Ring Of Honor
Date: April 18, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The show has been doing well enough in recent weeks and I could go for seeing more of what they have going on. What matters here is keeping things moving as the shows with all of the filler are by far the weakest. It also helps to have some star power around here and there is no way of knowing what you are going to be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe isn’t scared of the House Of Black because he fears no man. Bring the violence.

Aaron Solo vs. Bryan Keith

Solo slaps him in the face to start so Keith sweeps the legs and pulls him down to hammer away. A rather delayed suplex puts Solo down so he rolls to the floor for a breather. Keith follows and gets sent into the steps as things slow down a bit. Some knees to the back keep Keith in trouble and Solo chokes away in the corner for a bit.

Keith shrugs it off and hits a running boot in the corner, setting up a t-bone suplex for two. A fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee gives Keith two but Solo is back with a t-bone of his own for two of his own. Back up and an enziguri staggers Keith, who knocks Solo out of the corner. Diamond Dust finishes for Keith at 7:14

Rating: C. Keith is someone who has been around AEW and ROH so much lately and a good chunk of his appearances have resulted in losses. Giving him a win here and there keeps him looking a bit stronger, even if it is over someone like Solo. I’m a sucker for Diamond Dust too so having Keith bust it out makes things that much better.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Jon Cruz/Savion Truitt/Damian Chambers

Vincent powers Chambers into the corner to start and drops him with a running forearm for two. Truitt comes in and gets to face Archer, who looks rather enthusiastic to wreck a human. Archer easily takes him into the corner for a hard chop and Dutch adds a t-bone suplex. A Side Effect from Vincent sets up a legdrop from Dutch but Truitt crawls over to bring in Cruz. Autumn Sunshine plants Cruz in a hurry and Truitt it Blackouted onto Cruz to give Archer the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. Total and complete destruction and that’s all it needed to be. Archer and the Righteous wrecking people can be fun and that was the case again here, with the villains being little more than cannon fodder. They kept it fast too and that is what it needed to be given what was going on here.

Mark Sterling hypes up Tony Nese.

Sterling, with the Premiere Athletes, brags about how awesome his team really can be. They won at Supercard Of Honor and Sterling promises gold by the end of the year.

JD Drake vs. Lee Johnson

Drake powers him away to start and Johnson slows things down a bit. A slam puts Johnson down again so he takes Johnson down to slow him up a bit. Drake isn’t having that and comes back with Snake Eyes, only to miss a sitdown splash. Back up and Johnson sends him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. A high crossbody gives Johnson two and he avoids a Cannonball back inside. Johnson knocks him off the top and hits a frog splash for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Drake is a good example of a person who is talented and good at what he does but he’s been around so long around here that it’s hard to get interested in what he’s doing. You know what you’re going to get with him and watching Johnson take ten minutes to get there isn’t going to make for the most thrilling match. Technically fine, but not that thrilling.

Abadon vs. Allysin Kay

Abadon bites the arm to start but gets taken own with a clothesline. Kay hits a running splash in the corner but Abadon is back with a running faceplant. A high crossbody into the Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 2:17.

Taya Valkyrie says Johnny TV is off rehabbing his abs so stop asking her questions.

Iron Savages vs. Infantry

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder knocks Bravo into the corner to start but Bravo is back up with a dropkick. A double dropkick sends Boulder into the corner for the tag to Bronson, who is quickly knocked out to the floor. Jameson offers a distraction though and it’s Bronson taking over back inside. Boulder is sent into Bronson’s chest though and the hot tag brings Bravo back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jameson’s Savage Sauce is sent flying. Boot Camp finishes 4:55.

Rating: C+. Nice match and nothing that we haven’t seen from these teams over and over. It might be against different opponents, but the Infantry getting a win and going nowhere as a results isn’t a surprise. They got their one title shot and now they’re back to where they were before. Nothing to see here, as the Savages still aren’t that interesting.

Post match the Premiere Athletes come in for the beatdown but Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith, Lee Johnson and Dalton Castle of all people make the save.

Taya Valkyrie/Leila Grey/Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan/Trish Adora

Taya powers Hogan into the corner to start but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. The running hip attack to the back gives Hogan two but Diamante comes in for a running dropkick in the corner. It’s off to Adora, who gets Russian legsweeped for two, allowing Taya to hit the running knees.

Adora’s kneeling German suplex allows the tag back to Hogan, who dropkicks Diamante. Grey gets dropkicked as well but Taya hits something like a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and Grey’s running Sling Blade gets two on Adora. Lariat Tubman hits Diamante and Hogan grabs Face The Music to pin Grey at 7:53.

Rating: C+. They went with the regular wrestling for a bit until it was all chaos with Hogan getting the win. In theory this would set things up for a future title shot or something close to it, but odds are it’s just a match that comes and goes. The action was nice enough though and a parade of finishers is always worth at least a look.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter, with Maria Kanellis, have no interest in giving Serpentico’s mask back. This feud feels like it has been going on for months now, which is months too long.

Nick Comoroto vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos can’t shoulder him down to start so he goes after Comoroto’s arm to take over. Comoroto hits a hard clothesline and hammers away, setting up a splash for two. Mortos fights up and runs him over, setting up a corkscrew moonsault for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Quick and to the point here as Mortos might be the next monster around Ring Of Honor. I’ve heard worse ideas, as getting some fresh blood is nice to see. That being said, this was just one match and he’s going to need something that makes him stand out or he’ll just be another name on a long list.

We look at Queen Aminata seemingly setting herself up as the next challenger to Athena.

Lady Frost vs. Marti Belle

Belle runs her over to start but Frost is back up with the rapid fire chops in the corner as commentary makes fire vs. ice comparisons. Belle gets in some boot choking but Frost elbows back up. A Cannonball in the corner hits Belle, who is back up with a hard forearm for two. Frost isn’t having that and kicks her in the head, setting up Frost Bite for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I still think there is something to be done with Frost if she is given the chance and while this might not have been a big deal, it was better than a loss. If nothing else, Frost could be a nice first challenger for the Women’s TV Title, as Billie Starkz could use some fresh opponents. Belle is someone who has been around for a bit but this might be her high point around here.

Nick Comoroto is interrupted by Jacoby Watts, who offers to turn Comoroto’s career around.

Dark Order vs. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano

Milano headlocks Uno to start but is quickly pulled into an atomic drop. Silver comes in and poses before elbowing Patterson in the face. A charging Milano gets sent outside, allowing Patterson to come back with a dropkick. Patterson gutwrench suplexes Silver but charges into a boot in the corner. Silver’s suplex allows the tag back to Uno to clean house. The Stunner into the German suplex into Something Evil finishes Milano at 5:07.

Rating: C. Well at least it was short. Having Silver out there does take away a lot of the dullness that comes with Uno, as Silver is such a ball of energy. While I don’t think there is much of a use for the Dark Order in AEW, there are worse ways to go than having them pop the crowd in a match like this. Not much to see here, but Patterson and Milano weren’t completely destroyed.

