Ring Of Honor
Date: March 5, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

And then everything changed. Apparently from now on, the show is going to be taped from this studio, with multiple weeks already in the can. That could make for some better focus around here, but there is also the chance that this is going to result in the shows being even longer with more mostly tossed out there matches. We can hope for the best though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening video.

Video on Persephone.

Persephone vs. Sara Leon

Persephone grabs a headlock to start and elbows Leon in the face to put her down. Back up and Leon’s chops don’t do much good, with Persephone taking over on the arm instead. A fall away slam sets up a hammerlock but Leon manages a headscissors into the ropes. Leon German suplexes her for two but Persephone is back with a missile dropkick for the same. A Razor’s Edge doesn’t work for Persephone so she hits a spear, followed by the Razor’s Edge for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C. Commentary kept hyping up Persephone’s shot at the CMLL Women’s Title on Friday so this was a glorified warmup match. Leon got in some offense here and did well enough, but this was all about Persephone getting ready for Mercedes Mone. Not a bad match, but pretty much the same kind of thing that you would see on any of the older shows. That’s hardly the best way to start off a new era, if if the match was ok.

Komander vs. Sidney Akeem

They take turns spinning out of wristlocks to start and we get a handshake, with Akeem pulling him into a waistlock. Akeem flips out of a sunset flip and hits a running Meteora to put Komander down. A running shooting star press gives Akeem two but Komander is back up with a spinning high crossbody for the same. Komander superkicks him to the apron, where Akeem pops up and over a baseball slide for a dive to the floor (geez). Back in and Akeem flips away from some shots but gets sent outside for a suicide dive. Cielito Lindo finishes for Komander at 5:55.

Rating: B-. The match was all over the place as Akeem continues to look like a human video game character. The kinds of things he can do in the ring are absolutely insane and while he’s hardly a top star, there is pretty much no one else who can keep up with him. It’s worth a look, especially with Komander being one of the few people close to what he can do.

Video on Bustah And The Brain (Jordan Oliver/Alec Price). They’re described as “on the rise”. Their career record in ROH/AEW: 0-5.

Top Flight vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Their respective friends are here too. Darius takes Gibson down by the arm to start and they’re quickly on the mat for a technical off. Back up and Darius hits a dropkick, meaning it’s already time for a double tag. Dante comes in for a hurricanrana to Drake, who goes to the hair to pull Dante down. It’s back to Gibson, who is taken into the wrong corner so Top Flight can pick up the pace.

Darius is back in and gets cut off on the apron, allowing Drake to elbow him in the face for two. A suplex gets Darius out of trouble and it’s back to Dante to start flipping and kicking. The springboard high crossbody gets two on Drake with Gibson making the save. Everything breaks down and Isla Dawn jumps Zayda Steel on the floor. Darius is dropped as well as Steel fights back to go after Dawn. Back in and the double underhook double DDT finishes Gibson at 9:25.

Rating: B-. Another fun match, though forgive me for not believing that these teams are on the way up the ladder. Top Flight has been around for the better part of ever and never accomplished anything of note, which is rather frustrating. The Veterans aren’t much better, but you can probably pencil in a six person tag out of this thing.

Post match Top Flight goes to leave but walk past Big Bill and Bryan Keith, apparently now known as Paid In Full.

Paid In Full vs. Darian Bengston/Kiran Grey

Keith throws his gear at Bengston to start and shoulders him down for two. Bengston’s comeback is cut out with a spinning forearm to the face and it’s off to Bill. A running splash in the corner hits Grey and Bill does it a second time for extra oomph. Back to back big boots finish Grey at 2:47. Total squash.

Video on Athena vs. Maya World, with a Proving Ground match being set for next week.

Josh Woods vs. Nathan Cruz

Pure Rules. An early cross armbreaker sends Cruz straight over to the ropes for his first break before Woods works on a hammerlock. Back up and Cruz is sent crashing out to the floor, with a suplex bringing him back inside. The armbar goes on again but this time Cruz takes him into the ropes, with Woods being pulled into them for a break. Not a Rope Break but a break. A neckbreaker puts Woods down for two and a belly to back suplex gets two. Cruz’s sleeper is countered into an armbar with Woods using his legs to make Cruz tap at 4:23.

Rating: C+. As usual, Woods looks good in these things and can do some rather impressive technical stuff, but it only gets him so far when he’s barely ever around. If nothing else, it would be nice to see him go after the Pure Rules Title, just so it can be defended in a way that isn’t “the challenger doesn’t know the rules”. That finisher certainly looked good as I can go for someone using a unique way to torture their opponent.

Tommy Billington and Adam Priest are going to get to the Swirl and Jay Lethal, but they have something else to do this week.

Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Workhorsemen

Priest uppercuts Henry down to start and it’s already off to Billington. Drake breaks up a double suplex though and Billington is taken outside for a piledriver on the floor. Back in and Priest gets caught in the wrong corner. Drake gives him a suplex and it’s back to Henry for some ripping at the face. Priest escapes but Billington is still down on the floor (that’s nice to see for a change) and Drake hits Priest in the face again.

The villains take turns beating on Priest in the corner again but Billington is back in for the save. Everything breaks down and back to back dives take the Workhorsemen down on the floor. Back in and Billington manages a rollup to pin Henry (that didn’t look great as Billington seemed to let go early) at 7:45.

Rating: C+. At least Priest and Billington are getting a push and are in an actual feud. That’s a heck of a lot better than what you would get otherwise, as there is something to be said about having two wrestlers actually doing something rather than running on the treadmill that is the tag division. The Workhorsemen are good in their spots, but they’re firmly locked into those spots and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Zayda Steel

Christopher Daniels is here with Steel. Shirakawa slides into the dance to start so Steel goes around her for a quick spank and dance of her own. Back up and Shirakawa pulls her into something of a Texas Cloverleaf and drops her into a backbreaker. The block of the Figure Four is blocked and Shirakawa gets it on, with Steel making the rope rather quickly.

A neckbreaker gives Steel two and a running knee in the corner rocks Shirakawa again. They trade the big forearms until Steel hits a running elbow against the ropes, only for Shirakawa to do the same. A missile dropkick and the top rope Sling Blade give Shirakawa two but Steel is back with a dropkick. Shirakawa just decks her with a spinning backfist though and the Figure Four finishes Steel at 7:47.

Rating: C. Hey look: Steel loses again. That’s almost all she does around here (and in AEW) and it’s getting more and more difficult to care about her. I’m not sure how many more matches she’s going to lose but odds are it’s going to be several, all while she’s “climbing the ladder” or whatever the latest term is around here.

Post match respect is shown.

Billie Starkz seems to have attacked Deonna Purrazzo and Athena says this is a message/warning to Maya World. Ignore that Purrazzo seems to be smiling her head off.

Bang Bang Gang vs. MxM Collection

Robinson sticks his finger in his nose for Mansoor’s tip to tip touch, earning himself a hair pull. An armbar puts Mansoor down and into the ropes, meaning Robinson is back up with an atomic drop. Gunn comes in and gets his eyes raked, only to hit Mansoor low. It’s off to Madden to hammer on Gunn in the corner so Robinson makes a blind tag. The Gang starts taking turns to stagger Madden, who suplexes both of them at once.

Mansoor comes in to stomp away, with Madden adding the running hips to the face. A belly to back suplex puts Gunn down and a side slam/running legdrop combination gets two. Madden misses a middle rope elbow though and it’s back to Robinson, who runs into a boot in the corner. Mansoor gets crotched on the top rope for some bouncing, with Madden hitting a double spear for the save. A double suplex drops Madden though and Mansoor gets thrown onto him. Robinson’s forward DDT finishes Mansoor at 12:01.

Rating: C+. So I guess the Gang is another team who is being added to the rotating roster around here because that’s what this place needs. Robinson is still a ball of charisma but as usual, there’s only so much that can be done with Robinson and one half of the Gunns. The team just feels like some scraps thrown together and that isn’t likely to go very far.

La Faccion Ingobernable brags about being undefeated as a tag team but they have to defend the belts. Therefore, it’s open challenge time for any former Tag Team Champions to come after the belts. And there’s the kind of thing that makes this weekly show feel useless. Commentary spends the entire show talking about how someone can win to move up in the title standings and all that, but instead it’s “anyone can come get a shot”. In other words, all of the previous matches mean nothing, because “eh screw it, open challenge time”.

Lacey Lane vs. Robyn Renegade

Renegade takes over with the power game to start so Lane does a rather springboardy wristdrag. Lane hits some running kicks in the corner but Renegade is back with a springboard stomp of all things. A sitout gordbuster gives Renegade two but Lane is back up with some running shots to the face. What looks like a Nightmare On Helm Street (which looked like it had a camera edit) gets two on Renegade, followed by something like an AA into a legdrop to finish for Lane at 5:17.

Rating: C. This was another match on a show with a lot of them. I’m really not sure what else there is to say here, as neither of these two have anything going on and it’s hard to believe that they’re going to have anything going on. Maybe Lane gets a TV Title shot or something, but it’s not like there’s any story there. That’s the problem with so many matches around here, as they’re just things that happen rather than matches that go anywhere.

Matt Menard vs. Shane Taylor vs. Lee Johnson vs. AR Fox

The winner gets an immediate title shot at a mystery championship and this is under elimination rules. Menard and Taylor start things off, with Taylor powering him into the corner. That has Menard bailing away a few times but getting dropped with a running shoulder. It’s off to Johnson vs. Fox for an exchange of quick escapes and counters until Taylor comes back in. A Tower Of London to the floor plants Johnson hard but Menard is back in to slug away on Taylor. Everything breaks down and Taylor punches Menard in the jaw for the elimination at 6:09.

Taylor takes Fox into the corner but gets low bridged down to the floor. Fox dives over the top onto both of them but Taylor is back in for running splashes in the corner. That doesn’t last long either though as Fox rolls Taylor up for the pin and elimination at 8:47. Johnson immediately rolls Fox up for some near falls, followed by Fox’s tiger bomb for two more.

The Swanton hits raised knees though and they trade some rapid fire kicks. Johnson hits a brainbuster and they’re both down (with their heads on the other’s arms, which should probably be a double pin. Johnson suplexes him hard and a frog splash gets two but Fox is back with a quick slam. The 450 gives Fox the pin at 13:34.

Rating: B-. This was another match that felt rather long and is designed to set up another match on this show, which feels rather crammed on at the end. Fox winning is a nice way to go as there is something to be said about having him fight like this and then win a title as a way to end the show. The other three were fine as well here and it was nice to see Menard getting hit in the face.

And now, a title match, with Fox pulling the announcement out of a box.

AEW International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. AR Fox

Fox is challenging and we are again reminded that Okada is the greatest tournament wrestler of all time. I still have no idea what that has to do with a non-tournament match but that’s what we need to be told over and over. Okada dropkicks him into the corner to start as commentary tries to say Okada is wrestling on short rest as well after winning the Trios Titles last night (despite him not having that belt or being announced as such due to the taping schedule).

Fox gets choked on the rope and a DDT plants him on the floor. Back in and another DDT gives Okada two but he misses a charge and gets sent to the apron. That means a running DDT from Fox, followed by a kick to the face. An Air Raid Crash onto the knee sets up the top rope elbow to give Okada two. Back up and Fox kicks him in the face, followed by a 450 for two more. Okada misses a few Rainmakers but his the dropkick, setting up the Rainmaker to retain at 5:44.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. The bigger star came in, beat up the tired challenger, kicked out of his finisher, and retained the title. It was deflating to have Fox lose like that after his big win as it was little more than a quick loss. Maybe like, let the match be built up for a bit and get some time on another show?

Overall Rating: D+. Nope. I’m not sure what this was supposed to be, but it was more of the same mess that has gotten Ring Of Honor in its current place. This was supposed to be some new era of the promotion and NOT ONE OF THE EIGHT TITLES THIS SHOW HAS TO OFFER is on the line?

No no, instead your big moment is an AEW star coming in (unannounced of course) because Heaven forbid the Women’s Title, World Title or even the Six Man Titles are defended (I mean, none of them have been defended since Final Battle, three months ago). Instead, it’s the usual bunch of matches, most of which are just wrestling for the sake of wrestling. The show ran two hours because every single thing (even down to Josh Woods vs. Nathan Cruz and Lacey Lane vs. Robyn Renegade) absolutely had to be here.

Ring Of Honor isn’t a wrestling promotion. It’s Tony Khan getting to pretend that he owns two promotions because he thinks it’s impressive while putting on the least important weekly show he can imagine. As usual, this absolutely isn’t a problem from the wrestlers, but rather spending two hours with almost nothing involving Ring Of Honor taking place. I’m sure TV is coming though. Any…what is it, year now?

