Ring Of Honor – October 5, 2026 (Bonus Show): They’re Getting It?

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 5, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back with another special edition of this show, which usually means “stuff that wasn’t important enough to be on the regular show (how that’s possible is beyond me) and one big match”, which could be just about anything. Ring Of Honor desperately needs something to build towards to give these shows some purpose, just to break up the monotony. Let’s get to it.

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

AR Fox says that Kofi needs to back down with this World Title challenge to Bandido, because Fox has already challenged Bandido. Fox wants his title match tonight and then Kofi can come see him in Paris.

Opening sequence.

Janai Kai vs. Queen Aminata

They take turns chopping each other in the corner until Aminata pulls her into Chocolate Kisses. Kai switches places with her and hits a kick to Aminata’s back, which naturally sets off an exchange of the two of them letting each other grab snapmares and kicks to the back. Instead Kai fires off a string of kicks to the back, plus a running kick to the chest for two.

A snap suplex and clothesline get Aminata out of trouble and a middle rope double stomp gives her two. The fisherman’s neckbreaker gets the same but Kai hits a spinning kick to the head for two of her own. Back up and Aminata hits a headbutt into Off With Her Head for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Kai doing nothing but kicks makes sense, as that’s her entire thing. At the same time, the segment of them letting the other kick them in the back made my head hurt. I’m not sure how that’s making it seem like they’re trying to win a match, which seems to be the point here. Aminata winning again is hardly a surprise, as she does at least have something coming up.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Jimmy Wild/Nikki Eight/Tommy Mars

Magnum and Mars start things off with Magnum hitting a shoulder and striking a pose. Mars actually takes him into the wrong corner though and Eight comes in for a chop before bringing Mars right back in. Magnum gets rather annoyed at Mars touching his chest though and gets chopped, allowing Floyd to come in with an ax handle to the arm.

Some double teaming puts Magnum in the wrong corner, with Mars starting in on the arm as well. A hanging DDT/Swanton to the back combination drops Magnum but he’s right back with a backdrop. It’s back to Floyd but the Mega Powers Elbow is broken up with a double back rake. Magnum avoids a triple middle rope headbutt and it’s off to Castle to fire off the suplexes. The Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle drop combination finishes Mars at 8:26.

Rating: C+. So the Outrunners are useless in the ring right? Basically this match was these three guys going even with the Outrunners and then Castle came in and beat all of them on his own. Now of course that’s not how it goes most of the time but it’s pretty much what happened here. That being said, Castle and the Outrunners are just so much fun to watch and they’re a bright spot in Ring Of Honor and that’s always good to see.

Alan Angels vs. Bishop Kaun

Angels charges at him and gets thrown outside. Back in and Angels slips out of a double underhook and powerbomb attempt, earning a running elbow to the face. A running backsplash gives Kaun two but Angels goes after the leg to take him down. Angels goes after the leg, including ramming it into his own knee for what might not be the smartest move.

The leg gets twisted around and crushed a few times but Angels stops to pose and gets chopped down. Back up and some running clotheslines have Kaun staggered so he drops Angels with a clothesline of his own. They head outside with Angels being whipped into the barricade and steps but Kaun’s bad knee gives out back inside. That means Angels can hit a rebound clothesline and a twisting faceplant for two. Something like a half crab is broken up and Kaun knees him in the face. A Pedigree finishes for Kaun at 6:14.

Rating: B. And that’s what happens when you put together a simple story but do it well. Angels tries to take out the leg and slow down the powerhouse but it wasn’t enough in the end and he got beat. That’s a good way to go and Angels continues to be something of a hidden gem around here. Rather good stuff here.

Trish Adora vs. B3cca

As usual, B3cca sings her own entrance about what she describes as her impressive physique. B3cca actually gets in a knockdown for an early two but is knocked off the top for a crash. Back in and Adora fires off hip shots in the corner, allowing Christyan XO to choke from the floor. The double arm crank doesn’t last very long and B3cca gets up top for a high crossbody. A middle rope dropkick gives B3cca two but she gets backbreakered and suplexed for two. The Lariat Tubman finishes B3cca at 5:00.

Rating: C. Adora continues to basically be the Lariat Tubman and that’s about it. There’s nothing about her that has really stood out for months and this didn’t do much to change that. At the same time, B3cca stands out a bit with the singing but there wasn’t anything of note there once the bell rang. Both of them are perfectly acceptable but that’s about it, which isn’t enough to really stand out from the pack.

We look at Kofi beating Lee Moriarty and then challenging Bandido for Grand Slam. One might wonder why he didn’t challenge Moriarty for the Pure Title (ok stop laughing, that was a dumb one) or say, come to ROH for the mat….ok fair.

Satnam Singh vs. Jakked Jameson

Jameson slugs away to start and gets splashed in the corner just as fast. Singh misses a charge and Jameson knocks him outside, where Singh is sent into the steps. Back in and Jameson escapes a chokeslam attempt and tries something like a Samoan drop. Jameson goes up and actually dives into a cutter for the pin at 2:38. Not the cleanest finish but I do appreciate Singh trying to do something other than the standard giant stuff. At the same time, maybe sticking with the same stuff is a better idea as it looks more smooth.

We look at Queen Aminata challenging Mercedes Mone. This might have been better as an announcement before the graphic was shown for the title match at Grand Slam.

Ring Of Honor World Title: AR Fox vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending and they shake hands to start. Fox is backed up against the ropes for a clean break to start as the fans like both of them. Neither of them can grab a cutter and they trade flips over each other. Bandido flips him out to the floor but the dive is cut off with a kick to the head.

That lets Fox sit in the chair and run around the ring, but Bandido pops up to cut off the charge. Somehow Fox gets back inside to cut Bandido off with another dive and he rains down some right hands inside. Bandido is able to get up top for a corkscrew high crossbody and a one armed snake eyes drops Fox again.

A Stunner out of the corner gives Fox two and the anarchist suplex gets the same. They trade running shots to the face until the X Knee connects. Bandido tries the 21 Plex but gets sent over the top and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and a 450 gives Fox one and a pop up cutter gives Bandido two. Now the 21 Plex can retain the title at 11:09.

Rating: B. Well yeah of course this was good. Bandido and Fox have both shown they are more than capable of having high energy matches and that was the case again here. The problem here though was there was no reason to believe that Fox was going to win the title. Not only was Fox not likely to win, you already had the Kofi match set for tomorrow. It does help that they didn’t really try to make this into a big, dramatic title match as there wasn’t much of a reason. It’s still a more than good enough main event for a show like this and I’ll take that.

Post match Bandido puts his Pac armband on the title to end the show with a nice moment.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, the length of a Ring Of Honor show makes a big difference as they didn’t have the time to have the show full of filler. This show kept mostly to the point, though I’m still kind of scratching my head on Kaun getting a singles match. I can’t imagine this got many more people to pay for Ring Of Honor but I guess it was designed to get us to care about the ROH wrestlers on Grand Slam. Either way, good action here for the most part and the right runtime for a change.

Results
Queen Aminata b. Janai Kai – Off With Her Head
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. Tommy Mars/Nikki Eight/Jimmy Wild – Mega Powers Elbow/Ax handle drop combination to Mars
Bishop Kaun b. Alan Angels – Pedigree
Trish Adora b. B3cca – Lariat Tubman
Satnam Singh b. Jakked Jameson – Cutter
Bandido b. AR Fox – 21 Plex

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – October 1, 2026: Hakuna Matata

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on the end of the year and that means we have a few more months to start getting ready to get ready for Final Battle’s build…eventually. That’s more than enough time so this week is likely going to be more of the usual, even as we are only a few months away from Bandido breaking the record for the longest World Title reign in company history. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Pac tribute video from the end of Dynamite, which is still hard to take.

Soloroto/Griff Garrison vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

Garrison and Magnum start things off with the latter grabbing an armdrag and headscissors. Solo comes in and can’t get a fireman’s carry so it’s off to Comoroto, who skins the cat. That earns him a knock out to the floor and Garrison is pulled right back in. The Outrunners hit ax handles off the apron but Magnum is caught in a suplex/dropkick combination back inside. A running big boot gives Garrison two but Magnum flips over him and falls into the tag to Floyd. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Castle for the suplexes. The Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle finishes Solo at 6:43.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash for Castle and the Outrunners and they continue to look good together. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting back to the titles, but it’s not like they need to do anything with them anyway. Soloroto and Garrison are the latest incarnation of the usual suspects in the jobber league and that’s about all they can be expected to do at the moment.

AR Fox vs. LJ Cleary

Feeling out process to start and Fox flips over him to start, followed by the running clothesline in the corner. Cleary slides between Fox’s legs to escape and…I guess we’ll call it dances a bit before hitting a dropkick. A neck twist gives Cleary two but Fox is back up with a DDT out of the corner, followed by a spinning suplex for two. Cleary is back up with a double stomp to the back but Fox superkicks him out of the air. They trade rollups for two each until Fox catches him with Lo Mein Pain. The 450 finishes Cleary at 7:20.

Rating: B-. Yeah believe it or not, Fox has an entertaining, fast paced match that looks different than most of the others on the show. That’s what turned him into a star around here and it’s nice to see him getting to do more of the it so regularly. Now just let him do something serious again for a change.

Post match Fox goes outside to acknowledge a TONIGHT IS FOR PAC sign in a nice moment.

Cassie Lee vs. Lady Leigh

Jesse McKay is here with Lee but since she’s pregnant and can’t get physical, she brings out Steph de Lander with her. They tease a pushup exchange to start but Lee grabs a headlock instead. An exchange of failed toss attempts gets them nowhere so Lee slides between her legs for a takedown into the pose. Back up and a spinning kick takes Leigh down again, with Lee stopping to yell at the referee. Lee chokes in the ropes and poses with her cohorts before asking what the fans want to see. Announcing a fisherman’s suplex allows Leigh to get a small package for two so Lee knees her in the face. A Pedigree finishes Leigh at 4:48.

Rating: C. This was at least fun and a bit of a different kind of squash. Lee needs something to do with McKay out of action for the foreseeable future and this is as good as anything else. The Pedigree is a good finisher for her if nothing else so maybe she’s got something of a direction for the time being.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are mad about RPG Vice cheating and Kingston calls out Trent Beretta for a fight right now.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor and Seal start things off with Mansoor walking over him and striking the pose. A takedown lets Mansoor grab a rollup for two and it’s off to Impala vs. Madden. That means Madden gets to clean house with a hip attack to Impala, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination to Seal.

Some double teaming takes over on Mansoor, with Rosario Grillo getting in a choke from the floor. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Mansoor rolls between the two of them allowing the tag back to Madden. House is quickly cleaned and the Collection goes outside to beat on Grillo with…breadsticks. Back in and a running knee/German suplex combination finishes Impala at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was a good example of what makes ROH such an uninteresting show to watch. The wrestling was, as always, completely competent at worst and the match was hardly bad. Instead, the problem comes from these teams having absolutely nothing going on. They’re not feuding with anyone, they don’t have an angle going on and they’re just there, taking up space on a show. It’s one thing when you have an act or so doing that, but that feels like the vast majority of what you see around here week to week. That makes for a very dull show, because there’s nothing to care about from these people.

Trish Adora vs. Rachael Ellering

They fight over a lockup to start and trade shoulders until Adora takes her down by the arm. Back up and Ellering connects with a running shoulder and a gutwrench suplex. Christyan XO grabs Ellering’s leg though and Adora stomps away, followed by a running shoulder. Ellering grabs a release fisherman’s suplex and a running elbow to the face gives her two. Some big forearms have Adora in more trouble but she snaps off a German suplex. The Lariat Tubman finishes Ellering at 8:18.

Rating: C. Remember what I said about the previous match? This was the women’s singles edition, as neither of these two have anything going on whatsoever. There’s no reason to believe that is going to change, especially with Final Battle coming up where someone either from ROH or Japan will get a random title shot. The Lariat Tubman is good and that’s about the only highlight here.

Premiere Athletes/Beef vs. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston

The Athletes and Beef jump them from behind to start and Beef headbutts Bengston a lot. Hollywood tries to make the save and gets pulled outside by the Athletes. Beef looks for a top rope splash but Daivari tags himself in for an elevated DDT to pin Bengston at 2:43.

AR Fox wants the World Title and challenges Bandido.

B3cca vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match. Velvet grabs a wristlock to start and takes her down for a short armscissors. They go into a double splits and forearm it out until B3cca is up with a snap suplex. An arm/leg crank lets B3cca pose a bit but Velvet is back up with a crossbody. That just earns her a crossarm choke but Velvet is up with a superkick.

They’re both down as we have 5:00 to go, which seems to trigger Velvet’s comeback. A bridging German suplex cuts Velvet off for two, though she’s fine enough to grab an Iconoclasm for two of her own. B3cca’s springboard Codebreaker gets two but she misses a 450, allowing Velvet to hit the spinning kick to the head for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. They threw a challenger out there, had her give Velvet some trouble for a few minutes, and then Velvet won in the end. That’s the whole thing and it leaves Velvet right where she was before the match. Find something better for her already, because she’s been champion forever and has nothing to do.

