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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Death Riders

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

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

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

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

Satnam Singh vs. CD Bennett/James Tapia

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

Angelico vs. Josh Woods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Blake Christian vs. Bandido.

Blake Christian vs. Evil Uno

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

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

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

Post match Christian promises to win the World Title.

Lee Moriarty gives Ace Austin a Pure Rules Title shot.

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

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kaci Lennox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

TV Title: AR Fox vs. Nick Wayne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bandido vs. Action Andretti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bustah And The Brain vs. Spanish Announce Project

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

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

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

Lance Archer vs. Trent Jordy

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

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

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Haven Harris

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

Evil Uno vs. Vaughn Vertigo

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

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

Satnam Singh vs. Dave Dutra/Nick Ruiz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Collision
Date: May 9, 2026
Location: SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a live with a golf theme, which is certainly a way to go. The show is also only an hour long this week as the first half took place after Dynamite. Much like Dynamite, the World Title is on the line here, with Darby Allin defending against Pac this week on his way to Double Or Nothing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wednesday’s Collision if you need a recap.

Well the venue is unique, with most of the arena taken up by a golf hole, complete with bunker.

National Title: Jack Perry vs. Mark Davis

Perry is defending and gets thrown out of the corner for daring to fire off some chops. Davis gets sent outside though and there’s the moonsault to take him down. That just earns Perry a toss onto the apron and a big clothesline drops him right back. They get back inside with Davis throwing him around as the golf green behind the ring is throwing me off. Davis knocks him outside again for a big crash and we take a break.

We come back with Perry’s running forearm staggering Davis and a sunset bomb getting two. They go to the apron, where Perry escapes a suplex attempt and snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor. A top rope elbow to the back gives Perry two and a running hurricanrana gets the same. Davis’ discus lariat into the piledriver gets two more so he takes Perry up top. The super piledriver is countered into a super hurricanrana. Don Callis gets on the apron so here is Ricochet with a golf club to Perry’s back. The piledriver gives Davis the pin and the title at 14:18.

Rating: B. It was a messy finish but what mattered the most here was Davis getting a win. He has turned into one of the more consistent stars in AEW and I can go with seeing him get some success. I’m not expecting him to be some all time champion, but he won it once and that’s all that matters at the moment. At the same time, how is Perry vs. Ricochet still going? It feels like it was long past done and yet here we seem to be again.

Nick Wayne will be in the Best Of The Super Juniors in New Japan for the second consecutive year.

Jack Perry is on the phone after his loss and wants to get his hands on Ricochet. Like say in Stadium Stampede, with the rest of the Elite. As in the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Assuming the Hurt Syndicate stay in, we could be in for a fourteen man match.

Don Callis is thrilled and of course the Family is in for Stadium Stampede. Ricochet approves.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Ruthie Slay/Rachel Ley

Non-title with a five minute time limit. Kross shrugs off some kicks to the head and plants Ley down. It’s off to Bayne for the German suplex, followed by one from Kross and another from Bayne. A double German suplex sends both of them flying and the double chokeslam finishes Ley at 2:17.

We look at the Women’s Title picture in recent weeks, with the result being Thekla defending against Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter at Double Or Nothing. That’s a bit of a surprise.

The Owen Hart Tournament brackets will be announced on Dynamite.

Don Callis says the winner of tonight’s World Title shot will be facing Konosuke Takeshita on Dynamite. That’s different from the announced Kazuchika Okada match, with Callis saying Okada had to go back to Japan on personal business. Takeshita comes in to say he’ll win.

We look at Kyle O’Reilly’s recent successes. Well kind of recent.

Mike Bailey vs. Kiran Grey

Grey shoves him before the bell to start so Bailey kicks Grey out to the floor. That means the middle rope moonsault to the floor can connect and Bailey goes up again. Grey tries to cut him off but gets knocked down, setting up the Ultimate Weapon to give Bailey the pin at 1:49.

Post match Kevin Knight gets in to say he and Bailey should go to the top of the company together.

Video on Pac vs. Darby Allin.

AEW World Title: Pac vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending and there are no countouts. The bell rings and Allin bails to the floor to head up to the golf hole. Pac follows him and they slug it out with Allin blocking a suplex. Instead it’s a sunset bomb into the sand trap, followed by a running dropkick into another sand trap. Back up and Pac suplexes him into the sand trap and grabs the Brutalizer, with the referee breaking it up due to the lack of value. Or he just wants to get out of the sand. A gorilla press slam sends Allin into the sand again as we take a break.

We come back with Allin tied in the corner so Pac can kick him in the face a few times. Allin is right back up with a Scorpion Death Drop for two but Pac crotches him on top. A top rope Falcon Arrow gives Pac two and Allin rolls outside. Naturally that means it’s time for a table but the shooting star press misses, with Pac crashing hard. Back in and the Scorpion Deathlock goes on, with Pac crawling over to the rope. Pac knocks him down again and here are more Death Riders to load up a table.

A tombstone plants Allin onto the steps as the Death Riders are stacking up even more tables. Pac carries him towards the 2×2 tables and we take a break (already in the overrun). We come back with Allin fighting back in the balcony but getting thrown off through the pile of tables. That’s only good for two back inside and the Death Riders are stunned. The referee takes a chair away from Pac so he grabs the belt. That’s enough for Allin to get up, kick him low, and hit a belt shot. The Coffin Drop retains the title at 20:23.

Rating: B-. That was quite the long match, but the bigger issue here is how much Allin is surviving. It’s one thing to be a tough fighting champion, but someone kicking out of not only a tombstone onto the steps but also being thrown off a balcony and through four tables is a bit much. It reaches the point of I’m not buying Allin being in danger and that kind of defeats the purpose of the whole thing. The match was more good than bad, but it felt like a few matches tied together into one, with the sand stuff feeling like it was from something totally different.

Overall Rating: B. For what was basically a two match card, this worked out rather well, with a surprise title change to start and a good (albeit too long) main event. The venue was also very unique and that’s nice to see, as you can only have so many shows in the same kind of arenas. Trim the main event down a bit and the show is that much better, but what we got was solid enough.

Results
Mark Davis b. Jack Perry – Piledriver
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Ruthie Slay/Rachel Ley – Double chokeslam to Ley
Mike Bailey b. Kiran Grey – Ultimate Weapon
Darby Allin b. Pac – Coffin Drop

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on a Friday this time as Collision was in the usual Ring Of Honor spot. In this case that probably doesn’t mean much, though Supercard Of Honor is in about a month and it’s time to start getting some matches together. That would be nice to see, though this place hardly works on a traditional schedule. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Women’s Survival Of The Fittest at Supercard Of Honor, with qualifying matches tonight. Well at least that’s something.

Opening sequence.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Lacey Lane vs. Billie Starkz

Athena is here with Starkz. An early armdrag sends Starkz outside, with Lane superkicking her from the apron and hitting a crossbody. On the way back in, Starkz plants her on the apron though and they head back inside with Starkz looking cocky. Some hair mares have Lane down but it’s way too early for the Swanton.

Lane rolls away and hits a basement superkick for two but Starkz has a knee injury. A fake injury that is but an injury nonetheless. Starkz slams her into a Swanton for two, with Lane reversing into a rollup for two of her own. A suplex gives Lane two and a neckbreaker connects for the same. Another exchange of rollups gets some near falls until Starks knees her in the chest and grabs a pancake for the pin at 7:27.

Rating: C+. I still don’t get the appeal behind Starkz but it makes sense to have her in the match. At the same time, it’s rather annoying because Lane was looking rather awesome in this one. She has a certain confidence to her style and it works well when she’s in the ring. It would be nice if they could both go, or if Starkz could be a bit more interesting.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Viva Van

Van grabs a headlock to start and easily wins a battle of the shoulders. Sakazaki avoids a charge to send her outside though and hits the dive to take over. Back in and Van gets painful with a dragon screw legwhip before working on the knee. One heck of a Boston crab sends Sakazaki over to the ropes but she’s able to kick Van down. A basement clothesline drops Van again but she’s right back with a spinning kick. Van’s flipping kick to the head gets two so Sakazaki nails her with a discus forearm. The spinning slam and Magical Girl Splash finish Van at 7:10.