Results
Persephone b. Sara Leon – Razor’s Edge
Komander b. Sydney Akeem – Cielito Lindo
Top Flight b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Double underhook double DDT to Gibson
Paid In Full b. Darian Bengston/Kiran Grey – Big boot to Grey
Josh Woods b. Nathan Cruz – Leg armbar
Tommy Billington/Adam Priest b. Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Mina Shirakawa b. Zayda Steel – Figure Four
Lacey Lane b. Robyn Renegade – Fireman’s carry slam into a legdrop
AR Fox b. Shane Taylor, Lee Johnson and Matt Menard last eliminating Johnson
Kazuchika Okada b. AR Fox – Rainmaker

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 26, 2026
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m back to the point where I don’t know what to expect from these shows and that’s a weird feeling. There are so many titles around here but a bunch of them are either never defended or defended at random and that makes the shows hard to predict. Maybe it’s different this time around so let’s get to it.

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

Shane Taylor Promotions are ready to win their matches tonight, with Trish Adora promising to end Deonna Purrazzo’s luck.

Opening sequence.

JD Drake vs. Adam Priest

The much bigger Drake easily wins a slugout and shoulders Priest down. Priest’s comeback is cut off in a hurry and Drake drops a leg for a quick two. Drake slowly takes him into the corner for the chops but misses a sitdown splash. Priest throws him down for two but Drake takes him up top, where a Priest’s sunset bomb gets two. Drake gets two more off a Shining Wizard so he tries a spinebuster, only to get countered into a rollup to give Priest the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C. Decent enough match between two people who don’t have much going on, at least when it comes to singles status. Drake has just been floating around for a long time now and while he’s a good hand, there isn’t much that makes him stand out. Priest still feels like someone with potential, but his smaller size is going to be a lot to get around.

We look at Skyflight beating TMDK last week in a six man main event.

Frat House vs. TMDK

Garrison slugs away at Tito in the corner to start and a clothesline connects as well. A flapjack/running boot combination drops Tito for two but it’s off to Haste. That means a release Falcon Arrow to Garrison and everything breaks down. Tito takes out Garrison and Haste’s fireman’s carry swung into a spinebuster finishes Karter at 3:37.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced tag match and TMDK looked dominant, which is why you bring them in for a match against a team like the Frat House. I can’t imagine TMDK sticks around but having them in a two match series like this is fine. Not a great match, but it was entertaining while it lasted.

Women’s TV Title: Zayda Steel vs. Red Velvet

Steel, with her one match winning streak after losing everything else, is challenging. Velvet snaps off some armdrags into an armbar to start before missing some right hands. They trade near falls off some small packages until Steel’s Backstabber out of the ropes gets two. An exchange of running shots in the corner goes to Velvet, who grabs a powerbomb for two more. Steel is back with a spinwheel kick for two but Velvet’s Iconoclasm gets the same. A TKO gives Steel two more and she can’t believe the kickout. Velvet is right back with a spinning kick to the face to retain at 6:02.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much of a story to it as they were just kind of trading moves back and forth until Velvet got the pin. Steel still feels like an interesting prospect, but she needs to string together some wins to shake off the early losing streak. There wasn’t much of a reason for her to get a title shot here, but I’ll take it over the title sitting on the shelf.

Post match respect is shown.

TMDK is happy with their win but they get jumped by Shane Taylor Promotions.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. CJ Tino/Richie Slade/Che Cabrera/Dom Kubrick

Isla Dawn is here with the villains. Keith throws his gear at Tino to start and shoulders him down for two. Slade comes in and gets his arm twisted, allowing Drake to come in as well. Drake lets Slade forearm away to no avail before Gibson unloads with forearms of his own in the corner. Slade slips out of a slam though and hands it off to the muscular Guevara (Latino Meat, which made me chuckle), who wants Bill. That’s what he gets before actually winning a slugout. The Veterans come back in to clean house and Bill’s big boot finishes Tino at 4:32.

Rating: C. This was almost but not quite a squash as the villains ran through everyone but Guevara. I’m not sure why they need to be teaming together but I do like seeing the Veterans actually winning something for a change. It’s a quick match and that’s all it needs to be so I’ll take what I can get.

Post match the winners split some money but are interrupted by Skyflight, who give them a staredown.

Skyflight vs. Adrian Quest/Ricky Gee/Danny Rose

I do appreciate the jobbers having their names on their gear. Quest and Sky start things off with some wristlocking before Darius comes in instead. That earns him a quick triple teaming down and a front facelock from Rose. That’s broken up and Dante comes in to pick up the pace, including an enziguri and springboard high crossbody for two on Gee. Everything breaks down and Gee is catapulted into a cutter to give Dante the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C+. This was another fast paced match and it was nice to see them staying to the point here, with both teams getting to look good. Quest/Gee/Rose seem to be a regular team and I could go for seeing some more of them in the future. They were smart to keep this fast and it worked well enough.

We look back at Jay Lethal turning on Bandido and joining the Swirl.

Jay Lethal vs. Tommy Billington

Billington was barely shown in the clip but at least commentary explains how he’s connected to Lethal. They start fast with Lethal being sent outside for a suicide dive, followed by a backdrop back inside. Lethal is back up with a suplex onto the apron and then a cutter back off of it and they head back inside.

One heck of a chop drops Billington in the corner and Billington hammers away. It’s time to start in on the leg with the Figure Four going on rather quickly. The rope is reached and Billington rolls away from the threat of Hail To The King. Billington catches him up top with a superplex but Lethal is back up again. Lethal takes over again and tries Hail To The King, which is reversed into a crossface. Cue Lee Johnson for a distraction, allowing Lethal to hit the Lethal Injection for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. Lethal having the best match of the night thus far is hardly a surprise as he’s still one of the best in-ring stars in the company. I do like him being added to the biggest story around here as it adds some credibility. I’m just not sure who is going to step in and take him out, though actually getting to the Christian vs. Bandido match that has been teased for months would be nice.

Satnam Singh vs. Jordan Oasis

Oasis slugs away with forearms to start but is quickly sent into the corner. The loud (or in this case, not so loud) chops have Oasis in trouble and we hit a nerve hold. That’s broken up and Oasis goes after the leg, only to get sent to the apron. The chokeslam brings Oasis over the top and plants him down for the pin at 2:54. Pretty standard Singh match.

Deonna Purrazzo says her Pure Rules match against Trish Adora means it’s the two of them, one on one.

Persephone vs. Johnnie Robbie

Persephone rudely backs her up against the ropes to start but gets armdragged down a few times. Robbie’s sunset flip is rolled through for a basement dropkick and a hard kick to the back has her in more trouble. A judo throw and some forearms have Robbie in more trouble and Persephone powers her into the corner. We’re off to the chinlock but Robbie is back up with some kicks to the head for two. Robbie’s knee to the face drops Persephone again but she counters a rollup into a Razor’s Edge to finish Robbie at 5:43.

Rating: B-. Robbie got in a lot of offense here and it was a nice performance from someone who hasn’t been around very often. At the same time, commentary continues to treat Persephone as a huge deal and that is likely going to continue. I’m not sure what she’s going to do, but it doesn’t feel as important when Athena has already beaten her in a big match.

Tony Nese vs. Komander

Before the match, Mark Sterling complains about luchadors like Komander, saying Nese is going to clear them out. Nese backs him into the corner to start and then flips over Komander out of said corner. Komander sends him outside for a suicide dive and chops away against the barricade. A Daivari distraction lets Nese get in a kick to the head and we hit the waistlock.

Nese double stomps the ribs into another waistlock, which has Komander slapping his stomach, which doesn’t count as a tap. Back up and Nese misses a charge into the post, allowing Komander to strike away. A quick DDT drops Nese for two and a double moonsault gets the same. Komander’s regular moonsault hits raised boots but Nese’s pumphandle driver is countered into a rollup for two. The very springboardy DDT plants Nese and Cielito Lindo finishes him at 8:31.

Rating: B-. Komander continues to get in a bunch of offense, though it doesn’t exactly lead to much no matter what he’s doing. Hopefully he gets to do something as he’s right there to go after one of the titles. Then again wins and losses only mean so much around here, which is one of Ring Of Honor’s biggest issues.

We look at Nick Wayne winning the TV Title from Komander last April.

Nick Wayne vs. Lucas Riley

Non-title Proving Ground match, because Wayne being gone since JULY isn’t enough to warrant a title defense. Wayne snapmares him down to start and messes with Riley’s hair, only for Riley to take him down and do the same. Normally this would mean war, but normally this would be a title match. Well actually normally he would have been stripped of the title somewhere in the last six plus months but oh well. Back up and Wayne chops him against the ropes but Riley grabs a Michinoku Driver for two. Wayne’s dragon suplex gets two and he kicks Riley in the head for the pin at 3:45.

Rating: C. I have no idea why this wasn’t a title match. Wayne has been gone for the better part of a year and yet here we are with a Proving Ground match. This is a perfect example of the title situation not making sense around here, as wrestlers will get title matches out of nowhere or after winning one match, but Wayne gets to go into yet another month without defending his title. I get that things might be different, but some kind of logic would be nice.

Women’s Pure Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Trish Adora

Purrazzo is defending for the first time since winning the title on December 5. They fight over wrist control to start and Adora bails from the threat of the Fujiwara armbar. Adora pulls her throat first into the ropes, which apparently counts as a rope break. A small package gives Adora two and they forearm it out.

The Lariat Tubman misses and Purrazzo is back with her own clothesline to put them both down. Adora’s bridging German suplex gets two, as does Purrazzo’s nasty powerbomb. The Fujiwara armbar doesn’t work as Purrazzo’s arm gives out thanks to the neck damage. The Lariat Tubman connects but Purrazzo rolls outside. Back in and Purrazzo rolls her into the Fujiwara armbar and leans back to make up for the bad arm for the tap at 9:15.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine. There’s still no need for this to be a title, as we went almost two months without the thing being defended and pretty much nothing was lost. Purrazzo is a rather talented star and it’s fun watching her in the ring. That doesn’t mean she needs a title basically customized for her.

Post match Diamante and Billie Starkz run in to beat down Purrazzo, with Adora joining in.

Athena is proud of her minions and wants to beat up Maya World, who attacked her at Global Wars. Therefore World has earned a match with Athena. A Proving Ground match of course. Because Heaven forbid it’s a title match.

Overall Rating: C. This show was back in the good old Ring Of Honor format of frustrating me to no end, as it’s over an hour and forty minutes long with matches seemingly pulled out of a hat. You could have easily dropped a handful of these matches and not lost a thing, but I’m wondering if this was due to the rumored studio show starting soon. Since Ring Of Honor had absolutely no choice but to tape and air all of these matches, they just didn’t have a choice otherwise.

Then you have the title situation, which is somehow getting worse. Either you have people getting title matches after almost no success (Zayda Steel), titles being defended at random after months of activity (Deonna Purrazzo), titles not being defended after a hiatus approaching enough time to conceive and have a baby (Nick Wayne) or just not being defended for three months (Athena, Shane Taylor Promotions, Bandido as of next week), I have no idea how the title process works around here.

There are WAY too many titles though and no sign of them ending, much like there is no sign of this place being well put together. Maybe the studio thing will help that, but I’m having fears of those nearly three hour shows that are just like this, with random matches up and down the card and talks of getting into title contention for hours on end. Not an awful show here, but good grief figure out how things are supposed to go around here and stick to it already.

Results
Adam Priest b. JD Drake – Rollup
TMDK b. Frat House – Fireman’s carry slam to Karter
Red Velvet b. Zayda Steel – Spinning kick to the face
Big Bill/Bryan Keith/Grizzled Young Veterans b. CJ Tino/Richie Slade/Che Guevara/Dom Kubrick – Big boot to Tino
Skyflight b. Adrian Quest/Ricky Gee/Danny Rose – Slingshot cutter to Gee
Jay Lethal b. Tommy Billington – Lethal Injection
Satnam Singh b. Jordan Oasis – Chokeslam
Persephone b. Johnnie Robbie – Razor’s Edge
Komander b. Tony Nese – Cielito Lindo
Nick Wayne b. Lucas Riley – Kick to the head

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: February 5, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special show this week as we have another Global Wars. In this case the invading forces are provided by Athena’s Metroplex promotion so we’ll be seeing some special guest stars. If nothing else, I’ll take this over some thrown together show with absolutely nothing going on so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Athena and the Minions against Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo, which should be one of the show’s main events.

Demo Diamond/Reiza Clarke/LVJ/Kai Jai Wright vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Bravo takes Wright down to start but gets taken down with a running shoulder. They take turns running the ropes until Bravo hits a heck of a right hand. LVJ comes in and takes over on Dean before it’s off to Clarke vs. Adora. The women don’t stay in long as it’s back to Bravo for a Bronco Buster on Wright. Taylor comes in for the big shots in the corner but Dean’s half crab is broken up. It’s back to the women, with Clarke hitting a running forearm in the corner. A side slam gets two but Adora’s German suplex into a Saito suplex drops Clarke just as fast. Lariat Tubman finishes Clarke at 7:29.

