Ring Of Honor
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re finally getting closer to Supercard To Honor and that means we might actually get a big story around here for once. Then again you never know what you’re going to see around here as ROH tends to take its sweet time setting up the big events. In this case we’re also getting closer to the Women’s Pure Wrestling Title being a thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Trish Adora vs. La Catalina

The Infantry is here with Adora. They take turns shoving each other down until Catalina grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Catalina snaps off some armdrags, followed by a running dropkick. Adora is right back up with a knockdown and starts cranking on the arm. The Air Raid Crash stretch is broken up and Catalina is back with a running boot. A Pedigree gives Catalina two and a bridging German suplex gives Adora the same. They go up top and Catalina slips down into an electric chair, followed by a top rope splash for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Catalina continues to be someone who works well when given the chance, but she hasn’t had all that much success against bigger names. Until that comes, this is about all she’s likely to do, though hopefully we get to see her doing more. The division needs some fresh blood and Catalina could be part of that.

Post match respect is shown.

Taya Valkyrie brags about her star power and calls the tournament a casting call for the main character. Which is her you see.

Lance Archer vs. Diego Hill

Hill’s springboard high crossbody is knocked out of the air and a swinging Rock Bottom puts him down again. Archer’s nose is busted open somewhere in there and he grabs something like a standing Sharpshooter for the tap at 2:10. The blood dripping off Archer’s face is eerie.

Post match Archer gives him the Blackout for a bonus.

Athena is back next week. In person I’m assuming.

We go to this weekend’s Dean Rasmussen tribute show, co-promoted with Action Wrestling.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

Moriarty is defending. Mako, who is known for his cross armbreaker, grabs a cross armbreaker and Moriarty uses his first rope break about 40 seconds in. Back up and Moriarty runs the ropes to grab the Border City Stretch, making it a rope break each. A springboard clothesline sets up something like a seated Octopus to keep Mako in trouble.

Mako belly to back suplexes his way to freedom and a spinwheel kick cuts Moriarty off. They fight over a suplex until Moriarty gets in another Border City Stretch to make Mako use another rope break. Mako superplexes him into a Falcon Arrow and the cross armbreaker sends Moriarty over for another rope break of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Moriarty pulls him into another Border City Stretch, this time with a foot on Mako’s face for the tap to retain at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen much of Mako, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen in him so far. That being said, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of being in a Pure Rules match. The whole thing continues to feel like something that is tacked on I’m really not sure why it needs to be its own championship.

Post match, respect is shown.

Also from the Rasmussen show:

Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Valiente/Virus vs. Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr./Xelhua

So this is a Torneo Cibernetico, which is a ten man survival match. Panther wrestles Xelhua down to the floor to start but Xelhua is right back with a leglock and we stop for a standoff. Cerebro and Virus come in to continue the grappling until Virus takes him down by the leg. Virus’ armbar is broken up and they go to another standoff. They shake hands and it’s off to Valiente vs. the much bigger Euforia. A running hurricanrana sends Euforia outside and we get Neon vs. Volador.

That means a single running hurricanrana and Volador is outside, so it’s Hologram vs. Averno to complete the first run through. Hologram spins around and grabs an anklescissors out to the floor for the big dive. Back in and we get some rapid fire tags until Virus suplexes Xelhua a few times for two each. Virus ties up the arms and neck and Xelhua taps for the first elimination at 9:10.

It’s off to Cerebro but Volador pulls Virus outside. The brawl doesn’t last long until it’s Euforia super press slams Virus. A powerbomb gives Euforia the pin on Virus to tie it up at 11:04. Panther comes in and gets double stomped down but fights up to clean house anyway. It’s off to Valiente, who tries to take Volador down but gets caught with a Backstabber for the pin at 13:21.

Neon gets triple teamed and pulled out to the floor, with Hologram getting the same treatment. A running dropkick takes Hologram down but Panther is back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neon and Hologram hit back to back high crossbodies to take Euforia down, only for Hologram to superkick Neon by mistake. Euforia wrecks the two of them until a super hurricanrana takes him down. A moonsault into a top rope double stomp gives Hologram the pin on Euforia and we’re tied up at 16:33.

Panther comes in and gets rolled up by Cerebro but Panther stacks him up for the pin at 17:25. It’s off to Neon vs. Averno with the latter getting his boots up to block a moonsault. Neon runs the corner for a rather spinning armdrag but Averno is back with a super Pedigree (ouch) for the pin at 19:02.

So it’s Hologram/Panther vs. Averno/Volador with Panther clotheslining Averno but getting sat on the top. A double superplex drops Panther, with Hologram having to make a save. Panther cuts off a double monkey flip, allowing Hologram to get a double cover for two in a clever move. Back up and a superbomb/Backstabber get stereo near falls on Hologram and Panther but they’re back with a cradle/torture rack bomb for the double pin at 23:56.

Rating: B-. This is the definition of not something I’m overly familiar with, as I’ve only heard a few of the names before. I did like what I was seeing though as the concept wasn’t hard to understand and the action was good. It’s not something I’d like to watch week after week, but it was more than fun enough to work for a week.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate beating the Sons Of Texas at Double Or Nothing.

Satnam Singh vs. Facade

Facade tries some kicks to the legs to start and is loudly chopped for his efforts. Some big beals send Facade flying and the comeback is cut off by a chokeslam to give Singh the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a slightly extended version of the usual Singh match and that means it was….well it was a giant squashing a non-giant. They’ve figured out that Singh is basically the ROH version of an attraction and that’s as good of a use as he has at the moment. Let him go out there and have the fans go ooooo at him. It’s something that has worked for giants over the years and it’s working again now.

We look at Hologram and Bandido’s team winning an eight man tag at Double Or Nothing.

Frat House vs. Rhino/Hologram

Hologram and Garrison start things off with an exchange of dives over the other. Hologram sends him into the corner and it’s off to Karter, with Rhino coming in as well. For some reason Karter slaps him in the face, earning a running shoulder in the corner. Everything breaks down and Jakked Jameson offers a distraction so Preston Vance can send Hologram into the barricade. A double flapjack plants Hologram but he strikes his way to freedom. Hologram gets over for the tag to Rhino, who snaps off the belly to belly for two on Garrison. Hologram hits a dive and Rhino hits the Gore for the pin on Garrison at 7:29.

Rating: C. This was a perfect example of “send them home happy” and it went fine. Rhino is a hometown star and he came in to help a popular wrestler against some goofs. It’s a story that works well for a one off, with the assist coming from Rhino still being able to carry his own in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t a show you needed to see or a show with much going on, but it was also a very different kind of show than you usually see from Ring Of Honor. I’ll definitely take that over what we tend to get, as it at least had me wondering what I was going to see. Now just start talking about Supercard Of Honor, because it’s getting close.

Results
La Catalina b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash
Lance Archer b. Diego Hill – Standing leglock
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako – Border City Stretch
Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Virus/Xelhua b. Valiente/Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr. – Double pin
Satnam Singh b. Facade – Chokeslam
Rhino/Hologram b. Frat House – Gore to Garrison

Remember to follow me on Twitter @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 15, 2025
Location: Adrian Phillips Theater At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the way to Supercard Of Honor with less than two months to go before the show. Therefore, Ring Of Honor will likely spend about a month and a half spinning its wheels before we actually find out most of the card. Other than that, we are likely going to get the start of the Women’s Pure Title tournament, because that’s a thing as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Mako

Yuta takes him down by the arm to start but Mako manages to reverse into something like a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with a kick to the face and Yuta drops an elbow, allowing him to pose a bit. Yuta ties up the leg for a bit and then slowly kicks Mako in the head. A German suplex sends Mako into the corner for a running elbow to the face.

Something like an Angle Slam drops Mako and Yuta grabs a cravate on the mat. Mako fights up and grabs a butterfly suplex before grabbing a quickly broken cross armbreaker. The running knee sets up the elbows to the face and the Cattle Mutilation finishes for Yuta at 6:06.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen Mako before and he had a good look and the intensity that can make for a promising prospect. Hopefully he gets a chance to do something else because he took a loss to a bigger name here. That being said, Yuta is still what he has been for a long time now: perfectly fine in the ring and not interesting in the slightest.

Video on Josh Woods vs. Tom Lawlor, which will be taking place at a show AEW is co-promoting with Action Wrestling.

Trish Adora vs. Rachael Ellering

The Infantry is here with Adora. They grapple around to start and Adora grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so they do a crisscross until Ellering elbows her in the face. A basement kick to the face gives Ellering two but Adora is back up with an armbar. Adora’s fisherman’s suplex gets two and the Lariat Tubman finishes Adora at 3:54.

Rating: C. The match didn’t have much time and it only got so far. At the end of the day though, it’s hard to get interested here as neither of these two have been treated as anything important in a long time. It doesn’t help that neither are seemingly in contention for any of the titles around here, which is impressive given how many titles there are.

Red Velvet is tired of hearing about the Women’s Pure Wrestling Title and wants some more respect.

Video on the Frat House vs. the Dark Order, because that deserves extra attention.

Frat House vs. Dark Order

The rest of the Frat House is here with Griff Garrison/Cole Karter. Reynolds and Karter start things off with Karter working on the arm. Back up and Reynolds hits a heck of a clothesline but Uno has to save him from a double suplex. A double neckbreaker drops the villains and Uno comes in to hammer on Garrison in the corner. Preston Vance grabs Uno’s leg though and Uno gets pulled outside for a clothesline from Karter.

Garrison’s elbow to the face gets two on Uno and some more shots to the face draw Reynolds in. That doesn’t go well either but Uno fights out of trouble and dives over for the tag to Reynolds. A big suicide dive hits Karter as Uno has to take out the Frat House pledges. The Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination hits Garrison but Jameson gets on the apron. Uno intercepts the paddle but the distraction lets Vance hit a discus lariat to give Garrison the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C+. This is another of those stories that keeps going around here and it doesn’t feel like it’s anything more than a way to fill in time. The Frat House accurately pointed out that the Order hasn’t meant anything in forever and the Frat House has never meant anything. That doesn’t make for a thrilling TV match but these guys are on the show over and over again no matter what.

MxM Collection/Premiere Athletes vs. Sons Of Texas/Von Erichs

Marshall and Daivari start things off with Marshall quickly getting taken down to the mat for some rapid fire stomping. Mansoor comes in to chop away in the corner but a single shot allows the tag off to Ross. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Guevara to take Mansoor down and strike a pose. Ross comes back in but Mark Sterling offers a distraction, allowing Mansoor to get in backsplash and take over.

Back in and Daivari grabs a chinlock but a…well it would usually be a splash but Daivari turned like a high crossbody. Either way the crash allows the tag off to Rhodes, with Cross Rhodes getting two on Nese. Everything breaks down and a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination takes Guevara down. A double clothesline leaves everyone but Rhodes down so he gives Sterling Shattered Dreams. A Canadian Destroyer drops Mansoor and Ross Claws Nese for the win at 7:17.

Rating: C+. What else is there to say about the Rhodes stuff? Rhodes is the undisputed top star around here and has been treated as the most important person in Ring Of Honor for several months. I’m not sure what kind of all time legendary status he’s supposed to have but that’s what we’ve been getting. I keep hoping that it ends at All In, but odds are that’s his whole big heroic moment and I have no idea where it goes next. The match itself was nothing as usual, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Post match Cru comes out to stare at the Sons Of Texas to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It isn’t a good sign when the best thing you can say about a show is that it was fairly short but that’s all we have here. Ring Of Honor continues to be little more than filler content that is there because it has to be. It should get a bit better when we’re ready for Supercard Of Honor but until then, we’re stuck with dull shows like this one.

Results
Wheeler Yuta b. Matt Mako – Cattle Mutilation
Trish Adora b. Rachael Ellering – Lariat Tubman
Frat House b. Dark Order – Discus lariat to Uno
Sons Of Texas/Von Erichs b. MxM Collection/Premiere Athletes – Claw to Nese

Remember to follow me on Twitter @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: April 18, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the second Ring Of Honor show of the week as we are coming off a bonus episode yesterday afternoon. In theory, that should mean that we are in for some better than usual stuff here, with the weaker, less important stuff burned off yesterday. We are only a few weeks away from Supercard Of Honor as well so let’s get to it.

