Ring Of Honor
Date: May 1, 2025
Location: MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re slowly coming up on Supercard Of Honor but that’s far too early to start getting ready around here. In this case we need a lot of title matches to be set up, but this week will see Red Velvet defending the Women’s North American Title against La Catalina. Other than that, it’s like you usual guessing game of what is coming so let’s get to it.

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

We look at Bandido retaining the ROH World Title over Dralistico.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Leila Grey vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa drop toeholds her down to start and dances a bit but Grey gets in a takedown of her own. Grey is back with a running Blockbuster into a dance of her own but an attempt at going after the leg doesn’t work. A Sling Blade gives Shirakawa two and a Figure Four makes Grey tap at 4:57.

Rating: C+. These two both have great charisma and it helped make the match a bit better. Shirakawa brings energy to a match like few others anywhere in wrestling today and it was fun seeing her do so again here. Grey continues to feel like a prospect and thankfully is isn’t going to hut her very much to lose to someone of Shirakawa’s status.

We look at Johnny TV and the MxM Collection beating down Dustin Rhodes and company.

Johnny TV/MxM Collection vs. Rosario Grillo/Kameron Russell/Allen Russell

Mansoor and Grillo start things off, but Mansoor asks why he’s doing this and brings Madden in instead. Grillo’s leg dive doesn’t work and it’s off to Allen, who gets his chest caved in with a double chop. The villains take Allen down and hit a triple pose, allowing the tag off to Kameron. A dive is cut off with a choke and Mansoor adds a backsplash. The chokeslam sets up the Centerfold to give Madden the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. TV and the Collection are a fine enough heel team but then I can’t get around the fact that they’re being set up for another match against Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs. Why Rhodes is at worst the second biggest star in Ring Of Honor is beyond me but that is where we have been for months now. It pulls the life out of these matches, especially when Rhodes and company have already beaten the Collection and TV.

Women’s TV Title: La Catalina vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and dances rather than shake hands. Catalina armdrags her down to start and dances a bit before Velvet grinds away on a headlock. A cheap shot has Catalina angry so she hits a basement dropkick to cut her down. Velvet is knocked outside for an apron Blockbuster but she trips Catalina down and mocks the fans (Velvet: “You’re not cheering now.”). Catalina’s leg is wrapped around the post and then around the ropes but she’s fine enough to hit a running knee.

A running shot in the corner sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Velvet, followed by a Pedigree for the same. Back up and Velvet sends her throat first into the middle rope for some running knees to the neck. Velvet kicks her down for two but Catalina hits a middle rope shotgun dropkick. An electric chair drop looks to set up a frog splash but Velvet is there to cut her off. Velvet grabs a half crab (and the rope) and Catalina taps at 9:11.

Rating: B-. Nice enough match here, though it’s still hard to care that much about Velvet. She’s fine in the ring but she’s been champion for over nine months and it’s often difficult to even remember she has the title. ROH absolutely does not need two women’s titles (certainly not three) and while Velvet has done fine with the title, it would make a grand total of no important difference if it was gone.

Frat House vs. Spanish Announce Project

Yes, somehow it’s Angelico/Serpentico vs. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter again. It’s a brawl to start fast with the Project taking over in the corners. Garrison gets clotheslined down as commentary goes nuts hyping up the big Texas trip. Serpentico takes Garrison down with a dive but Karter grabs an ankle to take over. A double suplex plants Serpentico again and the chinlock keeps him in trouble.

Back up and Serpentico gets in a hurricanrana for a breather, allowing the diving tag off to Angelico. Karter and Angelico slug it out until the latter kicks him in the head for two. It’s already back to Serpentico as everything breaks down. Karter and Angelico hit stereo crossbodies but the rest of the Frat House gets involved to take out Serpentico. Karter’s spinning DDT finishes Serpentico at 7:34.

Rating: C. The Frat House being another way to spice up Karter and Garrison is kind of fascinating, as I can’t fathom what anyone sees in them as a team. They’re perfectly middle of the road, which makes me wonder why in the world they’ve been given this many shots. Throw in that they fought the Project for more than six months and my goodness this was a chore to watch.

Post match the beatdown is on but Bandido makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was a perfect illustration of Ring Of Honor’s major issues: these wrestlers are only so interesting and they aren’t on AEW TV as a result. You’ve got some people here who would be fine on the bigger shows, but asking fans to get interested in seeing them go it alone for about 45 minutes a week is a lot. The wrestling was perfectly adequate, but with so many options out there to pick from for good wrestling these days, why in the world would anyone go out of their way to watch this stuff?

Results
Mina Shirakawa b. Leila Grey – Figure Four
Johnny TV/MxM Collection b. Rosario Grillo/Allen Russell/Kameron Russell – Centerfold to Kameron
Red Velvet b. La Catalina – Half crab
Frat House b. Spanish Announce Project – Spinning DDT to Serpentico

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: April 24, 2025
Location: MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re in another weird period as Supercard Of Honor has been moved to the summer, meaning we have a few weeks where very little is going to matter. Maybe it has something to do with nothing being announced for a show which would have been held next week. Either way, we could use some fresh challengers for various titles so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Premiere Athletes/The Righteous vs. Spanish Announce Project/Kingdom

The Athletes take Angelico into the corner for the early beating but it’s quickly off to Serpentico for a knockdown. Serpentico is hiptossed onto Nese for two and it’s Taven coming in for a dropkick. Bennett’s clothesline gets two and Nese bails out to the floor, with the chase resulting in Bennett taking a beating.

Back in and the Righteous takes turns beating on Bennett, with Dutch’s clothesline getting two. The chinlock goes on and Nese comes in for one of his own. Bennett fights out and the big tag brings in Taven to clean house. A superkick into the Lionsault gets two on Daivari and Serpentico comes in off a blind tag. Everything breaks down and the Boss Man Slam into Orange Sunshine finishes Serpentico at 8:13.

Rating: C. This was the latest match involving all of the tag teams around here and there is only so much you can get out of these teams who are not going anywhere anytime soon. That is the problem with the tag division basically being Rhodes and Guevara and one other team at a time, because….oh you know the rest by now. It’s the same problem it’s been for months and it isn’t changing.

