Ring Of Honor – April 9, 2026: Yeah Fine

Ring Of Honor
Date: April 9, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have the potential to start getting bigger around here sooner than later, as Supercard Of Honor is set for next month. That should mean we get some things set up in advance, though at the same time it often doesn’t happen until the last minute. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we’ll be getting around here so let’s get to it.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz want young, fresh opponents so here are Bustah And The Brain. The match is set but Kingston tells them to earn the handshake.

Opening sequence.

Video on TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice, who have never faced each other. UNTIL NOW!

TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice

Haste and Romero lock up to start, with Haste putting him on top for a pat on the head. A shoulder drops Romero again and it’s off to Beretta, who is quickly taken down as well. Nicholls comes in and hits a standing moonsault for two but Beretta is back with a suplex. Romero comes back in for a wind up poke to the eye and Nicholls is sent outside for a whip into the barricade.

Beretta’s charge misses though and the Forever Lariats are broken up, allowing the tag back to Haste. A suplex puts Beretta down for two but Romero is back in with a double hurricanrana. Haste gets knocked out of the ropes with a top rope double stomp and some running kicks in the corner rock him again. Nicholls makes the save and sends Beretta outside but Romero is back up with a suicide dive to drop Haste. Strong Zero finishes Nicholls at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was good enough action and they had some fun spots near the end, but this is a prime example of how you have to build people up over time or it doesn’t make much of a difference. These teams have some status in New Japan but TMDK haven’t done much here and Vice have been little more than cannon fodder. The match was fine, though there wasn’t exactly a reason to be interested in the result as it isn’t like either team has any status.

Riccaboni on the win: “LFI better watch out!” This would be your latest incident of commentary making statements that are utter nonsense based on how title shots work in Ring Of Honor. And yes I get that Riccaboni is likely told to say this kind of thing. The problem is in the way the show works, not in him.

Lio Rush vs. Nathan Cruz

Cruz tentatively shakes his hand and wants Rush to stand up. They fight over a suplex until Cruz backs him into the corner for some elbows to the face. Rush’s spinning kick to the head gets one so Cruz knocks him outside, where Rush laughs a lot. Cruz bends Rush’s arms around the ropes but Rush is back up with a handspring kick to the head. The suicide dive drops Cruz again and a Thesz press gets two back inside. Cruz is right back with a Samoan driver for two of his own but Rush gives him a Stunner. The Final Hour finishes Cruz at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Hey, did you know that Rush was weird? That’s the whole thing here, as he just crawls around with his eyes bugging out…and then a few minutes go by and he’s the same wrestler he’s always been. Rush is good at his style and the way he usually moves is rather cool. I have no idea what the Gollum stuff needs to be there for but it’s what we’re getting for whatever reason.

We look back at the women of Ring Of Honor at Global Wars.

Deonna Purrazzo says if Diamante wants to come after the Women’s Pure Rules Title at Supercard Of Honor, bring it. So there’s your first title match and at least it does follow a story that has been going on.

Josh Woods vs. Matt Menard

Pure Rules. They go technical to start, as of course they should, with Woods being sent to the ropes for his first break. Menard goes to the floor for the chase and catches him in a front facelock on the way back in…while in the ropes, which is the second break. A Boston crab has Woods going to the ropes for the third and final break as we’re only 2:10 into the match.

Menard tries another Boston crab and Woods IMMEDIATELY reversed into a leglock for the tap at 2:46. Ok that was actually funny, as Menard took away the rope breaks but Woods realized he’s facing MATT MENARD and made him tap almost instantly. It probably wasn’t on purpose, but I chuckled at that ending.

Soleil vs. Komander

Soleil is better known as Sidney Akeem under a mask (commentary acknowledges that it’s him). They start with the tumbling and neither of them can make much contact, with Soleil doing something like an inverted Worm. Back up and a spinning crossbody gives Soleil two but he gets sent outside. A high crossbody gives Soleil two and a running kick to the head gets the same.

The chinlock goes on but Komander is right back up with a springboard missile dropkick. Something like a pumphandle Side Effect gives Soleil two but Komander grabs an Octopus Hold. Back up and Soleil misses a charge into the ropes and gets kicked down for two. A poisonrana gives Komander two but Soleil is back with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer. Komander pops back up and hits a gutbuster into Cielito Lindo for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. It was the match you would expect from the two of them doing their flips and dives. As usual, that was rather entertaining and the two of them can do some awesome stuff that few others can pull off. At the same time, it felt like the same match they had before and it’s not like either of them are going anywhere anytime soon.

We look at the recent issues between the women of Shane Taylor Promotions and Zayda Steel/Red Velvet. And Shawn Dean cheating so Anthony Ogogo could win a match.

Shawn Taylor Promotions vs. Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang

Moriarty and Austin start things off with Moriarty working on the arm. Austin pops up and pulls him down with an armbar. That’s reversed into an Octopus, which Austin reverses into the Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Ross and Dean come in so Ross can kick him in the face in the corner.

Ross stays on the arm before Taylor and Robinson come in, with neither being able to get a slam. Instead Taylor Snake Eyes him into the corner and everything breaks down. Bravo comes in to dance a bunch before we settle down to Bravo kicking Robinson in the face. Something like a Garvin Stomp gets two and it’s off to Dean for a running elbow drop. Taylor comes in for a splash and it’s back to Dean for a Bronco Buster.

Taylor misses a legdrop and Moriarty gets backdropped, allowing Austin to come back in and clean house. Everything breaks down again and Taylor powerbombs Austin, with Marshall making the save. Marshall manages to slam Taylor and Austin kicks Dean into the Fold for the pin at 14:55. Riccaboni: “He just pinned one third of the Six Man Champs!” Shame it’s not in a six man tag or that might matter a bit more.

Rating: B-. It’s another fun match and odds are this sets up a Six Man Tag Team Title match, even though it was a pair of two man teams pairing up. The match did get going in the end and it was nice to see Austin getting a pin. Can we just get him away from the Bang Bang Gang and let him do something better though?

Bustah And The Brain are ready to change the Ring Of Honor tag division.

Action Andretti vs. AR Fox

They go to the mat to start with Fox grabbing a headscissors before an exchange of rollups gets two each. The rollups continue for another series of near falls before Andretti avoids an enziguri to send Fox into the corner. Fox trips him down and grabs a suplex, followed by the slingshot dropkick to a downed Andretti. They go outside, with Fox putting him in a chair and running around the ring, only to get cut off.

Fox is right back up with a suicide dive, only for Andretti to hit a dive of his own. That doesn’t work for Fox, who sends him outside for a heck of a no hands dive over the top. Back in and Andretti grabs a very spinny wristdrag, followed by some driving shoulders in the corner. Andretti’s suplex gets two and they kick each other for a double down. Fox grabs a rolling cutter for two more but Andretti pips up with a forearm.

A split legged moonsault gives Andretti two but Fox is back up with some kicks to the head. Fox hits a basement cutter so he goes up, only to get caught with a running Spanish Fly. A springboard clothesline into a running shooting star press gives Andretti two, as does the torture rack neckbreaker. They slug it out until a springboard spinning crossbody drops Fox. Andretti dives into a cutter though and the 450 finishes for Fox at 16:59.

Rating: B. Well that was….long. It was rather entertaining and had two guys who are incredibly athletic, though much like a lot of the other matches on this show, it’s hard to buy either of them going anywhere. Fox will probably be in g a TV Title match at Supercard Of Honor and that’s about it. That being said, this was a heck of a match, though the near falls got a bit nutty near the end.

Post match respect is shown.

IInspiration vs. Viva Van/Frankie B

Van is taken into the wrong corner to start but ducks underneath the two of them to escape. Some kicks put Van and B down, allowing the IInspiration to pose a bit. Van gets knocked down again and the Idolizer finishes Frankie at 2:55. Just a squash.

Post match Riccaboni gets in to interview the IInspiration, who allow him to leave and then talk about how awesome they are. Posing ensues.

We look at Myron Reed beating Mansoor.

Workhorsemen vs. Rascalz

Reed is the odd Rascal out here, making the video about him before the match make a bit less sense. Xavier and Henry grapple around to start, which goes to a standoff. Drake comes in and blocks a double suplex so the Rascalz kick the legs out instead. Henry comes in to kick Wentz in the head and we settle back down to Xavier in trouble in the corner.

Drake’s headbutt gets two but Xavier fights up and gets over to the corner, allowing the tag to Wentz. The pace picks up as Wentz gets to strike away, including a big kick to Henry. Everything breaks down and the push moonsault hits Henry’s raised knees. The Rascalz kick Henry back down though and now the push moonsault finishes him off at 10:37.

Rating: B-. As usual, the Rascalz can do the flying around stuff rather well but they continue to feel like a copy of various other teams on the AEW roster at the moment. I could go for seeing more of them, but there’s only so much to be gained from being the Workhorsemen, as everyone does that. Still though, not too bad here, which isn’t exactly shocking.

