoulders. That doesn’t do much though as a whip into the corner has Sydal upside down and Karter tosses him into Clayton’s powerslam (that looked good). A frog splash gives Karter two but Sydal DDTs his way out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Daniels to clean house as everything breaks down. Daniels hits a bulldog/clothesline combination but Clayton blasts Sydal with a clothesline. Sydal is right back up with a dive onto Karter on the floor. Daniels plants Clayton and hits the Best Moonsault Ever for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice match here and it was a fine enough workout for Daniels and Sydal. I’m not sure they’re going to become a major team again or get back near the title picture, but having a veteran team with some previous success is always a good thing. They can also make anyone look good, which was the case here for a pair of guys without much going on. This went as it should have, as Sydal and Daniels needed to get a win after a few weeks away.

Video on the Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti, who have been feuding for a few weeks now, meaning it’s time for a Fight Without Honor.

Lady Frost vs. Miranda Alize

Alize sends her into the corner to start and adds a running elbow to the face. A butterfly suplex gives Alize one but Frost is back with a jumping knee to the face. Alize drops her again with a release suplex, followed by a tiger driver for two more. Back up and Frost cartwheels over into something of an Air Raid Crash, setting up a corkscrew moonsault (and a good looking one at that) to finish Alize at 3:21.

Rating: C. This didn’t get much time but Frost would be a nice addition to the roster. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from her before and she has a rather unique look that would make her stand out. Other than that, Alize still feels like a star who could be someone when she gets the chance, and adding her into the Ring Of Honor women’s division would be a good idea. I could have gone for more of this, but what we got worked well enough.

Angelico/Serpentico vs. Eli Isom/Cheeseburger

Luther is here with Angelico and Serpentico as part of the Spanish Announce Project. Cheeseburger climbs onto Serpentico’s back to crank on the arm to start but it’s quickly off to Angelico. A quick leglock has Cheeseburger in trouble but he slips out and sends them together for a big crash. Isom comes in as everything breaks down, including a suicide dive onto Serpentico on the floor. Back in and Angelico ties up Cheeseburger’s legs again, this time for the tap at 3:40.

Rating: C. It was fast paced, but neither team really had the chance to show off what they can do. Angelico and Serpentico aren’t exactly a top level team and Isom and Cheeseburger have been around for a long time. That doesn’t make or the most thrilling match, but at least they kept it short here.

NJPW TV Title: AR Fox vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre is defending and they trade arm control to start. A cravate doesn’t get Sabre very far as Fox sends him into the corner for a running clothesline. With Sabre on the floor, Fox hits a big dive over the top to take him down again. Back in and Sabre gets serious about the arm cranking but a cross armbreaker attempt sends Fox into the ropes. Fox kicks him in the face and grabs the swinging suplex for two.

Sabre comes right back with a running kick to the chest but Fox snaps off a running hanging DDT for two of his own. Lo Mein Pain gets the same on Sabre as we have five minutes left. Fox sends him outside for the big running flip dive but the 450 misses. Sabre goes right back to cranking on the leg, including something like a stretch muffler on the mat to make Fox tap at 11:19.

Rating: B. It’s amazing how much easier it is to get into a Fox match when he isn’t doing something ridiculous like shrugging off getting dropped on his head four times. Granted it helps being in there with Sabre, who is one of the better in-ring technicians going today. Good match here, with the technical exchanges being rather entertaining.

Post match Sabre says he feels bloody marvelous and knows he is the most active TV champion anywhere. Cue Samoa Joe to say there can be only one champion around here and the challenge is on. Hold on though as here are Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal, with the former saying Sydal is overdue some gold. A tag match is set up and if Sydal can beat either of them, he gets a shot.

Gates Of Agony vs. Dalton Castle/The Boy

Prince Nana is here with the Gates, who seem to have taken out Brent (the other Boy, as opposed to Brandon here). Castle starts with Khan but Brandon asks to come in instead. This actually goes well for a few moments before Khan hands it off to Toa to run Brandon over. Khan’s chinlock keeps Brandon in trouble and Toa adds a running kick to the face. The seated abdominal stretch keeps Brandon in trouble but he finally fights up. An enziguri gets Brandon over for the hot tag to Castle, who twists Toa’s nipple. A series of splashes get one on Toa but a Nana distraction lets him hit Castle with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Open The Gates finishes Brandon at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was your usual big monsters squashing a smaller guy until the real star comes in to do something. Castle is still someone who feels like he could break out if he was ever given the chance but for whatever reason, he is stuck teaming with one or more of the Boys. Even though it seems that we have run the main course of that angle, Castle keeps getting stuck there instead of letting him be a star on his own.

