Ring Of Honor
Date: August 8, 2024
Location: Esports Arena Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in Texas and the big story coming out of last week is Sammy Guevara showing up to join the other Texans because we all love Texas around here. Odds are we get some fallout from that this week as we build towards pretty much nothing for the foreseeable future. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara

Fallout from last week’s show closing angle. Guevara drops Silver down to start and it’s off to Dustin for a clothesline to send Reynolds outside. Everything breaks down and Guevara’s teased dive turns into a break dance into a pose. Dustin does the same and the fans are rather pleased. We settle down to Dustin getting caught in the wrong corner but he manages the powerslam, only to bang up his knee in the process. Dustin and Reynolds head outside, where Evil Uno gets in a cheap shot to give Reynolds a quick two.

Silver’s DDT on the knee gets two and the knee is wrapped around the middle rope. The Order takes turns working on the knee, including a half crab from Silver. That’s broken up and Dustin low bridges Reynolds outside, allowing the tag off to Guevara to pick up the pace. Back to back dives take out the Order but a superkick into a bridging German suplex gives Silver two. Guevara and Reynolds trade knees to the face until a DDT drops Guevara for two. Everything breaks down and Dustin’s knee is fine enough for the Canadian Destroyer. The GTH finishes Silver at 12:01.

Rating: C+. This was a completely by the book tag match and that’s perfectly fine. Dustin and Guevara fill in the Texas quota for the night while the Order has been around for so long that they’re kind of packaged into the whole thing. Hopefully this wraps up the feud though, as there isn’t much left for them (or the Von Erichs) to do here.

We look at the Women’s Title matches at Death Before Dishonor.

Athena is sick of Billie Starkz’s disappointments. Starkz’s MIT degree is revoked and she is officially Minion #400,237 ¾ in training again. Queen Aminata and Red Velvet come in and say it’s a tag match tonight because Athena and Starkz aren’t ducking them anymore. They JUST SHOWED a clip of the four of them in a pair of title matches from two weeks ago! How have Athena and Starkz been ducking them???

Taya Valkyrie vs. Hyan

Johnny TV, looking like he just finished a match, is here with Taya, who isn’t overly interested in the pre-match handshake. Hyan forearms her into the ropes to start and gets caught with a running elbow in the corner for her efforts. Taya knocks her down and cranks away on both arms before hitting a spear. Shania Pain finishes for Taya at 2:38.

Griff Garrison and Maria (minus Cole Karter) are cut off by the Spanish Announce Project. They want one more match for Serpentico’s mask, with Serpentico putting his mask on the line. This has to be it for this feud right? It has to be.

Tag Team Titles: Infantry vs. Kingdom

The Infantry, with Trish Adora, is challenging and it’s a brawl at the bell. The Kingdom tries to bail up the aisle but get pulled back to keep the brawl going at ringside. Bravo throws Taven inside to start properly and a double fist drop gets two. Bennett comes in and gets chinlocked down, followed by an armdrag into an armbar on Taven. A cheap shot from Bennett lets Taven grab a suplex and the villains take over. Bennett’s pop up right hand gets two and a Russian legsweep gives Taven the same.

Bravo fights out of a chinlock but gets dropped for two, with a grab of the rope being necessary. Back up and the diving tag brings in Dean to clean house. A frog splash gets two on Taven with Bennett making the save. The Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip gets two with Bravo making the save. The spike piledriver is broken up but so is Boot Camp. Bennett’s low blow sets up the spike piledriver to finish Dean and retain at 11:46.

Rating: B-. These teams have enough chemistry but that’s the second loss from the Infantry to the Kingdom. Normally I would say that it’s enough to end their feud but it isn’t like the tag division has that much depth. The Kingdom is more likely to lose the titles to an AEW team, as that is where they wind up spending most of their time in the first place.

Rachael Ellering vs. Brooke Havok

Ellering goes after the arm to start and powers her way out of a headlock. That’s enough for a standoff before Ellering runs her over, only to get tripped down so Havok can pose. Back up and Ellering fires off some chops in the corner but Havok takes her down and hits a basement dropkick. A neckbreaker gives Havok two but the Boss Woman Slam finishes for Ellering at 4:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one here but Ellering matches are always going to b at least decent. That was the case again here, with Ellering needing to get a boost as she is still getting established around here. Havok was smooth enough out there and could be a nice choice for a spot like this going forward.

Respect is shown post match.

Lee Moriarty wants to face Action Andretti again and will put the Pure Rules Title on the line.

Outrunners vs. Stephen Wolf/Barrett Brown

Erica Leigh is here with the Outrunners, who shake hands with each other to start. Magnum chops the heck out of Brown in the corner to start and it’s off to Floyd to stay on the arm. An elbow drop sets up more posing and a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Wolf at 2:19.

Robbie Eagles vs. Darian Bengston

Eagles cranks away on the arm to start but Bengston takes him down and does some basketball poses. Back up and a spinwheel kick drops Bengston and a rather slow spinning toehold is broken up. Bengston’s forearms are broken up and Eagles kicks him in the leg. A 450 onto the leg sets up…something kind of leglock called the Ron Miller Special for the win at 5:21.

Rating: C+. Eagles is a star over in New Japan and looked good here, though it was little more than a squash with Bengston not being able to get very far. I could go for more of Eagles around here as the show could desperately use some more star power, but this might just be a cameo from an international star. That leglock certainly looked cool if nothing else.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling and Ariya Daivari are here with Nese. For some reason Nese tries to chop away to start and gets knocked into the corner for his efforts. Nese’s forearms don’t get him anywhere so they head outside, where Nese manages to get in a quick dive for a knockdown.

Back in and Ishii fights out of a chinlock but gets caught in the Randy Savage jumping neck snap over the top. Ishii snaps off a belly to back suplex for two, followed by one heck of a clothesline for the same. Sterling is dealt with and the brainbuster is enough to finish for Ishii at 8:23.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to have Ishii on the show and since the Premiere Athletes are the designated jobbers in AEW and ROH at the moment, the result wasn’t quite in doubt. Ishii can still do well enough, but like many others either here or in AEW, a lot of the special feeling goes away when he’s around so often. At least this one was a singles match instead of another big tag though.

Rachael Ellering is glad to be back after her injuries. Harley Cameron interrupts and seems happy to meet Ellering, who doesn’t seem impressed.

Johnny TV vs. Fuego del Sol

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV, who gets armdragged and dropkicked to start. TV knocks him down but it’s way too early for Starship Pain, allowing TV to hit a hard knee out to the floor. The flipping neckbreaker keeps del Sol down and we hit the chinlock back inside. A spinning knee to the face gives TV two and we’re back to the chinlock.

Del Sol fights out and hits an enziguri, setting up some running dropkicks in the corner. TV is back with a seatbelt for two, followed by a jumping kick to the head op top. Del Sol is fine enough to crotch him on top for a double stomp but TV easily gets in a knockdown of his own. Starship Pain finishes del Sol at 6:22.

Rating: C+. The del Sol push comes to a halt here and that isn’t the biggest surprise. Del Sol coming back was a nice surprise and it was nice to see TV actually get a win for once. At some point his status is going to fall with all of the losses so changing the results up a bit is not a bad idea.

Red Velvet/Queen Aminata vs. Athena/Billie Starkz

Both teams have matching gear, which is impressive for a match that wasn’t set when the show started. Starkz and Aminata start things off with Aminata taking her to the mat in a front facelock. It’s quickly off to Athena, who gets hammered down into the corner. Athena fights out and starts in on Aminata’s arm, setting up a Codebreaker for two. Starkz slams the bad arm into the mat a few times and, with Velvet being drawn in, some double stomping ensues.

Aminata fights up and gets over to Velvet, who tornado DDTs Athena for a fast two. A Codebreaker/German suplex combination sets up a running knee to give Aminata two. Back up and it’s off to Athena, who fires off superkicks to stagger Aminata and Velvet. A fall away slam/Samoan drop (at the same time) sends them flying again and Athena knocks Aminata silly with the big right hand. Velvet takes Athena down and hits the Mix on Starks but Athena makes the save. Aminata won’t let Athena use the microphone but Starkz gets in a belt shot for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: B-. The ending is a nice way to get Starkz back in Athena’s good graces, which she is going to need after losing last moth, which is not something Athena will like. The cheating is certainly an Athena way to go as well and it should set up a potential title rematch. At the same time, I could go for seeing some fresh challengers to either title, though I’m not sure that is going to take place for a good while.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was fine enough, and as usual, after about an hour and forty five minutes of decent/mediocre wrestling, I’m not overly interested in most of what I’m seeing around here. The World Title still might as well not exist most of the time and we’re back to the same Tag Team Title match that we saw over Wrestlemania Weekend.

The Women’s Titles are still in the same stories they’ve been in for a few months now, making this show feel like it is running a treadmill while being lost at the same time. As usual, it’s not a bad show, but an hour and forty five minutes of this stuff wears out its welcome very fast.

Results
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara b. Dark Order – GTH to Silver
Taya Valkyrie b. Hyan – Shania Pain
Kingdom b. Infantry – Spike piledriver
Rachael Ellering b. Brooke Havok – Boss Woman Slam
Outrunners b. Stephen Wolf/Barrett Brown – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Wolf
Robbie Eagles b. Darian Bengston – Ron Miller Special
Tomohiro Ishii b. Tony Nese – Brainbuster
Johnny TV b. Fuego del Sol – Starship Pain
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Queen Aminata/Red Velvet – Belt shot to Velvet

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Rampage
Date: July 12, 2024
Location: Landers Center, Southaven, Mississippi
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re on the way to All In and coming off the huge turn on Dynamite as Mariah May destroyed Toni Storm. That almost has to be addressed this week but you never know what you’re going to see around here. I do like the kind of random feeling to the show as you get some fresh matches, which should be the case again this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Premiere Athletes vs. Kings Of The Black Throne

Black and Daivari start things off with the threat of a kick sending Daivari bailing into the corner. Nese comes in and gets elbowed down, allowing King to come in and glare a lot. For some reason Nese goes to the beard and is quickly chopped down as the beating picks up. King’s backsplash gets two but Josh Woods low bridges him to the floor, allowing a big flip dive to put King down.

We take a break and come back with King fighting out of the corner and slamming Nese down for a needed breather. Black comes back in to strike away, setting up a springboard moonsault for two on Nese. Woods tries to interfere again but gets taken down, only for the distraction to let Nese break Mark Sterling’s clipboard over Black’s head. The 450 hits Black (meaning the knees crush his ribs), leaving King to crossbody Sterling. Black brainbusters Nese, who catches him on top, only for the 450 to hit raised knees. The End finishes Nese at 9:56.

Rating: C. It picked up a bit at the end but it’s quite the stretch to suggest that the Kings took almost ten minutes to beat the Premiere Athletes. The team has been little more then the whipping boys around here but for some reason the Kings have trouble beating them? It wasn’t exactly a great match either, with some spots missing and the whole thing being kind of a mess.