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

Bandido/Komander vs. Infantry

No entrances here, likely to hide that Komander had the TV Title when this was taped. It’s a brawl to start with Bandido slugging away at Bravo but getting taken out for a whip into the barricade. Back in and they be clubberin at Bandido in the corner before a leglock keeps him down.

A Demolition Decapitator gets two on Bandido but he gets over for the tag without much trouble. Everything breaks down and Dean is sent outside, drawing Shane Taylor up to the apron. That’s fine with Bandido, who sunset bombs Taylor onto the rest of the Promotions. Komander moonsaults onto them, leaving Bandido to hit the 21 Plex for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C+. Bandido is the featured star of the promotion these days so of course he’s opening the show against a midcard tag team. At least he got the win, but this feels like a match that was put together before they knew Bandido was going to be the champion. If that’s the case, it makes me wonder why it still happened, but at least the right person won.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. MxM Collection/Johnny TV

Rhodes and the Von Erichs are defending for the first time since July but get jumped from behind during their entrance. We get inside where TV beats on the banged up Ross and the bell officially rings. Marshall fights up and slugs away at Mansoor, setting up a Cannonball for two. Ross comes in for a rather aggressive headlock but Madden tags himself in for a Harlem Heat Heat Seeker.

Taya Valkyrie gets in some stomps on the floor and a Sidewinder gives Mansoor two. Rhodes, still banged up from the attack before the bell, is knocked down again but Marshall low bridges Madden to the floor. A clothesline gives Ross a breather but Madden pulls Marshall to the floor. The tag brings in Rhodes instead and everything breaks down, with a bulldog getting two on TV. Everything breaks down and the Collection gets a double Shattered Dreams. The Claw puts Mansoor in trouble and the Final Reckoning to TV retains the titles at 11:12.

Rating: C+. That’s what we’ve waited about eight months to see and it’s the same problem as always: Rhodes and the Von Erichs aren’t that interesting. This match was built around Rhodes getting the hot tag so he could clean house. Rhodes isn’t exactly a big enough star to make this interesting and having him hold two titles for so many months isn’t making it that much better. I’ll take this over the titles not being defended, but not by much.

Lee Johnson vs. Sammy Guevara

Blake Christian is here with Johnson. Guevara grabs a headlock to start but can’t get anywhere and they both nip up for a standoff. Back up and Guevara hits a dropkick but Christian pulls him face first onto the apron. Johnson fires off some shoulders to the ribs but Guevara fights up to knock him down. A cutter gives Guevara two and he pulls Johnson into a rollup for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C. Guevara feels like he’s the partner you had to pick in Wrestlemania 2000’s Road To Wrestlemania mode but he actually has to have matches. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling stuff, as every bit of Guevara’s star power has gone sailing away. That’s a shame as he’s that talented, but being Dustin Rhodes’ (the main character in the game) sidekick isn’t the way to go.

Post match Christian jumps Guevara but Dustin Rhodes makes the save. Johnny TV and the MxM Collection run in for the save, as do the Von Erichs. The villains beat them down and Guevara covers Rhodes from the beating.

Video on CMLL working with Ring Of Honor, setting up Grand Slam Mexico in June.

Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo vs. Dark Order

It’s a brawl to start with the Order cleaning house, setting up Reynolds’ running elbow in the corner to Cruz. That’s broken up and it’s off to Uno, who hits the Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: C. This really is the best they have for their Wrestlemania Week show. The Dark Order haven’t felt important in the better part of ever and putting them out there against Cruz and his partner of the week isn’t going to make that any better. The match barely had time to do anything and that might be the best way to go.

Post match the Frat House comes out, complete with recruits, who the Frat House beat up. And now, a match.

Frat House vs. Charles Mason/Love Doug/TJ Crawford

The Dark Order is watching from the aisle. The recruits are beaten down but Doug chops away for some reason, earning himself a discus lariat for the pin at 59 seconds.

Post match the beatdown continues until the Dark Order make the save. This passes for a personal feud around here.

Serena Deeb and Queen Aminata are in the first round of the Women’s Pure Title tournament. Trash talk is exchanged. There is pretty much no reason for that title to exist but here it is anyway.

Atlantis Jr./Esfinge/Fuego vs. Barbaro Cavernario/Euforia/Zandokan Jr.

We start fast with an exchange of kicks to the face and a triple sunset flip for two each. Cavernario hits a running Vader Bomb for two on Fuego. Esfinge comes in and gets beaten out to the floor rather quickly. Fuego is back in for a double dropkick and it’s Esfinge coming in to clean house.

An Alabama Slam out of the corner into a sitout powerbomb gives Zandokan two. Atlantis is there with a kick in the corner but he gets caught with a triple powerbomb. Euforia goes for Atlantis’ mask to no avail and a double dropkick puts Atlantis down again. Fuego and Esfinge hit some dives before Atlantis’ frog splash pins Euforia at 7:48.

Rating: B-. You know the same things I say about all of these CMLL six man tags? Update it to include this match. It’s an entertaining match but there is pretty much nothing that makes it stand out in any way. You have a few new names included but I lost interest in these being anything more than fun filler a long time ago. Mainly because these things have been going on that long.

Overall Rating: C. Remember that this isn’t just the best they have, but also the show after they got rid of a bunch of the filler yesterday. At the end of the day, this show feels so much like filler and there is no way around that. Instead of doing something interesting, it’s the same people doing the same stuff with Dustin Rhodes being treated as the biggest star around. There is something that could be done with this show, but this absolutely wasn’t it.

Results
Bandido/Komander b. Infantry – 21 Plex to Bravo
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. MxM Collection/Johnny TV – Final Reckoning to TV
Sammy Guevara b. Lee Johnson – Rollup
Dark Order b. Jon Cruz/Rosario Grillo – Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination to Cruz
Frat House b. Charles Mason/Love Doug/TJ Crawford – Discus lariat to Doug
Atlantis Jr./Esfinge/Fuego b. Barbaro Cavernario/Euforia/Zandokan Jr. – Frog splash to Euforia

Remember to follow me on Twitter @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: April 3, 2025
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

After not having much to build towards for months, we now have two big events coming up. May will bring Supercard Of Honor while July will have Death Before Dishonor. That’s in addition to the World Title match this Sunday at Dynasty. It’s weird to have this much going on in such relatively short order so there is a lot to cover here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Sons Of Texas vs. Frat House

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Frat House (with Jakked Jameson and Preston Vance) wins or survives the ten minute time limit, they get a future Tag Team Title shot. Before the match, the Sons break up the Beer Pong game and throw the balls into the crowd. That doesn’t work for the Frat House, who jump them from behind, only to get sent outside.

The Sons do their double pose and then take the Frat House down again back inside. Guevara’s standing moonsault hits Karter for two and Rhodes works on the arm. A cheap shot from the floor takes Guevara down though and it’s time for the double teaming in the corner. Guevara gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some stomping but he slips out of a slam and it’s a double clothesline for a double down.

Preston Vance drops Rhodes on the floor though and a jumping knee gets two on Guevara. A belly to back suplex is broken up though and it’s a diving tag off to Rhodes to clean house. The powerslam gets two on Garrison with Karter making the save. Everything breaks down and Guevara cutters Karter, setting up Shattered Dreams. Cue the Dark Order as Guevara hits a Swanton to pin Garrison at 7:49.

Rating: C. So you remember how Karter and Garrison were a totally mediocre heel team when they were managed by Maria? Well now they’re the same mediocre heel team when they’re managed by Jakked Jameson. The match was basic formula stuff and fine, but I have no idea why the Sons are supposed to be this interesting. I’m sure they’ll be presented as some kind of big deal at All In (likely on the pre-show), but we really had to wait this long for that? I have no idea what the Dark Order was doing out there.

We look at Mercedes Mone insulting Athena, who interrupted her on Collision and instantly looked like a huge star.

Gates Of Agony vs. Deonn Rusman/Cal Bloom

Bloom is better known as Von Wagner from NXT. Bloom splashes Kaun in the corner but misses a second attempt. Kaun gets a boot up to stop a charge, setting up a dropkick to knock Bloom into a tag. Rusman misses a charge of his own and it’s off to Liona so the Gates can take turns chopping away.

A missed shot allows the tag back to Bloom, who hammers Kaun down again. Rusman’s diving headbutt gets two and Bloom adds a suplex. Kaun manages his own suplex though and it’s Liona coming back in to clean house. A series of clotheslines hit Rusman in the corner and Kaun hits a dive off the apron to wipe Bloom out. Liona Pounces Rusman for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C-. Bloom got in some nice offense here but this was the latest Gates match, with the fans not being overly thrilled. That isn’t the biggest surprise either, as the Gates have been around for years now and haven’t done much of anything in months. You know what you’re getting with them and that was the case again here. Why should anyone get into one of their matches?

We look at the Frat House and the Premiere Athletes joining forces last week.

Premiere Athletes vs. Outrunners

Floyd and Daivari trade running shoulders to start and that goes nowhere. Instead it’s off to Magnum, who gets dragged into the wrong corner so the double teaming can ensue. That’s broken up with a double clothesline and a clothesline/bulldog combination takes the Athletes down again. Hold on though as Mark Sterling grabs the mic and says dropkicks are illegal in Milwaukee. The distraction lets the Athletes take over on Floyd in the corner and Daivari’s neckbreaker gets two.

Back in and the beating continues but Nese misses a legdrop. Floyd gets pulled off the apron though and the tag doesn’t go through. The tag goes through a few seconds later (as it tends to do) and some slams put the Athletes down. Everything breaks down again and the Outrunners hit stereo back elbows to drop the Athletes again. The Mega Powers elbow sets up Total Recall but Nese breaks it up just in time. Nese hits a dive to take Magnum out on the floor but Daivari gets dropped with a clothesline. Sterling comes in and is quickly dropped, leaving Total Recall to finish Daivari at 8:22.

Rating: C+. It’s a shame that the Outrunners have lost their big match as the fans still like them and they’re fine enough in the ring. Unfortunately there isn’t much for them to do at the moment as they’ve lost the AEW Tag Team Title shot and they don’t seem likely to beat the Sons Of Texas. At the same time, you have the Athletes, who are right back to where they were before last week.

Dark Order vs. Infantry

Reynolds and Bravo start things off with Bravo hammering away to take over. Back up and a running clothesline gives Reynolds two and it’s off to Uno for a double slingshot faceplant. Bravo gets kicked off the apron, which lets him trip Reynolds down to take over again. A running elbow in the corner gets two on Reynolds and we hit the chinlock.

Reynolds fights out and rolls over for the tag off to Uno so house can be cleaned. A DDT/Flatliner combination drops the Infantry again and Bravo is sent outside. Dean gets caught with a Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination but here is the Frat House to cut off the Order. The double Stomp finishes Uno at 7:21.

Rating: C. This felt long and a lot of that is because, AGAIN, there is no reason to believe that these teams are going to do anything but stay stuck in the lower half of the tag division. Now we seem to be coming up on the Order vs. the Frat House. Is that going to be some big deal for either of them? Not likely, as there is no reason to believe that is going to be the case.

Pure Title: AR Fox vs. Lee Moriarty

Fox is challenging and has to fight out of an early wristlock. A running rollup lets Moriarty grab a cross armbreaker, sending Fox straight over to the ropes for the first break. Back up and Fox puts him in the ropes for a springboard Russian legsweep (that was cool). A crossface sends Moriarty to the ropes for the first time so Moriarty knocks him in the corner. The string of strikes to the face and ribs set up a slam so Moriarty can start working on the arm. Another armbar sends Fox over to the ropes for his second rope break.