Post match Castle says he was the legal man, because the Embassy and Castle/the Boys must feud for all time and eternity in an effort to validate the existence of the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Workhorsemen/Shane Taylor vs. Schaff/Ricky Gibson/Eddie Pearl

The Workhorsemen take over on Pearl with some stomps and a suplex but he gets over to Schaff. Taylor cuts off that comeback, setting up the package piledriver to finish Schaff at 2:43. They didn’t waste time there.

The Righteous are in the back when Stu Grayson interrupt. He wants to know what is going on but here is Evil Uno to say the Righteous need to leave Grayson alone. Grayson says no one speaks for him though, and tells the Righteous they have one chance. The Righteous seem giddy with gladness.

Ashley D’Amboise vs. Mercedes Martinez

Ashley moves away from him to start but Martinez snaps off some suplexes to take over. Martinez misses a charge in the corner though and a running flip neckbreaker drops her fast. As we get a comparison of Vader/Ron Simmons/Bronco Nagurski to Ashley (because they’re all two sport athletes, with Ashley’s other sport being dance), a reverse AA gets two on Martinez. That’s enough for Martinez, who takes her down for a curb stomp into a surfboard dragon sleeper for the tap at 6:24.

Rating: C+. D’Amboise continues to look pretty good in the ring, but Martinez is still one of the best stars in all of the women’s division. Having Martinez back and active would be a good thing, as she can make anyone look better while also easily being slotted into the title picture. You don’t get too many like her and letting her do something more would be a good thing.

The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Fight Without Honor meaning anything goes and Maria Kanellis is here with the Kingdom. The fight starts on the stage before they get down to ringside. The weapons are brought in rather fast, with a double dropkick sending a chair into Bennett’s face. A trashcan is put over Taven’s head and various weapons crush it around him. It’s time for a ladder, but Maria’s distraction lets Bennett hit a NASTY chair shot to Andretti’s face, knocking him onto the ladder.

Back in and a spinebuster drives Andretti onto a trashcan as Bennett is busted open. Just The Tip onto a ladder onto Martin’s face lets the Kingdom set up a table in the corner. The Doomsday Flight Of The Conqueror doesn’t work for the Kingdom though and Andretti is right there with an Arabian press. Back in and Martin hits a springboard Downward Spiral on Bennett, meaning it’s time to set up some chairs.

Hail Mary onto the open chairs gets two, with Andretti making the save. The Proton Pack is broken up and a springboard 450 hits Bennett on the table, though it doesn’t quite break. Back up and Bennett Death Valley Drivers Andretti through the table in the corner. Purple Thunder onto a chair gets two on Martin, who is knocked outside. Maria holds Martin up for chops from Bennett, who accidentally forearms Maria down. Back in and a low blow hits Taven, before Bennett comes back in to spit at them. A bunch of kicks knock him silly and it’s a powerbomb/clothesline off the ladder combination to finish Bennett at 15:09.

Rating: B. It was your pretty run of the mill yet still good weapons match, even if having a thrown together team taking out former Tag Team Champions is a little weird. The Kingdom has been back for a bit now and for some reason just hasn’t clicked. You would think someone with their credentials and in-ring skills would have more success or at least be more prominently featured in a promotion being built from the ground up, but instead they’re putting people over. It’s a fine use for them, but I’m not sure it’s the most logical.

Respect is shown post match and the winners post on the ladder to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this one a bit better than last week, even though it was somehow even longer, clocking in at just over two hours (second longest show yet). There is enough good wrestling in here to make it work, but there is also a good deal of stuff that you might want to fast forward through instead. That is the signature of this show and I’m still not sure why a lot of this stuff needs to be included every week.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Gringo Loco – Rolling cutter
Willow Nightingale b. Madi Wrenkowski – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Iron Savages b. Peter Avalon/Ryan Nemeth – Electric chair splash to Avalon
Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal b. Cole Karter/Zack Clayton – Best Moonsault Ever to Clayton
Lady Frost b. Miranda Alize – Corkscrew moonsault
Angelico/Serpentico b. Eli Isom/Cheeseburger – Leglock to Cheeseburger
Zack Sabre Jr. b. AR Fox – Stretch muffler
Gates of Agony b. Dalton Castle/The Boy – Open The Gates to Brandon
Workhorsemen/Shane Taylor b. Eddie Pearl/Schaff/Ricky Gibson – Package piledriver to Schaff
Mercedes Martinez b. Ashley D’Amboise – Surfboard dragon sleeper
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. The Kingdom – Powerbomb/clothesline off a ladder combination to Taven