Dynasty rundown.

Mark Briscoe vs. Griff Garrison

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison (with Cole Karter and Maria Kanellis) wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Garrison tries a sunset flip but gets headlocked on the mat for his effort. The threat of Redneck Kung Fu has Garrison in the corner but he comes out with some uppercuts.

Briscoe isn’t having that and knocks him to the floor for a flip dive. The Bang Bang Elbow connects but Karter offers a distraction, allowing Garrison to get in a cheap shot. A big boot give Garrison two and a torture rack powerbomb is good for the same. Briscoe is back up and sends him outside for the slingshot dive, followed by a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller finishes Garrison at 5:41.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have the World Champion around here as the star power alone helped a bit. That being said, Briscoe started the show talking about his match at Dynasty rather than anything he was doing here. When he’s already fighting half of a low level tag team who is in a story that should have ended forever ago, it didn’t make for the most thrilling match.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh just no. This was every lame thing about Ring Of Honor rolled into one. It was about an hour and a half of matches that didn’t feel like they were going anywhere and had no stakes while not being anything special. It makes for one heck of a dull show and I can’t imagine sitting through this, Collision and Battle Of The Belts in the same night. Ring Of Honor can be a fun show but this was a nightmare to get through as there was just nothing worth seeing. They were on a nice little roll for a few weeks and then hit the way hard here in a huge disappointment.

Results
Bryan Keith b. Aaron Solo – Diamond Dust
Righteous/Lee Johnson b. Jon Cruz/Damian Chambers/Savion Truitt
Lee Johnson b. JD Drake – Frog splash
Abadon b. Allysin Kay – Black Dahlia
Infantry b. Iron Savages – Boot Camp to Bronson
Trish Adora/Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey/Taya Valkyrie/Diamante – Face The Music to Grey
Beast Mortos b. Nick Comoroto – Corkscrew moonsault
Lady Frost b. Marti Belle – Frost Bite
Dark Order b. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano – Something Evil to Milano
Mark Briscoe b. Griff Garrison – Jay Driller

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 11, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are officially done with Supercard Of Honor and the big story is a new World Champion as Mark Briscoe dethroned Eddie Kingston. That should make for something interesting going forward, but none of that matters if the new champ is barely ever around here. Hopefully the show keeps up its shorter run times as they have helped a lot. Let’s get to it.

Here is Supercard Of Honor if you need a recap.

Supercard Of Honor recap.

Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe toast themselves following their win. And they like each other! They’re ready for the House Of Black at Dynasty.

Isiah Kassidy vs. Action Andretti

Marq Quen is here too. Kassidy hammers away to start but gets taken down with a running headscissors. They head outside where Kassidy pounds him down again and nails a whip into the barricade. Kassidy gets to mock him a bit, followed by an elbow to the face back inside. Andretti fights up and hits a backbreaker into a neckbreaker to send Kassidy outside.

The big dive connects and Andretti puts him down for two back inside. Kassidy cutters him to the floor, setting up a Swan Dive for a near fall of his own. The Twist of Fate is countered and Andretti hits a Disaster Kick for a rather close two. Quen offers a distraction so Andretti dives into a cutter for an even nearer near fall. They go up top where Andretti backflips out of a super Side Effect (cool) and hits a dropkick into the corner. The split legged moonsault puts Kassidy away at 9:57.

Rating: B. We’ll file this under “who saw THAT coming” as a tag guy and a lower level star like Andretti had a heck of a match. Those were some great near falls and I actually wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end. I can go for more stuff like this around here as it was far better than I would have guessed.

The Kingdom, with Wardlow, are happy with their win at Supercard of Honor.

The Infantry say you can’t stop them and they’re still coming.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Kaz Jordan/Julian Ward

Moriarty pulls Ward into a quickly broken abdominal stretch before knocking Jordan off the apron. Taylor comes in to throw Jordan into the corner for a heck of a clothesline. Something close to a chokeslam puts Jordan down again and it’s a headbutt to make it worse. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes for Taylor at 3:37.

Rating: C. Nothing but a squash here as the Promotions continue to dominate. In theory that should get them a title shot, but that isn’t likely to happen as long as the Kingdom has the titles. It would be nice to see them go somewhere other than doing nothing matches on AEW, but there are some weird moves between the two rosters.

We look at Billie Starkz faking a neck injury to win the Women’s TV Title.

Starkz shows the title to her mom, who is not happy with how Starkz won the match. Athena is a bad influence and Starkz is stunned. She goes over to Athena to celebrate instead.

Nyla Rose vs. Kat Von Heez

Rose powers her into the corner to start and a Hennig neck snap makes it worse for Heez. A backsplash and frog splash finish for Rose at 1:04.

We look at Kyle Fletcher retaining the TV Title over Lee Johnson.

Johnson is happy with his performance because he got here, meaning he didn’t lose.

Fletcher is glad to be back after his visa issues.

Cole Karter vs. Christopher Daniels

Karter takes him down to start and Daniels even shakes his hand. Daniels is back up with a slam of his own but Karter hits a running clothesline for two. A dropkick gives Karter two and the chinlock goes on. With that broken up, Karter pops up and hits another dropkick, allowing him to strike a pose in the corner. Back up and Daniels hits an STO but the Angel’s Wings is broken up. Daniels avoids a top rope cannonball though and grabs Angel’s Wings for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. So Karter and Griff Garrison beat the Spanish Announce Project at Supercard but then Karter loses to CHRISTOPHER DANIELS the following week? Do you have any idea how low you have sunk to lose to Daniels at this point in his career? The match was fine, but it’s almost confusing to see what they did here.

We look at Dalton Castle winning the Fight Without Honor at Supercard, thanks to an assist from Paul Walter Hauser.

Hauser reveals that he was offered a chance to hang out with Johnny TV but Johnny offering a bunch of Boys made it feel weird.

Righteous vs. Bryce Donovan/Chico Adams

Vincent runs Adams over with a forearm to start and Dutch comes in with the legdrop. Donovan gets the tag and cleans a few of the rooms, only to get caught in Autumn Sunshine for the pin at 2:48. Nothing much to this one.

We look at Athena retaining the Women’s Title (again) over Hikaru Shida at Supercard.

Anna Jay vs. LMK

Feeling out process to start with Jay taking her into the corner for some chops. A few more strikes set up a Blockbuster, followed by a Gory Bomb to finish LMK off at 2:27.

Mina Shirakawa praises Mariah May for her win at Supercard and kisses her. Champagne is toasted.

Josh Woods is ready to hurt people as part of the Premiere Athletes.