Rating: C. Well at least her knee healed up so fast. This was one of those matches with zero drama about who was going to win so Van working on the knee was a nice enough story. At the same time, it really doesn’t matter if Sakazaki shrugs it off and does her big moves to win in the end anyway.

We look back at Ace Austin pinning Carly Bravo last week in an eight man tag. Naturally, this leads to the following.

Pure Rules Title: Marshall Von Erich vs. Lee Moriarty

Von Erich is challenging in his first singles match in ROH and commentary makes it clear that the eight man tag set this up. I’m sure there’s a logic in there somewhere but please don’t explain it to me as I don’t want my mind working that way. Moriarty grabs a hammerlock to start and Von Erich uses his first rope break less than fifty seconds in. Back up and Von Erich hits a dropkick to try the Claw, causing Moriarty to use his first break

Moriarty works on the arm and even bends the fingers to try and take the Claw away. Von Erich burns another rope break and hits a running corner clothesline to take over for a change. There’s a cannonball for two but Moriarty Saito suplexes him for the same. The Border City Stretch goes on and there’s Von Erich’s last rope break. The Claw goes on but Moriarty pulls him into the ropes and grabs a triangle choke to retain at 6:51.

Rating: C+. Well that was quite the side trip. Von Erich, who isn’t a singles wrestler and is barely a tag wrestler, lost his title shot which was set up when his partner pinned someone other than the champion. This is an example of something that was thrown out there in an attempt to give the match a story and it didn’t work because it made no sense. This stuff really shouldn’t be that hard and yet…well you make sense of it.

Josh Woods is bored with the lack of competition so it’s an open challenge for a Pure Rules match as he tries to get to the Pure Rules Title. So, to recap, Woods wins a streak of Pure Rules matches but can’t get another title shot while Von Erich….you know what, never mind. It’s so dumb at this point I’m not even going to waste my time.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Hyan vs. Trish Adora

Christian XO is here with Adora. They fight over a lockup to start with Adora backing her into the corner. Hyan gets in a dropkick so Adora rolls outside, where Hyan scores with a dive. Back in and Hyan goes up top, only to get knocked down. XO gets in a cheap shot and Adora cranks on the arms (while sitting between them) back inside.

The weird kneeling stretch has Hyan in more trouble and her chops are cut off with a crank of the arm. Hyan gets up for a pump kick and a belly to back suplex for two. A spear drops Adora for two more but an Unprettier is blocked. Adora’s bridging German suplex (with that weird knee bend) sets up the Lariat Tubman to finish Hyan at 7:28.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have a match which could have gone either way, as Adora is someone who could knock anyone out but Hyan has been near the title for a little while now. I could go for some more of Hyan getting a chance, while Adora making the match is fine enough. Another perfectly fine match, though at least it had some drama about the result.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Isla Dawn vs. Persephone

Persephone’s CMLL Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They fight over a lockup to start with neither getting very far so they break it off. Persephone snaps off a running headscissors but Dawn is back with a running shoulder for a knockdown. Dawn hits a Backstabber and starts in on the leg in the corner, followed by a Saito suplex.

The chinlock goes on but Persephone fights up, only to get blasted with a clothesline. Persephone fights out of a cobra clutch, followed by a fall away slam to put Dawn down for a change. A middle rope moonsault misses though and Dawn gets something close to a dragon sleeper. Persephone manages to spin around and get on top for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: B-. This was a better match with Dawn mostly escaping with the win, which made for a good result. Persephone is on fire at the moment and it wouldn’t shock me to see her win the title at Supercard Of Honor. As a result, she wasn’t about to lose here but at least she had to work hard to get there.

Nick Wayne, Mother Wayne and Kip Sabian (who still has a job) sat down with Caprice Coleman to talk about Nick going to compete in the Best Of The Super Juniors. He was gone for eight months, came back for like six weeks, and is leaving for a Japanese tournament??? Good grief. Well, granted it’s not like the title is going to be missed anyway.

TV Title: Evil Uno vs. Nick Wayne

Uno is getting this title shot due to his success in Mystery Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling and Ring Of Honor. Dang it. Hang on. Uno’s record in:

Mystery Wrestling – 2-6 (with his one singles win coming in 2019)
Maple Leaf Pro – 3-1 (his one singles win was in October)
Ring Of Honor (this year) – 0-5 (all in tag matches, with his last singles win coming in 2014)

Three promotions, one with a winning record and most of that was in tag matches. But sure, let’s do this. Uno backs him into the corner to start and Wayne hides in the ropes for a bit. Wayne grabs a headlock and snapmares him down but Uno sends him outside for a hug from Mother. Uno runs him over and they go back inside for some corner clotheslines. Wayne goes back to the arm and hits it with a top rope double stomp.

Some less than respectful slaps to the head wake Uno up a bit but Wayne is right back on the arm. A jumping neckbreaker gets Uno out of trouble and he DDTs Wayne for two. The piledriver gets two but Wayne is right back with a standing Sliced Bread for the same. Wayne’s Kimura sends Uno over to the rope and it’s a Last Shot to rock Wayne for a change. Back up and Wayne kicks him in the head for the pin to retain at 10:13.

Rating: B-. They had a better match than I was expecting as Wayne is starting to look more polished in the ring. That’s a good sign for his future, as he could be a bigger deal in the future. At the same time, I have completely given up trying to figure out how title matches work around here and apparently the promotion has too. Apparently I now need to follow two other promotions (minimum) to get why matches are taking place here, though it doesn’t seem like ROH has any idea how math works anyway.

Post match Wayne says it’s his world and you’re just living in it. AR Fox comes out and has a staredown with Wayne. Now that at least makes a bit of sense.

AR Fox vs. Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki shoulders him down to start and tries an early crossface, with Fox slipping out. Fox kicks him to the apron for the running flipping stomp but Sasaki twists the leg around in the corner. More leg cranking sets up a kneebar and Fox makes it over to the rope. Back up and Fox rolls over for a suplex and they’re both down for a bit. Fox elbows and kicks away, setting up the basement cutter.

A rolling cutter gives Fox two but a 450 misses. Sasaki is back on the leg and DDT has Fox in more trouble. The crossface almost makes Fox tap, with his foot having to reach the rope. Sasaki goes for the arm again but gets pulled into a cutter to send him outside. Fox hits a big dive and hangs him in the corner for a slingshot Canadian Destroyer and the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B. The more I see from Fox, the more I appreciate how unique he really is. He’s able to make things look different than anyone else and while he is a good example of a moves guy, he’s able to do it so smoothly that it’s fun to watch. Let him into the TV Title picture or just have him beat Wayne for the title already.

Nigel McGuinness will face Josh Woods at Supercard Of Honor. Is it just me or are the same three or four people fighting for the title for years?

Supercard Of Honor rundown, with Bandido vs. Blake Christian for the World Title FINALLY being set.

Christian says it should have always been his title shot. Well yeah.

Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Nick Comoroto vs. Lethal Twist

The Twist jumps them to start fast with Lethal being left alone against Comoroto. That earns Lethal a quick gorilla press as Lethal is in early trouble. Solo comes in to chop away at Lethal but gets knocked into the corner for some stomping. It’s off to Johnson to kick at Solo before Lethal is back in to work on the leg.

Johnson’s stalling suplex gets two but Solo manages to crotch Lethal and Johnson on the top rope. Christian can’t cut off the tag and it’s Marshall coming in to fight back. Everything breaks down and Solo gets dropkicked in the Tree Of Woe. Comoroto gets struck down and it’s the double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to finish him off at 8:52.

Rating: C+. Maybe it’s the old school fan in me but maybe the it would make more sense to have the #1 contender for the World Title in a singles match rather than yet another six man tag against low level competition. I don’t know, like, building him up for the title match? Maybe? Just a thought of course.

