AEW vs. CMLL Semana Internacional
Date: August 4, 2026
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico City
Commentators: Veda Scott, Jorge Livan

So this actually might not be what you’re expecting, as there are representatives from several promotions participating on the card. The main event will see Mascara Dorada facing Kyle Fletcher, albeit in a non-title match. Other than that, Kevin Knight is defending the TNT Title against Titan so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not regularly follow CMLL so I apologize in advance any plot or character points I get wrong.

The hosts welcome us to the show in Spanish but we do have some unidentified voices in English giving another version. That’s always appreciated.

We go to the ring where some other hosts welcome us to the show, with a trophy and some titles next to them. They also plug some upcoming CMLL shows.

Leon Cage (RevPro) vs. Max Star (CMLL)

Lightning Match, meaning one fall with a ten minute time limit (as opposed to regular matches which are 2/3 falls with no time limit). They go to the mat to start and Cage slips out of a hurricanrana. He sends Star outside for the suicide dive but Star is back in with a springboard armdrag right back to the floor. That means a springboard moonsault to take Cage down again but he kicks Star out of the air back inside.

A running kick to the face gives Cage two so Star kicks him out to the floor, setting up the big step up flip dive. Back in and they trade rollups for two each until Cage hits a double underhook spinning faceplant for two more. A super anklescissors gives Star two more so he goes up, where Cage catches him with a super Spanish Fly. The big moonsault to the floor hits Star again and a Phoenix Splash gives Cage the pin at 8:43.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable opener with two young guys getting to showcase themselves. They played up the idea of the clock starting to run out and it wound up being a good trading of offense. These guys have to get going somewhere and they used the chance they had to make that happen right here.

Candela/Kira (CMLL) vs. Maya World/Hyan (AEW)

Commentary implies that Candela and Kira are rivals and Kira is one half of the National Women’s Tag Team Champions (not with Candela). Hyan and Candela trade shoves to start and Candela flips over her for an early standoff. Hyan blocks a sunset flip but gets taken down with a springboard crossbody. World comes in to send Kira into the corner for a Cannonball and World’s double 619 gets two.

Everything breaks down and Kira dropkicks Hyan to the floor, setting up the big dive. Back in and a Code Red gets two on World but Kira and Candela miss stereo moonsaults. A double dropkick give Hyan and World two each and they all strike it out. World kicks Candela to the floor and adds a flip dive off the apron but Hyan misses a charge into the corner. Kira’s moonsault gets the pin at 9:06.

Rating: B-. This was another fast paced match, though World and Hyan didn’t feel like they were on the same level. Kira and Candela don’t appear to be regular partners so it’s a bit of a surprise that they won so handily here. At least World didn’t take the fall though, as you don’t want to see an underdog champion getting pinned if you can avoid it.

Los Hermanos Calavera (CMLL) vs. The Swirl (ROH)

Non-title, though Los Hermanos (Calavera Jr. I/Calavera Jr. II) are the Arena Coliseo Tag Team Champions and I is the National Lightweight Champion. The Swirl jumps them to start fast with I being sent into the barricade, leaving the Swirl to double team II in the corner. Christian goes for the mask and gets kicked in the head for the save as I is back in to start the double teaming. Stereo backflips set up stereo basement dropkicks for two, followed by a Swanton to a draping Christian for the same.

Christian is right back up for a reverse DDT/450 combination to put I on the floor. Back in and a double dropkick sends Swirl to the floor, naturally setting up a pair of quick dives. They all knock each other down back inside, followed by stereo nip ups. The Brothers drop both of them but the Swirl gets their feet on the ropes at the same time. Christian Lethal Injects I on the ramp and a handspring Chasing The Dragon gets two on II. Back in and I grabs a quick bridging rollup to pin Johnson at 8:34.

Rating: B. Yeah I can see the appeal of the Calavera Brothers as they have some great chemistry and were flying all over the place. It helps that the Swirl, while not so popular, are more than capable of hanging in there with just about anyone. Nice match here, as the fast paced start continues.

Austin Aries (MLW) vs. Esfinge (CMLL)

Non-title, as Aries MLW National Openweight Title and Esfinge’s National Light Heavyweight Title aren’t on the line. Aries works on the arm to start but gets caught in a headscissors. That’s escaped rather quickly and Aries nails a dropkick before hammering away in the corner. Esfinge is back with a takedown, only to be sent to the floor for a slingshot dive from Aries.

Back in and a slingshot spinning elbow hits Esfinge and Aries starts working on the mask. Esfinge kicks him in the head and a missile dropkick sends Aries to the floor. A suicide dive connects and Esfinge kicks him down for two back inside. Aries is right back with a Death Valley Driver on the apron for two and they trade some forearms. Esfinge kicks him down but misses a springboard splash. The running dropkick in the corner sets up Aries’ brainbuster for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: B-. Like him or not, Aries is still rather smooth in the ring and knows exactly how to wrestle his match. It’s a style that works against just about everyone and it worked here. It’s a shame that his attitude has left him away from major promotions for so long because he’s rather good at what he does. At the same time, Esfinge is another star who shows off some outstanding talent in the ring and he got to do it again here. Nice match.

NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles: Los Hermanos Chavez (CMLL) vs. House Of Torture (NJPW)

Los Hermanos (Angel de Oro/Niebla Roja) are defending against Douki/Yujiro Takahashi. Roja and Takahashi start things off with Roja taking him to the mat and working on the leg. Back up and they both appeal to the fans until Roja wins an exchange of shoulders. A headscissors sends Douki outside and everyone else joins him, with Roja getting crotched against the post.

Back in and Oro gets chopped a lot, with Douki ripping at his face. A missed charge gives Oro a breather though and Los Hermanos hit stereo dives to the floor. Some superkicks have Douki on the floor but Takahashi is back in with a brainbuster for two. Douki ties up Oro’s arm for a boot to the head from Takahashi and stereo suplexes give the House two each. Back up and Douki hits a dive to the floor but Oro grabs Takahashi for a running Liger Bomb for the retaining pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. This was a bit below Los Hermanos Calavera but it was still completely decent wrestling. It helps that the House wasn’t allowed to do all of their weapons/cheating stuff as that tends to drag everything else down. Los Hermanos Chavez are rather good in their own right and it’s no surprise to see them being as successful as they are.

Neon/Ultimo Guerrero/Xelhua/Zandokan Jr. (CMLL) vs. Don Callis Family (AEW)

The Family (Brian Cage/Volador Jr./Hechicero/El Clon) jumps the other four to start fast and it’s Guerrero getting caught on the mat for a double basement superkick. Cage beats up Xelhua and Neon on the floor before Neon gets caught in the wrong corner for the running clotheslines. A double backdrop sends Neon into Cage’s sitout powerbomb for two before it’s Xelhua’s turn to get beaten up in the corner.