Crowbar vs. Lance Archer

Yes the one from WCW and he’s in good shape. Crowbar drops to his back a few times and gets forearmed in the face before the bell. Archer grabs a suplex and Crowbar is sent outside, where he gets in a shot of his own. Back in and Archer knocks him down again, only to miss a charge in the corner. Crowbar drops some legs between the legs for two but Crowbar takes too long going for the crowbar, meaning it’s a chokeslam. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 4:51.

Rating: C. There is something amazing about seeing someone like Crowbar, who hasn’t been around on the big stage in decades, showing up here for a perfectly fine match. He’s in good shape for someone at his age and he didn’t get entirely destroyed here. Not a great match or anything, but a nice little surprise.

We look at Nick Wayne winning the TV Title last week. On Collision of course.

Red Velvet vs. Ashley Vox

Non-title Proving Ground match meaning if Vox wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future Women’s TV Title shot. Vox’s rather firm handshake is pulled into a clothesline and Velvet starts fast. Velvet knocks her down again and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Vox’s back. Vox fights up but gets hammered in the corner. Another comeback works a bit better as Vox hits a running knee into a spinning clothesline for two. Back up and Velvet knocks her cold with the big left hand for the win at 4:28.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have much time to do much here and Vox is a decent enough independent star but you can only get so much out of a women’s midcard title when it doesn’t need to be there in the first place. The division barely exists as Athena has destroyed everyone so it’s a collection of losers. That doesn’t make for an interesting title picture and it’s only going to get worse with a third title being brought into the division.

Post match La Catalina comes out for a staredown.

Leila Grey, Taya Valkyrie and Deonna Purrazzo are in the Women’s Pure Rules Title. For those not keeping track: the men’s version has only been defended twice this year.

Mark Briscoe/AR Fox/Top Flight vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Briscoe and Taylor slug it out to start until Briscoe’s crossbody is pulled out of the air. Fox and Moriarty come in with Fox taking over, including knocking Bravo down as well. Back in and Bravo tosses Fox into a suplex from Dean and the villains take over. Bravo’s gutbuster gets two and the chinlock goes on.

Fox fights up with a spinning suplex for the break and it’s off to Darius to pick up the pace. House is cleaned, at least until Taylor gets in a big forearm. The splash gets two and Taylor’s chop seems to destroy part of Darius’ soul. Darius manages a running C4 to Dean and it’s off to Dante to clean house. A springboard Swanton gets two on a standing Moriarty as everything breaks down. Fox dives onto Taylor on the floor and the Jay Driller finishes Dean at 8:27.

Rating: C+. At least some of the people involved here feel somewhat important, as that has not exactly been the case for most of this show. Briscoe is always worth a look and the Promotions are more or less the designated punching bags. Not exactly a great main event, but it’s the best thing on the show this week.

Overall Rating: C-. On one hand, this show gets big points for only being about forty five minutes long, but on the other hand, my goodness did it feel like the most nothing show imaginable. None of the four matches on here felt important in the slightest and the only thing we got was a staredown about the….we’ll say second most important women’s title of the three. It certainly wasn’t a terrible show, but I don’t think they could have made it feel less important.

Results
Righteous/Premiere Athletes b. Spanish Announce Project/Kingdom – Orange Sunshine to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Crowbar – Blackout
Red Velvet b. Ashley Vox – Left hand
Mark Briscoe/AR Fox/Top Flight b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Jay Driller to Dean

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: April 17, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is a special bonus episode of the show to hype up the special Spring Breakthru edition of Collision later tonight. I’m not sure what Ring Of Honor has to do with getting me excited for Collision but who am I to argue about more Ring Of Honor? If nothing else, we only have about two weeks before Supercard Of Honor so it’s time to get ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Top Flight vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Rocky Romero

Leila Grey is here with Top Flight. Dante and Romero go with the grappling to start and Romero’s armbar doesn’t last long. Darius comes in for a suplex and Dante’s slingshot hilo gets a fast two. It’s off to Ishii, who actually loses a slugout with Darius and gets caught with a dropkick.

Ishii pulls him into a suplex though and chops away in the corner before handing it back to Romero. Darius ducks a chop and dives over to Darius for a springboard crossbody. An assisted tornado DDT plants Romero for two with Ishii making the save. Romero uses Ishii as a springboard to hit a standing Sliced Bread on Darius but Ishii lariats Romero by mistake. Darius takes Ishii out and Dante’s spinning half nelson slam finishes Romero at 6:46.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here, with Top Flight being about as good of a choice as you’re going to find for such a match around here. Ishii and Romero are established enough names despite not being much of a regular team in Ring Of Honor. I’ll spare you my usual rant about Top Flight needing to get closer to the titles because it just isn’t going to happen.

Post match Romero and Ishii get in a bit of an argument.

Shane Taylor vs. KM

KM’s running shoulders don’t have any impact as Taylor knocks him down instead. The big right hand finishes KM at 1:20.

Red Velvet is ready for either Taya Valkyrie or La Catalina. Either one can come for the title but it will still be “and still”.

La Catalina vs. Taya Valkyrie

For a Women’s TV Title shot. Catalina armdrags her down to start but Valkyrie is back up with a big boot. They fight to the floor with Valkyrie taking over and getting in a bit of dancing. Back in and Catalina hits a running knee and a Sling Blade gets two. Valkyrie hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two of her own, followed by a spear for the same. Catalina catches her up top though and an electric chair sets up a top rope splash to finish Valkyrie at 5:46.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough way to set up Catalina for a title shot, as Valkyrie has been treated as a big enough star for the time being. I could go for Catalina winning the title, as it isn’t like Velvet has been doing anything with it in recent months. Throw in the idea of CMLL winning another title and it could make the ties between the promotions that much better.

Nick Wayne vs. Michael Oku

Mother Wayne is here with Nick. Wayne kicks away a handshake offer so they run the ropes, only for Oku to hit a dropkick into the corner. Oku sends him into the buckle and hits a dropkick dropkick out to the floor. It’s too early for a dive though as Wayne flips the leg to send Oku crashing onto the apron. Back in and Oku blocks a full nelson and hits a missile dropkick into a tornado DDT.

A Lionsault hits knees though and Wayne snaps off a dragon suplex to leave them both down. Oku sends him outside for a running flip dive, setting up the half crab to send Wayne to the ropes. Back in and Mother Wayne offers a distraction, allowing Kip Sabian to shove Oku off the top. Wayne’s World finishes Oku at 8:09.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better Oku matches I’ve seen in a good while as I’m usually not the biggest fan of his stuff. The ending was a bit annoying as it was the same stuff that happens far too often with the Patriarchy or other heel stables. It helps that they kept things moving here and had a pretty action packed match.