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 4, 2023
Location: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

The shakeup of this show continues as there was no Dark or Dark: Elevation this week, meaning those shows’ futures might be in question. That could certainly change the way this show is presented and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. For now though, we should be in for something interesting as the show tends to be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lee Moriarty vs. Rocky Romero

Pure Rules and Big Bill is here with Moriarty. Romero goes straight for an armbar and Moriarty has to use his first rope break. A hammerlock doesn’t work for Romero so he grabs a flying mare to stagger Moriarty instead. Romero goes right back to the arm so Moriarty goes for the second rope break. This time though he ties Romero’s arm in the ropes and elbows him in the head to take over.

Back up and Romero punches him in the face, which is enough for the official warning. Romero kicks the legs out to take over and a springboard tornado DDT plants Moriarty again. The cross armbreaker has Moriarty using his final rope break so it’s the standing Sliced Bread to give Romero two more. Romero tries it again gets countered into a suplex DDT for two. The cross armbreaker goes on again and since the rope won’t save him, Moriarty taps at 9:28.

Rating: C+. The Pure Rules only played so much of a role here, as Romero kept getting the same hold until Moriarty tapped. One thing that does help is that Big Bill was little more than a distraction for the most part. Romero isn’t likely to become a big star around here, but he should be able to beat Moriarty, who is talented but means little in AEW.

Athena vs. Angelica Risk

Proving Ground, meaning Risk gets a title shot for winning or going to a time limit draw. Athena kicks her down and dances to start, followed by a wheelbarrow faceplant. Risk gets in a few forearms but only earns herself a chinlock with a knee in the back. Athena stops to yell at the referee and gets enziguried for her efforts. A 619 looks to set up a high crossbody but Athena pulls her out of the air. Some rolling Wastelands set up a Gory Bomb spun onto the knees. Athena grabs a crossface for the tap at 5:09.

Rating: C+. Athena is getting a lot better at this destruction stuff and it’s fun to see her slaughtering people. The problem with having her be around this often while being this good though is the risk of turning her face, as the fans are going to get more impressed with her. Skye Blue seems to be the next big challenger and that could go rather well.

Post match Athena hits Skye Blue’s Skyfall onto the title.

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels

Joe is defending in a rematch from a few weeks back. Daniels grabs a headlock and gets absolutely nowhere. Joe hammers him down with right hands in the corner and we hit the nerve hold. Back up and Daniels fires off some forearms, only to get run over again. Daniels manages a middle rope swinging Downward Spiral for two but Joe isn’t having anything of the Angel’s Wings. Instead he sends Daniels into the corner and hits the MuscleBuster to retain at 5:51.

Rating: C+. It was fine enough while it lasted, but there wasn’t much drama in Daniels as the challenger. Not only is he not someone who is going to be a threat to the title, but Joe has been pretty much a wrecking ball in ROH. The problem is that he has kind of floated around though, as aside from Mark Briscoe, it feels like it has been months since he had a serious challenger for the title.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Robbie Eagles

Castagnoli is defending. Eagles snaps off a running hurricanrana to start and then wins a strike off. That’s fine with Castagnoli, who goes to the eyes and stomps away in the corner. The armbar goes on but Eagles fights up and starts in on the knee. A springboard missile dropkick staggers Castagnoli and a 619 to the knee drops him in the corner.

Some running knees in the corner give Eagles two and the Eagle Lock (something like a reverse Figure our) sends Castagnoli to the floor. The standing shooting star press gives Eagles two but he charges into a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline and pulls him up into the Riccola Bomb to retain at 8:21.

Rating: B. Now this was a nice showcase for Eagles, as he had Castagnoli staggered more than once and had the unique offense to make it interesting. While there was no threat of a title win, it was cool to see Eagles getting so show off out there. He’s a talented guy and if AEW/ROH can keep him around, it would be a nice addition to either roster.