We look at Maya World almost beating Athena for the Women’s Title three weeks ago.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Maya World vs. Robyn Renegade

World works on a headlock to start and they trade wristlocks for an early standoff. Renegade knocks her down but misses a pump kick in the corner, allowing World to snap off an anklescissors. A snap suplex gives World two but Renegade superkicks her off the ropes and out to the floor.

Back in and a dropkick gives Renegade two but World blocks a kick and gives her a German suplex. World’s dropkick gets two, only for Renegade to stomp her onto the apron. The twisting suplex gives Renegade two and she goes up, where a slip causes her to miss a moonsault. World’s Shining Wizard is enough for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: B-. There wasn’t exactly much drama to this one as World has been around the title picture for awhile now and Renegade…well she hasn’t. That being said, it felt like Renegade was giving it all she had here and they wound up having a nice back and forth match. World is getting better every week, though it isn’t going to matter if she doesn’t win something eventually.

Zayda Steel vs. Athena

Non-title Proving Ground match. Steel’s headlock takeover is countered into a headscissors so Athena grabs a headlock of her own. That actually sends Steel over to the rope, followed by a running headscissors. A fireman’s carry doesn’t work for Athena as Steel armdrags her down but gets sent outside. Athena nails a dive and it’s time to start slowing things down a bit. A dropkick cuts Steel off again and Athena drives some knees into the back.

The standing crossface has Steel in more trouble but she elbows her way out of the corner. There’s a neckbreaker to drop Athena and Steel rolls a kick into the head for two more. Athena pops back up with a superkick into a tiger suplex but the O Face is broken up. A tornado DDT gives Steel two but another attempt is countered into a kind of Boss Man Slam. The reverse Koji Clutch makes Steel tap at 9:34.

Rating: B-. Well thank goodness they tacked this on because Steel hadn’t lost a match in long enough. She’s the latest in the “well yeah she’s losing a lot but she’s losing to big names so it’s ok”, which has worked….maybe a few times? Anyway, this was another hard fought match with Athena getting close to being in trouble but Steel doesn’t win big matches so it wasn’t going to happen.

Overall Rating: C+. While I liked that this show had a theme with the qualifying matches, it’s a glaring example of how little sense this whole place makes. Continuing with the theme of earning title shots, you had people either trying to get title shots or earning title shots on this show. This week saw:

• Marshall Von Erich gets a shot because his partner pinned someone who wasn’t the champion
• Evil Uno gets a shot because of his success in other promotions
• Five women get a shot because they won qualifying matches
• Josh Woods trying to get a title shot because the matches he’s won don’t count
• Blake Christian gets a shot because he should have had a one on one title shot even though he hasn’t won a singles match since December

This is what I’m talking about when I say it’s like they make things up as they go around here. The rules change depending on whomever is going after a title because it’s like no one remembers anything that happened more than five minutes ago. I get that Ring Of Honor isn’t a promotion or anything close to one, but I should be able to figure out what is going on and how it makes sense in the span of a two hour (because THIS SHOW needs to be that long) broadcast.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Lacey Lance – Pancake
Yuka Sakazaki b. Viva Van – Magical Girl Splash
Lee Moriarty b. Marshall Von Erich – Triangle choke
Trish Adora b. Hyan – Lariat Tubman
Persephone b. Isla Dawn – Rollup
Nick Wayne b. Evil Uno – Kick to the head
AR Fox b. Daisuke Sasaki – Slingshot Canadian Destroyer
Lethal Twist b. QT Marshall/Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Comoroto
Maya World b. Robyn Renegade – Shining Wizard
Athena b. Zayda Steel – Reverse Koji Clutch

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

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Collision
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on Thursday again this week due to Wrestlemania and this show has a lot to live up to after last night. Darby Allin is the new World Champion after beating MJF in about two minutes to win the title. Other than that we’re still dealing with the fallout from Dynasty, which was a good show in its own right. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence. They might want to edit out the THIS IS SATURDAY NIGHT audio.

Here is Adam Copeland to get things going and he’s got quite a black eye. Things didn’t go as he wanted at Dynasty as FTR did what they said they would do and did it. Christian Cage is finding out if his arm is broken after Dynasty. FTR piledrove Copeland’s wife and stole Cage’s watch, which is worse for Cage than hurting his wife. FTR said that Copeland and Cage wouldn’t get another title shot but Copeland has an idea on that. He and Cage have been gone for years each but they’re back again to go after FTR. Cue FTR and Roppongi Vice to go after Copeland, with the Young Bucks making the save.

Jack Perry wants Don Callis to pick another opponent to meet him next week.

Rascalz vs. Young Bucks

Myron Reed/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here. Wentz wristdrags Nick down to start but gets caught with a spinwheel kick. Reed comes in and gets sent into a German suplex, followed by a backbreaker to each Rascal. Reed manages a dropkick though and it’s back to Wentz to clean house.

The Rascalz hit stereo dives and Wentz uses Reed as a launchpad to hit both Bucks. Back in and a Stundog Millionaire into a superkick into a German suplex gets two on Nick and we take a break. We come back with Nick fighting out of trouble and bringing Matt back in for the rolling northern lights suplexes.

Double bulldogs and a top rope elbow/Swanton give the Bucks two each. The Bucks have a mishap though and the Rascalz are back with cutters. A 450 gives Wentz two but it’s a pair of superkicks to put him down. The BTE Trigger hits Reed but Wentz makes the save. The TK Driver is broken up as well, only for the second attempt to end Wentz at 13:40.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked, as the Bucks can work this style rather well and the Rascalz were right there to hang with them. It was a rather exciting match and they got me a few times with the false finishes. As usual, the Bucks are far easier to watch when they’re not talking and AEW seems to understand that part.

Post match the Dogs run in and beat down both teams. David Finlay say they’re down a Dog but they still want bodies and gold.

Video on Megan Bayne and Leno Kross.

Conglomeration vs. Lethal Twist

Non-title. O’Reilly works on Lethal’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Cassidy, who is still in his sunglasses. Strong comes in with a backbreaker and Cassidy goes to the top…the middle…uh bottom…or just the mat as he walks over for an elbow. Christian comes in and sticks the landing when Cassidy armdrags him down.

Lethal gets in a cheap shot though and everything breaks down, with the villains getting in a triple strut as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy in trouble and casually walking out of a sunset flip, allowing the tag off to Strong. Everything breaks down again and Strong tosses Cassidy for a tornado DDT. O’Reilly gets a tag and hits a running knee off the apron to drop Lethal.

Christian is back up with a kick into a suplex to O’Reilly and Hail To The King gives Lethal two. Cassidy and Christian trade lazy kicks until O’Reilly’s knee gets triple teamed down. That’s broken up as well and everyone is down again. O’Reilly picks Johnson’s ankle though and with his partners taken out, Johnson taps at 12:21.

Rating: B. This was another good one, as the Conglomeration knows how to work well together and the fans were into them. I can go with the Lethal Twist being served up to them here too, as the Twist have basically stopped going after Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title. I still like Christian, as odd as that might seem, but this might be his ceiling at the moment.

Anthony Bowens asks Hook if he’s in the Opps or not. We’ll find out next week.

Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Big Anne/Danika Della Rouge

Statlander flapjacks Rouge to start and catapults her into the corner for the tag off to Anne. Shida comes in to strike away and hits a falcon arrow. The Katana is loaded up but she gives Statlander a tag instead. Staturday Night Fever finishes Anne at 2:31.

Jon Moxley vs. Nick Wayne

Non-title. Wayne bails to the floor to start and the local fans seem to like him a lot. Back in and Moxley takes him down by the arm but Wayne fights up again. Some kicks have Moxley’s eyes bugging up so he hammers away in the corner. A jumping back elbow cuts Moxley off and Wayne gets in a cocky kick to the face.

Moxley heads outside but comes back in, offers a handshake, and then grabs a piledriver. We take a break and come back with Moxley’s Crash Landing connecting for two. Wayne gets some boots up in the corner though and hits a middle rope dropkick. Moxley is back with a full nelson but Wayne hits a quick Code Red for two more.