Roderick Strong vs. Ben Bishop

The Conglomeration is on commentary and the Kingdom is here with Strong. The rather tall Bishop shoves him outside to start, where the Kingdom gives him a pep talk. That talk seems to include suggesting a running knee to put Bishop down back inside. The jumping knee finishes for Strong at 1:17.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to burn everything down and create the age of the virtuosa.

Rey Fenix vs. Angelico vs. Komander vs. AR Fox

Komander and Fenix work on the arms to start and Angelico is sent outside rather quickly. Fox sends Fenix outside for a running dropkick through the ropes but Angelico is back in for the save. Angelico’s spinning kick to the head gets two and it’s back to Fenix vs. Komander for the slugout. Fenix connects with the rope walk kick and we take a break.

Back with Angelico pulling Fenix out of the air and tying up his leg and arm for some cranking. Komander breaks that up with the rope walk moonsault but Fenix dives in for his own save. Everybody but Angelico goes up on the same corner, with Komander moonsaulting down onto Angelico. That leaves Fenix to knock Fox down and frog splash him for two, setting up a double armbar for the win at 10:29.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen a dozen times. You know what you’re going to get from this kind of a match and the question becomes just how many big spots they can fit in. Fenix is by far the biggest star of the match and it’s fine to see him get the win, but it would be nice if it felt like it actually meant something.

We look at Chris Jericho injuring Samoa Joe with a forklift.

Jericho says this is what happens if you don’t listen to the Learning Tree.

Thunder Rosa vs. Rachael Ellering

Ellering throws her around to start but Rosa is right back with a running dropkick. Rosa ties up the arm and elbows away before hitting a running dropkick against the ropes. Ellering gets two off a rollup but Rosa ties her up in a seated cobra clutch for the win at 3:28.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for Rosa here, even against a bigger name like Ellering. That’s a bit strange to see, but it isn’t like Ellering has meant much around here in a long time. Hopefully Rosa is done with Deonna Purrazzo and needs someone new to face, but we’ll have to see who that is.

Post match Deonna Purrazzo runs in the cheap shot on Rosa. Why does this feud need to continue?

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Moriarty full nelsons Darius to start but gets reversed into a headlock as they start fast. A dropkick puts Moriarty down so it’s off to Ogogo vs. Dante. Some arm cranking has Ogogo in trouble and Andretti comes in to stay on the arm. Ogogo powers him into the corner for the tag to Taylor, who is hurricanranaed out to the floor. The dive is broken up though and we take a break.

Back with Dante fighting out of the corner and managing a middle rope DDT to put Taylor down. Darius comes in to pick up the pace and it’s Andretti adding a dropkick into Darius’ German suplex for two on Moriarty. Taylor comes back in with a hard clothesline and Moriarty adds his suplex Downward Spiral. Andretti manages to fireman’s carry Taylor, which is broken up, allowing Taylor to hit a running knee for the pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. Another good, fast paced match here with the villains winning to wrap up the show. Much like the four way though, it’s really hard to believe that this is going to lead to anything for the Promotions. It should finish up the mini feud with Top Flight/Andretti so it’s better than nothing, but it doesn’t exactly feel like the most important match.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the kind of frustrating show that you get a bit too often, as the wrestling was completely fine, but it could not have felt less important. What was the big story here? Rosa vs. Purrazzo continuing? One low level trio beats another? I need a lot more than that from an hour of national television, but that’s what you get far too often around here. Not a bad show by any means and you wouldn’t waste your time watching it, but there was nothing important here in the slightest.

Results
Kings Of The Black Throne b. Premiere Athletes – The End to Nese
Roderick Strong b. Ben Bishop – Jumping knee
Rey Fenix b. AR Fox, Komander and Angelico – Double armbar to Fox
Thunder Rosa b. Rachael Ellering – Seated cobra clutch
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Running knee to Andretti

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 16, 2024
Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re up in Canada this week and that means we could be in for something…well as interesting as it gets around here. With more than two months from Death Before Dishonor, it could be a long time before we get to anything important with this show. Maybe we could get some decent action out of it though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming on this show.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mentallo

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Mentallo wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Fletcher jumps him to start and fires off the chops in the corner. Some stomps set up a delayed suplex but Mentallo is back with a running dropkick to the knee. Fletcher is sent outside for a moonsault, setting up a top rope Fameasser for two back inside. The palm strike in the corner is cut off with a boot to the face and Fletcher hits a brainbuster for two. They trade kicks to the face until Fletcher grabs the piledriver for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C+. So Fletcher loses over and over on Dynamite to bigger names, then needs to work to beat someone who means nothing around here. I’m not sure why he couldn’t have a dominant win here, but he could use a few of them after a not so great stretch of results. There’s nothing wrong with moving Fletcher up the ladder, but maybe not have your champion take so many losses?

Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal vs. Dark Order

Oh yeah Lethal and company are a thing. Lethal and Uno slug it out to start and neither can get very far. Therefore we’ll go to Singh vs. Silver, the latter of whom barely comes up to his chest. Silver puts his hand up for a test of strength, with said hand only reaching Singh’s shoulder. Singh drops him with a single shot and hands it off to Lethal for a running crotch attack against the ropes into a Fargo strut. Uno knocks Lethal off the top and Silver tries to choke Singh, who chokeslams Uno anyway. Lethal actually has to make the save, setting up the Lethal Injection to finish Uno at 4:46.

Rating: C. As weird as it is to see Singh in ROH (or in a match at this point), it was nice to have something resembling star power around here. Lethal isn’t a top name in AEW, but he’s someone who has nothing else going on so putting him out there for about five minutes in ROH is a good idea. While it wasn’t a particularly good match, I’ll take a match between some midcard names over another squash.

Jacked Jameson and the Iron Savages are tired of being stepping stones and are ready to become road blocks. Shouldn’t they want to be something other than something that stands still?

Anna Jay vs. Tara Zep

Zep powers her into the corner to start but Jay is back with a suplex for a quick two. Jay chokes away on the ropes and hits a Gory Bomb, only to pull Zep up. The Queenslayer finishes Zep at 2:09.

Skye Blue vs. Rachael Ellering

Blue grabs a headlock to start but gets powered away without much trouble. Ellering hits a hard shoulder into a gutwrench suplex but the running backsplash hits raised knees. A handspring elbow is cut off by an Ellering clothesline and a running elbow puts Blue down again. Ellering’s scoop brainbuster gets two and now the backsplash can connect. They trade rollups for two each and Ellering hits a pop up powerbomb for two more. Blue is back up with a quick Code Blue for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. The action was fine but this was the match that became infamous last week due to the horrible person (he’s not a fan) at ringside. Whatever he said was edited out here as he wasn’t noticeable at all, though there were a few odd camera cuts in places. I’d be curious to see how much of the match was trimmed, but the less he has to be heard, the better.

Angelico and Serpentico say they’ve been in a nightmare for months and can’t wake up. They’ve had to deal with Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Maria Kanellis and it’s about to get uglier. Does it have to? It can’t just be over instead?

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Levi Knight/Jon Cruz

Knight is rather retro and gets kicked in the ribs by Darius to start. Cruz comes in and takes his jacket off but trips on the ropes, with Andretti not being overly impressed. Knight comes back in and gets elbowed out to the floor in a hurry. With commentary making as many Knight/Night music puns as they can manage, Knight gets in a quick shot to take over on Darius.

A backbreaker gives Knight two and Cruz hammers away as well, with Andretti having to make a save. Cruz grabs the chinlock with a knee in the back but Darius hits a Pele Kick out of the corner. That’s enough for Andretti to come back in as everything breaks down. Andretti hits a slingshot dive to the floor and a double superkick drops Knight. Cruz is sent to the floor and a double swinging slam finishes Knight at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match with the kind of regular team beating a makeshift team. Knight got your attention by looking a bit odd and sometimes that’s enough to get you through something like this. Any combination of Andretti/Top Flight works, though they need to win something of value at some point.

Kingdom vs. London Lightning/Jason Geiger

Another non-title Proving Ground match and the spotlights during the Kingdom’s entrance show off a lot of fans cosplaying as empty seats. Lightning and Bennett start things off with Lightning moving around rather quickly. Taven comes in and can’t catch Geiger, who grabs a quick spinebuster with Bennett having to make the save.

Taven chokes in the corner and says that’s how your mom stretches, which is kind of a weird insult. It’s back to Bennett for the Death Valley Driver and Just The Tip gives Taven two. Lightning gets over to Geiger as everything breaks down, with Lightning being sent outside. Rockstar Supernova puts Geiger down for the count at 5:05.

Rating: C. If only the Undisputed Kingdom hadn’t been treated as such losers, the Kingdom could be a rather useful team. They work well together and have a history of success, but for some reason they’re stuck with worthless titles and get beaten by any serious competition. Lightning continues to do well when he’s out there so it’s no surprise that he’s one of the resident Canadian jobbers.

Athena vs. Nicole Matthews

Non-title Proving Ground match and Matthews is something of a mainstay of independent wrestling. The fans certainly seem to know Matthews and that is already helping a bit. They go to the mat to start with Matthews working on a hammerlock. Athena reverses into a gator roll but gets sent outside as she can’t do much with Matthews early on. With nothing else working, Athena trips her down and scores with a big right hand as commentary talks about Matthews’ career history.

A running forearm in the corner rocks Matthews again and Athena even throws in a bit of a dance. Matthews escapes a neck crank and gets a few near falls, followed by some clotheslines. A northern lights suplex gives Matthews two but Athena hits her in the face. Matthews gets baseball slided to the floor and the O Face gives Athena the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. The name value of Matthews helped a good bit here, as the fans seemed to remember her and wanted to see her have a chance. While I get not having her go over Athena or even make the time limit, it was nice to see something of a tease. Athena seems likely to be facing Queen Aminata next so giving her a nice win helps, with Matthews being able to give her just enough of a challenge.

Post match Athena puts her in the crossface but Queen Aminata makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring Of Honor is in such a weird spot, as this is the kind of show that makes for a perfectly watchable show week to week. The problem is that the champions and the bigger names are treated as such losers on AEW shows that it’s hard to get behind them here. I’d want to see more of these people in action, but seeing them lose all the time on AEW TV brings them right back down. Notice that Athena, who never loses anywhere and is almost never on AEW TV, is the biggest star on this show. That’s not a coincidence, but that isn’t stopping AEW from running most of the ROH names into the ground.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Mentallo – Piledriver
Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh b. Dark Order – Lethal Injection to Uno
Anna Jay b. Tara Zep – Queenslayer
Skye Blue b. Rachael Ellering – Code Blue
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Levi Knight/Jon Cruz – Double swinging slam to Knight
Kingdom b. London Lightning/Jason Geiger – Rockstar Supernova to Geiger
Athena b. Nicole Matthews – O Face

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

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AND

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 9, 2024
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back with another show in Daily’s Place and that should make for a fun atmosphere. Last week’s show looked great with the sunset over the ring but what made the show work so well was how short and focused it was for a change. It kept the show from being bogged down and it would be nice to see that happen again. Let’s get to it.

