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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Janai Kai vs. Queen Aminata

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alan Angels vs. Bishop Kaun

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

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

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

Trish Adora vs. B3cca

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

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

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

Satnam Singh vs. Jakked Jameson

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

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

Ring Of Honor World Title: AR Fox vs. Bandido

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Soloroto/Griff Garrison vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

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

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

AR Fox vs. LJ Cleary

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

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

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

Cassie Lee vs. Lady Leigh

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

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

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

Il Cartello Grillo vs. MxM Collection

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

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

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

Trish Adora vs. Rachael Ellering

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

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

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

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

AR Fox wants the World Title and challenges Bandido.

B3cca vs. Red Velvet

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

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

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

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

Bustah And The Brain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

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

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

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

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

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

Trent Beretta vs. Eddie Kingston

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 24 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s an AEW PPV weekend and oddly enough we didn’t get a bonus episode of ROH. In this case that’s a good thing as it means we won’t be seeing as many matches that are there to fill in time on the card. As usual I have no idea what to expect on here, but I’m sure a bunch of wrestlers will be moving closer towards title matches which aren’t likely to wind up happening. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lee Moriarty vs. Serpentico

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match and we’re at a recent AEW show with AEW commentary because I guess that’s a thing we’re doing with this show now. They fight over arm control to start with Moriarty’s armbar making Serpentico burn his first rope break. A rollup gives Serpentico two and he armdrags Moriarty down, only for Moriarty to take out the leg.

Moriarty gets two off a bridging suplex and keeps the bridge after the kickout for some showing off. An abdominal stretch goes on and Serpentico has to fall into the ropes for the second break (with commentary not being sure who made the rope first, which actually matters here). Serpentico’s hurricanrana out of the corner gets two but Moriarty is back with a belly to belly suplex into a bridge (as it sounds) for two of his own. The Border City Stretch makes Serpentico tap out at 5:40.

Rating: C+. This was the most recent Moriarty match where he did just about the same thing he’s done for however many years it is now. Moriarty is good at them, but he’s run through the competition so many times now that there is no one left to come after the title. I hope we’re not waiting on Nigel McGuinness, because that could take some sweet time.

Post match Moriarty gives the downed Serpentico a handshake in a rather heelish move.

We recap Emi Sakura turning on Deonna Purrazzo all those minutes into their time as a team.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rebecca Scott

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match. Purrazzo wastes no time in stacking her up for two and almost gets the Fujiwara armbar. An exchange of rollups gets two each so Scott snaps off a headscissors into the corner. Back up and Purrazzo cuts her off in the corner and goes after the arm. They hit stereo pump kicks to leave them both down before trading shots to the face. A Liger Bomb into the Venus de Milo finishes Scott at 4:15.

Rating: C. As usual, this was about making the newcomer look good while missing the bigger point. Purrazzo is the best Pure Rules wrestler in the history of the women’s division and she should be ticked off because of Sakura. Instead, she has trouble beating someone who isn’t a player around here. That’s missing the bigger point and it’s something that happens way too often on this show.

Post match we get a more respectful handshake.

And now, to Jacksonville.

Main Man Oro vs. Mark Davis

Davis misses an early backsplash but knocks him off the top. Oro’s leg is bent around the top rope and a chop off goes to Davis. A series of clotheslines gives Davis two and he crushes Oro in the corner for the same. The big clothesline is cut off by a rolling Liger kick so Davis forearms him in the face.

Oro’s neckbreaker gets two and they go to the apron for more striking. Davis is sent outside for a corkscrew dive from the top and a hard shot to the back of the head gets two back inside. Oro tries a rollup but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 6:49.

Rating: B-. This was a nice back and forth match and that’s a lot better here because Davis doesn’t have anything going on around here. It also helps that Oro has been around for a pretty good while. While he hasn’t done much of anything, he’s at least a name and it’s good to see him getting a chance.

Caprice Coleman sits down with the IInspiration, who are busy talking about their nails. Coleman asks about their history and they talk about going to high school together in Australia. That’s a cool situation but the bigger detail is that Jesse is pregnant with a baby girl. They can’t wrestle together right now but they have a plan that involves Australia.

Vertvixen/Viva Van vs. Athena/Billie Starkz

Athena and Van fight over arm control to start so Athena sends her over to Vertvixen for the tag. Starkz comes in for a running knee to the head but Vertvixen is up for a running shoulder and two of her own. It’s back to Athena, who is sent into the corner for some running elbows. Starkz makes the save with a tornado DDT and it’s Vertvixen getting choked down in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by some running shots to knock Vertvixen even sillier.

Athena misses some running knees in the corner though and Van comes back in to chop away on Starkz. A rolling kick to the face gives Van two and she dropkicks Athena out to the floor. Vertvixen comes back in and gets dropkicked by Athena but Starkz’ Swanton hits raised knees. The string of strikes knocks everyone down until Starkz takes Vertvixen out on the floor. Athena’s flipping Downward Spiral pins Van at 10:52.

Rating: B-. Athena is like so many of the other champions around here, as she has no one to challenge her and nothing in particular to do. I would certainly hope that they aren’t building up Starkz as the challenger again, but that is always a chance. It’s almost like leaving her in Ring Of Honor for almost four years isn’t a great idea.

We look at Bandido and Komander winning last week’s main event over AR Fox/Soleil.

Alan Angels vs. Tommy Billington

Commentary thinks the winner might be in the TOP TEN for the TV Title. At this point, I’d almost take the rankings again. Billington shoulders and armdrags him down to start and scares Angels out to the floor as the audience is quiet. Not that they aren’t reacting, but it’s like you can hear a lot more in the arena.

A backdrop takes Angels down but he’s right back with a northern lights suplex for two. Back up and Billington monkey flips him to the floor, where Angels finds….a breadstick? Angels is able to grab a half nelson suplex for two but gets hits running powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana. The Tombstone gives Billington the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected as the two of them have shown what they can do before and did it again here. I’m not sure what was up with the breadstick but it’s more interesting than just having another basic match. I’m sure they’ll be in the title hunt any day now.

Deonna Purrazzo says Emi Sakura only had to ask for a match. She’ll see Sakura soon.

Preston Vance vs. Jarrett Diaz

Vance chops him in the corner but gets knocked down. Diaz’s moonsault misses though and Vance pulls him into a big spinebuster. The discus lariat and full nelson finish Diaz at 1:50.