Action Andretti and AR Fox agree to run it back but Andretti says it will go differently next time.

Nick Wayne vs. Alex Reynolds

Non-title Proving Ground match. Wayne kicks the handshake away and knocks Reynolds into the corner. Reynolds flips his way out of the corner and knocks Wayne out to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody puts Wayne down again but he goes after Reynolds’ arm to take over. They trade shots to the face until Reynolds grabs a neckbreaker for two more. A clothesline and fisherman’s buster give Reynolds two, followed by a string of rollups for the same. Wayne is right back up for a kick to the head and the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure I get the appeal of Wayne. He had a bunch of potential and still has a good bit of it, but he’s feeling like an afterthought despite being a champion. Case in point this match, as he’s not defending the title against a member of a low level stable. It doesn’t feel important in the slightest, at least partially due to how many champions there are around here.

Post match Wayne, with Mother Wayne, talks about being the future around here because he’ll still be here in twenty years.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Bustah And The Brain

Kingston tells Price to shoulder him to start but Oliver is in for a double dropkick. A double suplex drops Oliver though and it’s time to talk about the Backseat Boyz. Ortiz gets dropkicked down but Kingston comes right back in for a camel clutch to Price. With that broken up, Kingston chops him down and chokes away but Price fights out of the corner. That means a quick tag off to Oliver as everything breaks down.

An exchange of strikes to the face leaves everyone down and it’s Ortiz getting struck into the corner. That doesn’t last long though and a Doomsday faceplant drops Oliver. They load it up again but Price runs in with a hurricanrana for the save. Ortiz avoids a frog splash though and it’s a quick rollup to pin Price at 8:30.

Rating: C+. As usual, I like Bustah And The Brain but the two of them aren’t going to get very far if they keep losing like this. Kingston and Ortiz aren’t exactly a thrilling team either and the match wound up being about what you would expect. I’m not sure why this was the main event as it’s not exactly a major match but I guess Kingston being in the last match was the big idea.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah fine. That’s about all there is to say about this show, as it’s a bunch of matches between people who don’t have much going on, but this one just happened to go two hours and fifteen minutes (couldn’t fit a title match in there though). It’s a great example of a show that is long for the sake of being long with pretty much nothing that felt important in the slightest. In other words, I guess we’re still waiting to start most of the build towards Supercard Of Honor, because it makes more sense to have shows go on and on without changing much of anything.

Results
Roppongi Vice b. TMDK – Strong Zero to Nicholls
Lio Rush b. Nathan Cruz – Final Hour
Josh Woods b. Matt Menard – Leglock
Komander b. Soleil – Cielito Lindo
Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Fold to Dean
AR Fox b. Action Andretti – 450
IInspiration b. Viva Van/Frankie B – Idolizer to Frankie
Rascalz b. Workhorsemen – Push moonsault to Henry
Nick Wayne b. Alex Reynolds – Kick to the head
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup to Price

 

 

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Maple Leaf Wrestling Uprising: Canada’s Finest?

Uprising
Date: March 28, 2026
Location: St. Clair College SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the second night of the Ring Of Honor/Maple Leaf Pro shows and this one has quite a great show to follow from last night. Odds are this on will deal with some fallout from last night, including another Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw title match and a four way for the Interim Canadian Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video more or less says this is the sequel to Global Wars.

Michael Allen Richard Clark (MLP)/Jake Crist (Wrestling Revolver) vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL)/Bhupinder Gujjar (MLP)

Clark and Gujjar start things off with Gujjar picking up the pace into a dropkick. Dorada comes in and sticks the landing on Crist’s headscissors. Some dropkicks put Crist and Clark on the floor, setting up stereo dives. Back in and Clark knocks Gujjar to the floor for a dive of his own and Crist gives him a Russian legsweep back inside.

Clark comes in for the pushups (they’re his thing) on Gujjar’s back, which has Gujjar up for the high crossbody. The tag brings in Dorada to clean house and a spinning slam gets two on Crist. Gujjar’s TKO drops Crist for two, only for Clark to come back in with a powerslam/sliding neckbreaker combination for two on Gujjar. Everything breaks down and Dorada dives onto Crist, leaving Gujjar to spear Clark for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard fast paced tag match here and that’s a good way to open the show. Clark is nice in the overly cocky heel style and Gujjar is fine as a middle of the road hero. As usual Dorada was the big star here and easily the flashiest thing in the match, though he didn’t get a ton of focus. Either way, perfectly fine way to get things going.

Sheldon Jean, Bryce Hansen and Brent Banks are ready to take the Tag Team Titles, though Hansen is told to get a haircut. Hansen is annoyed and yells at some people so Daisuke Sasaki throws a chair at him.

Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers (MLP) vs. Evil Uno (ROH)/Alice Crowley (JCW)

The women trade legsweeps and covers for two each before it’s off to Uno vs. Chambers. Uno can’t get very far working on the arm so Chambers is up with a dropkick. It’s back to Crowley to kick away at Rising, with a Saito suplex for two. Chambers pulls Crowley down from the apron though and Rising gets two off a victory roll.

It’s back to Chambers to work on Crowley and Uno has to come in for a quick save. That just lets Rising choke on the rope but Crowley backdrops her way out. That’s enough for the tag off to Uno for the house cleaning. Uno is sent into Rising, allowing Chambers to grab a rollup for two. Crowley is back in with a suplex though, allowing Uno to piledrive Chambers for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. And we continue yesterday’s issue of MLP not doing so well over this weekend. The best thing is that Alice continues to showcase herself well. She got my attention yesterday and kept it going today. There is something to her that makes her stand out, with Rising not being far behind. Not a thrilling match, but it was nice to see another Canadian get a pin, even if Uno doesn’t work here.

The Swirl (ROH) vs. El Reverso/Mo Jabari (MLP)

Jimmy Jacobs is on commentary. Jabari and Johnson run the ropes to start, with Parker taking him down and then dropping Reverso on top. Reverso hammers away in the corner but gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Reverso escapes and brings Parker back in for the comeback. This time it’s Parker being taken into the wrong corner, with Johnson stomping away and Christian adding a suplex. A double clothesline leaves both of them down though and it’s back to Reverso as the pace picks way back up

Reverso’s Canadian Destroyer gets two but Johnson powerbombs him into Christian’s knees in the corner. Chasing The Dragon gets two on Reverso as Parker makes the save, leaving all four down. That’s enough for Jacobs to get up and hand Parker a chair. Parker drops it but gets speared on the apron by Christian. Reverso gets kneed in the head, setting up a top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to give Johnson the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. The Swirl continues to be one of the better things about Ring Of Honor so it was nice to see them getting to do something on this show. You just want to see them get what’s coming to them and that’s a good feeling to have for some villains. Reverso and Parker were fine, but there was nothing to them that especially stood out.

We recap Bishop Dyer vs. Kaito Kiyamiya. They were partners last night but had issues and lost the match. After it was over, Dyer turned on him.

Dyer is asked why he turned on Kiyamiya. Dyer: “Because I’m an a******.”

Bishop Dyer (MLP) vs. Kaito Kiyamiya (Pro Wrestling Noah)

Dyer shoves him down to start so Kiyamiya jumps on him to slug away. Some more right hands in the corner have Dyer in trouble but he shoves Kiyamiya down again. They go outside with Dyer chopping away against the barricade but hits the post by mistake. Back in and Dyer kicks the rope for a low blow, followed by the Deep Six for two. A hard whip sends Kiyamiya crashing over the corner to the floor and Dyer rams him hard into the apron.

Back in again and Dyer misses a charge in the corner, allowing Kiyamiya to hit a running clothesline. A nice dropkick puts Dyer down but the shining Wizard is countered into an AA. Dyer’s brainbuster gets two and a chokebreaker has Kiyamiya in even more trouble. Another chokebreaker is countered with a kick to the head and Dyer’s powerbomb is countered with a sunset flip to give Kiyamiya the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B-. It’s fascinating to see someone like Dyer be a bit less than successful as a main event heel but absolutely thrive as a midcard star. This is the role he was perfect for and it worked great here. Dyer knows how to wrestle like a monster bully and ultimately he got caught as he tried to do too much. Fun match here, though say it with me: MLP loses AGAIN.

Post match Dyer knocks Kiyamiya cold and hammers on him, followed by the End Of Days.

We get the announcement that MLP is coming to TSN this July.

Rohan Raja, with Aurora Teves, wants the Canadian Title because he’s already had the Champion’s Grail for over 500 days. He’ll win the title tonight anyway.

Daisuke Sasaki (DDT) vs. Bryce Hansen (MLP)

No DQ. Sasaki’s chair shots misses and Hansen kicks him outside. Back in and Sasaki gets in the chair shot before wrapping said chair around Hansen’s neck for a ram into the post. A running boot to Hansen, whose head is still in the chair, gets two and it’s already time for a table. As usual that takes too long though and Hansen fights back, only to set up his own table on the floor.