The bad arm is sent into the corner but Fox is back up to send him to the apron. A running flipping double stomp hits Moriarty and a Swanton gets two. Moriarty is right back on the arm though and the Border City Stretch means Fox uses his last rope break. Back up and Fox ties him in the ropes for a slingshot Canadian Destroyer (it looks better than you might expect) for two but he misses a 450. Lo Mein Pain is blocked though and Moriarty gets a chickenwing in the ropes for the tap to retain at 8:42.

Rating: B-. Easily the best match of the night here as they had more of a straight up match rather than going with the same formula that this title tends to go through. That’s nice to see for a change as the standard formula can get a bit old at times. Fox was his usual flashy self here and Moriarty eventually caught him, which made for a good match. Solid main event here and it worked well.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was the only good thing here and that wasn’t enough to save the show from the rest of the card. As has been the case for a long time here, it feels like these people are running on a treadmill and that isn’t going to be overly interesting. Thankfully the show was shorter than usual, but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of an episode.

Results
Sons Of Texas b. Frat House – Swanton to Garrison
Gates Of Agony b. Deonn Rusman/Cal Bloom – Pounce to Rusman
Outrunners b. Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Daivari
Infantry b. Dark Order – Double stomp to Uno
Lee Moriarty b. AR Fox – Chickenwing in the ropes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @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: March 8, 2025
Location: Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the last show before Revolution and that means we very well may get some more matches added at the last minute. Other than that, it is time to firm up what we already have on the card, which should come in the form of some good stuff. AEW has been going well as of late and if they can keep that going throughout the weekend, things will be looking up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opps vs. Jack Banning/Starboy Charlie/Titus Alexander

Hook suplexes Charlie to start and then does the same to Alexander. Shibata and Joe chop away at Alexander and then Joe gets to hammer away at the jaw. Shibata’s running corner dropkick sets up the PK for the pin at 2:18.

Cope is ready to win the title from Jon Moxley, who is a spin doctor rather than a messiah. He wants the Moxley who will come after him so he has to make this count. There is no tomorrow because this might be his final shot at a world title. You know, other than tomorrow, when he gets his title shot.

Momo Watanabe vs. Serena Deeb

Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Deeb works on the arm to start and spins out of Watanabe’s wristlock for a bonus. They trade headlock takeovers and headscissors escapes before we stop to look at Mone again. Deeb pulls her into a surfboard but lets it go, allowing Watanabe to hit a dropkick. Watanabe starts firing off kicks to the chest but gets caught in a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break.

Back with Watanabe snapping off some suplexes and hitting a PK for two. Deeb’s Octopus hold doesn’t last long as Watanabe is out with a snap suplex. Back up and a hammerlock lariat gives Deeb two as Mone is getting frustrated. A half crab has Watanabe in more trouble but she fights up and hits a kick to the head. Watanabe grabs a bridging half nelson suplex for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: B-. And that’s the extent of build that Watanabe is getting for her title match against Mone tomorrow night. Watanabe won a four way in Japan, threw something on Mone, and took a good while to beat Deeb. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that she’s going to win the title tomorrow, but here we are anyway as Mone gets to face someone who means very little to the AEW audience. It isn’t about Watanabe’s talent, but rather about her not meaning much of anything around here. That’s a bad thing and AEW likes to do it far too often.

Post match Mone gets in Watanabe’s face and gets taken out just as fast.

We look back at Will Ospreay getting taken out by the Don Callis Family on Dynamite.

At Dynamite, Ospreay was banged up but he is ready for the cage match at Revolution. He talks about his history with his old friends in Japan and how they took over. Then last year, Kyle Fletcher turned on him and it’s time to face off. He loves Fletcher but now he has to fight like an animal and prove that he is on another level.

Harley Cameron vs. Tatevik Hunanyan

Hunanyan jumps her from behind to start and chokes away on the mat, followed by a Russian legsweep. Cameron gets some boots up out of the corner and nails a Shining Wizard. Her Finishing Move (the official name) finishes for Cameron at 2:15.

Kyle Fletcher doesn’t like Will Ospreay treating their cage match like a stepping stone to the World Title. The reality is that Ospreay is the thing standing in Fletcher’s way. Ospreay is going to be locked in a cage with a lion and the mat will be painted red with his bed.

The Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Dean gets taken into the corner and chopped a bunch to start, setting up O’Reilly’s suplex for two. It’s off to Bravo, who gets kneed in the ribs, but is able to take O’Reilly into the corner to take over. O’Reilly backdrops his way out of trouble though and the tag brings in Strong to clean house.

We take a break and come back with Dean hitting a jumping clothesline on Strong, setting up a splash for two. Strong fights up without much trouble and hands it back to O’Reilly for strikes and suplexes. Dean breaks up a guillotine choke but the High/Low finishes Bravo off at 8:39.

Rating: C+. The Infantry being presented as a thing might have been a bigger hit if I hadn’t seen them lose on Ring Of Honor two days ago. That’s the way things keep going around here, as someone might start getting some momentum but they lose a random match and things get derailed. It isn’t like the Infantry has much going for them, but if AEW wants the Kingdom to get something out of this, maybe don’t have them lose so recently?

Don Callis dubs Konosuke Takeshita as the new god of professional wrestling and promises to end Kenny Omega.

We recap the Learning Tree trying to prove themselves to Chris Jericho. Gravity wants a Ring Of Honor World Title shot.

Jon Moxley talks about how he and Cope are the last of a dying breed. Cope is always feeling that dream of being champion one more time. That’s why this is about respect, which Moxley wants to do for Cope. When he gets his hands around Cope’s neck, should he show him mercy? Would Cope do that? Moxley promises to hurt Cope and then he’ll know what respect feels like.

Hologram vs. Dralistico

They take turns flipping over each other to start and that’s good for a standoff. Dralistico puts him up against the ropes, waits about ten seconds, and then hits a loud chop. Hologram avoids a charge to the floor and hits a big dive as the pace picks up. Back in and Dralistico grabs a top rope hurricanrana out to the floor, setting up a dive of his own. Hologram is sent mask first into a few things and Dralistico hits a basement superkick as we take a break.

Back with the referee yelling at Dralistico, leaving Hologram to hit a Spanish Fly on the floor. They chop it out on the apron until Dralistico hurricanranas him outside again. The slugout ensues on the floor until they both dive back in at nine to beat the count. Dralistico grabs a springboard Codebreaker for two but Hologram’s sitout powerbomb gets the same.

A Spanish Fly rocks Dralistico, but he’s right back with a crucifix driver to leave both of them down. The springboard Canadian Destroyer gives Dralistico two (as the referee catches his feet on the ropes) so Hologram grabs a very spinning torture rack powerbomb for the pin at 13:32 (ignore Dralistico raising his arm up, almost in a salute, during the pin).

Rating: B. Take two talented guys, put them in the ring and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s an idea that has worked well for the better part of ever and that was the case again here. I’m not sure what Hologram is going to do as far as moving up the card, but for now he seems to be back in the “just let him do cool stuff” mode for the moment.

Post match the Beast Mortos runs in for the beatdown and goes for Hologram’s mask but Komander makes the save. That doesn’t work either and the beatdown ensues…until the villains just stop.

FTR kind of apologizes for not showing respect to the Undisputed Kingdom last week. They’ll run it back next week. Adam Cole wants a rematch with Daniel Garcia, but he’s off to defend his title.

The Hurt Syndicate sees the Outrunners as underdogs, which the Syndicate has never been. Tomorrow, those dogs are being put down. Good, serious promo here from the champs. Er, well MVP as the champs didn’t actually talk.

Outrunners vs. Premiere Athletes

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes. Nese forearms Magnum to start but Magnum is right back with the big wind up punch. A suplex drops Nese again and it’s off to Floyd, who gets hammered down in the corner. Floyd fights up but goes after Sterling, earning himself another beating.

Everything breaks down and the Athletes are knocked outside as we take a break. Back with Magnum fighting out of a chinlock but getting his throat snapped over the top rope. Nese clotheslines Daivari by mistake though and the hot tag brings in Floyd to clean house. The Mega Powers Elbow hits Nese but Total Recall is broken up. Cue the Hurt Syndicate to watch as Total Recall finishes Daivari at 8:28.

Rating: C. The Outrunners are as weird of a set of pay per view challengers for the titles as you’re going to find in AEW as they don’t have a reputation for winning major matches but yet here they are. That’s going to lead to some interesting possibilities at Revolution, but this was little more than a way to build the Outrunners up a bit at the last minute. That’s not a bad idea at all, though I’m not sure how much impact it had.

We go to the premiere of Queen Of The Ring, where Mariah May jumped Toni Storm.

Revolution rundown.

We get a music video for MJF vs. Hangman Page. It’s a look at how both of them rose up the ranks and got here, with MJF getting more serious for this fight. Page on the other hand is insane most of the time so it fits him well.

The Conglomeration is ready to team with Big Boom AJ against Johnny TV and the MxM Collection at Revolution.

TNT Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Daniel Garcia

Only Garcia is defending. They go to the mat to start and wrestle to a stalemate before fighting over a crossarm choke. An exchange of armdrags lets Garcia get two so Moriarty goes to the ropes. Garcia isn’t having that and hits a running boot before hammering away in the corner. That earns him a drop onto the turnbuckle and they go outside, where Garcia hits a running boot against the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Garcia caught in an abdominal stretch, followed by some running knees to the ribs. Garcia wins a battle over a suplex and hammers away in the corner again. A neckbreaker gives Garcia two and a top rope superplex hits Moriarty. Garcia’s ribs give out on a piledriver attempt though and Moriarty plants him for two.

Back up and a discus lariat gives Garcia two and they trade rollups for two each. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and the fans approve. They strike it out until Moriarty pulls him into the Border City Stretch. That’s reversed into the Dragontamer, which is reversed back into the Border City Stretch. This time Garcia escapes and hits the piledriver to retain at 14:56.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here, though I’m not sure how much drama there was as far as a title change goes. Moriarty doesn’t mean much of anything in AEW and he gets to lose here again. I’m still not sure what the point is in having a reigning Ring Of Honor champion losing here, when Shane Taylor was right there to take the loss without devaluing a title. I know Ring Of Honor doesn’t mean anything, but could you quit reminding us that it doesn’t mean anything?

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions come in for the beatdown but the Undisputed Kingdom runs in for the save to.

Kenny Omega is ready for Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution. What happens after he takes the title? What does Don Callis want Takeshita for then? Takeshita needs to show what he can do tomorrow night.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t a bad show, but it was a lot of talking about the big matches at the pay per view with a few things here to fill in the time. What matters the most is getting things ready for Revolution and this show did it well enough. The good thing is that I’m excited for Revolution and this show was enough of a boost on some of the matches. Just get the pay per view right and things should go well.

Results
Opps b. Jack Banning/Starboy Charlie/Titus Alexander – PK to Alexander
Momo Watanabe b. Serena Deeb – Bridging half nelson suplex
Harley Cameron b. Tatevik Hunanyan – Her Finishing Move
Undisputed Kingdom b. The Infantry – High/Low to Bravo
Hologram b. Dralistico – Torture rack bomb
Outrunners b. Premiere Athletes – Total Recap to Daivari
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty – Piledriver

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 27, 2025
Location: H-E-B Center At Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week’s show featured one match from the CMLL stars and now we are going to be seeing a bunch more of them. That’s at least something different from what we usually get around here, which has been the case in the last few weeks. Other than that, Chris Jericho is going to need a new challenger, though I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing that established here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Atlantis/Esfinge/Fuego vs. Euforia/Gran Guerrero/Rocky Romero

Gran kicks Atlantis (62 years old) to start but walks into some armdrags. Atlantis gets knocked outside so it’s off to Fuego vs. Romero. Fuego dances a bit, then sends Romero and company to the floor for some more dancing. Esfinge comes in for some superkicks and a heck of a monkey flip to Romero. A springboard splash misses Euforia though and Romero decks Esfinge to take over again.