Post match the Dark Order comes out for the main event but John Silver still doesn’t trust Vance.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Lethal Twist

The Order is challenging. Lethal struts away from Reynolds to start so Reynolds struts right back. A dropkick puts Lethal down so the Swirl comes in and double teams Reynolds to cut him off just as fast. That’s fine with the Order, who are in as well to take over on Johnson. A triple basement dropkick has Johnson down again and he gets chopped in the corner.

Silver asks if the fans know how to count before he rains down the right hands but Christian comes in for the save. Everything breaks down and the Order gets in their rollup, with Christian making the save with a top rope double stomp. The Order gets in their triple superkick and the triple flipping slam gets two on Lethal with Johnson making the save.

The Big Shot Drop and a springboard splash combination gets two on Reynolds and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Christian gives Uno the sliding German suplex out of the corner, leaving Silver alone against the champs. Silver suplexes Johnson and Christian at the same time and a brainbuster knocks Lethal silly. Reynolds hits Silver by mistake though and the top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination pins Silver to retain the titles at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was easily the biggest match of the show and felt good enough for the main event slot. It’s a problem when you have that many titles floating around but only having one of them on the line in the show makes it feel more important. The Order getting a quick title shot is fine as it’s not like they’re going to win or be a serious threat. Nice job here.

Post match the Order argues and Preston Vance comes in, which has Silver shoving people and leaving on his own.

Overall Rating: B-. While there’s still a lot of matches that feel like they don’t matter in the slightest, it’s so much easier to watch this at a more manageable hour and fifteen minutes (ish). If nothing else, getting to the main event that much faster had me more interested in it, especially the angle that was involved. This stuff really isn’t that complicated and it’s nice to see it done better, even if that’s as simple as cutting out thirty minutes of unnecessary content.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Serpentico – Border City Stretch
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rebecca Scott – Venus de Milo
Mark Davis b. Main Man Oro – Piledriver
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Viva Van/Vertvixen – Flipping Downward Spiral to Van
Tommy Billington b. Alan Angels – Tombstone
Preston Vance b. Jarrett Diaz – Full nelson
Lethal Twist b. Dark Order – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Silver

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 17, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re back here and the question now is what we’ll be getting this week. That’s a rather wide open question but that’s just kind of how it goes with this show. There’s a chance that it’s a bunch of random matches with little to do with the previous weeks but there will probably be a title match thrown in too. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title: Remi Reade vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and this is from 1FW (1 Fall Wrestling) and was filmed during Dynamite, because crossing over with one promotion isn’t enough for ROH anymore. They trade rollups to start fast and get up for a standoff as the fans are oddly silent. Velvet takes her down by the arm before knocking her into the corner for some choking. The running knees to the back keep Reade down but she’s right back with a falcon arrow for two. That’s shrugged off and Velvet kicks her in the head for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was nice to see Velvet look fairly dominant, but Reade was another case of “who is this person”. I’m assuming she’s a star in 1FW but what the heck is 1FW? I get it more with a promotion like New Japan, which at least has a long history and reputation, but this appears to just be an independent promotion in Georgia. In other words, as usual, it’s another case where they just waved their hands and went with it because it’s ROH and it doesn’t matter.

We look at Nick Wayne losing at Death Before Dishonor and this week on Dynamite. Therefore, it’s time for Wayne to get a win to get his quote unquote heat back.

Nick Wayne vs. Adam Priest

And here we are. Wayne ducks away a few times and spits at Priest before going outside. Back in and Wayne stomps away but gets caught with a quick running clothesline. Priest grabs the armbar but Wayne gets out and drops a top rope double stomp onto the arm. Wayne twists the arm around again and we’re off to a keylock. Back up and Priest avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a dragon screw legwhip.

A top rope superplex drops Wayne again and Priest grabs a DDT for two. They forearm it out until Priest takes out the leg to set up the half crab. Wayne makes it to the rope and tries a suplex, which sends both of them crashing out to the floor. Back in and Wayne knocks the rope into Priest, setting up the ProdigyPlex for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B. The match was good, which is hardly a surprise, but it felt like “this is the thing that we always do and we’re getting through it”. If that’s what you want to do, maybe don’t have it be on Ring Of Honor? Or on a One Fall Wrestling show or whatever this is this time? Anyway, they had a rather watchable match, as the two of them tend to do.

And now, off to Jacksonville.

The Hex vs. Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo

Belle and Purrazzo start things off with Belle being low bridged to the floor. Purrazzo dropkicks her down and Sakura hits a running crossbody to drive Belle into the steps. Back in and Kay pulls Purrazzo down by the hair so the villains can take over. Belle kicks her into Kay’s backsplash into a running kick to the chest for two. Purrazzo fights out of trouble and it’s off to Sakura, who sends the Hex into each other for a double down. Kay gets two off a clothesline and everything breaks down, with stereo Fujiwara armbars making the Hex tap at 6:21.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming that Sakura is the next challenger for Purrazzo and it’s not like there is anyone else coming for the belt. The title has been needing someone fresh to come after if for a long time now and Sakura is considered a big deal around here. If nothing else the stereo armbars was a cool looking finish.

Post match Sakura jumps Purrazzo and grabs another Fujiwara armbar. Well points for not wasting time.

Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo join forces with Griff Garrison and want gold. Sure guys.

The Kingdom/Bryan Keith vs. Skyflight

After Sky checks the referee for weapons (yep), he and Bennett start things off with Bennett getting in a running shoulder. Everything breaks down and Skyflight clears the ring but Taven dropkicks Darius down. That’s broken up and Taven gets bulldogged onto a knee to put him in trouble for a change. Hold on though as the Kingdom gets their phone to check with AI and apparently the answer is to throw Darius the phone and hit him in the face (the phone appears to be fine).

A pop up forearm gives Bennett two but Darius gets over to the corner for the tag to Dante. That means a series of kicks into a high crossbody but Keith is back in for a running clothesline. Everything breaks down again and we get the parade of knockdowns but Darius’ dive is cut off. Keith grabs a tiger bomb to pin Darius at 8:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, Skyflight looks good and mostly out there to lose against someone else. The Kingdom and Keith are a new team and the AI deal is unique enough (at least for this generation) so see what it can do. It’s not like they’ll get a title shot anytime soon so if nothing else, it gives them a chance to be build up.