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

The Undisputed Kingdom isn’t pleased with Angelo Parker and Matt suggesting that they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles. They’re even referred to as Melvins, before Mike Bennett says he prays that Parker is a better dad than he is a wrestler.

We run down the card.

Taya Valkyrie/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch/Lady Frost/Abadon

Valkyrie and Frost start things off with Frost snapping off a headscissors and handing it off to Abadon. It’s quickly off to Diamante, who gets elbowed in the face, meaning Martinez gets a chance instead. Martinez slugs away for a fast two but Abadon bites her way to freedom and hands it of to Hirsch as the fast tags continue.

A quick cheap shot from the apron lets the villains take over on Hirsch, setting up Taya’s running knees in the corner. Hirsch is sat on top but manages a quick spinning German suplex for freedom. The rolling tag brings in Frost to clean house as everything breaks down. Abadon hits a flip dive on the floor, leaving Frost to go up. That takes too long though and it’s a sunset bomb to give Diamante the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six person tag as it lets you have a bunch of options for combinations and keeps things fresh. That’s what we got here and it made for a nice match. The villains winning is a bit of a surprise, but Diamante getting a bit of momentum isn’t a bad idea at all.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Zicky Dice

Shane Taylor is here with Ogogo. Dice grabs a headlock to start and is knocked down just as fast. Ogogo kicks him in the head and hits a big right hand for the knockout at 1:43.

Post match Ogogo talks about how awesome he is and lists off his boxing accomplishments.

Rachael Ellering smells desperation in the air and thinks it could go somewhere. Maria Kanellis comes in to mock Ellering for her losses. Maria realizes women’s wrestling doesn’t sell tickets but Ellering doesn’t sell anything.

Kiera Hogan vs. Ashley D’Amboise

Hogan takes her down to start but runs into a powerslam for two. A suplex lets D’Amboise dance a bit but she misses a charge into the corner and gets rolled up for another near fall. Hogan hits a middle rope dropkick and a baseball slide in the corner gets two. Some kicks to the chest set up Face The Music to finish D’Amboise for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C. Pretty basic match here with Hogan getting a win over someone who got in some offense. Hogan has managed to stay a bit above the middle of the pack but she’s still not up to the higher level. Granted that isn’t going to change if she keeps losing every big match she has, which is quite the big problem.

Nick Comoroto praises Jacoby Watts, who comes in to ask us to join him in his crusade.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Nikki Eight/Parker Lee/Tommy Mars

The villains jump them before the introductions and Archer chases we’ll say Eight into a Boss Man Slam from Dutch on the floor. Orange Sunshine sets up the Blackout for the double pin at 1:12. Total dominance.

Billie Starkz vs. Dream Girl Ellie

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if if Ellie can win or last the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Ellie powers her into the corner to start and we get a clean break, followed by Starkz doing the same, minus the clean part. A big chop against the ropes sets up a kick to Ellie’s back but she knocks Starkz outside. That means a neck snap across the top and Starkz stomps away with some more aggression. Ellie is tied in the Tree of Woe for more stomping, followed by a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C+. Ellie got in some more offense than I was expecting but the result was the norm for a Proving Ground match. It kind of makes me wonder why they don’t bother making it a title match or not rather than something in the middle but it doesn’t make a big difference either way. What matters is Starkz is feeling like more of a killer, which is what she needed to be here.

The Premiere Athletes want competition. And the Tag Team Titles.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Spanish Announce Project

Maria Kanellis is here with Garrison/Karter. The brawl starts on the ramp with the Project taking over on Garrison to officially start. A suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Garrison and a swinging Downward Spiral drops him again. Maria offers a distraction though and Karter trips Serpentico from the floor to take over. Garrison’s sidewalk slam gets two and then mocks Angelico’s dance. Serpentico elbows his way out of trouble and kicks Garrison away, allowing the tag off to Angelico to clean house. A bunch of kicks to the head drop Garrison for two as everything breaks down. Angelico rolls Karter up at 6:27.

Rating: C+. The match was fine enough and all that but it’s really hard to care about Serpentico, who is one of the lowest of the low around here, getting his mask back. This feud has felt like absolutely nothing for a long time now and hopefully this wraps it up, because neither of the teams has gotten anything out of it.

Post match Maria throws Serpentico’s mask back…but Garrison and Karter jump the Project and send Serpentico into a chair. Maria takes the mask back to end the show. And that right there is one of the reasons Ring Of Honor is in the place it’s in. This story has been going on for the better part of six months and it STILL feels like we’re right where we’ve been for most of that. Because of course we are.

Overall Rating: C+. The shortened runtime helped here (again) and it felt like they were getting some focus on a few people. The problem is the main event, mainly because it felt so unimportant and then the result was erased anyway. This show being behind a paywall is still ridiculous as it is made for YouTube, but at least they kept it short here.

Results
Taya Valkyrie/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante b. Leyla Hirsch/Lady Frost/Abadon – Sunset bomb to Frost
Anthony Ogogo b. Zicky Dice via knockout
Kiera Hogan b. Ashley D’Amboise – Face The Music
Billie Starkz b. Dream Girl Ellie – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Nikki Eight/Parker Lee/Tommy Mars – Double pin
Spanish Announce Project b. Cole Karter/Griff Garrison – Rollup to Karter

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 21, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have a little over two weeks to go before Supercard Of Honor and the card needs to start coming together. We already have a few matches set, but there are some which could go in a variety of ways. Ring Of Honor has a tendency to wait until the last minute to announce a lot of the show and that might be what they are doing again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Card rundown.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Semifinals: Mercedes Martinez vs. Billie Starkz

Diamante is here with Martinez, who takes her down by the arm and grabs a front facelock. An exchange of suplexes goes to Martinez, who manages a very delayed vertical suplex for two. They go to the corner with Martinez hitting a hard stomp for two but Starkz comes back with a German suplex. Martinez is sent outside for a dive but Diamante pulls her away from the second dive, leaving Starkz to crash onto the floor (ouch).

That’s almost enough for a countout but Martinez settles for a top rope superplex instead. Starkz is able to reverse a suplex into a backbreaker for two but Martinez is back with a bunch of shots to the face. Starkz sends her to the floor instead and hits a quick dive, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. A Gory Special plants Martinez but Diamante offers a distraction, allowing Martinez to hit a Razor’s Edge Dominator for two of her own. They trade rollups until Starkz gets a cradle for the pin at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Starkz was pretty clearly a heavy favorite to make the finals from the beginning but they gave her a serious opponent in Martinez to get there. That’s a good way to go and what matters is that she has a chance to pick up her own gold. Martinez is someone who can lose a big match like this and not be hurt so it was a good choice all around.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Semifinals: Queen Aminata vs. Red Velvet

Aminata takes her to the mat to start but Velvet flips up and we get a hip shake off. The grappling exchange continues with a fight over arm control until Velvet snaps off a hurricanrana. Aminata is right back with a fall away slam and a snap suplex gets two. Back up and Velvet grabs a bulldog for two of her own, followed by a double stomp for the same. Aminata is right back with a snap German suplex and they head to the apron, where Velvet hits a spear. They head inside again for a strike off until Velvet hits a superkick, only to have Aminata hit a headbutt for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match and it’s nice to see someone fresh in the title picture, though Aminata is still only so interesting. She’s just kind of there for the most part, but she has been figuring things out a bit in the ring as of late. Good stuff here and Aminata makes for a better choice in the finals than Velvet.

Kiera Hogan wants to fight Diamante again. If she doesn’t see her in the ring, she’ll see her at home (a rare reference to their real life relationship).

Lee Johnson vs. London Lightning

Lightning is the local favorite and rather popular. They go with the grappling to start and Lightning actually takes him down, only to be run over by Johnson. Back up and Lightning suplexes him a few times for two but Johnson strikes away at his head. A neckbreaker drops Lightning and some superkicks set up the Big Shot Drop to give Johnson the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. This was the latest Johnson win and while he is still getting one victory after another, it should be time to get him to something more important. The TV Title is still out there as an option and that could be something we get sooner than later. Other than that, it was nice to see a crowd favorite getting some time and he did well in his shot here.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie are teaching the Boys to do some new things but Dalton Castle comes in to find the Boys. TV: “We lost them! There was a bear!” Castle: “BEARS EAT BOYS!” The panicking Castle is told he still has Boys, but they’re just single use Boys. Lexi tells him to stop interrupting her interviews and leaves.

Rachael Ellering vs. Hikaru Shida

Hold on here as here is Athena to watch. Ellering powers her up against the ropes to start as Athena is looking nervous at ringside. A hard shoulder puts Shida down and Ellering lifts her up with a gutwrench suplex. Shida is back up and sends her into the corner for some right hands to the head, meaning it’s time to head outside. That lets Shida get creative by teasing sending Ellering into Athena, only to stop at the last second, causing Athena to fall backwards anyway.

Back in and Ellering can’t manage a suplex so Shida gives her one instead. A missile dropkick gives Shida two as Athena is looking rather nervous. Back up and Shida wins a strike off with a claw STO putting Ellering down. Ellering is right back up with a TKO as Athena is turning into a coach. Not that it works as Shida is back up with a brainbuster into the Katana for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: B-. It was nice to have Shida actually wrestle a match in Ring Of Honor before moving on to the title match at Supercard Of Honor. Shida is a very talented star but it isn’t like she has done anything in the last few months. It’s something fresh, but I’m not sure I can imagine her being the one to take the title from Athena.

Diamante accepts Kiera Hogan’s challenge.

Matt Sydal vs. TJ Crawford

Sydal starts fast and snaps off a hurricanrana before taking Crawford into the corner. That’s fine with Crawford, who sends him into the rope and kicks it into Sydal’s face to take over. A suplex slam gets two and we hit the chinlock to keep Sydal down. Sydal fights up and kicks him in the head, setting up a jumping knee. The top rope Meteora finishes Crawford at 5:15.

Rating: C. This was more or less an easy win for Sydal and I’m not sure why we needed to see that. Sydal doesn’t have anything going on at the moment and instead is just here getting a quick win. It wasn’t a bad match but Crawford didn’t exactly do anything great. Either way, an acceptable enough use of time but rather random.

Eddie Kingston is upset by his loss but his mentor Homicide called him up. Homicide wants to know where the old Kingston is, because that Kingston wouldn’t have lost. Kingston is going to bring his old self to beat Mark Briscoe because he can’t feel that pain again. I’m still not sure if Briscoe is going to acknowledge this match, as he is kind of busy trying to burn down the House Of Black.

Lexi Nair is happy for Billie Starkz but Athena is rather serious about having to face Hikaru Shida. Athena goes on a rant about how Shida beat her years ago and it will NOT happen again.

Anna Jay vs. Mina Shirakawa

The debuting Mina is from Stardom and likes to dance a lot. Jay ducks her to start and takes a quick bow so Mina shows her up to even the score. Mina takes her down for a kick to the back but Anna grabs a running Blockbuster. Back up and Mina starts in on the knee, followed by a dropkick for two.