That earns him a crossface but Wayne slips out and strikes away. A big dive to the floor drops Moxley again and he’s busted open near the eye. Back in and Wayne kicks him in the head for two, only for Moxley to shrug off some forearms. The Death Rider finishes for Moxley at 14:59.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see Wayne getting a chance to showcase himself, as it’s not like he does anything in Ring Of Honor despite coming close to a year as champion. This was a good way to give the hometown fans something to cheer about, which is always a great idea. Moxley is good at making someone else look better, though I have a hard time believing that it’s going to matter for him.

Don Callis says he can get Kazuchika Okada out of his title match with Konosuke Takeshita but Okada wants the match.

Pac vs. Lio Rush

Daniel Garcia is here too. Pac is freaked out by the new Rush as well and falls down when Rush stands up in the corner. Rush yells a lot and starts the dodging and running before bridging on his neck. The confusion lets Rush send him outside, where Rush beats up Garcia but the distraction lets Pac stomp away on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Rush freaking Pac out again. Pac is knocked outside for the suicide dive and the sleeper goes on back inside. A poisonrana gives Rush two and a Stunner knocks Pac silly…but Garcia offers a distraction. Pac gets in a big clothesline and grabs the Brutalizer, with Rush smiling as he passes out at 11:01.

Rating: C+. HEY! DID YOU KNOW THAT RUSH IS CRAZY??? I DIDN’T KNOW IF WE HAD MADE THAT CLEAR YET OR NOT! This was beating you over the head with the idea as much as they could and my goodness it gets dumber and dumber every second Rush is out there. Rush is talented enough to do something without this nonsense and no I don’t buy that Pac, who has been a near main eventer, having this much trouble with him.

Video on Bandido, who is a wanted man. He’s not wanted enough that anyone has gone after his title since December and there’s no match announced here, but maybe I’m missing the subtext.

Brody King/Mistico/Mascara Dorada vs. Ricky Gibson/KC Riff/Cole Rivera

For some reason Riff jumps King from behind before the bell. The pain, this time in the form of chops, is immediate and Mistico and Dorada hit some dives. The Ganso Bomb finishes Riff at 1:27.

Mina Shirakawa interrupts Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander. She does not trust Shida after what she said about Harley Cameron. Statlander has to keep them apart but Shirakawa still doesn’t trust them.

We look at Darby Allin winning the World Title on Dynamite in a great moment.

Women’s Title: Alex Windsor vs. Thekla

Thekla is defending and bails out to the floor to start. Windsor is back in to hammer away and grabs a suplex back inside. Thekla bails outside and trips Windsor down, setting up a hard clothesline on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Thekla choking in the ropes and giving her a basement superkick for two.

Windsor fights back with a big running shoulder and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets another near fall. They yell at each other a lot and trade forearms, with Windsor knocking her down for a Sharpshooter. Thekla gets to the rope and comes back with a Black Widow. That’s broken up as well so they go up top, with Thekla pulling out the brass knuckles. The first shot misses but the second connects, setting up a Stomp to retain Thekla’s title at 12:12.

Rating: B. I like that they didn’t have this drawn out to be some big time title match again, as Thekla is fresh off beating Windsor’s partner. Thekla beating both halves of the team and moving on to someone fresh is a good way to go and I’m curious to see who is next for her. Hopefully Windsor and Hayter get back to winning, as I like them as a team thus far.

Overall Rating: B+. This show started off red hot, cooled off a bit, and then picked up again. It’s nice to see this kind of a show getting the Thursday spot, as in theory it should lead to a much bigger audience than usual. The show doesn’t mean much in the long term, but there is always a place for a night of rather good wrestling on free TV.

Results
Young Bucks b. Rascalz – TK Driver to Wentz
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – Ankle lock to Johnson
Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida b. Big Anne/Danika Della Rouge – Staturday Night Fever to Anne
Jon Moxley b. Nick Wayne – Death Rider
Pac b. Lio Rush – Brutalizer
Brody King/Mistico/Mascara Dorada b. Ricky Gibson/KC Riff/Cole Rivera – Ganso Bomb to Riff
Thekla b. Alex Windsor – Stomp

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice

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

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

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

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

Lio Rush vs. Nathan Cruz

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

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

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

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

Josh Woods vs. Matt Menard

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

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

Soleil vs. Komander

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

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

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

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

Shawn Taylor Promotions vs. Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang

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

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

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

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

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

Action Andretti vs. AR Fox

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

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

IInspiration vs. Viva Van/Frankie B

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

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

We look at Myron Reed beating Mansoor.

Workhorsemen vs. Rascalz

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

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

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

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

Nick Wayne vs. Alex Reynolds

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

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

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

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Bustah And The Brain

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

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

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

Respect is shown to end the show.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We look at tonight’s two title shots.

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Davis vs. Angelico

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

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

Dark Order vs. Bustah And The Brain

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

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

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

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

Rachael Ellering vs. Robyn Renegade

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

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

Big Bill vs. Logan Cruz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We look back at the women’s brawl earlier.

Diamante vs. Hyena Hera

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

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

Lethal Twist vs. Superstarz

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

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

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

TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Komander

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

JD Drake vs. Adam Priest

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

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

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

Frat House vs. TMDK

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

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

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

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

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

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

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

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

Skyflight vs. Adrian Quest/Ricky Gee/Danny Rose

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

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

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

Jay Lethal vs. Tommy Billington

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

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

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

Satnam Singh vs. Jordan Oasis

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

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

Persephone vs. Johnnie Robbie

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

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

Tony Nese vs. Komander

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

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

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

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

Nick Wayne vs. Lucas Riley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Collision
Date: October 4, 2025
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re two weeks away from WrestleDream and some of the matches have been put together in recent days. This includes Hangman Page defending the World Title against Samoa Joe, which could make for quite the brawl. Other than that, it’s time to build up some other matches, which might start here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Stokely Hathaway, Kevin Knight, LFI, Eddie Kingston, Anna Jay, Orange Cassidy and the Paragon are ready to fight. Pac comes up to Cassidy and says he has six months of pent up frustrations to get out. The challenge is issued for Dynamite and Cassidy is on, after guaranteeing it’s one on one.

We run down the card.

Death Riders vs. Jay Lethal/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

Lethal cartwheels into the basement dropkick to Garcia to start but Billington gets backdropped out to the floor. Back in and the Riders take over on Billington in the corner but he dives over to Garcia, who comes in and hammers on Moxley. Castagnoli cuts off the suicide dive though and gorilla presses Priest into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Lethal trying to make a save but getting stomped down for his efforts. Garcia rains down the right hands to Priest in the corner and Castagnoli unloads with uppercuts.

Castagnoli’s charge hits the post though and it’s off to Billington to start the comeback. A missile dropkick hits Garcia and the diving headbutt gives Billington two. Stereo crossbodies leave both of them down and Lethal gets to come in to face Moxley. The Lethal Combination looks to set up Hail To The King, which is countered into a rear naked choke. That’s escaped so Garcia tags himself in, with Moxley hitting a quick cutter. The Dragontamer, with a Stomp from Moxley, finishes Lethal at 11:08.

Rating: C+. The Riders winning is fine, though it’s kind of odd to see Priest and Billington continue to get what amounts to a push for them. They’re good enough at what they do, but they’re a fairly small team and are just getting a lot of TV time out of nowhere. With as many people as there already are on the roster with nothing to do, it’s quite the odd choice.

Post match Matt Menard yells at Daniel Garcia, who asks if Menard can take a hint. Garcia says Menard was like a brother to him but Garcia lost when they were friends, because Menard is a loser too. If he stayed around Menard, he would wind up a parasite like Nigel McGuinness (who doesn’t like those words, though we do cut to a closeup of Moxley who says “d***” in a funny reaction). My goodness can we please just stop with these two? With all the people sitting on the sidelines, we have time for this?

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley.

Nick Wayne is going to be out another 6-8 weeks. He doesn’t accept this diagnosis and says he’ll go find a real doctor.