Overall Rating: C+. They didn’t exactly do much here and I’m not sure what this was supposed to do to make me care about this week’s Collision. That being said, it was only about thirty six minutes long and it helps to get them in and out. It certainly felt like a bonus show and not something you need to see, but at least it was on Youtube, where Ring Of Honor should always be.

Results
Top Flight b. Tomohiro Ishii/Rocky Romero – Spinning half nelson slam to Romero
Shane Taylor b. KM – Running right hand
La Catalina b. Taya Valkyrie – Top rope splash
Nick Wayne b. Michael Oku – Wayne’s World

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 20, 2025
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back on land this week and it’s another somewhat special episode as we have some guest stars from CMLL. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it almost has to be more interesting than what we usually get around here. Other than that, we have a Ring Of Honor World Title match on Collision this weekend so it might be time to hype it up some more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Global Wars recap.

Opening sequence.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Fuego del Sol

Yuta jumps him at the bell and starts fast, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. A dropkick staggers Yuta but he comes back with a running clothesline to drop Fuego in a hurry. Yuta faceplants him and hits a basement dropkick before tying up the leg. Fuego makes the rope and fights up, setting up a basement superkick. Yuta ducks something off the top and hits a running knee for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here for Yuta and that still doesn’t make him overly interesting. Fuego is one of those fun people who doesn’t win much but isn’t going to be a thing in AEW so this is about as far as he’s going. I’m not sure what it says for Yuta to count as star power around here but it’s not the best sign.

Post match Yuta grabs a chain and ties Fuego up in a surfboard for a choke.

Rachael Ellering vs. Abadon

Ellering grabs a headlock to start and gets her hand bitten as a result. A basement kick to the face cuts Ellering down but she’s right back with a running elbow to the face. The backsplash misses though and Abadon hits an apron legdrop to take over. Ellering is right back with a suplex and now the backsplash connects for two. Back up and Abadon grabs a running cutter, setting up the Black Dahlia for the pin at 4:08.

Rating: C-. There is something missing from Ellering’s matches and I’m not sure what it is. Granted some of the problem might be that she only exists to put people over and that isn’t going to get her very far. At some point she needs to win something, or the little value that she has is going to go away rather quickly. Abadon continues to look weird, but there is a pretty firm ceiling when you’re only around every few months.

Jacked Jameson is fired up about his potential stable mates, who interrupt and say the Frat House is now a thing. They share a drink and give Jameson a hat.

Frat House/Premiere Athletes/Mark Sterling vs. Top Flight/Outrunners/Von Erichs

The Von Erichs have been gone for six months and the Six Man Tag Team Titles have been sitting cold since then and they come back in a random twelve man tag. Because of course. Darius and Nese start things off with Nese taking him into the corner so Garrison can come in. That means Dante can come in for a jumping stomp to the back as the rapid fire tags continue.

Ross kicks Jameson down and Marshall hits a standing moonsault for two more. Magnum comes in and gets knocked into the wrong corner so it’s off to Sterling to hammer away. The chinlock goes on but Magnum fights up, only for the villains to pull his partners off the apron. Magnum suplexes his way to freedom and the tag brings in Floyd to clean house. Sterling gets slammed down to set up the Mega Powers Elbow. Total Recall finishes Sterling off at 8:53.

Rating: C. The Six Man Titles are coming up on seven months without a defense but we needed to have the Von Erichs in here because it’s TEXAS and therefore we need TEXAS wrestlers in there. Ignore the issue of the Von Erichs really not being that interesting and the Six Man Tag Team Titles feeling less than worthless and it’s a bit hard to care about them. The rest of the people are the usual goons around here, which is why this match was a Dark Order short of hitting every check mark in an ROH match.

The MxM Collection celebrates stealing the Tag Team Title again at Global Wars, despite not winning the belts.

Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

Athena is here with Starkz, who flips out of a wristlock to start. A German suplex drops Hyan again and a kick to the head out of the corner does it again. Hyan avoids the Swanton though and grabs a suplex of her own. Starkz forearms the heck out of her in the corner though and finishes with an electric chair slam at 4:00.

Rating: C+. For the love of all things good and holy, tell me we are not building towards Starkz vs. Athena again. It seems that’s where we’re going, and my goodness I cannot fathom having to see that a third time, especially if Starkz finally beats her. The title has just gone ice cold lately as Athena has been out of major challengers for so long. The action here was at least good, which somehow is the best thing so far tonight.

TV Title: Komander vs. Lee Johnson

Komander is defending and Johnson has EJ Nduka in his corner. They trade standing switches to start before Komander nips out of a headscissors for a standoff. A springboard wristdrag is broken up so Komander sends him outside and moonsaults into a headscissors. Nduka offers a distraction though and Johnson drops Komander to take over. Johnson sends him outside for a bit, followed by a chinlock back inside.

That’s broken up so they head to the apron for a slugout, with Komander grabbing a running hurricanrana driver. A springboard moonsault to a standing Johnson connects back inside but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Johnson fights up but gets dropped with a poisonrana for two. They fight over a suplex and go out to the floor, where Johnson plants him hard.

That’s not good enough so Johnson rams him ankle first into the barricade over and over. Back in and Komander unlaces his boot, allowing Johnson to hit a frog splash. Johnson gets knocked off the top so Komander dives onto both of them for the big crash. Back in and Cielito Lindo connects anyway for the pin to retain at 15:22.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was good, but it still feels like a match between people who are here because they don’t belong anywhere else. Komander has been treated like a loser for so long on AEW TV that it’s hard to care about him being the midcard champion in the minor league. On the other hand you have Johnson, who isn’t bad in the ring but keeps losing his big shots. Fix that and he might be worth something.

Video on Red Velvet.

Gates Of Agony vs. Exodus Prime/Josiah G

A Samoan drop and Open The Gates means a double pin for Kaun at 1:15. Total decimation.

The World Title match for Collision gets a graphic. Thanks for bothering.

Barbaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Soberano Jr. vs. Dark Panther/Fuego/Sammy Guevara

Cue the MxM Collection to watch from the stage. It’s a brawl to start with Guevara’s team being knocked down with a triple clothesline. Soberano bites Guevara’s boot before Hechicero pounds away on his head. Guevara gets caught in a triple flipping slam (I believe BDK used to call it Ragnarok) so he rolls outside, allowing Fuego to come in.