Even Callis thinks this is taking too long and Sasaki proves him right by choking him down onto the table. Hansen is able to fight up and grab a gutwrench powerbomb from the apron through the table. That’s only good for two back inside so Hansen grabs a kendo stick. Said stick hits the top rope though and bounces back onto Hansen’s own head. The spear through the table sets up a top rope chair shot as Hansen has a seat right over there to give Sasaki the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was pretty much exactly what it should have been, as Sasaki took Hansen apart and basically dismantled him in a few minutes. Hansen got in some offense, but this was about Sasaki destroying him without much trouble. It’s a good example of “don’t overthink this” and it wound up going perfectly well.

Stu Grayson is feeling the pressure going into the main event but Evil Uno comes in to fire him up.

MLP Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers (MLP) vs. Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks (MLP)

The Brothers are defending after becoming the inaugural champions last night. Anderson chops the heck out of Banks to start and then takes him into the corner to do it again. Gallows comes in for his weird uppercuts and a fall away slam as the fans are ALL behind the Good Brothers here.

A big legdrop gives Gallows two but Banks gets in a shot of his own and ax handles away. It’s off to Jean so Gallows clotheslines them both down and brings Anderson back in to keep up the pace. A backsplash gets two on Jean but a trip brings Anderson down. Jean hits a clothesline and the challengers take over for a change, with Banks getting some quick near falls.

Anderson is right back up to send Jean outside, followed by a neckbreaker to Banks. It’s back to Gallows to clean house and the belly to back neckbreaker gets two on Banks. Jean breaks up the Magic Killer so Anderson grabs the spinebuster for another near fall. The Gun Stun is broken up though and Banks gets in a belt shot for the pin and the titles at 11:02.

Rating: C+. Hey MLP finally won something! I mean of course they lost at the same time but call it a step in the right direction. The Good Brothers being the inaugural champions give the belts a bit of prestige before another team won them, which is a tale as old as time in wrestling. The pesky heels get one over on the popular veterans and we move on to see who’s next. Nothing wrong with that.

Gisele Shaw says Deonna Purrazzo beat her in Pure Rules, which isn’t the same as pro wrestling. Purrazzo won on a technicality but tonight, everything will be different.

MLP Women’s Title: Gisele Shaw (MLP) vs. Deonna Purrazzo (ROH)

Shaw is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and then trade headlocks to no avail. Purrazzo shoulders Shaw in the arm that was banged up last night, with the Fujiwara armbar sending Shaw straight to the ropes. The fight heads outside with Purrazzo sending her face first into the apron, only for Shaw to come back with a posting.

Back in and Shaw grabs an armbar with some elbows to the head as a bonus. Purrazzo fights up and wins a test of strength, followed by a running knee. The Fujiwara is broken up though and Shaw grabs an anarchist suplex for two. A spear gives Shaw two more but Purrazzo fights right back to put her down again. The Fujiwara goes on again, with Shaw making the rope to save herself.

Back up and Shock And Awe gives Shaw two so they get up and slap it out. That turns into a slugout until they trade kicks to the face, with Shaw pulling the referee into the way of Purrazzo’s boot. Shaw sends the bad arm into the post and then crushes it with the steps to make it worse. Purrazzo is back with a Fujiwara and Shaw taps but there’s no referee. Since that isn’t enough cheating, Shaw finds some brass knuckles to knock Purrazzo silly and retain at 17:25.

Rating: B. This got going with the submission attempts, though I did like Shaw just going full on villain. There’s a good way to set up a rubber match down the line in there and that could make for a nice Multiverse match. Shaw has impressed me most of the time I’ve seen her and she hung in there with an established name, albeit by cheating in almost every possible way.

Interim Canadian Title: Elimination Challenge

It’s a six man gauntlet match for the vacant title. Jay Lethal (ROH) is in at #1 and Michael Oku (RevPro) is in at #2. They trade some rather fast rollups to start and it’s off to the exchange of forearms. Oku manages a dropkick to the floor and adds the running flip dive for the knockdown. Back in and Lethal gets in a knockdown of his own, with Oku’s leg getting tied up in the ropes.

Oku has to beat the count back in so Lethal hammers away and goes after the leg some more. The chinlock goes on for a bit but the Figure Four is blocked. A DDT gives Oku two but he can’t get the half crab. Instead it’s a Lethal Combination for two, setting up Lethal’s Figure Four. That’s reversed into another failed half crab attempt so Lethal goes up for Hail To the King…which is reversed into a rollup to give Oku the pin at 12:05.

Rohan Raja (MLP) is in at #3 and sneaks in to jump Oku, with a jumping Downward Spiral finishing for Raja at 13:04. Rich Swann (MLP) is in at #4 but Raja’s manager Aurora Teves grabs his leg, meaning it’s a jumping Downward Spiral for a near fall. A choke with a knee in Swann’s back is broken up but Swann knocks him down for two. Raja heads outside and gets taken down with a running flip dive.

Swann actually puts him in a chair and gets a running start for some running boots to the face. He tries it once too often though and Raja is back up with a boot of his own. Back in and Swann superkicks him out of the air and they’re both down. A frog splash gives Swann two more, followed by the middle rope 450 for the same. Teves offers a distraction though and another 450 misses. Raja’s Backstabber into a jumping Downward Spiral finishes Swann at 20:23.

Stu Grayson is in at #5 and the cut open Raja bails out to the floor. Grayson goes outside to get him and nails a quick Pele. Teves breaks up a torture rack and is finally ejected, leaving Raja angry on the ramp. He slides back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up Knightfall (torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker) to give Grayson the pin at 24:41. Jonathan Gresham (apparently freelance) is in at #6 to complete the field but hold on though as Raja chairs Grayson down before leaving.

Gresham glares at Raja before getting in and lets Grayson get a breather before going after him. They grapple around to start and neither gets anywhere so let’s shake hands. Grayson takes him down for an armbar and Gresham gets over to the ropes in a hurry. Grayson’s hurricanrana and dropkick have Gresham on the apron and the dive connects. Back in and a battle of the chops goes to Grayson, as Gresham wants a timeout. A sneaky low blow cuts Grayson down and they go to the mat, where Gresham can’t force the arm down.

With that not working, it’s a crucifix for two on Grayson before Gresham ties up the arms. Gresham pulls on one of the legs for some painful stretching before going back to the arm. They fight over a suplex until they both crash out over the top for a nasty double crash. Back in and Gresham goes after the arm again but Grayson sends him flying with some overhead belly to bellys.

A spinning Downward Spiral into a Lionsault gives Grayson two but Knightfall is blocked. Grayson settles for a springboard tornado DDT for two but Gresham is right back to the arm in a smart move. Gresham’s crossface is broken up with a grab of the rope so it’s off to an Octopus. With that broken up, Gresham goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up a running knee. Knightfall gives Grayson the pin and the title at 42:27.

Rating: B-. This was a match where it felt like they were going for something epic and it really just felt long more than anything else. Grayson winning was pretty obvious once they got down to the final two as there was almost no way an American was winning the title in the end. It’s a good enough main event, though anything involving an interim title feels kind of weak by definition. Still though, at least Grayson looked like a star in the end, as he did last night.

Grayson celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show’s problem is it came after Global Wars, which was great, while this one was just pretty good. It’s certainly not a bad show and there are far worse options, but nothing on here felt must see. At the same time. MLP still feels like a higher end independent effort and I’ll absolutely take that every time. Good enough show here, though dang can the home promotion have a better success rate?

Results
Mascara Dorada/Bhupinder Gujjar b. Jake Crist/Michael Allen Richard Clark – Spear to Clark
Evil Uno/Alice Crowley b. Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers – Piledriver to Chambers
The Swirl b. Mo Jabari/El Reverso – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Reverso
Kaito Kiyamiya b. Bishop Dyer – Sunset flip
Daisuke Sasaki b. Bryce Hansen – Top rope chair shot
Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks b. Good Brothers – Belt shot to Anderson
Gisele Shaw b. Deonna Purrazzo – Brass knuckles punch
Stu Grayson won an Elimination Challenge last eliminating Jonathan Gresham

 

 

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 x Maple Leaf Pro Global Wars Canada – Home Field Disadvantage

Ring Of Honor x Maple Leaf Pro Global Wars Canada
Date: March 27, 2026
Location: St. Clair College SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni, Mauro Ranallo

This is a co-promoted show between the two promotions and that means it is time for some brand vs. brand matches. That can make for some interesting matches, hopefully with something to help make the Ring Of Honor booking a bit better than usual. There are some titles on the line as well so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow MLP so I apologize in advance for any plot or character details I get wrong.