The Dark Order sits down with Caprice Coleman, with the team talking about how they’ve been around for a long time and no one has gone up against the things they’ve faced. They’re still not in sync about Preston Vance but Evil Uno insists that they’re a family. Tensions seem to stay high.

Robyn Renegade vs. Isla Dawn

They shove each other to start and lock up in the corner, with Dawn firing off a forearm. Some kicks to the chest have Renegade in more trouble but she knocks Dawn back. Dawn slams her off the top though and a running knee gives Dawn two. The chinlock goes on with Dawn switching into a headlock, sending Renegade to the rope. Back up and Renegade kicks her in the back and a Backstabber has Dawn in more trouble. A middle rope clothesline gives Renegade two so Dawn kicks her in the head. That and a dragon sleeper make Renegade tap at 6:12.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting back and forth match and Dawn felt like she had to work to get the win here. That’s always nice to see and Renegade has felt like someone who could be build into something bigger if she was given the chance. It was better than I was expecting here and hopefully we see both of them around more often.

Post match Dawn goes to leave but is interrupted by Mina Shirakawa, which doesn’t seem to please Dawn.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li

Aminata backs Li into the corner to start and then does it again against the ropes. An armdrag has Li in more trouble and she tries a running shoulder, which just bounces off of Aminata. Chocolate Kisses let Shirakawa come in for some dancing and a running dropkick to the back. Li slips out of a slam and brings in Ellie, who kicks Shirakawa in the face for a quick two.

It’s back to Li for a running uppercut in the corner and Ellie’s snap suplex gets two. Shirakawa is right back up and brings Aminata in to fire off the running forearms in the corner. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa Stunners Li over the top rope for a slingshot corkscrew splash. Back in and a spinning backfist knocks Li silly and it’s a Figure Four (with Aminata taking Ellie out) for the tap at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Shirakawa and Aminata seem to be the next women’s team around here and it’s not a good sign that it took them this long to beat a makeshift team. I get that the idea is to have the best matches possible every chance but that doesn’t always benefit them in the long run. That was the case here, as Shirakawa and Aminata should have been a more dominant force here.

Post match the winners dance.

Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Solo and Moriarty start things off with Moriarty getting in a quick rollup for two but Solo snaps off a running hurricanrana. Garrison comes in and backsplashes Miles but it’s off to Taylor, who punches Garrison in the face. Taylor even throws on Garrison’s cowboy hat (yeah he has a cowboy hat now) and dances a bit, allowing Moriarty to fire off some knees to the ribs.

Garrison gets away though and Comoroto comes in to run through everyone. Everything breaks down and we get the Comoroto vs. Taylor showdown. Taylor plants him with a release Rock Bottom but gets sent outside, leaving Miles to superkick Solo for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C+. This was in fact another version of the Promotions getting to beat another group of low level stars. I’m not sure why I should believe that this is going to be their next step towards success but the Promotions get to do this kind of stuff rather frequently. In other words, more of the same stuff with a lot of the same people.

Satnam Singh vs. Matt Mako

Mako tries to kick away and charges into a boot in the corner. Singh chops away and hits a clothesline before Mako runs away on the floor. Back in and Mako kicks at the leg some more and jumps on the back for a choke. More kicks to the leg have Singh down…but he comes back with a pop up cutter of all things for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C+. Well that was a surprise. I wasn’t exactly expecting Singh to be in trouble here and Mako actually gave him a sweat. At the same time, it has me wondering when Singh is going to actually do something that matters. It never really happens and that’s a problem with far too many people around here.

Bandido/Komander vs. Soleil/AR Fox

Bandido and Soleil start things off with Soleil missing a charge into the corner and knocking Komander down. For some reason Soleil apologizes to him, leaving commentary confused. Bandido kicks Fox off the apron by mistake as well and now we’re all even. Bandido and Soleil slug it out, with Bandido flipping into the finger gun pose. Fox comes in to cutter Bandido into the corner and Soleil takes Komander down. Soleil and Fox run around a bit before kicking Komander in the back for two.

Bandido is back in for a Shining Wizard to Fox, followed by a running boot to the head for another near fall. Something like an upside down surfboard has Fox in trouble, at least until he flips over for two off a sunset flip. Soleil and Komander come in with Soleil flipping around for some kicks. Everything breaks down and Fox hits a 450 on Bandido to give Soleil two. Bandido and Komander are up for a one handed gorilla press and the running flip dive, followed by the assisted X Knee to Soleil. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. It was fun and they did their usual flips and dives, which was quite the impressive feat. You knew exactly what you were going to see with these teams and it wound up going well. As usual, this does nothing for the World Title and it’s not like there are any challengers for it at the moment, so I’ll take what I can get. I think.

Post match respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a textbook example of how Ring Of Honor can feel like the most useless weekly wrestling show. As usual, the matches were fine. As also usual, it felt like very little on here mattered whatsoever. Outside of Sakura attacking Purrazzo (ending their partnership after a total of just ever six minutes), it felt like everyone on this show is right where they were when the show started. That happens WAY too often around here and that makes these shows feel very, very long. The wrestling is bad, but thrown in some promos or angles or ANYTHING to make this show feel like it matters already.

Results
Red Velvet b. Remi Reade – Spinning kick to the head
Nick Wayne b. Adam Priest – ProdigyPlex
Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo b. The Hex – Double Fujiwara armbar
The Kingdom/Bryan Keith b. Skyflight – Tiger bomb to Darius
Isla Dawn b. Robyn Renegade – Dragon sleeper
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li – Figure Four to Li
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto – Superkick to Solo
Satnam Singh b. Matt Mako – Pop up cutter
Bandido/Komander b. Soleil/AR Fox – 21 Plex to Soleil

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 10, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the period of time before we get anywhere close to Final Battle and that could make for some treacherous shows. You pretty much never know what to expect from most of these shows as they could be any mixture of midcarders with nothing to do. I’m sure a title or two will be on the line though so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Andy Williams.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Adam Priest vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is defending. Priest chases him outside so Andretti takes a look at the title, only for Andretti to come back with a handspring Stunner. That means Andretti gets to look at the title again but Priest is back up with a running clothesline. Priest works on the arm before snapping the leg over the ropes.