Hechicero grabs a Rocking Horse and Soberano gets dropped down with a Fameasser at the same time. Panther comes in and gets faceplanted, allowing the villains (I guess?) to take him into the corner. Some tilt-a-whirl backbreaker get Panther out of trouble and we settle down to Hechicero vs. Guevara. The latter clears the ring and hits a dive, which counts as a tag so it isn’t that nuts.

Instead of switching places, Guevara comes back in and hits a big dive of his own, only for Cavernario to take him down. Now it’s off to Fuego, who seems confused by Cavernario’s Worm. Everything breaks down and Hechicero is sent outside and Soberano dives onto Panther. Fuego takes Soberano out with a dive of his own but Mansoor comes in to hit Guevara with the belt. Hechicero flips Fuego into a very spinny rollup for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: B. One match. Not the entire card and not some invasion angle that no one was asking to see. It was one match where the talented CMLL guys got in, did their stuff to pop the crowd and then got out. That’s WAY more effective than having them around week after week in some feud that feels tacked on. Treat these guys as a special attraction, because they’re good enough to warrant popping in on occasion, which was the case again here in the best thing on the show.

Post match Hechicero touches tips with the Collection but Guevara gives Mansoor the GTH. Madden escapes with the belt to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a good illustration of why this series rarely works. So many of the matches either feel like they’re stretching out something that lasts for a long time (Athena/Starkz) or is just there to fill in time with little being gained (pick almost anything on the card) while the important stuff (the World Title match) is taking place on another show. There’s nothing interesting to get behind here and it makes for a very dry show most of the time. The wrestling isn’t the worst, but I need a reason to care about these people other than “they have some pretty good matches”.

Results
Wheeler Yuta b. Fuego del Sol – Running knee
Abadon b. Rachael Ellering – Black Dahlia
Top Flight/Outrunners/Von Erichs b. Frat House/Premiere Athletes/Mark Sterling – Total Recall to Sterling
Billie Starkz b. Hyan – Electric chair slam
Komander b. Lee Johnson – Cielito Lindo
Gates Of Agony b. Exodus Prime/Josiah G – Double pin
Hechicero/Barbaro Cavernario/Soberano Jr. b. Fuego/Sammy Guevara/Dark Panther – Spinning rollup to Fuego

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 6, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are still fresh into the new year and that means very little around here, as Supercard Of Honor is usually coming up in about two months. That doesn’t seem to be the case this time though and that is going to slow things down a lot. This time around though, Athena is back and that could make things interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Blake Christian vs. Adam Priest

Christian flips him off so Priest grabs the finger, only to get pulled into a headlock. Back up and Priest grabs his own headlock but Christian pops out. A springboard clothesline drops Priest and Christian throws him outside for some choking on the barricade. Back in and Christian charges out of the corner but gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A snap powerslam gives Christian a breather and a 450 double stomp sets up the Vanilla Choke Zero (like a Last Chancery) for the tap at 6:03.

Rating: C. Well, they are in fact doing something with Christian and it does feel like he is rising up the ranks a bit. I’ll take some kind of storytelling and progress over nothing and this is going better than a lot of other stories around here. Leaning into the idea of Christian being boring is a way to go, but I’ll take it over some of the things around here.

Cole Carter/Preston Vance vs. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros

Griff Garrison is here with Carter and Vance. Garrison takes Eli down to start but actually gets sent into the corner for a running elbow. Eli does something close to Rene Dupree’s French Tickler but here is Jacked Jameson of all people to interrupt. The villains knock Eli outside before Vance grabs a delayed vertical suplex. A slow motion elbow hits Eli and it’s back to Garrison for a front facelock. Eli actually fights up and hands it off to Gabriel to pick up the pace. Vance isn’t having that though and hits a discus lariat for the pin at 6:27.

Rating: C. Remember how I said I would take Christian over some of the things around here? Anything involving Carter and Garrison would fit the description. I have no idea what their appeal is supposed to be but it hasn’t been effective in a rather long time now. The match was fine enough, with Theseus/Aeros, apparently a regular team, looking decent.

Billie Starkz doesn’t quite get Athena’s entrance right so Athena walks her through it, albeit with some anger.

Lee Johnson vs. Jon Davis

EJ Nduka is here with Johnson. Davis (a former tag star in ROH) goes after Johnson to start but gets slapped in the head for his efforts. Johnson sends him outside and Nduka offers the distraction to set up the big dive. Back in and a moonsault gives Johnson two but a chop just annoys Davis. Johnson misses a dropkick and Davis rolls him into a German suplex. Nduka gets in a cheap shot though and Johnson hits the frog splash for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. So is this supposed to be a tag team or just Johnson doing the wrestling while Nduka looks like a monster? Either way, it’s only so interesting as Johnson isn’t much of anything special and we haven’t seen enough of Nduka for her to matter. Davis is someone who used to be something, albeit in a tag team, so he was only going to get so far here.

Athena vs. Carolina Cruz

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Cruz wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena dropkicks her into the corner to start fast and a Wasteland puts Cruz down. Some yelling at Starkz lets Cruz get in a right hand and full nelson slam but Athena powerbombs her down. The running forearm finishes for Athena at 2:42.

Post match Athena yells at Starkz and beats up Cruz some more.

We look at Bandido returning (again) on Collision.

Sammy Guevara vs. Mansoor

Mason Madden is here with Mansoor while Dustin Rhodes can’t be bothered to be there with his partner. Mansoor grabs a headlock to start and grinds away on the mat, setting up the pose. Back up and Guevara runs him over again and strikes his own pose, which doesn’t go as well.

Guevara sends him outside for a big running flip dive but Mansoor gets smart by going after the leg. A fisherman’s suplex gives Mansoor two and we hit the half crab. The rope is grabbed and Guevara starts the comeback with some dragon screw legwhips. Mason’s interference doesn’t work and Guevara grabs a Figure Four for the tap at 7:27.

Rating: C+. I still have no idea why I’m supposed to care about the Tag Team Titles, which have now not been defended in over a month. The act that this puts them above the AEW Trios Titles (three months) and the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles (six months) isn’t a great sign, but that’s quite the ROH problem. For now though, we likely have the next challengers for the titles, even if it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Dustin can’t even be bothered to show up again and…can you blame him?