Guerrero gets stomped down but fights up and gets the crowd going, allowing Xelhua to come in with a double high crossbody. Neon snaps off a pop up hurricanrana to Hechicero to send him outside, leaving Guerrero and Volador Jr. to have a cheer off. Xelhua clotheslines Cage and eventually knocks him out to the floor as everything breaks down. Neon is up with a double springboard moonsault to the floor, leaving Guerrero to get a kind of Brock Lock/Black Widow combination to make Volador tap at 11:25.

Rating: B. I’m only kind of familiar with the CMLL guys here but they made this work out well. It helps that the Callis team was only so strong in the first place, but it wouldn’t make sense to have the CMLL guys lose here. The match was the usual action packed match you would have expected and Guerrero being around still feels important as he’s that big of a star.

Komander (AEW) vs. Soberano Jr. (CMLL)

Komander wastes no time in sending him outside to start for the early dive. Another dive is loaded up but Soberano blocks a diving headscissors and superkicks him off the apron. Back in and Soberano gets two off a quick rollup but Komander runs the corner and armdrags him into a seat belt for two of his own. A powerslam cuts Komander off again, though he’s fine enough to avoid a moonsault.

Komander’s rope walk moonsault gets two so they head to the apron, where Soberano gives him an over the back piledriver. Naturally Komander pops back up to catch Komander’s dive, with Soberano getting two back inside. A quick Spanish Fly gives Soberano two more and another belly to back piledriver connects. Soberano’s sitout Tombstone finishes at 9:19.

Rating: B. Hey look: Komander does a bunch of high flying and big flip dives but loses in the end. That’s the story of his life most of the time and it’s a shame to see him putting in these efforts and barely ever getting to win anything. That being said, it isn’t like he’s losing any status with the defeats so it seems to still be working out well enough.

Bandido (ROH) vs. Barbaro Cavernario (CMLL)

Bandido’s ROH World Title isn’t on the line (uh oh). They go technical to start with Cavernario biting a finger to take over. Back up and they roll into Bandido’s finger gun pose but Cavernario dropkicks him out of a springboard. The suicide dive connects but Bandido is right back up with one of his own.

Back in and the Eddie frog splash misses so Cavernario sends him outside again to hammer away against the barricade. They get back inside and Aubrey Edwards isn’t having any of Cavernario working him over in the corner. Bandido fights up and hits the corkscrew high crossbody before moonsaulting down onto him on the floor. Now the frog splash can connect for two and they trade charges in the corner.

Cavernario sends him outside for a big crash and a top rope splash to the floor crushes Bandido. Back in and Cavernario’s splash is broken up, just like Bandido’s 21 Plex. The X Knee looks to set up another 21 Plex, which is countered into a suplex. Bandido rolls him up for two but Cavernario gets his own rollup (possibly with a low blow) for the pin at 15:28.

Rating: B+. What a shock: Bandido has one of the best matches of the night but doesn’t get to win on a big stage. I’m hoping Cavernario wants a World Title shot out of this, but I’d settle for him just getting such a shot. The opposite has been done to Bandido far too often and it’s beyond old at this point.

AEW TNT Title: Kevin Knight (AEW) vs. Titan (CMLL)

Knight is defending and suckers Titan into an early dropkick. Titan is sent outside for a springboard clothesline and some posing, followed by a near fall. Knight takes too long though and Titan kicks his way out of the corner, setting up the dive out to the floor. A suicide dive sends Knight halfway into the crowd, with Titan grabbing a leglock back inside.

Knight gets to the ropes before a big so he can run said ropes, only to get kicked in the face. Titan’s top rope double stomp gets two and he grabs a Muta Lock but Knight grabs the rope again. Knight crotches him on the top and gets a running star, setting up the diving cutter for two. The UFO Splash retains the title at 12:18.

Rating: B-. It’s another good match, though Titan didn’t get to show much out there. I’ve seen him steal some shows before and it would be nice to see him do that again. At the same time, this made Knight feel like a star and that’s one of the most important things they could do here. This worked for a semi main event so nice job.

Kyle Fletcher (AEW) vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL)

Non-title and Don Callis is here to introduce Fletcher with his bad Spanish bit. They take their time to start until Fletcher sends him outside for a kick from the apron. Back in and Fletcher stomps him down and poses a bit, allowing Dorada to get back up. A rather springboardy headscissors takes Fletcher down, setting up a corkscrew springboard moonsault to the floor. Fletcher gets up again and tries a sitout powerbomb, which is countered into a sunset flip for a fast two.

A spinning hurricanrana is countered into the aforementioned sitout powerbomb for two but Dorada breaks up the brainbuster attempt. Dorada grabs a springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer for two, allowing me to try to figure out what the spin added in the slightest. The 450 gives Dorada a VERY near fall but he has to bail out of a shooting star press. That lets Fletcher hit a running knee to the back but Dorada small packages him for another close two. Fletcher is done with this and kicks him in the corner, setting up the brainbuster for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: B. I’m fine with Fletcher winning of course as he’s the biggest AEW name on the show. There’s just something funny about the idea of another Ring Of Honor champion losing in the main event of the show because OF COURSE RING OF HONOR LOSES AGAIN. Anyway, it’s another quality match in a series of them tonight so well done again.

English commentary stops after the match and the Spanish host wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. This show was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be. There is pretty much nothing important from a storyline perspective, but it was a bunch of wrestlers getting to entertain a hot crowd for over two and a half hours. It’s nothing I’m ever going to want to see again, but it was a very easy show to watch and never got dull. They didn’t make this complicated and just had a fun night. Do that more often.

Results
Leon Cage b. Max Star – Phoenix Splash
Candela/Kira b. Hyan/Maya World – Moonsault to Hyan
Austin Aries b. Esfinge – Brainbuster
Los Hermanos Chavez b. House Of Torture – Running Liger Bomb to Takahashi
Neon/Ultimo Guerrero/Zelhua/Zandokan Jr. b. Don Callis Jr. – Arm/leg trap to Volador Jr.
Soberano Jr. b. Komander – Sitout Tombstone
Barbaro Cavernario b. Bandido – Low blow rollup
Kevin Knight b. Titan – UFO Splash
Kyle Fletcher b. Mascara Dorada – Brainbuster

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

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

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

We’re getting closer and closer to Death Before Dishonor and it would be nice to see some of the matches announced for the show. While there are a few matches that can probably be guessed, it’s time to start making some of them official. That wasn’t the case with the hour plus bonus show this week so maybe we’ll get it on this two hour show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Main Man Oro vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending and Oro is getting his shot after winning a match last week. Psh. Like that concept has any legs. Oro isn’t pleased with the extended handshake and yells a lot, earning himself a bite to the finger. We pause for Oro to bail to the floor, where he decides to grab the title. Back in and Rush gets the title back, along with a kick to the head. Rush bites the head but gets sent outside, with Oro slowly taking over again.

Back in and a hard whip into the corner has Rush in more trouble but he escapes an Iconoclasm. They knock each other down until Rush nails a spinning kick to the head but Oro gets in his own head kick. Rush bites the hand again and grabs a Stunner, setting up the big suicide dive to the floor. Black Thunder retains the title at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Rush is one of those guys who is so odd and unique that his opponents have to adapt to him. The good thing is that Oro was able to hang with him for a bit, even in a losing effort. Odds are Action Andretti is next for Rush, because despite Cru being next to nothing as a team, they need a months long build to a title match.