Rating: C. This felt like a showcase for a bunch of the Metro wrestlers, but there is only so much you can get out of four wrestlers in a match that doesn’t even last seven and a half minutes. At the same time, the Promotions mostly ran over them, which didn’t make for a great match. It’s not a bad opener, but I still don’t get the appeal of the Promotions.

Red Velvet vs. Vertvixen

Non-Title Proving Ground match. Feeling out process to start with the teams trading some knockdowns until Vertvixen gets the better of things. A springboard elbow out of the corner gives Velvet two but Vertvixen is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Velvet is right back with an armbar of her own, at least until Vertvixen ties her in the Tree Of Woe for some rapid fire kicks. That’s escaped and Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen is blocked and Vertvixen’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Velvet is back with a spinning bulldog though and now Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen finishes Vertvixen at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Not bad here, though it felt like a match you would see on any given edition of Ring Of Honor. Vertvixen is fine as a good hand who can be brought in to make others look better. The good thing here is that she did so against Velvet, who is rapidly improving around here. She’s getting better month by month and that is nice to see, as it only happens in so many cases.

Christopher Daniels wants Skyflight to step up, say by facing La Faccion Ingobernable for the Tag Team Titles. The challenge is on.

Surf & Turf vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

That would be Braddah Kaimi (Surf, your stereotypical Hawaiian surfer) and Phil Shark (Turf, a man in a shark costume). Keith starts with Shark, who does wrestle in the shark hat, which thankfully doesn’t last long. Kaimi comes in off a blind tag and slams Keith into a neckbreaker from Shark.

The team tries what they call the Harpoon, which results in Keith kicking Shark in the head to take over. We settle down to Keith dropping a knee on Kaimi but it’s quickly back to Shark to clean house. Bill chokeslams Kaimi hard onto the apron though and the back big boots drop Shark. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes for Bill at 5:49.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a comedy match but Surf & Turf feel like a comedy team. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of an act going out there, but the match was only so much in doubt. Bill and Keith could wind up being something if they were given the chance, though that isn’t likely the case in Ring Of Honor.

MPX Women’s Title: Abadon vs. Ray Lyn

Abadon is defending and knocks her into the corner to start, meaning it’s a running knee to the head. Lyn is back up with a takedown and some right hands, which is reversed into a fight over leglocks. With that broken up, Lyn’s kick to the head gets two and she grabs something like an Indian deathlock. That’s broken up and Abadon is back with a swinging slam for two. Lyn’s bridging suplex gets the same but a quick Downward Spiral retains the title at 5:48.

Rating: C-. This was another match where they didn’t have much time to really get going. At the same time, it didn’t feel like it had much in the way of a story or anything besides the two of them just doing moves to each other. It certainly wasn’t bad, but nothing that stood out in any way.

Lee Moriarty vs. Exodus Prime

Non-Title Proving Ground match. They go to the mat to start and neither gets anywhere in particular. Moriarty gets an octopus hold and Prime falls into the ropes for the break. Prime comes after him but charges into a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle. Moriarty grabs a cravate and then ties him up with his legs, sending Prime over to the ropes again. Prime enziguris him into the corner though and a full nelson backbreaker gets two. A pop up powerbomb sets up the Boston crab, with Moriarty having to use his first break. Something like a tiger bomb into a Side Effect gives Moriarty the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. It was the kind of match you know you’re going to get from Moriarty and that means it was only so interesting. They traded some submission stuff and Moriarty eventually caught him for the win. In other words, it was just about the exact same thing that we’ve seen time after time from Moriarty.

Post match respect is shown.

The Premiere Athletes meets up with the Swirl in the back and they decide to team up to get rid of the luchador problem around here.

MPX Title: Delynn Cavens vs. JD Griffey

Griffey is challenging and strikes him down to start. Cavens gets back up to pick up the pace, only for a springboard to be broken up. Griffey drops him onto the apron, where Cavens hits something like a 619. The 450 gives Cavens two but a springboard misses as Cavens makes sure to avoid the referee. A shoulder breaker gives Griffey the pin and the title at 3:57.

Rating: C-. Uh ok. This was another match that didn’t go anywhere and just wrapped up in short order. Neither of them stood out in any way and unless commentary just didn’t tell us about it, there was no story to the title match. If they wanted this to be better, maybe cut out another of the match and give this one its time.

Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo vs. Athena/Billie Starkz/Diamante

Athena and World start things off with Athena not looking overly worried. World takes her down a few times, with some headscissors getting Athena out and the two of them to a staredown. Athena’s dropkick works a bit better and an enziguri sends World into the corner for the tag off to Purrazzo.

That means Athena is quickly knocked down, as is Starkz, with a double suplex giving Hyan two. A double bulldog gets two more on Starkz but Athena offers a trip from the floor to take over. That leaves Diamante to come in with a Code Red and the villains start rotating in on World in the corner. A backbreaker gets World out of trouble and Purrazzo takes out Starkz on the floor, allowing the tag to bring her in. Purrazzo gets to clean house but Starkz saves Diamante from a powerbomb.

Everything breaks down and Athena deadlifts World. Diamante’s rolling Chaos Theory gets two on Purrazzo but she kicks free and tags…well actually Hyan and World at the same time. Athena has to make a save of her own and a double middle rope Codebreaker hits Hyan and Purrazzo. World dropkicks Diamante into the cover for the save and Starkz’s Swanton hits raised knees. A bridging cradle gives World the pin on Starkz at 11:42.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show by far here, which shouldn’t be a surprise as it had the most star power and actual story. Unfortunately this seems like it’s leading towards Starkz and Athena splitting, which has already happened (at least once) and now we might get to see it again. There is really no one else to go after the thing? Like someone who hasn’t headlined Final Battle against Athena twice?

Post match Athena yells at Starkz and Diamante to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well, on one hand it was nice to see something fresh but at the same time it was another dull show. The ROH stars completely dominated the show and there was little in the way of storyline advancement. That being said, there are often all kinds of matches that don’t lead anywhere around here so it was the norm with some slightly different names. Hopefully the Skyflight thing leads somewhere, as a few title matches around here could do some good.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Demo Diamond/Reiza Clarke/LVJ/Kai Jai Wright – Lariat Tubman to Clarke
Red Velvet b. Vertvixen – Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. Surf & Turf – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Shark
Abadon b. Ray Lynn – Downward Spiral
Lee Moriarty b. Exodus Prime – Butterfly Side Effect
JD Griffey b. Delynn Cavens – Shoulder breaker
Hyan/Maya World/Deonna Purrazzo b. Athena/Billie Starkz/Diamante – Bridging cradle to Starkz

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 22, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re in Arlington for a change and as usual it’s hard to guess what we’re going to be seeing here. The rise of the Swirl is the big story at the moment, though I’m not sure where that’s going to go. Other than that, we get to see how long multiple titles can go without being defended since last month’s Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Premiere Athletes vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

We get a quick insert promo from the Swirl and Jay Lethal, who aren’t happy with Priest and Billington. Priest and Daivari fight over arm control to start and it’s Billington being taken into the corner. Nese comes in and gets elbowed by Billington but comes back with a headlock takeover. Some running shoulders do a bit better for Billington but Nese cuts him off with a chop block.

The arm is rammed into the apron as well and Billington can’t manage a spinning Tombstone. Nese wraps the arm around the rope, followed by the running neck snap over a different rope. A double clothesline gets Billington out of trouble though and the tag brings in Priest to start the comeback. Priest gives Nese a tornado DDT for two before grabbing a half crab on Daivari.

Mark Sterling offers a distraction but the Athletes collide. Billington gets low bridged out to the floor, leaving an assisted DDT to plant Priest for two. Priest manages to send them into each other though and the half crab goes on but Stori Denali is in with a chokeslam. The cover is broken up by Billington’s Swan Dive (nice job on the save) and Denali is stunned. Billington hits a dive onto Daivari, leaving Nese to load up the pumphandle driver. That’s reversed into a rollup though and Priest gets the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B. Those guys just had probably the best match of their careers as they went out there and tore the house down when they were given the chance. It’s the best match that I’ve seen on the weekly series in a long time and I have a great time with the whole thing. Heck of a match here with really good action and more than one hot sequence. Nice job.

Post match Lethal and the Swirl run in for the big beatdown, with the Athletes joining in.

Satnam Singh vs. Josiah Jean/Dante Leon

Singh takes turns throwing them into the corner for some loud chops but they escape a double chokeslam. A double chop block just annoys Singh and it’s a double chokeslam into a double pin at 2:25. This was every Singh match but with two opponents. I do appreciate that they’re just throwing him out there as a monster, though it’s not like he’s doing anything important and I can’t imagine that changing.

Video on Cru.

Alec Price/Jordan Oliver vs. Cru

The video hypes up Lacey Lane joining Cru so of course she isn’t here. Andretti and Oliver go to the mat to start before it’s off to Price to work on the arm. A dropkick puts Price down and we hit the armbar as commentary says that due to upcoming weather issues, the announced Global Wars with Athena’s promotion is postponed. Nothing wrong with that as it’s not something they can control.

Anyway Andretti gets elbowed down for a splash/legdrop combination but he fights his way out of the corner. Rush comes in for the alternating strikes to Price as everything breaks down. Cru is sent outside for a double suicide dive but Price is up to dive onto the two of them. Back in and an assisted top rope faceplant gets two on Rush but Price knocks Oliver off the apron by mistake. Andretti hits a running clothesline and the double Falcon Arrow finishes for Rush at 6:08.

Rating: C+. There was some nice action here, though my goodness can Price and Oliver actually win a match? It’s like the company is going out of their way to have them lose as often as possible. At the same time, I’m not sure what Price and Oliver are supposed to do around here. There are so many teams who can do the exact same style (including Cru, and the Rascalz, who haven’t even started wrestling yet) so….what are they going to be? Another high flying team of losers?

Post match, respect is shown, as I’m kind of surprised that Cru are good guys.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Auzzy/Hitt/Gino Medina

Auzzy and Magnum start things off with Auzzy not being the most respectful. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Media, who is chopped into a tag to Floyd. The rather large Hitt comes in to hammer on Floyd in the corner, which doesn’t last long as it’s Castle coming in. Suplexes and slams abound, setting up and Mega Powers elbow. The Bang A Rang finishes Medina at 3:25.

Rating: C. It’s another win for the good guys, though it would be nice if they could get a title shot already. I mean, it’s not like there are Six Man Tag Team Titles out there which haven’t been defended since early December or anything. Castle and the Outrunners are pretty clearly the best challengers (read as the only realistic ones at the moment), which is why it will likely be SkyFlight.

Deonna Purrazzo says she has to defend her legacy even after Madison Rayne left. The open challenge is on. You mean she’s going DEFEND THE TITLE? What a concept!

Matt Menard vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Menard wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Moriarty wrestles him down without much effort to start so the rather loud Menard is back with a headlock. That’s reversed into a short armscissors so Menard uses his first rope break. This seems to confuse him, as no one but Moriarty seems to get how the rules work.

An abdominal stretch has Menard using his second rope break and a right hand earns him an official warning. Moriarty knocks him outside and Menard burns off some time in getting back inside. Menard gets in a knockdown but Moriarty forearms him down a few times. Some chops have Moriarty in the corner for some elbows to the head and the Boston crab goes on. Moriarty has to use his own rope but he reverses a piledriver attempt into the Border City Stretch for the tap at 8:18.

Rating: C+. In a shocking development, Moriarty wins another Pure Rules match. It’s been going on for a rather long time now and since he keeps beating every opponent, I have no idea why it’s supposed to be interesting anymore. The matches are fine, but they’re just there time after time. Give him a story, or at least a challenger/division already.

Post match Moriarty stays on him until SkyFlight makes the save. The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions run in for the save. I WAS KIDDING ABOUT SKYFLIGHT GETTING A SHOT!

London Dior/Rachael Ellering vs. Diamante/Billie Starkz

Athena is here with Diamante/Starkz. Ellering and Diamante start things off with Ellering running her over. Diamante fights back and fires off the forearms to the face but Ellering is back up with some chops. A double clothesline allows the tag off to Dior but Starkz cuts her off in a hurry with a kick out of the corner. Diamante hits a spinebuster into Starkz’s Swanton, setting up an ankle twist to make Dior tap at 4:47.

Rating: C. This was like a match from Superstars with Koko B. Ware and Barry Horowitz against a regular team. It might work for a bit when Ware was in there but then it went south the second after the tag. There was nothing else to this one, as Ellering is still the same as she has been for years now.