Euforia hits his own springboard splash so Fuego comes in and gets caught with a package tiger driver for two. Romero and company triple team Atlantis and Romero goes for the mask, which seems rather evil for him. Atlantis manages a quick high crossbody and Romero hits Guerrero by mistake. Euforia gets knocked down as well but he comes back up to kick Guerrero by mistake as well. Fuego comes in to clean house as everything breaks down. Back in and Esfinge grabs a wacky leg tying rollup to pin Romero at 7:44.

Rating: B-. The match was the usual fun stuff, though a good number of these people have an AEW/ROH background of commentary telling us that they’re awesome. That’s the issue with guest stars like this, as they’re very talented, but I have little to no idea who some of them are as they’re barely around here. It’s a nice enough treat though, and it was a good choice for an opener.

La Catalina vs. Lady Frost

Catalina takes her to the mat to start, which goes to a standoff. An exchange of quick near falls gives us another standoff before Catalina scores with a dropkick. The running hip attack against the ropes gets two but Frost is back up with a running clothesline. Frost’s front flip into a Cannonball connects for two and they’re back up for an exchange of forearms.

A German suplex drops Catalina and Frost adds a spinning slam for two more. Catalina is rocked and a corkscrew dive from the top gets another near fall. Back up and Catalina sends her into the corner and comes out with an electric chair drop, setting up a top rope splash to end Frost at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Frost had a good showing here, though Catalina seemed to be a bit more smooth out there. If the CMLL stars are staying around, Catalina getting a one off shot at Athena would be a fine way to go. It isn’t like there is anyone else to come after the title at the moment, so see what they have here.

We look back at Chris Jericho retaining the ROH World Title over Bandido on Collision.

The Beast Mortos vs. Adam Priest

Priest chops away to start but his sunset flip attempt is easily blocked. A knee to the leg actually cuts Mortos off and a middle rope dropkick to the back gives Priest two. Mortos shrugs it off and hits his big backbreaker into the spinning piledriver for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C. It was nice to see Priest get in a bit of offense but Mortos has a tendency to let everyone get in their stuff. Mortos is someone who can do quite a few things against anyone, which is why he’s here winning not quite squash matches on Ring Of Honor. Find something better for him to do already. If nothing else, it might help fill in some of the empty seats which were very visible during this match (which was taped in Tennessee rather than Texas).

Infantry vs. Jimmy Wild/Rosario Grillo

Shane Taylor is here with the Infantry. Dean powers Grillo into the corner to start but Wild comes in for a double suplex. The Infantry shrugs that off and takes over, allowing Taylor to talk to the camera. A backbreaker puts Wild down and a spinning slam drops him again. Wild manages a double DDT but Bravo cuts off the tag and sends Grillo into the barricade. A running double stomp finishes Wild at 4:44.

Rating: C. Of all the perfectly watchable Infantry matches I’ve seen, this was the latest. We’ve seen them do their thing for months, if not years now, and it’s only so good. As is the case with so many people in Ring Of Honor, it would be nice to see them actually do something new or different for a change but here we are, seeing the same kind of match that we’ve seen them have for so long.

Blake Christian vs. Fuego del Sol

Christian jumps him during the entrance and takes him outside for some standing on the head on the barricade. Back in and Fuego’s rope walk is cut off, allowing Christian to rake his boot over Fuego’s mask. Christian sends him outside again for a dive but Fuego is back with a kick to the head. A springboard moonsault gives Fuego two and a rope walk moonsault DDT gets the same. Christian crotches him on top though and a super Spanish Fly sets up the Last Chancery for the win at 5:23.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of Christian as the most boring wrestler alive but they’re leaning into it, which helps quite a bit. As has been the case before though, he actually needs to do something and move up the ladder but that’s not how it works around here most of the time. Fuego was almost squashed here, which is pretty normal for him.

Athena is impressed by Catalina but is sick of people trying to show up here and take over her show. Next time, Athena won’t be so nice. They’re set for a title match next week. I mean, it’s not like Athena has fought a bunch of random challengers over and over and could be moved up to AEW already and put near the top of the women’s division. Because of course.

Dark Panther vs. Gravity

Panther flips over him to start and grabs an ankle lock as we look at Komander in the crowd. Back up and Gravity sends him to the floor for the running flip dive. They get back inside with Panther hitting a 619, then swinging his feet into Gravity a second time. Back up and they slug it out until Panther misses a charge in the corner.

A bridging German suplex gives Gravity two but he has to get to the ropes to escape a Fujiwara armbar. Gravity is sent to the floor for a suicide dive, followed by another to drop him again. A middle rope elbow misses for Panther, just like Gravity’s top rope splash. Panther hits a middle rope basement dropkick for the pin at 6:47.

Rating: B-. Another entertaining match here with someone who has been here a few times and you might remember, plus Gravity, who hasn’t been around for a year. It’s another match where there is only so much to get interested in here, which is a problem with shows like this. And Ring Of Honor in general.

Atlantis Jr./Mascara Dorada/Templario vs. Magnus/Soberano Jr./Volador Jr.

Soberano and company aren’t interested in handshakes so Templario spins over Magnus and armdrags him down. Some headscissors let Templario clear the ring, meaning it’s time for some dancing. Dives take the villains out on the floor and it’s Dorada coming in with a high crossbody. Dorada clears the ring and hits a middle rope hurricanrana on Magnus.

Back in and Dorada gets tied in the Tree Of Woe, leaving Soberano to mock the fans. Atlantis comes in and won’t get in a cheap shot, earning himself a beating. Soberano makes Atlantis flip his partners off and a triple boot knocks Atlantis outside. It’s off to Templario, who gets caught in a rocking horse/Fameasser combination.

Dorada gets beaten up as well and it’s back to Atlantis, who manages to start the comeback. A monkey flip sends Magnus flying but Volador hurricanranas Templario out of the corner. Soberano comes back in to pick up the pace but Templario grabs a wheelbarrow suplex. Templario spins up, only to get caught with a 619 from Magnus. Back up and Atlantis powerslams Magnus, setting up the top rope splash for the pin at 12:55.

Rating: B. Issues aside with how this doesn’t mean much of anything around here, this is the kind of entertaining showcase of talent that you do not get to see around here very often. These are incredibly talented people and they know how to do this style rather well. If this is the focus of the show, they could have done far worse for a main event.

Overall Rating: B. I have no idea what to make of this show anymore. They tried adding in the classic matches and they added nothing, so now we’re seeing things like the Jericho Cruise and the CMLL guest stars. There is still nothing to suggest that TV is coming anytime soon and I can’t say I’m surprised. The show is just not that interesting and that shows more and more every time. The guest stars here were fun, but they’re going to be gone in a week or two and then it’s back to the same stuff that hasn’t worked for months around here.

Results
Atlantis/Esfinge/Fuego b. Euforia/Gran Guerrero/Rocky Romero – Leg trap rollup to Romero
Catalina b. Lady Frost – Top rope splash
The Beast Mortos b. Adam Priest – Spinning piledriver
Infantry b. Jimmy Wild/Rosario Grillo – Running double stomp to Wild
Blake Christian b. Fuego del Sol – Last Chancery
Dark Panther b. Gravity – Middle rope basement dropkick
Atlantis Jr./Mascara Dorada/Templario b. Magnus/Soberano Jr./Volador Jr. – Top rope splash to Magnus

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 9, 2025
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the slow crawl towards Supercard Of Honor in a few months and as you might have expected, pretty much nothing happened at Wrestle Dynasty. Ring Of Honor was relegated to the pre-show where the Sons Of Texas retained the Tag Team Titles, likely on their way to what is supposed to be a special title defense at All In: Texas. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the lineup.

Trish Adora vs. Harley Cameron

Adora rolls her down to start but Cameron does the same thing to her to keep it even. Back up and a flying headscissors takes Cameron down, followed by a northern lights suplex to make it worse. Adora’s snap German suplex sends Cameron into the corner and a Boss Man Slam backbreaker has her down again. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Adora switches to a double arm crank. Cameron fights up and starts striking away, setting up a Shining Wizard for two. Back up and the Lariat Tubman gives Adora the clean pin at 6:23.

Rating: C-. OH COME ON! Harley Cameron is the most charismatic woman in AEW right now and she’s losing clean to Trish Adora, who has done a grand total of nothing in months. Cameron is set to face the AEW Women’s Champion in two days and yet here we are, because Adora needs a win or something. I’m sure she’ll benefit from this win, which will ABSOLUTELY have title implications. Maybe Adora can get one of the better seats in catering when someone else comes in from Japan to get the next title shot after doing nothing in ROH. This place is baffling and this is a perfect example of why.

Blake Christian vs. Serpentico

Christian jumps him before the bell but gets caught with an early dropkick for two. They head outside with Serpentico being sent into the barricade, allowing Christian to stomp him onto said barricade. Christian stomps his head onto the steps before they trade kicks to the face back inside. A neckbreaker gets two on Christian but he’s right back with some running knees to the head for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C. This was as lower midcard as you can get around here as ROH is now deciding to push Christian as something. Then again, winning matches around here isn’t the way to get title opportunities and that is what Christian is doing so far. Other than that, perfectly fine match here which isn’t likely to mean much going forward.

Griff Garrison vs. Boulder

Boulder powers him around to start but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Garrison to hit a running clothesline. The straps come down as Boulder gets fired up and there’s the running splash in the corner. More splashes have Garrison in trouble and a side slam gives Boulder two. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Garrison again and the basement crossbody (Boulderdash) finishes him at 5:00.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as the Iron Savages are now good guys and winning matches. The match was the same short form stuff that we’ve seen around here before and little more than a squash. The show could use a good match to pick up the steam and this wasn’t what it needed.

We’re thirty minutes into an eighty five minute show and the biggest star we’ve seen so far is comedy jobber Harley Cameron. In the words of Lenny Haise, this is an opportune time to pick it up a little.

Billie Starkz vs. Brittany Jade

Starkz rolls her up for two before stomping away. Jade fights up and hits a clothesline in the corner but gets dropped face first onto the turnbuckle. Starkz drops a Swanton for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C-. Another nothing match with Starkz squashing her without much effort. Other than Jade being Caprice Coleman’s student to tie it into the commentary a bit, this was another match which came and went to fill in time. When you’re over a third of the way through a show, you should have had something more than that by now.

Rachael Ellering vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata takes her down by the arm for some hip swiveling, earning herself a gutwrench suplex. The shout of a splash sends Aminata bailing to the floor, with commentary wondering how smart the shout was. Back in and Ellering takes her down again, setting up the backsplash (with shout) for two. Aminata tries a leglock but gets rolled up for two instead. That doesn’t matter much though as Aminata hits the headbutt for the win at 4:44.

Rating: C. Again, it’s not that these matches are bad, but they’re between people who have nothing going on and they aren’t exactly making things interesting. Neither of the have been anywhere near a title match in months but here they are, getting time on a random show. It feels like a match thrown out there to fill in time and that’s not a great thing to see.

From July 25, 2018 (and from a previous review).

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Hazuki

Hazuki is challenging and has her Oedo Tai stable mates with her. Sakai starts with the Mongolian chops and gets tossed into the corner with no effort. The announcers make a big deal out of Hazuki being just 20 years old, which is quite the point worth bragging about. A facewash sends Sakai outside and Hazuki hits a middle rope backsplash to a standing champion as we take a break.

Back with Sakai getting rolled up for two but slugging Hazuki in the face to take over. A full nelson slam and another backsplash (this time with Sakai down) give Hazuki two. Sakai is right back with a running dropkick and a missile dropkick to send Hazuki to the floor. That means a big dive onto all three but Hazuki catches her with a Codebreaker off the top for a very close two. The rest of the team fails at interfering and it’s Smash Mouth to retain at 9:55.

Rating: C+. It’s not a good sign when you need to bring in this many people to even have a division, or when a 20 year old showed up your first champion this badly. Sakai has no spark to anything she does and I still have no connection to her, even after the whole tournament. Hazuki came off like a star with a better offense and charisma, but we’re still getting Sakai no matter what logic may dictate.