Anna fights up and hits a Gory Bomb for two, meaning it’s time to slug it up from their knees. Mina goes back to the leg (Coleman: “That she has invested so much in!” We’re less than five minutes into the match and she didn’t work on it for a good while.), setting up a missile dropkick for two. A facebuster is loaded up but Anna escapes, only to get caught in a rollup to give Mina the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C+. Well that was random. This was a quick match between two people who don’t regularly wrestle here. I’m not sure why this was the main event for a show about two weeks before one of the biggest events of the year. For now, Shirakawa showed off some great charisma and I could go for having her around again, though it was only so good of a debut match.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another short show here with a focus on the women’s division. You had the two tournament matches and the Shida/Athena stuff, followed by the Eddie Kingston promo. Other than that, it was a trio of rather random matches, with only Johnson’s seeming like it fit. The show was just over an hour and they didn’t waste time, though I’m not sure how much good it did for Supercard Of Honor.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Mercedes Martinez – Rollup
Queen Aminata b. Red Velvet – Headbutt
Lee Johnson b. London Lightning – Big Shot Drop
Hikaru Shida b. Rachael Ellering – Katana
Matt Sydal b. TJ Crawford – Top rope Meteora
Mina Shirakawa b. Anna Jay – Rollup

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 15, 2024
Location: Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

In theory the slow march towards Supercard Of Honor continues, though we still have no announcement that the show is taking place. Assuming it is going to be held the Friday of Wrestlemania Weekend, we would be looking at fifty days from this broadcast. That is starting to run rather low for an announcement but maybe they can cover it here. In more current news, the Women’s TV Title Tournament starts tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Queen Aminata vs. J Rod

Aminata chops her down to start and snaps off a suplex as commentary previews the rest of the first round matches tonight and clarifies that there are sixteen participants overall. Rod fights up and kicks her into the corner, setting up a hard whip into the buckle. A suplex gives Rod one but she misses a frog splash. Aminata makes the clothesline comeback, setting up a pair of hip attacks in the corner. Rod avoids a charge in the corner and strikes away, only to get caught with a German suplex. A headbutt finishes for Aminata at 6:06.

Rating: C. They kept this pretty quick and to the point but Rod did get in some offense rather than being squashed. Aminata has been getting a lot of attention (with commentary pointing out how frequently she is featured) and I’m not stunned to see her getting a win here. She’s won in ROH before so this is far from some stretch, though I’m not expecting her to go that far in the whole thing.

Infantry vs. Midnight Heat

Dean shoulders Pearl down to start and it’s a backbreaker/middle rope legdrop for two. Bravo hits a slingshot cutter for two but Gibson comes in to drop Bravo with a DDT. The chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s an over the shoulder backbreaker/top rope elbow for two more. Bravo gets over to Dean for the tag so house can be quickly cleaned. Everything breaks down and a backslide/middle rope legdrop combination for two on Dan. Back up and Boot Camp finishes Pearl at 6:46.

Rating: C. This was an example of a match that felt like it went long for the sake of going long. Midnight Heat might be a team who has done well on the independent circuit (as commentary mentioned) but the Infantry has been presented as a team who could be title contenders around here. Why is it taking them almost seven minutes to beat a pretty generic team making their debut? Again: it’s ok to let a match be a squash, especially if the winners are regulars.

Queen Aminata says she didn’t come all the way to Africa to be average. She looks good in gold but she’ll take the silver in the Women’s TV Title.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Rachael Ellering vs. Leyla Hirsch

They hug to start and trade takedowns into covers and a standoff. Hirsch’s big knee is blocked and Ellering grabs a gutwrench suplex to take over. Hirsch is right back with her own suplex before grabbing something like an abdominal stretch on her back. With that broken up, they bump fists and slug it out until Hirsch snaps off a German suplex. Back up and Ellering fires off some chops into an STO, followed by a running back elbow for two.

Hirsch goes after the arm and hold on as the medic needs to check on Ellering’s shoulder/elbow. Said medic pops the arm back in and let’s keep going. Hirsch doesn’t want to do this now but Ellering pushes her in the face, earning a Saito suplex for two. Some stomping has Ellering in trouble but she says bring it, meaning Hirsch knees her in the face. Ellering reverses the cover into a cradle for two, which earns herself another running knee to give Hirsch the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. The story of the match is the elbow/arm and that’s not a bad way to go. You have the chance of Ellering blaming the arm for the loss and Hirsch not wanting to hurt her friend, which means there are different ways to go. What matters here is they had more going on than just the title and that made it much more interesting.

Post match Hirsch checks on Ellering with the bad arm.

We look at Athena and Nyla Rose putting each other through tables.

Rose is waiting for Athena, who jumps her from behind with a piece of the table. Rose fights back and hits her in the head with the table to leave Athena laying.

Outrunners vs. Lights Camera Faction

Magnum headlocks (Ice) Williams to start and hands it off to Floyd for a shot to the head. Some elbows, including a jumping version, setting up a running shot in the corner to (Jeaux) Braxton. That’s broken up and an elbow to the face lets Williams come back in. Everything breaks down and it’s a powerslam/running neckbreaker combination each to both Williams and Braxton. For some reason Floyd pulls Williams up at two, setting up the Infantry’s Boot Camp to finish him off at 3:52.

Rating: C+. The ending seems to be setting something up between the Outrunners and the Infantry and sure why not. It’s not like either of them have anything of note going on at the moment and odds are they’re not going to get a major title shot. Not a bad match, with Lights Camera Faction being a rather snazzy team name.

Commentary points out that it was indeed Boot Camp.

The Infantry is happy with the win but Lee Moriarty comes in to say the Outrunners just used Boot Camp. The Infantry is no longer happy.

Bryan Keith vs. Slice Boogie

Keith strikes away against the ropes to start and boots Boogie down. A t-bone suplex into Diamond Dust finishes Boogie at 1:53. And that’s how you do a squash.

Women’s TV Title Tournament: Trish Adora vs. Mercedes Martinez

They go with the grappling to start, with Martinez stomping on the foot to escape a headlock. Adora cranks on the arm and rolls her up for two as this is certainly starting slowly. Martinez takes her down for a double arm crank but Adora headscissors her down and does some pushups.

That doesn’t sit well with Martinez, who takes her to the floor and starts in on the back again. A knee in said back with a chinlock has Adora in more trouble but Adora is back up to escape the third Amigo. Adora hits a Thesz press and slugs away, setting up a backsplash for two more. The torture rack is loaded up but Adora’s back gives out, allowing Martinez to grab the Brass City Sleeper for the win at 9:45.

Rating: C. They were going for a technical exchange here and while that part worked well enough, it wasn’t very engaging as they were just kind of doing moves to each other. I liked the back work from Martinez and it played into the finish, but I was bred for most of the match, which isn’t saying much when they didn’t even have ten minutes. Martinez can still go with anyone and she did fine here, but not much in the energy department here.

Rachael Ellering is upset about the loss and Leyla Hirsch comes in to say she didn’t want it that way. Ellering knows it wasn’t intentional and they’re cool.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Jon Cruz/JC Valentine/James Blackheart

Dutch knees Valentine in the ribs to start but Valentine is back with a dropkick. For some reason Valentine tries a monkey flip and is promptly planted. Archer comes in to chop Blackheart in the corner, setting up Dutch’s powerbomb into a middle rope headbutt. Blackheart finally ducks a right hand and dives over to Cruz for the tag. Everything breaks down and Orange Sunshine hits Cruz, with Archer Black Outing Blackheart onto Cruz for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C-. It’s a shame this couldn’t have been yesterday or it very well could have been Valentine’s day. Total squash here, but again it didn’t need to go that long when you could have the monsters crush them even faster. Then again, Archer and the Righteous aren’t exactly doing anything so it’s not like they’ll be hurt by the longer match.

Infantry yells at the Outrunners over stealing Boot Camp and threaten to knock them back to the 70s.

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

The Boys are here with Castle, who is still more than a bit off (even by his standards). King pulls him into a headlock and sends Castle to the floor, where it’s time for some fanning. Back in and Castle misses a charge to the outside again, this time with King following to get in another shot. A cartwheel kick to the head rocks Castle…who grabs the Bang A Rang for the pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds) at 4:54.

Rating: C. They got in and out of here rather quickly with Castle hitting all of one move for the win. That makes sense for Castle, who has nothing left to lose at the moment and is as basic as you can get. All that matters is having him get the big match against Johnny TV and that has to be coming sooner rather than later.

Post match Castle says he has nothing left but wants Johnny TV. Cue TV (with Taya Valkyrie) who says Castle still isn’t TV ready. Castle is willing to give up anything, so TV agrees to a match….in exchange for the Boys. Castle is perplexed as TV and Taya walk away.

Athena is sitting on the floor and isn’t sure what she is going to do next. She is the minion overlord and the protector of the women’s division, so next week she wants Nyla Rose in a tables match.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Diamante vs. Kiera Hogan

Diamante misses some big swings to start before ducking a clothesline and getting in a spank. Back up and Diamante pulls her off the ropes and hammers away on the mat. Some choking on the ropes sets up a chinlock but Hogan is back up with a suplex. Hogan misses the running hip attack but grabs a Side Effect for two instead. Now the hip attack can connect and the running corner dropkick makes it worse. A hangman’s neckbreaker gives Hogan two more but Diamante Stunners her over the ropes. Hogan hits a superkick but walks into the rolling cutter to give Diamante the pin at 6:31.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more of an intense, back and forth match with either feeling like they could pull it off. That made for a better match and Diamante has been on a bit of a roll in recent months. Good way to wrap up the show here with a little more time making things even better.

Nyla Rose accepts for the Women’s Title match next week and we’ll make it 2/3 tables.

Overall Rating: B-. WHERE IN THE WORLD HAS THIS BEEN? This was by far the easiest ROH show I’ve watched in a long time and it’s really easy to see why: most of the stuff felt like it mattered. It really is as simple of that. Don’t make me feel like I’m wasting my time and have something that matters in most of the matches and the show goes way up in quality. The wrestling wasn’t anything special but my goodness this was a massive step in the right direction and if this is where it’s going, I’m rather pleased.

Results
Queen Aminata b. J Rod – Headbutt
Infantry b. Midnight Heat – Boot Camp to Pearl
Leyla Hirsch b. Rachael Ellering – Running knee
Outrunners b. Lights Camera Faction – Boot Camp to Williams
Bryan Keith b. Slice Boogie – Diamond Dust
Mercedes Martinez b. Trish Adora – Brass City Sleeper
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Jon Cruz/JC Valentine/James Blackheart – Blackout to Blackheart
Dalton Castle b. Kenny King – Bang A Rang
Diamante b. Kiera Hogan – Rolling cutter

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 8, 2024
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We’re slowly making our way towards the yet to be announced Supercard of Honor. That should make for a big show, but given ROH’s tendencies, most of the card won’t be announced until shortly before the show. Maybe we’ll get the Women’s TV Title tournament finals there, assuming they ever actually start the tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down some of the card.