Post match we get a quick plug for the previously postponed Global Wars show, with what sounds like “next week” edited out. I’ve heard worse ways of getting around something like that.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. KM/Will Allday

Keith throws his gear at Allday and jumps him to start (fine with the referee), with the stomps having Allday in early trouble. Back up and Allday sends him outside for a quick dive, meaning the much bigger KM can come in. Bill is right there for the staredown, with Bill missing a charge into the corner. He’s right back with a splash though and it’s a running knee into a big boot. Bill’s swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Allday at 2:57.

Ace Austin vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV. Austin starts fast and knocks him outside, where Valkyrie offers a distraction so TV can get in a shot. Valkyrie even gets in a cheap shot of her own, allowing TV to grab a choke back inside. That’s broken up and Austin fires off some corner clothesline, followed by a doctor bomb. Valkyrie offers another distraction but TV can’t hit Starship Pain. They strike it out with Austin getting the better of things until Valkyrie offers another distraction. A running anklescissors brings TV off the top though and the Fold gives Austin the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Austin winning, especially when he gets a victory despite Valkyrie getting involved. Austin is someone who feels like he could become an important player around here and while it isn’t much, headlining this show is better than nothing. Just get him somewhere more important already.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was rather good and it was nice to see some titles actually addressed. There were still a bunch of people who feel like they’re just coming and going without doing anything important, but I’ll take the little advancements where I can. This show was at least a bit more focused this week, though I’ll need to see it last before I get a bit more invested.

Results
Tommy Billington/Adam Priest b. Premiere Athletes – Rollup to Nese
Satnam Singh b. Josiah Jean/Dante Leon – Double pin
Cru b. Jordan Oliver/Alec Price – Double Falcon Arrow to Price
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Auzzy/Hitt/Gino Medina
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Menard – Border City Stretch
Diamante/Billie Starkz b. London Dior/Rachael Ellering – Ankle twist
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. KM/Will Allday – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Allday

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 1, 2026
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Hey I actually got the year right this time. Anyway, it’s the first show of the year and the third Ring Of Honor show in the last seven days. There is actually a feature match this week, as the Swirl is facing Bandido and Jay Lethal. If you ignore Lee Johnson getting squashed like a bug this week on Dynamite, it’s a bit more interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Swirl vs. Bandido/Jay Lethal

Lethal starts with Christian, who wants Bandido, but tags out to Johnson when he gets his wish. Neither of them can get a suplex so they clothesline each other down (with Coleman getting in an interesting point of saying that if Johnson tried the same move as the champion, he was thinking like a champion). Johnson takes him down and it’s off to Christian, who works on Bandido’s bad arm. Bandido gets over for the tag…and Lethal walks away. Christian’s 450 gets two on Bandido and Lethal adds a Lethal Injection. The top rope stomp/Death Valley Driver combination hits Bandido and the triple team draws the DQ at 5:13.

Rating: C+. This was an angle rather than a match and that’s a VERY good thing to see. While this would have been better to set up Final Battle, I definitely like that we’re getting something involving the title and a story being told. That’s been lacking for such a long time and they did a good job with executing this one. Well done.

Post match Lethal takes off Bandido’s mask as Tom Billington and Adam Priest run in for the save.

Bryan Keith vs. Serpentico

We get some BOO/YAY chants to start before Serpentico tries to pick up the pace. That earns him a toss to the floor and they chop it out a bit on the floor. Back in and they fight over a suplex with Serpentico getting the better of things. A running Downward Spiral gives Serpentico two and Keith’s hard clothesline gets the same. Serpentico is right back with a superkick to the floor, followed by a suicide dive. Back in and Keith knees him in the face though and the tiger driver is enough for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Well the result was far from shocking, but it was nice to see Keith getting to do something for a change. He’s been stuck doing absolutely nothing for so long now that even toiling in Ring Of Honor is an improvement. At least the match wound up being decent, which is usually the case with Serpentico.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne

It’s a brawl to start and a double suplex puts Diamante down. Rayne works on Diamante’s wrist but Starkz breaks up Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar. Diamante can’t fight out of the corner though, instead being taken down by the leg. It’s back to Rayne, who gets taken into the wrong corner, with a pair of double backbreakers putting her down. Starkz grabs a chinlock, followed by a double wishbone. The villains get to stomp Rayne down in the corner even more but she kicks Starkz away.

Cue Diamante to sneak around the ring to pull Purrazzo off the apron and the beating continues. Rayne manages to send Starkz face first into the buckle a few times though and that’s enough for the needed tag off to Purrazzo. Everything breaks down and Rayne gives Starkz a Canadian Destroyer. A kick to the head drops Rayne though and a double kick leaves Purrazzo and Diamante down as well. Rayne and Starkz come back in, with an assisted Sliced Bread taking Rayne down. Starkz adds the Swanton for the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. They were working hard here and it made for a good match, as Rayne was putting in more effort than usual. She still has something to offer out there, which is something that the division could use. Diamante is useful as a tag partner as well and that was her main focus here. Then you have Starkz, who might be coming after Athena, and Purrazzo, who is closing in on a month as champion with nothing involving her new title. Sounds like a textbook Pure Champion already.

Lance Archer vs. Steve Gibki

Gibki is in good shape. Archer starts fast with a big boot and chokeslam but Gibki gets in a dropkick. That’s enough to send Archer outside, where he cuts off a dive and chokeslams him onto the apron. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:30.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Rules Title last week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Top Flight/Komander

Non-title as it’s not the champion combination of the Promotions. Moriarty kicks Dean down to start and it’s off to Komander to work on the arm. Dean gets smart by going after the mask, with Bravo coming in to hammer away in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with the Infantry getting to stomp away. Komander fights up and manages a rather spinning crucifix for two on Moriarty, allowing the tag to Dante. The pace picks up but a hard clothesline takes Dante down, only for him to come back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and the double DDT pins Bravo at 6:23.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here, with Top Flight getting a win after not having the best run recently. If nothing else there is a chance that they can team with Komander for a future title match, even though they didn’t beat the champions. Either way, nice match here, with talented wrestlers getting to showcase themselves, albeit in a short match.

Deonna Purrazzo and Madison Rayne are in the back, with Rayne saying she’s retiring from the ring. She lost her father earlier this year and it lost a piece of her. This was a perfect way to end it and she thanks Purrazzo for being her partner. Tears ensue.

Hechicero vs. Aaron Solo

Hechicero dances a bit to start before they go to the mat, with Hechicero snapping the arm. Some rather spinny rollups give Hechicero two but Solo sends him outside. The big flip dive hits Hechicero outside, followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Hechicero is back with a spinning faceplant for two and he catapults Solo into the corner, only for Solo to come back with a double stomp. Solo’s kicks to the chest just wake Hechicero up so he hammers away in the corner. A flapjack sets up a spinning arm trap rollup to pin Solo at 6:45.

Rating: B-. Solo got a chance to do something different here and it made for a fun match. You don’t see him get to hang in there with someone like Hechicero very often and it worked out well, with Hechicero being crafty enough to twist Solo around in the end. That’s always fun to see, as there is pretty much no one as smooth out there as Hechicero.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. MxM TV

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes. TV comes out second and stomp on a Christmas tree on their way to the ring. The good guys charge the stage and the brawl is on, with the tree being repaired for all of three seconds. That’s enough for TV to beat them down to the steps and pull out some wrapping paper kendo sticks. Naturally Castle makes the save with a huge Christmas ornament before Mansoor tries punching a present.

Floyd finds a brick inside, leaving Mansoor’s hand in quite a bit of pain. Madden throws the tree inside and yes Floyd uses it for the Terry Funk ladder spin. Castle gets knocked down but Madden and Mansoor miss a double Grinch elbow. TV gets up and grabs a pie which hits Taya Valkyrie (in full Grinch attire) in the face, which he knows is a very bad result. That means a German suplex from Castle, who walks into a spinebuster.

It’s time for a stocking full of Legos, with Madden and the Outrunners fighting over suplex onto them. Instead Madden is sent (bare) feet first into them and then gets a present over his head. Some tables are brought in, with another being set up on the floor. The Outrunners are laid on the tables with Mansoor and TV going up, only for Castle to throw the ornament at them for a double crotching. TV is sent through a table at ringside and a double superplex sends Mansoor onto a table (and Legos) for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This was a fun, weapons based match with the Christmas theme working well. It’s something that a lot of promotions do but they still make it work every time. I had a good time here and that’s the point of this kind of a match. Now get Castle and the Outrunners into the Six Man Tag Team Titles picture already.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe it’s the low standard this show has given me over the years, but this felt like the best weekly show Ring Of Honor has done in the better part of ever. There was the big angle at the beginning, some good action throughout, the surprise of Madison Rayne’s retirement and the fun main event. I had a good time with this show and hopefully they do this more often going forward.

Results
Bandido/Jay Lethal b. The Swirl via DQ when Bandido was triple teamed
Bryan Keith b. Serpentico – Tiger driver
Billie Starkz/Diamante b. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne – Swanton to Rayne
Lance Archer b. Steve Gibki – Blackout
Top Flight/Komander b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Double DDT to Bravo
Hechicero b. Aaron Solo – Spinning arm trap rollup
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. MxM TV – Superplex through a table to Mansoor

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 11, 2025
Location: Greater Columbus, Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Final Battle and the big story is that Bandido retained the World Title. That means he should be a few weeks (at least) away from his next meaningful title defense so we’ll have to see what else is going on. We do at least FINALLY have a Women’s Pure Rules champion and it’s the person who was the favorite to win the whole thing the entire time. Now we begin the months long build towards the next pay per view, whenever that is. Let’s get to it.

Here is Final Battle if you need a recap.

Final Battle recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are Athena, Diamante and Billie Starkz to celebrate Athena’s three year reign as Women’s Champion. Athena brags about her success and the various women she has defeated. It’s a reason to celebrate, but Starkz didn’t win the Pure Rules Title, so the plan didn’t come out perfectly. She can make up for it in a tag match with Diamante though. I can’t believe they are still teasing Starkz taking the title. How can they drag it out this long?

Spanish Announce Project vs. LSG/Josh Crane

Angelico and Crane start things off with an exchange of wristlocks. Serpentico comes in with a top rope double stomp to the arm and a rollup gets two. It’s off to LSG to stomp Serpentico down in the corner but he rolls away for the tag off to Angelico. The rapid fire strikes have LSG in trouble and the lifting Downward Spiral gives Angelico two. Everything breaks down and the Project grabs stereo submissions for the double tap at 5:08.

Rating: C. The Project is perfectly fine in the ring, but my goodness it’s hard to care about what they’re doing. It’s the same stuff we’ve seen for months now and they never move up the totem pole at all. They pretty much have no stories and they’re just out there to fill in some time about every other week. If that’s all they’re going to do, find somewhere else for them to go, as it’s just filler.

Frat House vs. Dark Order

Silver runs Garrison over with a shoulder to start and it’s off to Uno to crush him in the corner. Vance comes in and gets stomped down in the corner as well, only for Uno to be sent outside for some rapid fire stomping. Back in and Uno tells Vance to kick him more, one such kick is sent at the referee, allowing Uno to kick Vance in the head. Everything breaks down and Garrison rolls through Reynolds’ high crossbody for two. The Order’s striking sequence into a rollup gets two on Garrison but Vance clotheslines Karter by mistake. The Order’s triple flipping slam finishes Karter at 7:18.

Rating: C+. This was another six man with one of the multiple trios who aren’t doing anything around here beating another. It isn’t like either of them are going to get a title shot soon but they certainly had time to have a run of the mill match. Perfectly watchable match but not much more than that, as is almost always the case for these teams.

Deonna Purrazzo is emotional after winning the Women’s Pure Rules Title.

Zayda Steel vs. Rachael Ellering

They fight over wrist control to start with Ellering taking her down into an armbar. Steel’s headlock doesn’t last long and she uses the ropes to flip out of a wristlock. Ellering chops her down a few times, setting up a gutwrench suplex into a backsplash for two. Steel comes back with a neckbreaker and they fight over a suplex. Ellering manages to muscle her over, followed by the Boss Woman Slam for two. Back up and Steel grabs a spinning DDT for the pin out of nowhere at 6:07.

Rating: C. This was about what you would have expected, as Ellering never wins anything and Steel needed a win after the loss in her debut. It wasn’t a bad match, but there’s only so much to get out of something like this. At least Steel won her second match and is getting off to a decent start. The division needs some fresh blood so why not see what she can do?

Post match respect is shown.

The Swirl isn’t happy about their losses at Final Battle but Blake Christian still wants the World Title.

Jay Lethal vs. Nathan Cruz

Cruz jumps him during the handshake and hammers away to start fast. Lethal is right back with a strut but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Instead, Cruz’s neckbreaker gets two and a Hennig necksnap gets the same. Lethal fights out of a chinlock and then does it again, only to get caught with a slingshot belly to back suplex for two. A missed charge in the corner lets Lethal get some rollups for two each and he dragon screw legwhips Cruz down. The Figure Four sends Cruz straight to the ropes so it’s the Lethal Injection to give Lethal the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C+. Cruz was making his debut here and he got to have a nice showcase here, as he had a good look and was fine enough to hang in there with Lethal. I could go for seeing some more from Cruz, which is a good sign his future. Lethal is still at his best when he gets the chance to give someone a rub, which was the case here.