Zak Knight vs. Alvin Alvarez

Knight spears him down for two to start and rains down some right hands in the corner. The good sized Alvin gets in a shot of his own but Knight suplexes him down. The running forearm sets up a Falcon Arrow….for two. Alvin fights up and the crowd is behind him, only for a clothesline to finish for Knight at 2:29.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Rhett Titus

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Titus survives the ten minute time limit or wins, he gets a future TV Title shot. Fletcher won’t shake hands and instead slams Titus down to start. Titus is sent to the apron but comes back with a slingshot shoulder. Fletcher knocks him down again and works on the arm, only to get reversed into a slingshot suplex. The big dropkick has Fletcher in trouble and a backbreaker makes it worse. Titus’ belly to belly sets up a half crab but Fletcher slips out. A snap German suplex into a half and half suplex into the piledriver finish Titus at 5:05.

Rating: C+. Titus is one of those guys from the older days of Ring Of Honor and he can still have a nice match here or there. It’s the kind of win that gives Fletcher a boost as he has to rebuild things up a bit after his visa hiatus. It’s a nice way to go for a main event and having one Proving Ground match work before made it feel that much more possible here.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a few weeks now with a far better length show and that has helped things tremendously. They fit eight matches into a little over 65 minutes here while also doing a bunch of promos. Outside of the opener and maybe the main event, the wrestling wasn’t anything noteworthy, but they featured some people and didn’t overstay their welcome. This Ring Of Honor works and if they keep that up, we could be in for a nice run.

Results
Action Andretti b. Isiah Kassidy – Split legged moonsault
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Kaz Jordan/Julian Ward – Marcus Garvey Driver to Jordan
Nyla Rose b. Kat Von Heez – Frog splash
Christopher Daniels b. Cole Karter – Angel’s Wings
Righteous b. Bryce Donovan/Chico Adams – Autumn Sunshine to Adams
Anna Jay b. LMK – Gory Bomb
Zak Knight b. Alvin Alvarez – Clothesline
Kyle Fletcher b. Rhett Titus – Piledriver

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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Battle Of The Belts X
Date: April 13, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re back for another one of these things and that could go in a few directions. The card is focused on titles, but in this case there are no actual AEW titles on the line. Instead we have an unsanctioned title, an ROH title, and a title eliminator match. That’s quite the way to go so let’s get to it.

We open with fallout from the end of Collision, with the Don Callis Family laying out Bryan Danielson on the ramp.

Hook is asked about his title defense against Shane Taylor. Katsuyori Shibata, through the translator, says he has his back, but Hook respectfully has this.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Shane Taylor

Hook is defending under FTW Rules. The early strikes only get Hook so far but he low bridges Taylor out to the floor. The hard knees to the chest have Taylor in more trouble but Taylor drops him with a shot to the ribs back inside. Taylor starts in on the ribs, which he drapes across the top rope as we take a break.

Back with Taylor hitting a legdrop on the apron and pounding him down into the corner. Hook won’t quit so Taylor whips him into the corner again. The splash misses and Hook slugs away before grabbing the German suplex. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom out of the corner though and a middle rope splash gets two. Taylor can’t believe it but Hook grabs the Redrum, with even a drop to the mat not being enough to keep it broken. Hook keeps cranking and Taylor is out at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Classic big vs. little man match here with Hook hanging in there until the end and choking Taylor out. It was feeling like the Bayley vs. Nia Jax match from Takeover: London a good many years ago and that is not a bad thing. Hook gets to slay a monster and Taylor isn’t going to lose any status by putting Hook over here.

Rocky Romero is ready for Roderick String. Kyle O’Reilly comes in to wish him luck.

Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero

Non-title and the Undisputed Era is here with Strong. They fight over wrist control to start and then grapple to the mat with neither being able to get that far ahead. A running hurricanrana sends Strong into the corner and Romero starts in on the arm. Strong’s arm is fine enough to grab a backbreaker but Romero is back with a running basement dropkick. Romero sends him outside for a double stomp off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Romero fighting out of a chinlock and kicking him out to the floor. Romero hits some dives to take out Strong and company, followed by a standing Sliced Bread for two. Strong hits the Sick Kick for two of his own but Romero snaps off a hurricanrana into a tornado DDT. They go up top with a super Sliced Bread giving Romero two more. Romero goes up top but dives into a jumping knee to retain Strong’s title at 11:39.

Rating: C+. So Strong beats him clean with a jumping knee to the face. Why then was this match on a show about championships non-title? Anyway, it was another match where the people involved will all but guarantee that it’s at least decent but the idea of Romero winning a title in AEW isn’t the most plausible concept.

Post match Kyle O’Reilly comes in to check on Romero but the Undisputed Era comes in to lay O’Reilly out.

Serena Deeb would love to face Yuka Sakazaki and needs to climb the rankings so they can fight.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Red Velvet

Athena, with her minion Billie Starkz (and with other minion Lexi Nair handling the ring introductions), is defending. They fight over a lockup to start until velvet snaps off some armdrags. Velvet knocks her outside for a moonsault off the apron but a belly to back suplex onto the apron drops Velvet right back down.

We take a break and come back with Velvet hitting some running knees against the ropes. Athena grabs a fireman’s carry, only to have Velvet snap off a hurricanrana to escape. Velvet flips her off the top and kicks Athena in the head, setting up a tornado DDT. Athena is back up and they crash out to the floor, where Athena sends her into the apron. Back in and Velvet grabs a rollup for two but Athena hits her in the face. The O Face (top rope Stunner) retains the title at 12:44.

Rating: C. The only good thing here was getting to see Athena having a chance on the main show (or at least in AEW) rather than being stuck in ROH forever. It worked well enough as Velvet is pretty low in the division, but she wasn’t the point here. Athena needs to be up in AEW already, but for some reason it just hasn’t happened yet.

Post match Athena and Starkz beat Velvet down but Queen Aminata comes in for the save. Aminata stares at Athena and kicks her to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. And this is the latest Battle Of The Belts, as it continues to feel like AEW is going “erg, we have to do this again?”. This show managed to not actually feature any AEW titles being defended, including a non-title match on a show about titles. The big story here was a likely match between Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong being set up, which doesn’t quite feel like it needed an hour long special. As usual, the shows aren’t terrible, but they feel so detached from everything that matters in AEW. I know it gets a small audience, but maybe that would change if they, I don’t know, tried?

Results
Hook b. Shane Taylor – Redrum
Roderick Strong b. Rocky Romero – Jumping knee
Athena b. Red Velvet – O Face

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Collision
Date: March 30, 2024
Location: Budweiser Gardens, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s tournament time this week as we have two first round matches in the Tag Team Title tournament. Other than that, we have about three weeks to go before Dynasty and it is time to start hammering out the rest of the card. There is a chance we could see some of that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is TNT Champion Adam Copeland for his Cope Open open challenge and he loves the crowd reaction. He’s done with Christian Cage and now it’s time for the title to be on the line.

TNT Title: Adam Copeland vs. ???