Adam Priest/Tommy Billington (ROH) vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz (ROH)

Kingston and Priest start things off with Priest grabbing a headlock takeover. That doesn’t last long so Kingston takes him into the corner for a back rake from Ortiz. A double suplex drops Priest, who brings Ortiz over to the corner a double suplex with Billington. Ortiz is back with a flapjack for the break and it’s back to Kingston, who is knocked into the wrong corner as well.

Kingston chops his way out of the corner but gets taken down, only for Ortiz to come in for the save. Everything breaks down and it’s a Crossface and half crab to have Kingston and Ortiz in trouble. Those are broken up and it’s a Doomsday bulldog to bring Priest down. Billington is legal though and snaps off some snap suplexes…but Kingston grabs an Oklahoma roll to pin Billington at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here and the fans are going to be into pretty much anything Kingston does. At the same time, I really don’t see the appeal of the team with Ortiz. Maybe they’re hoping he breaks out like Mike Santana did in TNA, but putting a guy who was in a great tag team into a weaker tag team doesn’t seem productive.

Josh Alexander was supposed to be in the ring at this show but he’s hurt his knee and has to undergo knee surgery. The future of his Canadian Title isn’t clear.

Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Title: Alice Crowley (JCW) vs. Red Velvet (ROH

Velvet is defending and Crowley is from Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Crowley kicks the offer of a handshake away and gets rolled up for some early near falls. Crowley shoves her into the ropes, where Velvet hits a pair of kicks to the back of the head. They head outside with Crowley getting in a knockdown, followed by a snap suplex for two back inside.

Velvet is back up to strike away in the corner, only to miss a charge into the corner. A sitout bulldog drops Crowley and Velvet hits the running crotch attack in the ropes. Crowley kicks her in the face though and a Saito suplex gets two. An Iconoclasm pulls Crowley off the top for two but she comes back with an Air Raid Crash for two more. Velvet is done with this though and hits a quick Chef’s Kiss to retain at 8:24.

Rating: B-. This was a more physical match than the opener and they were starting to trade some good stuff in the end. Velvet’s rise up has been rather impressive as she’s a completely different kind of star than she was just a year or so ago. I could go for more of Crowley too as she showed some potential.

Deonna Purrazzo is glad to face Gisele Shaw tonight but Purrazzo has the edge because it’s Pure Rules.

Lethal Twist (ROH) vs. Evil Uno/Bhupinder Gujjar/Psycho Mike (MLP)

Lethal struts away from Mike to start so the larger Mike shoulders him down. The threat of Mike’s signature slam sends Lethal outside so Mike runs over the Swirl on the floor. Back in and the Swirl break up another slam attempt as Callis talks about Kyle Fletcher. Gujjar comes in for a running headscissors to Johnson, followed by a dropkick for two.

Back up and Gujjar gets knocked out of the corner as everything breaks down, with the villains clearing the ring. We settle down to Lethal giving Gujjar a DDT, setting up a double superkick from the Swirl. Gujjar fights out of the corner though and it’s a high crossbody to Lethal. Uno gets the tag and cleans house but runs out of wind trying to hit some running corner clotheslines.

A brainbuster onto the knee gets two on Johnson and Uno neckbreakers Lethal as well. Mike comes back in and fires off the string of slams, including tossing Christian over the top onto the other two. The big dive follows but Gujjar’s high crossbody hits Mike by mistake. A Lethal Injection drops Gujjar but he isn’t legal. Instead Lethal has to escape Mike’s slam and the Swirl is back in to strike away. Hail To The King finishes for Lethal at 12:34.

Rating: B-. Another pretty good match here with a lot of action, even though it’s not the best night for the Canadians thus far. Lethal Twist has been a solid grouping in Ring Of Honor and it makes sense to put them on the show. If nothing else, this continues their momentum for what I’m sure will be the eventual showdown with Bandido over the World Title. As for the other team, while I can’t imagine him becoming the top star, Mike has quite the charisma and the fans liked him a lot. Good for him for getting this popular.

Gisele Shaw knows what she’s doing against Deonna Purrazzo and she’s going to do it her way.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Pure Rules Title: Deonna Purrazzo (ROH) vs. Gisele Shaw (MLP)

Purrazzo is defending under Pure Rules (far more technical style, only three rope breaks as the main rule). Shaw takes her to the mat to start and works on the leg, followed by a quick curtsy. Purrazzo escapes just as fast and armdrags Shaw into an armbar. The Fujiwara armbar sends Shaw into the ropes for the break. The breather lets Shaw take her outside for a kick to the head from the apron.

Back in and Shaw hammers away but charges into a boot in the corner. They knock each other down and it’s a double breather. Purrazzo goes after the arm again but Shaw goes for something like a Disarm-Her. That’s blocked by Purrazzo so Shaw hits a hanging swinging neckbreaker, followed by another Disarm-Her. Purrazzo has to use her first rope break so Shaw grabs Shock And Awe (backbreaker into a Downward Spiral) for two.

A quick Venus de Milo sends Shaw to the ropes for the second time, followed by a piledriver to make Shaw use the third and final rope break. Shaw is back up with a Samoan driver into the Disarm-Her, with Purrazzo using the second break. Purrazzo counters something out of a full nelson and pulls Shaw into the Fujiwara. Shaw’s rope grab means nothing but it lets Purrazzo pull her into the Venus de Milo to retain at 14:11.

Rating: B. Match of the night thus far as they were getting into a good rhythm with Purrazzo having enough of an edge with the technical prowess. She’s good at this style, though I still don’t quite know why she needed a championship to go with it. Shaw is someone who has done well every time I’ve seen her and it would be nice to see her getting a shot on a bigger stage in the future.

We look at Rohan Raja becoming the inaugural holder of the Champions Grail. Stu Grayson is coming for the title.

PWA Champions Grail: Stu Grayson (MLP) vs. Rohan Raja (MLP)

Raja is defending and this is a title recognized by three promotions at once. Grayson runs him over at the bell for an early two and sends Raja outside for the suicide dive. Back in and Grayson snaps off a standing hurricanrana, followed by a legsweep to send Rana outside. There’s a big dive to drop Raja again and Grayson hits a suplex back inside. Grayson goes up but gets dropkicked out to the floor for a big crash.

Back in and Raja knocks him into the corner, setting up a hard whip to send Grayson falling out to the floor. Grayson is fine enough to hit a running clothesline but Raja shoves the referee at the ropes, allowing him to pull Grayson down. A nice kick drops Raja again and Grayson is back up to strike away. Grayson wins the battle of the clotheslines and snaps off a string of belly to belly suplexes.

A tornado DDT sets up a swinging Downward Spiral to drop Raja again and a Lionsault gets two. Raja slips out of a torture rack though and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam into a quickly broken Rings Of Saturn. The pop up powerbomb drops Raja for two and a top rope superplex does it again. A running knee is loaded up but Raja reverses into a quick small package for the fast pin at 13:11.

Rating: B+. Grayson is someone who wrestles a certain style and that’s not a bad thing at all. He is out there flying around with everything he has and doing everything at top speed, which makes for a fun match. He does a lot better on his own than he does as part of a team and this worked well. Raja didn’t get to do much here, though his limited offense did work well. Very entertaining match here, mainly due to the energy from Grayson.

Ricochet is ready to beat Rich Swann. Yes they started off as a group of wrestlers who helped define high flying wrestling, but the difference is Ricochet has leveled up and is the better man.

Michael Allen Richard Clark (MLP) vs. Jake Crist (Wrestle Revolver) vs. Daisuke Sasaki (DDT) vs. Brent Banks (MLP) vs. Ace Austin (ROH) vs. Michael Oku (RevPro)

One fall to a finish. Before the match, Clark talks about being tired of being treated with disrespect when he is in the Canadian Pushup Hall Of Fame (please let that be a thing). The ring is mostly cleared to start so it’s Oku dropkicking Banks to start until Sasaki makes the save. Crist is back in to kick Sasaki in the face with Clark coming in to break it up. The parade of knockdowns continues with Austin getting his chance, followed by a superkick to Banks.

Clark is back with a dive to the floor to take Austin out so Sasaki hits his own dive. Crist hits a dive onto the pile before Oku can do his own so they fight onto the apron. Banks knocks both of them to the floor so Austin fireman’s carries Sasaki and Banks at the same time. The squats let Austin show off a bit and it’s time to keep knocking each other down. Sasaki Pedigrees Clark and Oku has to break up a double submission.

Everyone but Oku is down but Austin blocks a half crab attempt. Banks’ top rope twisting crossbody hits Austin and a Michinoku Driver gets two. Oku is back up with a dive onto the floor but Crist cuts him off with a Death Valley Driver. Crist’s Ki Crusher gets two so Banks is back in with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Crist cutters Banks but gets caught by Oku’s Six Star Frog Splash for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B. I’m not huge on these matches but this was pretty much exactly what it should have been. The match was all action with Oku getting to showcase himself well. I’m not sure how much a win really matters here as Oku seems to have just been the one who got a fall first rather than being some dominant star. Either way, at least another ROH star didn’t win, even if an MLP star didn’t win.