We look back at the Dark Order’s issues involving Preston Vance.

Bustah And The Brain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Oliver ax handles Drake down to start and it’s off to Price for a rolling elbow. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex though and Price is run over with a shot to the face. Oliver gets a quick tag and comes in with a flipping neckbreaker off a rather smooth sequence. That’s fine with Gibson, who sends him shoulder first into the post and suplexes him down by the arm.

Oliver is sent outside, where he cuts off Gibson’s dive and ties him in the ring skirt. That’s enough for the tag off to Price, who comes in with a top rope Blockbuster. Gibson is finally pulled out of the apron (Gibson: “You think it’s funny???”) and everything breaks down, with Price hitting the big dive to the floor.

Back up and Gibson uses his scarf to choke Oliver, allowing a Doomsday Device to connect for two. Everything breaks down again and Oliver AA’s Drake onto the top rope for a double stomp from Price. Gibson makes the save so Drake tries a low blow, which is reversed into la majistal for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B-. As usual, Bustah And The Brain are a very fun team to watch but the two of them have been stuck in the same place forever. There is no reason to think that’s going to change, which is as frustrating as you can get with them. At the same time, the Veterans are still in the same place they’ve been in for months that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Il Cartello Grillo thinks there is a bias against Italians around here.

Trent Beretta vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston headbutts him to start and unloads in the corner, with Beretta bailing out to the floor. That’s fine with Kingston, who rips at his face and sends him into the barricade a few times. Coleman quotes Hakuna Matata (ok then) as Beretta knees Kingston down back inside and actually decides to slap him for whatever reason.

A DDT onto the apron drops Kingston onto the apron and he seems to have banged up his shoulder. The tornado DDT is broken up back inside and Kingston hits a clothesline but the arm is banged up. The good arm fires off the Kobashi chops in the corner but Beretta is back with a tornado DDT. They go up top and Kingston hits a superplex for two so Beretta gives him a running knee for the same.

Kingston snaps back up with some suplexes and a spinning backfist for two, meaning it’s already time for the frustration. Beretta kicks him down and gets in a piledriver for two more so here is Rocky Romero for a distraction. Cue Ortiz to cut him off so the spinning backfist can finish Beretta at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Kingston is always going to get a reaction from the crowd but dang does he feel like he’s slumming it with RPG Vice. They’re a comedy duo in the massive heel stable and that’s the best they have for a former World Champion? Ortiz isn’t much better than they are either, as he feels like someone who is just there. Kingston being there gave this some name value but this wasn’t much of a main event.

Overall Rating: C. There are some good enough matches on here but this was back to the old ROH standard, with a bunch of wrestling that feels like it’s there for the sake of filling up a show. There are names you recognize, but it felt like almost nothing on this show mattered. That’s the case around here most of the time and it makes for a show that feels like it’s never going to end with one more match after another. Use the good talent they have around here and stop trying to make everyone a thing without actually doing much of anything with them.

Results
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Soloroto/Griff Garrison – Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle combination to Solo
AR Fox b. LJ Cleary – 450
Cassie Lee b. Lady Leigh – Pedigree
MxM Collection b. Il Cartello Grillo – Running knee/German suplex combination to Impala
Trish Adora b. Rachael Ellering – Lariat Tubman
Premiere Athletes/Beef b. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston – Elevated DDT to Bengston
Red Velvet b. B3cca – Spinning kick to the head
Bustah And The Brain b. Grizzled Young Veterans – La Majistral to Drake
Eddie Kingston b. Trent Beretta – Spinning backfist

 

 

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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AEW Collision – September 23, 2026: The Action Infomercial

Collision
Date: September 23, 2026
Location: Fishers Event Center, Fishers, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half (er, third….I think) of the night with the show taking place just after the two hours of Dynamite. We’re still three days away from All Out and that means we are likely getting some more matches announced here. Hopefully this is more like another hour of Dynamite than the usual Collision in this case so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jack Perry bangs his head against some tubes because he isn’t getting to face Samoa Joe. Instead, he’s ready to face Katsuyori Shibata, who is a killer.

Here are Lena Kross/Megan Bayne to go face to face with the Brawling Birds. And we even have some tea and I’m guessing crumpets. Kross and Bayne mock the idea of the champions being undefeated because they’ve both beaten the Birds one on one. The Birds say may the best team win and then hit them with the tea to start the fight. Bayne and Kross leave them laying with stereo slams. Of everything they could do, slams?

Last week after Dynamite, the Conglomeration was upset about their loss, with Roderick Strong being sick of all the losing. He can’t do this anymore and walks off.

Don Callis Family vs. Outrunners

It’s Kevin Knight/Kyle Fletcher for the Family. Fletcher backs Floyd up against the ropes to start and a running boot puts Floyd down as well. Knight is dropped onto Floyd for two but it’s quickly off to Magnum, who is beaten down in the corner. The Outrunners are sent outside and knocked down as we take a break.

We come back with Magnum getting in a needed backdrop and handing it off to Floyd. Everything breaks down and the Mega Powers Elbow gets two on Fletcher. That’s shrugged off and it’s a German suplex into the brainbuster into the UFO Splash to pin Magnum at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was the right way to build up this version of the Family for Saturday as the Outrunners are established enough that beating them matters and it’s hardly a stretch to see the Family beat them. The Family took whatever the mostly comedy guys threw at them and then won. That’s how you set things up for their big match on Saturday and it’s nice to see it done properly.

Post match Fletcher says he didn’t like Knight at first but now they’re working as a family. All Out should be a cakewalk because they want to be #1 contenders. This looks to bring out Darby Allin and Steven Borden, but RPG Vice are waiting at the entrance. Instead, Allin and Borden are in the rafters, with Allin saying they’re too smart for that. Knight calls out Borden for being a rookie but Allin says it won’t be an upset.

All Out rundown.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Last week, he beat Nick Wayne clean in the middle of the ring but then got kicked low. Jericho wants Wayne out here right now so here he is, actually wearing a suit for a change. Wayne declares himself smart and handsome and everyone who has ever trusted Jericho has gotten stabbed in the back. Jericho: “Fair point.” Jericho understands what Wayne did last week and teases giving him a kick right back.

They have a lot in common but Jericho asks if Wayne has ever heard of Nick Bockwinkel (of course he has). Jericho was on a show with Bockwinkel at 21 years old and asked Bockwinkel to watch his match. Bockwinkel said Jericho did too much and moved too fast, which had Jericho wondering what the old man could have been thinking. Wayne talks about how he’s been doing this since he was 9 years old and issues the challenge for Grand Slam Paris. Jericho promises to give him a beating and the match is on.

Hyan (who lost to Persephone on Dynamite) has a new tag partner in the form of Thunder Rosa and wants to fight Britt Baker and Persephone.

Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue

Mina Shirakawa and Julia Hart are here too and Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Aminata takes her down without much trouble to start and Blue looks rather frustrated. They trade running forearms with Aminata getting the better of things against, setting up Chocolate Kisses. Blue is sent outside and all four of them get in an argument, allowing Blue to send Aminata into the steps. A suplex off of the steps has Aminata in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Aminata fighting out of a chinlock and connecting with a double stomp. Blue gets in a superkick into a running knee on the ropes but Aminata knocks her right back down. Hart offers a quick distraction though and Blue grabs a rollup for two. The running knee gets two more but Code Blue is blocked. Instead Aminata hits a big headbutt and the running knee in the ropes gets the pin at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This was in fact a match that ran about ten minutes between two people who don’t have anything to do with All Out. I’m assuming they’re going to have a tag match added to the Kickoff Show, which is where a lot of people are just added to the card. This felt like filler, but it was good filler.

Post match the brawl is on again but Thekla runs in, only for Willow Nightingale to join in for the save.

Britt Baker and Persephone are ready to face Hyan and Thunder Rosa in Pittsburgh, which seems to be a bad idea for the latter two.

Pac vs. Ace Austin

Austin backs him up against the ropes to start and Pac doesn’t look happy. They run the ropes with Austin tripping him down and getting in a kick to the back of the head. The fireman’s carry lets Austin get in some squats and Pac is sent outside, with Austin hitting a slingshot dive. Back in and Austin does more squats into a Death Valley Driver as we take a break.

We come back with Austin in trouble for a change but getting a boot up out of the corner. Austin kicks him down again and drops a leg, followed by some rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. A top rope spinning Fameasser gives Austin two but Pac is right back with a release German suplex. Austin gets suplexed hard into the corner and the Black Arrow finishes for Pac at 10:36.

Rating: B. I get why Pac won (as he should have of course) but dang it’s hard to take seeing Austin lose so often. He’s that talented and can make almost anything look good out there but he never wins anything outside of the occasional nothing match. It’s fine that he loses to bigger names, though it would be nice to see him win something a little more important from time to time.

Post match Pac grabs the Brutalizer so the Bang Bang Gang and Dogs run in. The big brawl is on and Pac grabs the Brutalizer again (as you do in a brawl) but Andrade El Idolo runs in to go after Pac to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine. It came at the end of a long night of AEW and the brawl at the end was good. This really would have been better if they had just merged the two shows together as the whole night was really just a big All Out preview. In that sense, it did pretty well and this show was fine at an hour, though stretching it out even longer after a two (plus) hour Dynamite was a bit much.

Results
Don Callis Family b. Outrunners – UFO Splash to Magnum
Queen Aminata b. Skye Blue – Running knee
Pac b. Ace Austin – Black Arrow

 

 

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Ring Of Honor Death Before Dishonor 2026: This Was Great

Death Before Dishonor 2026
Date: August 21, 2026
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a pay per view with some interesting choices on the top of the card. The two main events see Hazuki challenging Athena for the Women’s Title and Bandido defending the World Title against Nick Wayne. That’s certainly a pair of matches to have on top and hopefully they overcome their less than thrilling setups. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Viva Van/Vertvixen vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

Shirakawa blocks a spin from Vertvixen to start and rolls her up for two. Back up and they both miss strikes, meaning it’s time to go chest to chest. Aminata and Van come in to trade the forearms until Aminata’s Chocolate Kisses are reversed into the same thing from Van. That doesn’t do much as Aminata is up for a running knee to the face and everything breaks down.

Van’s rolling kick to the head hits Shirakawa and she gets sent into the wrong corner. A spinning faceplant gets Shirakawa out of trouble and it’s back to Aminata to clean house. The top rope double stomp gets two as everything breaks down. Everyone hits someone else and they’re all down for a bit. Aminata takes Van out on the floor and Shirakawa’s top rope Sling Blade gets the pin on Vertvixen at 10:00.

Rating: C+. This was the third match from Shirakawa and Aminata in four days and it’s about the same as it’s been all three times. The match was pretty much what you would have seen on any given weekly ROH show and that’s all it needs to be on a show like this. Maybe Shirakawa and Aminata wind up doing well together, but please don’t do the stupid “here they are teaming on every single show” thing, as it pretty much never works.

Post match, respect is shown.

Zero Hour: El Phantasmo vs. Adam Brooks

Brooks goes after the arm to start and they’re quickly on the mat for the pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and they do shake hands before striking it out until Phantasmo grabs a rather springboardy hurricanrana. A suplex into the corner gives Phantasmo two but Brooks is back with a basement dropkick for the same. Brooks knees him to the floor for the suicide dive, followed by a Liger Bomb for two.

Phantasmo is right back up with a springboard spinning crossbody into a Lionsault for two more. Brooks’ brainbuster onto the knee gets another near fall and a middle rope Codebreaker gets him even closer. The Swanton hits raised knees though and Phantasmo’s spinning torture rack neckbreaker gives him two of his own. A frog splash finishes Brooks at 8:48.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end and it was one big spot after another. That was a lot of fun and I wanted to see where they were going. Phantasmo has impressed me multiple times in a few different promotions and it’s nice to see him doing this kind of thing here. It’s hard to buy him as a big deal around here long term, but this was fun.

Post match respect is shown.

Zero Hour: AR Fox vs. Soleil vs. Komander

Fox springboards up to take them both down to start and then kicks Komander to the floor. Soleil is only sent to the apron for a running flipping double stomp but Soleil is right back in with a running Meteora to Fox. Komander is back in with a Spanish Fly to Soleil, who is taken down by Fox’s big dive.

Komander runs the corner for a springboard moonsault to Fox but it’s way too early for Cielito Lindo. Fox drops Soleil with a suplex and forearms Komander, who is back with a DDT for two. Komander is caught on top and Soleil suplexes Fox, only to get caught with Cielito Lindo to give Komander the pin at 6:33.

Rating: B-. It was exactly what you would have expected and that means it’s very fun, though it only had so much time to really go anywhere. At the same time, it’s another match just thrown out there that felt like it could have been on any given weekly show. That doesn’t really make this stand out, despite it being rather energetic.