Skye Blue wants to face Athena for the Women’s Title. That was pretty much a formality of a challenge so nice job of not wasting time.

The Kingdom/Varsity Athletes vs. Stu Grayson/Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Best Friends

Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Mark Sterling are here too. Taven and Andretti start things off with Andretti hitting a pop up dropkick before handing it off to Martin. Everything breaks down fast and the good guys clear the ring, setting up a series of running corner clotheslines to Taven. Nese comes in and whips Trent hard into the corner to take over, only to have Trent knee his way out of trouble.

Grayson comes in and we hit the parade of shots to the face. Grayson goes up but Woods runs the corner to superplex him back down. Trent superplexes Taven down onto the pile at ringside (egads), leaving Grayson to kick Daivari down back inside. Andretti goes up top…and here is the Righteous again for a distraction. Andretti hits his torture rack neckbreaker to finish Daivari at 6:24.

Rating: B-. This was the “just go nuts” match with ten people getting a few minutes to go out there and squeeze in whatever they could. They didn’t bother trying to make this into a back and forth match and it would have been nuts to see them try. This was the kind of entertaining chaos that you need sometimes on a show and they didn’t make the mistake of trying to stay out there too long. Nice job with a rather fun match.

Post match everyone is mad at the Righteous but the winners have the big hug.

Athena is in for the title match with Skye Blue.

Preston Vance vs. Rich Adonis

Vance sends him outside to start and the whips into the barricade ensue. Adonis gets in a few shots but charges into a slingshot wheelbarrow suplex. Vance hits a discus lariat for the pin at 2:19.

Action Andretti and Darius Martin are happy with their win but the Kingdom jumps them from behind. The Code of Honor is forcibly enforced.

Skye Blue vs. Robyn Renegade

Blue starts fast with a sunset flip for two and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Renegade heads outside and pulls Blue off the apron for a crash to the floor. Back in and Blue forearms away before snapping off a hurricanrana. It’s too early for Skyfall so Renegade knocks her down for two. Blue is back up and hits a superkick, setting up Skyfall for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much drama here as Blue is already set for the title shot but Renegade got in some offense of her own. Renegade continues to look fairly polished in the ring and I could see her becoming something around here. Blue is getting the push right now though and the title match against Athena should be a nice showdown.

Brian Cage vs. Brock Anderson

Cage runs him over to start but Brock avoids a charge and hammers away. A powerslam puts Cage down for all of two seconds before he’s back with the Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up via the rope but Cage Drill Claws him for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. It still feels like AEW wants to push Cage as something and it is easy to see why, but squashing people on ROH and carrying the Gates of Agony isn’t enough. He continues to be able to do all kinds of things in the ring and looks solid doing it, but you can only get so far on potential. They need to figure out a story for him already, because his age and body aren’t going to hold out forever.

Willow Nightingale vs. Steph de Lander

They trade shoulders to start, with Nightingale getting the better of things and stopping to pose a bit. Back up and de Lander sends her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Nightingale avoids a charge into the corner though and hits the Cannonball. The spinebuster gives Nightingale the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have time to do anything here but it was the usual Nightingale win over a lesser name before she probably loses her next big match. That has been her pattern for a long time now and there is little reason to believe that she is going to break the cycle. Not an awful match, but it was short and nothing new from Nightingale.

Kommander vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Angelico. Kommander sends him to the floor to start but Angelico is right back in to cut off the dive. Angelico’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he misses a running knee in the corner instead. With Angelico down on the floor, Kommander hits a big dive, followed by another dive, complete with a springboard.

A top rope sunset flip gives Kommander two back inside but Angelico grabs a suplex for the same. The Fall of the Angels is broken up and Kommander’s sunset bomb gets two. A hurricanrana gives Kommander two and there’s the big rope run flip dive to drop Angelico on the floor. Back in and a rope walk shooting star press finishes Angelico at 6:02.

Rating: B-. The flips and the dives are all impressive but there is something missing from Kommander that makes it hard to stay interested. His dives feel so much more focused on the setup/running the ropes than anything else and that doesn’t have quite the impact. It was still a nice spectacle, but when you have El Hijo del Vikingo around here as well, Kommander just doesn’t feel nearly as special.