MxM Collection vs. Dawsons

Mason and Zane fight over a lock up to start with Mason powering him into the corner. Everything breaks down and the Dawsons are cleaned out, meaning it’s time to pose. Mansoor gets in trouble for all of three seconds, meaning it’s a double clothesline to set up the tag off to Mason. The Centerfold finishes Dave at 4:05.

Rating: C. Another squash here but at least they didn’t give it much time. The Collection is another team that came in hot but isn’t doing anything at the moment, while we count down the days to All In: Texas so the Sons Of Texas can have some kind of moment. It would be fun to see the Collection or the Outrunners getting a nice moment with a short title reign, but here we are instead.

Red Velvet vs. Jazmyne Hao

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Hao wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. They start somewhat slowly before Velvet stomps away in the corner to take over. Some forearms and running knees to the back have Hao down and a left hand (or right according to Riccaboni) finishes for Velvet at 2:51.

QT Marshall is ready for his TV Title shot next week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Gates Of Agony

Kaun and Moriarty start things off with Kaun taking him down, setting up an exchange of leapfrogs. Taylor comes in for the power showdown with Kaun and takes him into the corner. Moriarty works on the arm before Taylor hits a hard knee to the face for two. A splash gets the same but Kaun fights up with a double crossbody for a double knockdown.

Toa and Taylor come in for the big showdown, including an exchange of headbutts. Toa gets the better of things but Moriarty comes in off a blind tag. That earns him Open The Gates for two but Trish Adora offers a distraction. Cue the Infantry to jump Kaun, allowing Moriarty to roll him up for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C. Again, fine, but spare me the idea of Shane Taylor Promotions getting back into the title picture or whatever the line commentary is going to feed us will be. Another watchable enough match with some nice power stuff, but the people involved have been running on a treadmill for so long that it’s hard to get interested. Same as always around here.

Here is Chris Jericho, with Bryan Keith, for a chat as we have about five minutes left in the show. Jericho complains about the lack of people cheering for him in the last few matches because the people were chanting for the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Rock N Roll Express, with Jericho saying he hates rock and roll. Ricky Morton made fun of him in 1994 and Jericho has hated him ever since. The Express quickly clears the ring and Morton says they’re glad to be back in Charlotte to end the show. Morton didn’t even talk for ten seconds.

Overall Rating: F+. Nope. Before I get into this, let me make it clear: the wrestlers aren’t at fault here. They were trying and putting in some effort and the matches were hardly awful. This show’s problems aren’t on them and I don’t want it to seem like this is some dumpster fire of bad wrestling.

The problem here is this show committed the ultimate sin in wrestling: it felt like a waste of time. This show featured absolutely nothing important, with a bunch of lower card stars having matches or a bunch of squashes. I did not care about what I was watching because it didn’t feel like Ring Of Honor cared about what they were presenting. This is one of the most useless wrestling shows that I have seen in a LONG time and shows you just how nothing ROH is right now. I’m sure someone will blame this on people being in Japan for Wrestle Dynasty, but three people being gone didn’t make this show feel so unimportant.

Results
Trish Adora b. Harley Cameron – Lariat Tubman
Blake Christian b. Serpentico – Running knees to the head
Boulder b. Griff Garrison – Boulderdash
Billie Starkz b. Brittany Jade – Swanton
Queen Aminata b. Rachael Ellering – Headbutt
MxM Collection b. The Dawsons – Centerfold to Dave
Red Velvet b. Jazmyne Hao – Left hand
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Gates Of Agony – Rollup to Kaun

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

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Final Battle 2024
Date: December 20, 2024
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the biggest show of the year and we have a double main event. In this case, the actual main event will be a rematch from last year as Athena defends the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. The other half of the main event will see Matt Cardona challenging Chris Jericho for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Dark Order vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Evil Uno is here with the Order as Reynolds and Drake start things off. They both try armdrags and dropkicks to no avail so it’s a four way staredown to start. Gibson comes in and yells a lot before being taken into the corner so Silver can kick away at the chest. The Veterans start taking over by Silver’s leg though, with Gibson grabbing a half crab. Drake cranks on the leg as well and kicks him in the knee before they go up top.

Silver managers a super hurricanrana for a breather and it’s Reynolds coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a spear/brainbuster combination drops Drake on the floor. Back in and Gibson charges into a boot in the corner but is fine enough to hold Reynolds up for a Doomsday Device. Uno whips out the papers though and a shot to the head lets the Order hit their sequence for two on Drake. Silver’s knee gives out again though and a high/low finishes Silver at 11:28.

Rating: C+. This was a nice choice for an opener with a feud that saw the villains being mad at the Order and wanting to beat them. That’s all you need for a match like this and the people involved did the rest. I’ll call this one a nice little result, as it didn’t try to do anything elaborate but made it work at a simple level.

Zero Hour: Harley Cameron vs. Hanako

This is Hanako’s debut and she’s Mina Shirakawa’s rather tall stable mate. Hanako shoves her down to start and hits a shoulder to knock Cameron into the ropes. Cameron loses a battle over a suplex and a pair of big boots puts her on the floor. A missed charge lets Cameron send her into the steps though and some kicks to the ribs keep Hanako in trouble.

Back up and Hanako ties her in the Tree of Woe but Cameron gets the knee out. A Shining Wizard gives Cameron two and a rather spinning headscissors takes Hanako down again. Hanako is right back with a backbreaker though and a torture rack spun into a faceplant finishes Cameron at 7:21.

Rating: C. I’m sure this is part of the build towards Wrestle Dynasty and Stardom (Hanako’s home promotion) has to get a win to hype up the show, but egads man. Cameron has gone from just another annoying person on the roster to someone the fans have gotten behind. There was no story to this match and anyone could have put Hanako over here. Why have Cameron, who the fans are getting behind, lose when you have so many other options for the spot? If Hanako just has to beat someone here, don’t have it be someone who is getting themselves over through pure talent and willpower.

Zero Hour: Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

Trish Adora and Shane Taylor are here with the Infantry. The Infantry jump them before the bell and Bravo suplexes Taven to get things going. Taven is back up with a big dive to the floor and they get back inside for a middle rope dropkick to Bravo. Dean sweeps the leg though and hits a Stunner off the apron as Taven is in trouble again. Some corner forearms and a wind up DDT drop Taven for two but he grabs a DDT of his own.

The referee doesn’t see the tag to Bennett though, meaning the beating has to continue. That’s broken up and Bennett comes in, with a Death Valley river sending Bravo onto Dean for two. An assisted swinging slam gets the same on Bennett, who quickly gets back to Taven for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Just The Tip into Bennett’s piledriver gets two. Adora’s cheap shot sets up Boot Camp for two but Taven pulls Bravo to the floor. Rockstar Supernova finishes Dean at 9:49.

Rating: C. Another nice match here with something that would have fit in just fine on the weekly show and probably didn’t need to be added to this crowded card. The Undisputed Kingdom are already involved with the Adam Cole/MJF story so having them win here was the only way to go. The Infantry are the current midcard villains tag team and that isn’t going to be enough to overcome bigger stars like the Kingdom.

Zero Hour: LeeJ vs. Gates Of Agony

Johnson and Kaun start things off and they trade leapfrogs until Johnson hits a dropkick. Nduka adds a swinging side slam but Johnson comes back in and gets crotched on top. Liona comes in to drop an elbow for two but Johnson scores with a pop up dropkick. We get the big Liona vs. Nduka forearm exchange before they trade hard clotheslines.

Nduka gets sent into the corner for running hips/knees to the face but Johnson makes the save. Liona and Nduka both hit Pounces before Liona Samoan drops Nduka. A running knee sends Nduka into the steps, leaving Johnson to neckbreaker Kaun. Johnson’s dive off the apron is cut off and Open The Gates gets….two. Another Open The Gates finishes Johnson at 10:24.

Rating: C+. So LeeJ is built up as an interesting team for a few weeks, all to lose to the Gates Of Agony? That’s certainly a choice, but the team only felt like a way to get Nduka’s feet wet. That being said, it doesn’t seem like Nduka is ready for such a push on his own as he hasn’t done much other than have some squash matches. Weird ending here, but it’s not like it’s going to matter for the title picture anyway.

Post match respect is shown….and then LeeJ turns on them. As usual, a heel turn would have more impact if it didn’t come after a clean loss.

And now, the show proper.

We open with a look at the show’s history in New York City before looking at the show’s double main event.

Atlantis Jr. vs. Mansoor

Mason Madden is here with Mansoor. They touch tips to start and we’re ready to go. As commentary confirms that this is over things that are happening in CMLL, Mansoor takes him down and strikes a pose, setting up some armdrags. Atlantis is back with a snapmare before tying up the legs to take over. A leglock sends Mansoor over to the ropes and we pause for a pose from Madden. Mansoor takes over and hits a Falcon Arrow before going after the mask.

More posing in the corner allows Atlantis to come back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by another to make it worse. Madden offers a distraction though, allowing Mansoor to grab a northern lights superplex. A Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Mansoor two but Atlantis wheelbarrow suplexes him into another corner. Mansoor tries a springboard but gets cuttered out of the air for two. Madden tries to interfere….but Danhausen of all people comes out to cut him off. Mansoor accidentally dives onto Madden and then gets taken out by an Atlantis dive. The frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match, but maybe give us a bit more about why these two are fighting? Other than something about “this happened in CMLL”, we had no context for why these two are fighting. Show us what happened or have the talk about something, but give us a bit more than that, especially on a show as big as this one.

Post match Madden jumps Atlantis but gets cursed by Danhausen. A German suplex drops Madden and Danhausen pours teeth into his mouth.

Chris Jericho talks about how New York City is his city and gets a few details wrong. He’s ready to leave the Grand Apple as World Champion.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tommy Billington

This is Billington’s ROH debut and they have no notable history together. They fight over wrist control to start with Billington flipping his way to freedom. Billington reverses a headlock into a headscissors but Shibata starts working on the leg to take over. Back up and Billington sends him to the apron and hits a big running flip dive.

Shibata is right back on the leg and the figure four has Billington in trouble. That’s broken up with a rope break so Shibata grabs an STO. An armbar sends Billington to the ropes but he’s fine enough to elbow Shibata into a suplex. A springboard tornado DDT sends Shibata head first into the apron for a double down on the floor. Back in and Billington strikes away, only to get pulled into a sleeper for the tap at 9:50.

Rating: B-. What is there to say about a match where there is no backstory and one of the people is making his in-ring debut for the promotion? It’s another match that was fine in the ring but there is little reason to get interested in what they’re doing. They’re just having a match and while it was good enough, I’m expecting something a bit more intriguing at the biggest show of the year.

Respect is shown post match.

We recap QT Marshall vs. Jay Lethal. With Lethal returning to Ring Of Honor, Marshall wanted them to join forces. Lethal turned him down and a match was made, with Marshall bringing up a previous injury he had and seemingly blaming Lethal for what happened.

Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall

….and they’re both in Randy Savage cosplay, which had nothing to do with this story coming in. Aaron Solo and an unidentified woman are with Marshall while Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett (in NWO Elizabeth gear) are with Lethal. We start fast with Lethal hitting the Savage neck snap over the top into a top rope ax handle. The rolling dropkick lets Lethal send Marshall outside, where he gets in a shot of his own.

A kiss to the unknown woman lets Lethal come back with a suicide dive but a Solo distraction cuts Lethal off. Marshall’s tornado DDT gets two but Lethal fights up with some forearms. Marshall can’t hit a Lethal Injection so Lethal gives him a pop up neckbreaker for two. Lethal goes after the leg and grabs the Figure Four so Solo tries to come in, earning himself a Figure Four from Dutt.

The Lethal Combination connects but Solo crotches Lethal on top. Cue Jeff Jarrett to guitar Solo and Hail To The King connects for two. The Lethal Injection is countered into the Cross Rhodes for two but Lethal kicks him in the head. A cutter hits Marshall, who is right back with his own Lethal Injection. Back up and Lethal small packages him for two, followed by a pair of Lethal Injections for the pin at 12:32.