Video on Athena, the crazy long running ROH Women’s Champion, defending against Taylor Rising, who is ready to rise.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Taylor Rising (MLP) vs. Athena (ROH)

Athena is defending. They circle each other a bit to start and Athena backs her into the corner. A knockdown lets Athena smile and pose a bit but Rising is back with a headscissors. Rising’s running dropkick sends Athena to the floor but Athena pulls a dive out of the air. Athena sends her hard into the barricade and then into the steps before they head back inside. Some forearms to the back have Rising in trouble and we hit the face pull.

Athena fires off some knees to the chest but Rising is back with a quick victory roll for two. The Codebreaker sets up a 619 and Rising faceplants her for two more. What looks like a Pedigree is blocked though and Athena knees her in the head. A Tombstone gives Athena two and she stops to yell at the referee. Athena teases the O Face but gets back down and beats on Rising a bit more.

Another O Face is broken up and Rising grabs a DDT for two more. Rising’s sunset bomb gets two but Athena Saito suplexes her back down. Athena tunes up the band, only for her superkick to be blocked. Rising tries to pick her up but gets pulled into the Koji Clutch to retain the title at 12:31.

Rating: B. They were in a tough spot here as there was no reason to believe that Athena was going to lose the title on a show like this. That being said, Rising did everything she could to make it work and she had a heck of a performance. This was another good match, with Rising getting in some nice hope spots before falling short. It’s hard to make it work in this kind of a situation but they pulled it off.

MLP President Scott D’Amore announces…well actually introduces a video that announces a new weekly series, Mayhem, which will debut in July on TSN. Points for a huge announcement.

Rich Swann (MLP) vs. Ricochet (AEW)

Apparently they’ve had 75 singles matches over the years. Ricochet stalls to start before getting back inside, with Swann backing him into the corner. Swann spins out of a wristlock and we get another staredown. Ricochet pulls him down into a crossarm choke to slow the pace a bit. Swann quickly reverses into one of his own and they trade stereo dropkicks for another standoff. Swann snaps off a dropkick to the floor and adds a running flip dive off the apron.

Back in and Swann hammers away in the corner so Ricochet goes to the eyes…which just earns him a beating. Another poke to the eye cuts Swann off though and Ricochet gets in some stomping. They go outside, where Ricochet slams him face first onto the floor and heads back inside. Swann beats the count so Ricochet hits a running clothesline to the back in the corner. A running uppercut drops Swann in the corner but he’s back with a rolling clothesline for a needed breather.

Back up and some dancing punches set up a neckbreaker to give Swann two. They head to the apron where Ricochet takes over again, setting up a Lionsault for two back inside. The kickout leaves Ricochet rather frustrated so Swann kicks him in the head on top. A super hurricanrana…doesn’t work as Ricochet sticks the landing, only to get kicked in the head for two. Swann kicks away at the chest and they strike it out. The referee cuts Swann off though, allowing Ricochet to roll some suplexes (different types that is) for two. A Death Valley Driver gives Ricochet two and the Spirit Gun gives him three at 19:15.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting match and it was entertaining, though my goodness would it kill them to have an ROH/AEW star actually take a fall here? It’s becoming a running joke here and that’s not a great thing to see. What was pretty great was these two, who obviously know each other so well, getting a chance to do it again now that Ricochet is doing something different. Rather fun match here, though it never quite hit that next level.

Multiverse is taking place over Wrestlemania Weekend!

Supercard Of Honor is on May 15!

We run down the Uprising (Saturday night) card. Of note, Steve Maclin is announced for a match though that might not be happening after he was injured at TNA Sacrifice.

MLP Tag Team Titles: Bishop Dyer/Kaito Kiyomiya (MLP) vs. Bryce Hansen/Sheldon Jean (MLP) vs. Good Brothers (MLP) vs. Gates Of Agony (AEW)

For the inaugural titles and one fall to a finish. You might know Dyer better as Baron Corbin. The Gates jump the other teams to start and the brawl goes to the outside rather quickly. Jean and Kiyomiya hit some dives before Kiyomiya and Anderson get inside to slug it out. It’s off to Gallows to strike away at Kaun in the corner and Anderson comes in to strike away.

Anderson drops Jean but it’s off to Liona to clean house. Liona chokes Anderson on the ropes and we hit the nerve hold. Hansen comes in for a forearm to take Anderson down again and Jean gets to stomp away. It’s back to Hansen for a chinlock before Anderson avoids a Liona charge. A cutter takes Kaun down and it’s off to Gallows to clean house. Gallows Jackhammers Jean for two but Kiyomiya comes back in to strike away, including a running knee for two on Kaun.

Everything breaks down and we hit a parade of knockdowns with Anderson hitting a spinebuster and Gallows adding a chokebomb. Kiyomiya makes a save with a knee to Gallows and everyone is down again. Liona throws Kiyomiya and Gallows at the same time (geez) but gets sent into the post. Dyer is sent into Kiyomiya (makes sense as it’s their first match together) and a Magic Killer drops him to give Anderson the pin and the titles at 12:35.

Rating: B. Another fast paced match that wound up being rather entertaining, though it was similar to the scramble earlier in the night. The good thing is that an MLP team FINALLY won a match (and yes they have worked here a few times before). While that team might be the Good Brothers, I’ll take it after watching Ring Of Honor and AEW lay waste to MLP all night.

Post match everyone else leaves and Dyer lays Kiyomiya out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was actually a heck of a show as the last stretch of matches is one good one after another. While I could have gone for MLP winning more often, the whole show was quite impressive with nothing close to bad and a bunch of quality stuff. MLP has been one of the better independent promotions I’ve seen in a good while, as they might not do anything revolutionary but they do things well. I’ll take that over some ridiculous idea and it was a blast watching this one.

Results
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Oklahoma roll to Billington
Red Velvet b. Alice Crowley – Chef’s Kiss
Lethal Twist b. Evil Uno/Bhupinder Gujjar/Psycho Mike – Hail To The King to Mike
Deonna Purrazzo b. Gisele Shaw – Venus de Milo
Rohan Raja b. Stu Grayson – Small package
Michael Oku b. Ace Austin, Jake Crist, Daisuke Sasaki, Michael Allen Richard Clark and Brent Banks – Six Star Frog Splash to Banks
Athena b. Taylor Rising – Koji Clutch
Good Brothers b. Bryce Hansen/Sheldon Jean, Gates Of Agony and Bishop Dyer/Kaito Kiyamiya – Magic Killer to Dyer

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – March 26, 2026: All Over The Place

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 26, 2026
Location: WJCT Television, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We still don’t have a major show coming up at the moment, though odds are we have some fresh title matches this week anyway. As usual, it’s hard to tell what that means and we could be in for a bunch of random stuff this week. Well in addition to the usual bunch of random stuff. Let’s get to it.

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

Lacey Lane won a match a few weeks ago and it gets her a title shot…against CMLL Women’s Champion Persephone. You won’t want to miss this, so if you’re having a sandwich, hurry up and if you’re in bed with your partner, wrap it up already.

Persephone is from El Paso, Texas but she was raised in Mexico so she has a double nationality to bring to her fight. These interviews are a good idea, though another title of any kind around here makes my head hurt.

CMLL Women’s Title: Lacey Lane vs. Persephone

Lane is challenging after “going on a bit of a run here in ROH”. She’s 1-2 in ROH. Lane rolls her up for an early two so Persephone grabs a backslide and flips over her for the same. An armdrag sends Persephone outside, where she catches a kick and drops Lane face first onto the apron. Back in and Persephone starts in on the leg, followed by a headstand double knee to the ribs for two.

The chinlock goes on (Persephone: “ASK HER!”) but Lane gets out and sweeps the leg. A bridging suplex gives Persephone two and she knees Lane down, setting up an armbar. Back up and Lane rolls her into a basement superkick and they’re both down. A springboard spinning basement dropkick drops Persephone again but she’s back with a German suplex for two. The Razor’s Edge is broken up and Lane hits a reverse Nightmare On Helm Street. Persephone is back with a spear though and the Razor’s Edge retains the title at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Persephone does feel like a star, though it might have helped a bit more if Lane had won anything more than one match. They really need to find a better way to build up challengers around here, which is something that seems to be rather easy. Instead, we just seem to get random title shots, which doesn’t make for the most thrilling setups.

Quick video on the Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn vs. Skyflight.

Skyflight vs. Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn

That would be Zayda Steel/Top Flight. Drake and Darius start things off with a fight over arm control until Drake takes him down by the hair. Darius sends him into the corner but Gibson saves Drake from a suplex. Dante comes in for a springboard double clothesline and it’s back to Darius as everything breaks down.