Workhorsemen vs. Sayrus GT/Brilliante RB

Henry and Brilliante start things off with Henry blocking an early armdrag attempt. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Brilliante down again but he dives over to bring in Sayrus to clean house. Drake isn’t having any of this diving stuff though and bounces Sayrus off the ropes for a hard forearm to the face. Back in and a DDT plants Sayrus but he slips out of what looks like a powerbomb and brings Brilliante in again. Not that it matters as Drake suplexes him into the corner for the running knees from Henry. A Downward Spiral/running kick to the head combination finishes Brilliante at 4:07.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point here with the luchadors not getting much time to showcase themselves. It’s nice to see someone new brought in, but it’s even nicer to have an established team win a match without too much trouble. I still don’t buy the Workhorsemen as title threats but at least they got a nice win here.

Dalton Castle won’t let anyone, including Jerry Lynn, Taya Valkyrie or Johnny TV see his friend.

Ethan Page vs. Aaron Solo

Solo isn’t interested in the Code Of Honor to start so Page stomps him down in the corner. Page drives him into another corner and rains down some right hands but it’s too early for Ego’s Edge. Solo pulls him off the middle for a crash into the corner, allowing Solo to hit a spinning kick to the head for two. Page fights out of the chinlock and hits him in the face before pulling him into a powerslam for another near fall. The Ego’s Edge is blocked again and a release northern lights suplex gives Solo two. Solo gets caught cheating on a rollup so Page kicks him in the face, setting up the Ego’s Edge for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: C+. It’s good for Page to pick up another win and he’s getting the momentum going, but assuming he gets the TV Title match at the next big show, we’re going to be waiting a good while. That’s one of the problems with Ring Of Honor: they take so long to have their big matches because such matches don’t take place on the regular show. That leaves some long gaps and Page is stuck in the middle of one.

Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Jon Cruz/KM

Penta and Cruz start things off so we pause for the two of them to shout their names. An exchange of shoves is the only contact for the first minute and forty five seconds until Penta grabs a headlock. Penta kicks him in the ribs but KM gets in a cheap shot from the apron for a breather.

Vikingo comes in and gets suplexed for two, followed by KM grabbing a reverse chinlock. A full nelson slam gives Vikingo two but he fights up and brings in Penta to clean house. A Backstabber into a rope walk double stomp to the ribs gets two on Cruz with KM making the save. Something like What’s Up gets two more and the package piledriver plants him (with Vikingo taking out KM) for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more competitive than I was expecting, but spending almost two minutes waiting for them to start was a bit annoying. Penta and Vikingo seemed to be treated like something of a dream team and while they kind of are, it’s not quite as effective as the Lucha Bros. It was just another match with the flashy luchadors flipping around a lot and we’ve kind of covered that to death around here.

Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair are in the back with the latter handing Starkz a message. Starkz says if Nyla Rose is looking for her, come find her after her match.

Johnny TV vs. ???

TV has Taya Valkyrie with him and his opponent, Dalton Castle’s friend is….Hombre de Pavo Real de Montana. That would be Mountain Peacock Man, which is pretty clearly Castle with a beard and a hat. Taya questions Montana’s Spanish abilities but he’s only using a Spanish name to make himself learn Spanish. He even has an app! Montana admits that he is indeed Castle and says it was a ruse to get TV to fight him. TV finally agrees and will tell Castle what it takes….next week.

Shane Taylor issues a proclamation: If you are feeling left out, come join up or fight against them.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett shows Lexi Nair Cole Karter and Griff Garrison attacking someone who appears to be Serpentico. Angelico makes the save but it’s not really Serpentico, meaning the beatdown is on again. The real Serpentico makes the save.

Billie Starkz vs. Araya Thorn

They fight over arm control to start until Starkz takes it to the mat to work on the leg. Starks strikes away and rolls her up for two, followed by a German suplex to send her outside. There’s the suicide dive but here is Nyla Rose with a table for a distraction. Back in and something like a crossface chickenwing finishes Thorn at 3:52.

Rating: C. This was more about the Rose interruption than anything else. In theory we’re waiting on Rose beating Starkz before she gets a Women’s Title shot, but that might take a little while to set up at this point. For now, Starkz stays strong and they didn’t waste time with a longer match when it didn’t need to be.

Post match Rose seems to challenge Starkz but here is the returning Athena to knock Rose off the apron and through the table. Again: I have no idea why Rose is supposed to be the heel here but that seems to be where they’re going.

Trish Adora vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hogan and Diamante clear the ring, with Hogan hitting a dropkick to put her down for an early two. Hirsch and Adora are back in for an amateur off until Adora is sent outside again. Back in and Adora runs them all over with shoulders until Diamante suplexes Adora onto the other two. A triple dropkick puts Diamante down but Hirsch sends the other two outside again. Diamante grabs a chair but Rachael Ellering cuts it off, only to have Diamante roll Hirsch up with her feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C. Yeah whatever. These four way matches and momentum building matches towards the tournament have been going on for weeks now and they stopped being interesting a good while ago. Either start the tournament already or stop talking about it because these matches are coming and going with no impact whatsoever. Maybe they shouldn’t have announces the tournament all the way before Christmas if it wasn’t going to start until February (at the earliest). Just a thought.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Iron Savages/Infantry

Dean cranks on Garrison’s arm to start and hands it off to Bravo for something like a Demolition Decapitator for two. Bronson comes in for a heck of a backdrop before handing it off to Boulder to load up his chest spot. Hold on though as Maria gets on the apron to open her jacket for a distraction. That doesn’t work so well as Garrison and Karter are sent into Boulder’s chest instead as the villains can’t get anything going.

The Infantry clears the ring and Dean hits a dive but Garrison cuts him off with a clothesline. Back in and Dean has to fight out of the wrong corner, setting up the tag to Bravo (who sipped the Savage Sauce). That means it’s Bravo coming in to clean house as everything breaks down. Boulder suplexes Garrison and Karter, leaving Taylor to come in for a slugout. Taylor this a release Rock Bottom but Bravo knocks him into the corner. Moriarty is back in with a quick suplex into a Downward Spiral to finish Bravo at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This is the part where commentary talks about how the teams are building momentum and might be in line for a Tag Team Title shot. I see little reason for that to be taken seriously as the Kingdom has defended the titles once in their month and a half reign. Maybe they can start interacting with the tag division more frequently but until then, this feels like the same treadmill that the teams have been running on for months. On a side note: can we please give the Savages a week off? They’ve been on the show week after week for months and they’re doing the same stuff over and over. It’s ok to give us a break.

Post match Maria holds up Serpentico’s mask so here he is to get it back. Karter and Garrison take him out, leaving Coleman to say “this feud here is never ending. Every time we think it’s over there’s more to it.” Preach it man.

Rachael Ellering and Leyla Hirsch confirm that everything is ok.

Gravity vs. Lee Johnson

Johnson cranks on a headlock to start before running Gravity over with a shoulder. Gravity is back up and we get a standoff as things reset a bit. Gravity’s dropkick takes out the leg and Johnson gets knocked outside. The dive is cut off so Gravity comes back in for a springboard armdrag. Johnson is sent outside again and this time the dive takes him out. Gravity manages a powerbomb to leave them both down for a double breather. Johnson is back up with his reverse inverted DDT for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird match as it was back and forth until Johnson just hit his finisher for the pin. Johnson is getting a few wins and if that means a TV Title shot or something like that, cool. The problem is he needs to actually get something out of this and it’s hard to believe that will be the case.

Dalton Castle thinks Johnny TV might want his worm farm or his perfect blood. Then he grabs his chest and gets inside a washing machine.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Killa Kate

Johnny TV is here with Valkyrie, who kicks Kate into the corner to start. A bunch of kicks and a clothesline get two each before a spear cuts Kate off. Shania Pain finishes for Valkyrie at 2:52.

The Women’s TV Title Tournament starts next week. Thank goodness.

Jack Cartwheel vs. AR Fox vs. Komander vs. Willie Mack

They shake hands before everyone goes at it to start. Fox clears the ring but gets sent into the corner by Cartwheel, who cartwheels away. The flipping elbow drop gets two on Fox but Mack is back in to run everyone over. An exploder suplex drops Cartwheel but Komander sends Mack outside for a springboard moonsault. Fox is back up but his 450 hits Mack’s raised knees.

Mack powerbombs Fox for two before Cartwheel comes in to slug it out with Fox. Komander comes in but gets taken down by Cartwheel, whose backbreaker connects for two. Mack dives onto Komander and Fox, setting up Cartwheel’s dive onto everyone. Komander is back in with a springboard 450 to Cartwheel, setting up Cielito Lindo for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: B-. This was the same match they’ve had for the last month plus with different people involved. They did their dives and flips with everyone getting in something until one person won. I’m sure this will launch Komander into the title picture, because he has never been put into a random title match and come up short.

Athena sends the minions to get things ready for a celebration before calling Nyla Rose nothing. Then Rose comes in to put her through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Usual caveat: the wrestling was good to rather good with nothing that was close to bad. That being said, this continues to be one of the worst week to week shows that I have ever seen. There is so much stuff that feels like it is there to extend the run time or feels like it is building to nothing because stories take FOREVER to get to a resolution. Caprice Coleman even said something similar about the Serpentico stuff as it feels like it’s ending and then it just keeps going.

There is nothing wrong with having a good match on a show, but at some point it needs to mean SOMETHING. Ring Of Honor has had these four ways for what feels like months and where have they led? Maybe a one off TV Title match here or there but it’s not like there is any consistency. Instead it’s just a bunch of people having matches and every so often, one of them will get a random title match. Nothing on here feels any bigger than the rest and there is so much on the show that feels like a way to get people in the ring. I wonder how much these tapings affect the AEW shows’ attendance, as I wouldn’t want to sit through almost two hours of this stuff. Again: not a bad show, but a totally unnecessarily long one.

Results
Workhorsemen b. Sayrus GT/Brilliante RB – Downward Spiral/running kick to the head combination to Brilliante
Ethan Page b. Aaron Solo – Ego’s Edge
Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo b. Jon Cruz/KM – Package piledriver to Cruz
Billie Starkz b. Araya Thorn – Crossface chickenwing
Diamante b. Leyla Hirsch, Trish Adora and Kiera Hogan – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Hirsch
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Iron Savages/Infantry – Suplex Downward Spiral to Bravo
Lee Johnson b. Gravity – Reverse inverted DDT
Taya Valkyrie b. Killa Kate – Shania Pain
Komander b. Willie Mack, Jack Cartwheel and AR Fox – Cielito Lindo to Cartwheel

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 1, 2024
Location: Brookshire Grocery Arena, Bossier City, Louisiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back on the slow road towards what will likely be Supercard Of Honor and I have no idea when we might get started on a build to the show. In this case, we have the Kingdom in a bunch of non-title matches and Kyle Fletcher losing to someone not even in ROH. In other words, everything is as normal. Let’s get to it.

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

Dalton Castle tries to throw garbage on Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie. Jerry Lynn comes in to break it up and tells Castle that his friend has a match next week on ROH TV. Johnny doesn’t buy it and offers to fight the friend himself, whomever it may be. Castle still isn’t happy.