Post match Fox gives Komander a handshake.

Video on the Don Callis Family.

Zero Hour: Don Callis Family vs. Bustah And The Brain

Oliver and Hechicero start things off, with Oliver tripping him down. Cage comes in to take over on Oliver in the corner, only to get clotheslined out to the floor. Back in and Hechicero takes over on Oliver with a snap of the arm, followed by Cage’s slam. That’s broken up and it’s off to Price, who is clotheslined down just as fast. Cage takes him up top but gets caught, allowing Price to hit a super sitout gordbuster. That just earns Price an F5 for two, followed by a toss over the top onto Oliver. The apron superplex into the headscissors driver gives Hechicero the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Huh? Why in the world would you have Bustah And The Brain, who have become one of the hot new teams in ROH, lose here? Ah right: the Don Callis Family, who have to be featured on every single show no matter what. It doesn’t matter that this is the latest thrown together team, because we have to be reminded that ROH is worthless right before we’re asked to pay for their show.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video talks about how a career is defined by moments rather than wins and losses. Oh geez and I thought it was dumb when Summerslam had a similar opening last year.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/The Outrunners vs. Lethal Twist

The Twist is challenging and Magnum starts against Johnson. Magnum shoulders him to the mat and everything breaks down, with the champs quickly clearing the ring. Back in and the Outrunners take over on Johnson, with a knee lift into a belly to back suplex. Lethal comes in and gets taken down with a quick headscissors but Johnson is back in to break up the Mega Powers Elbow.

Magnum gets stomped down in the corner but he manages to send a charging Johnson out to the floor. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Christian gets to hammer on Magnum some more and does the Outrunners spinning pose. It’s back to Lethal for the strut (the fans do not approve) so Magnum knocks him down. Lethal is up to go after Floyd on the apron so Magnum goes over to Castle instead.

House is quickly cleaned with the barrage of suplexes and the Lethal Injection is countered into a German suplex to give Castle two. The Mega Powers Elbow is loaded up again but Christian pulls the belt off of Floyd to really go evil. A frog splash and Hail To The King connects, though Christian slips off the top and kind of legdrops Floyd, with Magnum having to make the save. The Lethal Injection drops Castle and Christian (limping) rolls Magnum up with an assist from Lethal for the pin and the titles at 14:02.

Rating: C+. The win might not be the most thrilling for the live crowd but it’s certainly historic, as Lethal becomes the first wrestler to win all five men’s titles. It was a hot opener as things got going near the end, though it’s still disheartening to see the champions lose. They were so fun and hopefully they get to do something else.

The Kingdom wants La Faccion Ingobernable to team up with them, perhaps with some AI inspired name changes. They’re actually in. And something about cheese.

We recap the Women’s Pure Rules Title match, with Steph de Lander not thinking much of the rules and coming after the title. Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t seem scared.

Women’s Pure Rules Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph de Lander

De Lander is challenging. The fans are split to start and Purrazzo takes her down by the arm for an early stomp. That’s enough for de Lander to burn through her first rope break so she grabs a chair, which is slid right back into her own ribs. De Lander gets in a cheap shot on the floor to take over and side slams Purrazzo for two.

Purrazzo’s side Russian legsweep is blocked with a grab of the rope and that’s actually a second rope break, despite it not breaking anything. Back up and they trade shots to the face, with de Lander getting warned for throwing a punch. Now Purrazzo’s Russian legsweep works and she floats right into the Fujiwara armbar, with de Lander using her last break.

Back up and de Lander is fine enough to pull her off the top for a superplex and the near fall. They trade forearms and the referee is almost bumped, allowing de Lander to hit her in the face again. De Lander plants Purrazzo for two, leaving Purrazzo to use the rope. Purrazzo is right back up with a powerbomb into the Fujiwara armbar, and then the Venus de Milo, to retain at 8:48.

Rating: C+. It was pretty much what you would have expected, as there was no reason to believe that Purrazzo was going to lose. The idea here was that de Lander was in over her head and that was pretty much the case, though I’ll take de Lander being all against the rules than trying to play by them. I’m not sure who is taking the title from Purrazzo, but it almost has to be a unification match, because who else is doing it?

Quick recap of the Women’s TV Title. The four of them have been facing each other in tags so now it’s a four way.

Women’s TV Title: Zayda Steel vs. Skye Blue vs. Marina Shafir vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and Jon Moxley makes a cameo for Shafir’s entrance and sits in on commentary. They trade rollups to start fast until Velvet and Steel dropkick the other two outside. That means Steel and Velvet can fight over armdrags to no avail so they’re quickly on the apron. Steel Codebreakers her back inside for two but Shafir is back in to take over on Velvet.

Back up and Velvet actually pounds her into the corner until Shafir gets in a shot of her own. Blue tries a backslide on Shafir, who is not pleased (likely because Blue is wearing black). Steel is back in to go after Blue so Shafir half crabs Velvet, with Steel making the save. Steel’s tornado DDT plants Shafir and she hits a suicide dive for quite the crash.

Back in and everyone but Shafir goes up in the same corner so it’s a Tower Of Doom to put everyone but Shafir down. That leaves the other three to go after Shafir with running clotheslines in the corner, only for Velvet to be powerbombed onto Blue. Steel makes the save and half crabs Velvet, with Blue making the save this time. Blue uses a belt to break up Shafir’s choke, earning herself a leglock. Velvet frog splashes Shafir for both the save and the pin at 10:53.

Rating: B. This was all action from bell to bell and it’s nice to see that kind of a match. At the same time, pointing out that she’s lapped the field for the title reigns throughout history takes away a bit of her impact. She’s been champion for so long that it doesn’t really mean much anymore so it might be time for her to go after Athena or just go back to the main roster.

We recap the Pure Wrestling Title match. Nigel McGuinness was set for the match but got hurt and is focusing on the AEW Continental Title (fair) so Katsuyori Shibata won a match to get the shot. Fair enough.

Pure Rules Title: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending under Pure Rules. Shockingly they go to the mat and fight over arm control to start, with Shibata taking over for an early near fall. The armbar has Moriarty in some trouble and a kneebar has Moriarty using an early rope break. Moriarty is right back up so Shibata gets a headlock to maintain control.

With that broken up, Shibata offers a handshake and then elbows away in quite the cheap shot. Shibata sends him upside down into the ropes a few times, followed by a Figure Four. Moriarty has to use the rope again, leaving him to fire off some completely ineffectual chops. Instead Moriarty hits a dropkick but hurts his own leg, which is fine enough for a bridging suplex for two. Shibata is back up with a running boot to the apron, where he plants Moriarty with a painful looking DDT.

The Figure Four, with an ankle lock, has Moriarty using his last rope break so Shibata strikes away in the corner. A suplex gives Shibata some near falls so he chops Moriarty in the back, which seems to wake him up. Moriarty knocks him down and tries the Border City Stretch but Shibata reverses into a sleeper. That’s broken up as Moriarty sends him into the ropes and gets one off a dropkick. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Moriarty gets a European Clutch for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was a lot of fun and very good, mainly because Shibata actually made Moriarty sweat. That hasn’t been the case in any title defense over the last few months and it was nice to see for a change. I’m not sure who is taking the title from Moriarty, but it was a heck of a match here.

The Dark Order argues over whether or not Preston Vance should be back in. This is the same thing they did earlier this week.

We get a quick video on the Tag Team Title match.

Tag Team Titles: Sky Team vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Top Flight vs. The Kingdom

Sky Team is defending. The villains jump the champions and Top Flight before the bell and the brawl goes to the floor for the big dives. Back in and the bell actually rings, with Taven getting caught in the wrong corner. Top Flight takes over on Taven as this is already moving in fast forward. Mortos makes the save and continues the alliance with the Kingdom as Darius is in trouble for a change.

A rather dramatic tag brings in Guevara, who is not the most popular with the crowd. Darius cuts him off with a dropkick and a pose so Guevara tags Mistico, much to the fans’ approval. Mistico and Darius wrestle to a standoff so they shake hands and tag off to their respective partners. Dante and Dorada trade kicks and shake hands as well before taking out the invading LFI.

Mortos runs Top Flight over with a double clothesline and Guevara makes Dante DDT Darius. Guevara shooting stars onto the pile at ringside, leaving Mortos to backbreaker Dante for two. The Kingdom is back in with a pop up right hand for two on Dante but we pause for the team to argue with the AI on their phone. That lets Mortos give Dante a good looking pop up Samoan drop for two.

Taven comes in to miss a Lionsault and it’s back to Mistico with a springboard high crossbody. It’s back to Dorada to clean house, with Mistico adding a nice springboard hurricanrana. Mortos plants Dorada for two more so he’s back up with a spinning headscissors to take Mortos down as well. Taven low bridges Dorada to the floor and busts out Flight Of The Conqueror for the big knockdown.

Darius gets dropped on the floor and a Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip hits Dorada for another near fall. Dorada gets quadruple teamed as Riccaboni rants about people being too reliant on AI. Dorada is over for the tag to Guevara, who gets quite the negative reaction again. The villains are sent to the floor for some dives, leaving Top Flight and the champs to trade their own takedowns. Mistico’s super Spanish Fly takes care of Darius to retain the titles at 19:23.

Rating: A-. They were just going nuts out there in this one and that made for a heck of a match. You know Mistico and Dorado are going to show off incredibly well and Top Flight can more than hang with them. That leaves the Kingdom and their AI thing, which is fine, and LFI, who are….well Guevara’s only going to be so interesting. Still though, awesome stuff here.

Post match RPG Vice runs in to go after the champs but a bunch of teams run out for the save. COOL! NOW DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR DIVISION ON THE REGULAR SHOW! STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING WITH IT!

Eddie Kingston is out of the Continental Challenge Cup so we’re having a match to determine his replacement. Therefore, we run down the rules for the ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, because this show isn’t going to be long enough already.

Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Priest

For a spot in the second round of the Continental Challenge Cup. Priest backs him up against the rope to start so Garcia gets in a shove. That’s fine with Priest, who kicks him in the shin in a smart move. Priest goes after the leg and the half crab sends Garcia over to the rope. Garcia isn’t going to stand for that and wraps Priest’s leg around the post to even things up a bit.

Some right hands in the corner have Priest in more trouble but Garcia stops due to being a wrestler, allowing Priest to get in a suplex. Priest’s DDT gives him a breather and they head to the apron, where Priest gets in a dragon screw legwhip onto the rope. A big top rope superplex drops Garcia hard and another dragon screw legwhip has him in more trouble. Garcia is right back with a leglock and steps on Priest’s head, which sends him over to the rope.

Back up and some chops just fire Priest up even more so they trade the forearms, as is required. Garcia’s knee gives out though and Priest drills him with a clothesline. The Figure Four goes onto the bad leg but Garcia turns it over, sending them into an exchange of rolling. They even roll to the floor, with the hold not breaking up.

The hold has to be broken so they can limp back inside to beat the count. They both kick at the leg until Priest gets in a piledriver for two. The half crab has Garcia in more trouble but he slips out and kicks Priest in the knee. Some elbows to the knee set up the Dragontamer to make Priest give up at 16:55.

Rating: B+. Gah I was hoping Priest would win here as he has been on something of a roll. I get why they wouldn’t want to have him go over Garcia to cut off the Death Riders showdown on Collision, but dang it would have been cool to see Priest pull off the upset. Hopefully he gets the chance to do something sooner than later, because he has earned the chance in recent weeks.

Shane Taylor Promotions is rather pleased with Lee Moriarty, who is one of the great fighters of his generation. With the Hurt Syndicate in their pocket, they are unstoppable.

We recap Action Andretti challenging Lio Rush for the TV Title. They were a nothing team, then Rush became a human wolf/dog creature thing (it’s weird) and now it’s a Fight Without Honor.

TV Title: Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti

Rush is defending in a Fight Without Honor, basically meaning a street fight. Therefore, Rush brings out a cart full of weapons and his umbrella hat is wrapped in barbed wire. How festive. Rush, who looks like he’s in Sabu cosplay, goes to the mat to start and Andretti is frustrated early on. They head outside with Rush getting sent into the post but blocking a broom shot.

The broom shots do get through though but Rush takes said broom away for some shots of his own. Back in and Andretti chokes with the broom and does a Sabu finger point. That means Andretti can throw in some more toys, many of which hit Rush on the way in. Rush fights back and whips out an umbrella for a Mary Poppins (and yes the fans chant that) dive onto Andretti.

Naturally it’s table time, which allows Andretti to get in a superkick. Rush is back with a spear through the table for two back inside, so let’s bring in a shovel and some trashcan lids. One of them is pelted at Andretti’s head and Rush puts a chair in the corner over Andretti, and then pelts another chair at the two of them. Andretti of course pops back up to send him into a chair for two, followed by a whip through the chair in the corner to send Rush crashing out to the floor.