Copeland is defending and the open challenge is answered by….the returning Matt Cardona. They trade knockdowns into kickoffs and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of dropkicks give us a standoff as Schiavone runs down the card. Copeland gets him to the floor to take over but the Impaler on the apron is blocked with a rake to the eyes.

We take a break and come back with Cardona holding a chinlock with a knee in Copeland’s back. That’s broken up and stereo big boots leave them both down again. Cardona goes up but gets pulled down by the leg for his efforts. This time Copeland goes up and hits a top rope bulldog for two, followed by an Edge O Matic for the same.

Cardona bails to the floor so Copeland gives chase, only to get kicked low on the way back in. An Impaler gives Cardona two but Radio Silence (Rough Ryder) is countered into a buckle bomb. A sitout powerbomb gives Copeland two but the spear is countered into Radio Silence for two more. Cardona loads up a spear, only to have Copeland hit one of his own to retain at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was a nice surprise though it’s still weird to me to see the serious Cardona. He deserves amazing credit for reinventing himself like this and turning a spot that cripples a lot of careers into something totally new. They were playing up the “we know each other really well” idea here but Copeland was just that much better. Good opener and Cardona was a bit of a treat as the challenger.

Post match the lights go out and Malakai Black is here, with Buddy Matthews jumping Copeland from behind. Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston run in for the save. The House vanishes and commentary hypes up Briscoe vs. Kingston for the Ring Of Honor World Title at Supercard Of Honor next Friday. This marks one more appearance than they’ve had together in Ring Of Honor this year so well done?

FTR isn’t sure if they’re the best team anymore but they want to be the first three time ROH Tag Team Champions. That means going through the Cinderella team of The Infantry tonight and so be it.

Tony Schiavone brings out Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed (rap not included) for a chat. Schiavone gets to the point of Bullet Club Gold invading Billy’s home on Rampage. Billy is ticked off and says White is always bragging about selling out Madison Square Garden. Billy: “I’ve done that so many times I’ve lost count.” Next week on Dynamite it’s vs. Billy, with Max Caster saying the Acclaimed and the Gunns should stay in the back. Bowens can’t blame White for running from Billy’s wife because she would have slapped the hair off his face. They’re ready for the Club.

Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: FTR vs. The Infantry

Wheeler takes Dean down to start but Dean is back with some armdrags into an armbar. Bravo comes in to face Harwood, who gets dropped by some dropkicks. The Infantry clears the ring so we settle down to Dean chopping away at Wheeler. A jumping elbow gets two but Wheeler powerslams a leaping Bravo out of the air for a nasty crash. Harwood’s top rope superplex drops Bravo and we take a break.

Back with Harwood chopping the soul out of Bravo but Dean is fine enough to hit a hue dive onto all three of them. Back in and Bravo’s high crossbody gets two on Harwood, followed by another high crossbody for another two on Harwood. Wheeler is back in with a powerbomb into a German suplex from Harwood into a rollup for two. Back up and the Infantry superkicks FTR into a neckbreaker for two on Wheeler but Harwood is sent into Dean to knock him outside. FTR collides with each other but Wheeler flips over Harwood to set up the Shatter Machine for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: B. The Infantry brought it here, which makes their near squash by the House Of Black all the more confusing. If you’re willing to let them have a close match against a great team, why not give them some more against the House? Anyway, this was an interesting one as you had FTR having trouble keeping up with the fast young team, only to eventually catch them. You could see Harwood’s face almost saying “gotcha” right before the Shatter Machine and that’s a great story, as the veterans take out the young upstarts by catching them rather than beating them.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks aren’t looking past Top Flight but they’re really not worried. They’ve beaten FTR before so they can do it again and prove just how great they are.

Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe are ready for the House Of Black at Dynasty. Briscoe is down but wants a dogfight from Kingston at Supercard Of Honor. Kingston is ready to make the House spit up blood and teeth.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. JD Drake

Drake grabs an early cobra clutch before hitting a dropkick for two. A Vader Bomb misses for Drake though and O’Reilly strikes away. O’Reilly kicks him down and grabs the cross armbreaker for the tap at 2:36. It’s nice to see a fast match like that, as this didn’t need to go long and made O’Reilly feel that much more dangerous.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom comes out to celebrate with O’Reilly, who just kind of goes with it.

We get a preview of Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Big Bill/Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight

Darius wrestles Starks down into an armbar to start and a snap suplex puts him down again. A slingshot hilo gives Darius two but it’s off to Bill, who has Darius a bit nervous. With the solo efforts not working, Top Flight dropkicks both of them to the floor. Starks offers a distraction though and a big boot drops Dante as we take a break.

Back with Bill missing a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Darius to pick up the pace. A Pele kick out of the corner catches Starks and a rollup gets….two, despite Starks not really moving. Darius uses Dante as a launchpad for a tornado DDT to pin Starks at 9:40 (about ten seconds after the weird near fall so someone seems to have gotten screwed up there).

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit odd but they recovered just fine and got the result they needed, which is all that matters. Top Flight moving on despite Bill and Starks’ confidence is a good way to go and FTR should have their hands even fuller with the more established team. Good match here, though Starks and Bill seemingly being finishes so fast is a bit disappointing.

Christopher Daniels wants Malakai Black on Rampage.

Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost

They go to the mat for some grappling to start until Rosa shoulders her down. Frost is back up with chops and boots in the corner but Rosa hits a hard clothesline as we take a break. Back with Rosa wining a slugout and hitting another clothesline. Rosa scores with the running dropkick against the ropes for two but Frost scorpion kicks her way out of trouble. Rosa isn’t having that though and hits a Backstabber, setting up the Tijuana Bomb for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with a match between a big star and a lower level opponent where said opponent gets in some offense before coming up short. That’s what we got here and it should move Rosa up a bit more before her likely title match at Dynasty. Frost continues to be someone who might not be moving up the ladder but she’s a solid enough opponent for a spot like this. That’s not a bad place to be and AEW seems to get that.

Post match Rosa shouts at the camera and demands respect from Toni Storm.

We go to the back with Toni Storm being told that next week it’s Thunder Rosa vs. Mariah May for the title shot at Dynasty. Storm turns to May, asks if this is what she has been planning all along….and then kisses her, saying she was a genius. Storm: “I see myself in you and I love me. What do you think about that eh Lightning Daffodil?” Everyone seems confused to wrap it up.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Blackpool Combat Club/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lance Archer/Righteous

Shibata strikes away at Archer to start and then kicks him down as commentary talks about Bobby Heenan. Dutch comes in and requests/receives Castagnoli, who he runs over with a shoulder. Castagnoli is back up with a rather impressive slam and it’s of to Danielson to strike away. The rapid fire kicks in the corner connect but Dutch runs him over without much trouble.