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Russells

Angelico takes Kameron down to start and it’s off to Serpentico for a top rope stomp to the arm. Allen makes the save but Serpentico drops a knee for two more on Kameron. A double hiptoss puts Serpentico down for the same, which is about it for the Russells’ offense. Serpentico fights up and gets over to Angelico without much trouble, with an ankle lock putting Kameron in trouble. Allen makes the save but it’s something like a Tequila Sunrise to give Angelico the tap at 5:34.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that should have been little more than the Project coming in and beating these guys in about a minute and a half. It’s the kind of match that makes the show go long without getting much benefit out of it. The Russells looked fine, but the Project needed a win after the unmasking deal.

Post match Maria Kanellis-Bennett, Cole Karter and Griff Garrison come out to taunt the Project with Serpentico’s mask.

Nyla Rose vs. Emmy Camacho

Camacho fights out of an early Beast Bomb attempt so Rose settles for a side slam instead. A torture rack flipped over into a cutter finishes for Rose at 1:34. Total dominance, as it should have been.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. KM/Braxton Hunter/Jon Cruz

Jameson pumphandle slams Hunter to start and it’s off to Bronson to launch him with a gorilla press. Boulder comes in and gets to clean house before it’s off to Jameson for the Savage Sauce. The Sauce Toss (toss powerslam) finishes Hunter at 2:20. I could go for not having the Savages around every week but at least they made it quick here.

Ethan Page thinks he’s on the road to the TV Title and it’s being pushed by his daughter. This includes wearing the colors his daughter picked out and now he’s ready to continue his road to gold.

Dalton Castle vs. Aaron Solo

The Boys are here with Castle, who has to be wheeled to the stage. Castle’s gear is even missing his wings and his boots aren’t laced. Castle charges into some shots to the face to start as Solo knocks him outside. Some forearms to the back have Castle even more annoyed and Solo ax handles him down. A spinning kick to the head wakes Castle up and the Bang A Rang quickly finishes at 3:19.

Rating: C. They’re doing something with Castle and that is nice to see after having him do almost nothing for so long. I’m looking forward to the showdown with Johnny TV, as those two are set up for a collision course. The important thing here is that Castle is getting a chance to show what he can do, which has been on hold for far too long now.

Nyla Rose asks Lexi Nair about Billie Starkz, who is off getting ready for her match. Ah ok so Rose leaves….and then comes back to scream about how she has something to say to Starkz. Next week though, they’re going to be in Athena’s hometown so it’s time to deal with her in person.

Kingdom vs. Tom Lawlor/Fred Rosser

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Lawlor and Rosser win or survive the ten minute time limit, they get a future Tag Team Title shot. Rosser and Lawlor continue their arguments (from NJPW Strong) so the Kingdom jumps them to start. Rosser gets elbowed down for an early two but he comes back with a backdrop. It’s off to Lawlor to forearm it out with Bennett, followed by a spinebuster for two.

Taven trips Lawlor up so Bennett can get in a spinebuster of his own, followed by a superkick. Lawlor’s shot to the face allows the tag off to Rosser as everything breaks down. Lawler and Rosser get stereo holds but Bennett drives Lawlor into the other two for the save. Taven is back with Just The Tip into the powerbomb/Zig Zag combination to finish Rosser at 7:29.

Rating: C+. They were starting to play into the time limit deal at the end but again it’s exactly the same as it always is: the champs might break a bit of a sweat but ultimately they win/don’t go to the draw. Just doing that one time would open up a bunch of options or drama for these things but instead, it’s the same thing over and over and over.

Ethan Page vs. Slim J

J headscissors him down to start but Page is back up with a running shoulder. A delayed vertical suplex plants J again and the belly to back fisherman’s suplex makes it worse. Back up and J hits a running Sliced Bread, setting up a sleeper to keep Page in trouble. Page fights up and hits a backdrop, followed by a big boot into a powerslam for two. Ego’s Edge is countered into a hurricanrana and a Downward Spiral gives J two of his own. The springboard cutter drops J and the Ego’s Edge is good for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t bad and Page’s road to the title continues, assuming he doesn’t get sidetracked by someone like Tony Nese again. J is someone who can do some nice flips and has been presented as someone decent, so the win was at least worth a little something for Page. Now just get him to someone more prominent already.

Billie Starkz vs. Killa Kate

Kate works on a wristlock to start but has to fight out of a headlock. Starkz sends her outside but the suicide dive is cut off. Back in and Starkz counters what seems to be a victory roll into a kind of driver for the pin at 2:41.

Rachael Ellering says the TV Title tournament brackets are about to be released. Leyla Hirsch is ready for anything.

Infantry vs. Righteous

Bravo works on Vincent’s arm to start and hands it off to Dean for a shot to the face. Dutch comes in and shrugs off some right hands before firing Bravo into the corner. We hit the neck crank followed by the bearhug but Bravo elbows his way to freedom. Dutch misses a middle rope legdrop and now the tag brings in Dean. Vincent breaks up Boot Camp and Orange Sunshine finishes Dean at 6:36.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that should have gotten a bit more time as they’re both established teams. You could have gone with either team winning here, but now the Righteous need to be talked about more in the title picture. If they keep winning, there is no reason to not move them towards the belts. That being said, it doesn’t matter if the Kingdom is only facing makeshift teams rather than the actual teams in the division.

Red Velvet is ready for the TV Title tournament.

Queen Aminata vs. Reiza Clark

The larger Clark easily powers out of a waistlock but Aminata escapes a slam. Aminata drops her with a forearm and wins another strike off. A dropkick to the leg cuts off a charging Clark and the running hip attack connects in the corner. Aminata hits a top rope double stomp for the pin at 3:39.

Rating: C. Commentary pointed out that Aminata has wrestled more matches in AEW/ROH since Final Battle and I still don’t think I could tell you anything about her. Other than her being some kind of African royalty (which is also true of Bishop Kaun), she doesn’t do anything that makes her stand out in any significant way. It’s the same kind of match that you see from a bunch of women in the division and that doesn’t help her in the slightest.

Gringo Loco vs. Bad Dude Tito

Tito snaps off a hurricanrana to start and then powers him down without much effort. Loco runs him over for a fast two but Tito yells at him for the ensuing chops. An electric chair bomb gives Loco two and a moonsault to the floor hits Tito again. Tito pops back up for a suicide dive but this time it’s Loco coming back with a super Spanish Fly. Tito’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets two more and an F5 finishes Loco at 7:08.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a great match but it stood out more than anything else on the show so far. Loco is another case where you can have him out there with almost anyone and get a nice performance, which was the case here. Tito is a powerhouse who can fly fairly well and that should get him a long way, even if he isn’t someone who is likely to be around here often.

Dalton Castle apologizes for snapping earlier but won’t say who his friend is. Then he falls in a laundry cart.

Trish Adora vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Diamante vs. Red Velvet

Velvet and Hogan are clotheslined down to start, leaving Adora and Diamante to slug it out. Hogan is back up for some armdrags until Adora German suplexes Hogan for two. Diamante legsweeps Adora for two and it’s Hogan getting to stomp away. Adora pulls a diving Velvet out of the air and powerslams her down. The Lariat Tubman sends Diamante outside, leaving Velvet to hit the Mix and pin Adora at 4:05.

Rating: C. So in this match with four women running around and doing moves to each other, Velvet got the win. Why this is supposed to matter in a tournament of singles matches that will certainly be happening at some point in the future isn’t clear but we’ve spent so much time building the tournament up that it’s hard to get interested. They really would have been better suited to not announce the tournament so soon, as we’re approaching two months since it was announced before anything actually happens.

Lee Johnson vs. Blake Christian vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Alex Zayne

Cartwheel is rather enthusiastic to start and snaps off his namesake. He tries another one but Christian dropkicks him out to the floor in a smart move. Back in and Cartwheel flips away from Christian and knocks him outside for a change, only to have Johnson grab a neckbreaker for two.

A suplex drops Christian onto Cartwheel but Johnson runs in with a Canadian Destroyer. Johnson’s Blue Thunder bomb gets two and Christian gets Zayne in a Texas Cloverleaf in the corner. Christian splashes Cartwheel and then takes Zayne down. Cartwheel hits a big flip dive to the floor but misses a cartwheel splash back inside. Johnson’s reverse inverted DDT finishes Cartwheel at 7:34.

Rating: C+. It was slightly longer than the previous one but that doesn’t make it much better. They flew threw all of their spots until Johnson won, which gains him….pretty much nothing. That’s the issue with so much around here and it was on full display with this match. The guys all flew around and did some entertaining stuff, but it’s just four more people doing moves until one of them got a pin.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is divided into two parts: the stuff that matters (and it does exist) and the stuff that is there to fill in the time. There is so much on here that is little more than “that might get this person in line for a title shot” which never seems to come, making me wonder why they even bother with it. The wrestling is good enough most of the time but it’s not like any of this is blowing away everything else. As usual, cut this in half and it’s a lot better, but that’s not the Ring Of Honor way.

Results
Spanish Announce Project b. Russells – Tequila Sunrise to Angelico
Nyla Rose b. Emmy Camacho – Torture rack cutter
Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson b. KM/Braxton Hunter/Jon Cruz – Sauce Toss to Hunter
Dalton Castle b. Aaron Solo – Bang A Rang
Kingdom b. Tom Lawlor/Fred Rosser – Powerbomb/Zig Zag combination to Rosser
Ethan Page b. Slim J – Ego’s Edge
Billie Starkz b. Killa Kate – Electric chair driver
Righteous b. Infantry – Orange Sunshine to Dean
Queen Aminata b. Reiza Clark – Top rope double stomp
Bad Dude Tito b. Gringo Loco – F5
Red Velvet b. Trish Adora, Kiera Hogan and Diamante – The Mix to Adora
Lee Johnson b. Blake Christian, Jack Cartwheel and Alex Zayne – Reverse inverted DDT to Cartwheel

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 25, 2024
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The very slow build towards the yet to be announced Supercard Of Honor continues, including what is likely to be another build towards the Women’s TV Title tournament. We still don’t have anything for a start date for the tournament, or any other details for that matter, but maybe we can find out something this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary runs down part of the card.

Righteous vs. Camaro Jackson/Anaya

Dutch shrugs off a shoulder from Jackson to start and takes him into the corner so Vincent can come in. Jackson manages a suplex but Vincent sends him into the corner, with Dutch coming in for a splash. Vincent’s low Downward Spiral connects but his elbow hits raised knees. Anaya comes in and drops Vincent for two, only to have Dutch come in to set up Autumn Sunshine for the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C. The Righteous looked dominant enough here as Jackson and Anaya only got in so much offense before falling short. It does help having the Tag Team Titles around here again, as the Righteous, while not on the top of the list of challengers, have something to fight over. That being said, if you have the Righteous as the weird cult people, why not have them doing….cult stuff?

Nyla Rose vs. Laynie Luck

Rose crushes her hand in the Code Of Honor and hits a clothesline. Luck’s kicks don’t get her anywhere as Rose sends her into the ropes for some far harder kicks. A powerslam cuts off Luck’s running headscissors and the Beast Bomb finishes at 2:00. Exactly as it should have gone.