Rush (bleeding) goes to the eyes and sets up another table, followed by one heck of a suicide dive over said table. It’s time for a black box (uh oh) and some barbed wire (less uh oh), but Rush would rather load up a door in the corner. Rush pours out a bag of…I think glass, which he uses to carve up Andretti’s head. That being said, at least Rush is nice enough to clean up the mess.

Rush uses a chair to crush Andretti on the table at ringside but Andretti is up to throw the chair at Rush’s face. A trashcan lid goes upside Andretti’s head and the cravate choke goes on….and the lights go out. Hook is in the ring (because we’re redoing the Taz/Sabu staredown in 1995, because ECW is not allowed to die for whatever reasons that I do not want to understand).

Rush clears him out and plants Andretti for two, meaning it’s time to go after the box. Cue Anthony Bowens to stop Rush though and Hook grabs Redrum. Rush is laid on the glass on the table and Andretti hits a springboard 450 for one. Ah yeah I forgot this is a Tony Khan promotion. They slug it out and Rush misses a charge into the barbed wire chair. Lights Camera Action gives Andretti the title at 23:58.

Rating: B-. I was digging the match and then everything fell apart. Ignoring having to sit through yet another ECW moment (Yes I’m aware we’re in their arena. NOW LET THE STUPID THING DIE ALREADY! Good grief has nothing else happened in wrestling in twenty five years?) but ANDRETTI? He’s the most generic of the generic heels so let’s put him over Rush for the sake of the Opps, because Hook hasn’t gotten a chance to get over by association in recent weeks. This was just annoying in large quantities, despite them having a heck of a fight for a good while.

Post match Rush opens the box, finds a black heart, and drinks whatever is inside of it. Black good emerges from his mouth.

We recap the World Title match. Bandido has been champion for a long time and Nick Wayne is getting a title shot for no adequately explained reason. Go.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Nick Wayne vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending. Wayne won’t shake hands and backs Bandido into the corner to start. A waistlock is broken up and Wayne mocks the finger gun pose before they fight over wrist control. They both miss some shots to the face and Bandido does the real gun pose. A dropkick puts Wayne on the floor and Bandido is right there with a dive. Another dive has the same result but Wayne is ready for a third attempt.

Bandido misses a charge into the barricade and Wayne sets up the steps in a manner other than intended. Back in and Wayne rips at the mask before suplexing him into the corner. Naturally Bandido is right back up with the one handed gorilla press into a frog splash for two of his own. A reverse gorilla press into a Shining Wizard knocks Wayne silly again and Bandido backdrops him to the floor.

Bandido gets tied up in the ropes though and that means a Swanton can bring him back down. Back in and a standing Sliced Bread gives Wayne two so he gets cocky (for some reason) and offers his chest for a chop. Instead Bandido kicks away to take over but Wayne grabs a pop up cutter. That earns him a knockdown, only for Wayne to snap off a driver and they’re both down.

They trade shots to the face, then agree to continue the fisticuffs on the apron. Wayne gets tripped down and faceplanted onto the steps to bust him open and they both get a breather. The shooting star press hits raised knees though and they both hit clotheslines to collapse onto each other.

Wayne reverses a powerbomb into a Code Red for two but Bandido kicks him in the head. The 21 Plex is countered into the poisonrana and the ProdigyPlex gets two. Bandido is right back with the X Knee into the 21 Plex for a rather near fall but the referee almost gets dropped. The low blow sets up Wayne’s World and Wayne hits the ProdigyPlex, only for Bandido to reverse into a cradle to retain at 23:49.

Rating: B+. This was presented as a star making performance for Wayne, which it pretty much was. Granted it would have been a lot better if there was any reason to believe that he was going to take the title, which wasn’t going to happen based on the rather non-existent build. That being said, they beat the fire out of each other and I got into it, which is a lot more than I was expecting.

Jon Moxley talks about how injuries can give you an opening. Daniel Garcia now has such an opening and he doesn’t want anything less than Garcia’s best. Garcia wants to know where Claudio Castagnoli is, but he’s ready for Collision. This is all Garcia has but this is a love story instead of a sob story. He loves Castagnoli and he’s going after the title for the love of the game. This didn’t need to be on this show.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Hazuki gave Athena some trouble in a match so it’s time for the match. That’s a good idea, though having this as the main event is quite the stretch, as Hazuki doesn’t feel like a threat at all. Naturally this was built up by not having Hazuki wrestle in ROH whatsoever, basically leaving the build as Athena ranting about Hazuki and beating people up. Nice job ROH.

Women’s Title: Hazuki vs. Athena

Athena is defending and has to avoid a charge to start. Athena is right back up for a standoff and the fans get in their chants. Hazuki knocks her to the floor and Athena is already having a breather. Back in and Athena grabs a headscissor choke before switching to a leglock. That’s broken up and Athena hits her in the face, which doesn’t go well with Hazuki.

Cue the Minions for a distraction, allowing Athena to knock her into the corner. Billie Starkz gets in some choking from the floor with Athena grabbing something like a lifting abdominal stretch. Back up and they lock hands to trade forearms, with Hazuki getting the better of things. Athena is back with a fireman’s carry and they actually go outside, where Hazuki escapes and takes over again.

Hazuki drops her and goes back in, with the Minions throwing Athena inside again, which doesn’t seem to be the best use of lackeys. They’re quickly on the apron, with Hazuki charging into a powerslam for a unique crash. Athena takes her up top but Hazuki is right back with a super crucifix driver for a rather near fall. Hazuki’s pop up hurricanrana drops Athena again and they strike it out, with Hazuki being sent to the apron.

That means a DDT to Athena, followed by a Codebreaker out of the corner for two. Hazuki misses a dive off the top and gets flipped into a Koji Clutch. That’s reversed into a crossface, but Athena escapes to the floor, where she cuts off a dive with a kick to the head. They go up the ramp and Hazuki gets her up for a suplex, followed by a heck of a posting. A top rope backsplash gives Hazuki two back inside so Starkz comes in to deck the referee.

The Minions beat up Hazuki, who escapes a double suplex and sends them outside for a dive. Athena gets in a knockdown for two and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Hazuki is back up with a hanging DDT off the apron and the top rope splash puts Athena through the table. Back in and a brainbuster gives Hazuki two but Athena cutters her over the top. An O Face to the floor sets up another O Face to retain the title at 30:21.

Rating: B+. It was a heck of a match and the ending looked good, but again it just never felt like the title was in jeopardy. Hazuki means nothing in Ring Of Honor (where she hasn’t wrestled since 2019) so this was a rather long path to the only realistic result. Now, it was an excellent match and the two of them beat the fire out of each other, but I never had any drama about the result and that hurt things a bit.

Post match Athena actually shows respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was outstanding, with one of the best ROH shows I’ve seen since the comeback. Nothing on here is anywhere close to bad (some frustrating results, but that’s not the wrestlers’ fault) and some of the matches were outstanding. If you have some drama in the main events, this is even better, especially if you swap the last two matches.

If nothing else though, this showed how utterly useless the weekly show is most of the time. With a better build, this is an AEW level PPV and that’s not something you reach very often. As it is, it’s rather good, and another illustration of how much talent there is around here, which is held down by a bunch of awful presentations and booking choices. Check this out, but skip the pre-show, which just adds time to an already really long show.

Results
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Vertvixen/Viva Van – Top rope Sling Blade to Vertvixen
El Phantasmo b. Adam Brooks – Frog splash
Komander b. AR Fox and Soleil – Cielito Lindo to Soleil
Don Callis Family b. Bustah And The Brain – Headscissors driver to Oliver
Lethal Twist b. Dalton Castle/The Outrunners – Assisted rollup to Magnum
Deonna Purrazzo b. Steph de Lander – Venus de Milo
Red Velvet b. Marina Shafir, Zayda Steel and Skye Blue – Frog splash to Shafir
Lee Moriarty b. Katsuyori Shibata – European Clutch
Sky Team b. La Faccion Ingobernable, The Kingdom and Top Flight – Super Spanish Fly to Darius
Daniel Garcia b. Adam Priest – Dragontamer
Action Andretti b. Lio Rush – Lights Camera Action
Bandido b. Nick Wayne – Cradle
Athena b. Hazuki – O Face

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – August 20, 2026: The One Before The One With Dishonor

Ring Of Honor
Date: August 20, 2026
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the night before Death Before Dishonor and in that case it means we need to have the big final push towards the show. That’s the best case scenario of course though, as you never know what you might get around here. If nothing else, Nick Wayne vs. Bandido could use some more attention so let’s get to it.

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

Dark Order says they have had a hard road but it’s time to move forward. Preston Vance is back on the team, but John Silver isn’t happy with that. Silver brings up all of the things that Vance did, with Evil Uno saying Silver will come around.

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Gia Scott

Non-title Proving Ground match. Riccaboni says that Athena’s 1,350 day reign is the longest in modern wrestling and you have to look back to Bruno Sammartino for a longer reign, which is such nonsense that I don’t even know where to start. Athena doesn’t seem impressed to start and gets kicked in the face to give Scott an early two. That just earns her a beating and the quick curb stomp to give Athena the rather fast pin at 2:53.

Post match Athena keeps up the beating and mocks Hazuki, who doesn’t show up for the save.

Video on Athena vs. Hazuki.

Preston Vance vs. Danny Grandview

Grandview kicks him in the ribs before the bell, earning himself a running boot in the corner. A spinebuster and the discus lariat finish Grandview off at 59 seconds.

Post match the Dark Order (sans John Silver) come out for their match and hug Vance on the way out.

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Hook

Andretti shoves Uno around to start and poses a bit. Some flips have Uno frustrated so it’s off to Reynolds, who gets his eyes raked. Hook comes in and is quickly caught in an abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long either. Hook’s gutwrench suplex sends Reynolds back into the corner but some uppercuts just seem to annoy Reynolds. Said annoyed Reynolds is taken down with pumphandle slam for two and his high crossbody misses for a crash.

Uno finally comes in for the save and Reynolds sends the villains into each other. That’s enough for the tag back to Uno so house can be cleaned, including a brainbuster onto the knee for two on Andretti. Reynolds tries a rollup but gets caught in Redrum, which is broken up thanks to Hook being less than legal. Andretti drops a 450 on the out cold Reynolds for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. The only thing that mattered here was Andretti getting the pin as he needs all of the momentum that he can get on the way to the TV Title shot against Lio Rush. Hook and Andretti as a team feels like a case of “they have nothing else to do”, and the battle of Cru still isn’t the most interesting. Perfectly fine match here and at least it gave Andretti some momentum.

Video on Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush.

Alec Price vs. Daniel Garcia

They actually shake hands to start and Garcia grabs a wristlock, with Price running around for the flipping escape. Garcia sends him outside for a fisherman’s neckbreaker and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back back inside. The running corner clotheslines hit Garcia but Price fights out of the corner for a breather.

Some running knees in the corner have Garcia in trouble but he pulls Price into a choke. That’s broken up rather quickly and they yell at each other before trading right hands. Price gets the better of things and sends him to the floor for the big dive, followed by a springboard Blockbuster for two back inside. Back in and Garcia fires off some chops to set up a choke, setting up a piledriver to pin Price at 8:38.

Rating: C+. This was another basic match and I’m not entirely sure why it was happening. These two are both usually tag wrestlers around here and it’s not like they’re in a feud. It’s also not like they’re challenging for the Tag Team Titles on Friday, or doing anything else on the show for that matter, so this was kind of a weird choice for the show.

Post match we do get another handshake.

Jordan Oliver talks about his history as a team with Nick Wayne, but then Wayne left him on the indies. They’re facing off tonight and it’s more than just a test for Wayne.

Lio Rush vs. Joe Keys

Non-title Proving Ground match. Rush kicks him in the head to start and hits the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and the Stunner into the cravate choke finishes for Rush at 1:09.

Post match Action Andretti runs in to take Rush out. Andretti goes after keys though and gets taken down by Rush, who grabs a barbed wire chair.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners are sick of the Lethal Twists, who are going to melt in their title match.

The Lethal Twist seems to see things differently.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Erica Leigh/Brittany Blake

Aminata backs Blake up against the ropes to start and gets hit in the stomach for her efforts. That earns Blake a side slam and a snap suplex and it’s off to Leigh. A facebuster staggers Shirakawa, who quickly takes the leg out. Aminata gets in the hips to the face and the full nelson with lets, with Blake having to make a save. Blake’s chinlock doesn’t last long Shirakawa comes back in to strike away, with Aminata getting two off a top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and Aminata headbutts Blake into the ropes, with the running knee connecting for the pin on Blake at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This got more interesting at the pin, though I’m not sure what Shirakawa and Aminata are going to do together around here. Maybe it leads to something in AEW, but for now it’s just a pair of women teaming together with nothing else going on. I’ll take more Shirakawa though, as she deserves more than what she’s been getting around here lately.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t scared of Steph de Lander, who doesn’t follow the rules, including the Pure Rules.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph de Lander, which uses audio from the promo we saw 30 seconds earlier.

Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

We do get a handshake to start, with Oliver backing him into the corner to start and suggesting some intelligence. Wayne tries a drop doe and Oliver calmly steps over him as this is getting into the mind games. Back up and Wayne stomps away in the corner, setting up the seated abdominal stretch. Oliver gets up and crossbodies him out of the air, which earns Oliver a suplex into the corner.

They yell and slap at each other until Oliver grabs a sitout gordbuster. Wayne is back up with a poisonrana but his handspring is countered into a bridging German suplex for two. Riccaboni: “Jordan Oliver going move for move with the #1 contender. Shows you how big Jordan Oliver is and can be.” Or how Wayne has no business as #1 contender and was a ridiculous choice. Oliver hits a heck of a superkick in the corner but an Iconoclasm is countered. Wayne kicks him in the head and grabs a fisherman’s buster for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B. This started slowly but them went from zero to sixty out of nowhere, with the last few minutes being good stuff. Wayne still feels like a ridiculous #1 contender and having that waiting for him tomorrow took something away from this match. This could have been a good feud and a grudge match at Death Before Dishonor but instead it’s a weird pit stop.

Post match Wayne loads up a Conchairto but Bandido makes the save.

Video on Bandido vs. Nick Wayne, focusing on Bandido’s really long title reign.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Nigel McGuinness is injured and can’t compete at Death Before Dishonor. He’s still focusing on All In and the Continental Challenge Cup. This has been the “Hey, make sure you remember that Ring Of Honor and it’s titles mean nothing. Wouldn’t want you to think otherwise.” moment of the show.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Pure Rules and the winner gets a Pure Rules Title shot on Friday. They fight over a lockup to start and Shibata uses his first rope break, possibly not on purpose. Shibata pulls him into a Figure Four to even up the rope breaks, followed by Yuta using a second to get out of a sleeper. Naturally Shibata uses the rope to get out of a rollup, leaving them with one left each, so Yuta punches him in the face.

A middle rope elbow gives Yuta one and he hits something like an Angle Slam for twice that much. Back up and Shibata strikes away in the corner and they trade forearms in the corner. Yuta is chased to the ropes for the last break and Shibata suplexes him on the apron. Back in and the sleeper sets up an Octopus on Yuta for the tap at 7:11.

Rating: B-. It’s not the most thrilling result but they were backed into a corner here and this was as good as any other choice they had. Shibata is someone who can have a great technical match against Lee Moriarty and that should be fine. It’s also nice to see Yuta get beaten up so we’ll call that a bonus.

Nick Wayne says that was a message to Bandido.

We look at Zayda Steel and Red Velvet winning a tag match on Tuesday.

Zayda Steel/Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue/Marina Shafir

Tornado Tag. Steel and Velvet charge into the ring to start fast and Velvet kicks Blue down for an early two. A Codebreaker and double suplex get two on Blue but Shafir is back in to take over. Steel is slammed and let’s get a table set up on the floor. Christopher Daniels isn’t having that at all and gets beaten up, only for Steel and Velvet to hit a pair of dives.

Back in and a pair of Thesz presses let the heroines hammer away, with Steel using a kendo stick. Shafir and Blue send Steel into the corner though and some running clotheslines connect. We get an exchange of kicks to the face and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Shafir is knocked onto the apron. Velvet misses a charge though and gets choked, with the two of them crashing through a table. That leaves Blue to knee Steel in the face, setting up Code Blue for the pin on Steel at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This really didn’t need to have any special rules and it’s weird to see them splitting a two match series. That should be setting up a rematch but I don’t particularly need to see them do this again, especially not with an even bigger stipulation. It’s a weird choice for a main event, but at least it was playing off of something else.

Post match the winners get in another beatdown and argue over the Women’s Title Title. As it turns out, a four way for the Women’s TV Title is announced for Friday. Well that’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a mixed bag, but they did focus on the pay per view, with most of the matches getting at least a look. It still had all kinds of things that had nothing to do with Friday and likely won’t mean much going forward, but I’ll take a bit of a good result over nothing. Friday’s show is still likely to be a hot one, but hopefully they have a nice follow up to go along with that.

Results
Athena b. Gia Scott – Curb stomp
Preston Vance b. Danny Grandview – Discus lariat
Daniel Garcia b. Alec Price – Piledriver
Lio Rush b. Joe Keys – Cravate choke
Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa b. Brittany Blake/Erica Leigh – Running knee to Blake
Nick Wayne b. Jordan Oliver – Fisherman’s buster
Katsuyori Shibata b. Wheeler Yuta – Octopus
Skye Blue/Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel/Red Velvet – Code Blue to Steel

 

 

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 – August 6, 2026: In Other Words, Ring Of Honor

Ring Of Honor
Date: August 6, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on Death Before Dishonor with just over two weeks to go before the show. Last week, a few matches were confirmed for the event, including the rather random Bandido vs. Nick Wayne World Title match. There is every chance that we won’t get anything new added this week, as you never can tell what to expect around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena is now the longest reigning champion of the modern era but isn’t getting any kind of respect. She beat the Women’s Champion and the TBS Champion but hasn’t received any flowers. Tonight, she’s beating up Janai Kai to blow off some steam.

Athena vs. Janai Kai

Non-title Proving Ground match. Athena isn’t having any of the wristlocking but she has to run from the threat of some rapid fire kicks. Back in and Kai scores with the running kick in the corner but another kick gets caught in the ropes. That lets Athena kick at the leg and then knock her out to the floor.

The knee gets cranked back and Athena talks trash, as she tends to do. A half crab and ankle lock send Kai over to the rope and she kicks Athena down for a breather. Kai pump kicks her down for two but has to go after Billie Starkz, allowing Athena to get in the curb stomp for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Starkz gets in a belt shot from the floor. The O Face finishes for Athena at 7:42.

Rating: C+. Kai got in some offense here but it never felt like Athena was in any serious danger, as she shouldn’t have been. Instead, Athena got to use her minion to get by Kai and she’ll brag about her latest win. Hazuki is still waiting for her, which should be good, though it would be nice to have something from Hazuki to make it more interesting.

Last night, Brodido and Hangman Page talked about their abilities to speak Spanish. They also weren’t sure about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly thing, with Bandido lifting his mask to prove that he isn’t the ugly one.

Queen Aminata vs. Rachel Ley

Aminata takes her down for the kick to the back and the hips to the head. Back up and they trade some forearms in the corner, where Ley hits a pendulum Meteora. That earns her a headbutt and the fisherman’s neckbreaker, setting up the running knee in the ropes for the pin at at 3:54.

Rating: C. Ley is a former gymnast and got to show off her athleticism here, though that only makes her stand out so much. Aminata gets to run through another name on her way to…well pretty much nothing right now but the match didn’t take up much time. Commentary was certainly putting Aminata over though and that helps a good bit.

We look at the recent actions of Beef and the Premiere Athletes.

Beef vs. Matt Menard

Mark Sterling is here with Beef, who appears to be a full on Athlete now. After a less than trusting handshake, Menard backs him into the corner for a clean break. Beef clotheslines him down and jumps over him for a spank, followed by a bit of a dance. Menard is right back with a spank of his own so Beef gets knocked out to the floor.

Back in and Beef chops away out of the corner before running Menard over for two. Sterling gets in a choke but stops to talk to Beef, allowing Menard to fight up. A running forearm grounds Beef so here are the Premiere Athletes for a cheap shot. The top rope splash finishes for Beef at 7:58.

Rating: C-. That’s kind of a long time for what was at least somewhat a comedy match featuring Beef and the Premiere Athletes. I know they get a bunch of time on these shows and I still don’t quite get why. The story is hardly some top idea, but here it is again after a quick week off.

Post match Beef beats on Menard even more.

Janai Kai wants revenge on Billie Starkz.

RPG Vice vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz

Ortiz shoves Beretta away to start and they slug it out, with Ortiz grabbing a flapjack. Romero comes in to hammer Kingston down in the corner but he’s right back up for an STO/Russian legsweep combination. Ortiz comes back in and is quickly taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Kingston, who stretch plumbs Romero, with Beretta making the save.

Everything breaks down and Beretta’s tornado DDT gets two on Ortiz but he’s fine enough to block the Forever Lariats. Kingston comes back in for a neckbreaker but he gets draped onto the top rope for a kick to the head. Kingston fights up again and hits a double clothesline so Ortiz can drop a top rope splash for two. Back up and Ortiz makes a quick save, allowing Kingston to grab the exploder suplex. A rollup pins Romero at 13:28.

Rating: C+. The match got better near the end and that’s nice to see, though it went on a good bit longer than it needed to go. Kingston and Ortiz continue to be popular, though I’m not sure I get their appeal. They’re just kind of there and it doesn’t help that Ortiz just feels like ROH trying to copy Mike Santana’s success.

Post match RPG Vice jumps them again and lays the winners out. So this keeps going.

Earlier today, Caprice Coleman sat down with the newly Computerized Kingdom. They realized they needed something fresh to get them out of their rut so here they are with artificial intelligence. They completely trust it and hang on as AI says they need to switch which leg is crossed. That’s in addition to the great shirt designs they’re being offered! One more leg switch wraps up the interview. This gave you pretty much the whole explanation for the story thus far and I kind of like it.

Tehuti Miles vs. Dante Casanova

Before the match, Miles brags about his amazingness. Miles jumps him before the bell and knocks Casanova out to the floor, where Miles gets crotched on the barricade. Back in and a crossbody gives Casanova two but Miles gets in a knockdown of his own. A slap to the face wakes Casanova up but Miles knocks him right back into the ropes. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Casanova powers out, only to get dropped with a nice dropkick. Casanova’s comeback doesn’t work again as Miles superkicks him for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Casanova got in some offense here and looked ok in the process, but this was more about showcasing Miles. That went well enough, with Miles getting to show off his athleticism. I’m not sure what’s next for him, but putting him in another stable like Shane Taylor Promotions is only going to get so far.

Post match Miles officially joins Shane Taylor Promotions. Well that was quick.

Action Andretti vs. LJ Cleary

Andretti flips over Cleary to start and knocks him into the corner for some early stomping. A handspring elbow gives Andretti two but he misses a charge, allowing Cleary to stomp him in the back. Andretti’s Falcon Arrow gets two more and he plants Cleary with a super Spanish Fly. The cutter choke finishes for Andretti at 4:29.

Rating: C. This was a squash for Andretti and it means we’re likely on the way to Andretti vs. Lio Rush at Death Before Dishonor. That’s not the most thrilling match as Cru wasn’t exactly a top level team but it’s better than nothing. The match wasn’t exactly the point, as it was mainly about Andretti using Rush’s choke for the win, which makes perfect sense.

Mance Warner wants to give RPG Vice the violence, with Eddie Kingston and Ortiz being in as well. Kingston isn’t happy with being dropped on his head so find a third man.

Brandon Cutler/Teri Yaki/Jay Lucas vs. The Colons/Serpentico

Serpentico and Cutler start things off with Serpentico picking up the pace but getting taken to the mat. Cutler kicks him away so it’s off to Eddie to give Cutler a suplex. Yaki comes in to take over on Orlando, including jumping over Cutler for an elbow. The chinlock keeps Orlando in trouble and it’s back to Cutler for the same thing. Orlando gets up and sends Cutler outside, allowing the tag back to Eddie as everything breaks down. The bad guys are cleared out and it’s a Backstabber to pin Yaki at 6:49.

Rating: C. I still have no idea why the Colons are a thing around here. They feel like relics of the past and it’s not like they’re doing anything impressive in the ring. They’re perfectly fine as a filler team, but that isn’t the best thing to see on a show like this, which is already so full of filler. Just find someone else for this spot or let the show be a bit shorter.

Mark Sterling has his own action figure but Dalton Castle and the Outrunners want to beat him up. Both the figure and the real Sterling.

Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor headlocks Solo to start before it’s off to Madden to throw Solo down. Comoroto comes in and lines up the football pose, only for Mansoor to come back in instead. Madden breaks up Comoroto’s skinning the cat before hitting Comoroto in the face with the hips. The assisted abdominal stretch goes on, with Solo coming over for the save.

Solo gets the tag to clean house until we get the Comoroto vs. Madden three point standoff. Comoroto skins the cat and slams Madden before strutting into an elbow for two. A suplex into Solo’s top rope double stomp gives Solo two but it’s a Centerfold to put Solo away at 9:34.

Rating: B-. They actually got rocking there near the end and it wound up being an exciting match. Comoroto got a nice showcase here and it was cool to see him doing something other than losing in short order. At the same time, this was another match that went on for a good while on a show with a lot of that taking place. They might have stood out more if they had the chance but that wasn’t happening here.

Post match the Collection mocks Jacksonville and want the ultimate accessory.

Action Andretti wants the TV Title from Lio Rush. The lights go out and Rush’s laugh is heard, with Andretti not being scared.

