Ring Of Honor
Date: June 11, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re a week away from Global Wars and that means Athena has a big time title defense set for next week against Syuri. Other than that, more guest stars are likely to show up though we’ll still need to get some names set. That’s good enough for a big show around here and hopefully it helps things out. Let’s get to it.

Here is Tuesday’s show if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Premiere Athletes vs. Top Flight

Darius and Daivari start things off with a battle over wrist control. Darius grabs a front facelock and switches to a wristlock, with Daivari’s spinning escape being countered into a rollup for a smart two. It’s off to Nese vs. Dante, with the former being bulldogged onto Dante’s knee. Daivari comes back in to grab Darius’ arms so Nese can get in a cheap shot and things slow back down.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a neckbreaker for two. Darius fights up and gets back to Dante, who fights up at his usual fast pace. A tornado DDT drops Nese but it’s already back to Darius. That means an assisted swinging neckbreaker for two on Darius so Dante comes back in with a high crossbody. Top Flight’s double lifting DDT finishes Daivari at 13:03.

Rating: B-. It’s a fine match and the perfect example of a match between two teams who feel like they have been in the same place for years now. Neither have anything going on and Top Flight happened to win the match. It’s not like they can get a title match in the United States at the moment anyway so enjoy their continuing time on the Ring Of Honor treadmill.

Angelico is ready to face Bandido and insists he is a very dangerous man.

Los Colons/Serpentico vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Serpentico and Bravo start things off and walk around a bit to start. Serpentico picks up the pace and sends Bravo flying so it’s Taylor tagging himself in to send Orlando straight to the apron. Back in and Taylor gets taken down, only to grab a hanging Stunner on Orlando. Bravo comes back in and hammers on Orlando in the corner, even hurting his own hand in the process.

Orlando is suplexed into the corner and a Bronco Buster hits him again. That just wakes Orlando up and it’s off to Eddie to pick up the pace. Serpentico adds a Swanton for two and takes out the Infantry, only to run into Taylor. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes Serpentico at 8:52.

Rating: C. I still have no idea why the Colons are here but thankfully it doesn’t seem like their team with Serpentico is going to be a thing. The Promotions are at least doing something in AEW at the moment, though it’s still hard to get overly interested in them when they’ve been around here in the same spot for such a long time. This wasn’t anything all that interesting but Taylor smashing Serpentico at the end was nice.

Mason Madden vs. Terry Yaki

Madden shoves him down to start and hits some elbows in the corner. The big side kick has Yaki in trouble but he’s back up with a missile dropkick. Madden isn’t having this and plants him on the floor, setting up a middle rope elbow for the pin at 2:13.

Post match Mansoor gets on the mic and says he’ll be dessert.

Mansoor vs. Ace Austin

Mansoor throws a jacket at him to start fast but gets knocked down for his efforts. Austin loads up the squatting fireman’s carry but gets raked in the eyes for the break. That lets Mansoor go after the leg in the corner and then does it again in another corner. Austin is back up with some chops but Mansoor goes right back to the leg. A running dropkick to the knee misses though and Austin strikes away. The knee is fine enough for a springboard crossbody and a squatting powerbomb, followed by the Fold for the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Austin win a match, even if it isn’t likely to mean much. Mansoor running his mouth and then getting beaten clean is a good thing, though Austin has a history of losing any match that matters. At least he’s getting in the ring regularly though, which should help the fans take notice of his rather abundant talents.

Zayda Steel and Red Velvet are ready to team together. Velvet even gives Steel her own apron.

IInspiration vs. Zayda Steel/Red Velvet

Steel rolls Lee up to start and everything breaks down with Steel and Velvet cleaning house. They even mock the Iinspiration’s poses before Velvet gets in a posing choke in the corner. That’s broken up and Velvet is knocked down for an IInspiration pose. It works so well that they kick Velvet down again for more posing. Velvet gets up and kicks her way to freedom, allowing Steel to come in and clean house. A spinning Unprettier drops Lee onto McKay for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C-. Yeah fine. What else is there to say here? The IInspiration are little more than a comedy act who lose all the time while Steel and Velvet aren’t a team. The point here was more about the posing, which isn’t exactly a big surprise. There’s nothing to be seen here, making the match just something that extended the show. As usual.

