Ring Of Honor – July 31, 2026: Good Grief This Show Sometimes

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the regular show after Tuesday’s bonus show. In this case that means we have three weeks to go before Death Before Dishonor and it’s time to start getting the card ready. Hopefully that is covered this week, though we already have the Pure Title match as Lee Moriarty is defending against Angelico. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Moriarty vs. Angelico, with the focus still being on their first match nearly two years ago. I’m really not sure how big of a deal that actually is.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico

Moriarty is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Angelico spins out of a wristlock. Angelico’s full nelson is countered into a cravate, which allows Moriarty to go after the arm again. Angelico slips out of that as well and does his dance before pulling him into a leglock, which has Moriarty burning his first rope break.

Back up and Moriarty spins around into the Border City Stretch, which has Angelico using his own first rope break. Moriarty works on the arm and fingers so Angelico goes to the ropes for the second time. With that not working, Moriarty loads up a Scorpion Deathlock but reaches down and grabs Angelico’s head before leaning back and stretching…well pretty much everything.

That’s the third rope break from Angelico, which thankfully means that I don’t have to try to describe that nutty hold again. Angelico grabs something like Konnan’s old Tequila Sunrise to send Moriarty to the rope again, leaving him with one. A triangle choke doesn’t get Moriarty very far and Angelico pulls him into…we’ll say it’s the Rings Of Saturn but with Angelico using his legs. Moriarty burns his last rope break and they trade some rollups for two each. Moriarty’s Border City Stretch goes on again and Angelico gives up at 12:31.

Rating: B. Yeah there were some cool spots in there (some of those submissions were absolutely insane) but it’s the same kind of thing that we’ve seen from Moriarty literally for years now. It would be a bit better if Angelico was built up for the title shot but it was basically just “they had a match about two years ago”. Do you know how many pure matches Angelico has had since then? One, which he lost. It’s really not that hard to set up a title match, but instead we get “Hey remember what we did almost two years ago? We’re doing it again.” Try harder than that.

Bandido is asked about his World Title defense at Death Before Dishonor against…Nick Wayne. This brings in Wayne, who promises to win the title, though Bandido says Wayne has no honor. Bandido promises to show why he’s the most wanted. I’m not sure what that means but it’s not like logic matters around this title anyway.

The World Title match for one of the few PPVs that ROH does every year was announced in a random backstage segment between two people who have no history together. Not one of the three or four people who have beaten Bandido on an AEW PPV lately, because everyone in the company wants to be “insert name here” Two Belts, unless it’s a Ring Of Honor title because who could possibly want one of those? Oh and Wayne was last seen losing on Dynamite, because that’s how you build up a World Title challenger. Good grief this place is ridiculous sometimes.

Viva Van vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura knocks her into the corner to start but Van is back up with a running hurricanrana. Sakura goes outside…and appears to be crying, but it’s just a ruse so Sakura can send her into the steps. Back in and Sakura hits a running crossbody in the corner but Van kicks her away. A missile dropkick gives Van two but she can’t get the Ocean Cyclone suplex. Van is back up with an ax kick and they both block and counter quite a few things. Finally Sakura grabs the Queen’s Gambit for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of where you need a better explanation of things around here. Sakura hasn’t wrestled in AEW since 2025 and hasn’t wrestled in ROH since 2023 (this is her fifth ever match here). It came off like we’re just supposed to remember her like she’s a regular and that isn’t the case. She comes in, she works a few matches, and she leaves. It isn’t a case of her talent, but rather she’s gone for long stretches of time and that doesn’t really work in wrestling. Tell us, or better yet, show us, a bit more about her.

The Kingdom uses AI to pick their partners for tonight: the Grizzled Young Veterans! This gives them an 87% chance of winning the match, but the Veterans aren’t sure about this AI stuff. Neither am I, but it’s certainly topical at the moment so points for something new.

Diamante vs. Allie Katch

Diamante grabs a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Diamante pulls her out of the corner and fires off some crossface shots to the jaw. A hard whip into the corner lets Diamante pose a bit but Katch is back up with a seated senton. The cannonball gives Katch two but Diamante is right back with a Stunner. Katch’s enziguri gets two more but Diamante gives her a hot shot into One In The Chamber to give Diamante the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. I still like Katch and could go for having her around to do some more stuff around here. At the same time, Diamante is still good enough in the ring most of the time but she only gets so many chances to show what she can do as the third person in Athena’s group. The match was a pretty good back and forth showcase too so I’ll take this.

Post match Diamante stays on her but Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Shane Taylor, who doesn’t like Coleman’s previous suggestions that Shane Taylor Promotions do gangster things. Coleman apologizes and asks Taylor about his matches with Jon Moxley. Taylor brags about laying out Moxley multiple times, which no one else has done. He likes finding the diamonds in the rough and he and his team trust each other. That’s how they’ll accomplish their goals but he wants to remain the person he was raised as being. As usual, Taylor is quite the talker when things are toned down a bit and I could see him having a future as a commentator.

AR Fox vs. Soleil

They go with the grappling to start and Soleil rolls backwards, all the way out to the floor. Back in and Fox uses a handstand to block a cutter (it was cool when I saw him do it live at the WrestleCon Supershow and it’s still cool here). They nip up into a standoff and Soleil flips away and hits a Meteora, landing on his feet before he hits the ground.

Back up and Fox rolls through into a neckbreaker before elbowing away in the corner. The elbows continue against the barricade and we’re off to the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they hit stereo crossbodies to leave both of them down. Soleil is up with a high crossbody for two but Fox is right back with a rolling cutter. A fisherman’s buster gives Fox two more but he misses the 450. They go up top until Soleil is shoved away, allowing Fox to give him a jumping Stunner. Lo Mein Pain into the 450 finishes Soleil at 11:00.

Rating: B. Fox has grown on me like few others around here as he wrestles a very different style but does it so well. That makes him stand out, along with being so smooth in the ring. This was good stuff as Soleil is as unique as it gets around here and the whole thing meshed together rather well. Good stuff here.

Athena is sick of people trying to come after her, including Hazuki. They can have their title match at Death Before Dishonor. In case you’re wondering, Hazuki hasn’t wrestled in ROH since before AEW existed and has wrestled four times in AEW. At least she had a brawl with Athena in her match this week on Collision. Athena defending against the woman who beat her in the Owen Hart Cup? You should know better than that.

Steph de Lander vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules and de Lander uses her first rope break in less than twenty seconds. Ellering takes her down without much trouble and hits a basement dropkick to the head. The second rope break is quickly used, as is de Lander’s punch to the face for the warning. Back up and de Lander kicks her in the face but Ellering is right back with a spinning elbow. Something like the dragon sleeper makes de Lander use her last rope break. Ellering tries a charge so de Lander hides behind the referee, with Ellering throwing him down. That lets de Lander get in another right hand and it’s a sitout F5 for the pin on Ellering at 4:49.

Rating: C. I can absolutely go for someone who cheats in this division as that’s not something you often see. De Lander cheating every chance she could makes a lot of sense and I could go for seeing what she can do in the division. It’s not like there is anything else interesting going on in the division.

Juice Robinson has glistening nipples and is coming to ROH.

Trish Adora vs. Angelica Risk

Adora sends her into the corner for a running splash to start before pulling Risk out of the air. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s time to go after Risk’s arm. The sit on the back double arm crank, followed by the rapid fire hips to the face in the corner. Risk is back up with a hurricanrana faceplant into a 619 and they trade some rollups for two each. Back up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up the Lariat Tubman to finish Risk at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Adora got to do her usual stuff here and as a result it was entertaining while it lasted. It’s also just the kind of stuff that we’ve seen from her for a long time now and that kind of puts a limit on what she can do. That’s not likely to change and unfortunately that’s going to keep her in the same spot for however long she’s around.

Steph de Lander is coming for the Women’s Pure Rules Title. She’s already gotten a better build than Angelico so why not.

Vertvixen vs. Julissa Mexa

Mexa grabs the leg and rolls around a lot, allowing her to dance. Vertvixen grabs the leg though and slaps on a half crab, followed by a running boot in the corner. Back up and they trade some forearms until Mexa gets up top for a missile dropkick. Mexa strikes away but charges into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. They go up top at the same time and strike it out, where Mexa grabs a super Samoan Driver for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C+. Mexa has been around here a few times before and she’s done well enough in those limited appearances. She has some good charisma and that finish was quite the crash landing. Vertvixen continues to be someone who feels like she could be something if given the chance but that has yet to happen.

Nigel McGuinness wants the Pure Rules Title and is willing to put his ROH career on the line.

Von Erichs/Bustah And The Brain vs. Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans

Hold on though as AI says that Drake should start against Price, who takes him down with an early wristlock. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex and it’s off to Taven for a clothesline and dropkick to Oliver. The Von Erichs come in for a bunch of slams so the villains bail out to the floor. Back in and Gibson takes over on Ross, with a cravate sending him face first into the mat. Bennett comes in for a front facelock but Ross gets out and dropkicks his way to freedom.

Everything breaks down and Gibson gives Oliver a Death Valley Driver. Price hits a pop up dropkick to Bennett and spins over into a crossbody to Taven (that was awesome). The Von Erichs hit stereo cannonballs on the Veterans and the Claws go on. That’s broken up though and the distracted referee misses the low blow to Marshall, with Drake getting a rollup for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. As much as my eyes rolled at seeing the Von Erichs back, the match wound up being good and I could go with the AI Kingdom as a thing. It’s been thirty five years since the York Foundation (oh dear) so why not? Go with something to see if it works, as it’s not like the Kingdom has been lighting things up since they returned. At least the numbers backed them up this time.

Zayda Steel vs. Sara Leon

Steel takes her down by the arm to start and Leon is surprised. For some reason Leon is surprised again when she gets pulled into an armbar and Steel wrestles her down again without much trouble. Steel misses something off the top and gets snapmared down into a running kick to the head. Leon’s kick from the apron is blocked though and Steel starts in on the leg, followed by a scorpion kick. A hanging Codebreaker gets two but Leon rolls into a German suplex to drop Steel hard. Steel is able to block a second attempt though and a leglock finishes Leon at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Steel worked on the leg, countered a move and then put on a leg hold for the win. It’s not much of a steel but it’s certainly better than what you get a lot of the time. That’s all you need here and at least Steel got a win, even if it’s against someone who might not be so well known around here. It’s better than nothing and it might lead to…oh give me a break.

Deonna Purrazzo is down to face Steph de Lander at Death Before Dishonor.

Juice Robinson vs. Anthony Henry

Henry wrestles him down to start and works on the arm but Robinson grabs a waistlock to cut that off. It’s enough for Henry to need a breather on the floor before coming back in for a dragon screw legwhip. Robinson has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock but a backsplash hits raised knees.

Henry goes right back to the knee so Robinson snaps off a spinebuster. Now the backsplash connects for two but Henry knocks him down again, setting up the Figure Four. They slap it out until the hold is broken and Robinson is up to snap off the jabs. The forward DDT pins Henry at 7:54.

Rating: C+. Yeah fine. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about this as it’s basically just a guest star from AEW showing up here for what is likely a one off match. As usual that’s hardly exciting but Robinson is so quirky and odd that he winds up keeping me interested. Not bad for a match, but as usual, a completely random choice for a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, the show was far too long and did little more than showcase how random this place is. McGuinness and de Lander technically earn title shots while Nick Wayne is just handed one while Hazuki at least interacted with the champion to get hers. It feels like every story has its own rules and that’s not exactly a great way to run a show. At least things should have something close to a focus for the next three weeks, but as usual there was a bunch of stuff that felt like it was here because Tony Khan has to film everything and air it as we approach three and a half hours of ROH this week. How lucky.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Angelico – Border City Stretch
Emi Sakura b. Viva Van – Queen’s Gambit
Diamante b. Allie Katch – One In The Chamber
AR Fox b. Soleil – 450
Steph de Lander b. Rachael Ellering – Sitout F5
Trish Adora b. Angelica Risk – Lariat Tubman
Julissa Mexa b. Vertvixen – Super Samoan Driver
Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans b. Bustah And The Brain/Von Erichs – Rollup to Marshall
Zayda Steel b. Sara Leon – Leglock
Juice Robinson b. Anthony Henry – Forward DDT

 

 

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AEW Collision – July 30, 2026: That’s What I Wanted

Collision
Date: July 30, 2026
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the second night in a row for the live AEW events as Collision is wisely stepping to the side as WWE runs Summerslam on Saturday. We are a month away from All In and last night’s show made the Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay main event all that much more interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

And we open big with the hometown Motor City Machine Guns. Yeah you knew they were coming in sooner or later. Chris Sabin asks if you thought they wouldn’t be here. This is where the best wrestle and Alex Shelley says that in more ways than one, they are home. They are officially All Elite. Simple and to the point here, with a good way to start the show off.

Trios Titles: Rascalz vs. The Demand

The Demand is defending. Ricochet and Wentz trade takedowns for an early standoff but Ricochet sends the other two outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and Xavier strikes away at Ricochet with a cutter putting Ricochet down. The series of dives have the champions in trouble and we take an early break.