Women’s TV Title: Isla Dawn vs. Red Velvet

Dawn is challenging and jumps her from behind to start fast. Some slams put Velvet down but she kicks her way to freedom and stomps away in the corner. Dawn is back with some right hands and a suplex before getting in her own corner choke. The reverse chinlock is broken up with a jawbreaker but Dawn is right back to stomp her in the corner again. Dawn knocks her outside for a change, including throwing Velvet into various hard objects.

Velvet is able to send her into the steps right back though, with a stomp making it worse for Dawn. Back in and a standing moonsault gives Velvet two but Dawn’s wheelbarrow suplex gets the same. Dawn goes up and gets Iconoclasmed back down so she snaps off a Saito suplex. The Shining Wizard gives Dawn two and she picks her up for a powerslam, only to be rolled up for the pin to retain Velvet’s title at 12:26.

Rating: B-. This went pretty well, with the two of them trading one big move after another in the end. Dawn continues to be one of the more underrated stars around here and I’m glad to see her getting a chance to do something like this. Velvet’s title reign has kind of stalled as she’s a champion but not really doing anything, as is so often the case around here.

Griff Garrison/Lethal Twist vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners/Adam Priest

The brawl starts before the bell and Lethal gets punched down for a quick near fall. Magnum saves Castle from getting whipped into the corner but the bad guys take out the other three to take over. Garrison drops a knee for two on Castle and Johnson comes in to stomp away in the corner. Castle clotheslines his way over to the corner so Priest can get the tag to clean house. Garrison is right back with a torture rack powerbomb for two as everything breaks down again. Preston Vance clotheslines Garrison by mistake though and Priest gets a rollup for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. And, again, it’s fine. Just like almost everything else on the show, the match is nothing memorable whatsoever and doesn’t really change much, but somehow, this is the main event. Nothing about this match makes it feel more important than the rest of the card and that’s been a problem around here for a very long time now.

Post match Garrison lays out Vance and apparently he’s out of the team. The Dark Order runs in for the save. We get the big reunion and Vance seems to be back on the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. That’s your weekly two hour plus edition of Ring Of Honor, giving us a third straight day of AEW stars going that long in a row. As usual around here, there was a bit of storyline progression and A LOT of filler that felt like it was just there to get people in the ring. It’s a bad sign when you could cut out about half of the show and not miss much and that’s the situation they were in here. In other words, it’s Ring Of Honor.

Results
Athena b. Janai Kai – O Face
Queen Aminata b. Rachel Ley – Running knee in the ropes
Beef b. Matt Menard – Top rope splash
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. RPG Vice – Rollup to Romero
Tehuti Miles b. Dante Casanova – Superkick
The Colons/Serpentico b. Brandon Cutler/Teri Yaki/Jay Lucas – Backstabber to Yaki
MxM Collection b. Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo – Centerfold to Solo
Red Velvet b. Isla Dawn – Rollup
Dalton Castle/Outrunners/Adam Priest b. Griff Garrison/Lethal Twist – Rollup to Garrison

 

 

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 – July 28, 2026: More From Them. And Him. (Includes Full Show)

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 28, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Just in case you hadn’t had enough Ring Of Honor lately, we have a bonus show before Friday’s regular show! Wait wait, don’t tell me. The Premiere Athletes will be in action here! Plus something about teams trying to get in position for a shot at the Tag Team Titles. That’s the kind of cutting edge stuff that has put Ring Of Honor in the place it is in today. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Maya World winning the TBS Title at Redemption.

Maya World vs. Janai Kai

Non-title. There are no entrances for obvious reasons but commentary says that this was signed before World won the title. So they’re really still trying to avoid saying that it’s taped in advance? The show for the most hardcore fans of the promotion designed for the smart fans? Anyway, Kai grabs a waistlock to start but gets sunset flipped for two.

World sweeps the leg out and hits a slingshot hilo, earning herself some leg trips. Back up and the tabletop suplex gives World two (so Kai is tougher than Hikaru Shida) but Kai catches her going up top. That earns her a powerbomb out of the corner and a Shining Wizard finishes Kai at 6:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a squash but it was a basic, easy enough win for World. She’s certainly on the rise in both promotions and that’s great to see, as she has come a long way in pretty much every area. Nice opener here, with the star who got a big win on Sunday getting a showcase here.

We look at Mike Bailey winning the ladder match to become #1 contender to the International Title.

Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

Angels takes him down by the arm to start but Wayne is back up with a shove and some spitting. That earns Wayne a running chop in the corner so he knocks Angels right back down. Back up and Angels superkicks him out of the air, only to have him come back with an Alabama Slam. They trade rollups for two each until Wayne’s handspring elbow is countered into a dragon suplex. Angels’ springboard moonsault gets superkicked out of the air, followed by a kick to the head to pin Angels at 8:03.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match with the two of them getting to trade comebacks until Wayne knocked him silly. At the same time, this was a match that got some time despite neither of them having much of anything going on. It’s a good example of a match that feels like it’s there to have people in the ring without any particular reason.

Action Andretti/The Opps vs. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen

There’s your weird team of the week. Hook knocks Hale down to start and then pounds away in the corner, allowing Andretti to come in with a top rope clothesline. Steve comes in and gets beaten up by Bowens, including a pop up Fameasser. Andretti hits an Asai moonsault and Bowens armbars Robert for the tap at 2:50.

Isla Dawn vs. Erica Leigh

Dawn has won her one match here and Riccaboni says she is hoping to turn it into a winning streak. Why? One win can get you a title shot around here. Dawn kicks away at the leg to start and stomps Leigh down in the corner. Back up and Leigh hits some running clotheslines in the corner but Dawn is back with a suplex. The Meteora gets two and Dawn grabs a dragon sleeper in the ropes. Leigh’s comeback is countered with a Backstabber into the dragon sleeper to make Leigh tap at 3:43.

Rating: C. This was much more in the squash territory and it was nice to see Dawn getting in there and destroying someone. Dawn has something to her and I could go for having her become one of the regulars in the division. If Maya World is on her way to the main roster full time, there is a spot open for someone and Dawn is a good option.

Post match Dawn grabs the sleeper again and Leigh is left laying.

Adam Priest vs. Kiran Grey

Grey isn’t having anything involving running shoulders so Priest goes with the right hands in the corner. Grey fights back and strikes away but gets knocked down with an uppercut. A legsweep takes Priest down and Grey chokes in the corner. Priest is right back with a running neckbreaker before slamming Grey’s knee onto the mat. Another takedown by the leg sets up a half crab to make Grey tap at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Grey is an interesting situation as he has the creepy/brooding persona but he never wins and tapped out in about six minutes. That’s not exactly the best way to go for him and it didn’t do him much good here. Priest continues to be fine in this spot, though I’m not sure I can imagine him going much higher than this level.

Isla Dawn says she’s going to keep winning until she wins gold so she wants a shot at Red Velvet.

Griff Garrison vs. Aaron Solo

Garrison forearms away to start but Solo is up with a running hurricanrana. With Garrison trying to walk off, Solo runs up to cut that off but Garrison hot shots him back inside. Some right hands have Solo in more trouble until he fights up with some running forearms. A torture rack powerbomb gives Garrison two, as does Solo’s top rope double stomp. Back up and Garrison hits a running spinning….we’ll say headbutt for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. Garrison is another person who has nothing going on at the moment and that has been the case for him for a long time now. At least he won a match here so maybe they’ve got something up for him. Solo is still the usual jobber to the stars and that’s about it, but there are far worse options for that spot.

Video on Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Spanish Announce Project

Angelico and Moriarty trade wrist control to start so it’s off to Serpentico. The Promotions send him to the apron though and Taylor gets in the big legdrop. Taylor gets in his usual big shots on the floor but Serpentico kicks him in the head. Angelico comes back in to clean house and hands it right back to Serpentico for two off a Swanton. Moriarty is back up with the butterfly Side Effect to pin Serpentico at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Well, at least it helped boost things up a bit for Angelico vs. Moriarty. That’s better than saying “Angelico almost beat him about two years ago” so I’ll take something over having absolutely nothing to set up the match. It’s still only so interesting, but after years of “and then this person gets a title shot”, it’s an improvement.

Red Velvet is ready for Isla Dawn.

Premiere Athletes/Swirl vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle/Orange Cassidy

I WAS KIDDING ABOUT THE ATHLETES! And of course they’re headlining the show! The villains jump Magnum to start, with Nese doing some pushups. Floyd comes in off a tag behind Nese’s back and the Outrunners take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Cassidy’s single right hand gets two but Magnum gets caught in the wrong corner for the triple teaming.

Moriarty hammers away but Magnum is right back up for the tag off to Castle. Everything breaks down and the Swirl takes over on Castle and Magnum, only for Castle to suplex them down at the same time. Cassidy’s double hurricanrana takes them out as well and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Floyd gets in his string of slams but Mark Sterling breaks up the Orange Punch. Everyone but the Athletes and Cassidy brawl to the back, with Daivari forearming Nese down by mistake. The Orange Punch finishes Nese off at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Cassidy was just there to add in some star power and to avoid the Six Man Champions from having to face another three man team. In theory this was designed to get Castle and the Outrunners their win back after their completely necessary loss on Collision. That only works so well when none of them were around in the end, but this was just your usual eight man tag from ROH anyway.

Cassidy is left alone to end the show. As in the Ring Of Honor show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be its own special, but at least it did set some things up, including Moriarty vs. Angelico and Dawn vs. Velvet. At the same time, there was a lot of stuff here that felt like content for the sake of content. As usual, it feels like ROH Dark, which is a fine enough idea, but it’s not something that really works when it’s also used to build things up. But if we try to figure out how things are working around here, we’ll be here far too long. Not a bad show, and it did push some stories forward, which is always appreciated.

Results
Maya World b. Janai Kai – Shining Wizard
Nick Wayne b. Alan Angels – Kick to the head
Action Andretti/The Opps b. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen – Armbar to Robert
Isla Dawn b. Erica Leigh – Dragon sleeper
Adam Priest b. Kiran Grey – Half crab
Griff Garrison b. Aaron Solo – Running spinning headbutt
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Spanish Announce Project – Butterfly Side Effect to Serpentico

 

 

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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AEW Collision – July 25, 2026: No Other Options

Collision
Date: July 25, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

It’s the night before Redemption and that means we have one final push to get us ready for the pay per view. It isn’t feeling like the most important card and hopefully this show helps us get the whole thing set. That could have a few different results and we do have some titles on the line this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zachary Wentz

Ciampa knees him off the apron before the bell but stops to yell at Wight, who isn’t having that. Wentz gets in a shot of his own and sends Ciampa inside for a whip into the corner. The big flip dive takes Ciampa down on the ramp but he gets the knees up to cut off a Swanton. A handspring knee gets Wentz out of trouble and he strikes away before grabbing a German suplex. Wentz’s Blockbuster gets two and he fires off the kicks away to put Ciampa down. Ciampa is fine enough to knee Wentz out of the air for two and the Willow’s Bell drops him onto the ramp. Back to back running knees finish Wentz off at 6:55.

Rating: B-. As usual, any member of the Rascalz is capable of working with almost anyone else and Ciampa is more than qualified. It made for an interesting match and Wentz got in some offense before losing in the end. This was basically a way to set up Ciampa on the way to his showdown with Jericho tomorrow and the good thing is they didn’t spend too long and make Ciampa seem like he was having major trouble.

Post match Ciampa says he’s better than Chris Jericho and, after drawing some lines on his face, says the Psycho Killer is better than the Painmaker.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the ladder match in his hometown at Redemption.

Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Matt catches Yuta with a running spinwheel kick to start and the Bucks take them both down without much trouble. The right hands in the corner are broken up but the Bucks are back with a backbreaker/top rope double stomp combination. The rolling northern lights suplexes have the Riders down but they strike away at Nick to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of trouble but he gets caught in a catapulted wheelbarrow suplex for two. Matt’s standing Sliced Bread gets him out of trouble though and it’s back to Nick with the double high crossbody. Yuta gets Backstabbered out of the corner as Moxley praises the Bucks’ athleticism. Yuta kicks away but gets dropped by some superkicks. More Death Riders run in for the beatdown on the Bucks so here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage to cut them off. The slingshot X Factor to Garcia sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B. They built up a few matches at once here, with Moxley praising the Bucks before their match and the Tag Team Titles getting a moment as well. I’ll take that over extended sequences throughout the night and as usual, the Bucks had their fun match. It’s hardly the most structured classic, but it works well enough for a spot like this.

Post match here is Will Ospreay for a distraction, allowing Moxley to lay the Bucks out.

Bandido and Kyle Fletcher got in a fight at Comic Con.

Persephone vs Angelica Risk

Non-title. They talk trash to each other to start and Persephone knocks her into the corner. The Razor’s Edge finishes Risk off at 1:27.

Athena and the Minions are ready to take out the Brawling Birds, though Billie Starkz is a bit lost.