We look at AR Fox retaining the TV Title on Tuesday. Fox is defending against Lio Rush and Action Andretti next week.

Soleil vs. Action Andretti

Andretti flips out of a headscissors to start and gets stomped down, only to kick him into the corner. Back up and Soleil chops away in the corner, with Andretti going to the floor for a breather. That doesn’t last long as Andretti takes him down and hammers away back inside. Soleil knocks him down again and goes up top, only to get pulled down.

A kind of pumphandle Side Effect gets two, as does Andretti’s falcon arrow. Soleil kicks him down again but misses a frog splash, allowing Andretti to come back with a Spanish Fly. Soleil flips over into a neckbreaker for two but Andretti flips over for a Stunner. The torture rack neckbreaker finishes Soleil at 10:25.

Rating: C+. This is a perfect example of a match that showcases the issues with this show. Andretti is getting a title match next week. Fine, cool, as long as you ignore his hit and miss win/loss record in recent weeks (including a loss a few months ago to the champion himself). That being said, there was no reason whatsoever for him to go out and go 50/50 with someone like Soleil. All I saw here was Andretti having trouble winning a match, which doesn’t make me interested in seeing him get a shot at a title. He would have been better off with a thirty second promo, but the ROH way is to give him a ten minute match instead.

Top Flight thinks they’re treading water in the tag division. NO! IMPOSSIBLE! Anyway they want the Tag Team Titles.

The ROH Tag Team Titles will be defended tomorrow in CMLL against a CMLL team. That’s obviously the best way to deal with Mortos’ visa issues than stripping the titles or having them face an ROH team anywhere else. This means we’ll be coming up on four months since the titles have been defended in ROH.

Billie Starkz vs. Robyn Renegade

Renegade rolls her up for an early two so Starkz is back up with the stomping in the corner. Starkz’s powerbomb is countered into a backdrop and a reverse Sling Blade out of the corner drops Starkz again. Back up and Starkz drives her into the corner, setting up the pancake for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. The more I see of Starkz, the less interested I am in anything she’s doing. She’s not bad for the most part, but I have absolutely no idea why she is anywhere near the Women’s Title picture. Renegade continues to feel like she could be something if she was given the chance, but that hasn’t happened in any way whatsoever and doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

Action Andretti brags about proving himself out there and has no problem being the bad guy in next week’s title match.

Video on Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. the Workhorsemen. If there has ever been a match that did not need a hype video, this was it.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Workhorsemen

Drake and Kingston trade shoulders to start before an exchange of chops takes Kingston down. Henry comes in and gets taken into a chinlock, which doesn’t last long for a change. It’s back to Drake, who fires off some chops but gets knocked down as well. Ortiz comes back in and gets Vader Bombed for a trip to the floor, with Henry staying on the ribs. Back in and a falling headbutt sets up a chinlock, which stays on for longer than expected.

Back up and Ortiz fights out, allowing Kingston to come back in. House is quickly cleaned and it’s already back to Ortiz, who avoids a moonsault. Kingston comes back in to fire off the chops in the corner but Henry gives him the Kawada kicks. Those are shrugged off for a shot to Henry’s face but he knocks Kingston right back down. A top rope double stomp connects with Ortiz making the save and Kingston’s DDT finishes Henry at 12:08.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting match but forgive me for not getting interested in anything involving a tag team around here. You’ve seen that the champs are gone and have been for months, but the solution is to have a match in Mexico for CMLL, leaving these matches feeling even more useless. That’s been the case forever around here, dating all the way back to the Sons Of Texas days, so why should I be interested here?

Bandido vs. Angelico

Non-title Proving Ground match. They take their time to start with neither of them getting anywhere until Bandido takes him down by the arm. Angelico switches places to take him down by the arm instead so Bandido tries a sunset flip. That’s reversed into a double stomp and Angelico keeps the pace slow as we get to the halfway point.

A choke with the leg sends Bandido over to the rope and a leglock does the same. Bandido gets up and hits a spinning high crossbody for two but Angelico is back with a kick to the head. Angelico goes after the arm but gets taken down with a headscissors. The 21 Plex is blocked but Bandido pops back up with a standing hurricanrana for the pin at 8:55.