Post match the MxM Collection beats Guevara down and pose with his Tag Team Title. This would mean a lot more if he hadn’t just basically beaten both of them in less than seven and a half minutes.

Women’s TV Title: Robyn Renegade vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and grabs a headlock to start. That’s broken up and Renegade takes her into the corner for a shot to the face. Velvet gets sent outside for a needed breather but she is able to cut off a baseball slide. Back in and Velvet chokes away, setting up some running knees against the ropes.

Renegade manages a knee to the face and a faceplant for two. A double down gives them both a needed breather before Velvet hammers away with some shots to the ribs. Renegade tries a pumphandle slam but gets reversed into the flipping faceplant to retain the title at 8:11.

Rating: C+ Better than I was expecting here, with Renegade putting up a solid fight. Renegade continues to be a bright spot when she is given the chance, but unfortunately that is not overly often. Velvet is finding herself more in the ring, so at least something seems to be working.

Premiere Athletes vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Dark Order vs. Outrunners

One fall to a finish with the Athletes taking Magnum into the corner to start fast. Reynolds tags himself in and hits a high crossbody for two as the fast start continues. A backbreaker into a DDT gives Uno two and the good guys hit four way right hands in the corner. We settle down to the non-involved Athletes stomping away on Reynolds outside. That’s broken up and Uno gets to hammer away, including a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER!

Magnum tags himself in and hammers away on Daivari for two but Gibson comes in with a belly to back suplex for two. The villains argue over who gets to go after Magnum, which is enough for him to get in a quick shot. The hot tag brings in Floyd to clean house and the Mega Powers Elbow hits Drake. Uno takes out Mark Sterling and an assisted Sliced Bread gives Drake two. Back up and the Total Recall finishes Drake for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Well I’m a sucker for a good double noggin knocker, even if it comes in another four way match with no reason to believe that the Outrunners are getting anything out of this. That’s the ROH tag division and it isn’t getting any better. Kind of like the Athletes and the Dark Order who just won’t go away.

Overall Rating: C-. The biggest issue around here continues to be that things just aren’t that interesting. Dustin Rhodes is still treated as a huge deal by way of being a double champion but it’s still Rhodes, which means there is only so much interest. Just another weak show, with little to keep me interested, though the lack of an old match was nice for a change.

Results
Blake Christian b. Adam Priest – Vanilla Choke Zero
Cole Carter/Preston Vance b. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros – Discus lariat to Aeros
Lee Johnson b. Jon Davis – Frog splash
Athena b. Carolina Cruz – Running forearm
Sammy Guevara b. Mansoor – Figure Four
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Flipping faceplant
Outrunners b. Grizzled Young Veterans, Dark Order and Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Drake

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 30, 2025
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are now on the second hundred episodes of the show and that means we are likely going to see a lot of the same things over and over. That tends to be the case around here, but what matters the most is that Komander got to lose again on an AEW show, making ROH feel that unimportant. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Sammy Guevara vs. Aaron Solo

Guevara flips out of a wristlock to start and dropkicks him out to the floor. That lets Guevara spin into his pose and there’s the big running flip dive to take him down again. Back in and Guevara’s springboard is broken up and a snap suplex gets two. Guevara is back up with a running crossbody and some knees to the head connect for two. They go to the ramp for a slugout and a Canadian Destroyer plants Guevara. Since it’s just a flipping piledriver on the ramp, Guevara is right back with the GTH for the win 58 seconds later at 6:42.

Rating: C. This was a fine enough match but at the same time it was also ice cold. You have half of the Tag Team Champions against a jobber to the stars for a few minutes and that is only going to get you so far. Then again, I’ll take this over more of the SONS OF TEXAS, who are still a thing due to reasons.

Queen Aminata vs. Allysin Kay

Aminata does her mock hip shaking to start and gets rolled up to start. Kay knocks her down and hammers away in the corner, setting up the cross arm choke. Aminata fights up and hits a running knee in the ropes. The big headbutt gives Aminata the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. Another decent enough match here but Aminata continues to be the same person she has been for months now. There just isn’t much to her and while she is fine in the ring, she hasn’t moved up the card in a good while. Other than that, just another short match here, making it a perfectly normal ROH match.

We look at Kazuchika Okada beating Komander on Collision. Just in case you forgot about it.

Lee Johnson vs. Komander

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Johnson (with EJ Nduka) wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Johnson takes him down to start and seems rather cocky early on. Some headlock takeovers have Komander in more trouble and a running shoulder drops him again. Back up and Komander kicks him to the floor, where Nduka breaks up the attempted dive.

That lets Johnson send him into the barricade, only to get knocked off the top. A high crossbody gives Komander two but Johnson is right back with a Death Valley Driver. Komander is back with a sunset bomb but his ribs are banged up with a minute left. A springboard splash gives Komander two with thirty seconds left. Johnson falls out to the floor and time runs out at 9:55 (close enough).

Rating: C+. Does Komander owe Tony Khan money or something? He loses to Okada on Collision and then goes to a draw here. I’m not sure how smart that really is, but it’s not like the TV Title has been treated as anything important before. Maybe just try to make it look good every so often?

Serpentico vs. Brandon Cutler

Serpentico shoulders him down to start and they trade some quick near falls for two each. A rather big armdrag staggers Serpentico, who sends him into the corner without much effort. Cutler misses a dive off the top and some chops, to the front and back, have him in trouble. Back up and a tornado DDT lets Cutler take his jacket off, setting up a top rope double stomp to the back of the head. Serpentico is back up with a running cutter into a frog splash for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This is about as low level of a match as you can get and that didn’t make for the best match when we’re about forty minutes into the show and there hasn’t been much interesting. It’s just hard to get interested in this, even if it was a match built around a feud that started on Dark: Elevation years ago. That’s all we have here and I guess it works here?

From March 9, 2023 (and from a previous review).

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Tony Deppen

Joe is defending and works on the wrist to start. For some reason Deppen strikes away, earning himself a beating in the corner. Deppen fights back though and hits a running corner dropkick. A knee gives Deppen two more but Joe Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe blasts him with a clothesline though and the MuscleBuster retains the title at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Deppen was trying and they had the action going, but Joe isn’t about to lose to someone who has only made infrequent appearances in his first defense on this show. Joe doesn’t really need to get built up in Ring of Honor again but breaking a bit of a sweat against a former champion is a good thing. Now just get Joe a more serious challenger and we could be getting somewhere.