We look back at the opening segment.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Deonna Purrazzo/???

The partner is….Madison Rayne, the hometown girl. Purrazzo gets knocked out to the floor to start but Rayne takes over on Starkz in the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Purrazzo is taken into the wrong corner. A basement dropkick connects on Purrazzo and Starkz is back in for a chinlock. That’s broken up and they clothesline each other down for a double breather. Rayne comes back in with a quick cutter and then a double cutter for a bonus. It’s back to Purrazzo, who Fujiwara armbars Starkz for the tap at 4:49.

Rating: C. Well that was quick, though it’s nice to have a match which feels like it might actually tie into one of the bigger stories around here. At the same time, this again feels like Starkz finally having enough of Athena and coming after the title. I would say I can’t imagine that happening, but in Ring Of Honor, it would absolutely not surprise me as we’re only three years into the story.

Red Velvet is happy with her win over Mercedes Mone and the kitchen is officially open.

Josh Woods vs. Hechicero

They go to the mat to start and neither of them can get very far. Hechicero takes over on the leg but Woods is right back with some quick rollups for two each. A front facelock doesn’t work either and we’re off to an early standoff. Hechicero grabs a DDT and starts in on the arm before twisting on the legs instead. Some shots in the corner stagger Woods, who is right back with some running forearms. Woods’ big knee to the head gets two but Hechicero gets something close to a la majistral into a Black Widow on the mat for the submission at 7:11.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of technical showcase where you knew how good it was going to be due to the people involved. They both got to showcase their skills, though it would have been nicer to have the match go a bit longer. Or for Woods to have been given a chance to be built up before he’s put into this spot. Either way, it was different in a good way here and I’ll take that.

Outrunners/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington/Dalton Castle vs. MxM TV/Premiere Athletes

The villains jump them from behind to start on the floor but the Outrunners take over on TV inside. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up and Magnum gets taken down. Magnum avoids the frog splash though and a bunch of elbows miss too, allowing Castle to come in and snap off the suplexes. Castle is sent into Billington though and it’s back to the Outrunners for a double slam on Madden as everything breaks down. The extra villains are ejected and it’s a German suplex/clothesline combination to pin Nese at 4:30.

Rating: C. Well that was…messy. I’m not sure why they needed to have everyone involved here other than “they’re here for Final Battle so we’ll put them on this show too”. That seems to be a recurring theme this week and it’s giving us matches like this. The speedy offense was fun, but I could barely tell who was in the match most of the time, which isn’t a good sign.

Shane Taylor Promotions heard the fans cheering for them but they only care about titles and checks. Their biggest accomplishment though: making SkyFlight interesting. Now if only you could make yourselves interesting.

Red Velvet vs. Lacey Lane

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Lane wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Velvet takes her down by the arm to start but Lane is back with a front facelock. A backslide gives Velvet two and she knocks Lane outside for an early breather.

Back in and Lane ties her in the corner for a running dropkick, followed by a springboard legdrop for two. Velvet is back up with some running knees in the ropes but Lane grabs a Death Valley Driver into a standing legdrop (that was cool….I think). That doesn’t get her very far though as Velvet is back with a superkick into the flipping faceplant for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C+. It makes sense to give Velvet a win after her big upset on Friday so this was a good use for her here. She needs to be reestablished after so much time away and hopefully it works, as her final Battle match was pretty awesome. Lane is another good hand who I could go for having around a bit more often, though she’ll need to get something going around here.

Death Riders vs. Willie Mack/Aaron Solo

Oh come on can we just wrap this show up already? Mack is knocked outside to start fast and Yuta drops a middle rope elbow for two on Solo. Everything breaks down and Marina Shafir offers a distraction, meaning Solo can get tied in the ring skirt for some double teaming. Mack comes back in for some hard spinebusters but Solo gets sent into the corner for the running clotheslines. The top rope splash into the Dragontamer finishes Solo at 4:48.

Rating: D+. Sweet goodness I hate this show. This was a squash from the Death Riders, who feel like they’re on every show every week and here they are again, winning a match that won’t get them anywhere closer to a title match or anything serious. But hey, at least they go to make this long show even longer in a match over two established losers. Thank goodness for that.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Komander/SkyFlight

Moriarty and Komander start things off and trade escapes for a standoff. Dante and Bravo come in, with Dante taking him into the corner by the arm. It’s off to Darius for a dropkick into an armbar before Dante flips over a charge to send Bravo outside. Taylor comes in to headbutt Dante and knock him outside, followed by the beating in the corner back inside.

Bravo’s knee drop gets two and we hit the chinlock. Dante manages to jump over Moriarty and brings Komander in to clean house. The very springboardy hurricanrana gives Komander two on Moriarty as everything breaks down. Dante drops Bravo and it’s Cielito Lindo to give Komander the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. The idea here was to push Komander vs. Moriarty for their title match on December 26, though there were no rope breaks here so I have no idea what it has to do with a Pure Rules match. Other than that, the Promotions have already beaten SkyFlight so there’s not much of a need for them to fight again. Then again it isn’t like the six man division is in any way of a division, so odds are it keeps going anyway.

Overall Rating: D+. This show actually got on my nerves more than once and that’s not a good sign. After a five hour show on Friday (plus the regular show on Thursday and a bonus show on Tuesday), here’s one of the longest editions of the weekly show in probably a year or two. It was a bunch of the same people who were around at Final Battle in less interesting matches that are done week after week.

While there were a few stories being moved forward, it’s not like they’re interesting in the slightest. The wrestling was decent enough, but my goodness I am absolutely sick of seeing these same people trotted out there week after week so they can do the same stuff. If this is the best booking they can have, at least cut the shows down to an hour or so at most because MY GOODNESS this felt like it went on for days.

Results
Spanish Announce Project b. LSG/Josh Crane – Double submission
Dark Order b. Frat House – Triple flipping slam to Karter
Zayda Steel b. Rachael Ellering – Spinning DDT
Jay Lethal b. Nathan Cruz – Lethal Injection
Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne b. Billie Starkz/Diamante – Fujiwara armbar to Starkz
Hechicero b. Josh Woods – Black Widow
Outrunners/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington/Dalton Castle b. MxM TV/Premiere Athletes – German suplex/clothesline combination to Nese
Red Velvet b. Lacey Lane – Flipping faceplant
Death Riders b. Aaron Solo/Willie Mack – Dragontamer to Solo
Komander/SkyFlight b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Cielito Lindo to Bravo

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

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

Final Battle 2025
Date: December 5, 2025
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Jon Moxley

It’s the biggest show of the year and most of the card was actually set up in advance. The main event is a six way Survival Of The Fittest, which should be fun and quite the spectacle. Other than that, the vacant Tag Team Titles are to be decided and various other titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Premiere Athletes vs. Outrunners

Mark Sterling and Stori Denali are here with the Athletes and Sterling says the Outrunners are the long term effects of unfiltered cigarettes. Magnum and Nese start things off with Nese backing him into the corner to little effect. Instead Nese moonsaults over a charging Magnum, who grabs a running headscissors to take Nese down. The other two come in and it’s a double suplex to drop the Athletes again.

Back in and Sterling’s distraction has Magnum in trouble for a change, allowing Sterling to choke away on the rope. Magnum avoids a charge and the needed tag brings in Floyd to clean house. Everything breaks down and Total Recall gets two, with Nese making the save. Nese is back in with a superkick, allowing Daivari to hit one of his own. Magnum drops Daivari but gets distracted by Sterling, allowing Denali to take Magnum down. The Magic Carpet Ride gets two and the Outrunners get fired up, allowing Total Recall to finish Daivari at 9:15.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given edition of the weekly show and that makes for quite the uninteresting addition here. This match wasn’t announced in advance and feels like it was just there to boost up the already high match count. I have no reason to believe the Outrunners are going to be near the Tag Team Titles anytime soon, but at least they got to use this ten minutes instead.

Zero Hour: Zayda Steel vs. Leila Grey

Steel is recently departed from the WWE ID Program and Evolve. Steel tries a quick rollup to start and they trade running elbows against the ropes. Grey avoids a running knee in the corner but comes back with a sling blade for two. A hard clothesline drops Steel as commentary ignores the match to talk about Survival Of The Fittest.

Angel’s Wings is countered into a half crab to put Grey in trouble (on YouTube, the feed went out here and the rest of the match wasn’t aired) but she manages to power out. A bulldog out of the corner drops Steel but she sends Grey outside for a nice dive. Back in and Steel hits a tornado DDT, only for Grey to roll through into the Angel’s Wings to finish at 6:33.

Rating: C. I had to watch this in two parts due to the transmission issues and it didn’t really make things much better. Grey has all kinds of charisma and could be something if she’s given a chance (and some more polishing in the ring). Steel is someone who will get a chance given her look and background, which are more than enough in the Ring Of Honor women’s division.

Zero Hour: Ace Austin vs. Lee Johnson

Feeling out process to start with Austin using the speed to take over. A bridging rollup gets two, with Johnson having to go to the eyes to escape. Austin suplexes him out to the floor but gets sent into the steps for his efforts. Back in and Johnson hammers away at the banged up face before taking him back outside. The moonsault from the barricade into the reverse DDT plants Austin on the floor but he’s fine enough to avoid a clothesline back inside.

A guillotine legdrop hits Johnson and a doctor bomb gets two more. Austin misses the Fold and gets caught with a Blue Thunder Bomb for another near fall. Johnson’s half and half suplex drops Austin again but he escapes a powerbomb. The pop up version of the powerbomb drops Austin for two but he kicks Johnson in the face. The Fold finishes for Austin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. The crowd wasn’t overly interested but this was a case of two talented stars getting to showcase themselves. Austin feels like he could be a star if he’s given the chance and while this is about as low on the totem pole as you can be, at least he won. Now just do something with him and see what he can do.

Zero Hour: Death Riders vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Jon Moxley is on commentary as Yuta takes Drake down by the hair to start. Garcia comes in and goes with some grappling, only to be sent outside by Drake. The fans approve as he gets back in and is knocked down just as fast. Garcia finally manages to knock him down and goes after the arm before Yuta’s German suplex gets two. Drake fights out of trouble and brings in Gibson, who snaps off a suplex into the corner.

The Riders shrug that off and it’s a middle rope forearm Hart Attack to Gibson. Yuta takes Drake out and it’s a splash to Gibson to set up the Dragontamer. The rope is eventually reached and Gibson knocks both of them down, allowing the tag back to Drake. A nearly Coast To Coast missile dropkick gets two on Yuta as Moxley is getting fired up. Drake gets sent outside and a chop block cuts Gibson down. Yuta’s running knee finishes at 10:03.

Rating: C+. And the Riders are around again, despite doing nothing out of their ordinary here. It’s another match that felt like it was there for the sake of tacking on another episode of the weekly show before we get to the biggest show of the year. Just more filler content and hardly anything noteworthy.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video talks about how many things have changed in the last year. I’m really not sure how much I’d focus on the pace of changes in Ring Of Honor.

We recap the Women’s Pure Title tournament. Almost eight months after it was announced, we’re finally at the finals, with the woman who was favored to win the thing from the beginning included.

Women’s Pure Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Billie Starkz

For the inaugural title and Purrazzo takes her down into the Fujiwara armbar at the bell. Starkz burns off her first rope break less than twenty seconds in so Purrazzo grabs a headlock. An armbar keeps Starkz in trouble but the Fujiwara armbar is reversed into a rollup for two. They fight outside with Starkz sending her into the steps a few times, as this is stretching the “pure” moniker.

Back in and Starkz works on the arm before grabbing what looks like a Tazmission. That’s broken up and Starkz is sent outside for a baseball slide. Starkz shrugs that off and forearms away but clotheslines the post by mistake. A Russian legsweep sends Starkz back first into the announcers’ table and they go back inside. They trade kicks to the face until Purrazzo hits a discus lariat to leave both of them down.

Back up and they forearm it out with Purrazzo knee lifting her into the Fujiwara armbar. Another rope break gets Starkz out as Moxley sounds like he’s finally understanding Pure Rules (which isn’t a good sign that he didn’t seem to get them for the first ten minutes). They fight to the apron, where Starkz hits an Alabama Slam into a running Swanton to the back.

The Swanton gives Starkz two and a choke sends Purrazzo over for her first rope break. Purrazzo is back up with a German suplex into the Gotch style piledriver for two. The threat of the Venus de Milo has Starkz using her third rope break so Purrazzo cranks on both arms in the ropes. Starkz breaks out and hits a spinning Downward Spiral. The Swanton is loaded up but Purrazzo reverses into the Venus de Milo in the middle of the ring for the tap at 13:52.