Post match Serpentico comes in for the beatdown but Orange Cassidy and Bandido make the save.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here with the Castagnoli/Eagles match being the highlight. It was another mostly all action show as they set up the Women’s title match, plus probably a six man given the ending. Other than that, they might have wanted to cut one or two of the short matches to not have it be stretched out so much, but it was still another completely watchable hour and a half.

Results
Rocky Romero b. Lee Moriarty – Cross armbreaker
Athena b. Angelica Risk – Crossface
Samoa Joe b. Christopher Daniels – MuscleBuster
Claudio Castagnoli b. Robbie Eagles – Riccola Bomb
Stu Grayson/Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Best Friends b. The Kingdom/Varsity Athletes – Torture rack neckbreaker to Daivari
Preston Vance b. Rich Adonis – Discus lariat
Skye Blue b. Robyn Renegade – Skyfall
Brian Cage b. Brock Anderson – Drill Claw
Willow Nightingale b. Steph de Lander – Spinebuster
Kommander b. Angelico – Rope walk shooting star press

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 27, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

This show continues to interest me, though the recent changes to AEW’s TV schedule interest me more. With the likely announcement of a two hour Saturday show and the possible elimination of Dark: Elevation (neither of which are confirmed yet), the Ring Of Honor taping schedule could be shaken up in a big way. Maybe that starts here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Lady Frost

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Frost wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena grabs a headlock to start but misses a dropkick. Frost gets sent face first into the mat to cut her right back off though, allowing Athena to hit a backbreaker. A kick to the head staggers Athena but Frost takes too long loading up the moonsault, allowing Athena to pull her back down. Frost kicks her in the head again but the moonsault only sends Athena over to the ropes. A hard forearm gives Athena the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C. Frost got some offense in here and she has a unique enough look that she could be something if she is given the chance. Athena continues to rack up wins but I’m not sure who could be going after the title at this point. The good thing is that she doesn’t appear on AEW and actually does feel like an ROH exclusive as opposed to a good chunk of the other stars.

Post match Athena sends her into the title, as she has a history of doing.

The Kingdom doesn’t like Top Flight and Action Andretti so vengeance is sworn. They built the original Ring Of Honor and they’re going to take respect from anyone who doesn’t give it to them.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. The Infantry

Vance knocks Bravo into the corner to start and hits some running clotheslines. A spinebuster and full nelson draw in Dean for a save but Vance beats both of them up at once. Rush comes in for the Bull’s Horns and the pin on Bravo at 2:59. Total and complete destruction with Vance looking good.

Best Friends vs. Joe Ocasio/Mookie Summers

I support anyone named Mookie. Ocasio knocks Trent into the corner to start but a running shot to the face puts Ocasio down. Some forearms to the face have Ocasio in trouble and Chuck sends him into the barricade. Back in and it’s off to Summers, who gets caught with a pop up powerbomb. Everything breaks down and Chuck hits some piledrivers. A Doomsday knee to the face finishes Summers at 2:45.

Brian Cage vs. Leon Ruffin

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who drives Ruffin into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Ruffin’s tornado DDT is cut off but he knees his way out of a suplex. The high crossbody is pulled out of the air though and a World’s Strongest Slam, with curls, plants Ruffin. The F5 is countered into a DDT though and a springboard cutter drops Cage. Not that it matters as Cage hits a powerbomb backbreaker and something like a Texas Cloverleaf makes Ruffin tap at 3:16.

Rating: C. Not quite total dominance but you put someone Ruffin’s size in there to make Cage look good. That’s what the power moves did for Cage and the match was a fun destruction (eventually) as a result. Ruffin has a certain charisma to him that makes him easy to cheer and it was on display here, making this better than I would have expected.

Dark Order vs. Trustbusters

It’s Evil Uno/Stu Grayson for the Dark Order and Sonny Kiss/Jeeves Kay (with Slim J) for the Trustbusters. Hold on though as here is the Righteous for a distraction, meaning Grayson gets jumped from behind. Kidd comes in for the flipping slap in the corner but Uno suplexes his way to freedom. The tag brings in Grayson to clean house, including a springboard flipping Swanton to Kay. A toss sitout powerbomb drops Kiss and a running kick into a piledriver finishes Kay at 3:20.

Rating: C. Now that’s how I like my Trustbusters: a short match with them getting beaten up and not talking. The Dark Order is always going to pop the crowd so it makes sense to throw them out there like this. The Righteous stuff is still kind of weird, but dropping from whatever Grayson was doing on Dynamite/Rampage to this is quite the fall.