Rating: B-. It’s another match that had nice enough action but it was also another match that had no particular reason for taking place and was just thrown out there. Angelico never wins important singles matches but now he’s possibly in line for a #1 contendership? It’s something Ring Of Honor does on a regular basis, even if it doesn’t exactly make sense.

Overall Rating: C. This was a shining example of why ROH’s bonus shows are more trouble than they seem to be worth. After seeing ROH for an hour and a half on Tuesday, I really did not need to see a show that went almost twenty minutes longer on Thursday. It’s clear that they do not have the storyline depth to make the double shot idea work and yet here we are, with matches being thrown out there to fill time and even more of the nonsense of “the tag division is hot right now”, which they’ve been trying to convince us of for over a year. As usual, ROH has no concept of “leave them wanting more”, as this just dragged on. Again.

Results
Top Flight b. Premiere Athletes – Double lifting DDT to Daivari
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Los Colons/Serpentico – Marcus Garvey Driver to Serpentico
Mason Madden b. Terry Yaki – Middle rope elbow
Ace Austin b. Mansoor – Fold
Zayda Steel/Red Velvet b. IInspiration – Spinning Unprettier onto McKay
Action Andretti b. Soleil – Torture rack neckbreaker
Billie Starkz b. Robyn Renegade – Pancake
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Workhorsemen – DDT to Henry
Bandido b. Angelico – Standing hurricanrana

 

 

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: April 30, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Supercard Of Honor and the top of the card has mostly come together. That isn’t something that happens very often with big time Ring Of Honor events but they’re pulling it off this time. Unfortunately there is only so much of a connection between what we see here and what is being promoted for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Matt Menard

Well that’s a surprise. They take turns backing each other up against the ropes until Takeshita takes him down. A slam sends Takeshita outside, which feels like something of an overreaction. Back in and Takeshita knocks him into the corner for the knees to the head in the corner. Takeshita grabs the chinlock but Menard fights up and sends him into the corner for the right hands. The exchange of forearms goes to Takeshita and he hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The running knee finishes for Takeshita at 6:43.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to be seen here as there was only going to be so much you could get out of Takeshita vs. Menard. I’m not entirely sure why Takeshita was here and especially with no promotion, but it’s nice to have a surprise every so often. If nothing else it was nice to have a relatively quick match, as Menard losing pretty fast is a good thing.

Shane Taylor vs. Mance Warner

Dang they’re throwing some curves into this one and somehow Warner has never wrestled in Ring Of Honor. They forearm it out with Warner firing off some overhand chops to send him outside. That means a running poke to the eye but Taylor rams him back first into the post. Taylor’s running legdrop connects on the apron and puts Warner in a chair for a running elbow.

Back in and a big clothesline drops Warner again, followed by a release Rock Bottom. The big splash gives Taylor two but the middle rope version misses. Warner fires off some clotheslines and hits a belly to back suplex before going to grab the chair. Said chair is used for a running tornado DDT but Taylor’s knee to the face gets two more. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes Warner at 8:07.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting fight and I get why you would have Taylor win, though if Warner is available, he’s worth having around. I could go with seeing him around to do some insane talking as he would certainly add some spice to the show. Of course that’s assuming this isn’t a one off appearance, though that would be a bit of a surprise.

The Premiere Athletes warn everyone against laying a hand on Mark Sterling.

Stori Denali vs. Jacey Love

Mark Sterling is here too and threatens anyone who even looks at him the wrong way. Denali shoves her into the corner and Love’s dropkicks to the leg don’t do much good. The tornado DDT is blocked and a chokeslam finishes for Denali at 2:27.

Alan Angels vs. Lio Rush

Just in case you thought you might not have to watch Rush be WEIRD for a week. Angels snaps off a running hurricanrana to start so Rush does his bug eyed crawling. They run the ropes until Rush takes him down for a spinning kick to the head. Rush goes outside and screams at a chop, only for Angels to stomp on his back on the way back inside. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Angels two so Rush starts moving faster and catches Angels on top.