Now Priest goes outside to kiss the title, earning himself a stomping back inside. Andretti whips him hard into the corner for a handspring elbow but Priest is back up with some running clotheslines. Some kicks stagger Priest and a Falcon Arrow gives Andretti two. The leg gets banged up on a split legged moonsault though and Priest slaps on the half crab. Andretti grabs the rope rather quickly and they trade some rollups, with Andretti getting the rope for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a match between Andretti and someone who had been built up with a few wins. At the same time, I cannot bring myself to get interested in Andretti. He’s just a standard heel but he’s with the Opps in the latest attempt to make them a thing. Andretti is perfectly fine but there is nothing about him that makes me want to see him and that’s an issue that is hard to overcome.

Post match Priest is rather unhappy with the cheating and rants a bunch before leaving. Andretti isn’t impressed.

Lacey Lane/Janai Kai vs. Maya World/Hyan

Hyan works on Kai’s arm to start and they flip around a bit, followed by a handshake. Lane comes in to take over on World, with a crucifix getting two. Back up and Lane is draped across the top rope for stereo running boots so it’s back to Kai. Some arm cranking and a suplex take Hyan down and Lane’s slingshot elbow gets two.

Hyan DDTs her way out of a double suplex and World comes back in to clean house. A reverse Cannonball gets two on Kai but lane crushes World and Hyan in the corner. Everything breaks down and Lane is sent outside, meaning it’s a spear to Kai and a middle rope moonsault…only gets two, with Kai making the save. A pump kick gets two on Hyan but Kai is sent outside again. The wheelbarrow faceplant/Downward Spiral finishes Lane at 8:37.

Rating: B-. That save by Kai was a surprise as I was convinced the match was over. World and Hyan are an established team and there isn’t much of a reason to have them toiling around here when they could be built up for a Women’s Tag Team Title match. As usual, Lane has a bit of star power to her but it doesn’t really matter if this is all she’s doing.

We look at Athena dominating on Collision.

Deonna Purrazzo and Emi Sakura seem ready to team up.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. Serpentico/The Colons

Grillo and Serpentico start things off, with Serpentico hitting a running shoulder. Orlando comes in to work on the arm and picks Grillo up for an atomic drop. It’s off to Seal, who gets taken down with an armdrag and everything breaks down, with Eddie getting caught. Impala knees Eddie down and we’re off to the armbar.

Grillo sends Eddie into the corner for the running knee and Seal grabs a chinlock. Back up and Seal dropkicks Eddie into Orlando in the corner and the pace picks up again. A spinebuster gives Orlando two and Serpentico tornado DDTs Grillo out to the floor. Some rolling suplexes and a pair of top rope splashes finish Seal at 7:47.

Rating: C+. I have a grand total of no idea why the Colons and Serpentico are getting a push, or really any kind of television time. The Colons haven’t felt important in years and Serpentico has been a jobber (or somehow a pair of them) for pretty much his entire time around here. How is there no better team who could be in this spot?

Caprice Coleman and Ian Riccaboni sit down with the MxM Collection with Riccaboni looking rather nervous. Riccaboni gets a finger touch and the Collection plugs Honor Club, with Riccaboni putting money in Mansoor’s shirt pocket. With Riccaboni squeezing between the two of them, Coleman has to ask Riccaboni to be composed. Mansoor wants Coleman to change his name to Sun, so he could be Caprice Sun. They all pose to end of the most entertaining segments I’ve seen in a long time.

Ortiz vs. Rocky Romero

This match is indeed happening. The referee gets some handshakes but Romero takes Ortiz down for some kicks to the head. Ortiz’s choke is blocked so he goes with a clothesline, plus a clothesline for good measure. Romero is able to break up a superplex with an arm snap across the top rope, followed by a middle rope knee to the arm. Ortiz gets two off a middle rope sunset flip and tries a Koji Clutch, which is reversed into an arm snap.

Back up and Ortiz gets in a powerslam for a double down before sending Romero outside. The suicide dive connects and a facebuster gives Ortiz two back inside. A tornado DDT gives Romero the same and he goes to the eyes to send Ortiz outside. Cue Trent Beretta for a cheap shot from behind, setting up a standing Sliced Bread for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. The match isn’t bad at all and from a technical standpoint, it went well enough. The problem is, again, these two are so low on the totem pole that it’s like watching a pair of opening match wrestlers at an old house show. This felt like a match designed to just fill in time, which makes you wonder why it exists when the promotion gets to decide how long it lasts. Just more content for the sake of content.

Post match RPG Vice brags about their win and Romero mocks Ortiz.

AR Fox/Soleil vs. Body Bundy/Jacked Josh

Bundy and Josh jump them to start, with Soleil fighting back just as fast. Josh is kicked out to the floor and Fox hits a big running flip dive. Back in and Fox’s top rope flip dive connects, followed by some stereo rolling dropkicks (that was nice). A wheelbarrow Stunner finishes Josh at 3:52.

Rating: C+. The match was a fun squash, with Bundy and Josh being an indy team who didn’t exactly look like great body guys but they have enough of a theme together. Fox and Soleil are an entertaining enough team, though I could go with Fox being on his own. He had that nice singles run and then it just stopped for Lio Rush and Action Andretti. I get that Fox isn’t going to be a top star, but he could be more on his own than he is right now.

Action Andretti brags about beating Adam Priest clean

Jacked Jameson vs. Matt Menard

Wait. They have these marathon tapings with the matches feeling randomly assorted and no one cared that they had people named JACKED in back to back matches? Sweet goodness this place somehow finds new ways to not care. Jameson grabs a headlock and puts Menard on the apron, with Menard coming back in to get clotheslined. Menard is tied in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp, followed by something like a 619. A top rope backsplash misses though and Menard rains down some right hands in the corner. The DDT gives Menard the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. Well, it could have been worse if they had gotten some more time. This is another match where the people involved don’t mean much around here, with Menard’s highlight being a random Pure Rules Title match. Jameson hasn’t meant anything in forever and this was just a quick match that changes nothing for him. As usual.

Infantry vs. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner

Shane Taylor Promotions are here with the Infantry. Warner and Dean start things off with Warner posing in the corner and Bravo coming in with a cheap shot to Zayne. Back up and Warner and Zayne quickly clear the ring and Zayne hits a big running flip dive. Warner bites Bravo’s head and Zayne is back in with some twisting double knees. Zayne gets sent into the post though and the double stomping is on outside.

A swinging neckbreaker takes Zayne down back inside and Christian XO gets in a cheap shot from the floor. The Bronco Buster connects in the corner but Warner is right back up to clean house. That includes the wind up elbow to Bravo and it’s a superplex into a Swanton for two. Dean comes back in to knock Zayne down but he gets two off a facebuster. A running knee and hurricanrana get two on Dean with Bravo making the last second save. Back up and the double stomp finishes Zayne at 10:32.