Post match Action Andretti jumps Rush, likely setting up their match at Death Before Dishonor. Andretti chokes him out, with the black goo coming out of Rush’s mouth.

Redemption rundown.

Alan Angels vs. Bryan Keith

Keith jumps him to start fast and chops away but an exploder is blocked. A high crossbody gives Angels two but Keith catches him on top. A butterfly backbreaker has Angels down again and Keith is frustrated at the kickout. Back up and Angels fires off some clotheslines, followed by a Rings Of Saturn. That doesn’t last long either as Keith bails outside and gets in a headbutt from the floor. Angels fights back, allowing himself to miss a splash, which sets up Keith’s tiger driver for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: C+. Angels is the latest name added to the seemingly never ending roster around here and he hasn’t exactly done much thus far. It’s nice to see him away from the Dark Order, but there are way too many good hands around here who don’t have much in the way of success. In other words, Angels isn’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon, like so many others around here.

Billie Starkz vs. B3cca

Starkz strikes away to start but misses a charge into the corner. B3cca gets chopped and Downward Spiraled into the buckle though and things slow down. A suplex doesn’t work for Starkz so B3cca kicks her in the face. That just earns B3cca a Last Shot but she’s back with an enziguri for two of her own. They take turns throwing each other off the top until Starkz avoids a 450. The arm trap faceplant finishes B3cca at 6:07.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting the appeal of Starkz, who has been around here for the better part of ever and still feels like she is at about the same level she’s been the entire time. Thankfully the idea of her defeating Athena seems to have been dropped, though I’m not sure what that leaves her to do. Then again, there very well might not be much else for her to do.

Adam Brooks talks about the pandemic taking away his ROH career but now it’s time for ROH to get loose.

Premiere Athletes vs. Dark Order

Uno shoulders Nese to start and everything breaks down, with the Order taking over. Daivari offers a distraction but Reynolds is right back with a clothesline for two on Nese. Cue Beef to watch (though he doesn’t look thrilled) and a cheap shot lets the villains take over on Reynolds. Mark Sterling gets in some choking from the floor but Beef won’t get involved, leaving Reynolds to hit an enziguri.

Uno comes back in for the running corner clothesline, followed by the double DDT. Everything breaks down again and Daivari shoulders Nese by mistake. That’s shrugged off and the Athletes take over on Uno, including a slingshot dive. Sterling goes after Reynolds but gets decked, only for Beef to hit a running crossbody. Back in and Nese’s running knee in the corner finishes Reynolds at 9:00.

Rating: C+. Earlier this week, I made a joke about the Premiere Athletes being on every ROH show and it’s starting to feel completely accurate. They’re around so often and do just about the exact same thing so often. The stuff with Beef is at least a bit different, but it feels like something else that is just going to come and go without meaning much.

Post match Beef reluctantly gets in the ring with the Athletes.

Here is RPG Vice to issue an open challenge for one of those “easy Ring Of Honor wins”. Now play some generic music!

RPG Vice vs. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner

Warner backs Romero into the corner to start and then bites his finger. Zayne comes in to work on the arm before blocking a tornado DDT. Everything breaks down and Vice is sent outside for a double poke to the eye. Back in and Zayne’s springboard moonsault is cut off, setting up a Burning Hammer/top rope double stomp combination for two. Zayne gets back over to Warner anyway and it’s time for some rather quick jabs. A blind tag brings Zayne back in and a quick Nightmare On Helm Street gets two. Romero goes low on Zayne though and Strong Zero finishes him off at 7:15.

Rating: C+. Warner is a breath of fresh air on this show as he had something of a personality. Unfortunately he doesn’t get to win much but at least having him around is a nice boost. Then you have Vice, who I’m guessing is here as something of a troll job on the audience, because I can’t imagine they’re supposed to be seen as worth having around.

Post match Warner goes for the save but gets beaten down. Ortiz and Eddie Kingston run in for the save.

Nathan Cruz doesn’t think much of Adam Brooks and is tired of hearing him whine.

Satnam Singh vs. Jacked Jameson

Jameson escapes an early chokeslam attempt and strikes away but gets chopped in the corner. Singh loads up a slam so Jameson demands he get put down, which is exactly what Singh does. Jameson gets in a neck snap across the top rope so he goes up, only to dive into a cutter for the surprise pin at 2:35.

Deonna Purrazzo sits down with Caprice Coleman and talks about being a former Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion. That was a long time ago though and now she’s proud to get to be the first Women’s Pure Champion. She’s a fan of Jay Lethal and talks about going back to school to build a life outside of wrestling. That means she can avoid the chatter about her on the internet, which doesn’t matter. Finally, she wants to boost the women’s pure division to another level. This was pretty cut and dry but it’s good to have Purrazzo back while she’s injured.

Hyan vs. Lacey Lane

Maya World is here with Hyan. They fight over a lockup to start until Lane rolls her up for a quick near fall. A running dropkick in the corner gives Lane two more but Hyan is back with a rollup for two of her own. That just earns her a chinlock, with Hyan fighting up for a side slam. The Falcon Arrow gives Hyan two, with Lane grabbing a quick cradle for two more. Lane twists the knee around and hits a hanging Pedigree for another near fall. Back up and Hyan knocks her away, setting up the Glam Slam for the pin at 7:24.

Rating: C+. I actually wasn’t sure who was going to win here and that’s always a nice feeling to have. Lane has something to her that makes her stand out and it’s cool to see her getting a chance. Hyan has also shown that she has some notable talent of her own, though she’s still being outshone by World.

Nathan Cruz vs. Adam Brooks

Cruz grabs a headscissors on the mat to start and they get up to fight over a wristlock. Back up and Cruz fires off the chops in the corner, followed by a slingshot belly to back suplex. The Hennig necksnap gets two and Cruz grabs a chinlock. Back up and Brooks hits a running boot against the ropes, setting up the suicide dive. Brooks’ crossface doesn’t last long and Cruz goes up top. Brooks runs the corner to superplex him right back down, followed by a Swanton for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C+. This is where Ring Of Honor just makes me shake my head. They had two relatively unknowns (Cruz is a recurring jobber at best) but they had some promos to set up a reason to fight. That’s a lot more than you get around here most of the time and it felt different. That’s perfectly fine, but the whole thing began and ended in about an hour. It’s a prime example of a match that could have been saved for next week, just to let it be built up for a little bit. Why rush through everything like this?

RPG Vice want some revenge on Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, asking them to “bring their a**** down to Ring Of Honor.” Bring them down how? You’re all already here.

We get a video on Angelico challenging Lee Moriarty for the Pure Rules Title next week. This is a big rematch from the first time they fought….about two years ago.