Rating: B-. The action was good, but there was pretty much nothing here that mattered with the Pure Rules. It was basically Purrazzo trying to get her big hold and then finally managing to get it on. You could have dropped the Pure Rules from the whole thing and it wouldn’t have particularly mattered. It doesn’t help that the tournament turned into a running joke in Ring Of Honor and there was almost no way to make it live up to the hype. Certainly not a bad match, but at usual, just nothing that felt like you needed to see the thing.

Post match Queen Aminata comes out for the staredown.

We recap Nigel McGuinness vs. Lee Moriarty. They had a Pure Rules Title match last year with Moriarty winning but then McGuinness beat him in a four way match. Somehow this counts as making them 1-1 against each other so now it’s a 30 minute Iron Man match. Non-title of course.

Nigel McGuinness vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title thirty minute Iron Man match and Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty. McGuinness wears the old Pure Rules Title because….I guess it looks nice? They go technical to start with neither being able to get very far. The threat of a rebound lariat has Moriarty stepping away and it’s an early standoff. Moxley talks about the Heartland Wrestling Association as McGuinness escapes a cravate. McGuinness misses another rebound lariat but grabs some rollups for two each. The Border City Stretch makes McGuinness tap at 3:45 for the first fall.

Moriarty – 1
McGuinness – 0

McGuinness takes over with a wristlock so Moriarty rolls around and picks the ankle, only to get caught in a cravate. An uppercut knocks Moriarty into the corner and McGuinness is getting frustrated. They fight over an abdominal stretch until Moriarty has to go to the ropes. The Tower Of London is broken up and Moriarty goes outside, where McGuinness chops him down with twenty minutes to go. Back in and Moriarty grabs a small package for the pin at 10:56.

Moriarty – 2
McGuinness – 0

McGuinness manages to grab a quick hammerlock DDT before twisting the arm around as a bonus. Moriarty reverses into an ankle twist as the fans start chanting for McGuinness. The London Dungeon is broken up so McGuinness twists him down by the arm. A double arm crank is broken up, leaving McGuinness to use his feet to snap the arm instead.

Moriarty knocks him off the top and hits a high crossbody. McGuinness is right back with the London Dungeon, sending Moriarty right back to the rope. They trade chops in the corner until McGuinness pokes him in the eye (and shrugs in a nice moment). McGuinness goes back to the arm and grabs the London Dungeon to finally make Moriarty tap at 19:08.

Moriarty – 2
McGuinness – 1

You can see McGuinness’ confidence kick in as he knows he can beat Moriarty. McGuinness goes after the arm again but Moriarty rolls him up for the fall at 19:48.

Moriarty – 3
McGuinness – 1

McGuinness goes after the arm again and ties it up using his legs. Moriarty manages to slip out and it’s time to trade uppercuts. Moriarty’s missed charge in the corner lets McGuinness grab a neckbreaker out of said corner for two. A London Dungeon with a backbreaker is broken up so McGuinness switches into a triangle choke.

McGuiness’ LeBell Lock sends Moriarty to the ropes with five minutes to go. Another hammerlock DDT is countered into a rollup for two so McGuinness hits the rebound lariat for tow more. They go outside with Moriarty choking him out for a near countout as McGuinness manages to beat the count. The Border City Stretch goes on but McGuinness reverses into a rollup for the pin at 28:10.

Moriarty – 3
McGuinness – 2

Back up and they collide for a double down as we have a minute left. McGuinness pulls him into another rollup for the pin at 29:30.

Moriarty – 3
McGuinness – 3

McGuinness grabs a rollup for another fall at 29:48.

McGuinness – 4
Moriarty – 3

Taylor punches McGuinness out and Moriarty gets the pin at 29:59.

Moriarty – 4
McGuinness – 4

And then time expires. Hold on though as McGuinness goes to leave but Moriarty wants sudden death. McGuinness is back in and rolls Moriarty up with trunks for two. A sunset flip gets the same and they trade rollups for two each. It works so well that they do it again, with Moriarty grabbing a European clutch for the pin at 34:08.

Moriarty – 5
McGuinness – 4

Rating: B+. I loved that last bit of regulation time as I wasn’t expecting two straight falls in such a short span of time. It made for some nice extra drama and that’s what I wanted to see out of something like this. Moriarty winning is the right move as this needs to wrap everything up. McGuinness has lost to him twice now and that should be it for their rivalry, which is what it should have been. Rather good match though, with a heck of a story involved.

Post match McGuinness gives Moriarty the old title as major respect is shown.

Jon Moxley grabs the mic and talks about the Don Callis Family. Those guys thinking they’re owed something but he was raised and fortified by Ohio tap water. If Konosuke Takeshita wants to make any ground in the tournament, he’s going to have to take it from him.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the Women’s TV Title against Red Velvet. This is one of Mone’s titles and now Velvet, who was out of action for months of her reign, is getting her rematch.

Women’s TV Title: Red Velvet vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and gets jumped during the Big Match Intros. They fight over small packages for some near falls each until Velvet misses a standing moonsault. Mone slams her down for two more and it’s off to a double arm crank. Three Amigos have Velvet in more trouble but a frog splash hits raised knees. Velvet slugs away and hits some running knees to the back.

Some stomping and choking, include Velvet doing the splits, have Mone in more trouble but she manages to send Velvet outside. The Meteora off the steps connect with Velvet, followed by the running knees against the ropes back inside. Mone takes her up top and it’s a super victory roll to give Velvet two. A Backstabber and gutbuster give Mone two and it’s time to get frustrated.

What looks like a super Tombstone is countered into a flipping faceplant into the Final Slice gives Velvet two. That means a stunned face off the kickout but the Mone Maker is countered into a faceplant for two more. Velvet kicks her in the head for another near fall but Mone gets the Statement Maker. That’s broken up with a kick off the ropes…and Velvet cradles her for the pin and the title at 13:45.

Rating: B+. Well that was awesome. I’m not sure what to think as I’ve never seen Velvet come anywhere close to what she did here and it was a heck of a match. What matters the most is that Mone put her over clean, which is what has been a rare situation for her in AEW/ROH. Awesome stuff here, and if Velvet can do this going forward, I can more than live with it.

Post match Velvet is thrilled and Mone is devastated.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. La Faccion Ingobernable had to vacate the titles due to Rush being injured so the titles have been held up. Former champion Sammy Guevara is teaming with the Beast Mortos against….a team who has never had a regular tag match before. Because Ring Of Honor.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

For the vacant titles. Guevara and Billington start things off with Billington working on the arm to keep Guevara down. That’s broken up and Guevara knocks him away, meaning it’s time to yell at the fans. Billington goes to the leg and Guevara is quickly over to the ropes for some safety. Priest comes in to hammer on Mortos in the corner, earning a choke shove. Guevara jumps in on commentary to brag about the team’s success as Billington dropkicks Mortos.

A double backdrop puts Mortos down for two but he’s right back with a neck twist to Priest. Guevara comes in (the fans cannot stand him) for a basement superkick and it’s already back to Mortos (the fans can stand him a bit more). The right hands in the corner have Priest staggered and the villains get to take turns beating on him. Priest is able to come back with a middle rope tornado DDT and the much needed tag brings Billington back in.

The missile dropkick gets two on Mortos, who is right back with a Samoan drop for two more. Something like a Doomsday Device is broken up and Mortos misses a charge into the corner. A running clothesline/German suplex combination drops Mortos for another near fall and priest snaps off a super hurricanrana. Cue Hechicero to shove Priest off the top though and Mortos’ corkscrew moonsault pins Billington for the titles at 13:11.

Rating: B-. There wasn’t much to this one, as the action was fine but there was no reason for Billington and Priest to get the title shot. You have all kinds of teams on the ROH roster and yet here’s a team just being thrown out there for the vacant titles. It’s like they do all of the work and then just do something else at the last minute. I don’t get it, but it’s a good example of the problems with the weekly show. Either way, nice enough match here, but absolutely nothing memorable.

We recap Eddie Kingston vs. Josh Woods. They have no story here, as this is just a way to build Kingston up for his AEW World Title shot next week. That’s it.

Eddie Kingston vs. Josh Woods

Woods goes for the legs to start but Kingston pulls him down into a quick neckbreaker. Back up and a springboard kick to the head drops Kingston, allowing Woods to go after the arm. That’s broken up as well and Kingston starts hammering him down but Woods is back with shots of his own. They trade the strikes until it’s a double down for a fairly early breather.

Woods gets the better of things but walks into a German suplex. Kingston fires off chops in the corner but gets caught in an armbar. That’s broken up as well and Kingston fires off some headbutts in the corner. Even Kingston is a bit staggered but he’s able to superplex Woods down for two. The Rolling Chaos Theory gives Woods two more, with Kingston grabbing the rope. Back up and Kingston grabs a German suplex to drop Woods, allowing Kingston to shout about Samoa Joe. The DDT finishes Woods off at 9:45.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here but there was only so much to be gotten out of two people who don’t have any issues. This was all about warming Kingston up for the World Title match next week, which means this didn’t need to be on the pay per view. Put this on Collision instead and let the show breathe a bit.

Post match, respect is shown.

We recap the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Shane Taylor Promotions have been champions for a bit and SkyFlight wanted a shot. End of build.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: SkyFlight vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

The Promotions are defending and jump them from behind to start fast. SkyFlight fights back and a jumping back elbow puts Dean down. It’s time to alternate shots on Dean’s arm until Dean gets Dante into the corner for a cheap shot. Taylor comes in to hammer Darius down in the corner before the Infantry gets to slug him against the ropes. Darius fights back but gets sent into the corner again, meaning Taylor can come in to be imposing.

The big splash gives Taylor two and it’s back to Dean, who knocks Dante outside. The running shot in the corner hits Darius and the big running flip dive takes Dante down again. Back up and Dante manages to be on the apron for the tag. House is quickly cleaned but Trish Adora trips Dante from the floor. Leila Grey takes her shoes off for the big brawl and here is Christopher Daniels to Angel’s Wings Anthony Ogogo. Everything breaks down and Taylor knocks Darius silly with the right hand, giving Dean the retaining pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Much like the Tag Team Title match, this didn’t have much in the way of a story to the whole thing. It was just a match between two teams, with the Promotions getting a successful title defense. It’s certainly not bad, but there’s only so much you can get out of a match with so little build put in.

We recap Ricochet defending the National Title against Dalton Castle. Ricochet won the inaugural title last month and is making the first defense of an AEW title in ROH. Castle has messed with Ricochet and has had two matches this week to get ready. Granted they were trios matches but you can’t expect it to be that much better.

AEW National Title: Dalton Castle vs. Ricochet

Ricochet is defending. They take their time to start until Ricochet grabs an early rollup for two. Castle takes him down as well and we get a lap around the ring, including the Boys. Back in and Castle takes him down again, setting up the falling splash and a spinning elbow to the face. Ricochet bails out to the floor and hits one of the Boys, meaning Castle needs to check on him.

That’s fine with Ricochet, who is right back with a running flip dive, followed by a Steve Austin middle rope elbow for two. Castle is sent into the corner for a legsweep into a slingshot dropkick. Ricochet goes up so Castle rolls away in a smart move. Ricochet’s handspring is countered into a German suplex and there’s a suplex to drop Ricochet again. The reverse Sling Blade gives Castle two so Ricochet is back up with an enziguri. A Lionsault gives Ricochet two but the Spirit Gun misses.

Ricochet escapes the Bang A Rang and grabs a standing Sliced Bread #2 for two. Some kind of big flip off the top misses for Ricochet and they fight over suplexes onto and back off of the apron. Castle manages to drop him onto the apron and it’s the Bang A Rang back inside for the near fall. Ricochet is sent outside again and this time he throws one of the Boys at Castle. That’s enough of a distraction for the Spirit Gun to retain the title at 14:57.

Rating: B. Once you saw Castle messing with the Demand, you knew the match was going to be good due to the talent involved. That was exactly what happened here and it made for a solid match. While calling Ring Of Honor an outside promotion, at least it’s a first step in the title actually feeling different.

We recap the World Title match. Rush is injured so Bandido is defending against five people in an elimination match. End of build.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Blake Christian vs. Sammy Guevara vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Hechicero vs. Komander

Bandido is defending in Survival Of The Fittest (elimination rules). There are no tags so we have Guevara and Mortos getting boos/cheers for a bit before everyone fights to the floor. Christian is fine enough to stand back and watch as Komander is sent into the corner by Guevara and Mortos. Hechicero and Mortos want Christian inside so Christian goes after Mortos to limited success.

Back in and Christian takes Guevara down but walks into a gutbuster. Mortos spears Hechicero down to end their brief alliance but Hechicero fights out of the corner. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker drops Guevara, only for Christian to send Hechicero outside for a heck of a dive.