Rating: B-. I have so many questions. This was all over the place but in a rather entertaining way, as they stopped trying to have this be anything but insanity and that worked. I have no idea why Marshall was doing a Savage impression or really why Marshall was on this show in the first place, but it was by far the most entertaining thing on the show so far and I’ll take that at this point.

By the way: we are just shy of two hours into this show and this is the first match that had anything resembling an important story (Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Dark Order and LeeJ vs. Gates Of Agony are not important). In the words of rock legend Lenny Haise, this is an opportune time to pick it up a little.

We recap Leyla Hirsch challenging Red Velvet for the Women’s TV Title. Hirsch is getting the title match based on winning a match in July before she was injured and has won one match since (and lost a four way, also involving Velvet). Again: not much in the way of major builds so far.

Women’s TV Title: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and is rapped live to the ring. Hirsch grabs a headlock to start but gets rolled up for an early two. Back up and Hirsch works on the arm, which doesn’t last long as Velvet is back with a headlock. Velvet starts in on Hirsch’s previously injured arm and we pause to check on Hirsch. She’s fine enough to be shoved into the corner, followed by a heck of a spear to give Velvet two. Hirsch starts going after Velvet’s arm for a change, setting up a sunset German suplex (that was cool).

A spinning German suplex drops Velvet again, followed by a powerbomb into a top rope Lionsault for two. Velvet is back with a powerbomb of her own and a spinning kick to the head gets a near fall of her own. A right hand staggers Hirsch but she sends Velvet into the buckle for a breather. Velvet’s shot to the face gets two so she grabs a turnbuckle (as in the big metal rod). That’s taken away so she whips out a wrench and knocks Hirsch cold for the pin to retain at 11:52.

Rating: B-. I guess that was supposed to be some big heel turn at the end but it came so out of nowhere that it didn’t have much of an impact. Velvet has gotten better in recent months but there still isn’t much that makes her stand out. Maybe the heel turn will help her, though she’s going to need a bit more to really make it work.

Lee Moriarty has issue an open challenge for a Pure Title match because he wants the best challengers.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. ???

Moriarty is defending against….Nigel McGuinness. Well that’s a big one. Hold on though as Nigel wants this under Old School Pure Rules. Taylor says OLD is right but McGuinness isn’t impressed and insults are traded. Moriarty wants the match so Nigel says we’ll do it old school. Bobby Cruise lists off the rules…which are the same as the new school rules.

They take their time to start until Nigel goes for a waistlock, which makes Moriarty burn through his first rope break. Back up and Nigel claims a right hand from Moriarty, which counts as his first thrown punch. Taylor wants and gets a second referee out here as Nigel can’t quite get a crossface. The London Dungeon has Moriarty in more trouble but he uses the rope again.

Moriarty pulls him into a stretch of his own, sending Nigel to the ropes. Nigel heads outside to yell at Taylor, who Moriarty accidentally takes out with a running knee. Back in and McGuinness strikes away and the Tower Of London connects for two. The London Dungeon is countered into a Border City Stretch and Nigel has to use his second rope break as well. Another Border City Stretch has Nigel using his final break but he’s back up with the rebound lariat for two.

Nigel catches him on top with another Tower Of London, with Moriarty using his final rope break, meaning neither has any left. They uppercut it out until Moriarty backslides him for two. An exchange of rollups gets two each and Moriarty’s suplex Downward Spiral gets two more. Moriarty gets the Border City Stretch on again and uses the ropes for leverage to make Nigel tap at 17:04.

Rating: B. Having Nigel back was a nice surprise and it gave the fans a reason to believe that the title might change hands. The point of an open challenge like this is to put a big name out there and Nigel certainly fits the bill. That being said, I’m still not sure if we need the Pure Title out there on a regular basis, as it just doesn’t feel like it matters most of the time. For now though, heck of a match with Nigel being able to do this kind of wrestling in his sleep.

Post match respect is shown and Moriarty lets Nigel have the ring.

We recap the Righteous challenging the Sons Of Texas for the Tag Team Titles. This has mainly been about Dustin Rhodes vs. Dutch over a cowbell that Dusty Rhodes once owned because Dusty saw something in Dutch, making it personal.

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. The Righteous

The Righteous are challenging in a double bullrope match, meaning both of them are bound together and you win with a pin or submission. The brawl starts on the floor (and before the tying) with Guevara hitting a big flip dive before the bell. They get inside with Dustin hitting the drop down uppercut and a double suplex dropping Dutch. Now they bother tying up and the bell actually rings. The champs take over to start and hit stereo Shattered Dreams.

That doesn’t seem to have much of an impact as the Righteous fight up and it’s time to head outside. Dustin chairs Dutch in the back before Sammy and Vincent collide for a double knockdown. Dutch comes back with a Boss Man Slam on the ramp and it’s time for a barbed wire table. That takes too long and Dutch is knocked through the table but Vincent kicks Rhodes low. Orange Sunshine off the barricade drops Sammy and Vincent pulls himself out of the rope.

Sammy has to save Dustin from being choked out and they head back outside with Vincent being rocked again. Sammy is unhooked as well and it’s time to set up a regular table and a ladder. The Swanton only hits table though, leaving Dustin to beat up Vincent. Dutch’s shot in the corner gives Vincent two so Dustin flips both of them off. Orange Sunshine gets two with Sammy making the save. Sammy and Vincent crash out to the floor and a Canadian Destroyer drops Dutch. The cowbell to the head pins Dutch to retain the titles at 15:34.

Rating: B. If you ignore the bull ropes being broken up part of the way through the match and the whole thing turning into a pretty run of the mill street fight, it worked well. The cowbell finishing Dutch was the logical ending after the story they have been telling too. That being said, I can’t fathom that the Sons Of Texas are going to make it to the new year with the titles, as I have no idea how they have this much appeal.

TV Title: Komander vs. Willie Mack vs. Mark Davis vs. Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Brian Cage

Cage is defending under elimination rules. Christian bails to the floor to start and pulls Komander with him, leaving Fox to hit a dive. Cage and Davis slug it out with Davis getting the better of things, including a running backsplash. Back in and Mack avoids Davis’ swings, setting up a running boot to the face. Mack is sent outside and Fox hits a bunch of dives for a bunch of knockdowns.

Back in and Komander flips away from Fox before sending him outside for a big springboard corkscrew moonsault. Christian hits Cage with suicide dive and a spear on the apron hits Komander. Christian’s big corkscrew dive takes out a few people but Cage gives him a neckbreaker back inside. A double German suplex sends Fox and Komander flying but Mack is back in to clean house. Mack Samoan drops Komander and Fox at the same time (hip swivel included) and a standing moonsault gets two on Davis. A series of Stunners takes everyone down, only for Cage to hit a discus lariat to pin Mack at 9:32.

Fox comes back in to kick Cage in the face, followed by a running hanging DDT to Davis. Komander’s running dive is cut off with a DDT on the apron, setting up Fox’s imploding springboard flip dive. Back in and Fox’s 450 gets two on Komander but Lo Mein Pain is countered into a super sitout powerbomb so Cage can pin Fox at 13:28.

Cage and Davis slug it out until Komander comes in with a super hurricanrana to Davis. An F5 drops Komander but Davis drops Cage with a clothesline. A piledriver gets rid of Cage at 16:39 to guarantee a new champion. Christian hits Davis low and rolls him up with trunks for the pin, leaving us with Christian vs. Komander for the title. Christian kicks Komander into the corner and a double stomp to the knees keeps him down. Komander is back with something like an abdominal stretch on the back but Christian shoves him out to the floor.

A 450 misses back inside though and Komander knocks him outside again. Komander’s dive is cut off with a Spanish Fly for two but he’s back up with a super poisonrana. The rope walk flip dive takes Christian out on the floor but he kicks the referee into the ropes to break up Cielito Lindo. Christian’s swinging belly to back superplex gets two but it’s a Canadian Destroyer into a 619 into Cielito Lindo to give Komander the pin and the title at 25:20.

Rating: B-. Oh boy where do I start here? First of all, it was a fun, action packed match, but DANG it went on for a long time. This is a match that could have had ten minutes cut off and not lost much but it just kept going with one long sequence after another. It had enough spots to keep me interested, but get on with it already.

Second, there’s the Komander problem. While he has been fairly regularly featured around here and has had some success, you can only get so far with having someone who is little more than cannon fodder in AEW. Komander hasn’t won a match yet in this year’s Continental Classic (and very well may not) but he’s only won two singles matches in AEW this year. That is going to need to change, or the ROH TV Champion is going to lose a lot going forward. That’s not a good way to present any title and it shouldn’t happen.

Finally, there’s the issue of someone like Blake Christian. Now I know who Christian is and several other people will, but he means nothing Ring Of Honor. He has won one singles match in ROH this year and that was in August, which was also his most recent match. Christian hasn’t wrestled in AEW since last spring and has never won a match on AEW TV. I’m aware he’s a big deal in GCW and had a run in Japan, but if I don’t follow those promotions, I have little idea who Christian is because he’s someone who just pops in periodically and loses. Now he’s getting a title shot? Come up with something better than that.

Komander gets a nice reception for his victory.

We get long previews of upcoming AEW shows.

The House Of Torture wants a Tag Team Title match at Wrestle Dynasty.

We recap Matt Cardona challenging Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title. Jericho wants to face a New Yorker so Cardona stepped up. This resulted in Jericho proving that he is a REAL New Yorker, despite knowing very little about New York. That’s your main event, despite Cardona never wrestling in ROH before.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho vs. Matt Cardona

Jericho, with Bryan Keith and some knockoff Rockettes, comes out to a Frank Sinatra song and is wearing an I Heart New York shirt. Jericho mocks the crowd to start and gets caught with a quick Radio Silence for two. The Reboot misses in the corner as Jericho bails to the floor, allowing Cardona to hit a big flip dive.

Back in and Cardona whips him with the belt, as I guess rules are lax here. Jericho gets in a backdrop on the ramp and a dropkick knocks Cardona off the apron. This time Jericho follows him out and shoves who appears to be Cardona’s father in the crowd. That earns him a big running forearm but Jericho sends Cardona into the post to cut off the comeback. Back in and Jericho hits a super hurricanrana but misses a charge, allowing Cardona to hit a middle rope dropkick for two.

Cardona misses a regular dropkick and gets Lionsaulted for a near fall. The Walls attempt is countered into a spinebuster and a tiger driver gets two. Jericho hits a Codebreaker for two of his own and they trade big boots for a double knockdown. This time Jericho gets the Walls but Cardona is quickly out. Keith’s interference doesn’t go well as Jericho is sent into him, allowing Cardona to get two off a rollup.

Another Radio Silence is countered into the Walls, with Cardona making the ropes again. Cue the returning Big Bill to kick Cardona in the face for two but he’s back with his own Codebreaker for his own two. Bill offers a distraction though and Keith comes in with a belt shot so Jericho can retain at 18:26.

Rating: B-. Again, another long match on a very long show and it wasn’t getting up the level to make it need that much time. It was a bunch of Jericho cutting Cardona off and then Cardona falling victim to the numbers game. That doesn’t make for an interesting match, but rather a 2003 HHH formula which wasn’t good back then either. This was the biggest match coming in and it just barely worked here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Bandido returns for the save. Ignore him slamming his head on the mat when he comes in with a dropkick and clearly being knocked for a loop.

We recap Athena defending the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. Last year, Athena treated her badly and then beat her in the main event. Since then, she’s still treated Starkz badly and now Starkz asked for a rematch. That’s how the main event of the biggest show of the year was set up.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena (in a Two Face theme) is defending and gets a special introduction from Lexi Nair. They shake hands to start and take turns trading shots in the corner. Starkz hits a big boot but gets kicked out of the air to slow that down again. The cravate brings Starkz back up but her spinning kick to the face is countered into a Brock Lock. Starks gets out but is powerbombed right back down so Athena can go after the leg.