Komander vs. Tommy Billington

They fight over a lockup to start as commentary talks about All In. Komander nips up to escape a wristlock and they crash out to the floor. Billington gets in a neck snap across the top and a missile dropkick gets two. A powerslam gives Billington two, followed by a snap suplex for the same as we get a nice British Bulldogs combination. They fight over a double arm crank until Komander superkicks him into a 619.

The rope walk running flip dive hits Billington on the floor as they crash again. Back in and Billington wins a battle over a Tombstone but misses a Swan Dive. They forearm it out with Komander getting the better of things, followed by a German suplex for two. Billington is sat on the rope for a springboard hurricanrana driver and the Cielito Lindo finishes for Komander at 10:11.

Rating: B. They were both working hard here and that’s not much of a surprise as it’s certainly their reputations. At the same time, Komander is pretty firmly in the same spot he’s always been in while Billington has lost the status he gained after teaming with Adam Priest. That being said, I’ll take a match like this after some of the dull stuff we’ve seen on this show thus far.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Skyflight

Eight man tag and their seconds are all here too. Bravo shoves Dante to start and gets shouldered down for his efforts. A dropkick has Bravo in trouble but he hits Dante in the face, meaning it’s off to Dean vs. Sky. They run the ropes as well and it’s already off to Darius, who gets stomped down by Ogogo. Taylor comes in for the big chop, followed by a legdrop for two.

We pause for the Promotions to rant about their airline but Darius fights up and gets the tag to Sydal. House is quickly cleaned by the Infantry cuts him off with a belly to back neckbreaker. Everything breaks down and Sky grabs a cutter, setting up Sydal’s top rope Meteora for the pin on Ogogo at 8:32.

Rating: B-. They had a lot of stuff going on at once here and that’s almost always going to make for a difficult situation. I do like Skyflight getting a win for a change as they tend to be there to do nothing but put others over. The Promotions got in their regular appearance, which tends to be the case almost every single week. Much like the Premiere Athletes, just give us a bit of a breather from them.

Overall Rating: C. These two hour editions of the show are somehow making this show even harder to watch. As has been the case for the better part of ever around here, it isn’t that the wrestling is bad but the fact that there is so much of it. This was another very long show and it feels like almost everyone who was on the show was just doing their usual thing. It’s a case where not everyone needs to be on every show and my goodness it would do some wonders to let things breathe a bit. But that’s not going to happen because Tony Khan things more is better every chance he can. Lucky us.

Results
Lio Rush b. Main Man Oro – Black Thunder
Bryan Keith b. Alan Angels – Tiger driver
Billie Starkz b. B3cca – Arm trap faceplant
Premiere Athletes b. Dark Order – Running knee in the corner to Reynolds,
RPG Vice b. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner – Strong Zero to Zayne
Satnam Singh b. Jacked Jameson – Cutter
Hyan b. Lacey Lane – Glam Slam
Nathan Cruz b. Adam Brooks – Swanton
Komander b. Tommy Billington
Skyflight b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Top rope Meteora to Ogogo

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

Dynamite
Date: July 15, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with one of the bigger Dynamites of the year and now we have less than two weeks before Redemption. Last week saw Kenny Omega regain the World Title in a heck of a fight against MJF which means the title match at the pay per view (assuming there is one) could go in a few directions. The rest of the Redemption card needs to be set up as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Beach Break recap.

Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta warm up for their Tag Team Title match. Jon Moxley fires them up and then tells Will Ospreay that he has earned this but it is time for some hard decisions. Ospreay has to take the shot when he has the chance, no matter the target.

Tag Team Titles: Death Riders vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

Copeland and Cage are defending. Yuta goes for Copeland’s leg to start before driving him down by the arm. That just earns him a big boot so it’s off to Cage vs. Garcia. Cage backs him into the corner and it’s back to Copeland to hammer away. The Riders tie Copeland up in the ring skirt though and pound him down to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Copeland grabbing a powerslam, allowing a tag back to Cage. That means house can be cleaned quickly, with Garcia having his neck snapped over the top rope. Everything breaks down and Yuta’s German suplex gets two on Cage. The Riders do their weird spinning circle thing and then go to take off a turnbuckle pad. That’s enough for Cage to get in a low blow, followed by the spear to pin Yuta and retain at 11:57.

Rating: C+. This was perfectly acceptable match and they didn’t stay out there too long, which makes sense as there was no reason to think Garcia and Yuta were winning the titles. There is nothing wrong with getting the champs out there for a simple title defense and at least it’s against a regular team. Not bad here, with Cage just kicking Yuta low to set up the finish being pretty funny.

Post match the Dogs run in and beat the champs down so here is the Bang Bang Gang for the save. The Dogs are cleared out and Cage and Jay White have a staredown but things stay peaceful.

We look at Hikaru Shida attacking Harley Cameron after their match and Queen Aminata making the save. Aminata gets a TBS Title shot on Collision.

Video on Andrade El Idolo.

Andrade is ready to beat Jake Doyle and move on to eventually win the World Title. Oh and he has the Dynamite Diamond Ring, seemingly thanks to Will Ospreay. How you know?

The Conglomeration tease an open challenge for the Trios Titles and the Demand interrupt. Don’t worry though because they’re not going to lay a finger on the champs….but here is the Lethal Twist to jump the Conglomeration instead. Ricochet: “They’re not in the Demand!”

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jake Doyle

If Andrade wins, he gets a National Title shot against Mark Davis. Doyle knocks him outside at the bell and then hits the running shots in the corner. Andrade gets a boot up though and an enziguri sends Doyle back outside. We pause for the photo with the woman before they head inside…and go right back outside, where Doyle chokeslams him onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Doyle knocking him down again. Andrade knocks him to the floor though and hits the middle rope moonsault, only to get powerbombed back inside. Doyle’s big right hand knocks Andrade out of the air for two but Andrade spinning elbows him in the face. The DM finishes Doyle at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much the most obvious result in the world but it went fine, as the fans are WAY into Andrade at the moment. It makes sense too as he’s on fire and dripping with charisma. Keep going with him for the moment, as it’s working for the moment, though there is always the chance that Andrade could turn it off at a moment’s notice.

Video on Kenny Omega winning the World Title back last week.

Here is Omega for his World Title celebration. Hold on though as here are the Young Bucks to present Omega with the original World Title design. Omega didn’t think he was going to get back to this spot again and thanks everyone for believing in him. We have less than fifty days before All In and you are going to see the best version of Omega. This brings in Will Ospreay, who asks the Bucks to talk to Omega on his own.

The Bucks leave in peace and Ospreay is glad to see Omega as World Champion again. Last week Omega got hit in the face with the belt “and then you kicked out at once you cheeky slag!” Ospreay has wanted to be just a fraction of the wrestler Omega is and now he wants to show everyone what they can do at All In.

Cue Kevin Knight to interrupt, saying he wants to face Omega one on one. Knight wants the title shot at Redemption but Omega says no…but he’ll give Knight a title shot anyway because he thinks Knight has something. Then Knight listened to Don Callis, which Omega understands. Omega did that before and he bought into the idea, but Knight doesn’t need to be there.