Danielson slugs away on Vincent (not Dutch, Tony) and hits a suicide dive on Dutch (yes Dutch, Tony). That earns him a whip into the barricade though and the villains take over as we take a break. Back with Danielson not quite being able to pull Dutch into the LeBell Lock. Instead Dutch pounds him down into the corner, only to miss a charge. Archer and Dutch take turns slamming each other onto Danielson for two but he manages t knock Dutch off the top.

A missile dropkick allows Danielson to get over for the tag off to Castagnoli for the showdown with Archer. Everything breaks down and Castagnoli and Shibata double team Archer. The Swing has Archer in more trouble and Castagnoli grabs the Sharpshooter. Orange Sunshine hits Danielson but Shibata makes a fast save. Archer chokeslams Castagnoli so Vincent can hit a Swanton for two. Shibata suplexes Vincent but Dutch breaks up the cross armbreaker. Shibata’s sleeper takes Vincent down and the PK finishes at 16:47.

Rating: B-. This was another showcase match for most of the Club plus Shibata, which only made for the most interesting main event. Archer and the Righteous continue to feel like a team who should be something of a deal but mainly serve to beat up jobbers and lose to bigger teams. That’s not a bad role for them, but it did make for a fairly long match before we got to whichever of the good guys got the win.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like it was trying to have more in the way of importance, but it still feels like it pales in comparison to Dynamite. AEW could use a bit more of a balance between the two shows, but this was one of the stronger Collisions in a bit. Dynasty still doesn’t feel like the most important show, though Danielson vs. Ospreay will be enough to carry a lot of it. Good show here, with the wrestling overcoming the other issues, as usual.

Results
Adam Copeland b. Matt Cardona – Spear
FTR b. The Infantry – Shatter Machine to Bravo
Kyle O’Reilly b. JD Drake – Cross armbreaker
Top Flight b. Big Bill/Ricky Starks – Tornado DDT to Starks
Thunder Rosa b. Lady Frost – Tijuana Bomb
Blackpool Combat Club/Katsuyori Shibata b. Lance Archer/Righteous – PK to Vincent

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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Collision
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The road to Dynasty continues and in this case that means we have quite the big match. This week will see Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata in a match that was literally announced yesterday. It would be nice to have that big of a match announced further in advance but at least it is happening. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata

They aren’t wasting time here. Feeling out process to start until Danielson takes him down by the arm as Nigel talks about his history of beating up Danielson. That’s broken up and they go back to the standoff until Danielson goes back to the arm. Shibata isn’t having that and forearms him down with Nigel saying Danielson keeps coming back like a fungus. Some chops have Danielson taking Shibata back to the mat but Shibata sends him outside as we take a break.

Back with Danielson striking away in the corner until Shibata reverses for strikes of his own. There’s the running dropkick in the corner as Nigel wonders if Danielson is missing a chromosome. They trade ankle locks before knocking each other down for a double breather. Back up and they exchange knees to the chest until Shibata grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Some elbows to the head rock Danielson but he’s right back with the running knee for two of his own.

Danielson gets the LeBell Lock until Shibata puts a foot on the rope. The kicks to the chest rock Shibata but he wants more. The running kick to the chest brings Shibata back to his feet and he fires off the Kawada Kicks. Now Danielson sits down so Shibata can kick him, leading to a seated slap off. Danielson kicks him in the head for the knockdown but the running knee is blocked. The octopus goes on but Danielson slips out and gets two off a rollup. Danielson’s LeBell Lock attempt is countered into a rollup, which Danielson counters into a rollup for the pin at 19:33.

Rating: B. I get the appeal of this kind of thing and it was a hard hitting, physical match, but this was the latest in the tour of “Danielson wrestles someone in a dream match and then we move on”. There are far worse uses of television time, but it’s a match that comes and goes and really just feels like something that happened because Danielson wanted it to. I’m sure he’ll do something else again and it’ll be good, but it would be nice to have it feel like something other than “here’s a cool pairing you’ve never seen before”.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at Mercedes Mone’s debut.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Trish Adora

Hart is defending and the special rule is….the loser is banned from ringside for the House of Black vs. Infantry match later tonight. Adora takes her to the mat and does the splits on Hart’s back while cranking on the arms. They go to the floor, with Adora blocking a whip and elbowing Hart in the face. Hart sends her hard into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Adora fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent into the corner for some running elbows. Adora’s bridging German suplex gets two so Hart superkicks her down. The moonsault retains the title at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Adora continues to look strong in the ring and can do some rather impressive things. At the same time though, this was about giving Hart another win as her rise continues. She is on the way to a showdown with Willow Nightingale for the title and having her win here is a good way to boost her up even further.

Zak Knight and Harley Cameron are happy with Angelo Parker wanting to fight Knight. Poutine insults ensue…and never mind as Knight says they’ll fight on his terms, meaning not tonight.

Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty and Matt Menard is on commentary. They go to the mat to start with Garcia slipping out of a headscissors and hitting a running basement dropkick to send him outside. The Taylor distraction lets Moriarty come back with a suicide dive to take over, allowing him to STEAL GARCIA’S DANCE! Moriarty works on the arm back inside but Garcia is back up to pound him into the corner. Garcia starts in on the leg before a Saito suplex gets two. Garcia’s piledriver attempt is cut off so Moriarty hits a double stomp. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a heel hook for the tap at 5:12.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see a short match like this one where they got to the point and gave Garcia a pretty definitive win. That’s a good thing to see after he lost at Revolution so there seems to be something of a bright spot for him going forward. Moriarty can work well with just about anyone and he did well here by making Garcia look better.

We look at Bullet Club Gold breaking Darby Allin’s foot on Dynamite.

Pac vs. Aaron Solo

Solo wastes no time by knocking him to the floor to start, setting up the running flip dive. Back in and Pac stomps him down in the corner, followed by some boot choking. Pac kicks him in the head and hits a missile dropkick, setting up the Black Arrow into the Brutalizer for the win at 4:36.

Rating: C+. I was worried that Solo was going to get in a bunch of offense here but instead Pac shrugged it off and squashed Solo as he should have. Pac is one of those people who has a bunch of presence and feels like a star every time he’s out there. The problem continues to be that he can’t stay around, which makes getting behind him that much harder.

Post match Pac says he’s looking for trouble. Either Tony Khan can find it for him or he can find it himself.

Bryan Danielson talks about how he and Katsuyori Shibata were both told that they couldn’t wrestle again but they just did it tonight. Danielson is grateful for that, just like he’s grateful for getting to face Will Ospreay at Dynasty. It’s live or die, but Danielson isn’t ready to die. He doesn’t think Ospreay is ready.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lance Archer

They shove each other around to start and trade shoulders to see both of them staggered. We’re already on the exchange of forearms until Castagnoli takes over with some clotheslines. A running version puts Archer on the floor, only to have Castagnoli miss a clothesline off the apron. Archer’s running flip dive drops Castagnoli and we take a break.