Anna Jay vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter headlock takeovers her down but gets shouldered over without much trouble. Back up and Hayter rams her into the buckle a few times but charges into a Downward Spiral. We take a break and come back with Jay fighting out of a chinlock, followed by some running forearms. The Queenslayer is broken up and Hayter hits a middle rope dropkick. A backdrop driver gives Hayter two but Jay is back with a DDT for the same. Jay’s middle rope Blockbuster gets another near fall but another Queenslayer is countered into Hayterade for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C+. As usual, Jay can hang with the bigger names before losing in the end. I’m not sure what is going to happen with her in the future, but you can almost guarantee Jay and Tay Conti getting a run in whatever competition we have for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. One might wonder why she’s losing here if that’s the case, but one issue at a time.

Max Caster is happy with having won a match but Bryan Keith and Big Bill come in to mock him. Cue Anthony Bowens, who has a bunch of his own covers and awards. A match is set up, but they are NOT the Acclaimed.

Video on Sareee defending the IWGP Women’s Title against Alex Windsor next week on Ring Of Honor. Hokey smoke they actually acknowledged it.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Shayne Stetson/Cha Cha Charlie

The ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and LFI is Sammy Guevara/Rush with Dralistico. Charlie dances to start so Rush comes in and hits him in the face. Rush beats up Stetson on the floor, followed by the Bull’s Horns to Charlie. Guevara adds a Swanton for the pin at 1:48.

Eddie Kingston vs. Dralistico

Sammy Guevara is on commentary and Hook is here with Kingston. Dralistico grabs a headlock but it gets broken up as Kingston takes the leg out to send Dralistico outside. A running knee has Kingston down and we take a break. We come back with Dralistico working on the knee but Kingston is back with an STO. Dralistico’s springboard Codebreaker sends Kingston outside…and he comes back in with the spinning backfist for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure if he’s just shaking off the rust or what, but Kingston’s return has been rather dull to put it mildly. Granted he hasn’t exactly had much to do thus far, but this was another match where he didn’t do much until the finish. Hopefully he shakes it off, because this is going to get rough if he keeps it up.

We look back at the return of Andrade El Idolo on Dynamite, where he laid out Kenny Omega and joined Don Callis. Hologram’s clone joined the team later in the night.

Here is MxM TV to issue an open challenge.

MxM TV vs. Don Callis Family

Takeshita and TV start things off and everything breaks down in a hurry, with the Family cleaning house. Back in and MxM TV manages a double clothesline but stops to pose, allowing the Family to drop them again. Fletcher hits a big dive onto Madden but TV hits Alexander with the Flying Chuck. Mansoor avoids a Helluva Kick from Fletcher, who pops up to belly to back superplex him down. A C4 Spike into the brainbuster finishes Mansoor at 3:13.

Rating: C+. It was certainly not dull, though the comedy team got in a bit more offense than they should have against one of the big heel teams. At least the right team won, as the Family gets to run through some people. I’m not sure why that needed to be a comedy heel team, but the match could have been much worse.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners want the Trios Titles. Castle isn’t so sure though, because they have to top their amazing performance from last week. The pressure is crashing down on him, so the Outrunners pick him up and carry him off. Castle thinks he’s in good hands.

The Triangle Of Madness jump Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata.

Dax Harwood vs. Kevin Knight

Cash Wheeler, Stokely Hathaway, Mike Bailey and Willow Nightingale are here too. Harwood hammers away to start but gets knocked outside, only to come back in and get chopped rather hard. A knee that looked a bit low cuts Knight off but he’s able to send Harwood outside for a slingshot dive. Knight backdrops out of a piledriver on the apron and dives onto Harwood to send him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Knight grabbing a rolling DDT for two but his reverse frog splash hits raised knees. Back up and Knight manages a Sky High before they trade headbutts on the mat. Harwood’s slingshot powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two. Another attempt connects for two on Knight, who is right back with a springboard clothesline. Wheeler offers a distraction but gets taken out by Nightingale and Bailey, leaving Knight to hit his spinning frog splash for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: B-. Two weeks ago, FTR did what was supposed to be something totally heinous to Beth Copeland. Then her husband just walked out and now they’re losing a singles match to half of Jet Speed. I’m really not sure I get that, but FTR has been booked in some rather bizarre fashions for a long time now.

Post match FTR has to save Hathaway from Nightingale so here is Megan Bayne to take Nightingale out.

Skyflight wants the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles. Shane Taylor Promotions are in.

Here is Kris Statlander to call out Toni Storm for a chat. Naturally they lay on the mat with their heads next to each other, with Statlander talking about how they have never faced each other. They’re having the match because they’re both fighting champions, but Statlander is going to fight even harder.

Statlander is going to knock her back into black and white. Storm has always been impressed by Statlander and now she gets to see what kind of a woman Statlander is. There is no one she would rather lose to, but there is no one she would rather beat. They can do this right now and the fight is on, with the Triangle Of Madness running in to jump them both. Harley Cameron runs in for the save and the Triangle is cleared out. And yes, the six woman tag is set before the segment even ends.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Don Callis Family vs. Paragon/Orange Cassidy

O’Reilly and Hechicero go to the mat for some grappling, with O’Reilly working on the leg. The grappling continues and Hechicero actually has go to over to the rope. Romero comes in so Strong powers him into the corner, meaning chopping can ensue. That’s broken up by Archer, who clears the ring and we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy coming in for a staredown with Archer, who gets low bridged out to the floor. Romero comes in and gets hit with the lazy forearms but Cassidy starts firing off some more serious shots. The Stundog Millionaire hits Romero and it’s back to O’Reilly to strike away on Hechicero. Archer comes back in and gets triple teamed down, leaving Romero to get caught with a tornado DDT. The cross armbreaker makes Romero tap at 10:54.

Rating: B-. Even with Romero out there, I’m surprised to see Paragon actually win what passes for a big match for them. The team is not likely going to be anything important, but if they’re going to put so many other teams over, they need to win now and then. Not a bad main event at all here, with the ending being a surprise.

The rest of the Don Callis Family comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was fine and there aren’t any real complaints about it, save for maybe Kingston. The problem here was how dull the whole thing felt. This was like the show you get when everyone that matters is either gone or not doing anything important. There was pretty much nothing important here (even the storyline developments that took place didn’t feel like they mattered) and it was a heck of a chore to get through this thing. It just felt like a show that didn’t matter in the slightest and that made for a very tedious two hours.

Results
Death Riders b. Jay Lethal/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington – Dragontamer to Lethal
Jamie Hayter b. Anna Jay – Hayterade
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Shayne Stetson/Cha Cha Charlie – Swanton to Charlie
Eddie Kingston b. Dralistico – Spinning backfist
Don Callis Family b. MxM TV – Brainbuster to Mansoor
Kevin Knight b. Dax Harwood – Spinning frog splash
Paragon/Orange Cassidy b. Don Callis Family – Cross armbreaker to Romero

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

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All Out 2025
Date: September 20, 2025
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson

It’s back to pay per view and the show is looking decent at best. The main event, or at least the World Title match, is Hangman Page defending against Kyle Fletcher, whose TNT Title isn’t on the line. Other than that we have Darby Allin facing Jon Moxley in a coffin match, which could go in a few ways. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Opps vs. WorkHorsemen

Henry strikes away at Hobbs to no avail to start and gets slammed down a few times to start. Drake breaks up the seventh or so slam, only to take it himself. It’s off to Joe for the snap jabs to the seated Drake but Henry comes back in with a DDT for two. Joe is right back with a powerslam and it’s back to Hobbs to run both WorkHorsemen over. Drake tries a dropkick and Joe walks away, setting up the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 5:22.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match that works fine if it starts ten minutes before the pay per view to warm the fans up a bit. Instead, it’s one of four matches with a team who is two thirds of the Trios Champions beating a team that means absolutely nothing in AEW. This added nothing other than content for the sake of content and that’s not the most thrilling start.

Kickoff Show: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia

Marina Shafir is here with Garcia. Shibata charges in and boots him in the face to start fast as they’re quickly out on the floor. Garcia gets sent into the barricade as Shibata is more aggressive than usual here. We actually take a break and come back with Garcia ignoring Matt Menard (smart move) and dropkicking the steps into Shibata’s head. A basement forearm gives Garcia two and they trade forearms, as is their custom.