Now Omega is saying the same thing that everyone but Callis believe: Knight doesn’t need Callis because he could be champion on his own. That makes Knight the only real fraud because there is a good guy in there who doesn’t need Callis. If Knight is getting the title shot, Omega wants him to get it on his own. Knight says there isn’t goodness in him, because it’s greatness.

With that, Knight decks Omega with the microphone and ducks the Hidden Blade to escape. Darby Allin runs in to jump Knight so here is the Don Callis Family to beat Allin down. The Death Riders come in for the save. Maybe a segment that was about Omega and Ospreay, with Knight coming in for his part, shouldn’t wind up having about a dozen people involved?

Jack Perry issues an open challenge for Collision. Luchasaurus is his tech guy.

Brodido vs. Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo

Bandido gets to show off a bit with the gorilla press to Comoroto before King drops him onto Comoroto for an early two. King knocks them both down and Bandido’s frog splash gets a double pin at 2:16. That was efficient.

Post match Bandido runs into Kyle Fletcher and gives him a wanted poster. Oh sweet goodness Bandido is going to lose another singles match on PPV and no one is going to care about the Ring Of Honor World Title in the slightest isn’t he? It’s a rhetorical question because OF COURSE HE IS.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

Fletcher is defending and gets taken down for an early near fall, which has Fletcher thinking twice. Komander sends him outside but gets pulled out of the air, allowing Fletcher to boot him in the face. Back in and Fletcher knocks him to the floor, setting up the big rope walk flip dive as we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher laughing at Komander striking away until a superkick puts Fletcher down. An apron superplex is escaped and Komander flips him off the top for a roll to the floor. Komander hits a big dive and a 450 gets two back inside. Cielito Lindo is broken up so Komander goes with a super Destroyer for two. A Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two and he grabs the brainbuster to retain at 11:02.

Rating: B. Good match here, which shouldn’t be a shock. Komander getting title shot after title shot became a running joke but his matches have been enough of a blast to shake a lot of that off. At the same time you have Fletcher, who works well with anyone. Again, they didn’t go too long in a match where there was no drama and that helps so much.

Post match Fletcher goes for the mask so Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the save. Kazuchika Okada is here too though and the Rainmaker drops Takeshita. Brodido run in to take out Okada and Fletcher.

Kenny Omega is ready to face Kevin Knight but Darby Allin comes in to say Knight isn’t changing overnight. Allin is ready to take the TNT Title and leaves. Jon Moxley comes in to agree that some people cannot change.

Here are the Brawling Birds for a chat. They want the Women’s Tag Team Titles and All In is coming up so let’s consume alcohol.

Chris Jericho wants a rematch with Tommaso Ciampa at Redemption but he’ll bring the Painmaker.

Ciampa is in and issues an open challenge for Collision.

Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage

Cage jumps him to start fast and drops him onto the ramp as Taz talks about making the mistake of paying for Cage’s dinner before. Allin is sent flying with a fall away slam and we take a break. We come back with Allin hitting a running dropkick off the steps and grabbing a super Code Red for a near fall. Allin’s suicide dive connects but Cage is right back up with a gorilla press toss to send Allin head first into the post. Naturally Allin is up again with a Coffin Drop onto Cage onto the steps, followed by a regular one to pin Cage at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Have I mentioned that I’m sick of Allin doing stupid stunts in a match and then popping back up to win? It’s just been a few years of the same thing now and that’s a bit irritating. Allin vs. the Don Callis Family isn’t exactly an original story but at least he has a feud with Knight already built up and he very well may take the TNT Title next week.

Kyle Fletcher is ticked off and ready to defend against anyone. For now, he wants Bandido and the title shot is offered for Redemption.

Kevin Knight and Don Callis are ready to take out Kenny Omega. Mike Bailey comes in to say he’s ready for Knight to change back.

Maya World/Hyan/Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone

Nightingale backs Mone into the ropes to start and the other four come in, with Hyan and World taking over in the corners. We settle down to Nightingale cartwheeling out of a whip into the corner but missing an enziguri. Kross is knocked down into the corner though, leaving Mone to get beaten up by Hyan and World. Mone is tossed onto Kross and Bayne and we take a break.

We come back with Mone hitting a Backstabber for two on World. Back up and World brings in Nightingale to clean house, including some elbows in the corner. A powerbomb gets two on Bayne and everyone knocks everyone else down for a big breather. Mone grabs Three Amigos to World and hits the frog splash with Hyan making the save. Bayne and Kross are back up but Nightingale breaks up the Divine Intervention. The Pounce sends Bayne flying and Hyan spears Mone, who is right back with the Mone Maker for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It came at the end of a rather lengthy show but we needed every single bit of Mone’s stuff in there. After all, it had been a full what, hour or so since the last Eddie Guerrero tribute? Anyway, I’m not sure I get why Mone needed the attention here (yes it’s her hometown and Heaven forbid a heel not be the conquering hero in their hometown) when Nightingale is a week and a half away from her title shot, but I’m sure it made sense to Mone.

Overall Rating: B. They had to cover A LOT of ground here as there isn’t much time left for Redemption. While they managed to make that happen, which is rather impressive, they did it so fast that it was quite the packed show. It worked more than it didn’t, though it still had a lot of the same issues that tend to come up in AEW (inconsistencies with title shots, way too many champion vs. champion matches, so many people flying around, the obsession with Mone looking stronger than Superman). I’m beyond the point of believing those things are going to change, so all things considered, this show went pretty well.

Results
Christian Cage/Adam Copeland b. Death Riders – Spear to Yuta
Andrade El Idolo b. Jake Doyle – DM
Brodido b. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto – Double pin
Kyle Fletcher b. Komander – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hyan/Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Mone Maker to 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

Collision
Date: June 27, 2026
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s the night before Forbidden Door and we have another two hours to go before we get to the pay per view. In this case that means the Trios Titles are on the line and I’m sure we’ll get some more previews for tomorrow night. That’s about all you can do here, as in theory the card is all set. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. The Opps

The Opps are challenging. Shibata backs Strong into the corner without much trouble and it’s already off to Hook to headlock O’Reilly. That earns Hook a backbreaker from Strong and a rather lazy elbow from Cassidy for some delayed ones. Bowens comes in and gets a hands in the pockets dropkick and it’s already off to Shibata. A cheap shot from the apron cuts Cassidy off and a pair of suplexes (apron and floor variety) have him in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy getting sleepered down but Shibata jumps Strong rather than hitting the PK. Cassidy is able to get in a shot of his own and O’Reilly comes back in for the ankle lock on Bowens. A double clothesline drops the Opps and Strong comes back in and it’s time for a chop off with Shibata.

With Shibata in trouble Strong starts throwing Cassidy around like a weapon, which works oddly well. Shibata and O’Reilly forearm it out with the latter getting the better of things. Bowens is back in to take over with a string of strikes and a DDT out of the corner gets two on Cassidy. Back up and Bowens accidentally superkicks Shibata and the Orange Punch into the Angle Slam retains the titles at 14:00.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable way to open the show as the fans are always going to be into the wacky hijinks of the Conglomeration. They’re a fine choice for the Trios Titles and a good way to open the show. On the other hand you have the Opps, who feel like they deserve a charity telethon. If this is the best they can do, just disband the thing already.