Back with Archer hitting a swinging Rock Bottom for two but Castagnoli grabs a suplex. Archer hits him in the face and goes up, only to have his Old School broken up. The Swing is broken up as well though and Archer knees him on the top. A chokeslam gives Archer two but the Blackout is countered into a Death Valley Driver to give Castagnoli two. Castagnoli gets creative with a cutter off the middle rope for another near fall, followed by a springboard spinning uppercut. The Swing is on but here is the Righteous to jump Castagnoli fir the DQ at 11:08.

Rating: B-. I could have gone with a better finish than something that is likely setting up a six man with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club but it was fun to see two monsters beating on each other. That’s all you needed from these two and they had a heck of a brawl. Castagnoli’s power continues to be impressive and him getting to throw someone like Archer around worked well.

Post match the beatdown is on so Bryan Danielson runs in for the save. When that doesn’t work, Katsuyori Shibata runs in with a chair for the real save.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho aren’t happy that Zak Knight won’t fight Parker tonight. Parker is ready to go find him, but Soho says that’s what Saraya and company want, so she won’t be with him. That’s enough to get Parker to calm down.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Bryan Keith

Keith grinds away on a headlock to start but O’Reilly slips out for another standoff. O’Reilly is knocked outside but gets right back in for an exchange of strikes. A grapple off doesn’t go well for O’Reilly as Keith kicks him in the face, followed by a DDT for two. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly kneeing him in the ribs.

We pause for a second for the referee to check on Keith, followed by a quick kneebar from O’Reilly. That doesn’t work so O’Reilly goes for a triangle choke to slow Keith down. Keith is fine enough to catch him on top, setting up a hard kick for two. An enziguri staggers O’Reilly again but he’s back with a heck of a lariat. The cross armbreaker makes Keith tap at 11:30.

Rating: B-. Keith was a good choice for O’Reilly’s first opponent back as O’Reilly needed to show he could still hang around here without putting him against too big of a name. Odds are this will be followed by something with the Undisputed Kingdom, and I’m not sure where that is going to go. Nice match back for O’Reilly here, as he has a lot of time to make up for from the last few years.

Post match the Undisputed Era come in to celebrate.

Deonna Purrazzo and Thunder Rosa are ready for Toni Storm and Mariah May.

Tag Team Title Tournament Wildcard Match: House Of Black vs. Infantry

Julia Hart is here with the House, who jump the Infantry from behind before the bell. The beating goes outside with the Infantry being beaten down until the House gets inside. The Infantry wants to go so we ring the bell, allowing King to hit a Cannonball for two. Matthews kicks Dean on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Bravo grabbing a rollup for two on Matthews and diving over for the tag to Dean. King comes in and runs Dean over with a heck of a clothesline, followed by Dante’s Inferno for two with Bravo making the save. King takes Bravo outside for an AA onto the announcers’ table, setting up a piledriver onto the same table. Julia Hart gets up to argue for some reason and here’s Mark Briscoe with a chair shot to Matthews. Briscoe runs off with King giving chase, allowing Dean to get the upset pin at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This was almost more of an angle than a match, as it was mostly a squash until the end when Briscoe interfered. It’s nice to see Briscoe costing the House the win as it ties together and gives us quite the twist to start the tournament. Odds are this leads to something big between Briscoe and the House, though waiting until Dynasty might be a bit much.

Post match here is Malakai Black to glare.

Video on Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage.

Here is Copeland, still with the box labeled SPIKE. Copeland talks about his history here in Ottawa and, after rolling his eyes a bit at the hatred for Toronto, he sits in a chair in front of the box. He was looking forward to sitting around with Christian Cage when their careers were over but now everything has changed.

Copeland failed at World’s End and took a Conchairto. Now he has talked to someone who helped make him who he is (implying but not saying Mick Foley) and pulls out spike, which is a 2×4 covered in nails (better known as Janice in TNA). He and Spike are going to end Cage and make him say I QUIT in Toronto. Shouting I QUIT before an I quit match might not be the best idea.

Overall Rating: B-. This was quite the show, with nothing that really felt bigger than the rest and a pair of return matches before a big upset in the main event. It was a show with a bunch of things happening and most of it was anywhere from completely decent to solid. Next week’s Dynamite should be a big deal and this show did enough to help set it up, albeit without anything that felt like a main event.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup
Julia Hart b. Trish Adora – Moonsault
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty – Heel hook
Pac b. Aaron Solo – Brutalizer
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lance Archer via DQ when the Righteous interfered
Kyle O’Reilly b. Bryan Keith – Cross armbreaker
Infantry b. House Of Black – Chair shot to Matthews from Mark Briscoe

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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Rampage
Date: March 1, 2024
Location: Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We are two days away from Revolution and that means we are likely in for a show built around getting the show ready. The card is all but set though there is always the chance that something else will be added before we get to Greensboro. Odds are we get something not quite related to Revolution here though so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Rugido vs. Claudio Castagnoli

The CMLL invasion continues. Castagnoli throws him around without much trouble to start but Rugido takes it to the mat for some grappling. An armdrag has Castagnoli down and looking a bit surprised. Rugido hurricanranas him to the floor and hits a dive, only for Castagnoli to fire off a hard clothesline back inside. They head right back to the floor, where Rugido is sent into the barricade, followed by Castagnoli armdragging him off the top back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rugido making a comeback, including kicking Castagnoli to the floor for an Asai moonsault. Another clothesline gives Castagnoli another two but Rugido suplexes him into the corner for the same. Rugido’s armbar is broken up and Castagnoli Swings him for two more. The elbows to the mask set up the Neutralizer to give Castagnoli the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B-. This was the CMLL invasion in a nutshell: someone with no background around here comes in, has a good enough match and then leaves, perhaps with one more match included. Why should that be enough to make me interested? There are countless people already on the AEW roster who could have a good match with Castagnoli and “he’s from CMLL” isn’t enough to make me care that much more about Rugido. That has been the case multiple times now and yet it just keeps going.

Post match Castagnoli shows respect but then kicks Rugido low. Rugido’s tag partner Magnus makes the save.

We recap the Sting/Darby Allin/Young Bucks segment from Dynamite. The repelling was awesome.

Video on the World Title match at Revolution.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Luke Langley/Anaya/Vaught

Vincent dances around and drops Vaught to start. A running kick to the face sets up a low Downward Spiral before it’s off to Dutch. Vaught manages to get over to the corner and brings in Langley, who is Boss Man Slammed for his efforts. Everything breaks down and Archer chokeslams Vaught onto Langley. Archer Blackouts Anaya onto Langley for the pin at 2:38.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo.

Riho vs. Trish Adora

Riho’s running shoulder doesn’t work but a running dropkick sends Adora to the floor. The big dive to the floor takes her out again but Adora plants her down with a swinging slam. We take a break and come back with Adora getting two off a backbreaker. Riho fights back and hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a northern lights suplex for the same. Adora kicks her in the face but misses a backsplash, allowing Adora to hit a crucifix bomb. The running knees finish Adora at 8:02.