Rating: B-. There have been some nice matches on this show and it was fun to see the Infantry getting a chance to shine. They’re a talented enough team but as is the case with far too many good wrestlers, they’re stuck in a big stable and can’t get the chance to showcase what they can do. Warner continues to be fun, while Zayne is good while he’s around, even if that isn’t very often.

The Kingdom says AI has given them the solution: they need a third member. Like Bryan Keith, comes in to say he’s here for money but he’s in.

Steph de Lander vs. Zayda Steel

De Lander isn’t about to shake hands to start and knocks Steel into the corner, leaving Steel frustrated. A wristdrag out of the corner seems to get some of that frustration out but a hanging Codebreaker is blocked. De Lander gets her in an electric chair and walks her around the ring for a face first drop onto the apron. Back in and a fall away slam sends Steel flying for two and de Lander suplexes her for the same.

Hold on though as de Lander goes outside to yell at Christopher Daniels, earning herself a suicide dive from Steel. The comeback is on but de Lander catches her on top with a running boot and brings her back down for two. Steel is fine enough to spin around into a DDT to plant de Lander, who is back with a spear for two more. De Lander loads up a fireman’s carry, which is quickly reversed into a rollup to give Steel the fast pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. They were building into something here with the idea of Steel trying to get in whatever she could over the much stronger de Lander. It made for a good match and Steel continues her slow rise up the charts. That’s not a bad idea as she’s doing well in her spot, though she still has a bit to go.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Beef/Premiere Athletes

Robinson and Daivari start things off with Daivari taking over on the arm. That doesn’t last long as Robinson snaps off a Russian legsweep and screams a lot, with Austin screaming right back. Colten comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner, with Beef coming in to work on the arm. The chops in the corner miss though and it’s off to Austin for the snap jabs. The Gang clears the ring but Nese posts Robinson to cut him off.

Back in and Robinson is tied in the Tree Of Woe for some stomping, including some with Nese doing some crunches. Robinson is stomped down in the corner and Nese fires off some crossfaces to the jaw. The throat snap across the top rope sets up a missed Lionsault and it’s Austin coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a full nelson slam gets two on Nese. A spinning kick to the face gives Nese two but Beef misses a charge in the corner. We hit the parade of secondary finishers, with Robinson decking Mark Sterling. 3:10 To Yuma finishes Beef at 11:25.

Rating: B-. It’s that much easier to get through an Athletes match when they’re not around every week, though the Gang being in there helped too. The Gang can make just about anything work and it’s nice to see them getting a showcase. They’ve had that a few times now and hopefully they get to do something a bit more important.

Overall Rating: C+. The show had some good parts, but my goodness there were a lot of parts overall. You had some nice stuff in there but asking me to watch stuff like Serpentico/the Colons, Menard and Jameson and Ortiz vs. Romero and it’s not the most thrilling show. Split this in half and get rid of some of the lowest level people and it works that much better. It won’t happen, but it would be nice to see.

Results
Action Andretti b. Adam Priest – Rollup while holding the rope
Maya World/Hyan b. Lacey Lane/Janai Kai – Wheelbarrow faceplant/Downward Spiral combination to Lane
Serpentico/The Colons b. Il Cartello Grillo – Top rope splash to Seal
Rocky Romero b. Ortiz – Standing Sliced Bread
AR Fox/Soleil b. Body Bundy/Jacket Josh – Wheelbarrow Stunner to Josh
Matt Menard b. Jacked Jameson – DDT
The Infantry b. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner – Double stomp to Zayne
Zayda Steel b. Steph de Lander – Rollup
Bang Bang Gang b. Premiere Athletes/Beef – 3:10 To Yuma to Beef

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 3, 2026
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still dealing with the fallout from Death Before Dishonor and some more of that will be taking place this week. This time around, it’s going to be a big deal, with Bandido defending the World Title against The Beast Mortos, as Bandido is on the way to the longest reign in history. Other than that, you never can tell around here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Athena tells Billie Starkz to go out there and deal with Janai Kai on her own. Diamante is told to join Starkz at ringside but let her do this on her own. Works for Diamante.

Tag Team Titles: RPG Vice vs. Sky Team

Sky Team is defending and this is from this week’s AEW taping, with Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight on the all oddly enough (I’m guessing Riccaboni and Coleman couldn’t record in time). Mistico and Romero start things off sand we have a pose off, with nearly a minute and a half passing before they lock up. Romero is quickly taken down but Beretta gets in a cheap shot from the apron to cut Mistico off.

Dorada comes in with a headscissors and an enziguri to Romero but Beretta pulls Dorada outside. A suplex gives Beretta two and he goes after Dorada’s mask, which isn’t well received by a Texas crowd. Dorada enziguris his way out of trouble again though and it’s Mistico coming back in with a springboard high crossbody. Everything breaks down and Dorada grabs a top rope corkscrew armdrag and Vice is sent outside for stereo suicide dives.

Back in and an electric chair neckbreaker gives Dorada two on Romero, leaving Beretta to piledrive Mistico on the floor. A basement dropkick gets two on Dorada and a pull of the mask lets Beretta get the same. Strong Zero gets two as Mistico makes the save before running over to tag himself in.

The referee allows this, despite Mistico being illegal and in the ring while Dorada was on the apron for the tag, because rules are just a suggestion around here. Strong Zero is broken up again and Mistico gives Romero a super Spanish Fly, with Beretta making another save. Dorada shooting stars Beretta, leaving Mistico to grab La Mistica to make Romero tap at 15:13.

Rating: B. This was far longer than I was expecting but Sky Team is so fun to watch (odd interpretations of tag rules aside). They move with a fluidity that very few teams have and it worked here as they thwarted #1 contenders RPG Vice and their -1 match winning streak. There are a bunch of good teams who could come after the titles and it would be nice to see that in the coming weeks, especially if the matches get this much time.

We look at Adam Priest almost beating Daniel Garcia at Death Before Dishonor.

Alan Angels vs. Adam Priest

Priest headlocks him into the corner to start and gets shoved away. That means Angels can hit a quick neckbreaker for two so Priest dragon screw legwhips him down. The half crab is quickly broken up and Angels kicks him to the floor, followed by another kick to the head back inside. Angels pounds away and grabs a half and half suplex but Priest takes the knee out again. Now the half crab can make Priest tap at 6:16.