The Demand is ready to get back into the title hunt but the Lethal Twists come in. They think they should talk, with Ricochet and Jay Lethal admiring the other’s haircuts.

The Death Riders are ready to send Will Ospreay to get revenge on Swerve Strickland. Works for Ospreay, who says his friendship with Swerve is over and it’s time to go to Wembley.

TNT Title: Dezmond Xavier vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending and grabs a headlock takeover to start fast. Xavier goes after the arm and grabs la majistral for two, leaving Knight a bit shaken. Knight gets caught holding the rope so Xavier gives him a slingshot hurricanrana to send Knight underneath those ropes. Xavier follows him but gets caught with a clothesline off the steps and we take a break.

We come back with Xavier winning a slugout to put them both down but Knight is up first. A middle rope DDT gives Xavier two but Knight snaps off a sweet hurricanrana. Knight goes up so Xavier gets smart by rolling to the corner. Another rollup gives Xavier two but Knight hits a heck of a dropkick. Xavier’s hurricanrana spikes Knight and they slug it out from their knees. A spinning faceplant drops Knight and a Meteora gives Xavier two, with Knight rolling outside. The big dive takes him out but Knight gets the knees up to block a sky twister press. The Crash Landing retains the title at 12:56.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting, athletic style match that you would have expected these two to have. It’s the kind of match you often see on Collision, as there was absolutely no reason to believe that the title was going to change hands but it was fun while it lasted. Xavier is a blast to watch and Knight is getting better every single week. Rather good stuff here.

Video on the twelve man cage match at Forbidden Door. That’s a lot of people in any cage, even if there is no way they all stay inside.

Here is the Triangle Of Madness for a chat. Thekla has been told that she is the only one who is making Forbidden Door feel like Forbidden Door. If she wants to destroy the forbidden door, she’s burning it down. Sky Blue is ready to show you how violent she can be on the Kickoff Show. To the point here, and thankfully it seems like the Thekla vs. Stardom stuff should be done soon.

Chris Jericho vs. JD Drake

Drake talks trash to start and gets chopped for his efforts before missing a charge. A super hurricanrana and enziguri send Drake outside so Jericho gives him a big dive. Back in and Drake hits a swinging Boss Man Slam for two, setting up the cannonball. Drake’s moonsault misses and Jericho grabs the Codebreaker. The Tommaso Ciampa style running knee sets up the Walls to make Drake tap at 5:18.

Rating: C+. Now this was refreshing, as there is no reason for Drake to have a long match against Jericho. Even an older Jericho should not be having any real trouble with Drake and they did it as they should have. I’ll take that as a nice change of pace and hopefully these shorter matches are included more often, as they can be rather effective.

Post match Jericho puts the hold on again until Tony Schiavone insists that Jericho is better than Tommaso Ciampa. Jericho says he’s been looking for Ciampa but knows he isn’t here tonight. He wants to thank Ciampa for leaving him beaten and bloody but Ciampa won’t be thankful for what Jericho is going to do to him next.

Thunder Rosa isn’t scared of Lena Kross/Megan Bayne, who don’t care about her. She insults their hats and takes her shirt off for some violence but nothing happens. The fact that Rosa’s partner, Olympia, isn’t here tonight makes it even sadder.

CMLL Women’s Title: Persephone vs. Billie Starkz

Persephone is defending and gets taken down early so Starkz can do some jumping jacks. That earns her a running hurricanrana but Starkz is back with a DDT onto the apron. It’s already time to load up the announcers’ table and Starkz adds a flip dive off of the table as we take a break.

We come back with Starkz cranking on both arms but making the mistake of throwing in a slap. Persephone knocks her down for two, followed by a superplex. Starkz blocks another suplex though and grabs the Last Shot to leave them both down. Persephone cuts off a running knee and gets two off a bridging northern lights suplex. A spear and Razor’s Edge retain the title at 9:20.

Rating: B-. If you ignore that the was no reason to believe that Starkz was going to win the title, this was a perfectly fine match. Persephone has been presented as a big deal in her limited appearances around here and it’s nice to have her thrown into the title match next week. Hopefully we have moved on from the idea of Starkz being the one to dethrone Athena, as I really do not see the point.

Post match Hikaru Shida runs in to go after Persephone but a bunch of the other women in the TBS Title match chase her off.

Premiere Athletes vs. Mike Bailey/Mistico

Bailey kicks Nese down to start but gets double teamed into the corner. The villains are quickly sent outside but cut off the dives to send Mistico and Bailey into the steps. Back in and Daivari takes over on Bailey but Mistico is up with a double springboard elbow. Stereo superkicks put the Athletes on the floor and now the dives connect. Back in and Bailey gets caught with a hammerlock lariat but moonsaults outside onto Daivari. That leaves Mistico to grab La Mistica to make Nese tap at 4:07.

Rating: C+. See what I mean about the shorter matches being nice? This was the regular “hey, Mistico is on this card” match and he did a few signature moves to get out of there. The Athletes are nothing more than low level villains and that’s all they needed to be here, as Mistico was the big focal point here.

Gabe Kidd is coming back and believe it or not, he’s angry. We’re just that lucky.

Jake Doyle vs. Adam Priest

Don Callis is here with Doyle (after not being here with Kevin Knight). Priest gets powered around and hit in the back to start. Doyle runs him over without much trouble and we take an early break. We come back with Priest grabbing a flying DDT and working on the arm. Doyle’s backdrop is countered into a cross armbreaker but he muscles Priest up into a powerbomb. A missed charge in the corner has Doyle in more trouble and Priest gets two off a DDT. Priest goes up and gets forearmed out of the air, setting up Into The Void to give Doyle the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. This was another fine match with Doyle having to sweat a bit before picking up the win. Priest is turning into a rather useful jobber to the stars as he isn’t the biggest guy but can make his offense look good enough out there. Put him in a tag team and it could work out fine, if he’s actually given a chance.

Video on Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone in the finals of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup. Mone gets in a good line with “dreams don’t win championships, I do”.

Willow Nightingale is training to return to the ring and knows she made some mistakes before.

Maya World/Hyan vs. Athena/Mercedes Mone

It’s a brawl to start fast and Athena is dropped onto World’s raised knees. Hyan hits a double dive to the floor and World 619s Athena back inside. Mone fights back though and commentary responds by running down the Forbidden Door card. Athena hammers on World on the apron and gives her a hard knee before handing it back to Mone. World slips out of a double suplex though and rolls over for the tag off to Hyan. House is cleaned for a bit until Athena gets in a powerbomb onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Mone’s backstabber dropping Hyan for two and Athena’s backsplash gets the same. The Third Amigo is blocked though and Mone misses a running knee in the corner. It’s back to World to pick up the pace, with a rollup and double stomp getting two on Athena.