Steel is sent into Darius in the corner and Dawn comes in for the rather aggressive lockup. Dawn gets snapmared down for a basement dropkick so she comes back with a hard backdrop driver. A knee to the head gets two on Steel and Dawn grabs a cobra clutch. Steel breaks out though and brings in Dante to clean house.

An enziguri and springboard high crossbody get two on Drake but Dawn cuts off a double dive from Top Flight. Steel punches her in the face and Darius rolls Drake up for two, with the kickout sending him into a forearm from Gibson. Drake’s rollup with tights gets two and Darius enziguris his way out of trouble. The women come in for a near hockey fight and Steel grabs a rolling kick to the head for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Steel getting a win, as she’s been getting better over the last few weeks. Granted pinning Dawn only means so much, though I was starting to worry that Skyflight would lose again. Skyflight isn’t going to mean anything going forward, but I’ll take a one off win where I can get it.

We look at Bandido/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington chasing off the Lethal Twists last week.

The Swirl says Jay Lethal isn’t here…but he will be at Global Wars tomorrow night….when they’re fighting a team that has nothing to do with what we just watched!

Myron Reed vs. Mansoor

The rest of their teams are here too. Mansoor takes him down into an armbar to start so Reed uses the rope to flip out and take Mansoor down. A jumping Fameasser gives Reed two before pointing at him, much to Mansoor’s annoyance. Mansoor’s kick to the ribs is cut off and Reed drives him into the corner, only for Mansoor to hit a middle rope bulldog. An elbow gives Mansoor two and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and Reed trips him off the middle rope, setting up a jumping enziguri. A DDT drops Mansoor and a hanging Downward Spiral plants him again. Mansoor loads up the poke but gets rolled up for two, only to come back with a Death Valley Driver. The others on the floor get into it with Madden poking TV in the eyes by mistake, causing them to punch each other out. Reed is back up with his big running cutter to pull Mansoor off the apron and onto the pile. Back in and the springboard 450 finishes for Reed at 8:47.

Rating: C+. Well, this was in fact Myron Reed beating Mansoor in a match that ran almost nine minutes and had a bunch of comedy involved. I have no idea why this match was booked in the first place when neither is a singles star and they don’t have any kind of a feud going on, but it could have been worse. Reed is crazy athletic, though I still have no idea what is supposed to set the Rascalz apart.

We recap Athena defending the Women’s Title against Maya World, who got the shot through the Proving Ground.

TMDK vs. Better Together

Haste takes Hadar down by the arm to start and a dropkick makes it worse. A standing moonsault/fist drop combination connects for TMDK but Hadar fights out of the corner. Gold comes in to help Hadar with a double arm crank on Haste. A double Russian legsweep doesn’t work though and it’s off to Nichols to take over on Gold. Everything breaks down and the Elevator Slam finishes Gold at 4:06.

Rating: C+. Again, what am I supposed to say here? The match was a team we’ve barely ever seen around here beating a team who have never been around here. I get the appeal of having TMDK around, but it’s another case of having a team here without explaining why we should care. Just listing off titles doesn’t get much of a foundation and it’s not like the match was very good in the first place.

We do actually get an announcement for a match in two weeks, with TMDK facing Roppongi Vice. On one hand, cool for announcing something in advance. On the other hand, it’s a Rocky Romero match.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to beat Gisele Shaw at Global Wars.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match. Renegade tries to go after the arm to start and gets absolutely nowhere, with Purrazzo not looking impressed. Purrazzo takes her down and grabs a headlock, followed by a rollup for two. Back up and Purrazzo backs her into the corner, which is enough for the first rope break. The threat of the Fujiwara armbar sends Renegade into the ropes again but she’s able to roll out of another attempt. They trade forearms until Purrazzo hits a clothesline but Renegade knocks her down again. A middle rope moonsault misses though and Purrazzo grabs the Fujiwara for the win at 6:24.

Rating: C+. Renegade continues to feel like someone who could be a bigger deal if she was given a chance but that wasn’t going to happen here. Purrazzo is miles ahead of anyone else in the, pardon my nonsense, division, and that basically makes it the same thing as the men’s version. The match was fine, but the Pure stuff could be dropped with very little being lost.

Nick Comoroto vs. Anthony Ogogo

Comoroto wrestles him down to start and sends him into the corner for a running splash. Back up and Ogogo slugs away but a right hand is countered into a backslide for two. Comoroto hits a few ax handles and grabs a powerslam but the ribs (as earlier punched) give out. Ogogo’s suplex gets two and Comoroto rolls him up for the same. Shawn Dean gets in a cheap shot on Comoroto and a pop up right hand knocks him silly. Comoroto beats the ten count (even with Ogogo putting the UK flag over him) so Ogogo punches him again and gets the pin at 5:44.

Rating: D+. Oh sweet goodness I am sick of this show and everything about Ring Of Honor. This was a perfect example of why this show isn’t going anywhere. Ogogo was a prospect for AEW years ago and has meant NOTHING in his time around here. He hasn’t had a singles match in ROH (or AEW) in over a year and a half but they just trot him out here again to make a show that is already way too long even longer. As usual, Tony Khan insists on trying to get all of his 8573 wrestlers on various shows and it just drags everything out longer and longer with nothing being gained. But that TV deal is coming any day now right?

Women’s TV Title: Trish Adora vs. Red Velvet

Adora, on a three match losing streak and with Christian XO, is challenging and jumps Velvet from behind and knocks her to the floor. Velvet gets sent into the barricade for a seventeen count and gets caught in a weird over the shoulder stretch back inside. Adora bends the arms behind Velvet to make her clap before hammering away in the corner. Velvet manages to fight back with a DDT and punches right back in the corner as well

Some running knees hit Adora in the back on the ropes but XO gets up on the apron. Stir It Up misses and Adora’s very bridging German suplex gets two. A Stunner hits Adora, who is right back with a pump kick for two more. Straight Out Yo Mama’s Kitchen connects but XO gets on the apron because this needs to keep going. Velvet knocks her down but gets powerslammed for two. The Lariat Tubman misses though and Velvet gets a sunset flip for the retaining pin at 9:05.

Rating: C+. The match was fine but as usual, ROH has nothing resembling continuity or a standard for getting title shots. Adora hasn’t won a singles match since last August but sure, give her a title shot here. Then keep telling us that people getting wins could lead them to a title shot and assuming that no one notices because it’s that hard to remember.

Post match XO lays Velvet out but Zayda Steel makes the save. Commentary says that Steel had a great showing last night on Dynamite, likely because this was taped before the match she won earlier in the show. A lot of trash is talked and a tag match seems likely.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Maya World

Athena is defending and goes after the arm to start, with World escaping into the corner. World grabs a quick fisherman’s suplex for two and Athena bails out to the floor. Athena is fine enough to load up a Vertebreaker before flipping World face first onto the steps. Back inside and Athena hammers away, setting up the chinlock.

World fights up and sends her into the middle rope with a swinging full nelson, followed by a German suplex for two. That’s shrugged off and Athena hits some basement dropkicks to knock World outside. Back in and a Koji Clutch goes on, with World having to get her foot on the rope. They trade running strikes against the ropes until World faceplants her on the apron. Athena stomps on the foot to break up a piledriver and suplexes World down onto the floor.

World barely beats the count and Athena is not pleased. They forearm it out from their knees and a pinfall reversal sequence gets some near falls each. The O Face misses and World sends her into the corner, allowing World to go up. Cue the Minions for a distraction so Hyan runs in to cut them off. Athena dives onto Hyan and grabs a rollup for two back inside.

A Canadian Destroyer gives Athena two more and she can’t believe the kickouts. Athena goes up and gets pulled down by a twisting sunset bomb. Something like a spinning Big Ending gives World two but she misses her own O Face. Athena cannot believe she tried that and unloads on her, setting up a Tombstone of all things for…two? World is dumped outside, where Billie Starkz jumps Hyan. The two of them head inside and Diamante slips Athena the belt to knock World silly. The O Face retains the title at 19:52.

Rating: B. Gah they were building towards something great here and then it fell apart with the interference and the belt shot. Athena was having to work here and there was an idea there to having her not be able to put World away. I have no idea who is going to take the title from Athena, but a showdown with Deonna Purrazzo seems likely. At the very least, this worked because they set up a story and this felt like a big showdown after it was put together. Imagine that.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Starkz grabbing a Fujiwara armbar on World to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show continues to be incredibly annoying, as they went over an hour and forty five minutes this week with a bunch of that being spent on pure filler. Some of the wrestling was fine and the main event was good, but this show continues to feel like a bunch of stuff that is thrown out there week to week.

The World Title is coming up on four months without being defended while Trish Adora’s lost in the TV Title match extended her losing streak to five straight matches. Meanwhile, how many people are undefeated for months and never get close to a title shot? I would say fix it, but that’s just not going to happen around here so I’ll just have to settle for a good main event and a few other nice spots around here.