Lethal Twist vs. Skyflight

Ricochet and Jeff Jarrett are both on commentary. Sydal and Lethal start things off with Lethal getting in a strut but walking into a hurricanrana. Sky comes in to send Johnson into a jumping knee from Darius. Everything breaks down and the Twist are triple dropkicked to the floor for a triple dive as we take an early break. We come back with Sky in the Tree Of Woe and getting stomped down. Lethal starts in on the leg as Jarrett shifts us into a chat about Redemption. Sky fights up and brings Dante in to fight back, including an enziguri to Johnson. Everything breaks down and they trade knockdowns until Ricochet offers a distraction. The top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Dante at 8:46.

Rating: B-. It’s another fast paced and entertaining match though the idea of the Demand feuding with Skyflight is about as much of a downgrade as you can get. Skyflight has some talented wrestlers but they’re about as much of a losing team as you can get. That can change, but as of right now, it isn’t exactly working all that well for them.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Nick Wayne vs. AR Fox

Wayne jumps him from behind to start and stomps away but Fox fights back without much trouble. A neckbreaker is rolled through into a suplex to drop Fox though and they’re out to the floor. Fox fights back but gets sent into the steps for quite the crash as we take a pretty early break.

We come back with Fox grabbing an anarchist suplex on the floor before heading back inside. A Swanton gives Fox two but Wayne rolls him up for the same. They go up top, where Wayne’s super Sliced Bread gets another near fall. A kick to the head and a Falcon Arrow finish Fox off at 11:51.

Rating: B-. Fox has grown on me quite a bit week after week and I’m hoping that he gets a chance to do something better in the future. He can work with anyone and still make it exciting, though he is also stuck in the midcard loop. I’m not sure if Wayne is that much of a better option to go over here but he’s a more successful name at the moment.

After Dynamite, Darby Allin freaked out about how he didn’t go far enough with Kevin Knight. So how far is Knight willing to go now?

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle

The Conglomeration is defending and the ROH Six Man Titles aren’t on the line, because for some reason we’re getting champions vs. champions. Magnum shoves Cassidy down to start before running him over with a shoulder. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way handshake into a six way brawl as we take a break.

We come back with the Outrunners ax handling Cassidy off the apron, leaving Castle to get double chopped down. Back in and Cassidy’s elbow hits Castle so Strong picks Cassidy up and swings him around. It’s back to Floyd (wearing his belt of course) to clean house and the Mega Powers Elbow gets two on Cassidy. Castle is back in and gets DDTed by Cassidy, who sits down on a sunset flip to pin Floyd and retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. And there was no one to take this loss other than the ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions? I get that they’re the minor league but it’s always felt dumb to have the top ROH names treated as losers and then ask me to be interested in what they do. The company has so many wrestlers on the roster and they didn’t have a better choice than this? Really?

Post match the Demand (hey, there’s a team who could have challenged for the titles) and the Lethal Twist (same) run in for the beatdown, with Jeff Jarrett coming off commentary for the save.

Jack Perry wants the World Title but he’s ready to come after the International Title. Nick Wayne comes in to say he’ll be winning instead. Perry tells him to make the most of his chance.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Lio Rush vs. El Clon

Rush’s ROH TV Title isn’t on the line. Rush runs the ropes to start and bites Clon’s chopping hand. A clothesline drops Clon for two but he’s back up with some running shots in the corner. We take a break and come back with Rush running into a backbreaker to cut him off again. Rush kicks him to the floor and hits the weird suicide dive, setting up a springboard Stunner for two. Clon knees him in the face so Rush tries a rollup, only to have Clon reverse into one of his own and grab the rope for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. I….why? How in the world is this the best use of the ROH TV Champion? Rush has gotten one of the weirdest gimmicks in wrestling over and here he’s putting over El Clon in a qualifying match for a ladder match that Clon has no realistic chance of winning? How is this the best option that they had given all of the people they have around here? Throw any non-champion out there and it’s the exact same result.

Post match Clon stays on Rush but Mike Bailey runs in for the save. Komander comes in as well and has a staredown with Bailey.

Video on Kevin Knight vs. Kenny Omega.

Redemption rundown.

The Bang Bang Gang is ready to take out the Dogs.

Maya World/Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla/Hikaru Shida

Shida swings away at World to start and everything breaks down with the four way brawl on the floor. Back in and Shida and Thekla hammer away in the corners, which is quickly reverses for a double ram to send them together. We take a break and come back with Nightingale grabbing a spinebuster for two, with Thekla making the save. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two and everything breaks down again. Nightingale sends Shida outside but misses the running flip dive off the apron. Thekla grabs her belt but the referee takes it away, leaving Thekla to spear World for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. With that result, I’m hoping that World wins the title, as otherwise she’s continuing to look like a loser, despite how much success she has had as of late. This was a quick way to build two matches at once and that’s often a good idea. It wasn’t exactly great, but I’ll take this over some quick promos that don’t say much.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was the last push towards Redemption and it left the pay per view in about the same place: an event that should be perfectly good, if not better than good, but it doesn’t feel overly important. This week had some completely acceptable wrestling and it worked well enough, though it’s not really a show you need to see. And I’d hope the fourteen regular ROH viewers will be annoyed at some of the results, as they should be, as it’s such an instance of stubbing your own toe for no real reason. Anyway, nice enough show here, but Redemption is going to have a rocky path.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Zachary Wentz – Running knee
Young Bucks b. Death Riders – Meltzer Driver to Garcia
Persephone b. Angelica Risk – Razor’s Edge
Lethal Twist b. Skyflight – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Dante
Nick Wayne b. AR Fox – Falcon Arrow
Conglomeration b. Outrunners/Dalton Castle – Rollup to Floyd
El Clon b. Lio Rush – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Thekla/Hikaru Shida b. Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Spear to World

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – July 21, 2026 (Bonus Show): Who Would Buy This?

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 21, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Well, since the last two weeks of shows going over two hours each wasn’t enough, it’s time to have the special bonus show. We tend to get one of these on the weeks of AEW PPVs because…somehow this is supposed to get more people watching. Maybe do something other than having the same stuff Ring Of Honor always does? Let’s get to it.

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

Matt Sydal is officially in Skyflight but Shane Taylor comes in to say the team’s potential has a shelf life. Maybe Top Flight could join Shane Taylor Promotions. The two of them laugh him off.

Opening sequence.

Death Riders vs. Dark Order

Yuta and Reynolds start things off with the latter taking him down. Uno comes in to help slug away and Reynolds sends Yuta outside. That lets Yuta get in a choke from the apron, which has commentary surprised and Reynolds in trouble. A bridging German suplex gets two, with Uno having to make the save.

Uno comes in to clean house but stops to pose, allowing Reynolds to come back in rather quickly (or as “rather quickly” as you can get about six minutes into a match). Reynolds is sent outside though and the Riders fire off corner clotheslines. An STO/running knee combination finishes Uno at 7:04.

Rating: C+. The Riders being on the show almost feels like a given these days but it is nice to have them as a regular team. It’s fine to have them beat up a team like the Dark Order won are hardly important and it does make the show feel a bit more important. This was perfectly fine as a way to get the show going.

Redemption rundown.

Alan Angels vs. Komander

Angels grabs a double underhook to start but Komander slips out of…whatever it was going to be. Komander sends him outside but the rope run misses as Angels runs back inside. Angels hammers away to take over, with a half nelson suplex getting two. Back up and Komander flips away to dropkick Angels to the floor, where a big flip dive connects. Angels slips away again though and powerbombs him out of the corner for two. That doesn’t last long as Komander gets in a dropkick on top, setting up a super hurricanrana. Cielito Lindo finishes Angels at 4:04.

Rating: C+. Well, Angels popped back up, picked on AR Fox and lost to him and now he’s lost to Komander. That feels pretty on par for a returning star, as you have to lose a bunch to do pretty much anything else. As usual, Komander is a nice choice if you can’t get the bigger lucha stars and he filled that role well here.

Nick Comoroto vs. Zachary Wentz

Wentz strikes away to start but flips into a jumping Death Valley Driver. A backbreaker has Wentz in more trouble but he comes back with a springboard Codebreaker. Wentz jumps up top for a spinning cutter for the pin at 3:04. Well that was quick.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the point was in having this match on the card, but that’s the case with a few of them. Wentz is a good high flier, though he tends to do his best stuff as part of the team. On the other hand you have Comoroto, who looks great and has not done a single thing of note since he came to AEW/ROH. That’s not his fault, but you would think someone who looks like that would at least get a chance of some kind.

Swirl/Premiere Athletes vs. Outrunners/Bustah And The Brain

Magnum slugs away to start fast and gets in a headscissors to Johnson. Everything breaks down and the double Styles Clash is broken up though and Price is sent into the wrong corner. The villains get to take turns stomping away but Price avoids a 450. That and a shot to the face are enough for Floyd to come back in for the string of slams.

A belly to back drops Daivari but Christian is up with a 450. The Sky Splitter knocks Christian down though and it’s a double Mega Powers Elbow to Daivari. Everything breaks down and the Outrunners hit their big ax handles from the apron. The double Styles Clash finishes Daivari at 8:04.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure I get the point in taking the tag team that is 2/3 of the Six Man Champions and putting them in eight man tags without their partner. In theory it’s to give Castle’s back as much rest as possible as he’s more brace than man at this point, but did we really need the Athletes here? Of course not, but THE PREMIERE ATHLETES MUST BE ON EVERY ROH SHOW EVER! WHY? BECAUSE!

Post match Jay Lethal runs in for the belt shot but Dalton Castle makes the save.

Maya World vs. Tiara James

James hits a running shoulder to start but gets headlock takeovered for her efforts. World loads up something out of the corner but James is back up with a neckbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long and World knocks her off the ropes. That means a middle rope moonsault can get two, only for James to come back with a sitout spinebuster for the same. World is right back up with the spinning faceplant for the win at 5:25.

Rating: C. World is on her way to a TBS Title shot on Sunday and I would love to see her win the thing. Otherwise, she is getting further and further cemented in that midcard quagmire that so many of the other women are stuck in and that’s not good. She’s talented, the fans are into her and she’s at the highest point of her career. Maybe let her win something?

The Kingdom praises….artificial intelligence? They’re now the computerized Kingdom. Ok then.

The Opps vs. LSG/GKM/Max St. Giovanni

Hook headlock and then spinning drop toeholds GKM to start. Bowens comes in for the forearms to the back of the head and it’s off to LSG. That means the comeback is on for what must have been a good three seconds before Bowens gives him the jumping Fameasser.

Bowens is actually sent into the corner for an enziguri but that’s shrugged off as well. Shibata comes in for a single underhook suplex but GKM gets two off a quick rollup. Bowens isn’t having that and gets a Kimura on GKM, with a triple submission giving the Opps the win at 5:52.

Rating: C. Hokey smoke I am sick of the Opps. The team feels so utterly lost at this point and there is nothing that makes me want to see them. Even with Samoa Joe, they were the lowest of the low stables around here and this new lineup isn’t making it any better. Just get rid of the team already and find something else to fail at making Hook a star.

AEW National Title: Mark Davis vs. Dezmond Xavier

Xavier is challenging and gets shouldered down to start fast. A headscissors sends Davis into the corner though and Xavier is right back with a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Davis shoves him into the corner, setting up a half crab in the ropes of all things. An Oklahoma Stampede drops Xavier for two more and we’re off to the chinlock. Xavier gets up and strikes away in the corner but misses his 450. Davis’ big running clothesline gets two so he hits another, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a tacked on title defense with Xavier being little more than a slight speed bump on the way to Davis facing Andrade El Idolo at Redemption. At least it felt somewhat more important than the rest of the show and it did get fairly decent during its time. Davis has come a long way and it’s great to see that kind of development.

Overall Rating: C-. This was your big commercial for Ring Of Honor? A collection of cold midcard matches which could have been deleted scenes from the latest “GEEZ WHY DID YOU BUY A RING OF HONOR DVD” DVD? It’s another case of way too much being filmed and this show not being necessary in the slightest, but I’m sure we’ll get a regular two hour show this week, because Ring Of Honor is pure content for the sake of content and nothing more. As usual, the wrestling is perfectly acceptable, but it was the usual no effort from a show structure standpoint, with an AEW title match headlining, because ROH titles mean nothing.

Results
Death Riders b. Dark Order – STO/running knee combination to Uno
Komander b. Alan Angels – Cielito Lindo
Zachary Wentz b. Nick Comoroto – Spinning middle rope cutter
Outrunners/Bustah And The Brain b. Swirl/Premiere Athletes – Double Styles Clash to Daivari
Maya World b. Tiara James – Spinning faceplant
Opps b. LSG/Max St. Giovanni/GKM – Triple submission
Mark Davis b. Dezmond Xavier – Piledriver

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – July 16, 2026: The Same Old Problems

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 16, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that should be a big deal around here. Granted we do have another Bandido loss to get through first, but it’s not like another is going to make a difference after all of his other AEW PPV losses. Other than that, we might be seeing some more with the Tag Team Titles after their rather long hiatus. Let’s get to it.