An exchange of German suplexes leaves Garcia down in the corner but he escapes a triangle choke. They go to the apron with Garcia hitting a Death Valley Driver and we take another break. We come back with an exchange of slaps leaving both of them down. Another exchange of forearms lets Garcia get a front chancery into a piledriver for two. Shibata is back up with the sleeper and Garcia taps but Shafir has the referee. The distraction lets Garcia hit a Gotch style piledriver and a curb stomp for the pin at 14:48.

Rating: C+. Well, Garcia is now a villain and getting to do matches like this. I mean, nothing is really different about him and he’s still about as dull as he was before, but now he has Shafir helping him win. He’s perfectly acceptable as a midcard guy, but if AEW tries to push him beyond that, I don’t see it going well.

Kickoff Show: Hologram/Paragon vs. Frat House

The Frat House jump the good guys to start but that’s broken up in a hurry. Strong suplexes Hologram onto Vance but a distraction lets him send O’Reilly throat first into the ropes. O’Reilly is right back up for the tag off to Hologram to clean house and a triple strike puts Vance down. Hologram hits a big dive and a top rope double stomp finishes Garrison at 3:18.

Rating: C. It was a match you might see on any given edition of Ring Of Honor, though I can appreciate just getting them in and out rather than wasting time on something where the result was never in doubt. The Frat House means nothing in AEW (and have barely ever wrestled here) while Hologram never loses (and never moves up the card). At least Paragon didn’t lose again, though I’m sure they will in the next match that matters in the slightest.

Kickoff Show: Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford/Triangle Of Madness vs. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale

Tornado Tailgate Brawl, basically meaning a street fight. Cameron and company get into a football formation to start and throw something, which is enough of a distraction for them to run over the villains. Bayne isn’t having that and starts throwing people to the floor before getting a slugout with Nightingale. Everyone gets back in and it’s a quadruple suplex for Bayne’s team to get sent flying. It’s time to bust out the weapons and we take an early break.

We come back with Nightingale being powerbombed onto…I think it’s a cooler? Shirakawa and Aminata come back in and swing a cooler each to take over. Ford is put in a trashcan for a handspring elbow in the corner before Nightingale Pounces Bayne. The Triangle is put in a barbecue grill, leaving Ford to get caught in the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 11:29.

Rating: B-. I had fun with this as it was a big themed brawl, but more importantly, the match had been set up in recent weeks. This was the biggest match on the Kickoff Show and it made things feel more important. It’s also nice to see Nightingale get a win, though I’m more curious about what is next for Bayne, as she is kind of lacking anything to do at the moment.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the bigger matches on the card, with a theme of going north. To Canada you see.

Bryan Danielson comes out for commentary.

We recap Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR. The Canadians don’t really like each other, but they’re agreeing to get back together to help each other with their respective problems.

Earlier today, Copeland and Cage arrived and ran into some Toronto Maple Leaf legends. And a guy in a messed up mask with a makeshift title belt named the Green Bastard. That last one was a bit odd.

FTR vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR and Harwood has a broken nose. Fans: “OH F*** THE REVIVAL!” Cage backs Harwood into the corner to start and it’s an early clean break. Harwood takes Cage down and walks on his back, only to be sent into the post for his efforts. Copeland comes in for a double hiptoss and Wheeler comes in for a change. Wheeler grinds away on a headlock, which is reversed into a Thesz press so Copeland can fire off some right hands.

It’s back to Cage, who bites Wheeler in the corner as the fans sing about wanting Cage to be their a******. Wheeler stomps on Cage’s back to take over and we hit the chinlock. Harwood takes Wheeler’s place but Cage fights up, only for Wheeler to distract Copeland in a simple but classic move. Back in and Wheeler’s Vader Bomb hits raised boots, which is enough for the big tag off to Copeland.

The Edge-O-Matic gets two on Harwood, who is sent into the post. Copeland even returns the favor from a recent Smackdown with a Five Knuckle Shuffle, which gets the fans chanting for someone who will be wrestling on another company’s show later tonight. Cage cuts off a Hart Attack to Copeland and it’s a double Sharpshooter, with Hathaway having to offer an assist for the save. Stokely gets scared on the floor and the brawl heads outside with the Canadians taking over again.

Back in and a Twist Of Fate is broken up, with Harwood sending Cage into Copeland for the crotching on top. The Shatter Machine is broken up and Copeland/Cage use each other’s finishers to put FTR down again. Hathaway has to pull the referee…which brings out Beth Copeland (Phoenix) to drop him with a spear. Wheeler brings in the ring bell but Copeland cuts him off. Harwood begs Copeland’s forgiveness before Cage is sent into the announcers’ table.

A bell to the head and a spike piledriver get two on Copeland but he’s right back with a pair of Impalers. FTR is back with the Shatter Machine for two as the kickouts are getting ridiculous again. Another Shatter Machine connects…and Copeland staggers up for a spear to Wheeler for the pin at 18:03 as Cage cuts Harwood off.

Rating: B-. The fan reaction was fun and really made this better, as did the Beth interference, but WOW that ending was ridiculous, as Copeland got hit with a bell, a spike piledriver, and two Shatter Machines but popped back up with his finisher for the win anyway. The match was good but never reached some higher level, though it felt like it was more for the live fans than anything else. Seeing Copeland and Christian together again was fun though, and a run at the titles shouldn’t be out of the question.

Post match Mother Wayne and Nick Wayne come out for a distraction, allowing FTR to jump Cage and Copeland from behind. Copeland gets handcuffed to the ropes as Kip Sabian comes in to help with the beatdown, including a spike piledriver. Beth fights back as well but gets caught in a spike piledriver of her own.

We recap Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston. Bill randomly started calling Kingston out as Kingston had been out of action for almost a year and a half after a leg injury. Now Kingston is back and that’s about it.

Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston

Bryan Keith is here with Bill. Kingston, in a CLAUDIO SUCKS EGGS shirt, gets a big reaction and chops away at Bill to start fast. A big boot drops Kingston in a hurry and Bill mockingly pounds him down, with Kingston telling him to bring it. Bill’s clothesline gets two but Kingston catches him with a backfist.

The exploder sends Bill flying but the spinning backfist is countered into a not so great swinging Boss Man Slam. A better version gets two but Kingston DDTs his way out of a chokeslam attempt. The spinning backfist gets one and Bill kicks Kingston down again. Bill misses a charge into the corner though and another spinning backfist (which really didn’t seem to connect) finishes for Kingston at 7:25.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the greatest return for Kingston, as the feud pretty much came out of nowhere and then the match itself wasn’t exactly smooth. Kingston looked banged up and slow and the ending came out of absolutely nowhere. Not much to this one, as while it’s nice to have Kingston back, it wasn’t a good return.

Post match Keith comes in for the beatdown but Hook comes in for the save.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. MJF. They hate each other and have cost each other title shots. MJF wants to fight Briscoe so much that he’s allowing Briscoe to pick the stipulation. Therefore, it’s a Tables And Thumbtacks match, which can’t possibly go well.

Mark Briscoe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Tables And Tacks with wins coming by pin or submission and MJF is in white so you know what’s coming. MJF immediately heads to the floor, leaving Briscoe to pour out a bunch of tacks. Then he pours out even more but MJF stalls even more, which is enough for MJF to come outside and start hammering away. A low blow gets MJF out of trouble and they get inside, with the tacks scaring MJF again.

They slug it out and tease slams onto the tacks before trying to send the other’s face into the tacks. MJF gets the first slam to send Briscoe into the tacks and then presses him head first into the tacks. It’s time for the first table, which MJF puts right back under the ring. Back in and an Alabama slam sends Briscoe into the tacks again and MJF drags him over the tacks. MJF puts some tacks into Briscoe’s mouth for a right hand but Briscoe is back with a backdrop.