Rating: C+. Priest is in the same spot that a bunch of wrestlers around here find themselves in: cool, now do something with him. Priest has had a string of good matches and is picking up some wins, but none of that matters if he is just having random matches that don’t get him anywhere. It’s a trap that a lot of wrestlers have found themselves in and there is every chance he gets stuck in it too. Find a way around that and things could get a lot better.

Shane Taylor Promotions want titles, so they have their eyes set on a bunch of titles each.

Preston Vance vs. Daron Richardson

Richardson flips away from him and stops for a pose, earning himself a running clothesline in the corner to start. The chops just earn Richardson a spinebuster and it’s the discus lariat into the full nelson to give Vance the win at 1:37.

Post match the Dark Order comes out, with John Silver not liking Vance.

Dark Order vs. Landon Hale/Kid Kaos/Papa Juice

Silver shoulders Hale down to start so it’s off to Reynolds to beat up the other two. Uno comes in and gets kicked from the apron, which just gets on his nerves. They go outside with Uno chopping away but Kaos takes over inside. That lasts all of three seconds before Uno fights up and brings in Silver to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s the Stunner into the jackknife pin on Hale at 4:43.

Rating: C. Just a squash here and more about having Vance and Silver’s interaction as the Order came to the ring. The Order feel like an act from a bygone era of AEW but they’re not out there for very long and the fans still seem to like them so I can go with it being harmless fun. Just don’t go too far with it and it should be ok.

Billie Starkz vs. Janai Kai

Kai kicks away to start (shocking I know) and Starkz heads out to the floor,, with Kai getting in another kick off the apron. Starkz manages a backbreaker and a posting, followed by a tornado DDT back inside. The arm trap faceplant finishes for Starkz at 4:15.

Isla Dawn brags about herself but Mina Shirakawa comes in and says they can fight. Then Shirakawa dances and promises to make waves.

Scorpio Sky sits down with Caprice Coleman and talks about his training, including at the gym owned by the Green Ranger. He talks about the importance of training and how much he wants to pass on what he has learned. Not much to this one, but Sky is a likable guy.

Soleil vs. Mark Davis

Soleil ducks a clothesline to start but gets slammed down, with Davis hitting a right hand on the mat. Back up and a spinning crossbody gives Soleil a breather but he gets caught with a gutwrench faceplant. The running clothesline misses though as Soleil backflips away and grabs a neckbreaker. The piledriver is countered into a hurricanrana to give Soleil two but Davis gets him on the second attempt. That and the third attempt finish Soleil at 4:49.

Rating: C. This was Davis’ win to get him back on track after he lost to Darby Allin this week on Dynamite, as is Tony Khan’s custom. The piledriver continues to work rather well and Davis has gotten it over as a big deal. I’m not sure what he’s going to do in the near future, but he’s still good for a win like this.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. The Beast Mortos

Mortos, with Sammy Guevara, is challenging. Bandido grabs the arm to start so Mortos springboards into his own wristlock. That earns him the gun pose so Mortos just bites the fingers in a rather beastly move. Mortos armdrags him down into an armbar as Guevara doesn’t like the fans cheering for Bandido. They go outside with Bandido being chopped around ringside and wrapped around the post, which can’t go well.

Back in and a toss by the hair sends Bandido flying and Mortos pulls him into a reverse Figure Four. Bandido gets to the rope and manages a sunset bomb to leave them both down. Mortos is sent outside and taken down with the big running flip dive but he’s right back with the pop up Samoan drop back inside. Bandido is right back up with a crucifix bomb and a spinning crucifix to retain at 11:13.

Rating: B-. It was fine, but Bandido isn’t about to drop the title to a tag wrestler when he’s this close to rewriting the record book for the title. That can make for some less than thrilling matches, but it’s not like this was anything more than a way to get Bandido on the show. I’ll take that over the title being dormant for months at a time, though a mixture of booking and match quality would be nice.

Overall Rating: C+. This was mainly about the main event, though the opener felt like a big time match as well. The problem is the endless glut that is the ROH midcard. It’s a bunch of people having random matches which often don’t lead anywhere and that has been the case for a long time. Thankfully this show wasn’t as long as some, though thankfully the two title matches more than carried things this week.

Results
Sky Team b. RPG Vice – La Mistica to Romero
Adam Priest b. Alan Angels – Half crab
Preston Vance b. Daron Richardson – Full nelson
Dark Order b. Landon Hale/Kid Kaos/Papa Juice – Jackknife rollup to Hale
Billie Starkz b. Janai Kai – Arm trap faceplant
Mark Davis b. Soleil – Piledriver
Bandido b. The Beast Mortos – Spinning crucifix

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 27, 2026
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Death Before Dishonor and that means it is time to start the rather long build towards Final Battle. Coming out of the show, Bandido and Athena are still the top champions around here and they need some fresh challengers. I’m not expecting us to find out who those people are anytime soon but they are boxes that need to be checked. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

At Death Before Dishonor, Bandido thanked the fans for having his back and talked about how he had been told to drop the belt and go after something else. That’s not going to happen though and he’ll face anyone who wants to take the title from him.

Opening sequence.

We get a stills package on Death Before Dishonor.

Athena says it doesn’t matter who comes after her title, because she’s going to turn them back. No one can take the title from her and it’s time to get used to it.

Lacey Lane vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title Proving Ground match. Purrazzo wastes no time in rolling out of a wristlock and grabs a backslide for a quick two. The chase is on, with Lane coming back inside for a springboard dropkick as Purrazzo comes back in. A kick to the head gives Lane two and she grabs a leglock, with Purrazzo using her first rope break.

Purrazzo is back with a powerbomb for two, setting up the Fujiwara armbar to send Lane to the ropes for a break of her own. Lane Regal Rolls her into the corner but gets knocked right back down. Another Fujiwara armbar is broken up without the rope and they trade superkicks. Purrazzo sends her flying with a German suplex and something like a snap suplex finishes Lane at 7:14.

Rating: C+. This was a nice job from Lane, who is one of the better and more underrated members of the women’s division. I can go with having her make Purrazzo sweat before losing and that’s exactly what we got here. At the same time, Purrazzo finishing with something new was a nice change of pace. Good match here with a bit of a different presentation.

New TV Champion Action Andretti celebrates with the Opps but Katsuyori Shibata doesn’t seem thrilled.