Results
Persephone b. Lacey Lane – Razor’s Edge
Skyflight b. Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn – Rolling kick to Dawn
Myron Reed b. Mansoor – Springboard 450
TMDK b. Better Together – Elevator Slam to Gold
Deonna Purrazzo b. Robyn Renegade – Fujiwara armbar
Anthony Ogogo b. Nick Comoroto – Right hand
Red Velvet b. Trish Adora – Sunset flip
Athena b. Maya World – O Face

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – March 19, 2026: That’s Our Ring Of Honor

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 19, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

AEW Revolution has come and gone and the big story as it relates to Ring Of Honor is World Champion Bandido losing to Andrade El Idolo. The problem is that likely doesn’t mean much around here, as Andrade probably won’t come after the title. Instead Blake Christian still seems to be coming for the title, which is why he was beaten by Will Ospreay this week on Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at tonight’s two title shots.

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

Purrazzo is defending and Starkz bails out to the floor to start fast. Back in and Purrazzo hits a running knee but Starkz grabs a tornado DDT to send Purrazzo outside. Starkz gets a suplex for one but gets a warning for right hands to the face. Purrazzo gets annoyed at the kicks to the face and they trade forearms until both of them are knocked down. Back up and Purrazzo sends her to the apron for a hanging DDT so Starkz grabs a sleeper. That makes Purrazzo use her first rope break, allowing her to powerbomb Starkz into a Fujiwara armbar. Purrazzo switches into the Venus de Milo to make Starkz tap at 7:59.

Rating: C+. They were building something here but it didn’t have the time to really go anywhere. Purrazzo was in trouble with Starkz using the sleeper to some solid effect. Then Purrazzo just pulled her into the armbar to retain out of nowhere. It’s hardly a bad match but it looked like they were building to something bigger.

Post match Hyan and Maya World run in to celebrate but Athena and Diamante run in for the beatdown. Purrazzo manages to Fujiwara Diamante to send the villains running.

We look at Mistico and Jet Speed winning the AEW Trios Titles at Revolution.

Mark Davis vs. Angelico

Angelico’s headlock is broken up so he gives a quick hip thrust. Davis misses a charge in the corner and gets hit in the face a few times but knocks Ospreay into the corner rather quickly. A seated senton misses for Davis though and Angelico kicks him in the head. Davis’ belly to back suplex gets two and one heck of a running clothes finishes Angelico at 4:22.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Davis, who looked good enough in the process. He continues to impress in his rather frequent appearances, which is impressive given how unimportant he seemed for so long. Let him be the midcard powerhouse that he’s been in recent months, as it’s working for him.

Dark Order vs. Bustah And The Brain

Price armdrags Reynolds down to start as commentary tries to figure out which one is Bustah and which one is the brain. Uno and Oliver come in with Oliver rolling him up and then grabbing a headlock. Price and Oliver kick Uno down for two but the Order catches Oliver with a double dropkick. With Oliver down on the apron, the Order gives Price a double powerbomb down onto him for the big crash.

Back in and the Order starts taking turns beating on Oliver, with Reynolds grabbing a seated abdominal stretch. Oliver gets in an enziguri though and jumps over Uno for the tag back to Price. House is cleaned until Uno fights his way out of the corner. Uno’s jumping piledriver gets two on Price and Reynolds drops Uno by mistake. Price dives onto Uno and gets caught in something like a reverse Razor’s Edge/top rope facebuster combination for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B. This wound up being a heck of a match, with Bustah And The Brain finally getting a win. They’ve had a lot of potential in their time here thus far but it only gets them so far without winning some matches. Yeah it’s just the Dark Order but it’s better than nothing. The Order got to have probably their best win around here too and that’s nice to see.

Persephone is disgusted by a reference to her loss to Mercedes Mone and thinks she runs this place now, as it’s perfect for her. She storms off to wrap it up quickly.

Rachael Ellering vs. Robyn Renegade

They go with the grappling to start and Renegade gets two off an early la majistral. Back up and Renegade knocks her into the corner for a running elbow but Ellering is back with a spinning shoulder. A hard whip into the corner has Renegade in more trouble and Ellering backsplashes her for two. Ellering’s TKO gets another two but she charges into a boot in the corner. Renegade hits a middle rope moonsault for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: C. That was a fast ending as Ellering was starting to roll and then just got pinned out of nowhere. It’s a bit hard to believe that Renegade is going to be rising up the card but stranger things have happened. Ellering losing is no surprise though, as it’s pretty much the only thing she does here.

Big Bill vs. Logan Cruz

Bill backs him into the corner to start and pounds away with the forearms. Cruz tries to slug away and walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:46.

Christyan XO/Trish Adora vs. Kelsey Reagan/Dream Girl Ellie

Adora gives Ellie a delayed slam and it’s off to XO for a shoulder in the corner to Reagan. It’s back to Adora and the Lariat Tubman finishes at 2:22. Total squash.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn vs. Rosario Grillo/Valentina Rossi/The OXP

Drake works on Grillo’s arm to start and it’s off to Gibson for a spinwheel kick. Some knees set up a butterfly suplex and Grillo has to bring in Rossi to face Dawn. They trade some early rolls before Dawn kicks her down. OXP and Gibson come in with Gibson hammering away and Drake getting to talk trash in the corner. OXP manages to kick Drake in the face though and Rossi comes back in to strike away. Dawn suplexes her down and it’s back to Grillo, who walks into Grit Your Teeth to give Drake the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C+. The Veterans are a weird team as they have the in-ring abilities and feel like they should be a bigger deal than they are. However, for whatever reason almost nothing they do feels important. The tag division could use them, but if they stay where they have been, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Post match the Veterans and Dawn keep up the beating until SkyFlight make the save.

We look back at the women’s brawl earlier.

Diamante vs. Hyena Hera

Athena is here with Diamante, who powers her into the corner to start. A German suplex drops Hera and Diamante kicks away at the chest. Hera’s kick to the face doesn’t get her very far as Diamante elbows her in the jaw. A Roll of the Dice finishes for Diamante at 2:07.

Post match Diamante says she’s the purest thing on the roster and grabs the Fujiwara armbar.

Lethal Twist vs. Superstarz

The chyron says Lethal Twist and the video screen says Lethal Swirl. Johnson works on Eight’s arm to start and hits a dropkick before it’s off to Christian vs. Mars. Christian takes over on him as well so Lethal comes in to strike away on Wild. Everything breaks down and Wild is tied in the Tree Of Woe for a string of running kicks in a nice sequence. Lethal hits a basement dropkick and the chinlock goes on. Wild manages a shot of his own and it’s back to Eight, who is quickly Death Valley Drivered. Hail To The King finishes for Lethal at 4:55.

Rating: C+. As has been the case for the last few months, Lethal and company have felt like they’re ready to go after the World Title for months now but they never actually challenge for the belt. Hopefully they get to the match already as it’s been set up for far too long now. At least there’s a story there and Christian taking the title wouldn’t be the worst idea, assuming he’s not 79 years old by the time the match happens.

Post match Lethal grabs a Figure Four and the Swirl beat on the other two, with Bandido, Tommy Billington and Adam Priest making the save.

TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Komander

Komander is challenging. Wayne shakes his hand and rolls him up for an early two so Komander sends things outside. There’s the quick dive but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo as Wayne breaks it up. That leaves Komander favoring his knee and a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner makes it even worse.

Wayne cranks on the knee some more and the Figure Four sends Komander over to the ropes. Komander kicks his way out of trouble and hits some elbows to the face. The knee gives Komander some trouble though and he takes his time following up. That means Wayne can dragon screw the knee again, this time over the ropes. Wayne hits a superkick but gets caught with a poisonrana.

Komander goes up, with Wayne cutting him off. A top rope superplex into a frog splash sets up the Figure Four, with Komander having to make it over to the rope again. Wayne tells Komander to chop him and knocks him down for doing so, but Wayne’s World is blocked. Instead Komander gets in a Canadian Destroyer but Cielito Lindo can’t connect. Wayne kicks the knee out and a fisherman’s buster retains the title at 13:48.

Rating: B-. Well, it was his first title defense in about eight months and I’m not sure why he held the title after so much of a hiatus, but at least he’s back now. Wayne is good as a cocky heel who you want to see get punched in the face and he did a nice job of taking out the knee here to slow Komander down. It felt like a main event so I’ll take what I can get out of that.