We come back with Kaun striking away, only for Reed to grab a double cutter to the Gates. They’re right back up to crush Wentz in the corner, with Ricochet’s springboard splash getting two. A double electric chair is broken up and Reed is back up with his big running cutter over the ropes. Back in and Xavier’s Spiral Tap hits Ricochet’s raised knees and Open The Gates retains the titles at 11:26.

Rating: B-. This was the way to have a quick title defense for the champions and it’s nice to have the challengers be a perfectly acceptable group rather than some random names. The Rascalz work very well together so having the Demand cut them off is a good look. There aren’t many ready to go challengers so having one of them ready to go here is a good, albeit risky, start to the title reign.

The Conglomeration isn’t happy with their loss last night but they’re going to do an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with some special guests from Detroit.

Since it’s been a few weeks since the last two ended, it’s tournament time! We hear about the Continental Cup, which is a sixteen person tournament with brackets randomly drawn every round. The finals, for the title and shockingly a cup, take place at All In. It’s inspired by the English FA Cup so Nigel McGuinness is in.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Nick Comoroto

Comoroto powers him out to the floor to start but Ciampa is right back inside to stomp away. The running knee finishes for Ciampa at 1:16 and he’s looking fired up here.

Hangman Page says he needs something to do but Brody King and Bandido interrupt to thank him for last night. Page thinks they should challenge for the Trios Titles next week in Mexico City. Bandido dubs them the Good, The Bad And The Ugly, with the suggestion being that King is the latter.

Brawling Birds/Hazuki vs. Athena/Diamante/Billie Starkz

Hayter gets taken into the wrong corner to start as McGuinness doesn’t like the idea of British people only getting in brawls in pubs. Hazuki comes in to take over on Starkz and everything breaks down. Athena knocks Hayter down and the other four brawl on (and off) the stage.

We take a break and come back with Hazuki cleaning house until Diamante gives Windsor a Chaos Theory suplex. Diamante gets caught in the wrong corner for the running clotheslines and Hazuki hits a dive off the apron. Athena can’t powerbomb Hazuki, who drops Athena with a pump kick. A German suplex drops Athena and Two Birds, One Stone finishes Diamante off at 11:55.

Rating: B-. This was all it needed to be as the Birds get a win on their way to an all but guaranteed Women’s Tag Team Title match at All In and Hazuki might be challenging Athena for the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title. That’s not a bad way to go with one single match, which makes for a better use than just having the Birds win a regular tag match. The Birds winning the titles in London is a great idea and hopefully they don’t make this any more complicated than it needs to be.

Post match Lena Kross and Megan Bayne run in to go after the Birds.

Ricochet and the Demand, with the Lethal Twist, are down to face Brodido/Hangman Page.

Here is the Conglomeration to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, with the Insane Clown Posse and Rhino coming out to pour the ice. The ice is poured and the fans chant for Rebel. Nothing wrong with a quick bit for charity.

Death Riders vs. Bang Bang Gang

Yuta and Austin trade wristlocks to start as the fans REALLY do not like Yuta very much. Austin comes in to double fireman’s carry Pac and Yuta at the same time (which is all the more impressive given Austin’s stature). The Samoan drop connects but Castagnoli sends Austin into the corner for the running clotheslines as we take a break.

We come back with Austin still in trouble and getting caught with a backbreaker/stomp combination on the floor. Austin fights out of trouble without much effort and it’s off to Colten to clean house. Moxley breaks up the Fameasser though and Yuta’s rollup with tights gets two.

Robinson comes back in with a high crossbody for two and it’s off to the parade of finishers. Austin kicks Moxley from the apron and hits a heck of a running dive to take him down again. Yuta bites Robinson’s head and tries a rollup, only for Robinson to reverse it into one of his own for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Well dang man. That was a genuine surprise as I would have bet on the Gang to lose here but points to AEW for giving them a pretty major win. As usual, Austin felt like he was stealing the show and never stopped moving, which hopefully leads to him having some kind of a big push down the line. For now though, at least he got to be on the winning team here, which I didn’t see coming at all.

Post match the Riders jump Robinson and here are the Dogs to jump the Gang as well. The Motor City Machine Guns run in with chairs for the save.

Tommaso Ciampa wants in the Casino Gauntlet and is facing Andrade El Idolo for the #1 spot. He isn’t interested in the National Title because he wants the big belt.

Kris Statlander vs. Aurora Teves

Statlander throws her into the corner to start and there’s the rather delayed suplex. Staturday Night Fever finishes for Statlander at 1:27. Total squash.

Kyle Fletcher and Mike Bailey are ready for their title match on Dynamite but Fletcher jumps him and they go out into the arena. Fletcher’s belt shot misses and Bailey clears him out. Quick and to the point here and that’s fine.

Kevin Knight, on behalf of Kazuchika Okada and Hechicero, issues a challenge for a six man tag to any former World Champions for Dynamite.

Jay Lethal vs. Komander

Lethal works on a wristlock to start so Komander grabs a quick armdrag. A DDT is countered though and Lethal tries the Figure Four, which is broken up as well. Komander sends him outside but it’s too early for the rope walk dive. Lethal is sent outside though and Komander hits the big dive as we take a break.

We come back with Komander kicking away and getting two off a high crossbody. Komander flips away and gets kicked in the head, similar to last night with Moxley giving him a cutter. Maybe don’t try those flips again. Lethal chases him to the floor and Komander pops up to the top on the way back in for a 450 and a near fall. Cielito Lindo finishes Lethal at 9:01.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted but there was only so much to be seen in the short amount of time they had with the commercial taken out. As usual, Komander can do some incredible high flying stuff and looks awesome. That quick 450 is rather impressive and this one looked better than the one he did to Moxley last night. Good enough match here, with Lethal being someone you bring in to make anyone look like a star.

Schiavone: “Komander shocks the world by beating Jay Lethal!” In case you’re wondering, Lethal’s last singles win on AEW TV was almost three years ago.

Will Ospreay vs. Daniel Garcia

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Ospreay charges at him to start and Garcia bails out to the floor. The chase is on until Garcia gets caught with a head fake and Ospreay takes over on the floor. Back in and Ospreay snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor and the slingshot dive follows. Ospreay’s dive off of the barricade is countered into a hanging DDT on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Garcia working on the leg but Ospreay is back up with a flipping kick to the head. A standing corkscrew moonsault gives Ospreay two, followed by the Phenomenal Forearm for the same. They strike it out until Garcia flips over into a guillotine choke. That and a piledriver give Garcia two so he slaps him in the face, which wakes Ospreay up.

A quick Dragontamer goes on before Garcia rolls him into a bulldog choke (Moxley approves). Ospreay’s escape doesn’t last long as he dives into a rear naked choke so he raises his fist (apparently joining the Nation Of Domination). A backflip gets him out of the hold and the Hidden Blade finishes for Ospreay at 13:21.

Rating: B. Garcia as an obstacle to give a top star like Ospreay a win is a good use of him, as he didn’t get to talk and was more of a pest for Ospreay than a real threat. It was a hard hitting match and Ospreay basically Hulking Up for the win made him look even more like a hero. Perfectly acceptable idea here and they both worked hard to make it work well.

Post match Ospreay goes to leave but gets choked by Mark Davis. The Don Callis Family comes in and beats on Ospreay, including a piledriver on the floor. They take him inside for some chair shots but Ospreay fights out and clears the ring with the chair, a mere 64 seconds after being piledriven on the floor. Ospreay wants his match with Davis to be a street fight and sits down in his chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was what I wanted to see out of a Collision in the better time slot as it felt like a bigger than usual edition. They set up some stuff for both Grand Slam and All In, which is a good use of this kind of show. I liked this one quite a bit and it even had a genuine surprise with the Gang winning, along with a bit less of a surprise with the Machine Guns debuting. Good stuff here and hopefully they can follow it up next week.

Results
The Demand b. Rascalz – Open The Gates to Xavier
Tommaso Ciampa b. Nick Comoroto – Running knee
Brawling Birds/Hazuki b. Athena/Diamante/Billie Starkz – Two Birds, One Stone to Diamante
Bang Bang Gang b. Death Riders – Rollup to Yuta
Kris Statlander b. Aurora Teves – Staturday Night Fever
Komander b. Jay Lethal – Cielito Lindo
Will Ospreay b. Daniel Garcia – Hidden Blade

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – June 18, 2026: E Pluribus Honor

Global Wars: Cincinnati
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is one of those big shows with a bunch of guest stars as Ring Of Honor basically does its own version of Forbidden Door. The big match is Athena defending the Women’s Title against Syuri and the rest…well it’s hard to say as a lot of these matches aren’t advertised. In other words, how Ring Of Honor of the show. Let’s get to it.

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

I was in attendance for part of this show, sitting in the ninth row on the floor with the entrance on my right.

Opening sequence.

The opening video looks at Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox for the TV Title. Rush and Andretti were partners but then split up, with Rush being all insane.

TV Title: Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending. Andretti is outside to start and Fox isn’t sure what to do with Rush. This means Rush whispering something into Fox’s ear and it’s time for both of them to go after Andretti. Rush starts running the ropes and Andretti gets kicked out to the floor as the fans seem to like Rush over the champion. Andretti is back up but Fox moonsaults onto both of them on the floor.

Fox goes after Andretti on the ramp and avoids a 450 but gets planted with a DDT. Andretti goes after Rush but winds up breaking an umbrella and sending Rush into the barricade instead. Fox is back up to dive onto both of them but gets small packaged to give Andretti two. Andretti’s springboard clothesline hits Rush and a springboard twisting splash gets the same on Fox.

Back up and Fox dropkicks Andretti in the corner, followed by a cutter to Rush. Fox’s tornado DDT and anarchist suplex drop Rush for two but Andretti sends Fox outside. A springboard Stunner gives Rush two on Andretti and Andretti’s falcon arrow gets the same. The pumphandle Side Effect gets two on Fox so Andretti goes up, with the two of them catching him at once.

With everyone back down, a triple knockdown leaves all of them needing a breather. Fox slugs away at both of them to take over but Andretti cuts him off with a low blow. Rush Stunners him though and grabs a choke, with Fox diving in for the save. Fox is sent outside though and Black Thunder gives Rush the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. I get it. I’m not wild on Rush’s whole deal, but he is clearly popular with the crowd and being presented as a big deal. Giving him something, even as low as the ROH TV Title, is a smart thing to do. My bigger issue is Fox losing the title so soon, as I became a much bigger fan after some of his recent promos. As for Andretti….well Fox is rather awesome.

Lacey Lane/Viva Van vs. Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa

Van runs Velvet over to start and they trade bridging escapes. Lane and Van hit stereo dropkicks but it’s quickly off to Rosa for some chops and armdrags. Back up and Lane takes over on Rosa, allowing Van to come back in for a rolling kick to the head. Rosa neckbreakers her way out of trouble though and Lane is sent into the corner so Velvet can hammer away. Rosa gets caught in a fireman’s carry but Velvet tags herself back in, with Lane taking over again. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns before Van and Velvet trade rollups for two each. Rosa’s package powerbomb finishes Van at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it’s a cold match between a pair of teams who don’t really work together all that often. Maybe this leads to Rosa showing up here to take a run at Velvet (it’s not like either of them have anything else to do). Other than that though, this felt like a match that was just thrown out there to burn up some time.

We look at Syuri beating Athena in February.

Diamante vs. Maika

Diamante wrestles her to the mat in a hurry and gets in the slaps to the back of Maika’s head. Back up and Diamante pulls her down by the hair, meaning it’s time to hammer away on the mat. Some Kawada kicks have Maika in more trouble and Diamante grabs a headlock. Maika fights up and hits a dropkick in the ropes, followed by a delayed suplex for two. A big clothesline connects but Diamante reverses into a German suplex. Diamante misses a clothesline though and the Michinoku driver finishes for Maika at 6:25.

Rating: C+. This is where Global Wars/Forbidden Door runs into a problem. Maika is a talented star from Stardom but she was debuting here. Odds are she’s not staying for any significant amount of time so this was little more than a pit stop. The match was fine and that’s about all, but it’s kind of hard to get interested in people who haven’t been around here before in a match with no story.

We look at LFI winning the Tag Team Titles in December.

And now, to Arena Mexico for LFI’s first title defense in three and a half months.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Los Villanos

Los Villains (El Hijo de Villano Tres (“Tres”) and Villano Tres Jr. (“Jr.”) are challenging. Guevara flips over Tres to start and sticks the landing on a hurricanrana. They trade nipups so Mortos comes in to run Tres over. Jr. comes in with a springboard knockdown but the champs are right back up for some posing. Guevara teases something off the top but drops down for a stomp instead.

The champs go after Jr.’s mask to no avail and it’s Tres back up to start the comeback. A spinning springboard dive hits Mortos and it’s a Codebreaker into a double stomp back inside. Guevara gets thrown from the ramp onto Mortos but Mortos clotheslines both of them down without much trouble. Guevara adds a dive of his own, followed by a corkscrew version from Mortos.