Action Andretti vs. Boom Harden

Non-title. Harden can’t get an O’Connor roll to start so Andretti sends him outside. Back in and a falcon arrow drops Harden again, setting up Lights Camera Action to give Andretti the pin at 1:40.

Post match the Rascalz come out and stare at the title.

Rascalz vs. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto/Tomo Filip

Solo gets kicked down to start and the Rascalz clear the ring, setting up a series of dives off the top, with Reed’s 450 getting the pin at 1:21.

Video on Preston Vance trying to get back into the Dark Order, with John Silver not accepting it.

The Beast Mortos vs. Rob Vegas

Sammy Guevara is here with Mortos. Pop up Samoan drop finishes Vegas at 23 seconds. Nice job.

Bryan Keith sits down with Caprice Coleman and talks about wrestling in Texas for the first ten years of his career. There have been some great wrestlers in Texas, like Terry Funk and Stan Hansen, and Keith sees himself on their level. He’s here to collect bounties of all kinds and Texas is here to stay. And he’s out because time is money. Not much to this one.

Don Callis Family vs. Kiran Grey/Joey Martinez/Oxx Adams

Trent Beretta thanks Don Callis for getting them such an easy win. Grey knocks Beretta outside to start but gets suplexed by Cage. Martinez gets powerbombed and it’s off to Adams, who towers over Cage. The chokeslam attempt is blocked though and Adams is sent into the corner for some running shots to the face. Lance Archer gets in a cheap shot on the floor and a chokeslam to the apron has Grey in trouble. Grey is thrown over the top onto Adams and it’s the Strong Zero to finish Grey at 3:44.

Rating: C. Why does the Don Callis Family need to be on this show? They’re all over Dynamite and Collision so why do they need to be here too? It’s not like they’re anything important and they just had another quick match here which hardly stood out in any way. Just get rid of them and cut off some of the dead weight of this roster.

Sammy Guevara and The Beast Mortos want a bunch of titles, including the World Title. The challenge is officially made for next week.

Viva Van/Vertvixen vs. Zayda Steel/Red Velvet

Steel headscissors Van into the corner to start and it’s off to Velvet for some double knees. Back up and Velvet is sent into the corner and fights out of trouble rather quickly. It’s back to Steel, who charges into a spinwheel kick to cut her right back down. Steel shrugs that off and grabs the spinning Unprettier for the pin on Van at 2:58.

New Six Man Tag Team Champions the Lethal Twist is happy to win the titles, as it makes Jay Lethal the only man to win all titles around here. And they’re just getting started.

Premiere Athletes vs. Bang Bang Gang

Beef is here with the Athletes. Robinson takes over on Daivari to start and it’s a backsplash for two. Austin comes in for an armbar and then kicks Nese in the back as the fast start continues. The Athletes get in a cheap shot to cut Austin off but he flips out of a belly to back suplex.

Robinson is right back in but is quickly taken down into a chinlock. Daivari hits a hammerlock DDT, only to miss the Magic Carpet Ride. Everything breaks down and Austin Samoan drops both of the Athletes, with the squats, because he can do that. Daivari is sent outside and it’s the big left hand into the Fold to finish Nese at 8:04.

Rating: C+. They kept this to the point here and the Gang is often worth at least a look. If nothing else, I’m rather glad to see Austin getting a win here as he has been more and more entertaining every time he’s in the ring. It’s a good way to wrap up the show, with the Athletes losing being a nice bonus.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was in a tough spot as it was fresh off of Death Before Dishonor, where a bunch of stuff happened, and they didn’t have time to set anything else up. The catch though is they had very little to say this week but they didn’t stretch it out forever. This show went on for just over and hour and that’s nowhere near too long. Keep the show around this long week to week (they won’t) and ROH would be in such a better place.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lacey Lane – Snap suplex
Action Andretti b. Boom Harden – Lights Camera Action
Rascalz b. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto/Tomo Filip – 450 to Solo
The Beast Mortos b. Rob Vegas – Pop up Samoan drop
Don Callis Family b. Kiran Grey/Joey Martinez/Oxx Adams – Strong Zero to Grey
Zayda Steel/Red Velvet b. Viva Van/Vertvixen – Spinning Unprettier to Van
Bang Bang Gang b. Premiere Athletes – Fold to Nese

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match, respect is shown.

Zero Hour: El Phantasmo vs. Adam Brooks

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

Zero Hour: AR Fox vs. Soleil vs. Komander

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

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

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

Post match Fox gives Komander a handshake.

Video on the Don Callis Family.

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pure Rules Title: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lee Moriarty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Priest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV Title: Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring Of Honor World Title: Nick Wayne vs. Bandido

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Hazuki vs. Athena

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match Athena actually shows respect to end the show.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Gia Scott

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

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

Video on Athena vs. Hazuki.

Preston Vance vs. Danny Grandview

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

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

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Hook

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

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

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

Video on Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush.

Alec Price vs. Daniel Garcia

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

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

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

Post match we do get another handshake.

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

Lio Rush vs. Joe Keys

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

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

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

The Lethal Twist seems to see things differently.

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

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

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

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

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

Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

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

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

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

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

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

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

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

Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata

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

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

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

Nick Wayne says that was a message to Bandido.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 18, 2026
Location: The Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Death Before Dishonor later this week and that means we have a bonus show which is likely going to be little more than leftovers. That tends to be the norm with these things, though they have some specials which actually focused on the pay per view. Hopefully that’s the case as the card could use the help. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Komander vs. Ariya Daivari

Beef and Mark Sterling are here too. Komander jumps him on the floor to start fast and hammers away in the corner. A snapmare gets Komander out of a snapmare attempt but he gets sent outside. Beef won’t jump Komander though and gets tossed by the rest of the Athletes, as insubordination isn’t tolerated in this stable.

Back in and a clothesline has Komander in more trouble, with a chinlock making it works. Komander fights up and starts the comeback but has to dropkick Sterling to the floor (with Sterling landing on his head in a terrifying bump). That’s enough for Daivari to hit a hammerlock DDT into the Magic Carpet Ride for two more in a pretty effective near fall. Komander sends him outside for a suicide dive, setting up Cielito Lindo for the pin at 8:31.

Rating: C+. That near fall was rather good, but there was only so much to be gotten out of a match involving one of the Athletes. The team has long since been little more than a group who happens to be out here most weeks and are still in the same spot they’ve been in. Komander was his usual self, but he’s also in his usual spot of going almost nowhere.