Overall Rating: C. This was quite the Ring Of Honor, as the women’s division is picking up again, with a potential Athena vs. Purrazzo showdown on the rather distant horizon. The problem here was the big stretch of matches in the middle mainly featured squashes from lower midcard stars. Cut out three or so of those and the show feels a lot tighter without much being lost. In other words, pretty standard Ring Of Honor.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Billie Starkz – Venus de Milo
Mark Davis b. Angelico – Clothesline
Bustah And The Brain b. Dark Order – Reverse Razor’s Edge/top rope faceplant combination to Reynolds
Robyn Renegade b. Rachael Ellering – Middle rope moonsault
Big Bill b. Logan Cruz – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Christyan XO/Trish Adora b. Kelsey Reagan/Dream Girl Ellie – Lariat Tubman to Reagan
Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn b. Rosario Grillo/Valentina Rossi/The OXP – Grit Your Teeth to Grillo
Diamante b. Hyena Hera – Roll The Dice
Lethal Twist b. Superstarz – Hail To The King to Eight
Nick Wayne b. Komander – Fisherman’s buster

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – March 12, 2026: Why Should I Care?

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 12, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re onto the second week in the studio this time and hopefully the show has a bit more of a chance to breathe this week. If nothing else, there are some titles on the line this time, with the Pure and Tag Team Titles being defended. There are also some Proving Ground matches, which I guess count for something. Let’s get to it.

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

Deonna Purrazzo talks about Athena trying to teach her a lesson and it hasn’t worked. She’s ready to face Billie Starkz next week in pure rules (implying the title is on the line) but tonight, Athena needs to worry about Maya World.

Athena vs. Maya World

Non-title Proving Ground match. Athena knocks her hard into the corner and shouts a lot but World gets in a spinning kick to the ribs. They head outside where World kicks her in the face but Athena fires off some kicks of her own back inside (nice mirroring of the counters there). World shrugs off some choking and fires off the forearms, only to get clotheslined out to the floor.

The ensuing dive connects for Athena, who drops her off the steps. Back in and the cravate goes on, followed by a chinlock, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Some rollups give World two so Athena hits her in the face as we have two minutes left. The O Face is broken up and World hits a spinning Falcon Arrow for two more. We have less than thirty seconds to go and World gives her a faceplant for two as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Well, at least Athena is going to have to defend the belt, which hasn’t been done since December. World might not seem like the biggest threat to the title but she’s certainly better than having no challenger. They had a good match here and the time flew by, mainly due to how well they pulled me into things. Nice job.

Women’s TV Title: Hyan vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and they go to the grappling to start. A pump kick drops Velvet for two but she’s right back with a boot of her own for two of the same. Some rollups give Velvet two but she gets knocked into the corner for a running knee. Hyan’s Falcon Arrow gets two so she tries a tiger suplex, which is countered into a rollup to give Velvet two more. That’s enough for Velvet as she nails a spinning kick to the head to retain at 5:11.

Rating: C+. That kick looked great as Velvet absolutely blasted her. Hyan and Maya World seem to be the fresh blood in the division and that is not a bad thing at all as it could certainly use the help. At the same time, Velvet has been doing rather well lately and deserves a lot of credit for her rapid improvement.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto/QT Marshall

Non-title Proving Ground match because these titles just aren’t defended these days. The champs jump them to start but Bravo gets caught in the corner for some running shots. Solo gets tripped from the floor though and a shot to the back of the head has him down on the apron. The Promotions get to pose a bit and it’s back to Bravo for a springboard Vader Bomb.

Bravo starts stomping on the ankle and Bronco Buster gets two. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a slingshot spear to keep Solo in trouble. Something like a Demolition Decapitator gets two more but Solo is back with that always stupid looking counter where someone DDTs their own partner, allowing the tag off to Marshall.

Everything breaks down and the Promotions mock Big Boom AJ (there’s a Revolution Zero Hour match), only to get caught with a springboard double Stunner. Taylor and Comoroto come in for the big man trade of shoulders before they knock down the other four with clotheslines. Comoroto slams Taylor for two and a double clothesline drops Bravo and Dean as we’re already past the ten minute time limit but oh well. Taylor punches Comoroto down and the double stomp finishes at 10:47.

Rating: C. I mean, the titles mean nothing so why bother keeping track of the time either? It’s not like they were calling the time or anything, so this was basically just a six man tag, which makes me wonder why they didn’t bother just making it a title match. The match was a long stretch of heat on Solo until Comoroto come in to do his big brawl with Taylor. Either way, it’s just more proof that these titles do not need to exist as Ring Of Honor can’t even bother following their own internal rules for finding challengers. Oh and thank goodness they let Comoroto look like a monster and then pin him when Solo was available.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. ???

La Faccion is defending in an open challenge (because winning tag matches around here means nothing) against any former Tag Team Champions. In this case that would be….the Colons, who were champions in WWE a cool thirteen years ago. Mortos, in his torn up suit, hands it off to Guevara to start with Eddie, but we’ll bring Mortos back in. Eddie gets tired of waiting and rolls Mortos up for two, followed by a double dropkick.

Orlando gets knocked down as we talk about the history of wrestling in Puerto Rico. Guevara doesn’t want to tag in so the champions go to the floor, where it’s a double dive to take them down. Back in and Mortos takes over on Orlando, with Guevara now willing to come in for a delayed suplex.

Orlando gets sent into the corner but manages a reversal, with Guevara accidentally powerslamming Mortos. Guevara is fine enough to hit a middle rope cutter for two on Orlando but the GTH is countered into a Downward Spiral for two. Eddie comes back in to clean house until he gets crotched on top. Mortos’ pop up Samoan drop finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. The only thing that came into my mind here was how little Ring Of Honor seems to care about these titles. Since the start of 2025, they’ve been defended eight times total, often in random one off matches like this one. I have no idea why that is the best way to go, but at least we got the Colons. No not the biggest star in Carlito, but those other two! What a big deal!

Premiere Athletes vs. Angelica Risk/Mark Davidson/Parker Li

Davidson and Daivari trade wristlocks to start and it’s off to Denali, with Davidson crossing himself in fear. Denali drops Risk face first onto the turnbuckle and it’s off to Nese, who strikes away at Li. Everything breaks down and Denali chokeslams Risk for the pin at 2:30.

Jay Lethal and the Swirl want the World Title.

Scorpio Sky vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Sky taking him down for a stomp onto the arm. The armbar goes on for a bit until Sky switches over to the leg. Back up and Sky is knocked outside before being chopped down on the apron. Keith suplexes him for two before chopping Sky out to the floor again. Sky is able to come back with some running shots to the face, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and Keith scores with a running headbutt, only to walk into a TKO for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a wrestling match between two middle of the road stars. They’re both talented stars but neither of them are doing a single thing right now. Thankfully we didn’t hear about how this could put one of them into title contention because, well….well because it’s Ring Of Honor.

Post match Big Bill and the Grizzled Young Veterans run in to lay out Sky and Christopher Daniels.

Nick Wayne is defending the TV Title against Komander next week. Well that’s nice of him.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Title over Josh Woods back in September. This sets up the rematch, because it’s not like there is anyone else to come after the title.

Pure Title: Josh Woods vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending. They go with the grappling to start and Moriarty grabs a headscissors. Woods reverses into a headlock before rolling some German suplexes. That’s enough for Moriarty to go to the ropes for his first break so Woods grabs an ankle twist. Woods slams the knee into the mat and Moriarty has to use his second rope break. Moriarty starts working on the hand, with an armbar sending Woods over to the ropes for his first break.

A reverse Koji Clutch goes on, with Woods using another break to even things up. Back up and they trade forearms and big boots for a double down. Moriarty gets sent to the apron so he comes back in with a springboard forearm. The Border City Stretch makes Woods use his third rope break so Woods is back with a running knee. A one knee Codebreaker gets two and an armbar makes Moriarty use his last break. Moriarty comes back with a leg lariat for the pin at 11:19, with Woods’ grab of the rope meaning nothing.

Rating: B-. It was fine, as is often the case with everything Moriarty does. At the same time, it’s another match that went pretty much the same way as every Moriarty match. It doesn’t help that the process for getting a title shot seems to be “win a Pure Rules match” and that’s about all. Moriarty has held the title for the better part of ever anyway and this was just another successful defense.

Overall Rating: C. This was another good example of what’s wrong with Ring Of Honor, as outside of a few things, it feels like a lot of the show is thrown together. Title matches are thrown out almost at random and you have things like the Proving Ground match going too long and it just being a thing that happened. The wrestling is fine but there is almost no reason to pay attention to anything around here because if Ring Of Honor doesn’t care, there’s no reason for fans to care.

Results
Athena vs. Maya World went to a time limit draw
Red Velvet b. Hyan – Spinning kick to the head
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Nick Comoroto/QT Marshall/Aaron Solo – Double stomp to Comoroto
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Colons – Pop up Samoan drop to Eddie
Premiere Athletes b. Angelica Risk/Mark Davidson/Parker Li – Chokeslam to Risk
Scorpio Sky b. Bryan Keith – TKO
Lee Moriarty b. Josh Woods – Leg lariat

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – March 5, 2026: The New Beginning Isn’t New

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – February 26, 2026: Nope, Not Yet

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – February 5, 2026: We’re Being Invaded?

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – January 22, 2026: An Awesome Match

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

 

 

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