Back in and a rolling cutter drops Tres before Mortos wrecks Jr with a backbreaker and discus lariat. Tres is back in with a tornado DDT to Mortos, who is back up with a super gorilla press for two on Jr. A Doomsday Device doesn’t work though and it’s a poisonrana to Mortos. Guevara takes out Jr. on the floor though and a moonsault gives Mortos the pin on Tres at 14:39.

Rating: B-. Remember what I said about how it’s hard to care about people who aren’t around here and don’t do much in a promotion? That’s the case for both of the teams, as LFI haven’t been in a match in three and a half months but their title reign has to continue for whatever reason. It’s an entertaining match, but this might as well have been a bunch of guest stars doing high spots for about fifteen minutes.

We look at Athena beating Hyan.

AEW TV Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Johnson

Takeshita is defending and Blake Christian/Jay Lethal are here with Johnson. I can’t even bother getting annoyed at commentary saying that Johnson is on a roll when his last singles win around here was in December. Johnson’s headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with a dropkick out to the floor. The suicide dive connects and Johnson hammers away back inside.

A hard whip into the corner has Takeshita in more trouble and Johnson grabs the chinlock. Takeshita fights up but his ankle is banged up, meaning he can’t get up top. Instead they knock each other down again, with Takeshita getting up to take over again. A big clothesline gives Takeshita two but the running knee is blocked. Johnson superkicks him down and ducks a clothesline, setting up a cradle for two. Takeshita is right back with the Blue Thunder Bomb into the running knee to retain at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Well at least we know these people. Takeshita is a great star and doesn’t have much to do with Ring Of Honor but I’ll take someone who is around on these shows one way or another. I have no idea why Johnson was the one getting a title shot here, but logic in title shots is not exactly Tony Khan’s strong suit.

The Opps want to fight Beef and the Premiere Athletes. Anthony Bowens wants violence and Hook thinks he’s starting to get it.

Takumi Iroha vs. Hyan

Iroha is Syuri’s partner. We get a hug to start but Iroha wants to get going so they fight over a lockup. Iroha’s big kick to the head misses though and Hyan realizes this isn’t going to be easy. Hyan misses a dropkick and she gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A sliding knee drops Hyan again but she slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That earns her a kick to the chest and Iroha grabs a quickly broken Scorpion Deathlock.

Hyan muscles her up with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. Iroha is right back with a running knee to the face and they strike it out. Hyan is knocked down but avoids a Swanton, allowing them to go out to the apron. Iroha gets planted down and a spear gives Hyan two back inside. A big kick knocks Iroha silly but Hyan picks her up instead of covering, allowing Iroha to kick right back. The running Razor’s Edge out of the corner finishes Hyan at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Well, for someone who has never been around here before and likely won’t be again, Iroha looked good enough in beating a midcarder. That’s about all there is to this one, as it’s not like either of them are a big deal around here. The match was fine, but much like a lot of this show, it’s just there.

Lethal Twists/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/Mike Bailey/Mistico

Mistico gets the big singalong entrance and while the fans wave their hands, I’m not sure if they knew the words (Bailey on the other hand sang every word to the thing multiple times, looking like he was having a great time). Vice teases walking off but comes back for the opening bell as Mistico and Romero start things off. A flying mare takes Romero down and a running hurricanrana does it again.

Everything breaks down though and Mistico gets beaten down, followed by the running clotheslines in the corner. The Outrunners and Bailey are back in for the save though and hammer away with ten right hands each in various corners. We settle down to the Outrunners taking over on Romero but Christian spears Magnum on the apron to cut him off. Lethal stomps him down in the corner and the Figure Four goes on. Christian adds a slingshot hilo but Magnum slams his way out of trouble.

Floyd comes in to clean house, including a swinging suplex to Lethal. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up though and it’s Bailey coming in to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Beretta but Romero is back in with a Shining Wizard for two of his own. Mistico dives onto Romero, leaving Bailey to get cuttered. The Outrunners break up the Lethal Twist’s Mega Powers Elbow and the four of them brawl off to the back. That leaves Mistico to La Mistica Romero for the tap at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a wild match and that’s what it should have been, with the fans clearly understanding that it’s a big deal to have Mistico around. At the same time, RPG Vice are a good choice for foils as it’s not like they mean anything in AEW/ROH anyway. Throw in the Outrunners (though oddly not Dalton Castle) and this was fun. Granted so was getting a photo with Mistico to end the night but maybe that’s just me.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Syuri

Only Athena is defending. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of wristlocks gives us an exchange of flipping escapes so Syuri knees her in the ropes. Somehow Athena manages to go from leaning on the ropes to powerslam her onto the apron.

Back in and Athena knees her down so a backsplash can connect for two. Syuri rolls her up for two more and a facebuster sends Athena out to the ramp. The slugout goes to Athena and she hits a Wasteland to drop Syuri again. Back in and Syuri gets sent hard into the corner for two but she grabs a sitout bulldog. A running knee and right hand give Athena two more but Syuri pulls her off the top into a hammerlock.

The double arm crank sends Athena over to the rope and she’s back up with a superkick. The Black Widow has Athena in more trouble so she faceplants her way to freedom. Syuri gets her cross armbreaker and even crashing over the top doesn’t break it up. A tornado DDT off the barricade plants Athena again and they both have to beat the count back in at nine.

Back in and they slug it out until Syuri grabs a German suplex. Athena snaps off one of her own but Syuri is back with a powerslam. A big knee and kick to the head put Athena down again but she pulls Syuri into a pumphandle Tombstone. The O Face retains the title at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This lived up to the hype of a main event and it felt like Athena’s title was in jeopardy more than once. That’s a good sign that the match is going well, as there was no reason to believe that Syuri was going to win here. This felt like a big time match and I got into what I was watching so rather well done.

Athena shows respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is one of the weirder shows that Ring Of Honor has, as there are parts of it that were good to even better than that (the opener, the eight man, and especially the main event), but there is a big chunk in the middle that is just there to stretch out the run time. I’m not at all saying these wrestlers are bad or untalented or anything close, but they’re just names on a list of people wrestling on this show and that is only so interesting. I’m not a fan of this concept but we’re nowhere near done, with seven more matches to go from the tapings.

Results
Lio Rush b. Action Andretti and AR Fox – Black Thunder to Andretti
Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa b. Lacey Lane/Viva Van – Package powerbomb to Van
Maika b. Diamante – Michinoku driver
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Los Villanos – Moonsault to Tres
Takumi Iroha b. Hyan – Running Razor’s Edge
Mike Bailey/Mistico/Outrunners b. Lethal Twist/RPG Vice – La Mistica to Romero
Athena b. Syuri – O Face

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – June 4, 2026: Caught Them At The Right Time

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 4, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s a rare case where we have something coming up as Global wars is taking place in a few weeks. That’s more than we get most of the time and hopefully it is enough to give this show something of a focus. That could go all kinds of ways though and you never know what you’ll be getting around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Rascalz

It’s Myron Reed/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here with Wentz starting against Drake. Wentz gets distracted and sent into the wrong corner but fights out rather quickly. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz are there with the stereo dives. We settle down to Reed headscissoring Gibson but Wentz is sent outside.

That leaves Reed to get caught in a Michinoku Driver and choked in the corner as things slow back down. Reed fights up and bounces around into an enziguri to catch Gibson. It’s back to Wentz to clean house, including a Blockbuster to put Gibson down again. A Swanton hits Drake but he gets his knees up to counter a splash into a cradle for two. Reed gets out of an electric chair though and superkicks Drake to the floor.

Wentz superkicks Gibson into a backbreaker and then dives outside onto Drake. Gibson is back up with a middle rope Codebreaker for two on Wentz and Drake’s Coast To Coast gets the same. Grit Your Teeth is broken up and the UFO Cutter plants Gibson. Reed’s diving cutter to the floor takes Drake down again, meaning it’s Reed’s 450 to finish Gibson at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was certainly a fast paced match and while I don’t quite believe commentary saying this moves the Rascalz closer to a Tag Team Title shot, at least it was a fun opener. Tag wrestling is often a good way to start the show and it worked well here. The Rascalz don’t get to do much that matters but they know how to do this kind of match rather well, with the tags being mostly unnecessary making it more entertaining.

Athena brags about retaining the Women’s Title at Supercard Of Honor but now she has to get through Global Wars where she has some unfinished business. That means getting to face Syuri.

Lacey Lane vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata wants a test of strength to start but settles for a headlock takeover instead. Lane is back up with something of a dancing abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long either. They go outside with Lane hitting a quick crossbody but Aminata whips her into the barricade. Back in and a swinging neckbreaker gives Aminata two and a side slam gets the same.

A Rings Of Saturn is broken up as Lane rolls out, allowing her to kick Aminata’s legs out. Lane’s springboard elbow gets two and she goes after the ribs. A big headbutt gives Aminata two and she kicks away in the ropes. Lane is back up with a swinging Downward Spiral for two and gets to stomp her down as well. Aminata suplexes her into the ropes though and a running knee finishes Lane at 8:30.

Rating: B. These women beat the fire out of each other and I’ll take that as a nice surprise. Lane has shown a great charisma and some in-ring abilities to back it up. Aminata was doing her thing rather well here too and I could go for more of this version of her. Solid match here and a lot better than I would have bet on seeing.

We look back at the Kingdom returning at Supercard Of Honor.

Bustah And The Brain are ready to take the Kingdom out again. They don’t like being talked down to and they’re after the Tag Team Titles. I can go with more of these two in a serious role. Or just a role that matters.

Kiran Grey/Alex Kane/Bruss Hamilton vs. Los Colons/Serpentico

Kane and Eddie start things off with the rather muscular Colon getting dropkicked. The Colons double kick Kane down and it’s off to Serpentico for a chop. The even bigger Hamilton comes in to miss some clotheslines but sends Serpentico into the corner. Grey’s legsweep lets Kane come back in but Serpentico flips out of a double belly to back suplex

It’s back to Orlando to clean house and Serpentico hits a double suicide dive. Ignore that he basically slapped two far larger men and they went flying. A Backstabber and…something close to a frog splash which lands in the vicinity of Grey is enough for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. This had some ok moments and the three monsters looked intimidating but the good guys were a bit of a stretch. The Colons didn’t work very well, with that finish looking rather messed up. I wasn’t feeling this one, but at least it didn’t take up too much time after the rather hot start.

Isla Dawn isn’t happy and wants to take her frustrations out on Deonna Purrazzo.

Isla Dawn vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title Proving Ground match under Pure Rules. Dawn’s wristlock is reversed into one from Purrazzo, sending Dawn over to the rope for the first time. A test of strength actually goes to Dawn and she sends Purrazzo into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Some running knees give Dawn two and she knees Purrazzo in the back as this is mostly one sided so far.

A boot to the head gives Dawn two and she grabs an arm as we’re at the halfway point. Purrazzo gets back up with a clothesline and a Russian legsweep connects, only for the Fujiwara armbar to be reversed into a rollup for two. Dawn’s Saito suplex gets two as they have three minutes left. They go into some grappling and Purrazzo gets the Fujiwara for the tap at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was an upgrade as Dawn got in a lot of offense and mostly dominated until it got into the technical style. Dawn is someone who feels like she could be a bigger deal if she’s given the chance, though I’m not sure how likely that is to take place. She got in a good match here though and Purrazzo had to sweat a good bit to survive here.

Athena sits down with Caprice Coleman, who brings up Billie Starkz. Athena isn’t impressed with Starkz but knows the potential is there. That’s why Athena keeps her so close but she isn’t happy about the near throwing in the towel at Supercard Of Honor. Coleman suggests that Starkz could turn on her but Athena thinks Starkz is too emotional. No one would know who Starkz is without Athena and she brags about all of her success. Finally, she says she’s staying here because this place is her baby. I can’t believe they’re still building towards Starkz winning the title and my goodness I hope they don’t go there.

Bryan Keith vs. Tommy Billington

Billington starts fast by avoiding a charge into a German suplex but Keith sends him into the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Billington sends him to the floor and hits a dive. Keith grabs a DDT on the floor and tries an electric chair back inside. With that not working, Keith hits a big clothesline for two but Billington is back with a Tombstone for two. Keith knocks him back though and hits a running kick to the face. That just earns him a piledriver to give Billington two but Keith pulls a turnbuckle pad off. He also finds a well hidden spike to stab Billington, setting up a tiger driver for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: B-. Another good enough match here and it doesn’t seem like Keith and Big Bill have much going on at this point. That might mean more of Keith on his own, which isn’t a bad thing. He can do well enough with the cheating and this was a good look at what he has without Bill.

Queen Aminata and Lacey Lane respect each other and are willing to run it back.

Lee Moriarty vs. Mance Warner

Remember the non-title Proving Ground match? This is another one. Moriarty ties up the arm to start and gets hit in the chest for his efforts. They head outside with Moriarty being sent into the barricade and Warner grabs a crossface chickenwing. That’s broken up and Moriarty knocks him down, meaning it’s time to dance back inside.