That earns World a Codebreaker into a Backstabber with Hyan having to shove Athena into the cover for the save. Everything breaks down and Athena suplexes World but gets kneed down by Hyan to leave all four on the mat. Mone pulls World to the floor for the Statement Maker (for a tap), leaving Athena to middle rope O Face Hyan for the pin at 16:53.

Rating: B-. They are trying to make us believe that World has a chance tomorrow right? I’m not sure I’m seeing that happening here, as this story has been about as one sided as you can get. World is already a major underdog so unless the upset of all time in AEW is coming, I really don’t see this one going well for World, who has looked like a loser who got lucky to be here.

Post match Athena and Mone beat up Hyan until World comes in for the save. World moonsaults onto both of them on the floor to avoid looking like a total loser to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Most of the time, the main thing to remember about Collision is that it means almost nothing in the big picture of AEW. Everything that matters happens on Dynamite or the pay per views with only the occasional bone being thrown to Saturday night. If you can keep that in mind, Collision can be a rather enjoyable show as it feels like AEW but with no stakes. That’s a perfectly nice way to go, as there is no pressure and it doesn’t feel like everything is going a thousand miles per hour. I had a nice time with this, mainly because it didn’t feel like I was being bombarded with details and changes every two seconds.

Results
Conglomeration b. The Opps – Angle Slam to Bowens
Kevin Knight b. Dezmond Xavier – Crash Landing
Chris Jericho b. JD Drake – Walls Of Jericho
Persephone b. Billie Starkz – Razor’s Edge
Mistico/Mike Bailey b. Premiere Athletes – La Mistica to Nese
Jake Doyle b. Adam Priest – Into The Void
Athena/Mercedes Mone b. Maya World/Hyan – O Face to Hyan

AEW, 2026, Collision, Conglomeration, The Opps, Lethal Twists, The Demand, Death Riders, Dezmond Xavier, Kevin Knight, Chris Jericho, JD Drake, Thunder Rosa, Persephone, Billie Starkz, Lena Kross, Megan Bayne, Hikaru Shida, Jake Doyle, Adam Priest, Don Callis, Mercedes Mone, Maya World, Willow Nightingale, Athena, Hyan

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

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

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: 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

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: 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:

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

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

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 7, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re eight days away from Supercard Of Honor and a good chunk of the card has already been set up. There is still a lot that needs to be done for the show though, including the build up towards the World Title match. If nothing else, it would be nice for Blake Christian to do some stuff on his own. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Infantry

Shane Taylor is here with the Infantry. Bravo punches away at Ortiz to start and gets leg lariated down for his efforts. Ortiz gets knocked into the corner and stomped in the Tree Of Woe to make it worse. A dropkick in the corner hits Ortiz again and it’s back to Bravo for a slingshot elbow. Kingston is knocked off the apron and a Bronco Buster hits Ortiz as well.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Ortiz fights up and brings Kingston in to clean house. A Russian legsweep/STO combination gets two on Dean but a Backstabber drops Kingston. Dean’s top rope splash gets two on Ortiz but Boot Camp is broken up. Ortiz rolls Dean up for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. If there is an appeal to the Ortiz/Kingston team, I’m not seeing it. Kingston feels like a star and Ortiz feels like someone who is just there because he has nothing else to do. At the same time, the Six Man Champions lose again isn’t the most appealing and it isn’t like Kingston and Ortiz are anywhere near a title match as far as you can see from here.

Post match the Infantry and Taylor get in a beatdown but Mance Warner makes the save. Let me guess: that’s now a title match.

Josh Woods vs. Beef

Pure Rules. They fight over arm control to start and Beef sends him to the apron for a right hand. That’s a warning and Beef is right back up for a series of clotheslines in the corner. Woods pulls him down into the ankle lock but can’t hit the Beast Plex. Instead he pulls Beef down into another leglock for the tap at 3:42.

Rating: C+. Woods basically shrugged off everything Beef threw at him and then got the submission. In theory all of these wins should get him a title shot at Supercard Of Honor but instead he’s set for a match which might get him a title shot in the future if he wins. In other words, it’s more of the same problem that always comes up on here and there is nothing to suggest that it’s changing anytime soon.

Deonna Purrazzo dares Diamante to use the Fujiwara armbar on her and watch what happens.

Workhorsemen vs. Bang Bang Gang

Austin and Henry fight over wrist control to start until Austin dropkicks him into the corner. Robinson and Drake come in with Robinson shouldering him down. Henry offers a distraction though and Drake scores with a spinning belly to belly. Drake holds Robinson so Henry can hit a running double stomp to the back.

A clothesline gives Drake two but he almost splashes Henry in the corner, allowing Austin to come back in. Everything breaks down and Henry gets caught in the wrong corner. Drake punches Austin on the floor though and a Shining Wizard gets two on Robinson. Drake’s moonsault gets two more as Austin makes the save. Robinson grabs the forward DDT to pin Drake at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Again, it’s another match which is fine on its own, though it feels like it could have been on any given show rather than one of the last ones on the way to Supercard Of Honor. That being said, I do like Austin quite a bit and I could go for seeing him doing something somewhere. I’d even take him going for the Tag Team Titles around here, for whatever that’s worth.

We look at Persephone getting injured, meaning she’s out of Supercard Of Honor.

Zayda Steel is ready to face Hyan for the final spot in Survival Of The Fittest next week.

Maya World gives Hyan a pep talk. They’re both ready to beat Athena and everyone else.

Action Andretti vs. Nathan Cruz

They fight over wrist control to start before running the ropes, with Andretti snapping off a headscissors. A dropkick gives Andretti two but Cruz is back with a double arm crank. That’s broken up and Andretti sends him outside for an Asai moonsault. Back up and Cruz snaps him throat first across the top, followed by a Samoan driver for two. Cruz takes way too long going up though and here is Lio Rush, looking normal, for a distraction. Andretti hits a super Spanish Fly, followed by a torture rack neckbreaker for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C+. They were going as fast as they could here and that made for an entertaining match. At the same time, I really could go for not having to see Cru be a thing again. They weren’t exactly an interesting team and they didn’t make much of an impact, but apparently they might be back together. Granted I’ll take it over “LIO RUSH IS SO TOTALLY WEIRD!”

Bustah And The Brain vs. Frat House

The House jumps them to start fast with a running boot to the face getting two on Price. A double belly to back suplex gets two more but Price flips over them for the tag off to Oliver. Everything breaks down and the House is in trouble, only for the rest of the House to get up on the apron. Garrison takes over on Price but Oliver is back in to beat Karter down. A belly to back suplex/top rope elbow combination gives Oliver the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C+. As usual, Bustah And The Brain are a fun team but they don’t really do much that makes them stand out from others around here. That being said, at least they’re actually around on occasion, as we’re over two months removed since we last saw the Tag Team Titles defended. The House was their usual selves, meaning they were in fact there.