Rating: C. I guess it’s time to push Riho again as she seems to be a required part of AEW. I know she was a big deal at the beginning but every time I see her out there, she feels less and less interesting. Adora might not be the next big thing, but she gets my attention more than Riho. The match was the usual fare and not much more than that, which shouldn’t be shocking.

Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker are about to go on a date but the Outcasts and Zak Knight jump them.

All Star Scramble Qualifying Match: Magnus vs. Matt Sydal

Magnus kicks away the handshake offer to start so Sydal armdrags him down a few times as commentary ignores the match to run down the Revolution card. Sydal knocks him down and hits the standing moonsault for two, followed by the spinwheel kick in the corner. Magnus grabs a backbreaker for two as we take a break.

Back with Magnus hitting Angel’s Wings for two but Sydal snaps off a hurricanrana. A big kick to the head gives Sydal two and a fisherman’s buster gets the same. Sydal’s springboard takes too long so he has to settle for some kicks to the head. The top rope Meteora gives Sydal two but a super hurricanrana is countered, allowing Magnus to hit the running knees in the corner for the pin at 11:49.

Rating: C+. Much like the opener, the wrestling was good, but there was little reason to care about what was going on. Sydal has long since been a jobber to the stars around here and we’ve seen Magnus for all of thirty seconds before his appearance here. Magnus winning at least lets the CMLL guys do something, but I’m not sure I buy his chances at getting a World Title shot.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure AEW could have made this show feel less important if they tried. You had a Righteous/Archer squash, a Riho match and two CMLL matches, as the “invasion” continues to be the least interesting thing AEW has done in a good while. The wrestling was fine and the show was far from bad, but I have no idea what was supposed to be interesting here and that made for a very dull hour.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Rugido – Neutralizer
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Luke Langley/Anaya/Vaught – Blackout to Anaya
Riho b. Trish Adora – Running knees
Magnus b. Matt Sydal – Running knees in the corner

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

Infantry vs. Midnight Heat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match Hirsch checks on Ellering with the bad arm.

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

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

Outrunners vs. Lights Camera Faction

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

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

Commentary points out that it was indeed Boot Camp.

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

Bryan Keith vs. Slice Boogie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Russells

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

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

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

Nyla Rose vs. Emmy Camacho

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

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

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

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

Dalton Castle vs. Aaron Solo

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

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

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

Kingdom vs. Tom Lawlor/Fred Rosser

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

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

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

Ethan Page vs. Slim J

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

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

Billie Starkz vs. Killa Kate

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

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

Infantry vs. Righteous

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

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

Red Velvet is ready for the TV Title tournament.

Queen Aminata vs. Reiza Clark

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

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

Gringo Loco vs. Bad Dude Tito

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commentary runs down part of the card.

Righteous vs. Camaro Jackson/Anaya

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

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

Nyla Rose vs. Laynie Luck

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

Zak Knight vs. Aaron Solo

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

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

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

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

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Spanish Announce Project

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

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

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

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

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

Outrunners vs. Blake Christian/Willie Mack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Infantry/Lee Johnson

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

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

Red Velvet vs. Heather Reckless

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

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

Billie Starkz vs. Tootie Lynn

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

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

Ethan Page vs. Kody Lane

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

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

Abadon vs. Robyn Renegade

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

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

Jon Cruz vs. Jack Cartwheel

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

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

Action Andretti vs. Anthony Henry

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

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

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

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

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

The Kingdom vs. Gravity/Gringo Loco

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 11, 2024
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week’s show did not feature quite the normal amount of champions as even Athena was missing in action. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the show going forward, but there is always the chance that it’s just a one off issue. Maybe this week’s show will be back to normal so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Cruz vs. Zak Knight

Knight runs him over at the bell to start and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Cruz slips out of another suplex attempt but hurts his hand chopping Knight. A running hurricanrana takes Cruz down but he drop toeholds Knight face first into the buckle. The chinlock goes on, only to have Knight fight up for the break. Knight sits down on his chest for two but charges into a boot in the corner. Cruz’s Swanton gets two so Knight Razor’s Edges him into the corner. A running forearm finishes for Knight at 7:20.

Rating: C. Knight continues to look pretty good in the ring, though this went longer than it needed to last. Cruz is someone who has been around here in a few different roles, but this was more about making him look even with Knight than anything else. Cut this down a bit and it’s better for Knight, but as it was, it was little more than a back and forth match between people who haven’t done much.

Tony Nese vs. Marcus Cross

Before the match, Nese promises to take out some aggression here. Nese hammers him into the corner to start but Cross manages a hard kick. That doesn’t matter much as Nese takes him to the floor for a crash, followed by the Randy Savage neck snap across the top rope. Nese misses his springboard moonsault so Cross kicks away and hits a springboard elbow to the face. Not that it matters as Nese spins him into a sitout piledriver for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C. This was similar to the opener but it was more to the point, which is a good thing. Nese is still doing well enough but he doesn’t feel like a big star with the whole fitness/”You’re fat” stuff. They did keep it fast though and for a match like this, that is one of the more important ideas.

TV Title: Angelico vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher is defending and has to go straight to the ropes to escape a wristlock. Back up and Fletcher knocks him down in the corner but Angelico is back with a kick to the head. Fletcher sends him into the ropes and out to the floor, where Angelico avoids a slingshot dive. Back in and Fletcher runs him over for two but Angelico hits a kick to the back in the corner. A belly to back suplex sets up a leglock on Fletcher, who is right back up. Fletcher kicks him in the back, setting up a piledriver for the pin to retain at 7:40.

Rating: C+. Angelico continues to be a good hand around here, if nothing else for the sake of how different his style really can be. The result wasn’t quite in doubt, but it’s still nice to have a champion around here. Fletcher is starting to feel like a better deal on his own, though I’m wondering what is going to happen when Mark Davis is healthy again.

Dalton Castle is still all upset and wants to face Johnny TV. The match is made, assuming TV agrees, but Castle knows that won’t happen. Castle begs Lexi Nair to go ask for him and gives her…something that might have been food from his jumpsuit.

Righteous vs. Dawsons

The Righteous jump them to start but Vincent gets caught in the wrong corner so Zane can hit him in the ribs. That doesn’t last long as it’s Dutch coming in to run Zane over. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes for Dutch at 2:06.

Shane Taylor Promotions is ready to beat the Infantry in their 2/3 falls match tonight.

The Boys vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder shoves Brent down to start but Brandon comes in for a dropkick. Brandon gets sent face first into the chest hair though as commentary talks about Woo Energy. A standing Sliced Bread gets Brandon out of trouble but Boulder is back with a World’s Strongest Slam/powerbomb combination. The electric chair splash finishes Brandon at 4:23.