Back in and Christian gets beaten up by Komander and Bandido, with Bandido’s corkscrew high crossbody hitting Christian and Guevara. Bandido isn’t done as he kind of powerbombs Komander onto the villains on the floor. Christian is brought back in and flipped into a backbreaker for two but Guevara breaks up Bandido vs. Komander. Guevara gets X Kneed into the Cielito Lindo for the first elimination at 11:25.

Mortos is back in to clean house but Komander cuts him off with a springboard poisonrana (dang). Bandido grabs a German suplex on Mortos and Hechicero’s hurricanrana driver finishes Mortos at 13:01. Hechicero isn’t done as he cross armbreakers Bandido but Komander makes a kind of questionable save. Bandido and Komander go up top, where Christian’s springboard hurricanrana brings them down, with Komander giving Bandido a super Spanish Fly. Well that was a mess, albeit an awesome one. Christian cutters Komander for the elimination at 15:28 and we’re down to Christian vs. Bandido vs. Hechicero.

Bandido’s leg gets tied up in the ropes with Hechicero cranking away before everyone gets two off a rollup. Christian superkicks Hechicero by mistake, allowing Bandido to hit a running hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and a frog splash gives Bandido two on Christian, whose Lethal Injection gets the same on Bandido. An X Knee staggers Christian and Hechicero is back in with the spinning hammerlock backbreaker for a rather near fall. Hechicero chokes Bandido, who jumps up and sunset flips Christian for the elimination at 20:36.

That leaves us with Bandido vs. Hechicero for the title (again) so Christian jumps Bandido and reinjures his shoulder. We pause for the medics to check on him before Hechicero sends the shoulder into the corner. A backdrop sends Bandido onto the apron and he lands on the steps, with Hechicero’s slingshot dive only hitting said steps. Bandido’s running suicide dive takes Hechicero out again but he’s back up with a rather spinning rollup for two. Hechicero’s electric chair is countered into a poisonrana and a small package retains Bandido’s title at 27:55.

Rating: B+. They did a very nice job here with the fast paced action, which is quite impressive given how thrown together the whole thing felt. I’m not sure on Bandido retaining here, but they’re doing a good job of making him feel like THE star. Hechicero continues to look good and Christian is still someone who could make for a great annoying champion. Solid stuff here, though I’m not sure how great of a choice it was for the World Title match on the biggest show of the year.

A rather psychotic looking Mercedes Mone is upset but Leila Grey comes in to say she might be the next TBS Champion. Mone freaks out and the match is set for Collision this week.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

We recap Athena defending the Women’s Title against Persephone. Athena has been champion for years and Persephone has indeed wrestled in Ring Of Honor before.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Persephone

Athena, with Diamante, is defending and does not seem impressed to start. The tease of a test of strength lets Athena dance a bit so Persephone slaps her in the face. Another shot knocks Athena outside for a meeting with Diamante. Athena tells the fans that this is her show before heading back inside, where Persephone hits her in the face. This time Athena heads outside again, where Persephone gets hit in the face for a change.

A Codebreaker off the steps drops Persephone again but Athena seems to hurt her back. They get back inside, where Athena manages a belly to back suplex for two, though her back is giving her trouble. Diamante gets in a quick cheap shot and Athena hits a faceplant onto the apron. Persephone manages a swinging Irish Curse for two as she has quite the target. A rollup gives Athena two but Persephone is right back to the injured back. They head outside again, where Athena gets slammed HARD onto the announcers’ table, sending her bailing to the ropes.

Stereo clotheslines leave them both down before a big boot drops Athena for two more. Athena manages to catch her in a handstand, with a dropkick sending Persephone outside. Persephone is fine enough to counter a suicide dive into a fall away slam on the floor. Diamante tries to interfere and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. A missile dropkick gives Persephone two and it’s off to something like a modified Sharpshooter.

That’s enough to send Athena to the ropes and she’s back up with a springboard moonsault for two. Athena can’t get an Alabama Slam but she can get a Koji Clutch. Persephone gets out so Athena grabs it again, with Persephone getting a foot on the rope. Athena yells at her a lot, earning herself a northern lights suplex. The Razor’s Edge gives Persephone two the shock is real. Persephone takes too long loading up a moonsault and gets German superplexed back down. The O Face retains the title at 27:09.

Rating: B+. These two beat the living daylights out of each other and Athena’s insane reign continues. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from her (please no on the Billie Starkz stuff, as we’ve been there TWICE) but it’s going to be quite the moment. Persephone felt like a star as well, and it would have been even better if she had done anything of note in ROH just yet.

Athena celebrates with Diamante and Billie Starkz to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s a really good show with some outstanding action, but sweet goodness it’s the third Ring Of Honor show of the week and the whole thing breaks five hours. While I was enjoying the matches, I was sick of hearing the same commentary and seeing the same logos after so much of them this week.

As is so often the case with something from Tony Khan, the wrestling is enough to make the show work, but the illogical (or in ROH, the almost non-existing) booking holds it back. Figure those things out and make the weekly show worth anything and this stuff could be great, because the wrestling is more than good enough to be worth a look.

Results
Outrunners b. Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Daivari
Leila Grey b. Zayda Steel – Angel’s Wings
Ace Austin b. Lee Johnson – The Fold
Death Riders b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Running knee to Gibson
Deonna Purrazzo b. Billie Starkz – Venus de Milo
Lee Moriarty b. Nigel McGuinness 5-4
Red Velvet b. Mercedes Mone – Cradle
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington – Corkscrew moonsault to Billington
Eddie Kingston b. Josh Woods – DDT
Shane Taylor Promotions b. SkyFlight – Right hand to Darius
Ricochet b. Dalton Castle – Spirit Gun
Bandido won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Hechicero
Athena b. Persephone – O Face

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 4, 2025
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

it’s the night before Final Battle and we’re on the second of three Ring Of Honor shows this week. The big draw this time is that the Women’s TV Champion is actually going to be here as Mercedes Mone is going to be doing something. The pay per view can use some extra buildup so let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the top of the Final Battle card.

The Beast Mortos vs. Komander

Komander does the bull pass Ole’s to start so Mortos hits him in the face. An anklescissors and headscissors take Mortos down but he cuts off the bouncy springboard hurricanrana. Mortos’ fireman’s carry backbreaker has Komander in more trouble and it’s time to choke on the rope. A neck twist keeps Komander in trouble but he gets in a quick hurricanrana for two more.

Mortos is sent outside for the big dive, though he’s fine enough to grab a pop up Samoan drop for another near fall. Komander’s crucifix bomb gets two so he goes up, where Mortos counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb backbreaker. A poisonrana drops Mortos again and Komander goes up, only for Sammy Guevara to shove him down for the DQ at 9:40.

Rating: C. This was starting to pick up before the not so great ending. I get the idea of not wanting one of them to be pushed harder before Final Battle, but if that’s the case, why bother putting it together in the first place? Either way, at least Komander got to do his high flying stuff, which does work well most of the time.

Post match Komander gets his mask ripped off but Bandido comes out for the save. Cue Don Callis to ask about his white pants and to introduce Hechicero. The good guys are beaten down and the other three argue over the title.

Premiere Athletes vs. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia/Zoey Lynn

Daivari unloads on Tenaglia in the corner to start and it’s off to Denali for more of the same. Denali chokes on Lynn before it’s off to Collins, who catches Nese’s boot. Daivari breaks it up with a hammerlock lariat to Collins and Denali chokeslams Lynn for the pin at 2:53. Total destruction.

Rosario Grillo vs. Sidney Akeem

Grillo works on the arm to start as commentary talks about the World Title match. Akeem nips up and hits a running shoulder but gets taken into the corner for some elbows to the head. Akeem’s springboard is broken up with a forearm to the face but he’s back with a spinning crossbody. The backflip cutter is broken up so Akeem connects with the second attempt for the win at 4:31.

Rating: C. The flips and acrobatics were nice, but why in the world is this on the last show before Final Battle? It would be a stretch in a regular week and yet here it is, even in a week where they had another show as a bonus. It’s not like there is any required amount of content to fill and this felt like nothing more than filler for the sake of making the show longer.

Dalton Castle/The Outrunners vs. Jake Omen/Ashton Adonis/Josh Crane

Magnum poses at Omen to start and hands it off to Floyd for a running knee lift. Castle’s falling splash gets two but it’s Magnum getting caught in the wrong corner. That’s broken up in a hurry though and it’s Floyd coming back in to help clean house. It’s off to Castle for the suplexes and the Mega Powers Elbow into the Bang A Rang finishes Adonis at 4:40.

Rating: C. Dalton Castle has a match for the National Title at the biggest show of the year so he wrestles two six man tags this week. Of course he does. Even though there is a grand total of no chance that Castle wins the title at Final Battle, it shouldn’t be asking too much to have him win some squash matches while the Outrunners pose at ringside.

Post match here is Ricochet for a distraction, allowing the Gates Of Agony to jump the Outrunners. Ricochet comes in for a belt shot, plus the Spirit Gun.

Death Riders vs. Damien Reel/Damon Reel

Yuta and Damien start things off with Yuta easily taking over. It’s off to Garcia to send him into the corner for some glaring. Yuta comes back in to tie up the leg, with Garcia adding some right hands to the head. Damien fights up and brings in Damon to make a comeback, which doesn’t last long. Instead it’s a flying forearm Hart Attack into the Dragontamer for the tap at 3:53.

Rating: C. This is another match involving people who have nothing to do with Final Battle. That’s the theme of way too much of this show, as again it’s not like Yuta and Garcia are strangers. They’re people who have been well established on AEW and yet here they are again, doing the same thing they always do. Why did this need to be here?

Queen Aminata tells Deonna Purrazzo that she is injured and out of the tournament, meaning Purrazzo is in the finals. Purrazzo is understanding, as well as ready for whomever she faces tomorrow night.

Mercedes Mone vs. Little Miss Larkin

Non-title. Larkin is very excited to be here and gets pulled down by the hair to start. Statement Maker finishes at 34 seconds.

Women’s Pure Rules Title Tournament Semifinals: Billie Starkz vs. Yuka Sakazaki

They start a bit slowly until Starkz drives her into the ropes for Sakazaki’s first break. Sakazaki grabs a bodyscissors and rolls her around the ring for two and they head outside. Starkz slugs away to take over and stomps away back inside. A DDT gives Starkz two but Sakazaki fights back, forcing Starkz to use the rope. Starkz comes out with a right hand into a DDT to stay on the neck. Sakazaki uses the second rope break to get out of a chinlock and she Snowplows Starkz for two.

An ankle lock makes Starkz use her second rope break and she slams Sakazaki off the top. The Swanton misses though and Sakazaki’s top rope splash misses. Starkz grabs a kneebar but Sakazaki does the same thing, meaning they need to trade forearms for the double escape…and they both use their final rope break. They strike it out again until Starkz trips her into a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B-. And that’s how we get to the finals of the tournament. This was another case of how gimmicky can they get with the rope breaks, which is basically all the Pure Title stuff is most of the time. Starkz cheating in the end was at least something different, but my goodness I cannot bring myself to care about this tournament.

And that’s it. Seriously, that’s it. Mone, the big advertisement for this show, was out there for a 34 second squash and nothing more. That’s so lame it’s almost funny.

Overall Rating: D+. Maybe it was having the extra show earlier this week (which was completely and totally necessary), but this felt like the biggest waste of time. The wrestling was mediocre at best and a lot of it had little or nothing to do with the pay per view. This show was supposed to sell me on Final Battle and instead it sold me on wanting to go to my local library and find a nice ornamental horticulture book. Totally nothing show here, but at least we had to pay to see it.

Results
Komander b. The Beast Mortos via DQ when Sammy Guevara interfered
Premiere Athletes b. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia/Zoey Lynn – Chokeslam to Lynn
Sidney Akeem b. Rosario Grillo – Backflip cutter
Dalton Castle/The Outrunners b. Jake Omen/Ashton Adonis/Josh Crane – Bang A Rang to Crane
Death Riders b. Damien Reel/Damon Reel – Dragontamer to Damon
Mercedes Mone b. Little Miss Larkin – Statement Maker
Billie Starkz b. Yuka Sakazaki – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: November 20, 2025
Location: Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We now have three shows to go before Final Battle and that means it is time to get the card together. While there are some matches that will be set up in the coming weeks, there are several title matches that still need to be set up. Hopefully they get some of that covered here, just for the sake of having a few weeks of build. Let’s get to it.