Something like an Octopus on the mat sends Warner over to the rope so Warner punches him in the face for a warning and two. The big clothesline gets two on Moriarty and Warner’s crossface makes Moriarty use his first rope break. The Fang into a Border City Stretch…is broken up as Warner pokes him in the eyes. Moriarty gets the Stretch again though and Warner taps at 7:09.

Rating: C+. And this was another Pure Rules match featuring Moriarty. I’m not sure how this is supposed to really mean much, though we’re coming up on the Nigel McGuinness title shot. At least that is something to build towards, but I’m almost worried for how long we’ll have to wait to see it happen.

Deonna Purrazzo is happy with her win and is ready to keep the title.

Lio Rush vs. Griff Garrison

Rush crawls over to the corner to start and gets Garrison’s cup, which he throws out to the floor. The dodging frustrated Garrison and Rush knocks him down in the corner. It’s too early for the Final Hour though and Garrison hits a running clothesline for two. Rush is right back with a sleeper to take Garrison down but he slips out, only to be sent outside. A running kick to the head knocks Garrison off the apron but he’s back in with a powerbomb for two. Rush is back up to strike away and the springboard Stunner sets up a cravate choke to finish Garrison at 7:05.

Rating: C+. As usual Rush’s offense is entertaining and he can do stuff that no one else can pull off. It makes the whole weird/creepy thing all the less necessary as he can stand out on his own. Either way, at least he won something here, which is worth…whatever you can get out of beating Garrison in Ring Of Honor.

Los Colons and Serpentico want to face Shane Taylor Promotions and be a team going forward. I would hope this was taped in advance, as I can’t imagine how someone could see their first match and want to see more.

The Workhorsemen want to face Eddie Kingston/Ortiz.

The Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain

Price knocks Taven into the corner to start but gets caught with a dropkick. Bennett comes in with a knee to Price, who is right back up for the tag off to Oliver. It’s back to Taven, who kicks his way out of the corner without much trouble, allowing Bennett to fire off the chops. Taven’s neckbreaker gets two and his kick into the top rope elbow/backbreaker combination is good for the same.

Oliver manages to fire off some chops to Bennett and knocks him down, allowing the diving tag to Price. House is quickly cleaned and a springboard neckbreaker gets two on Taven as everything breaks down. Taven’s Just The Tip gets two on Taven but Price gives Bennett a super sitout gordbuster. Oliver hits a frog splash for two and loads up a Doomsday Device, only for Price to dive onto Bennett on the floor. That leaves Taven to roll Oliver up with tights for the pin at 11:06.

Rating: B. This feels like a way to keep Bustah And The Brain learning as commentary was pointing out how Price made a bad move by diving onto Bennett instead of going for the win. That makes sense and as long as they get to do something else, it’s fine. As for the Kingdom, they’re ok but it doesn’t work as well without Maria.

Athena vs. Hyan

Non-title Proving Ground match and Diamante is here with Athena. Hyan doesn’t seem impressed to start and they fight over a small package to no avail. Hyan’s knockdown gets two more so Athena hammers away. Athena sends her outside for a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a choke in the corner.

The chinlock goes on but Hyan fights up and knocks her away from the ropes. A high crossbody gives Hyan two but Athena pops up for a headscissors. They trade some rollups until Athena’s curb stomp gets two more. Athena tries a springboard high crossbody but gets faceplanted for a near fall, with Hyan loading up her knee. The running knee misses so Athena flips her into a Koji Clutch for the tap at 8:20.

Rating: B-. That was a good way to make Athena look strong (again) on her way to her big showdown with Syuri in a few weeks. It helps that Hyan was built up over the last few months so this was hardly some nothing match. If nothing else, Athena deserves credit for keeping things fresh in the ring. It feels like she’s regularly adding in new stuff to her arsenal and it’s was working here.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure what was going on here but the wrestling was more energetic than usual. Maybe I just caught them on a good week or something but this worked rather well. Aminata and Lane had a heck of a match where they were putting in quite a bit of effort and Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain (which should have headlined) was a great bonus. Rather good show here and if you trim off about half an hour, it’s even better.

Results
Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – 450 to Gibson
Queen Aminata b. Lacey Lane – Running knee
Los Colons/Serpentico b. Kiran Grey/Bruss Hamilton/Alex Kane – Frog splash to Gray
Deonna Purrazzo b. Isla Dawn – Fujiwara armbar
Bryan Keith b. Tommy Billington – Tiger driver
Lee Moriarty b. Mance Warner – Border City Stretch
Lio Rush b. Griff Garrison – Cravate choke
The Kingdom b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup with tights to Oliver
Athena b. Hyan – Koji Clutch

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – May 21, 2026: Oh…It’s Back

Ring Of Honor
Date: May 21, 2026
Location: Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Supercard Of Honor and that likely means a return to normal around here. Bandido and Athena retained their titles while the Tag Team Titles continued their tradition of not being defended. Other than that, we’re likely back in the deep freeze until the next big show is announced. Let’s get to it.

Here is Supercard Of Honor if you need a recap.

We open with a quick preview of the show. That’s a new way to go.

Opening sequence.

Action Andretti vs. QT Marshall

Before the match, Andretti mocks the fans and says it started with Marshall. Andretti cuts off Marshall’s introduction and asks for some applause. The thing is, Andretti used to be a dreamer like him but then the fans booed him. The reality is that Lio Rush turned on him and now Marshall does all kinds of things just to get attention. Now Andretti is going to embarrass Marshall like he embarrassed Rush. I really hope this doesn’t mean that Rush, who is basically a monster, is supposed to be the good guy in all of this.

Anyway, Andretti headlocks him down to start but gets reversed into a headscissors. Back up and Andretti snaps off a running headscissors, followed by a springboard clothesline. A springboard corkscrew splash gives Andretti two and a handspring elbow cuts off Marshall’s comeback. The second attempt works a bit better as Marshall scores with a handspring kick to the head.

A rolling Stunner gives Andretti two but Marshall knocks him back down, setting up a Lionsault for two. Andretti dropkicks him into the corner for a split legged moonsault and he blocks a running cutter. Another springboard is countered into a cutter but Marshall misses a nice moonsault. A tornado DDT and the torture rack neckbreaker finish for Andretti at 8:51.

Rating: B-. They got into a nice groove here and it was good to see Andretti win a match for a change. Since we’re apparently getting into a Rush vs. Andretti feud, he needed to win something to give him at least the tiniest of value after so many losses. Marshall as a good guy is kind of weird but he’s actually making it work well enough thus far.

Hyan/Maya World vs. Allie Katch/Kaia McKenna

Hyan and McKenna start things off with Hyan taking over, allowing World to come in for a double clothesline. Katch comes in for a rollup but World takes her down for a double stomp. World actually gets taken into the corner for some stomping so it’s a double neckbreaker to get her out of trouble. Hyan comes back in to clean house and spears McKenna, setting up Around The World (wheelbarrow slam/running Downward Spiral combination) for the pin on McKenna at 4:35.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash as Katch and McKenna got in a bit of offense but it was never in doubt. Hyan and World are fine as a team and could wind up going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles at some point. Katch and McKenna were ok here as well and I could go for having them around more often.

Shane Taylor praises AR Fox but it’s the wrong place and wrong time for him to win his first title. Tonight, Taylor is getting his title back.

Rush vs. Ryan O’Neil

Bull’s Horns in 1:00. The post match catchphrase makes this exactly the same thing he did on Collision.

We look at the Kingdom returning at Supercard Of Honor to confront Bustah And The Brain. Not wrestle them mind you, but they did in fact confront them.

Premiere Athletes vs. Bustah And The Brain

The rest of the Athletes are here too. Oliver and Nese start things off with Nese pausing for some posing. They start running the ropes until Oliver stops and just walks over him in a funny bit. Daivari comes in for a double suplex but Price easily escapes and goes after the arm. Oliver and Price are sent outside where a distraction allows the rest of the Athletes to get in some stomping.

Back in and Oliver jumps over Daivari but Nese pulls Price off the apron in a smart move. Nese grabs the Randy Savage neck snap on Oliver, who is back up with a crossbody to Daivari. Price comes back in and cleans house, including running up the ropes for a spinning Blockbuster (that looked good).

Mark Sterling trips Price from the floor though and everything breaks down. Price gives Daivari the Tyler Bate head bounce off the ropes rebound lariat but Nese is back in to kick him in the head. Back in and Oliver kicks Nese down and then hits a dive on the floor. The Price Is Right (top rope double stomp Doomsday Device, also known as OUCH) finishes Nese at 9:51.

Rating: B-. What matters the most here is that Bustah And The Brain are getting a steady rise up the ranks. That’s a lot more than most teams around here get and if Ring Of Honor can figure out the whole Tag Team Title situation (which would be a change after the last year and a half or so), they should already be near the title situation. On the other side you have the Athletes, who were built up and then put someone else over, as they should.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz sit down with Caprice Coleman. Kingston is back to get better and he wants to see people prove they want it. Everyone wanted to come to Ring Of Honor when he was breaking in and he wants that back. As for Ortiz, they’re friends and business partners. Kingston: “I get to pay off my home and I get to have YouTube with no commercials.” Coleman asks Ortiz what Kingston isn’t telling them, which is apparently that they want to change the wrestling business. Kingston thinks this place is better than the AEW locker room and they want to make things better.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners are happy about winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles and now they’re ready to face everyone.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Danny Grandview/Chulo Montana/Ykies

Non-title Proving Ground match. Montana chops Magnum in the corner to start and gets chopped down for his efforts. It’s off to Floyd, who is wearing the title as he knocks everyone down and poses. Castle fires off the suplexes and the Bang A Rang sets up the Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle drop for the pin on Ykies at 2:40.

AR Fox is ready to face Shane Taylor, who only had to ask for a title shot. Isn’t that what Taylor did?

We look at Fox winning the TV Title last week.

Lio Rush vs. Aaron Solo

Solo is scared to shake Rush’s hand and gets sent into the ropes for his efforts. Rush chases him around the ropes and then crawls around a lot. Solo is knocked outside as the black goo is coming out of Rush’s mouth. The chase goes up the aisle until Solo hits a superkick and they go back inside. Some chops just wake Rush up again and he hits a spinning kick to the head. They run the ropes until Rush grabs a powerbomb and sends Solo outside. The suicide dive connects and Black Thunder gives Rush the pin at 5:39.

Rating: C+. This was your latest reminder that “Rush is weird but really athletic”. That’s about all there is to this as the details of why he’s suddenly a monster haven’t been explained. Odds are that’s better as this is hardly something that I want to see explained after how it has gone so far.

Post match Rush sounds like he says something about someone being strong and promising to reign supreme.

Deonna Purrazzo is proud of beating Diamante and is ready for her next challenger.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Janai Kai

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match. They wrestle around to start with neither getting very far. Purrazzo goes after the arm but gets caught in an Eye Of The Hurricane. Kai kicks her in the chest and back for two but Purrazzo breaks out of a sleeper. Another big kick puts Purrazzo down for two more and the sleeper goes on again. Purrazzo breaks it up again and grabs the Fujiwara armbar, which is actually reversed into a rollup for two. That’s enough for Purrazzo, who knocks her down and grabs the Fujiwara armbar for the win at 7:00.

Rating: C+. This was fairly long and just reminded us that the most successful women’s Pure Rules wrestler ever is still the best women’s Pure Rules wrestler ever. There is no one on the horizon coming for the title, but that could change rather quickly as it’s not like there is much of a process to set up challengers. Kai got in her usual strikes and kicks and that’s about all, as tends to be the case in her matches.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Bandido.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa

Diamante and Shirakawa start things off with Shirakawa knocking her down and hitting her slingshot corkscrew splash. Aminata comes in for her hips to the face while Shirakawa kicks Diamante in the back. Diamante jawbreaks her way out of trouble and brings Starkz in to take over. A double suplex puts Shirakawa down and it’s back to Diamante for a chinlock. Shirakawa fights up and hits a basement dropkick, allowing the tag off to Aminata.

A Helluva Kick and running shot in the corner get two on Starkz, setting up Shirakawa’s missile dropkick. The top rope Sling Blade gets two with Diamante making the save but stereo Figure Fours are reversed into small packages. Shirakawa is right back with the Figure Four on Starkz until Diamante…well actually doesn’t make the save as Aminata knocks her away. That leaves Starkz to tap at 8:44.

Rating: C+. Athena’s goons losing again isn’t much of a surprise, though Shirakawa getting a win out of the thing is nice to see. She’s someone who could easily be put into a higher level on the card but it’s hard to figure out how that goes around here. You also have Starkz’s downfall continuing, which is likely going to result in her getting yet another big title shot.

Post match (and I mean maybe a tenth of a second after it’s over) Athena shows up to choke Shirakawa (who Athena is facing in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament) with a towel. Aminata cuts that off but the villains beat Aminata and Shirakawa down.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. AR Fox

Taylor, with his Promotions, is challenging and spits on Fox’s hand to start fast. Fox gets knocked into the corner and his high crossbody is caught. That’s escaped and Fox sends him outside for the big dive, only for Taylor to punch him right in the face. There’s the apron legdrop for a rather delayed one and we hit the chinlock.