As MJF looks like he wants to cry, Briscoe rips off MJF’s shirt and then powerbombs him onto the tacks for two. It’s too early for the Froggy Bow so MJF rolls outside, where Briscoe (with tacks in his back) hits a running flip dive. The table is set up and MJF is quickly put through it and it’s already time for another table. MJF is elbowed through that one as well so Briscoe sets up a third one, only for MJF to throw tacks into Briscoe’s eyes.

Briscoe powerbombs him onto the tacks again and it’s time for a thumbtack chair. MJF takes it away and hits Briscoe to the back, followed by a Tombstone onto the tacks for two. With Briscoe down, MJF puts a table up in the ring and pours more tacks on top. They go up top, where Briscoe knocks him down and then puts him through the table. The Froggy Bow sets up the Jay Driller onto the tacks to finish MJF at 19:23.

Rating: C+. What is there to say about this? They used the tacks and then they used the tacks and then they used the tacks and then they used some tables and then they used tacks on a table and then they used more tacks. It was fun to see MJF get hurt, but it was really hard to get interested when it was the same weapons time after time. I don’t care for this kind of match in the first place and this wasn’t an interesting way to go either.

Earlier this week, Jerry Lynn got the former Acclaimed a tag match for next week because he knows they work well together. They don’t want to do it but Lynn threatens them with suspensions.

We recap the Gates Of Agony/Ricochet vs. the Hurt Syndicate. The Gates and Ricochet coat them the Tag Team Titles and now the Syndicate wants some revenge, with MVP even getting in the ring.

Gates Of Agony/Ricochet vs. Hurt Syndicate

Ricochet and the Gates are known as “The Demand”, as the names for teams actually get worse around here. MVP and Kaun get things going but MVP wants Ricochet. That’s exactly what he gets but Ricochet bails out to the floor for the always dumb “my time” response. Kaun comes in and gets drop toeholded, followed by a jumping knee. Benjamin comes in and is having none of Kaun’s clothesline before grabbing an ankle lock.

That’s broken up so Lashley comes in to take over on Ricochet. The delayed suplex connects, with Ricochet’s foot hitting MVP on the way down. Ballin hits Ricochet for two and MVP exploders him out of the corner for the same. Liona comes in off a distraction though and kicks MVP’s knee out to put him in trouble for a change. A clothesline puts Ricochet down for a breather and MVP sends him to the apron, allowing the tag off to Lashley.

We get the Lashley vs. Liona showdown but it’s quickly back to Benjamin to send Ricochet flying. Benjamin German suplexes Kaun and Ricochet at the same time (because that’s a thing) and Lashley’s spear cuts Kaun down. Ricochet makes the save with a springboard 450 and Kaun hits a Backstabber into a running elbow.

Everything breaks down and Benjamin hits a step up knee on the floor, only for Ricochet to hit a big running flip dive over the post to take Benjamin down as well. Liona is sent into Lashley and Benjamin but MVP suplexes Ricochet anyway. The Playmaker is broken up with a chop block though and the Spirit Gun finishes for Ricochet at 13:46.

Rating: B-. It was a fun and pretty wild match, with MVP being the weak link in the team, which shouldn’t be a stunning result. It is kind of a stunning result to see Ricochet and the Gates win, as the Gates aren’t exactly known for winning a big match. I’m not exactly convinced this is leading to something big, but it’s certainly a surprise win for a change.

We recap Riho challenging Mercedes Mone for the TBS Title. Mone is defending because she is the eternal champion and Riho is challenging because she exists and therefore must get title shots after being gone for long stretches.

TBS Title: Riho vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and comes out with a team of guards, all wearing her titles. Riho doesn’t like being shoved in the face to start so she rolls Mone up and goes after the leg. Mone’s arm is tied up in the arm and Riho stops to mock her dance. A 619 puts Mone on the floor and a double stomp off the apron has her in more trouble.

Riho hits a second off of the announcers’ table but she misses a third off the top. A crucifix bomb gets two on Mone but she’s back with a ram into the announcers’ table on the floor. The Meteora off of said table gets two and Mone hits a dropkick, with Mone’s boot hitting Riho in the throat. Mone stomps her down but gets pulled into an armbar, followed by a crossface.

That’s broken up so Riho hits a double stomp to the banged up ribs and a German suplex gets two. Mone is back up with Three Amigos because we needed another Eddie Guerrero tribute. The frog splash hits raised knees and Riho hits the top rope double stomp for two. Mone is back up with the running knees in the corner but Riho ties up the leg again. The leg is grabbed for the escape so Riho switches to a northern lights suplex for two. Mone goes to the eyes and the Moneymaker retains the title at 15:53.

Rating: B-. Hey look: Mone wins again. She lost her one match to Toni Storm and now it’s back to what it always is: her bragging about all of the titles she’s won in promotions that mean absolutely nothing, followed by keeping the TBS Title in a pretty good match. She’s been champion for about a year and a half now. Find something else for her to do already.

We recap the Unified Title match. It’s a rather unnecessary tournament to set up a triple threat for the title, with the champion having to win a qualifying match to earn the right to defend his title.

Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada

Okada is defending. Dorada is sent outside and runs back in to split the other two up, making it all the clearer that he doesn’t need to be in this match. Takeshita takes over with a boot to put Dorada down as Don Callis and Bryan Danielson explain Japanese wrestling culture, because we apparently need to know that to understand the match. Back up and Okada is sent to the floor, followed by Dorada’s hurricanrana to send Takeshita outside.

Dorada’s dive is cut off though and he gets dropped hard on the floor, setting up a camel clutch back inside. That’s broken up and Okada comes in for a DDT, with Takeshita not being happy on the cover. Dorada uses the distraction to send both of them outside, with a big dive taking Takeshita down. Back in and Dorada takes over, with Excalibur wondering if Dorada can defeat “the greatest tournament wrestler of all time.”

As I cringe so hard at the fact that someone in this company thinks that’s a good moniker, Dorada gets two off an electric chair flipped into a neckbreaker. Takeshita is back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Okada but Dorada is back with a running Canadian Destroyer for two. Okada and Takeshita go up top so it’s a double springboard hurricanrana from Dorada, which even has Callis impressed. That earns Dorada a double big boot to put him back down so the other two trade forearms.

An exchange of suplexes put them both down so Dorada moonsaults both of them for two. Takeshita is back up with a Last Ride but Okada blocks a knee lift. Back up and Takeshita German suplexes both of them at once, but Dorada manages to stick the landing. A hurricanrana gets two on Takeshita and a DDT puts Okada down on the apron. Back in and Takeshita gives Dorada Raging Fire but Okada makes the save and hits the Rainmaker to pin Okada and retain at 20:57.

Rating: A-. Dorada looked great in there and Takeshita was his usual awesome self. At the same time, hearing about Okada being “the greatest tournament wrestler of all time” is every bit as dumb as it was in the first place. Putting together some nothing qualifying matches to officially make this a tournament is as much of a stretch as you can get, as having that many tournaments is hardly some kind of a great idea. All that being said, match of the night by a lot here, with Dorada getting an absolute star making performance before we get to Okada vs. Takeshita down the line.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in a coffin match. They hate each other, Moxley is violent and Allin likes coffins.

Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin

Coffin match and Allin jumps him in the crowd to start fast, with a Coffin Drop from a balcony dropping Moxley again. Moxley manages to cut him off for a drop onto the barricade and they fight to ringside, with Allin going after the ear. Moxley knocks the coffin over but Allin puts him inside for a near close.

That seems to freak Moxley out so he hits a Crash Landing to put Allin onto the coffin for a nasty crash (landing). Cue the rest of the Death Riders to help the bleeding Moxley put the coffin inside. Moxley actually sends the team to the back and mockingly kicks Allin, who whips out a fork to stab Moxley in the head. Allin twists the fingers around and hits a Coffin Drop before finding a pipe.

More ear assaulting continues, with Allin biting said ear. Moxley drops him onto the coffin again but Allin blocks the lid from being closed. Allin hits him with a pipe and whips out a plastic bag to choke Moxley out. Fans: “THIS IS MURDER!” Cue Pac for the save (of course) and a toss Razor’s edge over the top onto the other coffin. Pac puts Allin in a body bag and Allin is put in the coffin (by Pac) to give Moxley the win at 19:16.