We look at Daniel Garcia and the Undisputed Kingdom chasing off Shane Taylor Promotions.

The Infantry is happy with the changes that have been coming around here and tell people that ROH now means Run Or Hide.

Blake Christian vs. Evil Uno

Christian gets shoved away to start so he has a lounge on the top rope. A quick trip on the floor doesn’t do much for Christian, who is shouldered down into a nip up. Christian bails outside again and this time Uno runs him down again. Back in and some corner clotheslines have Christian in trouble but he snaps Uno’s arm across the top rope.

A dive through the ropes from the ramp drops Uno again and Christian kicks him in the face. Uno fights up with some clotheslines and a DDT drops Christian again. A brainbuster plants Christian but he kicks Uno down and drops a frog splash for two. Uno’s piledriver gets the same, only for Christian to take him down and hit a 450. The running knee to the back of the head finishes Uno at 8:26.

Rating: C. So the deal is that Christian is really boring and doesn’t make you care about him? Then he has a match where he is rather boring and doesn’t make me care about him? I’m not sure if I’m getting the idea here but at last Christian is someone new. Now just do something important with him already.

Women’s TV Title: Leila Grey vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and grinds away with a headlock to start. A running shoulder drops Velvet and Grey hits a running dropkick to put her down again. They head outside with Velvet sending her into the apron, only to miss a hip shaking chop. Back in and Velvet hammers away, setting up a boot choke in the corner.

The running knees set up a quickly broken seated full nelson so Velvet switches to a chinlock instead. Grey fights out again and hits a running knee in the corner, setting up a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up as well and Velvet hits an Iconoclasm for two. Back up and Velvet hits the flipping faceplant to retain at 8:25.

Rating: C. So this whole match was set up with Grey winning another match and then asking for this match. They then have a pretty nothing eight minute match before Velvet retains, getting her right back where we were a few weeks ago. Nothing to see here, as Grey’s momentum comes to a screeching halt.

Overall Rating: D+. This was on purpose right? I mean, they were trying to have as uninteresting of a match as they could yes? There was no reason to watch any of this and it was one boring star after another out there. Ring Of Honor has its reputation as being bottom of the barrel for a reason and this is a great example of what happened. Another totally skippable show, with the five minute Samoa Joe match being as confusing of a “classic” match as you could have.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Aaron Solo – GTH
Queen Aminata b. Allysin Kay – Headbutt
Komander vs. Lee Johnson went to a time limit draw
Serpentico b. Brandon Cutler – Frog splash
Blake Christian b. Evil Uno – Running knee to the back of the head
Red Velvet b. Leila Grey – Flipping faceplant

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 16, 2025
Location: Akins Ford Arena, Athens, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still kind of in the middle of nowhere with Ring Of Honor at the moment, though next week’s big 100th episode should help a bit. Chris Jericho seems to be feuding with Cope and Jericho has at least been around a little more frequently, though last week’s show needs a lot of improvement. Let’s get to it.

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

QT Marshall talks about how he’s going to move his TV Title match until next week for the special show. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Katsuyori Shibata/Komander/Outrunners vs. Dylan Stewart/Zach Stewart/Rosario Grillo/Colby Carter

Shibata takes over on Grillo’s arm to start and fires off some big chops against the ropes. Zach comes in and pulls Komander out of the air, only to get caught with a hurricanrana. It’s off to Floyd for a bicep pose, followed by a double bicep from both Outrunners. Magnum gets taken into the corner though and the villains take turns stomping away. Carter misses a knee drop but Grillo cuts off the tag attempt. Said tag brings in Floyd to clean house a few seconds later (as tends to be the case) and the Mega Powers elbow connects. A parade of finishers sets up the PK to finish Grillo at 7:49.

Rating: C. There is only so much that you can do with having so many people in a glorified squash match. The good guys were never in any danger and that’s how it should have been. Giving the Outrunners a win is nice, but maybe giving the champion a showcase of his own would make a bit more sense?

Shane Taylor talks about growing up in real fights and how he and his Promotions are ready to fight anyone. I’m ready for them to stop talking.

Tony Nese vs. The Beast Mortos

The rest of the Premiere Athletes are here with Nese. Mortos shoves him down to start but Nese poses a bit and grabs a headlock. Some left hands just annoy Mortos and he runs Nese over without much effort. A high crossbody doesn’t work for Nese either and Mortos knocks him outside for the dive.

The Athletes offer a distraction though and Nese scores with a superkick. Back in and we hit the chinlock, only for Nese to miss the springboard moonsault. Mortos’ backbreaker gets two and he hits a headbutt, but the Athletes grab his leg. That’s enough for the ejection and Mortos’ spinning piledriver is enough for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: C-. Why in the world is someone at Mortos’ level taking so long to beat someone at Nese’s level? Nese has barely ever done anything around here but he’s getting ten minutes against someone who has been as successful as Mortos? That’s more than a stretch and the match was boring on top of that. Just let Mortos smash him and move on.

The MxM Collection wants the Tag Team Titles. They would certainly be more entertaining.

Blake Christian vs. Parker Li

The fans like Li, who is taken down by a headlock takeover to start. Christian shoulders him down and poses before hitting a quick running dropkick. A suicide shoulder drops Li again and there’s a springboard clothesline for more posing. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Christian plants him out of the corner for two. Christian hits a spear and some running knees to the back for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. Christian is starting to be a bit of something around here, but it’s going to take a lot to get out of the incredibly stuffed midcard. The fans are starting to get behind the idea of booing him and that’s not a bad thing, but there is only so much to get out of this kind of a match. That being said, Christian is at least standing out a bit and that’s nice to see around here.

We look at Athena successfully retaining the Women’s Title in Japan for a Stardom event.

Red Velvet vs. Angelica Risk

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Risk wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future Women’s TV Title shot. Risk talks a lot of trash to start and shrugs off the shoves to the face. Some hiptosses and a crossbody have Velvet in some trouble and Risk gives her some gyrating hips to the face. Velvet fights back with some chops against the barricade, followed by running knees against the ropes back inside. Risk fights up and gets two off a 619, only for Velvet to hit a hard left hand for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C-. This was more annoying than anything else and that was due to Risk’s constant talking. She wouldn’t shut up and that wasn’t so much charming as much as it was making me want to see Velvet shut her up. That’s a fine idea in theory, but it doesn’t work so well when you factor in that Velvet is a fresh villain.