Fox is sent into the corner but avoids a legdrop for a breather. Taylor gets kicked to the floor and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and a Swanton gives Fox two but Taylor is back with a chokeslam and splash for the same. The Marcus Garvey Driver is countered into a cutter and Fox dives at Taylor while kicking Anthony Ogogo at the same time. Back in and a 450 retains the title at 9:05.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable title defense for Fox, as he got to beat a monster with a reputation. As usual, Fox’s dives looked good and it felt like he was working his way through getting around Taylor throughout. It made for a good main event and it’s great to see Fox getting this kind of a chance.

Overall Rating: C+. Well that was long. This was just a step above the regular weekly show, with a bunch of content that didn’t feel like it was doing anything more than getting people on the show. That’s fine once in awhile, but it seems to be the case more often than not. I do like that some of these things feel like they’re building to something, though we need them to actually pay off before without having to wait months on end.

Results
Action Andretti b. QT Marshall – Torture rack neckbreaker
Hyan/Maya World b. Allie Katch/Kaia McKenna – Around The World to McKenna
Rush b. Ryan O’Neil – Bull’s Horns
Bustah And The Brain b. Premiere Athletes – The Price Is Right to Nese
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Danny Grandview/Chulo Montana/Ykies – Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle drop combination to Ykies
Lio Rush b. Aaron Solo – Black Thunder
Deonna Purrazzo b. Janai Kai – Fujiwara armbar
Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa b. Billie Starkz/Diamante – Figure Four to Starkz
AR Fox b. Shane Taylor – 450

 

 

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 Supercard Of Honor 2026: After All This Time

Supercard Of Honor 2026
Date: May 15, 2026
Location: Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for another big show and there are some important matches this time around. In this case, we have the World Title being defended for the first time since December, along with a six way elimination match for the Women’s Title. Basically we have a bunch of title matches up and down the card with a few other things included. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, with the audio not working (though you can hear the production team talking about the issues) looks at the bigger matches on the card. Nothing wrong with that.

Thankfully the audio is fine for the show itself.

Kickoff Show: Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti

So I guess the Tag Team Titles aren’t being defended. Thanks for wasting months talking about how teams are moving up the ranks and all that jazz. The answer is Beast Mortos “can’t be here tonight”. And that’s fine enough for the titles not being defended since March I guess.

Anyway, Guevara flips Andretti off instead of shaking his hand before the bell and gets his wrist cranked instead. Some rollups give Andretti some near falls and Guevara isn’t sure what to do early on. Another offer of a handshake lets Guevara slick back his hair, which Andretti then messes up. A clothesline sends Guevara outside for a suicide dive, only for Guevara to hit a fast dropkick back inside.

The big running twisting dive connects but Andretti is back with a running dive of his own. Back in and Guevara’s knee knocks Andretti out of the air for two and it’s time for Guevara to get cocky again. The Samoan drop, with squats, drops Andretti and Guevara says he should be getting the World Title shot. Andretti is back up with a backflip into a Stunner and they’re both down. They trade shots to the face until Andretti comes back with a handspring elbow.

Guevara rolls outside before Andretti can come off the top…so Andretti bounces to the apron and hits an Asai moonsault in a pretty awesome sequence. Back in and the running shooting star press gives Andretti two but the torture rack neckbreaker is broken up. A flipping powerslam gives Andretti two more but Guevara flips him into a DDT. The GTH finishes for Guevara at 11:30.

Rating: B-. Nice opener here, though finding out that the Tag Team Titles won’t be defended is quite the disappointment. The titles have basically disappeared for a long time now and this isn’t going to help things. At least both of them got to fly around and pop the crowd a good bit, which is why you have a match like this as the opener.

Post match Guevara introduces Rush, who beats up Andretti before starting his match.

Kickoff Show: Rush vs. LSG

Bull’s Horns finish LSG in 42 seconds.

Kickoff Show: Lacey Lane/Janai Kai vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

Kai rolls Shirakawa up for two to start but Shirakawa gets to slide into the dancing. Shirakawa takes over before it’s off to Aminata to suplex Lane. The sliding knee gives Aminata two and Shirakawa grabs the Figure Four. The other two get in a fight, which breaks things up and everything breaks down.

Aminata headbutts the heck out of Lane and they all need a breather. Back up and Aminata and Shirakawa win a forearm off but Aminata gets double teamed to the apron. That’s broken up as Shirakawa comes in with a dropkick, setting up the Figure Four to make Kai tap at 7:43.

Rating: C+. This was another added on match which did little more than let Shirakawa and Aminata be out there. Lane and Kai were fine enough but they were more or less glorified crash test dummies. It was completely acceptable, but it was only there to fill in a spot on the card.

Kickoff Show: Rascalz vs. Premiere Athletes

Xavier blasts Nese with a dropkick to start and busts out some jumping jacks. It’s off to Reed, who gets sent into the corner and hammered down to put the Athletes in control. That doesn’t last long as Xavier fights back and hits a running shooting star press. Mark Sterling offers a quick distraction though and a DDT puts Xavier down.

A bunch of choking on the floor gives Daivari two on Xavier as the massive cheating is on. Xavier fights up and hits a heck of a right hand, allowing the tag off to Reed. Everything breaks down and Xavier gets elevated DDTed. An other the shoulder Tombstone gives Nese two on Reed but Daivari knocks Nese down by mistake.

The Athletes are sent outside for Reed’s big running cutter off the apron. Wentz cutters Mark Sterling on the floor and Reed kicks Daivari down. Back up and the hammerlock DDT into the Magic Carpet Ride gives Daivari two, with Wentz flipping in for the save. Nese gets put in a fireman’s carry, with a top rope double stomp setting up a reverse Samoan driver to give Reed the pin at 11:26.

Rating: B-. It’s another fast paced and entertaining match, though it’s also a match that didn’t add much. I’m not sure what the point was in having the Athletes lose here after they were on a winning streak, but at least it was to a talented team like the Rascalz. As usual, the key is to do something with them and you never know if or when that might happen.

And now, the show proper.

Nigel McGuinness vs. Josh Woods

Pure Rules. McGuinness can’t get a wristlock to start and his front facelock earns him a trip into the corner. McGuinness grabs the ears of all things and Woods goes to the ropes for his first break. A short armscissors makes McGuinness use his own first break but he’s right back to work on Woods’ arm. That’s reversed into a sleeper and McGuinness has to go to the rope again. McGuinness rolls outside and grabs a headset, saying this isn’t going how he was expecting.

Woods gets on a headset and says this is going EXACTLY as he was expecting. Referee: “Gentlemen, I don’t know how you expected this to go. If you don’t get in the ring by the time I get to 20, you can expect to be counted out.” Hahahahahaha! They do in fact get back inside where McGuinness gives him a quick forearm (legal), which has Woods driving the two of them into the corner. McGuinness grabs a guillotine choke and Woods has to use his second rope break, causing McGuinness to do pose in celebration.

Woods charges at him and accidentally burns his third rope break as McGuinness outsmarts him again. They go outside and Woods rams him into the barricade to take over, followed by a backbreaker for two back inside. The ankle lock makes McGuinness use his last rope break but he hits something like a Tower Of London (more like a reverse Sling Blade than a stunner) on the floor.

They forearm it out on the floor and then keep it going inside until stereo boots to the face leave both of them down. Woods backbreakers him into a hard lariat for two and the ankle lock goes on again. McGuinness sends him into the corner for the break but can’t get the London Dungeon. The rebound lariat gives McGuinness the pin at 14:53.

Rating: B. Uh, ok then. This felt like it was going to be Woods beating the legend to finally get another Pure Rules Title shot and end Moriarty’s crazy long reign. Instead, McGuinness outsmarts him and scores something of an upset. I like the idea of McGuinness outsmarting him, but Woods losing here is quite the surprise.

Post match respect is shown.

We recap Viva Van challenging Red Velvet for the Women’s TV Title. Velvet is on a roll and has been rather awesome since her return. Van won one match and got the title shot. Literally her first win in ROH after seventeen losses. Commentary explains that a lot of it is due to her success outside of ROH, which basically says that promotions outside of ROH are more important.

Women’s TV Title: Viva Van vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and dances a bit to avoid a test of strength. Van pulls her into a cross armbreaker but Velvet reverses and sends her out to the apron. Back in and Van grabs a dragon screw legwhip, followed by a Brock Lock to stay on the leg. The bow and arrow is broken up and they trade forearms from their knees, with Van doing a cool sit up to get back in Velvet’s face.

Velvet sends her into the corner and hammers away but gets caught in an electric chair. That’s reversed into a hurricanrana and they trade spinning shots to the face for a double near fall. Velvet’s basement superkick connects but Straight Outta Your Mama’s Kitchen is blocked. They go into the corner where Velvet has to escape an electric chair and grabs an Iconoclasm for two. Van’s implant DDT gets two and they trade rollups for two each, only for Velvet to hit the spinning kick to the head and retain at 11:18.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty nice match but there was zero reason to believe that Van was going to win here. I get the idea of “she’s done well everywhere else” but that means very little in ROH. There are all kinds of other people who could have gotten the title shot here and while Van is talented, she needed a MUCH better build up to get the title shot.

We look at AR Fox winning the TV Title last night and immediately being challenged by that wacky Lio Rush.

TV Title: Lio Rush vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending and gets suckered into the corner by the rather out there Rush. A cheap shot doesn’t get Rush very far as Fox sends him into the corner for some creepy speaking into the camera. Back up and Rush hits a running clothesline to send Fox out to the apron. Rush charges into a boot though and the running flipping double stomp on the apron connects for Fox.

Some elbows in the corner have Rush in more trouble so he bites Fox’s ear. Fox is sent outside for a big dive and a hard whip into the barricade. Back in and Rush hammers away, with an elbow to the face getting two. The chinlock goes on until Fox fights out and grabs a swinging DDT. A suplex neckbreaker drops Rush for two and here is Action Andretti at ringside.

Fox’s rolling cutter gets two more but he has to bail out of the 450. Rush spears him for two of his own and a springboard Stunner sends Fox outside. Of course that means a suicide dive, followed by a running Spanish Fly back inside. The Final Hour gives Rush two and it’s time to grab the belt. The referee doesn’t approve and takes it away, allowing Andretti to shove Rush off the top. Fox drops the 450 to retain at 15:41.

Rating: B. I was digging this a lot more until Andretti got involved. Fox wasn’t beaten, but I’m not wild on having someone help him in his first title defense. At the same time, at least Fox keeps the title and Rush seems to be spun off into something of his own. Andretti vs. Rush isn’t the most thrilling feud, but I’ll take something with a personal story over a bunch more random matches any day.

Sammy Guevara is upset about not defending the Tag Team Titles so he wants the World Title. The AEW World Title that is, as why would he want the Ring Of Honor version?

We recap Diamante challenging Deonna Purrazzo for the Women’s Pure Rules Title. Purrazzo is the inaugural champion while Athena wants her minions to hold all of the titles. Therefore, Diamante is trying to steal the Fujiwara armbar to get the title.

Women’s Pure Rules Title: Diamante vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending under Pure Rules and takes her into the corner to start. The short armscissors sends Diamante to the ropes for her first break and she pulls Purrazzo outside to strike away. Back in and Diamante fires off some chops in the corner, with Purrazzo having to use her first break to escape an ankle lock (interesting as she was already holding the rope when it went on, which feels like it could be a loophole).

A right hand earns Diamante a warning but she ties Purrazzo’s leg over the top rope. That means a running dropkick to the back can send Purrazzo crashing out to the floor for a crash. Back in and Purrazzo hits a desperation boot to the face and they’re both down. Diamante’s German suplex gets two and she gets the Fujiwara armbar.

Purrazzo is right back up with her own right hand, followed by a DDT for two. Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar has Diamante burning through her second break and she escapes again, earning herself a piledriver for two more. Diamante flips her off so it’s a powerbomb into the Venus de Milo to retain the title at 13:01.

Rating: B-. This worked well enough and a lot of that is because they had built up a story between the two of them. There was a reason to want to see Purrazzo beat Diamante and get some revenge, particularly by hurting the arm. I’m not sure who is supposed to beat Purrazzo, but I can go with the idea of building someone up instead of just a random title match.

Action Andretti says he turned on Lio Rush because Rush wasn’t there for him earlier tonight. He felt forgotten and that isn’t working for him. Cru is done.

We recap the Pure Rules Title match, which is the opposite end of the spectrum. Lee Moriarty is the seemingly unbeatable champion and he’s just giving Ace Austin a shot (yes they have a history elsewhere, but not around here so it’s basically cold).

Pure Rules Title: Ace Austin vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending under Pure Rules. Moriarty takes him to the mat but his headscissors is reversed into a leglock. That’s countered into an armbar but Austin nips up and gets in a knockdown of his own. Moriarty’s armbar has Austin using his first break but he pulls Moriarty into a Muta Lock. A snap of the fingers gets Moriarty out so Austin drives him into the corner.