Rating: C-. The action was fine, but good grief I can’t stand this nonsense. Between the fork, the ear nonsense, the plastic bag over the head, and of course HAHA MOXLEY WINS AGAIN, I was getting more and more annoyed watching the match. It’s more stupid stunts and violence for the sake of stunts and violence and the good guy doesn’t even win after his big return because Moxley has to instead. Just more nonsense and incredibly annoying.

Mark Briscoe and the Conglomeration are happy with their wins so Briscoe issues a challenge for a six man tag against the Don Callis Family. We even get a tease of the return of Orange Cassidy.

We recap the Women’s Title match, with Toni Storm defending against three challengers in a big movie.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thekla vs. Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter

Storm is defending. Wheeler Yuta comes out to give Statlander her usual applause before leaving again, making things that much better. Statlander clears the ring rather quickly to start and moonsaults off the apron to drop Hayter. Storm and Thekla crash outside as well (with one of them asking if the other is ok) before Storm is put on top back inside. A spider suplex takes her down and Hayter gets the same treatment.

Storm is back up with some running hip attacks but Hayter fires off some hard clotheslines. Statlander comes back with some kicks and forearms until Hayter and Storm team up to get rid of her. Staturday Night Fever plants Thekla on the floor but Storm hits a hip attack and Storm Zero for a fast two. Thekla is back in with a leg choke on Storm (naturally Danielson is right there to explain the physics behind the move) until Hayter breaks it up. Thekla hits a heck of a spear to knock Hayter off the apron…and Statlander uses the seatbelt to pin Storm and win the title at 11:59.

Rating: B. They kept the energy going here and it was a rather nice good match as a result. It’s a fine example of a match where they got in, did their thing, and got out before it went too long. The ending is a bit odd, but Statlander is instantly launched up the ranks and that’s a great thing to see. Much better than I was expecting here.

We recap the Tag Team Title ladder match. There are champions and three sets of challengers. Since it’s a ladder match, tagging means nothing so it’s time for another car crash.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King vs. Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family vs. Jet Speed

Bandido and King are defending in a ladder match. The Family cleans house to start until Jet Speed come in to take them out. The Bucks get to take over until Bandido breaks that up, including an X Knee to Matt. King comes back in and German suplexes three people at once before bringing in the first ladder.

Bailey is there to take them out with a dive so the Family sends him into a ladder in the corner. Alexander is sent into a ladder as well and has to get checked out, leaving the Bucks to beat up Bailey. King comes back in and tries a dive, which is cut off with a ladder to the head. Nick hits a dive to crush King on the ladder but Knight is back in to make a save. Jet Speed goes up so King cuts them off, only for Bailey to fire off the kicks.

Alexander ankle locks Bailey as he climbs the ladder so they both go up. Hechicero is back in and bridges a ladder into the standing one. Bailey knocks him down and hits moonsault knees before it’s time to set up tables on the floor. The Bucks and Hechicero hit a bunch of dives to put people through tables, with Bailey and King getting the worst of things as they went through a ladder. Knight is one of the few people left standing and go up, with Matt going up for the slugout.

That’s broken up and King climbs as well, until Alexander pull shim down for a crash. Knight goes up again so a bunch of people pick up the ladder and carry him over to the ropes for a crash through a table. The Bucks hit the BTE Trigger and go up until King turns the ladder over. King hands the ladder to Bandido to flip onto a pile of people, leaving him to go up and retain the titles at 24:36.

Rating: B. It’s fun, the spots were good, and I’m rather happy the champions retained. I’m just sick of ladder matches, especially ones where they have this many people. Either way, it’s the definition of “turn your brain off and have fun” and I’ll absolutely take it over the tacks and screwdriver and all that nonsense.

Post match everyone but the Bucks leave…and Jack Perry is back. He flips them off and takes out an interfering Rocky Romero but gets superkicked by the Bucks. The lights go out and we see a car coming to the arena…and a video shows Perry reviving Luchasaurus. The Jurassic Express is back, as that’s apparently a thing again.

Jon Moxley is in the back with the coffin and sends the Death Riders off. Allin pops out of the coffin and fights back to put Moxley in a body bag. Which he lights on fire. Because of course he does.

Tony Khan will have a big announcement on Dynamite. Oh geez.

We recap the main event. Hangman Page won the World Title but Kyle Fletcher wants to prove he’s ready. Page sees potential in him but wants to avoid interference so Fletcher can prove what he can do. Works for Fletcher and we’re on.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Kyle Fletcher

Only Page is defending and the Don Callis Family is barred from ringside, though Callis himself is on commentary. The lights appear to go blue here (I kind of like it) as Fletcher takes over on the arm to start. They chop it out until Fletcher head fakes him into a superkick for a smart move. Fletcher takes Page outside and sends him over the barricade for a big running dive.

Back in and Fletcher elbows away at the neck, followed by a powerbomb onto the apron. The table (because we haven’t had enough of those tonight) is loaded up but Page fights out of a brainbuster from the apron. Instead Fletcher grabs a hanging DDT for two, followed by a Michinoku Driver for the same. The Boston crab keeps Page in trouble but he manages to fight up and hit a backdrop.

A fall away slam sends Fletcher into the corner for two but Page keeps favoring his neck. Page grabs a pop up powerbomb for two and tries a middle rope moonsault, which is superkicked out of the air. A sitout powerbomb gives Fletcher two and they head outside, with Page managing a Tombstone on the floor. Page’s hanging DDT onto the floor has Fletcher in more trouble (Danielson: “An eye for an eye and a neck for a neck!”) and they get a double breather.

Fletcher kicks him down and hits a brainbuster through the timekeeper’s area. The brainbuster gets two back inside and they trade hard shots to the face. Page is back up with the Deadeye off the apron and through the table (at a scary angle) for the big double down. Back in and Fletcher collapses as Page tries the Buckshot Lariat and they’re both down again.

Page is up with a V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is broken up. Instead Page hits a Deadeye for two and then plants him for two more. The Buckshot is countered into a brainbuster for another near fall, which has Callis and Danielson losing it on commentary. With nothing else working, Fletcher pulls off a turnbuckle pad and takes Page into the corner. The super brainbuster is blocked though and it’s a super Deadeye into the Buckshot to retain the title at 38:07.

Rating: B+. Really good match here, though my goodness get over it with the tables and the weapons and all that jazz. You have two people here who can have a great match without them but they’re involved anyway. All that being said, this was a lot better than I was expecting as Fletcher more than hung in there with a much bigger star. Solid main event, albeit at the end of a very long show.

Overall Rating: B. The show is good overall with most of the big matches delivering, but they have got to cut back on the garbage wrestling/weapons stuff. It’s choking the life out of these shows as it feels like putting things in the matches for the sake of having them there. The Unified Title match and main event are both worth seeing, but there is still a lot that could be cut off the show. I liked it, but as usual I’m exhausted and not wanting to see AEW for a long time, which is always the case on these pay per views.

Results
Opps b. WorkHorsemen – Koquina Clutch to Drake
Daniel Garcia b. Katsuyori Shibata – Curb stomp
Hologram/Paragon b. Frat House – Top rope double stomp to Garrison
Harley Cameron/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale/Mina Shirakawa b. Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford – Babe With The Powerbomb to Ford
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. FTR – Spear to Wheeler
Eddie Kingston b. Big Bill – Spinning backfist
Mark Briscoe b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Jay Driller onto tacks
Ricochet/Gates Of Agony b. Hurt Syndicate – Spirit Gun to MVP
Mercedes Mone b. Riho – Moneymaker
Kazuchika Okada b. Mascara Dorada and Konosuke Takeshita – Rainmaker to Dorada
Jon Moxley b. Darby Allin – Allin was put in the coffin
Kris Statlander b. Toni Storm, Thekla and Jamie Hayter – Seat belt to Storm
Bandido/Brody King b. Young Bucks, Don Callis Family and Jet Speed – Bandido pulled down the titles
Hangman Page b. Kyle Fletcher – Buckshot Lariat

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