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

Lio Rush is still weird with his title.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Beef/Premiere Athletes

Beef and the Athletes are challenging. Magnum and Nese start things off and of course it’s time to pose. Magnum’s headscissors takes Nese down and it’s off to Castle for a double splash. Floyd comes in and Beef’s clotheslines don’t do much to him so Beef grabs the armbar. Nese gets in a cheap shot from the apron and Daivari gets to stomp away, followed by a neckbreaker for two.

We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by Beef’s side slam for two more. Magnum backdrops his way out of trouble and it’s back to Floyd for a bunch of slams. Beef’s crossbody cuts him off for two and we hit the chinlock, only for Magnum to get up with a clothesline. Castle comes back in to clean house but the triple elbow is broken up. Daivari shoulders Nese by mistake though and it’s the Mega Powers Elbow and fist drop combination to retain the titles at 11:07.

Rating: C+. Even if Beef and the Athletes were just a quick set of challengers, what matters here is they had a title match. Castle and the Outrunners are fine as champions as they are the entertaining act who can win for a good while without being boring. Beef and the Athletes are a quick set of opponents and now the Athletes can yell at Beef a bit more, which works fine as the Athletes apparently have to be on every show.

Post match the champs are glad to have won but a mention of the Lethal Twist upsets Castle’s tummy. Either way, the champs are ready for them.

Angelico vs. Tim Bosby

Angelico wrestles him down by the arm to start but Bosby, who looks to be an amateur star, goes to the rope for the break. A spinning slam drops Angelico and a release belly to belly gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Angelico back up to strike away, including a kick to the head from the mat. The leglock makes Bosby tap at 3:15.

Rating: C. Much like the Premiere Athletes, Angelico is someone who has to be on almost every show and it gets a bit tedious. He’s completely fine but he doesn’t exactly add much and when the show goes long, this is the kind of match that just feels like it stretched things out. It would help if Angelico had done ANYTHING important in forever but that just hasn’t been the case.

We look at Bandido’s recent wins and tease of him going after the International Title.

Main Man Oro vs. Mark Davidson

Feeling out process to start with Davidson grabbing a flying mare to take Oro down early. Back up and Oro scores with a rolling kick to the head before taking the leg out. A t-bone suplex puts Davidson down for two more but he’s back up with a rolling cutter for two of his own. Oro gives him the running kick in the corner though and a leg trap suplex finishes Davidson at 5:01.

Rating: C+. Oro has popped up a few times around here and he continues to feel like someone else who just occasionally wrestles here. That’s about all there is to say about him as there are so many wrestlers kind of floating around without getting to do much. As usual, do something with these people and it might matter, but until then, they’re simply more names on a long list of filler.

The Kingdom vs. Workhorsemen

Taven and Henry trade wristlocks to start until Henry snaps off a spinwheel kick. Bennett comes in and can’t get the Proton Pack, instead settling with a clothesline for two. It’s off to Drake to chop away before Henry twists Bennett’s neck a bit. Drake’s belly to belly drops Ciampa again but the Vader Bomb misses.

That’s enough for the tag back to Taven to clean house with the kicks to the face. A pop up right hand gets two on Henry but he reverses a suplex into a quick brainbuster. Drake and Bennett chop it out, to the point where Drake has to put the straps back up for extra protection. Taven is sent outside and a Skysplitter of all things gets two on Bennett. Drake and Bennett strike it out again until Taven rolls Drake up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. Another perfectly good match between two teams who don’t feel like they’re doing a thing around here. The Workhorsemen are the designated jobbers of the division and the Kingdom disappeared for several more weeks. I do like having the Kingdom back for a bit as they have the credentials to back it up, but the Workhorsemen are another team I could use a break from seeing for a good while.

AR Fox is upset over his title loss but Alan Angels comes in to mock him. Angels yells at him for never being there for him and a match is made.

AR Fox vs. Alan Angels

They trade rollups for two each to start and Angels hides in the ropes. Fox spins out of a wristlock into one of his own but Angels snaps off a hurricanrana. Back up and Fox strike away to get a breather, setting up a leg lariat to knock Angels back down. A Stunner out of the corner and the anarchist suplex give Fox two more but Angels moonsaults him out of the corner for two of his own.

Angels chops away some more and catches him in the corner for a double stomp to the back on the apron. Fox is able to give him a hanging DDT, setting up the running flipping double stomp. Back in and Fox pulls him into a cutter for two more, followed by a Swanton for another near fall. Fox misses a 450 and gets kicked in the head to give Angels two. Angel’s Wings is broken up though and Fox grabs Lo Mein Pain to the 450 for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: B-. As usual, Fox is capable of doing a bunch of things in the ring and looks so smooth out there while doing a rather unique style. At the same time, I’m not sure how interesting it was to have him facing a student who has been mad at him for what must have been a good thirty five seconds before the entrances started. I guess this was the way to get Fox back on his feet after his title loss and I can go with having him around more often.

We go to Arena Mexico for a CMLL match.

Tag Team Titles: Sky Team vs. Los Hermanos Chavez

Los Hermanos (Angel de Plata/Angel de Oro, whose NJPW Strong Tag Team Titles and CMLL Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line) are challenging and we get a quick ceremony honoring them for being in the ring for twenty years. Mistico and Oro start things off and look so much alike that commentary has to explain the way to tell them apart.

Mistico’s headscissors takes Oro down and Sky Team send them outside for the suicide dives. Back in and Mistico gets kicked out to the floor, with Dorada being sent out next to him. Mistico gets a running start though and is tossed into a hurricanrana to send Plata to the floor. Dorada does the same to Oro and it’s a pair of corkscrew dives to take the challengers down again.

We settle back down to Dorada clearing both of them out, setting up Mistico to get in some hurricanranas for the same. Back in and Mistico’s Code Red gets two on Oro, with Plata breaking it up for two of his own. A Michinoku Driver plants Dorada for two, with Mistico making a save of his own. Everything breaks down again and stereo springboard hurricanranas get two on Los Hermanos. Plata and Mistico strike it out until Dorada snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor. La Mistica makes Oro tap at 13:55.

Rating: B. It was another entertaining match from Sky Team, though I’m hoping that this is just wrapping up their stuff from the CMLL shows and we get back to ROH for some regular title defenses. I absolutely get the idea of having something like this once in awhile, but we’ve kind of covered it for the time being. Otherwise, Guevara and Mortos could have kept the titles.

We get a sitdown interview with Sammy Guevara, who brags about being in everyone’s head. Guevara is like water because he can adapt to anything but some people don’t like water. He has been a success around the world but some people still won’t show him respect. Guevara is happy with how he has been a role model for his daughter (who he loves) and wants the World Title in another arm to hold alongside her. That’s a nice thought.

Bustah And The Brain vs. MxM Collection

After a hug off, Oliver and Mansoor start things off. Oliver takes him down by Mansoor is up to strike a pose, allowing Mason to come in with a running hip attack to the face. Oliver is back up with something close to a Pounce and Price comes in. That means a double clothesline to put Oliver and Price down, meaning Mansoor gets to drop Oliver with a forearm. Mansoor stomps away and Mason gets in some choking, followed by a tie in the Tree Of Woe.

Oliver slips out without much trouble though and it’s back to Price to pick up the pace. Price whips out a brush covered in hair to tease going after Mansoor, freaking him out in the process. With that blocked, it’s a double running boot in the corner but a double Styles clash is broken up. Price grabs a pop up Stunner to Madden and uses him for a tornado DDT to Mansoor. Back up and Mansoor gets dropkicked out of the air, setting up the double Styles Clash for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: B-. Bustah And The Brain have grown on me a lot since their start around here and it’s good to see them having some success. If the titles are actually around, I’d love to see them getting their chance at them. That might not be happening anytime soon, but at least they’re getting in the ring and not overstaying their welcome.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Brandon Cutler

Cutler works on a headlock to start so Xavier spins out, only to get crushed with a backsplash. Back up and Cutler springboards into an armdrag to put Xavier down again. Xavier is fine enough to dropkick him outside for a suicide dive but a 450 misses back inside. Cutler pops up to the top back inside for a hurricanrana but Xavier knocks him back into the corner. The tornado DDT gives Xavier two, only for Cutler to grab a cutter. The Shining Wizard gives Cutler two more but Xavier catches him with a Cardiac Kick for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Xavier getting a singles push isn’t a bad idea but he’s in the middle of the incredibly crowded midcard. I’m not sure if this was enough to really make him stand out but that’s the case for a lot of people around here. The match was completely fine and did in fact remind me that Cutler is in fact still around.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington/Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Bravo flips Ortiz off to start fast and they run the ropes for a crisscross. Ortiz puts him down and the good guys start taking turns on the arm. It’s off to Taylor, who blocks a double drop toehold but gets taken down with a middle rope bulldog. Priest gets taken down though and the Promotions take over on him, with a quadruple teaming on the floor making it worse.

Back in and the Promotions start taking turns on Priest, with Taylor hitting a heck of a clothesline. Dean adds his Bronco Buster but Priest fights up and brings Kingston in to clean house. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns until Priest is the only one close to standing. Bravo gets in a huge dive to the floor and it’s Priest left alone with Dean back inside. Dean goes to pick him up but gets small packaged for the pin at 12:31.

Rating: B-. This had some nice action as the Promotions have some talented stars. As has been the case with far too many people on this show though, they’re around so often that it stops making much of an impact. At the same time, I’m not sure why you would tease having Tehuti Miles join them last week and then have them lose here. Either way, not a bad match at all.

Athena/Billie Starkz vs. Lacey Lane/Viva Van

Diamante is here with Athena and Starkz. Van and Starkz start things off with the former hitting a nice rolling kick to the head. A high crossbody puts Starkz down again but Diamante offers a distraction, allowing Athena to get in a boot of her own. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on but Van enziguris her way to freedom.

That’s not enough for the tag though as Starkz breaks it up and drops a Swanton. Van fights back again and brings in Lane to start the comeback. A springboard spinning legdrop gives Lane two but Starkz gives her a Backstabber. Van comes back in for a double armdrag and dropkick but Athena knocks her down without much trouble. The curb stomp finishes Van at 7:23.

Rating: C. Athena is right back where she was before, which has literally been the case for years now. Hopefully it doesn’t continue the seemingly never ending tease of Starkz being the one to get the title off of her, but there are some options out there to get the spot instead. For now, though, Van and Lane have another loss but are fine for a low level women’s team.

Post match Athena wrecks Van a bit more.

TV Title: Lee Johnson vs. Lio Rush

Rush is defending but Johnson steals the title before the match, which feels like a rather dumb idea. That earns him a quick takedown, followed by a bunch of chest scratches. What looks like a BFT is escaped and Johnson bails to the floor, allowing him to chop away. Naturally this makes Rush laugh and he strikes away to start his comeback.

A snapmare lets Johnson kick him in the chest, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Back up and Rush hits a quick spear, followed by a Stunner for the 1998 special. Rush knocks him to the floor for the suicide dive, setting up a Jackhammer (ok I was kidding about the 1998 thing) for two more. Back up and Johnson backflips over him out of the corner, setting up a reverse DDT for two of his own.

A half snapdragon just wakes Rush up for the spinning kick to the head, with the springboard Stunner getting two more. Rush loads him up for something…but seems to start hearing voices. He goes outside to look for something and gets caught by Johnson’s big running flip dive. Back in and Johnson misses something off the top, allowing Rush to grab the cutter into the cutter choke to retain at 13:06.

Rating: B-. Rush does indeed deserve credit for everything he has gotten out of this, as there was no reason to believe that it was going to work and then it is coming off pretty well. He’s certainly dedicated to the thing so points for trying this hard. The fans are into him too so this is about as much as you can ask for here.

Overall Rating: C. Oh goodness no. This was every issue that the old Ring Of Honors had, as we had 11 matches and a bunch of people clogging up the show. The wrestling was fine, but it was a horrible presentation because there was too much going on. As usual, Ring Of Honor goes with the idea of quantity over all things and it made for a rather bad show. The wrestling worked and the people are doing what they can, but this could have been three if not four different shows. That’s way too much, as it’s ok to either not put so many people on every show or just not film it all. You know, just for a change.

Results
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Beef/Premiere Athletes – Mega Powers Elbow/fist drop combination to Beef
Angelico b. Tim Bosby – Leglock
Main Man Oro b. Mark Davidson – Leg trap suplex
The Kingdom b. Workhorsemen – Rollup to Drake with feet on the ropes
AR Fox b. Alan Angels – 450
Sky Team b. Los Hermanos Chavez – La Mistica to Oro
Bustah And The Brain b. MxM Collection – Double Styles Clash to Mansoor
Dezmond Xavier b. Brandon Cutler – Cardiac Kick
Adam Priest/Tommy Billington/Ortiz/Eddie Kingston b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Rollup to Dean
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Lacey Lane/Via Van – Curb stomp to Van
Lio Rush b. Lee Johnson – Cutter choke

 

 

 

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