Moriarty twists the neck and works on the arm, with a suplex connecting for two. They fight over a cross arm choke until Moriarty goes back to the fingers. That’s reversed as well and Austin pulls him into a Koji Clutch, with Moriarty using his first break. A Death Valley Driver rocks Moriarty again but he cuts off a charge and snaps Austin’s arm over the top. Back in and the Border City Stretch goes on, with Austin reversing into a rollup for two more.

A leg trap cradle gets two as Moriarty has to use his second break. Back up and one more armbar makes Austin use his last rope break so Moriarty goes for the arm again. This time Austin sends him crashing out to the floor for the break and a breather. Back in and the Koji Clutch makes Moriarty use his last break, allowing him to grab a chickenwing. With Austin escaping, Moriarty switches into a European Clutch while grabbing the rope to retain at 16:07.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here as Austin is on an absolute roll. At the same time, I have no idea what is next for the title. Josh Woods lost and we’ve done Nigel McGuinness vs. Moriarty. That’s the problem with basically a three person “division” and a bunch of thrown out there challengers. Either way, rather good match here, with Austin needing to get a big win sooner or later. He has stood out when he gets a chance, but he needs to turn that into something.

Red Velvet is annoyed that she’s not in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament. Willow Nightingale is, so Velvet is coming for the TBS Title on Collision.

Bustah And The Brain want the Tag Team Titles. For now though, they’ll settle for facing anyone who wants a piece of them. This brings out the Kingdom of all people for quite the surprise. They’re in for the challenge.

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

The Promotions are defending in an open challenge (which came after Bustah And The Brain’s open challenge and Red Velvet accepting an open challenge) with….Dalton Castle and the Outrunners accepting. Thank goodness, as they’re the absolute most logical challengers. Bravo knocks Floyd into the corner to start and gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. It’s off to Castle vs. Dean, who has to grab the ropes to escape Castle’s suplex attempt.

The Bang A Rang is blocked as well so it’s Magnum coming in and welcoming Bravo’s chops. A slingshot cutter works a bit better for Bravo and the champs crush Magnum on the apron. Back in and a clothesline gives Bravo two and Dean grabs a front facelock. The backdrop gets Magnum out of trouble but it’s too early for the tag, as Bravo pulls Floyd off the apron. A flip over the back allows the tag off to Floyd though and house is quickly cleaned.

Taylor breaks up the Mega Powers elbow (that monster) and one heck of a right hand knocks Floyd silly. Dean hits a Bronco Buster and some elbows get a quick two. Taylor even crotches Floyd against the post to keep him in trouble. The delayed suplex drops Floyd again and Taylor comes in for an even more delayed suplex. Floyd atomic drops his way out of trouble but Magnum is knocked off the apron again.

Taylor plants Floyd for two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Taylor misses a charge into the corner, allowing Floyd to hit a slam. Castle gets back up for the tag and manages a German suplex on Taylor. The Bang A Rang is blocked again and Christyan XO’s distraction sets up a Marcus Garvey Driver for two. The Outrunners cut the Infantry off though and it’s a Bang A Rang to Taylor. That sets up the Mega Powers Elbow for the pin and the titles at 17:46.

Rating: C+. This was rather long but absolutely the right result, as the Promotions are hardly the most thrilling team in the world and it was time for them to lose the titles. Castle and the Outrunners have been built up as a successful three man team and then they beat the champions. They missed the peak of the Outrunners’ overness and didn’t give them anything then, but at least they finally got something. This isn’t rocket science and they made it work just fine here. Just maybe trim the match down a bit, as seventeen minutes was a good while too long.

Post match the rest of the Promotions come in for the beatdown but Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe make the save. Cassidy and Floyd do the big handshake.

We recap Mark Davis defending the AEW National Title against CMLL’s Xelhua. The match was announced earlier this week. End of recap.

AEW National Title: Mark Davis vs. Xelhua

Davis is defending. Feeling out process to start until Davis kicks him into a headlock. A hammerlock sends Davis over to the rope so Davis knocks him down for a backsplash. Back up and Xelhua ties up the arms and poses, with Davis having to bail out to the floor. That means Davis can hit a running shoulder and fire off the rather loud chops. Back in and a hard kick to the chest gives Davis two, followed by the hard shots in the corner.

Xelhua is sent crashing out to the floor, with Davis throwing him back inside and going for the mask. That fires Xelhua up for a high crossbody and a northern lights suplex for two. A hammerlock drop gives Xelhua two more but Davis enziguris him into the ropes. The lariat is reversed into an ankle lock, sending Davis over to the ropes for the break. Xelhua slams him down but misses a top rope backsplash. Davis hits the piledriver and running clothesline for the pin at 14:15.

Rating: B-. It was a fine power vs. power match but it was ice cold coming in and that’s not the best way to go. I get the idea of the National Title being the traveling title, but that doesn’t mean much when you have so many other people jumping back and forth between ROH and AEW. It doesn’t feel special and that needs to change if this title is supposed to mean something around here.

Shane Taylor Promotions want the AEW Trios Titles and the challenge is on for Collision.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

The Conglomeration is ready to fight on Collision so the Promotions’ challenge is accepted. Mark Briscoe’s word of the day is “home town a** whupping”. That’s…never mind.

We recap Bandido defending the World Title against Blake Christian. Bandido won Survival Of The Fittest to retain the title over five challengers, including Christian. Now Christian wants his one on one title shot. Ignore that we are five and a half months removed from Survival Of The Fittest.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Blake Christian

Bandido is defending and Lee Johnson/Jay Lethal are here with Christian. Naturally Christian bails to the floor to start before coming back in so Bandido can flip around him. Bandido knocks him into the corner for the chops, which seem to hurt his own hand. A headscissors sends Christian outside for the suicide dive but he’s right back up with one of his own.

Back in and Christian starts in on the leg, including a double knee stomp. Bandido fights up and heads to the top, where Lethal grabs his leg. That means a double ejection but Christian uses the distraction to hit a Death Valley Driver for two. Christian grabs a short armscissors but Bandido rolls away as Christian goes up top. Bandido gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for the double stomp and a triangle choke has him in more trouble.

That’s reversed into the sitout powerbomb and Bandido jumps up top for the corkscrew crossbody. A running knee gives Bandido two but the 21 Plex is blocked. Christian goes after the leg but Bandido muscles him up for a suplex. Some rolling northern lights suplexes give Bandido two but an exchange of kicks goes to Christian. Bandido is knocked outside for a suicide tornado DDT, followed by the Lethal Injection for two back inside. Christian knocks him back to the floor and let’s load up the announcers’ table.

That earns him a suplex onto the table and they go back inside, where the 21 Plex gives Bandido two. They go up top, where Christian hits a super poisonrana into a springboard 450 for two more. Christian’s 21 Plex is blocked and Bandido knocks him down again. The shooting star press his raised knees though and they’re both down.

Bandido avoids another Lethal Injection but gets superkicked into a Spanish Fly for two. With nothing else working, Christian grabs the belt and uses the distraction to hit Bandido low. A double stomp to the head gives Christian two but Bandido is back with a Styles Clash. The 21 Plex, with Christian on the mat instead of on the ropes, retains the title at 26:03.

Rating: B+. It felt like a big match and Bandido continues to deliver while he’s around. The problem is simply that he isn’t around very often and that makes for a weird World Title situation. This match should have happened a few months ago to really hit the peak of the story, but it was SO refreshing to have a story built up rather than just throwing it out there. Heck of a match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise at all given who was out there.

Post match Swerve Strickland runs out to beat down Bandido before their match at Double Or Nothing.

We recap Survival Of The Fittest. Athena has been Women’s Champion for about 28 years now and is defending against five women at once. It’s not like most women feel like a threat to her so this is the best they can do.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Zayda Steel vs. Maya World vs. Trish Adora vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Billie Starkz

Athena is defending under elimination rules. Steel is rapped to the ring and Athena gets a highlight video. Athena yells at Starkz to start and they go outside, which is broken up rather quickly. Back in and we get a four way crisscross until Adora spears Steel and World. That doesn’t do much as World is up for an Asai moonsault onto everyone else.

Back in and Steel’s top rope double stomp gets two on Adora, leaving Athena to toss World and Sakazaki at the same time. Steel throws a chair at Athena’s face and then uses it to clean house (remember No DQ). The chair is wedged into the corner but Steel is sent head first into it to give Athena the elimination at 5:03.

Athena kicks the chair out but World is there to kendo stick her down. Adora gets the stick and cleans house as Athena throws in a trashcan. Adora’s suplex drops World and everyone heads outside, with Starkz loading up a table (of course). Sakazaki is sent into the barricade and Adora is sent into Athena for a spear to put Athena down. Starkz’s slingshot piledriver gets two on World and Adora chokeslams Athena through a pile of open chairs at ringside, leaving Athena looking rather dead.

Starkz clears off the announcers’ table but Adora plants her with a Death Valley Driver. Sakazaki hits the Magical Girl Splash to put Athena through a table but walks into a backbreaker back inside. The Lariat Tubman hits Athena…and Sakazaki cuts off the cover, with commentary calling that out as a dumb move. Sakazaki gives Adora a spinning faceplant for the pin at 15:39.

A Magical Girl Splash with the trashcan hits Athena but Starkz makes the save (which makes a bit more sense). Starkz gives Sakazaki a super Pancake for the pin at 17:25 and we’re down to Starkz, World and Athena. A Canadian Destroyer gives Starkz two on World so Athena grabs some kendo sticks. Athena and Starkz use the sticks to unload on World and then bury her in chairs. Naturally it’s ladder time but World dropkicks it into Athena. Starkz goes up and gets punched by Athena by mistake, allowing World to hit a sunset bomb onto the chairs for the pin at 21:47.

The two of them head outside, where Athena misses a belt shot and gets planted onto the apron for two. An over the back faceplant gives World two and she grabs an ankle lock. Athena blocks Starkz from throwing in the towel and plants World onto the chair. An O Face off the ladder drops World and retains the title at 26:12.

Rating: B-. I could have gone for a lot fewer weapons here, with the ladder for the O Face being the only real highlight. The problem is we’ve seen so many weapons based matches around AEW in recent months that this really doesn’t mean as much. Athena winning is something of a surprise, as I have no idea how she is supposed to lose. As long as it isn’t to Starkz, it should be ok, but good grief that would be a lame ending to the title reign. For now though, good enough match, but not quite as awesome as I was expecting.

Post match Diamante comes out to celebrate but Starkz and Athena argue. Starkz leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There’s a lot of really good stuff on here, but as usual at the end of a Tony Khan produced pay per view, I do not want to see these people again for a long time. This show was really, really long and came after two other Ring Of Honor shows this week. The action was rather good throughout, but they could have easily dropped the National Title match and trimmed some others. As usual, too much going on, but that might be outweighed by the matches actually feeling important for a change. Just fix the Tag Team Title situation and it’s a lot better. Good show, and with some tweaks it could have been great.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Action Andretti – GTH
Rush b. LSG – Bull’s Horns
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Lacey Lane/Janai Kai – Figure Four to Kai
Rascalz b. Premiere Athletes – Top rope double stomp/reverse Samoan driver combination to Nese
Nigel McGuinness b. Josh Woods – Rebound lariat
Red Velvet b. Viva Van – Spinning kick to the head
AR Fox b. Lio Rush – 450
Deonna Purrazzo b. Diamante – Venus de Milo
Lee Moriarty b. Ace Austin – European Clutch while holding the ropes
Mark Davis b. Xelhua – Running clothesline
Bandido b. Blake Christian – 21 Plex
Athena won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating World

 

 

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

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




Ring Of Honor – May 14, 2026: All At Once Now

Ring Of Honor
Date: May 14, 2026
Location: SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the night before Supercard Of Honor and this is the second Ring Of Honor show of the week. The bonus show from Tuesday was a big preview for Supercard and it worked out pretty well. There is a good chance that this will be a slightly longer version of that, though the TV Title is on the line here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Tuesday’s show if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Maya World/Lacey Lane/Yuka Sakazaki vs. Marina Shafir/Athena/Billie Starkz

Athena flips out of Sakazaki’s hiptoss to start and they’re already in a standoff for a handshake. Shafir comes in and easily takes Sakazaki down so it’s off to Lane, who has to escape a choke. We get the fight over a six woman suplex with Athena’s team getting the better of things. Everything breaks down and Athena holds up World and Lane at the same time until a superkick knocks them all down.

Sakazaki gets caught in the wrong corner and Athena hammers away but also runs over to the corner to knock the other two off. Starkz comes in for two but Sakazaki fires off some elbows to Athena. That’s not enough for the tag though as Sakazaki gets pulled back into the middle.

A discus forearm drops Athena so Shafir comes in, leaving World and Athena to brawl on the floor. Sakazaki gets over for the tag to Lane, who cleans house and Death Valley Drivers Lane for two. Shafir and World brawl on the floor until Sakazaki takes them both out with a dive. Lane and Starkz trade kicks to the head with Starkz getting the better of things. The Swanton connects but Athena tags herself in and steals the pin at 11:28.

Rating: B-. Take a bunch of people in a title match and put them into a six woman tag with a few others thrown in to fill out the card. It’s a good preview for the match and Athena gets to look strong on her way into what is probably her toughest title defense to date. Athena almost has to lose tomorrow night I’ve been saying that for….years now?

Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Death Riders

Of course it’s Wheeler Yuta/Daniel Garcia and Jon Moxley/Pac are with them. Garcia takes Billington down and gives him a quick kick, which has Billington annoyed. Priest comes in and Garcia hands it off to Yuta, likely out of fear. A double suplex drops Billington ribs first onto the top rope and a knee drop gives Garcia two. Yuta ties up the leg and Priest gets knocked off the apron to prevent a tag that wasn’t even being attempted.

Billington pops up and runs over for the tag (that was sudden), allowing Priest to clean house. The half crab goes on and Yuta’s kicks just annoy Priest, who grabs the same hold on him instead. Priest lets go to slug it out with Garcia and Yuta’s running knee misses. Billington gets piledriven and an STO/running knee combination finishes Priest at 10:37.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a technically acceptable match which wasn’t overly interesting because neither team is doing anything. Billington and Priest had that feud with the Lethal Twist to boost them up a bit and now they’re stuck in the same place as so many other teams. On the other hand you have Garcia and Yuta, who are on every hand because the Death Riders have to be involved in everything.

Added to Supercard Of Honor: Mark Davis defending the AEW National Title against Xelhua.

Satnam Singh vs. CD Bennett/James Tapia

Singh throws them around and hits the double crossbody before shrugging them off again. The double chokeslam finishes for Singh at 1:32. This is something that is mainly for the live audience so they can see the giant but since EVERYTHING MUST BE FILMED AND AIRED around here, this is what we get.

Angelico vs. Josh Woods

Pure Rules. They fight over arm control to start with Woods spinning around and grabbing a snapmare. Angelico grabs the arm and that makes Woods accidentally back into the ropes for the first break. Woods is mad enough to drive Angelico into the corner and then plant him down, where Angelico gets in a kick to the head. That’s shrugged off and Rolling Chaos Theory finishes Angelico at 3:44.

Rating: C+. Yeah cool. Now that Woods has been built up as the most amazing technical wrestler anywhere, how many months do we wait before he gets his title shot? I’m going to go with fewer than whomever gets the random title match at the pay per view, because Ring Of Honor likes to play the REALLY long game with title shots. Or they do the opposite and hand them out at random. Either way, there is pretty much no need for one Pure Rules Title, let alone two.

Post match Woods goes after the arm and beats up Serpentico as well. Nigel McGuinness runs in for the save, but Woods bails from the threat of a fight.

Red Velvet talks about going way back with Viva Van and knows how hard Van has worked to get here. Velvet has carried this division on her back (What division?) and it’s time for Van to step in the ring with the backbone of this division (WHAT DIVISION?). Yeah that’s all well and good. Forgive me for not thinking that someone who is 1-17 in Ring Of Honor is a threat to the title.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Mance Warner vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

The Promotions are defending and it’s a big brawl before the bell. Ortiz and Bravo start things off and it’s off to Warner for some Snake Eyes. Kingston comes in to shoulder Taylor to no avail so Kingston goes with a shot to the face instead. A suplex doesn’t work though and Taylor takes him into the corner for some clubberin.

Dean adds a Bronco Buster into a chinlock, with Kingston getting back up. Kingston chops away at Taylor and manages to plant him off a charge. Warner comes in to clean house, including the big poke to Bravo’s eyes. Everything breaks down and Warner’s running knee gets two on Bravo. Christian XO offers a distraction though and it’s a belly to back suplex neckbreaker combination to finish Warner and retain the titles at 8:52.

Rating: C+. This was every “champions vs. thrown together team” title match that you would see. It’s the same idea of most of the Pure Rules Title matches: the champions are more experienced and know how to do this kind of match so they retain the titles. If only there were a few challengers who had done this same kind of match over and over as well, they might actually have some more interesting challengers.

Video on Blake Christian vs. Bandido.

Blake Christian vs. Evil Uno

This is Christian’s first singles match in Ring Of Honor this year and he has the rest of the Lethal Twist with him. Christian jumps him to start fast and gets knocked into the corner for some rapid fire clotheslines. Uno’s piledriver is countered with a backdrop though and Christian gives him a basement dropkick out to the floor.

Back in and a springboard elbow puts Uno down and Christian gets to talk trash. Uno comes back with a running boot into a DDT for two, only for Christian to send him into the ropes. Christian puts on the Bandido mask but the 21 Plex is blocked. Instead it’s a Lethal Injection into a Shining Wizard into the Vanilla Choke Zero to give Christian the win at 4:15.

Rating: C. Well, it’s better than not having him wrestle before the title match. I have no idea why I’m supposed to care about Christian’s singles success when he hasn’t done it for about five months but that’s the likely co-main event for the show. Uno was just cannon fodder here and that’s what he should be in bigger matches.

Post match Christian promises to win the World Title.

Lee Moriarty gives Ace Austin a Pure Rules Title shot.

Austin is undefeated in Ring Of Honor and even though he’s lost in AEW, he’s getting better! It’s inevitable that he’ll be a champion and it will happen tomorrow.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kaci Lennox

Non-title Pure Rules Proving Ground match. The bigger Lennox tries to go with the power to start but has to get out of a piledriver attempt. Back up and Lennox knocks her into the corner for some trash talk, followed by a clothesline for two. Purrazzo has had it with this though and pulls Lennox into the Fujiwara armbar for the win at 3:36.

Rating: C-. This was in fact Purrazzo doing the Pure Rules thing that she has proven she’s great at for…like a year plus now? I’m really not sure why we needed to see her do it again and the match didn’t have time to get anywhere. At least Purrazzo has an actual feud coming up at Supercard, which puts her further than most of her other title defenses.

Post match Diamante runs in and hits Purrazzo with the belt before giving her a Fujiwara armbar.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. Baby Keef/Charlie Malachite/Xander Maddox

Magnum and Malachite fight over a headlock to start until Magnum chops him into the corner. For some reason Keef comes in to try some shots to the back, meaning the Outrunners get to beat up all three of them at once. Castle comes in to fire off the suplexes and it’s a triple slam to Malachite. There’s the Mega Powers Elbow to give Castle the pin at 3:14.

Rating: C. Cool now the Outrunners and Castle, who have been winning six man matches for months on end, get their title match right? I mean of course they probably won’t because that’s not how Ring Of Honor works, but it’s certainly the logical way to go. Otherwise, it’s just the same win that they get ever time, albeit against an opponent named Baby Keef this time.

Athena is ready to win but Billie Starkz comes in to ask what that was about. Athena doesn’t want to hear about this because she has kept Starkz around for three years now and it’s time for everyone to acknowledge what she has done. Starkz is annoyed but thanks her, with Athena telling her to follow the plan tomorrow night.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Hyan vs. Zayda Steel

Maya World and Christopher Daniels are here too. They trade small packages to start and pop up for a standoff. Hyan nails a basement dropkick but gets sent face first into the buckle. Steel knocks her outside, where Hyan blocks a suicide dive and hits a suplex on the floor. Back in and Steel pulls her into an STF so Hyan crawls to the rope, which she grabs with her teeth. That lets them trade rollups for some near falls until Hyan blocks an Unprettier attempt. Instead Steel grabs a swinging Unprettier for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C+. This was a case where something had to be covered and they did it in a rather simple way. That’s not a bad thing either, as Steel or Hyan going forward is fine. If nothing else, it was nice to have a match that felt like it had some stakes, as it’s hard to imagine that Athena leaves with the title. Why not Steel? I mean other than she’s still relatively new and feels like a longer term project, but at least she’s in there.

Post match respect is shown.

TV Title: AR Fox vs. Nick Wayne

Fox is challenging and Wayne’s associates are here with him. They start fast with an exchange of rollups for two each until Fox slingshots in for an anarchist suplex. Wayne bails to the floor where he catches Fox with a shot to the ribs. That just earns him a step up moonsault from the middle rope, allowing Fox to clothesline away back inside. Kip Sabian crotches Fox on top though and Sliced Bread off the steps drops Fox on the floor. Mother Wayne adds some choking and Nick’s legdrop gets two.

The seated abdominal stretch keeps Fox in trouble but he’s right back up with a running hanging DDT. Fox pulls him into a cutter and hits a package powerbomb for two more. Nick is right back with a standing Sliced Bread for two of his own and a shot to the back keeps Fox in trouble. Code Red gives Nick two more but Fox seems to get ticked off. Fox knocks him outside for the big running flip dive but the Swanton hits raised knees back inside. Back up and Fox grabs a small package out of nowhere for the pin and the title at 12:58.

Rating: B. Cool. I was wrong about Ring Of Honor never doing anything with Fox and it’s nice to see him get some gold. That’s a nice surprise and rather long overdue, but it also gives you a reason to believe that someone could get a title win out of nowhere. It’s not like Nick was doing anything with the title so this is a nice change of pace.

Post match Lio Rush (he’s crazy again) pops up issue the challenge for the title for Supercard and the match is immediately made. Please don’t put it on Rush. Please?

Premiere Athletes vs. Ernest R. Alexander/Jacey Love/Ricky Martinez

Because this show can’t just end already. Nese backs Alexander into the corner to start and gets in some quick jumping jacks. Alexander tries to do the same and gets clotheslined down, allowing Daivari to come in to hammer away. Denali drops Love onto the turnbuckle but Love gets over to Martinez. That earns him a beatdown of his own and Denali chokeslams Love for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. The Athletes are the perfect example of “they’re just kind of here” in Ring Of Honor. They don’t have feuds and they don’t have anything to go after at the moment, but they’re around almost every week. I have no idea why anyone would want to see them that often, but that has been the case since Ring Of Honor came back.

Bandido vs. Action Andretti

Non-title Proving Ground match and this is Bandido’s first singles match in Ring Of Honor since September. Bandido flips around to start but Andretti sticks the landing on a hurricanrana attempt. Back up and Bandido sends him into the corner, earning a handshake from Bandido. Andretti sends him into the corner and does a quick dance before knocking Bandido outside.

That means the big flip dive can connect and Andretti grabs a belly to back suplex for two. Bandido muscles him up and over with a suplex though and adds a corkscrew high crossbody. The frog splash misses for Bandido so Andretti gives him a hurricanrana for two more. Back up and Bandido grabs the one armed gorilla press for two and Andretti flips into the X Knee for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah Bandido works here. Given that he hadn’t wrestled in Ring Of Honor for nearly four months, it was kind of hard to remember. The match was fast paced enough, but dang it’s hard to get interested in this after two hours tonight alone. Bandido vs. Christian doesn’t feel important, but at least Bandido was here to promote the match.

Post match Blake Christian comes out to throw Bandido the mask, because he only cares about the title.

Overall Rating: C. This was a Ring Of Honor show and while it felt important for the sake of the big push towards Supercard, this and Tuesday’s show combined for about three hours. That doesn’t make me want to watch the pay per view, but rather take a break from Ring Of Honor. It was like they had to cram the build for Supercard into the last two shows and that doesn’t make for a fun way to go. This show felt WAY more important than usual, but trim off a good forty five minutes (it wouldn’t be hard) and maybe do some of this stuff over the last two weeks instead of two days. You know, what Ring Of Honor won’t do.

Results
Marina Shafir/Athena/Billie Starkz b. Maya World/Lacey Lane/Yuka Sakazaki – Swanton to Lane
Death Riders b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Running knee/STO combination to Priest
Satnam Singh b. CD Bennett/James Tapia – Double chokeslam
Josh Woods b. Angelico – Rolling Chaos Theory
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Mance Warner/Ortiz/Eddie Kingston – Belly to back suplex neckbreaker combination to Warner
Blake Christian b. Evil Uno – Vanilla Choke Zero
Deonna Purrazzo b. Kaci Lennox – Fujiwara armbar
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. Baby Keef/Charlie Malachite/Xander Maddox – Mega Powers Elbow to Malachite
Zayda Steel b. Hyan – Swinging Unprettier
AR Fox b. Nick Wayne – Small package
Premiere Athletes b. Ernest R. Alexander/Jacey Love/Ricky Martinez – Chokeslam to Love
Bandido b. Action Andretti – X Knee

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – May 12, 2026: They’ve Got A Point (Includes Full Show)

Ring Of Honor
Date: May 12, 2026
Location: SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special edition of the show as we are three days from Supercard Of Honor, which will be the third show of the week. That’s not the most promising feeling as these shows tend to be pretty a bunch of stuff that doesn’t have any other spot to air. Given how much filler the weekly show involves, that’s covering a lot of ground. Let’s get to it.

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

Bustah And The Brain talk about how they have been grateful to be here thus far but now they want to be the Tag Team Champions. Therefore, they’ll be doing the same thing they do every night: plan world domination.