Angels bites the ear but gets caught with the springboard Stunner for two. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Rush again and Angels’ spinning kick to the head gets two more. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for a bunch of one counts each until Angels rolls some half and half suplexes. The top rope splash gives Angels two so they head to the apron, where Rush hits another Stunner. Rush does his weird (because he’s WEIRD) running around the ring into a suicide dive, followed by a toss Blue Thunder Bomb to finish Angels at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Yeah……this Rush thing is not for me at all. He wrestles pretty much the same match but now he does the big eyes and weird hopping stuff as well. I’d be fine with Rush being around in another form, say as himself rather than with Action Andretti in a low level tag team, but this isn’t working for me.

We look at Diamante mocking Deonna Purrazzo last week.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Remi Reade

Non-title Pure Rules match. Purrazzo easily escapes a headscissors to start and mocks Reade a bit before grabbing a backslide for one. Reade slips away from her and gets in the same mock, with Purrazzo approving. Back up and Purrazzo backs her into the ropes, which counts as the first break. The threat of the Fujiwara armbar sends Reade over to the ropes (not a break) so Purrazzo goes with a powerbomb. Now the Fujiwara armbar makes Reade tap at 3:07.

Rating: C. This was hardly going to be some big, amazing match and that’s what we wound up getting. Purrazzo wrestled her down and won with a mixture of stuff, which is a good way to go for her. Purrazzo’s big match is in two weeks, even though there is little reason to believe that her title is in danger.

Top Flight vs. Soleil/Gringo Loco

Loco kicks at Darius to start but can’t get very far with a headscissors on the mat. Soleil comes in and picks up the pace (which was already up in the first place) and gets sent into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Soleil hits a dive to the floor to take Darius out again. Some running kicks to the head get two on Soleil and Loco’s spinning split legged moonsault gets two.

Darius fights up and hands it off to Dante, who has to fight both of them off. A twisting Meteora puts Dante down and it’s Loco dropping a Swanton for two. Everything breaks down and Darius is back in for a German suplex. The double underhook DDT finishes Loco at 6:55.

Rating: B-. Well it was fast paced and energetic, with some good spots and absolutely no reason to believe that either of the teams are going to be doing anything important anytime soon. That’s the case with a lot of people around here and unfortunately it’s where Top Flight is as well. It would be nice to believe that there is a reason to believe otherwise but years of that not happening would suggest otherwise.

IInspiration vs. B3cca/Madison Maxx

Lee grabs a headlock on Maxx to start and the IInspiration clear the ring without much trouble. That means the double pose is on, followed by the double choking in the corner. B3cca comes in and gets beaten up as well, setting up stereo Pedigrees. The Idolizer finishes B3cca at 3:41.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the IInspiration are supposed to do around here but they need some wins to boost them back up. Granted there is only so much value in having them win a match like this one, but it’s better than nothing. There are only so many women’s teams around in the first place so going with one of the few established ones makes sense.

We get a sitdown interview between Caprice Coleman and….Ian Riccaboni. Actually Riccaboni brings in Red Velvet, which would be a better interview, though Coleman looks nervous because he wasn’t ready for this. And I guess this is going to be on social media later. Ok then.

Viva Van vs. Sara Leon

Van rolls around with a wristlock to start and they go up to a standoff. Leon backs up a bit so Van rolls forward into a pose, leaving Leon to roll her up for two. A hurricanrana out of the corner drops Van, who is right back with a Brock Lock of all things. Leon has to escape a surfboard and gets two, only to get caught in a cross arm electric chair suplex to give Van the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C+. Van hasn’t done much around here but it’s nice to see her get a chance to actually win for a change. If nothing else, you need to have her win on occasion or beating her over and over only means so much. I’ve seen good things from Van elsewhere so maybe this is the start of something for her around here as well.

Paid In Full vs. Nick Halen/Vin Parker

Halen actually gives Keith a running STO for two to start but Keith rakes the eyes. Bill comes in for a running splash in the corner and the spinning Boss Man Slam plants Parker. The big boot finishes Halen at 2:21.

We look at Christian XO’s debut.

Christian XO vs. Frankie B.