Video on Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti. Again, the fact that there is a blowoff match from Cru tells you how out there ROH can be.

Action Andretti/Hook vs. Lio Rush/AR Fox

Fox flips away from Andretti to start and avoids a few stomps, meaning they can trade rollups for two. They both try dropkicks and flip up to a standoff so it’s off to Rush vs. Hook. Rush isn’t sure what to do with him and it’s right back to Fox, who takes Hook into the corner.

Hook wrestles him down and grabs a suplex but Fox rolls out of the corner. Rush comes back in to clean house on Hook, including a spinning kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Rush’s springboard Stunner hits Andretti, setting up the cravate choke. That’s enough for Hook to use the belt on Rush for the DQ at 8:00.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if that’s the best way to go with Andretti on his way to the title shot in three days. Andretti doesn’t feel like he’s a real threat to Rush and having him need to be saved before tapping out didn’t help. At the same time, this won’t matter much if Rush beats him on Friday and hopefully that’s where this winds up.

Post match Hook chokes Rush out and Andretti hammers on him before holding up the title.

Video on Dalton Castle/The Outrunners vs. the Lethal Twist for the former’s Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Sky Flight vs. Manny Lemons/Tommy 2 Scoops/Dave Cole

Sky and Lemons start things off with Sky armdragging him into an early armbar. Darius comes in to take over on Scoops and everything breaks down, with Top Flight’s tornado DDT planting Cole. Sky’s TKO finishes Cole at 4:18.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash, with Sky Flight running through a team involving lemons and what sounds like ice cream. Yeah I don’t get it either but modern wrestling can have some odd names. Anyway, Sky Flight continues to be fun, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t wind up doing anything.

Nigel McGuinness is injured but he’s going to wrestle at Death Before Dishonor and in the Continental Challenge Cup, hurt or not. It’s his last chance in ROH and he’s going no matter what.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Aaron Solo

Ogogo shoves him around to start but gets knocked out to the floor. Solo goes up but gets crotched down, allowing Ogogo to stomp him down into the corner. Solo gets to his feet for a running neckbreaker into a top rope double stomp for two on Ogogo. Back up and Ogogo hits some running strikes to the face but gets kicked in the head. Ogogo gives a German suplex and the right hand gets the knockout at 4:43.

Rating: C. Thrilling. Ogogo continues to be able to do one thing and pretty much one thing only, which has been the case since he debuted all the way back in the Cody Rhodes days. I have a grand total of no idea how he’s still seen as any kind of a prospect but here we go again, with Ogogo doing the same stuff he always does. He’s a good example of a person who doesn’t need to be around, as he hasn’t changed in any meaningful way and is just clogging up the massive roster.

The Hex vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

Shirakawa kicks away at Kay to start and stops to do her dance. Kay gets kicked down and it’s off to Aminata for the hips to the face. Belle doesn’t care for this and comes in for the running Meteora and Kay’s running boot hits Aminata in the corner. It’s right back to Shirakawa and everything breaks down, with the slingshot corkscrew drive connecting. Aminata kicks Kay in the ropes and Shirakawa Figure Fours Belle for the win at 5:33.

Rating: C. This was in fact a match that happened. I’m not particularly sure why when we’re three days away from a pay per view but they have to pad these shows out with something. As usual, Shirakawa feels like absolutely nothing these days and that’s a shame with how much charisma she has to spare.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Steph de Lander for the Women’s Pure Rules Title.

Video on Athena defending the Women’s Title against Hazuki.

El Phantasmo vs. Adam Priest

Priest takes him down by the arm to start but gets wristdragged into a dropkick. Back up and Phantasmo snaps off a hurricanrana but a rather bouncy springboard is broken up when Phantasmo tries a rope walk. Priest takes him down out of the corner but Phantasmo punches him in the face (keeping it simple has its merits).

Phantasmo misses a Lionsault so he sends Priest outside instead, setting up a suicide dive and a moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Lionsault connects and a tornado DDT sends Priest crashing back to the floor. Priest tries the half crab but gets reversed into some rollups for two. A Texas piledriver gets two on Phantasmo and sets up another half crab….to make Phantasmo tap at 10:31.

Rating: C+. Well I’m stunned. I would not have bet on Phantasmo tapping out here as he’s a much bigger name than Priest but odder things can happen. At the same time, it doesn’t mean much if this is just another match for Priest. He’s shown the potential before, but like everyone else, it doesn’t matter if that potential doesn’t go anywhere. For now though, heck of a surprise there.

Video on Bandido vs. Nick Wayne for the World Title. This would mean more if Wayne had meant anything in ROH in the last several months.

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

Shafir takes Velvet down to start so Velvet jumps on her back for a choke. It’s off to Blue to get caught in the wrong corner, with Steel taking her down for two. A Shafir distraction lets Blue get in a shot from behind for two and Shafir comes in for the right hands in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Velvet to strike it out with Shafir.

A German suplex is shrugged off so Velvet and Shafir kick each other in the head for a double down. Steel comes in to hammer on Blue but the Unprettier is broken up. Instead Blue hits a DDT for two but Steel is right back up with another Unprettier for the rather sudden pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. Well, I do like Steel getting a win, even if it’s in a match that has almost nothing to do with anything going on at the moment. I’m not sure what Velvet is supposed to be doing at the moment, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see her get thrown into a random title defense at the pay per view. If nothing else, at least there are a few names who could reasonably come after the belt. I mean they probably won’t, but the options are there.

Overall Rating: C+. As is so often the case, I don’t exactly know what they were going for here. You had one match that tied into the pay per view card and the rest could have taken place on any random Ring Of Honor show. This is just kind of what happens in Ring Of Honor as they throw stuff out there and most of it doesn’t seem to have any kind of particular reason. The action was fine and the wrestlers were doing their thing, but this pretty much did nothing for Friday, which isn’t much of a surprise.

Results
Komander b. Ariya Daivari – Cielito Lindo
Lio Rush/AR Fox b. Action Andretti/Hook via DQ when Hook used a title belt
Sky Flight b. Manny Lemons/Tommy 2 Scoops/Dave Cole – TKO to Cole
Anthony Ogogo b. Aaron Solo via knockout
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. The Hex – Figure Four to Belle
Adam Priest b. El Phantasmo – Half crab
Zayda Steel/Red Velvet b. Marina Shafir/Skye Blue – Unprettier to Blue

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

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