Colons/Spanish Announce Project vs. Better Together/Alexander Lev/Hunter James

Angelico and Gold start things off and it’s an assisted backbreaker, allowing Serpentico to grab an armbar. Orlando adds a slingshot hilo for two but Better Together gives him a double basement dropkick. Better Together get in a hug and crank on Orlando’s arms for two more. James and Eddie come in with Eddie getting in a Figure Four. That’s broken up as everything breaks down. Serpentico hits a suicide dive and Lev gets caught in a Backstabber into a frog splash for the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C. So are we moving towards eight man titles? I have no idea why we would need to see something like this in multiple weeks. It’s the kind of match that doesn’t really do much other than stretching the show out, which certainly wouldn’t surprise me either. The Colons and the Project work well enough together but….it’s the Colons and the Project.

Action Andretti isn’t sure what is going on with Lio Rush and has no answers at the moment.

Main Man Oro/Kiran Grey vs. Premiere Athletes

Daivari and Oro fight over a hammerlock to start before the Athletes take over with double teaming. Mark Sterling and Stori Denali offer a distraction though and Grey gets caught in the Tree Of Woe. That lets Nese kick away at his ribs but it’s back to Oro to clean house. Nese’s pumphandle slam is broken up but the Athletes give Oro a DDT/Big Ending combination for the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. Hokey smoke can we please see something interesting on this show? This was just another tag match between a team who is doing nothing important and a team who was thrown out there to lose. The Athletes aren’t going to do anything and if they do, it isn’t likely going to matter, as has been the case since they debuted.

Caprice Coleman sits down with the Lethal Twist, with Jay Lethal saying that the team asked him to join them to light a fire under him. It turns out they needed him more, with Coleman asking about Lethal betraying Jeff Jarrett and company. Lethal mocks him for bringing it up and saying Blake Christian is coming for the World Title.

Coleman asks if Lethal gets the first title shot if Christian wins…and Lethal Twist leave. Christian didn’t say anything. Good grief this is actually getting worse. Bandido can’t even be bothered to show up and Christian doesn’t wrestle or talk. Either build the match or just let the Premiere Athletes and Workhorsemen go out there and do their thing for 30 minutes instead, as they seem to be more important than the World Title.

Rachael Ellering vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match. Ellering powers her down to start and then hits a gutwrench suplex. Back up and Velvet sends her throat first into the rope for a running crotch attack. A standing moonsault misses, allowing Ellering to hit a running backsplash. Ellering’s spinebuster gets two more and the Boss Woman Slam drops Velvet for the same. Velvet blocks another Slam though and hits a left hand, followed by the spinning kick to the head for the pin at 5:18.

Rating: C. I guess that’s a step up, though I’m almost scared to see who is going to get the random title shot against Velvet. That’s how so many of these titles tend to go and odds are it’s going to go that way again for the pay per view. Ellering got in more offense than usual here, though at the end of the day, you know what you’re going to get with her in the end.

Post match it’s announced that Velvet will be defending against…Viva Van. OH COME ON! Last week Van won her first match in Ring Of Honor in almost THREE YEARS and now she gets a title shot on pay per view. Forget everyone else who has been winning matches and building up momentum because this is the best we’ve got. Geez if you absolutely have to, send someone from AEW down here to challenge instead. It would at least make more sense. This place can be another level of dumb when the pay per views come around.

Video on Blake Christian vs. Bandido. Well that’s nice of them.

Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gibson powers Billington down to start until Billington reverses into a wristlock. Drake comes in for a hard running shoulder but Billington brings Priest in for a double elbow. A double suplex puts Drake down for two and it’s a belly to back suplex into a slingshot hilo. Drake’s forearms out of the corner just annoy Priest but Gibson gets in a cheap shot to put him down. Drake puts on a sleeper so Priest suplexes his way out. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Priest is back up with a swinging neckbreaker.

Billington comes back in to wreck the Veterans, including a crossface to Drake. That’s broken up and Priest and Billington hit stereo dives to the floor. Back in and they knock each other down until Priest and Billington grab stereo submissions. Those are broken up and Gibson and Billington go to the floor. The other two clothesline each other but Gibson is back in for a Doomsday Device for two on Priest. Billington is back in to crossface Gibson, leaving Priest to roll Drake up (with trunks) for the pin at 13:43.

Rating: B. This was easily the best match on the show, though it still feels like a match between two teams who are there to fill in spots on the roster. In other words, it’s the exact same thing that has been happening up and down the show. Billington and Priest do feel a bit more important than some, but maybe give them something to do that matters? And soon?

MxM TV vs. Rascalz

Mansoor and Reed start things off with Reed shouldering him down, allowing Mansoor to, eventually, nip up. Wentz comes in for a jumping double stomp to the back and it’s off to Xavier, who gets caught in the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Reed, who scores with a dropkick to the back. Reed gets sent outside though and caught in a choke, followed by TV’s chinlock back inside.

A Flying Chuck into a German suplex puts Reed down for two and the Collection hits a side slam/legdrop combination for the same. TV and Madden go high/low for two but Reed jawbreaks TV away. That and a Stundog Millionaire allow the tag to Wentz so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Reed is catapulted into a swinging Boss Man Slam. Madden gets poked in the eyes and chokeslams Mansoor by mistake so a triple superkick puts him down. The Swanton into the 450 into the Spiral Tap finishes Mansoor at 9:49.

Rating: B-. This was at least somewhat different as it was a six man tag instead of yet another two on two tag match. MxM continues to be funny enough in defeat and it’s not like anyone is going to take them seriously. It would be nice to have this set up a Six Man Title match and it still may, even with no mention of it here.

Oh and if this, next week’s show and next week’s pay per view aren’t enough for you, we get a special show on Tuesday. Because MORE MEANS BETTER!

Overall Rating: C-. I do not remember the last time I was so uninterested in a show. Supercard Of Honor is next week and the majority of this show feels like it has nothing to do with the card. Most of the people on here aren’t currently set for the pay per view (two people who wrestled here currently have matches, one of which was announced after she wrestled this week) and odds are the majority of them won’t be.

This place continues to feel like there is almost no planning done in advance and my goodness it gets frustrating. If you want to me to watch the pay per view, could you just try to make me care in the slightest? As usual, the wrestling was fine, assuming you ignore it having pretty much no consequences whatsoever.

Results
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Infantry – Rollup to Dean
Josh Woods b. Beef – Leglock
Bang Bang Gang b. Workhorsemen – Forward DDT to Drake
Action Andretti b. Nathan Cruz – Torture rack neckbreaker
Bustah And The Brain b. Frat House – Belly to back suplex/top rope elbow combination to Karter
Colons/Spanish Announce Project b. Better Together/Alexander Lev/Hunter Jones – Frog splash to Lev
Premiere Athletes b. Main Man Oro/Kiran Grey – Big Ending/DDT combination to Oro
Red Velvet b. Rachael Ellering – Spinning kick to the head
Tommy Billington/Adam Priest b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Rollup with trunks to Drake
Rascalz b. MxM TV – Spiral Tap to Mansoor

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: 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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