Bustah And The Brain vs. Spanish Announce Project

Oliver works on Angelico’s arm to start but gets pulled back into the corner. Serpentico comes in and picks up the pace, only to get clotheslined by Price. Everything breaks down and Bustah And The Brain are sent outside for a pair of big boots from Angelico. Back in and Serpentico starts in on Price’s arm, with Price escaping for the tag back to Oliver. Angelico plants Price and heads outside, where Price hits him with a suicide dive. Back in and Serpentico gets picked up for a belly to back suplex/diving reverse DDT combination for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C+. I’m almost starting to think that Bustah And The Brain could become something around here, which would at least be an upgrade over another Sammy Guevara version of the Tag Team Champions. The titles have basically been put on ice for a bit so giving them to a team who, for now at least, is regularly around would be nice to see. Then again that’s assuming they actually get a shot, which is a big enough accomplishment in its own right.

Post match the Lethal Twist come out to beat up Serpentico, with Blake Christian putting the Bandido mask on. Christian says Bandido isn’t here again but as usual, he is. He’ll be here Friday too, when he wins the World Title.

Lance Archer vs. Trent Jordy

Archer drags him to the ring for the opening bell but Jorday actually breaks up the Blackout. The chokeslam and a swinging Rock Bottom finish Jordy at 1:43. As usual, there’s no explanation for why Archer has never gotten a title shot despite the all over the place justifications for other people getting shots.

Diamante is ready to make Deonna Purrazzo tap out and win the Women’s Pure Title.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Haven Harris

Non-title Proving Ground match under Pure Rules. Harris takes her to the mat with a headlock to start but Purrazzo reverses into an early armbar. The Fujiwara armbar makes Harris use her first rope break before she hits a spinebuster for two. Purrazzo powerbombs her right back down and the Fujiwara armbar finishes Harris at 2:41.

Evil Uno vs. Vaughn Vertigo

The bell rings and it’s time to talk about Viva Van vs. Red Velvet. Uno shoulders him into the corner to start but Vaughn hits a leg lariat for two. Uno blocks a ram into the corner though and hits some running clotheslines. A DDT gives Uno two but Vaughn’s running knee gets the same. The swanton misses though and Uno hits a kind of pumphandle Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. Uno is someone else who just kind of sticks around without doing much of note. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for him but it’s not like he has anything going on. Granted I’ll take him wandering around on his own rather than doing something with another stable around here.

Satnam Singh vs. Dave Dutra/Nick Ruiz

The team runs into each other to start and some big chops in the corner make it worse. The double chokeslam is broken up though but for some reason they try a double suplex. Singh crossbodies both of them but gets up at one, setting up the double chokeslam for the double pin at 2:32. I’m more confused about why the announcers’ table is completely empty. Maybe move the table so it’s not clear that commentary isn’t there?

AR Fox/Mascara Dorada/Mistico/El Phantasmo/Michael Oku vs. Nick Wayne/Kip Sabian/Lethal Twist

Fox and Lethal start things off with Fox taking over and grabbing a swinging suplex. Dorada comes in to forearm away at Christian but they both flip into a standoff. It’s off to Johnson, who gets taken down with a rather springboardy armdrag. Oku comes in for the dropkick but can’t get the half crab, as it’s off to Wayne instead.

Phantasmo comes in to chop away and does a rather snazzy rope walk into a hurricanrana. It’s back to Christian to stomp away in the corner who stomp away, only for Phantasmo to get over to Mistico. House is quickly cleaned, including a springboard double crossbody. The big spinning wristdrag takes Wayne down, setting off the parade of knockdowns.

Wayne’s standing Sliced Bread drops Mistico before Lethal and Mistico dropkick Fox and Wayne to the floor. Stereo dives connect, followed by Johnson and Dorada adding dives of their own. That leaves Fox to hit a springboard imploding 450 but Christian is back in with a springboard double stomp to Oku’s back. The 21 Plex drops Oku and Wayne adds a pumphandle fisherman’s driver for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: B. This was a nice way to see Wayne get a win and cram in a bunch of people at once. I’ll take that over some random tag match between middle of the road teams who have nothing going on and it made for a good main event. Fox is set for a title shot against Wayne on Thursday so there was even a reason for some of the people to be fighting. Not bad at all.

Overall Rating: B-. There was one thing that made this show stand out: it felt like there was a purpose to the whole thing. This was a show that felt like it was all about getting fans interested in what Ring Of Honor had to offer. Like it or not, but there was a focus here and it helped quite a bit. Good enough show here, with Bustah And The Brain moving towards the Tag Team Titles and the main event working well. Nice job here and far different than the previous special editions.

Results
Bustah And The Brain b. Spanish Announce Project – Belly to back suplex/diving reverse DDT combination to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Trent Jordy – Swinging Rock Bottom
Deonna Purrazzo b. Haven Harris – Fujiwara armbar
Evil Uno b. Vaughn Vertigo – Pumphandle Downward Spiral
Satnam Singh b. Dave Dutra/Nick Ruiz – Double pin
Nick Wayne/Kip Sabian/Lethal Twist b. AR Fox/Mascara Dorada/Mistico/El Phantasmo/Michael Oku – Pumphandle fisherman’s driver to Oku

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – April 23, 2026: Sync Up

Ring Of Honor
Date: April 23, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week was a big one as we actually had some qualifying matches for Supercard Of Honor. The show is in less than a month and I’m wondering what we’re going to get on the way there. Multiple title matches are already set and that’s a bit out of the ordinary for this place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brandon Cutler/Angelica Risk/Terry Kid vs. Premiere Athletes

Denali and Risk start things off, with only about a foot of size difference. Risk gets pulled down with ease and forearmed in the corner, followed by the knees to the ribs. It’s quickly off to Cutler to strike away on Daivari, including a springboard crossbody. The men fight out to the floor, leaving Denali to chokeslam Risk for the pin at 2:35. Of all of the Athletes’ six person tags that I’ve seen, this was the most recent.

Mark Davis vs. Beef

Beef grabs a headlock to start and knocks Davis out to the floor with a running shoulder. Davis fires off the chops and knocks Beef off the apron, where he sits on Beef’s chest for a unique crash. Back in and Davis chops away some more but Beef scores with a dropkick. Beef strikes away, only to charge into a German suplex.

The big clothesline puts Davis down again but he catches Beef on top with a superplex. The running forearm connects in the corner for two but Beef reverses the piledriver attempt into a rollup for two of his own. Davis chops him down but still can’t hit the piledriver, allowing Beef to hit a belly to back suplex. The Swan Dive misses though and Davis hits a big clothesline for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C+. So to recap: last night on Dynamite, Davis beat Will Ospreay, the resident AEW superhero, but here he went move for move with freaking BEEF and couldn’t even hit his finisher. Now in theory, since this show is taped in advance and this match advances nothing for either of them, one might think it could have been cut or aired at another time, but nah. Instead it NEEDED to air here because no one pays attention to this show so doing something dumb is fine.

We look at Johnny TV losing his hair in CMLL about two months ago. He’s appeared without his hair in ROH since then so….why are we seeing this?

MxM TV vs. Main Man Oro/Keagan Garland/Angel Fashion

Garland is the son of Scotty 2 Hotty. Fashion and TV start things off with the latter knocking Fashion into the corner to hammer away. Oro comes in to kick Mansoor in the head and Garland comes in to run the ropes. A Hart Attack (leg lariat version) puts Garland down, with Mansoor yelling that he just beat up Scotty’s son. An Alabama slam lets the villains pose but Fashion and Oro break it up.

Garland pounds on Madden in the corner but Madden walks out to hit a powerbomb/double chokeslam at the other two (ok that was nice). TV hits a suicide dive onto all of them but Garland ducks the Flying Chuck. The Worm almost connects but Madden cuts it off at the last second. The Glossy Centerfold finishes Garland at 3:58.

Rating: C. I was worried this was going to go even longer but this was more “hey Scotty 2 Hotty’s son is wrestling”, which was a nice little bonus. You can definitely see the resemblance and while it’s too early to tell how it’s going to go, it’s nice to see Garland getting a shot. Other than that, MxM TV is exactly what they have always been.

We look back at Lee Moriarty beating Marshall Von Erich to retain the Pure Wrestling Title last week.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Moriarty and asks him about being all honorable and then part of Shane Taylor Promotions. Moriarty says he’s the best Pure Wrestler in the world and it’s him being himself. He and Shane Taylor won’t always get along but they work well together. Moriarty is also apparently a talented painter and says it’s similar to being an artist in the ring.

On one hand, I definitely do appreciate these interviews as ANYTHING giving these people some more personality is a good idea, but my goodness maybe build up some people to take the title from him? Or just drop the title altogether because it stopped feeling important years ago?

Diamante vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules. They fight over wrist continue to start and the threat of a Fujiwara armbar sends Ellering straight to the rope. An ankle lock sends Ellering to the ropes again so Diamante starts working on the leg (why Ellering being in the corner doesn’t count as a rope break isn’t clear). Another ankle lock means Ellering is out of rope breaks but she comes back with a big clothesline. Diamante is right back with a top rope double stomp to the back, setting up another ankle lock to make Ellering tap at 5:34.

Rating: C-. Yeah wow that was thrilling. Someone burned off their rope breaks and then gave up. This felt like someone playing No Mercy and wanting to get through Championship Mode while using the same hold to get a submission. That might make for a logical path and match under these rules, but dang it doesn’t make for much in the way of excitement.

Frat House vs. Colons/Spanish Announce Project

Orlando backs Garrison into the corner and it’s off to Eddie for a quick dropkick. It’s off to Karter, who gets hit with a slingshot crossbody into a backbreaker. Angelico comes in to hiptoss Serpentico onto Karter but he knocks Serpentico into the corner to take over. Garrison grabs a suplex DDT on Serpentico but misses a top rope backsplash (making him lose his hat).

Serpentico Dudley Dogs Vance and Angelico comes back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Garrison’s torture rack powerbomb gets two. Coleman says that he’s finishes a lot of people with that move. I’d love for Coleman to name say….three. Angelico and Serpentico get stereo holds on Jameson and Vance for the double tap at 7:25.

Rating: C+. This was a very Ring Of Honor match, as it featured people who pretty much don’t work on any other shows in any meaningful ways and wrestled the same match they have almost every time they’re on this show. None of these wrestlers have moved up or down the card in months and that is likely going to be there case for the next several months. The match was perfectly acceptable wrestling but it changes nothing. The problem with Ring Of Honor is that a lot of their shows are comprised of that exact same kind of match. It can get exhausting in a hurry and that is definitely happening here.

Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

They fight over a test of strength to start and Starkz bites her hand to escape. Starkz misses a charge though and gets knocked to the floor, where she sends Hyan crashing into the barricade. Back in and Starkz strikes away in the corner, though Hyan does manage a sunset flip for two.

A belly to back suplex gets two more and Hyan takes her up top for a superplex, followed by a falcon arrow for the same. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for two each until Starkz Alabama Slams her into the corner. The Swanton only gives Starkz two as she pulls Hyan up. Instead it’s the pancake to finish Hyan at 9:15.

Rating: B-. Hyan has come a long way since her debut around here and it’s nice to see someone developed like that. At the same time, it was nice to see Starkz get a win, even if she is still only so much of a star. Granted a lot of that is due to having Athena dominate the division for such a long time and making everyone else look secondary.

Survival Of The Fittest rundown.

Swirl vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

Tornado Tag and at least this has been a feud for a good while now. It’s a brawl to start fast with Johnson getting slammed on the floor and Christian, still in his robe, getting beaten up inside. The Swirl fights back by sending Priest into the steps, allowing Christian to hit a Blockbuster off the steps.

Back in and Billington gets double teamed, including in the Tree Of Woe. Priest is knocked to the floor again and Billington gets beaten down in the corner again. A chair is brought in and a running shot to the head knocks Billington silly for two. Billington fights back though and manages to load Johnson up in a Tombstone, with Priest coming off the top to spike him down (with a sick sound) for two.

Christian’s handspring kick to the face hits Johnson for two and Priest drops Johnson with a DDT. They go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom with a super Spanish Fly off the top for an even bigger crash. The Swirl wins a chop off but Priest clotheslines both of them down. The top rope elbow only hits chair though and the top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Priest (Johnson gets the pin of course) at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was by far the best match on the show and it felt like it was the culmination of a big feud. It also boosts up the Swirl as a team, which is a good idea. Of course it isn’t as good of an idea as having Christian wrestling some singles matches (he hasn’t had one since December) to build him up for his World Title match in less than a month or talking about it or something. But insert complaints about Ring Of Honor being a disaster here.

Overall Rating: C+. While it’s hardly a big surprise, it’s becoming more and more obvious that this stuff is thrown together with the important matches being added later. That’s fine enough, but it also feels like the regular matches are made without any connection to the bigger matches. It makes these shows very frustrating as the wrestling is fine, but it feels completely disconnected from what is being talked about and promoted. In other words, PUT SOME EFFORT INTO THIS THING ALREADY!

Results
Premiere Athlete b. Brandon Cutler/Angelica Risk/Terry Kid – Chokeslam to Risk
Mark Davis b. Beef – Clothesline
MxM TV b. Main Man Oro/Keagan Garland/Angel Fashion – Glossy Centerfold to Garland
Diamante b. Rachael Ellering – Ankle lock
Colons/Spanish Announce Project b. Frat House – Double submission
Billie Starkz b. Hyan – Pancake
Swirl b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver to Priest

 

 

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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

 

 

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

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