Rating: C. Neither team exactly has momentum right now but if they can be built up with a few wins, they could be put into the title hunt. Then again, and yes I certainly do mean again, that would imply the champs actually showing up around here. At least the Savages got a win though, which is more than they have been doing in recent weeks.

Serpentico vs. Cole Karter

Karter jumps him to start and hammers away on the mat. A dropkick misses for Karter so Serpentico gets in a kick to the face and Downward Spiral for two. Serpentico fires off some more strikes but cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Griff Garrison for a distraction. Karter grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 3:50.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though it’s not the most promising sign that Karter needed two people to help him beat Serpentico. This feud has been going on for weeks longer than it needed to and while I’m thankful for some kind of a recurring story, Maria and her boys are still not very interesting. I’m not sure what Ring Of Honor sees in them and it’s not getting much better.

Post match Garrison runs in for the beatdown but Angelico makes the save.

Johnny TV, with Taya Valkyrie, turns down Dalton Castle because Castle isn’t TV ready. Speaking of TV ready, Taya is ready for the Women’s TV Title. They realize Taya’s initials are TV and are rather pleased.

Lady Frost vs. Trish Adora vs. Queen Aminata vs. Diamante

Diamante and Frost are sent outside to start, leaving Aminata and Adora to fight over a backslide. Back up and Frost kicks her in the head for two but Diamante is back in with a rolling cutter on Adora. Frost drops Diamante and sends Adora outside but Adora is back in with a double powerbomb to drive Diamante onto Frost for two. Aminata hits a top rope double stomp to finish Frost at 3:25.

Rating: C. Well that was fast. The match didn’t even have a minute for everyone involved so there was only so much that could be done with something like this. Aminata seems to be the next project in AEW/ROH and that means she is going to need more than winning a four way that doesn’t even last three and a half minutes. If nothing else, she needs a better showcase, as she didn’t have much of one here.

Josh Woods vs. LaBron Kozone

Woods punches him down but Kozone nips back up. The GYT finishes Kozone at 45 seconds.

The Infantry is ready for Shane Taylor Promotions tonight.

Robyn Renegade vs. Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with Taya. Renegade hits a quick dropkick to start but Valkyrie gets her into the corner for the running knees. The stomp (which, believe it or not, is dubbed the Shania Pain) finishes Renegade at 1:46.

Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair are very happy that Athena is gone because they can have fun. Starkz does have something to do though, including winning the Women’s TV Title.

Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering vs. Brittany Jade/Emily Hale

Hirsch knocks Hale into the corner to start and it’s already off to Jade. That means the beating continues, with Ellering snapping off some chops. The Boss Woman Slam finishes Hale at 2:10.

Post match Abadon pops up as a surprise, apparently interested in the Women’s TV Title.

Jack Cartwheel vs. Slim J vs. Blake Christian vs. Gravity

Christian and Cartwheel clear out the other two to start, with both of them escaping headscissors. Cartwheel takes over and hits a slingshot spinning elbow. Christian is back up to send Cartwheel outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and J starts to clean house, including a rope walk spinning kick to Christian’s face for two.

Christian kicks him down though,, only to have Cartwheel send them into the corners for cartwheel splashes. Gravity is back in to take over, including a slow motion Vader Bomb on J. Cartwheel hits another dive but gets taken down by Christian. Back in and Christian grabs a Texas Cloverleaf to make J tap for the win at 8:00.

Rating: B-. This was straight out of the independent playbook with everyone flying all over the place until someone caught a quick fall in the end. Christian getting the win is more than a little surprising and while I’ll believe he’s getting a chance when I see it, this is better than more of the same. Fun match, with all of the big dives you would expect.

Athena is at a wrestling school where she says she is healing up a bit but Nyla Rose runs in to lay out Athena and the students. Rose puts her through a table.

Lee Johnson vs. Christopher Daniels

They trade armdrags to start until Johnson misses a dropkick. Johnson one ups himself by missing a high crossbody, allowing Daniels to start in on the ribs. Some shoulders to the ribs set up a gutbuster, followed by the logical waistlock. A middle rope elbow gives Daniels two and the waistlock goes on again. Johnson fights up and hits a quick dropkick into a jumping neckbreaker. A quick Angel’s Wings attempt is broken up so Daniels settles for a flapjack instead. That’s enough to set up the Angel’s Wings to give Daniels the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. It’s almost weird to see Daniels get a win but this is something that is pretty long overdue. At some pint you need to give him a win so that people beating him means something, which is what we had here. Johnson is already falling back to earth though and I can’t imagine he goes back up.

Infantry vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

2/3 falls. The villains miss a cheap shot to start and get knocked outside, with the Infantry hitting stereo dives to follow. Back in and a jumping Downward Spiral gets two on Moriarty, setting up a running basement dropkick to the side of the head. A knee drop gets two on Moriarty but Taylor blasts Bravo with a right hand. Back in and Taylor hits the big right hand to pin Dean for the first fall at 3:21.

The second fall begins with Taylor ripping at Bravo’s eyes in the corner, setting up a hard clothesline for two. Bravo slips off the shoulders though and the hot tag brings in Dean to clean house. A Death Valley Driver into a frog splash finishes Moriarty to tie it up at 6:12 overall. Everything breaks down and all four are quickly knocked down. Bravo actually drops Taylor with a right hand for two but Taylor pulls him out of the air for a release Rock Bottom. Moriarty adds the suplex DDT for the pin and the match at 9:36.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough but they could have done the exact same thing without the 2/3 falls stipulation. As has been the case in the past, Shane Taylor Promotions seems to be ready to become the next challengers for the titles, but none of that matters if the champions aren’t around for the title match. It’s nice to see a team being elevated though and they’re getting there in a tried and true method.

Overall Rating: C. I am pretty much out of ways to describe how uninteresting so much of this show has become. There are some storylines sprinkled throughout, but it doesn’t matter if people are just thrown into matches here and there. That was the case with multiple matches here and it didn’t make for a good show. As usual, this show was long for the sake of being long and that doesn’t help anyone.

Results
Zak Knight b. Jon Cruz – Running forearm
Tony Nese b. Marcus Cross – Sitout piledriver
Kyle Fletcher b. Angelico – Piledriver
Righteous b. Dawsons – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Zane
Iron Savages b. The Boys – Electric chair splash to Brandon
Cole Karter b. Serpentico – Rollup with tights
Queen Aminata b. Diamante, Lady Frost and Trish Adora – Top rope double stomp to Frost
Josh Woods b. LaBron Kozone – GYT
Taya Valkyrie b. Robyn Renegade – Shania Pain8
Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering b. Brittany Jade/Emily Hale – Boss Woman Slam to Hale
Blake Christian b. Slim J, Jack Cartwheel and Gravity – Texas Cloverleaf to J

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