From March 2, 2023 (and from a previous review):

Mark Briscoe vs. Slim J

The rest of the Trustbusters are here with Slim J, who kicks away the Code Of Honor before the bell. Redneck Kung Fu sends J outside but a Mark Sterling distraction lets J get in a low blow. Briscoe is fine enough to kick J to the floor, setting up the dropkick through the ropes. It’s too early for the chair assisted dive so Briscoe strikes away back inside.

Another Sterling distraction lets J hit a knee to the face, setting up a reverse DDT for two. Briscoe is busted open as J chokes away in the corner, followed by the chinlock. With that broken up, Briscoe grabs a neckbreaker for two and a powerbomb plants J again. The Froggy Bow misses but Briscoe kicks him in the face and hits the Jay Driller for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C. So the first thing we see on Ring Of Honor TV is an unpopular AEW faction and the continuation of a lame Briscoe vs. Sterling feud. I know there is no secret to the fact that the promotions are basically the same, but could you at least wait a bit to throw the first AEW regular out there? Having Briscoe out there in the opener made perfect sense though, as he is as much of a symbol of ROH as you can get. It helps that he can have a pretty good match against anyone, but the Sterling feud needs to go far away.

Shane Taylor Promotions/LeeJ vs. Serpentico/Boulder/Dark Order

Moriarty takes Reynolds down without much effort to start and they trade rollups for two each. Johnson and Uno come in with Uno hitting a running shoulder before it’s quickly off to Serpentico to work on the arm. Nduka pulls Serpentico to the floor though and a drop onto the apron lets the villains take over. Taylor’s clothesline and legdrop get two and Johnson adds a suplex for the same.

The chinlock is broken up though and Serpentico hits a quick jumping Downward Spiral. It’s off to Boulder to clean house, including a Samoan drop/fall away slam combination to Johnson and Moriarty. Taylor gets powerslammed for two as everything breaks down. Moriarty and Reynolds strike it out until Reynolds has to reverse a Border City Stretch. Boulder and Taylor collide for a double knockdown, leaving Johnson and Serpentico to hit stereo frog splashes. Serpentico hits a running cutter on Johnson, who isn’t legal. Moriarty Border City Stretches Serpentico for the win at 11:46.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a match that took place and it did in fact have eight people involved. The problem is that Shane Taylor Promotions has not been very interesting in a long time and that was on display here. LeeJ isn’t much better and you know what you’re getting with the other four. I’m not sure how much of a main event this make, but it certainly went on last.

Overall Rating: C. This was miles better than last week’s show, but that’s about as low of a bar as you can ask. I’m not sure if there is much of an interest in next week’s milestone show, but it would be nice to have the show be something other than long. Not much of a show here, though it didn’t have me wondering what could be wrong with the people putting it together so…progress?

Results
Katsuyori Shibata/Komander/Outrunners b. Dylan Stewart/Zach Stewart/Rosaraio Grillo/Colby Carter – PK to Grillo
The Beast Mortos b. Tony Nese – Spinning piledriver
Blake Christian b. Parker Li – Running knees to the back
Red Velvet b. Angelica Risk – Left hand
Shane Taylor Promotions/LeeJ b. Serpentico/Boulder/Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Serpentico

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

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

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

We run down the lineup.

Trish Adora vs. Harley Cameron

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

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

Blake Christian vs. Serpentico

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

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

Griff Garrison vs. Boulder

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

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

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

Billie Starkz vs. Brittany Jade

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

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

Rachael Ellering vs. Queen Aminata

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

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

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

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Hazuki

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

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

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

MxM Collection vs. Dawsons

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

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

Red Velvet vs. Jazmyne Hao

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

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

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Gates Of Agony

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 2, 2025
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re starting a new year and that could make things more interesting around here. I mean it probably won’t as tends to be the case with this series, but we do at least have some title matches coming up at Wrestle Dynasty. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but it’s better than the usual stuff around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We preview the show.

Women’s TV Title: Red Velvet vs. Hanako

Hanako is challenging after defeating Harley Cameron on the Final Battle kickoff show. Velvet poses at her to start and they fight over arm control. Back up and Hanako shoves her into the ropes, where Velvet tells her to get away. More mocking earns Velvet a hard shoulder before a slam sends Velvet outside.

Back in and Velvet starts working on the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Hanako’s knee is fine enough to muscle her up with a suplex and hit some running corner clotheslines. Velvet is back with running knees against the ropes and the Stir It Up gets two. A flipping faceplant finishes Hanako at 8:36.

Rating: C. The match was fine, but Velvet’s incredibly sudden heel turn isn’t exactly doing anything for her. The problem is she doesn’t really have that much of a personality in the first place so it wasn’t some shocking moment when she turned. Without a reason to care about her in the first place, the turn doesn’t have any impact. Throw in Hanako having wrestled for less than ten minutes in ROH coming into this match and there wasn’t much to get interested in here.

Shane Taylor Promotions wants it all. Cool. Now stop talking about it and do something already.

Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Homicide/Rocky Romero

Rush jumps Romero to start before it’s off to Andretti to draw Romero in. Homicide comes in legally to chase Rush to the floor, followed by a double shoulder to take him down back inside. The Forever Lariats are broken up and a double suplex drops Romero. A double flapjack sets up Rush’s front facelock but Andretti accidentally decks Rush. Romero kicks Andretti in the face and it’s back to Homicide to clean house. The cutter gives Homicide two and everything breaks down. Romero misses a dive to the floor, allowing Andretti to hit Homicide low for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was more action packed to keep the pace up, though it definitely felt like a match that had been written out to the letter to set it up. Rush and Andretti are the new team around AEW/ROH and they are getting some wins together, which makes sense for their future. They could use a name of some kind, but getting a win is what matters most.

We look at Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara retaining the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle.

After the match, Rhodes talked about how important this was and how they have grown together. They’re ready for a match at Wrestle Dynasty, as the House Of Torture have challenged them for the titles.