Said leg gets tied up in the ropes for some hard kicks and Starkz falls outside, where Athena yells at what seems to be Starkz’s mom (eh Jericho did it better). Starkz gets in a shot for a breather but Athena fights out of an electric chair. The leg is almost wrapped around the post but Starkz pulls her face first instead. Back in and something close to Cross Rhodes gives Starkz two and we hit the chinlock.

Something like a brainbuster gives Starkz two but Athena is back with a shot to the leg. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two on Starkz but the O Face is countered into a German suplex. They fight over a Tombstone until Starkz connects for two, giving us a shocked kickout face. Athena’s powerbomb onto the apron is countered into an Alabama Slam, allowing Starkz to hit a Swanton to the floor.

Back in and Athena throws her out to the floor again, meaning it’s a suicide dive onto Starkz and the referee. Lexi Nair uses the opening to hand Athena a microphone but Starkz kicks it out of her hand. Something like a One Winged Angel gets two but Athena manages to pull a turnbuckle pad off. Starkz goes head first into the steel and the O Face retains the title at 25:31.

Rating: B. They were in a weird place here as Starkz’s challenge was as pathetic as you could get and it would have been pretty lame to see her knock off Athena a year after she should have. At the same time, the Fabulous Moolah would think this Athena reign has gone on lone enough.

There is no one in AEW worth anything that she hasn’t beaten yet, to the point where this is the same match from last year’s Final Battle main event. I’m not sure what this is supposed to accomplish anymore and while Athena is still great, she has LONG moved passed the time where she should be on the main roster. It was a long, back and forth match, but the leg stuff just stopped mattering and it could have been about ten minutes shorter, especially as it was almost midnight by the time the match ended.

Athena and Nair celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling itself was fine to rather good with nothing close to a truly bad match. That’s all well and good and there isn’t much to criticize from the in-ring side of things. That being said, OH MY GOODNESS STOP WITH THESE ALMOST FIVE HOUR SHOWS! I wasn’t enjoying the last hour plus of the show because I was just so sick of the whole thing because it kept going.

There is no need to have a good chunk of this show (multiple matches with no backstory or people making their debuts), plus the last three matches adding up to over an hour bell to bell. There comes a point where the show needs to end and Tony Khan has never quite figured that out. It was far from a bad show, but you shouldn’t be able to cut off nearly two hours from a show without missing much. Just stop putting so much on these shows already, because it is really bringing things down.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Dark Order – High/Low to Silver
Hanako b. Harley Cameron – Torture rack faceplant
Undisputed Kingdom b. Infantry – Rockstar Supernova to Dean
Gates Of Agony b. LeeJ – Open The Gates to Johnson
Atlantis Jr. b. Mansoor – Frog splash
Katsuyori Shibata b. Tommy Billington – Sleeper
Jay Lethal b. QT Marshall – Lethal Injection
Red Velvet b. Leyla Hirsch – Wrench to the face
Lee Moriarty b. Nigel McGuinness – Border City Stretch with ropes
Sons Of Texas b. The Righteous – Cowbell to Dutch’s head
Komander won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Blake Christian
Chris Jericho b. Matt Cardona – Belt shot from Bryan Keith
Athena b. Billie Starkz – O Face

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 12, 2024
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are eight days away from Final battle and the show is coming together. There are still some matches left to cover, but most of the top of the card seems to be set. As for this week, we’re going to need to see who is going to Wrestle Dynasty as four women are fighting for the chance to go to Japan on January 5. Let’s get to it.

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

Billie Starkz is ready to win the Wrestle Dynasty qualifier but Athena interrupts. She’s going to need Starkz to lay down but Starkz isn’t happy. Athena says that Starkz signed a binding lifetime contract until she’s fired so get over it.

Opening sequence.

We run own the card.

International Women’s Cup Qualifying Match: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet vs. Billie Starkz vs. Athena

Non-title. Athena says all three of them suck before heading to the floor for some jumping jacks. Starks gives Velvet a backbreaker and sends Hirsch outside for a dive. Velvet dives onto both of them but Athena is back up to send people into the barricade. Back in and Athena kicks Velvet down, setting up a springboard crossbody for two. All four are inside and we get a chain of submissions until Athena is pulled down to break it up. Hirsch sunset flips Athena for two and then drops Velvet onto Athena for two more.

Starkz is back up for some near falls but hesitates to go after Athena. That lets Athena fight up and a step up hurricanrana sends Starkz down. Some near falls have Athena frustrated so she is sat up top for a Tower Of Doom, with Starkz getting the best of it. Starkz gets a near fall of her own and Athena is NOT happy, allowing Velvet to clear the ring. Velvet and Hirsch slug it out in the ring until an Athena distraction lets Hirsch drop Velvet with a forearm. Starkz tries to steal the pin but goes after Hirsch, allowing Athena to in Velvet at 10:09.

Rating: B-. Yeah they really did just pin the Women’s TV Champion eight days before the biggest title match she’s ever had for the sake of a qualifying match for a meaningless cup at Wrestle Dynasty. There was absolutely no one else in this division who could take this loss and yes you are still supposed to want to see Hirsch vs. Velvet. The match was the usual good enough stuff, but my goodness the way they make Final Battle feel worthless is beyond me.

We look at Chris Jericho and Bryan Keith laying out Matt Cardona.

Premiere Athletes vs. Outrunners

Magnum and Nese (with Josh Woods and Mark Sterling on the floor) have a pose down to start until Nese takes him into the corner without much trouble. A running dropkick and headscissors have Nese down though and it’s Floyd coming in for some back and forth atomic drops. Nese takes Magnum into the corner for some stomping though and the Athletes get in a group beating on the floor.

Back in and Magnum avoids some charges in the corner, setting up a double clothesline. That’s enough for the tag to Floyd so the house can be cleaned. Nese breaks up Total Recall and then Daivari does it as well, setting up Nese’s pumphandle driver for two on Floyd. That’s enough to start the comeback and It’s Turbo Time, meaning the Mega Powers Elbow sets up Total Recall to pin Nese at 8:04.

Rating: C+. They really are going to waste the Outrunners’ rise to the top and not do anything with them. They’ve already reached the peak of their popularity and while that could have meant giving them some titles, say the ROH Tag Team Titles, but instead we need Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara to have their ice cold team for the sake of a Texas residency from four months ago. The match was exactly what you would expect from these teams, with the Outrunners doing their thing and getting a nice reaction and not climbing the ladder in the slightest.

Dustin Rhodes talks about how he has been jumped by the Righteous and like he has done over and over again, he’s gotten back up. Dutch has hurt him by talking about Dusty Rhodes and that bull rope so Dutch has crossed the line. Dutch is a sick SOB for using Dusty’s kindness like this and now it’s time for a double bull rope match. Sammy Guevara has always had his back and Dutch better never mention Dusty’s name again. Note Sammy wasn’t actually there, showing once again that this team is not exactly worth much.

Madison Rayne vs. Allysin Kay

Rayne is the hometown girl and takes her down to start. Kay misses a big boot and gets dropped with a running headscissors. Back up and Kay plants her down for two, followed by a suplex into a cross arm choke. With that broken up, Rayne avoids a charge in the corner and hits an enziguri. A middle rope hurricanrana takes Kay down but she’s right back with a running boot for two. Back up and Rayne grabs a crucifix driver for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: C. Rayne is still decent enough in the ring but this was more about the live crowd than anything else. It’s hard to imagine her being anything significant around here, but giving her a one off win isn’t a bad way to go. On the other hand you have Kay, who could be something if she stuck around but instead gets to lose time after time. It’s a weird use of someone as good as she is, but at least it doesn’t happen that often.

The Dark Order do a bad Grizzled Young Veterans impression and some backstage workers find it funny. The actual Veterans break it up and say Evil Uno (who wasn’t involved) is better than this.

Toa Liona vs. Lee Johnson

Liona backs him into the corner to start and gets two off a swinging Rock Bottom. Johnson avoids a sitdown splash and hammers away to little avail. A dropkick staggers Liona and a frog splash gives Johnson two. The Big Shot Drop is blocked though and Liona hits a Pounce into something like a Banzai Drop for the pin at 3:02.

Rating: C+. They packed a good bit of stuff into this one and Liona looked ok on his own. At the same time, I’m not sure I get the logic of having Johnson and EJ Nduka getting a bit of a push as a team and then having Johnson lose a singles match to a tag wrestler. It’s not terrible, but it’s a bit weird seeing one half of a monster team win a singles match like this.

Post match Liona superkicks him down but EJ Nduka comes in for the save.

New Japan Strong Tag Team Titles: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. MxM Collection

The Veterans are defending and Johnny TV is here with the Collection. Gibson takes Mansoor down to start and cranks on the arm. Mansoor neckbreakers his way out of a double suplex and it’s off to Madden, who tries to force a touching of the tips. A cheap shot cuts off Mansoor but he’s able to fight out of the Veterans’ corner.

There’s still not tag though as it’s a belly to back suplex into a top rope splash for two no Mansoor. A spinebuster is enough to give Mansoor a breather and it’s Madden coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a chokeslam/belly to back suplex combination gets two with Drake making the save. Drake uses the scarf to pull Mansoor down and Grit Your Teeth retains the titles at 6:31.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as the Veterans have been treated like nothing in AEW but they’re going over the still popular Collection due to the New Japan connection. I’m fine with the Veterans being used a bit better, but having the Collection lose again isn’t the best thing to see. It wasn’t exactly a hot match either, though I’ll take basic and ok over awful.

Paul Wight announces that Jay Lethal is returning to action in ROH at Final Battle. Lethal wants back in the title picture but QT Marshall comes in to say he wants Lethal at Final Battle. That doesn’t work for Lethal, but Marshall insults him and the match is made.

From Final Battle 2021.

Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes and weapons are provided. Riccaboni makes it more serious by talking about how these two are fighting to get their next paycheck elsewhere. A quick slugout takes things outside, with Shane sending him hard into the barricade a few times. The chair shot only hits post but Shane is fine enough to hit a backdrop on the floor.

Back in and King hits an enziguri but Shane hits him in the face over and over. Shane takes him up top, earning himself a super Blockbuster through a pair of tables at ringside. It’s already time for the required kendo sticks (you knew they were coming), with King cracking him over the back and choking away. King takes his sweet time bringing in a trashcan and charges into a Rock Bottom out of the corner onto said can.

Now it’s Taylor getting in his own stick shots, with Riccaboni rapid firing off some Cleveland Indians names. A heck of a splash puts King through another table at ringside so we need another table. Back in and King manages to drive him through the table in the corner for two in an impressive power display. Shane is right back up with the BIG ladder, but takes a bit too long and gets hit in the back with a kendo stick.

King gets in a few more shots and manages to build a rather ridiculous structure, with one ladder bridged between two more. Taylor is laid across the bridged ladder for a splash from the big one, which doesn’t look as impressive as it should. Taylor is right back up with Greetings From The Land for two of his own so King bridges a ladder between the apron and the barricade.

They stand on said ladder and slug it out until Taylor grabs the Marcus Garvey Driver….but the ladder slips, so King gets dropped HARD onto the floor. Well that was terrifying, and of course gets two back inside. Taylor grabs a chair so King tells him to “f****** do it”, meaning it’s a chair to the head. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes for Shane at 18:01.

Rating: C-. I really couldn’t get into this one as it was longer than it needed to be and a lot of the spots felt rather contrived. You can only get so far with a match like this, with so many weapons set up in the right spots to make such a match work. Throw in that terrifying crash on the floor and this wasn’t exactly the most fun to watch.

Video on Shane Taylor Promotions, who are the fighters you’ve forgotten about and keep getting up.

Sons Of Texas vs. Eric Dillinger/Josh Crane

Non-title. The non-champions shove them around to start until it’s Guevara taking over on Dillinger in the corner. Rhodes’ Shining Wizard connects and Guevara gets hiptossed onto Dillinger for two. A double elbow drops Rhodes but Guevara is back in with a high crossbody to both of them. The GTH into the Cross Rhodes finishes for Rhodes at 3:39.