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

Billie Starkz is told that she’s “on a roll” in the Pure Rules Title tournament (where she has won one match) but Athena comes in to….not be able to say she’s proud. Athena is worried about her title defense tonight and asks who she is if she can’t beat Harley Cameron. The interviewer, and former Minion, recites her statement and has to cut the segment before she gets hugged.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Women’s Title: Harley Cameron vs. Athena

Athena is defending. Cameron starts in on the arm and cuts off an escape attempt. Athena fights up again and they go outside with Cameron being rammed into the apron. Back in and Athena smiles a lot while beating Cameron down, followed by a cravate. Cameron avoids a backsplash though and snaps off a headscissors but Athena rips at her face. That’s broken up and Cameron knocks her down for two as the fans are getting behind the comeback.

An O’Connor roll gives Athena two but the kickout sends Athena into the ropes, where she hits a springboard splash for two. They head outside with Cameron being sent into the barricade, allowing Athena to remind us that this is her show. Back in and Cameron grabs a superplex and a pumphandle suplex gets two. They both counter That’s Her Finisher so Cameron kicks her in the face, setting up a Backstabber. An STF has Athena in trouble but she bites the hand to escape. Athena pulls her into the Koji Clutch to retain at 12:36.

Rating: B. Cameron continues to feel like a rising star but there was no way she was going to be the one to end Athena’s now legendary reign. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Athena defending the title, though it would make sense to have this one set up for Final Battle, which needs the match. For now though, it did feel like a big match and Cameron brought it in her chance.

Billie Starkz vs. Katie Arquette

Pure Rules. Starkz grabs her to start and Arquette has used her first two rope breaks in about thirty five seconds. Arquette gets a headlock and backs Starkz into the ropes, which apparently counts as Starkz’s first break. Starkz hits her in the face for the official warning and then rams Arquette into the buckle over and over. Arquette takes her into the corner for a running hip attack but Starkz is fine enough for a brainbuster onto the knee. The Swanton finishes for Starkz at 4:22.

Rating: C-. The worst kind of Pure Rules (or any gimmick matches for that matter) are the kinds where you can take the gimmick away entirely and nothing changes. That’s the case here, as there was nothing added on with the Pure Rules deal, which again makes me wonder why we need a title for this non-division. But what else were we going to spend 7+ months on otherwise?

Post match Deonna Purrazzo comes out for her match and gets in a staredown with Starkz.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Viva Van

Another Pure Rules match. Purrazzo takes her down without much trouble to start so they trade forearms. A quick running ax kick gives Van two but Purrazzo is back with a kick to the face. The Fujiwara armbar sends Van over to the rope for her first break before it’s a powerbomb to drop her again. The second Fujiwara armbar finishes for Purrazzo at 3:33.

Rating: C. It’s the second Pure Rules match and we’re just over half an hour into the show. Naturally neither of them was a tournament match, but thank goodness I’ve only got a few more weeks before this title can be basically forgotten for months at a time. Purrazzo is the big favorite to win the whole thing, which has me thinking she loses in a surprise.

Post match Billie Starkz comes in to jump Purrazzo.

Persephone challenges Athena for Final Battle, citing two things. First of all, she beat Athena at Global Wars. Technically true, as her partner did pin Athena…..’s partner (in June). Second, she’s “been running through all the women of Ring Of Honor”. She’s had three matches in Ring Of Honor and is 2-1, most recently in July (a loss). In other words, sounds perfect for a Final Battle title match.

Satnam Singh vs. JP Grayson

Singh chops him in the corner to start and then does it again in a different corner. A gorilla press drop and a chokeslam finish for Singh at 2:13. Exactly what he does.

Jakked Jameson vs. QT Marshall

The Frat House is here with Jameson so Marshall brings out the Costco Guys. Jameson is sent outside to start and Marshall takes him down with a quick dive. One heck of a backdrop sends Marshall outside, where the Frat House gets in some cheap shots. Back in and a spinebuster gives Jameson two but Marshall is up with the clotheslines. The Cookie Cutter finishes for Marshall at 2:34.

Post match the Frat House goes after Big Boom AJ and Marshall, who clear the ring. RPG Vice come in and lay the good guys out. AJ’s hand is crushed with a chair.

Mercedes Mone brags about winning the Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Title. Well kind of, as she uses it as proof that she’s ready to beat Kris Statlander. Note that Mone never specifically mentions what she just won or ROH in general, but that’s about how important the title is for her.

Persephone vs. Valentina Rossi

Persephone runs her over with a shoulder to start but Rossi is back with a quick legdrop for two. They trade rollups for two each until Persephone plants her for the same. Rossi wins a fight over a suplex for two of her own but Persephone knocks her right back down. The running Razor’s Edge finishes Rossi at 3:09.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the thinking was here, as Persephone is likely a few weeks away from challenging for the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title. While she won and the finish looked good, Rossi got in a lot of offense rather than being squashed. That’s not the best way to make Persephone look good, and I’m not sure what the thinking was here.

Post match Athena comes out for the staredown, which seems to set up the title match. Cue Diamante to jump Persephone from behind and Athena sends her face first into the title.

Infantry vs. Top Flight

SkyFlight is here with Top Flight. The Infantry jumps them at the bell to start, which doesn’t last long as Top Flight clears the ring in a hurry. Back in and Dante gets taken into the corner for the beatdown, setting up the running hip attack for two. An enziguri into a jumping neckbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock.

The villains switch without making a tag until Dante monkey flips his way to freedom. Darius comes in to clean house, including a cutter to Bravo. A suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Dante as everything breaks down again. The referee sees Dean bringing in a belt and the distraction lets Dante grab a sunset flip for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C+. The match was a fine enough way to set up the pretty obvious Six Man Tag Team Title match for Final Battle. That’s a completely acceptable way to go, with the best aspect being the fact that SkyFlight have been a regular team in recent months. Hopefully they wind up getting the titles, as they have interesting potential as champions.

Post match Shane Taylor runs in for the beatdown but Scorpio Sky makes the save, setting up a Six Man Tag Team Title match at Final Battle to close the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Well, it was the match that set up a bunch of stuff for Final Battle, which was needed, but the Persephone stuff just made me shake my head. Other than that, there was a good bit of stuff that set up Full Gear rather than Final Battle, which continues to show you what this show means. They actually did something here though, and that’s one of the best things that you can say week to week in Ring Of Honor.

Results
Athena b. Harley Cameron – Koji Clutch
Billie Starkz b. Katie Arquette – Swanton
Deonna Purrazzo b. Viva Van – Fujiwara armbar
Satnam Singh b. JP Grayson – Chokeslam
QT Marshall b. Jakked Jameson – Cookie Cutter
Persephone b. Valentina Rossi – Running Razor’s Edge
Top Flight b. Infantry – Sunset flip to Dean

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: October 23, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re at the AEW home base for a change and that could make for a bigger show around here. Then again you never can tell with Ring Of Honor, as they have an interesting definition of a big event. I’m sure we’re still on the way to the next match in the Women’s Pure Rules tournament, which is approaching seven months since its announcement as we still need to finish the first round. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Angelico vs. Mascara Dorada

They trade takedowns to start and stare at each other, followed by an exchange of legsweeps. Back up and Dorada snaps off a headscissors to the floor, setting up a big dive. Angelico is right back with a two arm and one leg crank but Dorada kicks him in the head. A top rope armdrag sends Angelico outside for another dive as he can’t get anything going here. Back in and a 450 gives Dorada two before Angelico dropkicks him out of the air. Dorado knocks him right back down and hits the shooting star press for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. The dives and flips were nice as usual and Dorada gets some momentum before next week’s World Title shot against Bandido. Not that he’s had any interaction with Bandido or anything like that, but it’s not like this show is known for its quality storytelling. As usual, Angelico looks nice in the ring before losing, which is hardly a surprise these days.

Jay Lethal/Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Dark Order

Reynolds and Lethal trade takedowns to start and it’s off to Silver, who sets up the triple pose on Lethal’s back. Lethal kicks his way out of trouble and hands it off to Priest, who feeds Silver into a backdrop from Billington. Silver fights out of the corner and suplexes Billington and Priest at the same time. Uno comes in to clean house with the Order’s signature sequence getting two on Billington. The Order gets taken down by a trio of German suplexes and Lethal Figure Fours Uno. They’re not legal though so it’s Billington grabbing a half crab to make Reynolds tap at 5:44.

Rating: C+. The result is a surprise and I can go for that, as Billington and Priest are fine enough for a “we have nothing else for these guys to do” team. Lethal needs something to do as well so this is as good as anything else for them. It’s surprising to see them beat the Dark Order, but they have to start somewhere.

We look at Mercedes Mone winning the ROH Interim Women’s TV Title.

Red Velvet (hey she’s back) talks about how she has been rebuilding herself and she’s still the Women’s TV Champion. Yeah….really not that impressive, though if it gets rid of a title, I’m all for it.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Angelica Risk

Pure Rules. Purrazzo stomps away in the corner to start but misses a running knee. Risk slaps her on the back and pops her hips a bit. The Fujiwara armbar sends Risk into the ropes for her first break and she’s back up with a hurricanrana driver for two. Purrazzo throws her into the Tree Of Woe for a spear and a powerbomb drops Risk hard. The Venus de Milo makes Risk give up at 3:09.

Rating: C-. Basically a squash here, with the pure rules changing pretty much nothing whatsoever. That’s been the problem for a long time now and unfortunately I don’t see it changing. The tournament has been a joke for a long time now and while it probably ends at Final Battle, there was pretty much no reason for it to exist if this is what they’re doing.

Yuka Sakazaki/Alex Windsor vs. Aleah James/Billie Starkz

Starkz takes Windsor down to start but gets taken down with a running shoulder. Sakazaki comes in for two off a rollup and it’s back to Windsor to hammer away in the corner. Starkz sends her into the corner as well though and James is in for a hurricanrana. Windsor takes her into the corner though and it’s Sakazaki coming back in with a missile dropkick. The Magical Girl Splash misses though and Starkz is back in to knock Windsor off the apron.

Something like a Last Shot gives Starkz two but Sakazaki fights out of trouble without much trouble. Windsor grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and it’s back to James, who gets in an argument with Starkz. Windsor’s Sharpshooter goes on but Starkz walks away and James manages to get out. Not that it matters as a pumphandle driver finishes James at 7:45.

Rating: C+. The point here was Starkz walking out, and I could go for something between her and James. Again, it’s not like there is a lot going on in the women’s division so throw something against the wall and see if it works. Windsor is in the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title tournament, albeit with Riho as a partner, so it’s not like this helps her very much. I’ll take having Windsor around though, as she’s good to have in the ring.

Jay Lethal, Adam Priest and Tommy Billington are ready to team again. For now though, they’re off to get something to eat.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Leeroy Shogun/Bryce Cannon

Gibson takes Cannon down to start and it’s off to Drake to stay on the arm. Cannon is knocked outside and the women come in with Dawn taking over. Shogun comes in and shrugs off Gibson’s shoulder so it’s off to Drake. That’s fine with Shogun, who knocks him down for a big elbow. The women are back in with Dawn taking her down and Cannon making a save. Everything breaks down and Dawn gives Ellie a reverse inverted DDT for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. The Veterans and Dawn work well together so maybe this is what the team has been needing to get something going. There’s something to the Veterans and oddly enough it seems to be working well for them as good guys for once. Again, why not see what you can get out of them? They’re already there, so try it out.

We look at the Frat House at WrestleDream.

Komander vs. Griff Garrison

Komander starts fast and takes him to the floor, where Garrison moves away before the dive. While Komander manages to cut himself off, Garrison drops him onto the barricade to take over. Back in and Komander fights back but Preston Vance gets in a cheap shot from the floor. Komander is sent outside again for a beating from the Frat House but he’s back in with a series of strikes.

A Backstabber into a standing Spanish Fly puts Garrison down but a 450 misses. Garrison knocks him out of the air and a pendulum facebuster gets two. The spinning torture rack powerbomb gets two more but Komander kicks him in the head. Komander has to take Vance out on the ramp and then dives onto the rest of the House. Back in and a springboard tornado DDT sets up Cielito Lindo to finish Garrison at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here with Komander getting in his usual high flying stuff for some good results. He’s one of the more accomplished regulars around here, though you’re only getting so much out of having him beat Garrison. At least they have some time and could put together a more complete match, which is often lacking on this show.

Overall Rating: C. This was the usual effort from Ring Of Honor, as the wrestlers were trying but there is only so much that you can get out of having a bunch of matches with little impact. That’s been the problem with Ring Of Honor for a long time, as it goes weeks if not months without anything important happening. Fix that up and the show is a lot better, but I can’t picture it happening anytime soon.

Results
Mascara Dorada b. Angelico – Shooting star press
Jay Lethal/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington b. Dark Order – Half crab to Reynolds
Deonna Purrazzo b. Angelica Risk – Venus de Milo
Alex Windsor/Yuka Sakazaki b. Aleah James/Billie Starkz – Pumphandle driver to James
Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn b. Dream Girl Ellie/Leeroy Shogun/Bryce Cameron – Reverse inverted DDT to Ellie
Komander b. Griff Garrison – Cielito Lindo

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

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