A serious Christopher Daniels is upset by not being able to win a title, but wants one more shot at Samoa Joe and the TV Title. He’s ready to fight.

Diamante vs. Skye Blue

They trade shoulders to no avail to start and an exchange of rollups gets a bunch of near falls. Blue misses a running boot in the ropes though and gets neckbreakered over the middle rope. Diamante starts in on the back but charges into a boot in the corner. A high crossbody gives Blue two and a running knee rocks Diamante for two. They head to the apron for a forearm off until Diamante hits a German suplex. Diamante slips out of Skyfall but Blue reverses into a cradle for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C+. This got a little more time and it was nice to see Blue getting in a surprise pin. Blue is someone else who could become a bigger deal down the road and having her win matches like this is going to help her. Good short match here, as I try to figure out how Diamante never became a bigger star.

Post match Athena comes out and stomps Blue’s hat.

Rocky Romero vs. Lee Moriarty

Big Bill is here with Moriarty. Romero chops away to start and hits a knee to the back for two. Moriarty sends him outside though and stops to dance, allowing Bill to get in a few shots. It’s time to start in on Romero’s hand but they fight over wrist control. A springboard tornado DDT gets Romero out of trouble and he hits some forever lariats.

Moriarty is back with a tiger driver 18 into the Border City Stretch, meaning a rope break is needed. A Bill distraction doesn’t work, as Romero grabs the running Sliced Bread #2 for two. Bill breaks up a springboard though and chokeslams Romero on the apron to give Moriarty the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Romero continues to be someone who I just don’t get. He’s talented and he’s successful, but I’ve never really gotten the appeal. It was an entertaining match and they had a good back and forth fight, but “Bill interferes and Moriarty wins” isn’t exactly the most inspiring way to finish the match.

In the back, Romero wants Moriarty in a Pure Rules match next week.

Gringo Loco vs. Blake Christian

They trade rolls/flips/misses to start until Christian is sent outside and taken down. Back up and Christian hits a spear on the apron, followed by the big flip dive over the top. Back in and a handspring kick to the head hits Loco but he’s fine enough to counter a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb for two. Loco takes him up top for a flipping slam and a near fall but gets caught with a super poisonrana. That and a springboard 450 finishes Loco at 6:15.

Rating: B-. Take two guys and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s something that has worked well for years and it is what they did here to some nice success. Christian and Loco are guys who can do a lot in the ring while also making the other look good. I could see Christian going somewhere in the near future, though being on Ring Of Honor is only going to get him so far.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Sweet goodness this show is easier to watch at just over an hour. The show kept moving and they got in a lot of people without feeling like they were filling in time. If Ring Of Honor has to be its own show, this is what it should be: get the people in the ring, let them look good, have a featured match or two with bigger names. It was a completely acceptable show with a lot of the filler trimmed off and that is what I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. Nice job here and keep it like this.

Results
Athena b. Lady Frost – Forearm
La Faccion Ingobernable b. The Infantry – Bull’s Horns to Bravo
Best Friends b. Joe Ocasio/Mookie Summers – Doomsday knee to Summers
Brian Cage b. Leon Ruffin – Texas Cloverleaf
Dark Order b. Trustbusters – Piledriver to Kay
Skye Blue b. Diamante – Rollup
Lee Moriarty b. Rocky Romero – Chokeslam onto the apron from Big Bill

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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Rampage
Date: April 22, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s a Saturday show due to the NHL playoffs and that means…well I have no idea what it means as the audiences for these shows can be all over the place. The big story advertised is Jeff Hardy talking about some stuff, which isn’t exactly an incredibly intriguing draw. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Christopher Daniels

They go technical to start with Daniels taking him to the mat for a facelock. Back up and Daniels chops away before backdropping Moxley outside. That means the dive, even as Excalibur and JR ignore the match to talk about what is coming tonight. Moxley sends him into the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Moxley putting him on top for a back rake, only to have Daniels shove him down. A high crossbody gives Daniels two but Moxley blasts him with the King Kong lariat. The piledriver into the choke has Daniels in more trouble but he slips out and grabs a backdrop. Angel’s Wings gets a delayed two, only to have Daniels break up the Best Moonsault Ever. Moxley chokes him out for the win at 9:00.