Zak Knight vs. Aaron Solo

Solo hammers away to start and manages a dropkick out to the floor. Back in and Knight hits a clothesline, followed by a toss across the ring. Knight hits a delayed vertical suplex, with some squats thrown in, but Solo breaks up a springboard. Solo hits his own clothesline for his own two and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and Knight catches him on top for a delayed vertical superplex, followed by a Samoan Driver for two. As Ian says Knight usually makes short work of his opponents (his shortest ROH match is 4:15), Knight misses a Swanton, allowing Solo to hit a double stomp for two. Knight has had it with him and hits the Razor’s Edge bomb into the corner, followed by the running forearm for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming the idea is for Knight to be in the ring longer to get a better look at him, as there is pretty much no reason to have Knight take eight minutes to beat Solo. On top of that, Solo got in quite a bit of offense before Knight took him out, which is kind of a weird way to go. I could still go for more of Knight though and it’s nice to see him getting more shots out there.

We recap Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. the Spanish Announce Project.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Spanish Announce Project

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with Garrison and Karter. Angelico and Garrison start things off with an exchange of wristlocks until Angelico pulls him to the mat. That’s enough for Garrison to bail to the floor before coming back in to shoulder Angelico down. Karter gets to stomp away in the corner and then does it again for good measure. Angelico breaks that up and hands it off to Serpentico for a top rope stomp to the arm. Serpentico knocks them both to the floor for the big dive but Maria offers a distraction.

That lets Garrison send Serpentico’s long injured knee into the steps so the villains can take over again. Karter comes back in but Serpentico jawbreaks his way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Angelico. A breakdancing kick to Garrison’s head gets two and we hit the leglock. With that broken up, Karter offers a cheap shot and spinebusters Serpentico for a bonus.

Everyone is down for a breather, allowing Angelico to get over for the tag to Serpentico. A running cutter drops Garrison but Maria’s distraction lets Garrison clothesline Serpentico down. Maria tells them to try something, which results in heel miscommunication. Not that it matters as Karter steals Serpentico’s mask and Garrison hits a discus forearm for the pin at 11:09.

Rating: C+. On one hand, it’s nice to have a match with a feud and something of a history to it. On the other hand, forgive me for not getting interested in an eleven minute match between Serpentico/Angelico and Griff Garrison/Cole Karter. There’s a reason they were at the bottom of the AEW totem pole and have been more or less relegated to Ring Of Honor. The match wasn’t bad, but it’s between four people who aren’t that interesting and it was showing here.

Post match Angelico covers Serpentico’s face but gets beaten down anyway.

Outrunners vs. Blake Christian/Willie Mack

Christian starts with Floyd, who runs him over with a shoulder. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t do well for Magnum, who gets shouldered down by Christian. Magnum is sent outside and there’s the Fosbury Flop to put him down again. Back in and it’s off to Mack for the house cleaning, including a double noggin knocker. The dancing moonsault gets two on Floyd and the Stunner into the frog splash is enough to give Mack the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. This was very much in the “we have to get them on the show” style and it didn’t exactly do much beyond that. Mack and Christian are another thrown together tag team and they beat one of the goofy regular teams. It’s not a bad match, but when a show is over two hours and fifteen minutes long, this isn’t exactly must see content.

Lady Frost/Kiera Hogan/Trish Adora vs. Taya Valkyrie/Leila Grey/Diamante

Johnny TV is here with Valkyrie and company. Valkyrie shoves Hogan into the corner to start but she’s back up with a right hand. The basement superkick drops Valkyrie, who comes back with a knee to the face. Adora comes in to crank on Grey’s arm, meaning it’s quickly of to Frost for a sunset flip on Diamante.

Frost gets taken into the corner and Grey takes her down with a Sling Blade. Something like an STF goes on but Frost fights up and brings Adora in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Valkyrie is low bridged to the floor. Frost goes up top and moonsaults onto Valkyrie and Grey, leaving Diamante to hit the rolling cutter for the pin on Adora at 6:58.

Rating: C. This was the latest match between people who are probably going to be in the TV Title tournament or competition or whatever it is, but at some point it would be nice to start the thing. I’m assuming they’re setting up the finals for Supercard Of Honor, but that is a heck of a long time to stretch things out. If nothing else, give us something resembling details about the whole thing, as these tag matches are feeling more and more like filler every week.

Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering have been working on chemistry by going to dinner and even joining a book club. They’re both ready to try to win the TV Title though. For now though, sushi.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Infantry/Lee Johnson

Johnson and Bronson start things off with Bronson blocking an armdrag to start. Jameson comes in so Bravo starts working on his arm. Boulder breaks that up and cleans house, with Dean being sent face first into the chest hair. Dean slips away and brings in Bravo to pick the pace way up. A TKO Stunner gets two on Bronson and it’s off to Jameson, who gets caught with a reverse inverted DDT to give Johnson the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. The Iron Savages are rapidly reaching the point where I don’t need to see them again for a long time. It’s the same stuff every week and they lost again here, at least with the manager taking the fall. That’s one of the biggest problems with Ring Of Honor: you see the same people so often and it stops mattering when they’re on the show week in and week out. That’s the case with the Savages, who only had so much to go on in the first place.

Red Velvet vs. Heather Reckless

They fight over a lockup to start with Velvet sending her to the apron. Reckless kicks her away though and hits a shot off the top for two. Velvet shrugs it off and hits The Mix for the pin at 2:22.

Nyla Rose throws away/steals a bunch of Athena’s stuff. Lexi Nair comes in to ask what she’s doing so Rose lists off her resume. Rose declares herself the new Minion Overlord because Athena isn’t coming back. She has Nair grab the camera and then powerbombs the cameraman through a table. So is Rose the heel in all of this? Because making Athena the face is a weird way to go.

Billie Starkz vs. Tootie Lynn

Starkz takes her into the corner to start and pulls her back out, setting up a kick between the shoulders for two. More kicks put Lynn down and a Swanton finishes for Starkz at 3:04.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here as Starkz, another name in the mix for the TV Title, gets a spotlight. At this rate the tournament is going to have all kinds of stars in there, though Starkz might have to help Athena deal with Nyla Rose. Starkz is starting to get a bit of a build back up after Final Battle, which is exactly what she needs here.

Ethan Page vs. Kody Lane

Page grinds away on a headlock to start but gets dropkicked into the corner. Ego’s Edge is broken up and Lane knocks Page down, only for Page to come back with Ego’s Edge for the pin at 2:00.

Dalton Castle interrupts Jerry Lynn and demands to face Johnny TV. Cue TV out of his locker room to say not until Castle is TV ready. Then TV slides away on his knees (with an assist from Taya Valkyrie).

Abadon vs. Robyn Renegade

Abadon headbutts Renegade down to start and hits some running knees in the corner. Renegade is back up with a kick to the head for two and a face first drop onto the turnbuckle. A Codebreaker gives Renegade two but Abadon is back with a Stunner for two more. Sean O’Haire’s old Widowmaker gives Renegade two more but Abadon grabs the Black Dahlia for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. Hey look: another match where commentary talks about building momentum towards the TV Title tournament. It might have meant a bit more if not for the three other times I’ve seen it in the last 40 minutes or so. Abadon seems to be one of the heavy hitters/big stars on the way to the tournament and that isn’t exactly instilling me with hope.

Jon Cruz vs. Jack Cartwheel

Cartwheel starts with cartwheels and flips, with one of them including a kick to the head. A missed flip of the top lets Cruz run him over, while asking where Cartwheel’s cartwheel is. Cruz hits a side slam for two and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Back up and Cartwheel sweeps the leg and hits a slingshot flipping splash before flipping into a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Cartwheel takes him down again and hits a top rope corkscrew Swanton for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C+. When commentary is counting the number of cartwheels you’re doing in a match, it might be time to vary things up a bit. One of the common criticisms of modern wrestling is that it’s built on a bunch of flips, but Cartwheel is leaning all the way into it. He’s quite acrobatic, but my goodness can we just end this show already without cramming in everyone they can find?

Action Andretti vs. Anthony Henry

They fight over a lockup to start with Henry going after the arm. Andretti is sent outside and the arm goes straight into the steps as Henry has an early target. Back in and Andretti hits a corner splash and rains down some right hands, followed by a springboard clothesline for two. Henry hits an enziguri but misses a top rope double stomp. Instead Andretti is back with a Spanish Fly, only to have Henry crank away on the arm again. They forearm it out until Andretti hits a shotgun dropkick into the corner. The split legged moonsault finishes for Andretti at 7:33.

Rating: C+. They had one of the better matches of the night here as Henry worked over the arm and Andretti had to fight from underneath. Andretti is still one of the better high fliers, but when his match comes after Jack Cartwheel, it loses some of its impact. I’ll take what I can get here though as this was a step up from recent matches.

Slim J vs. JD Drake vs. Rocky Romero vs. Josh Woods

Woods and Drake clear the ring to start and trade heavy forearms until Woods grabs a German suplex. The two of them go outside with Romero and J following them with stereo dives. Woods suplexes J on the floor, leaving J and Romero to beat up Woods inside. Drake gets kicked back to the floor so Romero takes down Woods and J at the same time. With everyone else on the floor, Romero dives onto all three but gets suplexed by Woods back inside. Drake suplexes Woods and hits the moonsault, with J making the save. Romero is back in with the running Sliced Bread to finish J at 7:27.

Rating: B-. It was the fun, almost all action match and that worked out well here. Romero getting the win isn’t shocking as he’s the biggest star in the match and feels like an important name. At the same time, it’s not like Romero is going to go anywhere, so this was just another match for the sake of putting four people in the ring.

The Kingdom vs. Gravity/Gringo Loco

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Gravity and Loco win or survive the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Taven jumps over Loco to start and hits a dropkick, followed by a springboard armdrag. Loco takes Taven into the corner though and it’s off to Gravity for two off la majistral.

The champs are sent outside and the non-champs both hit dives. Taven takes over on Loco outside though and a running flipping neckbreaker drops him inside. Bennett adds a clothesline and spinebuster but Loco gets over for the tag. Gravity takes Bennett down and a moonsault gives Loco two. Bennett superkicks Loco though and the Hail Mary is good for the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C+. You know, it is ok for the Kingdom to squash someone every so often. So far, the Kingdom has mainly had difficulty against thrown together teams rather than destroying someone, but that might make the Undisputed Kingdom dominant or interesting or something like that. The match itself was fine, but I have no idea what the deal is with the Undisputed Kingdom, because introducing a new monster heel group and then having them struggle in matches like this one is bizarre.

Overall Rating: D+. This show was one of the worst presentations I’ve seen from a company with a budget. The wrestling was completely fine and even good in parts. The problem with this whole thing is it’s not an interesting or well put together show. The show just keeps going and going with matches that either don’t advance anything or have a bunch of people who have nothing going on.