Rating: C. So Dustin uses his brother’s finisher, mainly talks about his dad, and doesn’t have his partner in the back for his promos about his tag matches. I’m not sure what he does to make him worthy of being a double champion but here he is, getting ready for another big match at Final Battle. I still don’t get the appeal of Rhodes and Guevara, but hopefully they can lose the titles and go away after next week.

Post match here is the Righteous to take Rhodes up on his challenge for a fight tonight. Vincent asks the fans what they want to see but the people don’t deserve it. He promises to use the cowbell to ring Rhodes’ bell until he sees polka dots. Guevara has to calm Rhodes down, again showing that he is just a warm body.

Final Battle rundown.

Pure Rules Title: Matt Taven vs. Lee Moriarty

Taven is challenging and Moriarty has the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions and the Infantry with him. Moriarty takes him down by the arm to start and yells a bit before doing both things again. Taven reverses into an armbar and scores with a dropkick for a breather. They trade shouting their names before what might have been a low blow has Taven in trouble. A shot to the ribs sets up a waistlock into the abdominal stretch, meaning Taven has to use his first rope break.

The Border City Stretch makes Taven use his second rope break but he’s back up with a spinning kick to the face. A lifting Downward Spiral sets up Just The Tip for two on Moriarty but the Climax is blocked. Moriarty’s discus lariat sets up a faceplant and another Border City Stretch makes Taven use his third rope break.

Back up and Taven sends him outside for a slingshot corkscrew dive, followed by Aurora Borealis. The ribs are too banged up though and a very delayed cover gets two. Moriarty has to use a rope break to escape a choke and he throws a right hand for the official warming. Taven is back up with a superkick but Moriarty ties him up with something like an Octopus in the ropes (no breaks) for the tap to retain at 11:19.

Rating: B-. And that’s the Pure Rules Title match: someone uses their rope breaks too early and Moriarty beats them as a result. This comes after the challenger wins a single Pure Rules match and that’s enough of a reason to set up a title match. That’s all this whole quote unquote division consists of and this was the latest match before the title goes back into storage for a month or two.

Athena is going to take Final Battle off because she doesn’t have a challenger…but Billie Starkz comes in to want a rematch from last year. Deal, with Athena dancing away to leave Starkz confused.

It’s time for the contract signing between ROH World Champion Chris Jericho (in a Yankees hat) and Matt Cardona. Jericho flips off the fans and brags about how many titles he has won before declaring himself the King Of New York. He tells Cardona how lucky he is for getting this shot and misreads the fans’ YOU’RE FROM CANADA chant as YOU’RE FROM NEW YORK.

Cardona calls him a fake, phony fraud and Jericho is using Ring Of Honor. Cardona isn’t going to let this chance slip through his fingers so he signs. Jericho takes the pen and eventually signs as well. Bryan Keith tries to interfere but Cardona puts Jericho through the table to end the show. This does feel like a somewhat bigger match, but it’s so disconnected from everything else in Ring Of Honor that it doesn’t feel like it belongs here.

Overall Rating: C. There is good enough action on here but the whole show is just so uninteresting that it’s hard to care. I spent the entirety of this show just wanting it to end because it simply isn’t entertaining. Stuff happens and it is more logical than it used to be, but that doesn’t make it interesting. Final Battle has very little that I want to see and there is no reason to suggest that it is going to get better once the new year starts. Just a totally bleh show here with some good enough action but almost nothing worth seeing on the way to one of their biggest shows of the year.

Results
Athena b. Red Velvet, Leyla Hirsch and Billie Starkz – Forearm to Velvet
Outrunners b. Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Nese
Madison Rayne b. Allysin Kay – Crucifix driver
Toa Liona b. Lee Johnson – Banzai Drop
Grizzled Young Veterans b. MxM Collection – Grit You Teeth to Mansoor
Sons Of Texas b. Eric Dillinger/Josh Crane – Cross Rhodes Crane
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Taven – Choke in the ropes

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: November 21, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re about a month away from Final Battle and the show has yet to even be officially announced. Therefore no matches has been made yet and that is going to leave some work to be done around here. Hopefully they make some of it work because it would be nice to have some extra time put into the card in advance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Angelico vs. Gabe Kidd

Kidd slaps him in the face to start and snaps off a suplex. Another suplex is countered into a small package to give Angelico two but Kidd knocks him into the corner. Angelico strikes away and grabs a belly to back suplex, only for Kidd to get in one of his own. A brainbuster gets two on Kidd and a rollup gets the same. That’s enough for Kidd, who is back with a pair of piledrivers for the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C+. Kidd is someone who has gotten my attention in the few times he’s been around and it was nice to see him make quick work of Angelico. There was no reason to have this be competitive and thankfully that’s how it went. I can’t imagine Kidd is going to be around regularly but for a quick cameo, this was fine.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Beef/JD Drake

The Infantry is here with the Promotions. Beef and Taylor start things off with the latter getting the better of some strikes. Beef’s cartwheel into a dropkick has Taylor in more trouble and it’s off to Moriarty. Some chops in the corner stagger Moriarty but Taylor comes in to run Beef over with an elbow to the face.

Drake isn’t having as much of the chops though and slugs away at Taylor, who drops Drake without much effort. A Saito suplex gets Drake out of trouble though and it’s Beef coming back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Drake misses a moonsault to Moriarty. Taylor comes back in and hits Drake in thee face for the big knockdown. The release Rock Bottom into the splash finishes Drake at 6:39.

Rating: C. This was more of the way to use Beef, as he got to come in, do his charismatic comeback, and do the job before it took too long. That’s all the match needed to be and I can go for getting through things rather than making this a lot longer. Now just get the Promotions the Trios Titles and give them some success after so many months of nothing.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Undisputed Kingdom runs in for the save.

The Righteous wants the Tag Team Titles and Dutch reads a poem to Dustin Rhodes about how much Dusty Rhodes loved him more than Dustin. Cowbelling ensues.

Kevin Knight vs. Serpentico

Knight shoulders him down to start as we get an official announcement that Final Battle is coming on December 20. Serpentico’s hurricanrana count of the corner gets two and a falling splash is good for the same. Back up and Knight knocks him down for a change and hits a splash for two of his own. A dropkick to the back gives Serpentico two but Knight kicks him in the face a few times. Knight’s springboard clothesline finishes at 4:49.

Rating: C. They kept this one short and to the point again with some nice high flying involved. Knight is someone who has done well in the appearances I’ve seen from him and he did well again here. As usual, Serpentico is good at making other people look better and he did it for Knight here too.

Mike Bennett vs. Tomohiro Ishii

They chop it out to start (it’s an Ishii match for sure) with Ishii getting the better of things. A superkick into a running clothesline drops Ishii for two but Ishii gets annoyed at being hit in the face. Ishii’s snap powerslam gets two but some more strikes to the face an a spear give Bennett two. Bennett takes too long going up though and a stalling superplex brings him back down. Bennett’s Death Valley Driver connects but Ishii fights out of a powerbomb. The brainbuster finishes Bennett at 6:51.

Rating: C+. Ishii getting a win on the way towards his Ring Of Honor World Title shot makes sense, but it’s a big weird to see him beating Bennett. That’s not the most logical way to go when Bennett is being built up as part of a tag feud with Shane Taylor Promotions, or even as Roderick Strong’s lackey. In theory there should be someone else to take the fall, but Ring Of Honor can be confusing at times.

From Final Battle 2008.

Briscoe Brothers vs. Kensuke Office

The Office would be Kensuke Sasaki/Katsuhiko Nakajima. It’s Nakajima backing Mark into the corner to start until Mark takes him down for a kick to the back. Nakajima takes over with a series of kicks, including a running kick to knock Mark outside. Back in and it’s Jay coming into strike away, setting up a Samoan drop to plant Nakajima.

Sasaki comes in to take Jay into the corner, which is broken up in short order, allowing the tag back to Mark. Nakajima gets knocked into the corner and Jay adds a suplex for two. It’s back to Sasaki to kick away at Mark’s leg and the Office can start taking over on said leg. A running dropkick in the Tree of Woe gives Nakajima two but Mark is right back up for the tag off to Jay.

One heck of a chokeslam gives Jay two and it’s back to Sasaki for a chop off. An armbar is broken up so Nakajima suplexes Sasaki onto Jay for two. Nakajima kicks Jay down a few times for two more but Jay gets in a shot of his own. Mark comes back in for the Doomsday Device for two, followed by the Jay Driller to pin Nakajima at 16:40.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting match as you should have expected from the four involved, though this was when the Briscoes were just starting to turn the corner and become the team that would dominate the promotion. There wasn’t much of a story here, at least not one that commentary told, so it was quite the randomly added match.

Shingo Takagi vs. Ariya Daivari

Takagi knocks him into the corner to start and fires off some knees in the corner but Mark Sterling grabs the leg from the floor. Daivari sends him into the barricade to take over and we hit the armbar back inside. Takagi gets in a left hand but the arm isn’t all there, so it’s a suplex for two instead. Daivari’s hammerlock DDT gives him his own two but Takagi grabs a regular DDT. Some clotheslines into Last Of The Dragon finishes Daivari at 7:44.

Rating: C. It was nice to have Takagi around as he’s a rather talented star, but this was little more than a quick cameo against a nothing opponent. That’s been the story of this show so far: a bunch of one off matches with guest stars which don’t feel important. Takagi’s was the best so far (save for the one from about sixteen years ago) but I’m only getting so excited about Daivari.

The Outrunners still have merch.

Athena vs. Leila Grey

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Grey survives the ten minute time limit or wins, she gets a future title shot. Athena wastes no time in pulling her down for a quickly broken leglock. Grey’s rollup gets one and a running dropkick has Athena on the floor. That earns Grey a knockdown and a ram into the steps as Athena takes over. Back in and Athena hammers her down but Grey makes the clothesline comeback. Grey hammers away in the corner and a sunset bomb gets two. Then Athena pulls her into something like the Hell’s Gate for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C+. Grey got in some offense here but there is no reason to believe that Athena is ever going to lose one of these things. It would seem that Billie Starkz is going to take the title from her at Final Battle, but they might want to actually set the match up. Other than that, not quite the usual stuff from Athena, who did at least bust out a new finisher.

TV Title: Brian Cage vs. AR Fox

Cage is defending and knocks him to the floor to start. They change places and Fox hits some dives, followed by a quick Swanton for two back inside. The bearded Cage snaps off a belly to back suplex and then does some curls into a World’s Strongest Slam for two. We hit the chinlock but Fox fights up and hits a Downward Spiral into the middle rope.

A corner clothesline and hanging DDT give Fox two but Cage’s pumphandle faceplant is god for the same. Fox plants him back down and scores with the 450 for two of his own. Cage knocks him off the top though and a tornado DDT into a triple bob gets two. The Drill Claw retains the title at 9:23.

Rating: C+. So this match with the person who hadn’t earned a title match in any noteworthy way resulted in the monster champion beating him after a somewhat competitive match. I’m not sure why this needed to be the main event, but I’m guessing the title was enough. Cage is in getting something of a push on AEW TV so he wasn’t about to lose here.

Overall Rating: C+. This was in fact a show featuring some stars from Ring Of Honor, but this was far more about the stars from Japan. Counting the classic match, six out of eight matches on the show featured guest stars. I have no idea why the show needed to be so focused in one direction, but it’s not like there is anything important around here most of the time. Final Battle is in about a month and now we get to see how many people featured here won’t be on the show. As is so often the case with Ring Of Honor.

Results
Gabe Kidd b. Angelico – Piledriver
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Beef/JD Drake – Splash to Drake
Kevin Knight b. Serpentico – Springboard clothesline
Tomohiro Ishii b. Mike Bennett – Brainbuster
Shingo Takagi b. Ariya Daivari – Last Of The Dragon
Athena b. Leila Grey – Choke
Brian Cage b. AR Fox – Drill Claw

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

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AND

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