Rating: B-. Daniels is a good example of someone who will give you a good match against anyone and it still feels like it means something when someone beats him. That was the case again here and what we got worked well. Moxley is already dealing with the Elite and this was a nice boost to keep him going towards whatever the big match is going to be.

Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are ready for Taya Valkyrie on Dynamite, where the Road To Valhalla is illegal for Taya.

Here are the Hardys, with Isiah Kassidy and Hook for a chat. Jeff says he is happy to be back after working so hard but the best thing he can do is retire….from screwing up. Stokely Hathaway pops up to ask about the details for the Firm Deletion match. Cue the Firm to jump the four of them and the good guys are laid out.

We look at the Outcasts beating down Britt Baker as Adam Cole had to watch.

Baker was in the medical room as Cole kept apologizing to her.

Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes are back next week.

Kiera Hogan vs. Julia Hart

Hogan starts fast by dropping her down but Julia goes for the throat to even things up. A snapmare sets up a kick to the back for two and counters Hartless into a rollup for two, only to have Hartless go on the second time to make Hogan tap at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Hogan hasn’t done anything since splitting from Jade Cargill and company but at least they’re doing something with Hart. The move to the House of Black has at least let her stand out some more, though she still isn’t exactly great in the ring. Just a quick match to give Hart something to do, which isn’t exactly a great sign.

Post match Anna Jay comes in for the brawl with Hart.

The Blackpool Combat Club interrupts a Christopher Daniels interview. Daniels is ready to fight but Jon Moxley comes in to cut them off. Then he lays out Daniels on his own.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/FTR vs. Varsity Athletes/Slim J

Mark Sterling, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here too. Slim J takes Harwood into the corner and hammers away but Harwood snaps off a suplex to take over. Wheeler comes in and gets caught with a headscissors so Lethal and Jarrett come in to take over instead. FTR and Lethal/Jarrett have a faceoff and we take a break.

Back with Woods chinlocking Wheeler to keep him down until a kneelift gets him out of trouble. Daivari gets caught with a suplex and it’s back to Harwood to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Jarrett doesn’t notice Nese rolling Harwood up for two. Harwood yells at Jarrett for not making the save so Nese charges in. That earns him a Stroke, with Jarrett letting Harwood get the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C. What were you expecting here? Lethal and Jarrett are find hands with almost nothing interesting about them and the Varsity Athletes are the Varsity Athletes. FTR are great but they can only carry a story this dull so far. It’s still very early in their new title reign, but I would hope that FTR has something better to do at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Mark Briscoe has to come out and play peacemaker.

Video on Orange Cassidy’s run as International Champion.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Butcher and the Blade are ready for Kenny Omega/Konosuke Takeshita on Dynamite.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Dralistico

Vikingo is defending and gets dropped in the aisle by a flying Dralistico during his entrance. They get inside with Dralistico chopping away until a spinning kick to the head cuts him down. A poisonrana gives Vikingo a breather and a quick Canadian Destroyer sends us to a break. Back with Dralistico hitting a middle rope moonsault to the floor, followed by a springboard Codebreaker for two. They both go to the corner, where Vikingo hits another Canadian Destroyer onto the apron.

Cue La Faccion Ingobernable to jump Vikingo, who is fine enough to kick Dralistico down. A top rope double stomp gets two but Dralistico is back with a top rope hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Dralistico grabs La Mistica until Vikingo slips out. The running knees in the corner set up the 630 to retain the title at 11:30.

Rating: B-. This was quite the step down for Vikingo, who only got to do a few of his usual big stuff. At the same time, there hasn’t been much of anything from him since the Omega match, as the same flips and dives are going to lose their impact the more you see him. As I saw Vikingo two days ago on Ring Of Honor, this didn’t do nearly as much and I can’t say that’s any kind of a surprise. Entertaining match, but either give Vikingo a feud or stop featuring him so often.

Post match La Faccion beats up Vikingo to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was good enough to get by but it has the traditional Rampage problem: nothing on here feels even remotely important and there is nothing to suggest that it is getting better. What even was the big story here? The Club takes out someone who was friends with the Young Bucks years ago? Hopefully they pick the pace up again next week, because this wasn’t much of a show. At least not one worth seeing.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Christopher Daniels – Bulldog choke
Julia Hart b. Kiera Hogan – Hartless
FTR/Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett b. Varsity Athletes/Slim J – Stroke to Nese
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Dralistico – 630

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