Two hours into a show is not a good time to have a four way between random wrestlers with nothing on the line, which came two matches after a Jack Cartwheel match. I have no idea why this show is supposed to be entertaining, either for fans watching at home or watching in the arena, but this was a wretched setup for a show and a waste of some good action. Fix this already, because this was a big negative despite the positives from the wrestlers.

Results
Righteous b. Camaro Jackson/Anaya – Autumn Sunshine to Anaya
Nyla Rose b. Laynie Luck – Beast Bomb
Zak Knight b. Aaron Solo – Running forearm
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Spanish Announce Project – Discus forearm to Serpentico
Willie Mack/Blake Christian b. Outrunners – Frog splash to Floyd
Diamante/Leila Grey/Taya Valkyrie b. Lady Frost/Kiera Hogan/Trish Adora – Rolling cutter to Adora
Infantry/Lee Johnson b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Reverse inverted DDT to Jameson
Red Velvet b. Heather Reckless – The Mix
Billie Starkz b. Tootie Lynn – Swanton
Ethan Page b. Kody Lane – Ego’s Edge
Abadon b. Robyn Renegade – Black Dahlia
Jack Cartwheel b. Jon Cruz – Corkscrew Swanton
Action Andretti b. Anthony Henry – Split legged moonsault
Rocky Romero b. Slim J, Josh Woods and JD Drake – Running Sliced Bread to J
The Kingdom b. Gravity/Gringo Loco – Hail Mary to Loco

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ring Of Honor
Date: January 18, 2024
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We’re back with another week but there is a twist this time: the Tag Team Champions are ACTUALLY HERE! For the first time since early August, the titles will not only be on the show but also on the line. It’s a tiny victory but I’ll take the little things that I can get here and there. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s what’s coming this week.

We look back at Nyla Rose attacking Athena at a training school.

Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair don’t get how this happened but Nair suggests herbal tea and Friends. Starkz on the other hand wants the Women’s TV Title. These two are still great together.

Nyla Rose vs. Erica Leigh

Leigh chops away to start but is dropped with a single chop. They go outside with Leigh being rammed ribs first into the apron and then into the steps as the fans approve of Rose. Back in and Leigh gets in a kick, earning herself a “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND” and a chokeslam. The cannonball and Beast Bomb finish for Rose at 2:57.

Tag Team Titles: Iron Savages vs. The Kingdom

The Kingdom is defending and Bennett chops Bronson into the corner to start. Bennett’s right hands don’t get him very far as Bronson backdrops him down and hands it off to Boulder for a swinging side slam. Bennett sends the Savages into each other though and Taven comes in for a spear. A running flipping neckbreaker gives Taven two on Bronson as commentary talks about the Kingdom’s history.

Taven’s chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s back to Bennett for the chops in the corner. A splash misses for Bennett though and it’s Boulder coming in to pick up the pace. Slams and corner splashes keep the Kingdom in trouble, with a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination getting two. Taven low bridges Boulder to the floor but Bronson sends Taven outside for the dive. Back in and a Sky High gives Bronson two but it’s Just The Tip into the Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip to give Taven two. Hail Mary (spike piledriver) retains the titles at 6:54.

Rating: C+. That’s something the show has been missing for a long time now. This wasn’t some epic match, but the champs being here and putting the titles on the line gives the other tag teams a reason to fight. There’s a prize to be won now and there might be a reason to having all of those tag matches now. It’s not so much a great match, but it’s an important event that needs to happen every so often.

Robyn Renegade, Taya Valkyrie, Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering are ready for their eight woman tag match as a preview for the Women’s TV Title tournament.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Keith

Castagnoli powers him into the corner to start and adds a nice shove. It works so well that Castagnoli does it again, this time for some rights and lefts to make it more violent. Keith is able to send him outside and follows with…actually some strikes rather than a dive. Back in and Castagnoli grabs a chokeslam of all things, setting up an elbow drop for two.

Some stomps in the corner have Keith in more trouble and Castagnoli grabs a slam to cut off the comeback attempt. A gorilla press into the corner sends Keith outside again but he’s back in with a tornado DDT. They head outside again with Keith firing off some kicks to the chest but Castagnoli uppercuts his head off.

Back in and Keith hits a running knee for two of his own and a Death Valley Driver onto the knee gets the same. Castagnoli has had it though and grabs the Swing for two of his own. The big uppercut gets two more so Castagnoli grabs a swinging sleeper into a rear naked choke to finish at 12:46.

Rating: B. This started off slowly but they got into a groove and were tearing the house down by the end. Castagnoli going into wrecking ball mode is great to see as there isn’t much that can stop him when he gets going like that. Keith held his own here too and I was into this by the end, which is a great sign for any match.

Respect is shown post match.

Billie Starkz/Queen Aminata/Kiera Hogan/Lady Frost vs. Taya Valkyrie/Robyn Renegade/Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering

Starkz and Renegade start things off, with Starkz hitting a hard shot to the face. Frost comes in to flip over Hirsch and dropkick her in the back, allowing Ellering to come in. Aminata comes in as well as commentary hypes her up as a major prospect. Ellering wins a strike off so Aminata takes her down for a kick to the back.

Hogan gets to strike away at Ellering, who casually picks her up and drops her into the wrong corner. It’s Renegade coming in for a change, with Hogan hitting a running hip attack to the back. Renegade kicks her out to the floor for two, followed by Taya’s sliding clothesline for the same. Ellering’s backsplash gets two more and Renegade gets to grab a reverse chinlock as the fast tags continue.

Hogan grabs a jumping neckbreaker to get her way out of trouble and it’s Frost coming back in to pick up the pace. A cartwheel hip attack in the corner gets two on Valkyrie and things settle a bit. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and we hit the parade of secondary finishers. Starkz grabs the Starkz’s End for the pin on Renegade at 9:15.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much that you can do in a match with this many people involved. What matters is that they’re setting up the TV Title tournament, though it would be nice if the thing actually, you know, started. Starkz would seem to be a favorite to win the thing but you never know in something like this.

Post match Abadon comes out to stare everyone down again.

We look at Bullet Club Gold winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles on Dynamite.

Top Flight give Action Andretti a ride in a golf cart before his shot at El Hijo del Vikingo later tonight.

We’re off to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida for a bit.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Top Flight

Dante throws Blade into the corner to start and a running Downward Spiral brings him back out. Butcher comes in but gets dropkicked into another corner so Blade tries his luck again. Blade finally takes Darius into the corner and Butcher hits a heck of a clothesline to take over for the first time.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Butcher cuts of the tag attempt. That doesn’t last long either as Darius gets over for the tag to Dante so the pace can pick up in a hurry. Everything breaks down and an assisted tornado DDT plants Butcher. Darius drops Blade and Dante’s top rope splash finishes at 7:03.

Rating: C+. Another nice match here with the power vs. speed formula. Butcher and the Blade are a team who always feels like they could move up to the next level but then they lose here. In theory this is Top Flight getting some momentum back, though I could go with it not being at Butcher and the Blade’s expense.

Mark Briscoe vs. Serpentico

Briscoe takes him down to the mat without much effort but Serpentico is back up with a hurricanrana out of the corner. A running boot to the face puts Serpentico outside and Briscoe gets to stomp away back inside. Briscoe’s suplex gets two and they chop it out. Serpentico grabs a jumping cutter for two more but Briscoe knocks him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and the Jay Driller is countered into a jumping Downward Spiral for two, only for Briscoe to come back with the Driller for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C+. They had another nice match here in a streak of them this week. Serpentico has gone from little more than a comedy goof to someone who can hang in there with some bigger names and that is nice to see. Briscoe continues to just kind of float around, and unless that’s what he wants to do, I have no idea why he’s being used this way.

Lexi Nair is annoyed at Nyla Rose for attacking Athena, with Rose saying she’ll be the new head of the Minions….and then doing a Cartman impression for a bit of charm. Rose wants Athena but for now, she’s looking for Billie Starkz.

Diamante vs. Dream Girl Ellie

Diamante starts fast and hammers away, setting up an early chinlock. Ellie is back up with a scream, only to get taken down by a clothesline. Something like Reno’s old Roll of the Dice finishes Ellie at 1:27.

Johnny TV, with Taya Valkyrie, isn’t going to fight Dalton Castle, who he calls Macho Man Randy Average. Cue an enraged Castle to chase TV into a locker room and almost cry about how much he needs to beat TV.

TV Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is challenging. They circle each other to start until Daniels takes him down by the arm. Back up and Fletcher runs him over with a shoulder for two, only to get pulled into an armbar. Fletcher goes after the arm as well, including a slam while holding onto said arm. A quick Downward Spiral and belly to back suplex get Daniels out of trouble and he hammers away in the corner.

The middle rope Downward Spiral gives Daniels two but Fletcher’s brainbuster gets the same. Daniels manages a quick Angel’s Wings for two and the fans find this awesome. Back up and Fletcher hits a running knee to the back, setting up the kneeling piledriver to retain at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was the wrestling match of the show and it worked well enough all things considered. At the end of the day though, Daniels losing over and over again is only going to get him so far. It’s more or less all he does most of the time and while it’s still working, it’s starting to lose some of its impact.

Ethan Page wants a title but he has to make specific goals. That’s why he’s looking at Kyle Fletcher and winning the TV Title. He’s ready to earn his way there too.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is challenging. They trade rollups for two each to start and flip to a standoff, with the fans approving. After a handshake, Vikingo hits a dropkick into a headscissors out to the floor, only to have Andretti come back with a Falcon Arrow. A basement dropkick gives Andretti two and we hit the chinlock.

With that broken up, Andretti’s bicycle kick gets two and the chinlock goes on again. Vikingo grabs a quick Death Valley Driver for two of his own and goes up top for a heck of a twisting moonsault. Andretti gets sent outside for a heck of a moonsault but he comes back in with a springboard clothesline and a near fall. They trade rollups until Vikingo stacks him up to retain at 10:08.

Rating: B-. This was the high flying match with both of them doing their big moves until one of them got the pin. It’s an entertaining match, but it’s the kind of thing that I’ve seen so many times that it stops having that much impact. They had an entertaining main event and that’s all that matters here, as it was just a thrown together match at the end of a long show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show that would have been outstanding if you cut it off after the eight woman tag. The problem is that the show keeps going for over an hour after that and it went downhill a bit after that. The show was far from bad and it was down to under an hour and forty five minutes, but it did drag in places. I’ll definitely call it an improvement over recent weeks, but they still felt like they were just filling time for a good while and that’s not good.

Results
Nyla Rose b. Erica Leigh – Beast Bomb
Kingdom b. Iron Savages – Hail Mary to Bronson
Claudio Castagnoli b. Bryan Keith – Rear naked choke
Billie Starkz/Queen Aminata/Kiera Hogan/Lady Frost b. Taya Valkyrie/Robyn Renegade/Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering – Stark’s End to Renegade
Top Flight b. Butcher and the Blade – Top rope splash to Blade
Mark Briscoe b. Serpentico – Jay Driller
Diamante b. Dream Girl Ellie – Rolling cutter
Kyle Fletcher b. Christopher Daniels – Kneeling piledriver
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Action Andretti – Rollup

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.