Harley Cameron vs. Ashley Vox

Vox takes her down to start but Cameron gets a drive into the corner. Cameron avoids a quick Cannonball attempt and grabs a suplex for two. The cross arm choke is broken up in a hurry so Vox can hammer away in the corner. The Cannonball connects as the camera rapidly cuts away from a row of empty seats. Cameron is back with some forearms into the Shining Wizard for the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see and in Cameron’s case, it makes sense that she isn’t running through people. She isn’t presented as some kind of dominant force but rather someone who is so out there that she believes she’s amazing. It makes her close to the female Danhausen and it’s nice to see that kind of talent featured here.

Red Velvet is asked why she cheated at Final Battle. She’s tired of being asked that but Leyla Hirsch comes in to demand a rematch. Velvet says sure but on her time.

Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry vs. Iron Savages/Dark Order

Trish Adora, Jon Silver and Jacked Jameson are here too. Reynolds and Moriarty grapple to the mat to start with Moriarty getting two off a crucifix. Bravo comes in to hit Boulder in the face so Bronson comes in for his hairy chest spot to make Bravo scream. Adora gets in a cheap shot from the floor and it’s Taylor coming in to take Bronson into the corner. A belly to back suplex/backbreaker combination drops Bronson but he piledrives Bronson onto Dean.

Uno comes in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Boulder hitting a double Downward Spiral. Boulder powerslams Taylor but Bronson gets posted. Moriarty gets Reynolds in the Border City Stretch on the floor and Uno is caught with a double stomp inside. Moriarty comes back in to Border City Stretch Uno for the win at 9:10.

Rating: D+. There is so much wrong with this match, I don’t know where to start. First and foremost, the problem here is the Iron Savages, who have been the most obnoxious villains in the company for months, are suddenly good. There was no promo, no action and no explanation, but now we’re supposed to cheer them. That’s poor storytelling no matter how you look at it. On top of that, forgive me for believing that THIS will be the time that Shane Taylor Promotions finally starts moving up the card. I’ve heard it for so long that I have no reason to believe it. The action was fine, but this match was annoying on multiple levels.

We look at Athena firing Lexi Nair last week.

From Death Before Dishonor 2023 (and from a previous review).

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Athena is defending in the rubber match and immediately bails to the floor. Back in and Willow powers her around before they forearm it out. Athena gets two off a crucifix but Willow’s fisherman’s buster gets the same. A crucifix gives Athena two and she sends Willow outside in a crash. Back in and the double knees connect in the corner, setting up the chinlock.

Willow powers her way up and hammers away, only to get dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Willow is fine enough to try the Babe With The Powerbomb but Athena reverses into a snapmare driver for two. Willow’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Athena is right back with Obliteration. She muscles Willow up and into a sitout powerbomb for two (that was impressive) before going up.

That takes too long as well though and Willow grabs a super Death Valley Driver for a rather near fall. They head outside and Athena posts her, setting up the O Face for a VERY near fall back inside. The Babe With The Powerbomb gets the same but Athena is back up with another O Face. The crossface goes on and Athena even grabs a leg. Willow passes out to retain Athena’s title at 20:28.

Rating: B-. Well. Ok then. I’m not sure what this weird obsession Ring Of Honor has lately with the heroes losing in the end but they did it again here. It also makes me wonder why the Owen Hart tournament wasn’t just for the title shot with someone else in Athena’s place, thereby giving us the same result and no Athena loss. They had a hard hitting fight, but that was one more deflating ending on a long list of them in Ring Of Honor’s recent history. Someone is going to have to beat Athena, and it’s going to have to be an AEW import at this point. Anyway, solid main event with a rather surprising result.

QT Marshall vs. Komander

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning Marshall gets a title shot if he wins or survives the ten minute time limit. Marshall immediately bails to the floor to burn off a minute to start. Komander isn’t having this and hammers away but gets sent into the corner for a chop. A kick to the ribs staggers Komander and a knee drop gets one. Marshall grabs a neck crank before switching to a basic choke, followed by a chinlock to complete the trifecta.

Komander fights up and his the very springboardy hurricanrana to the floor. Back in and Marshall gets two off a suplex powerbomb and they go up top. Marshall’s super cutter is countered into a super hurricanrana. Marshall is sent outside again for a big springboard moonsault and a springboard Canadian Destroyer sets up Cielito Lindo…but Marshall rolls outside for the time limit at 10:00.

Rating: C+. If there was one match that summed up why this show can be so annoying, it might be this one right here. First and foremost, Marshall hasn’t won a match in AEW or ROH in over a year. Why is he getting this chance? Why not former champion Brian Cage or Survival Of The Fittest runner up Blake Christian? No, instead it’s someone who is known for losing low level matches on Zero Hour getting this shot, again with absolutely no explanation as to why.

Second, Komander, who just got the biggest win of his career and followed it up with an upset in the Continental Classic suddenly can’t be comedy jobber QT Marshall. This is what I mean when I saw this show feels like it just comes and goes with no logic or reasoning behind almost anything that happens, and my goodness it is so frustrating at times.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all kinds of frustrating, if nothing else due to just how all of the place it felt. Case in point, you have three title matches coming up and they were earned by someone winning their only match in ROH, someone just asking for a shot, and someone losing every match they have before going to a draw. Meanwhile, how many people are THIS CLOSE to a title shot and have been for months now?

I’m not expecting this show to be the greatest, tightest booked show of all tie but having it include some sort of continuity or sense. Throw in the unforgivable sin of trying to make me like the Iron Savages and this was a really hard show to watch. As usual, the action was fine, but the show feels like it’s thrown together with an excuse of “oh who cares” when it comes to structure or internal logic.

Results
Red Velvet b. Hanako – Flipping faceplant
Action Andretti/Lio Rush b. Homicide/Rocky Romero – Low blow to Homicide
Harley Cameron b. Ashley Vox – Shining Wizard
Shane Taylor Promotions/The Infantry b. Iron Savages/Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Uno
QT Marshall vs. Komander went to a time limit draw

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

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

Zero Hour: Dark Order vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

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

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

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

Zero Hour: Harley Cameron vs. Hanako

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

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

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

Zero Hour: Infantry vs. Undisputed Kingdom

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

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

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

Zero Hour: LeeJ vs. Gates Of Agony

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

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

Atlantis Jr. vs. Mansoor

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

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

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

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

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

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tommy Billington

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

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

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

Respect is shown post match.

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

Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. ???

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Sons Of Texas vs. The Righteous

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Komander gets a nice reception for his victory.

We get long previews of upcoming AEW shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

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

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

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

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

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

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

Athena and Nair celebrate to end the show.

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

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

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

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