The rather tall XO mocks Frankie with an offer of a test of strength and then knocks her down with ease. A Stratusphere has Frankie in trouble but she escapes a fireman’s carry. That just earns Frankie an ax kick (which looked more like a Fameasser) for the pin at 2:19.

TMDK vs. Don Callis Family

It’s RPG Vice and Mark Davis for the Family. Tito and Romero start things off but it’s quickly off to Beretta, who is powered into the corner. Everything breaks down and Davis knees Haste in the face. Haste is sent into the corner and stomped down but he fights up on Romero. The tag brings in Nicholls to clean house until everyone is knocked down for a big breather.

Tito and Davis come back in to slug it out and knock each other down again. They slug it out from their knees and then feet, with Tito hitting a brainbuster for two. A double spinebuster/powerbomb combination gets the same, with Romero and Beretta making the save. Back up and Davis runs Tito over for two before pulling Haste out of the corner for the piledriver. Strong Zero sends Nicholls outside but Tito is back up…and gets lariated for two. Another piledriver finishes Tito at 11:12.

Rating: B-. Another entertaining match with the Family getting to beat TMDK again. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Davis getting to hit that piledriver, which is becoming one of the more devastating moves in AEW/ROH. I’m not sure why we’re seeing so much from RPG Vice as of late, though if they’re signed they might as well be used in some way.

Overall Rating: C+. The pay per view is in about two weeks and one of the four matches announced got any real advancement this week (and that’s a stretch as Purrazzo winning a match isn’t much of an advancement). The rest of the show was just a bunch of stuff like you would see on any other show. I’m sure there will be a bunch of stuff added to Supercard Of Honor at the last minute and some of them will get on the show as a result, but this stuff doesn’t really make me care about most of these people. In other words, it’s Ring Of Honor at its most typical.

Results
Konosuke Takeshita b. Matt Menard – Running knee
Shane Taylor b. Mance Warner – Marcus Garvey Driver
Stori Denali b. Jacey Love – Chokeslam
Lio Rush b. Alan Angels – Toss Blue Thunder Bomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Remi Reade – Fujiwara armbar
Top Flight b. Gringo Loco/Soleil – Double underhook DDT to Loco
IInspiration b. B3cca/Madison Maxx – Idolizer to B3cca
Viva Van b. Sara Leon – Crossarm electric chair suplex
Paid In Full b. Nick Halen/Vin Parker – Big boot to Halen
Christian XO b. Frankie B. – Ax kick
Don Callis Family b. TMDK – Piledriver to Tito

 

 

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: April 9, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have the potential to start getting bigger around here sooner than later, as Supercard Of Honor is set for next month. That should mean we get some things set up in advance, though at the same time it often doesn’t happen until the last minute. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we’ll be getting around here so let’s get to it.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz want young, fresh opponents so here are Bustah And The Brain. The match is set but Kingston tells them to earn the handshake.

Opening sequence.

Video on TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice, who have never faced each other. UNTIL NOW!

TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice

Haste and Romero lock up to start, with Haste putting him on top for a pat on the head. A shoulder drops Romero again and it’s off to Beretta, who is quickly taken down as well. Nicholls comes in and hits a standing moonsault for two but Beretta is back with a suplex. Romero comes back in for a wind up poke to the eye and Nicholls is sent outside for a whip into the barricade.

Beretta’s charge misses though and the Forever Lariats are broken up, allowing the tag back to Haste. A suplex puts Beretta down for two but Romero is back in with a double hurricanrana. Haste gets knocked out of the ropes with a top rope double stomp and some running kicks in the corner rock him again. Nicholls makes the save and sends Beretta outside but Romero is back up with a suicide dive to drop Haste. Strong Zero finishes Nicholls at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was good enough action and they had some fun spots near the end, but this is a prime example of how you have to build people up over time or it doesn’t make much of a difference. These teams have some status in New Japan but TMDK haven’t done much here and Vice have been little more than cannon fodder. The match was fine, though there wasn’t exactly a reason to be interested in the result as it isn’t like either team has any status.

Riccaboni on the win: “LFI better watch out!” This would be your latest incident of commentary making statements that are utter nonsense based on how title shots work in Ring Of Honor. And yes I get that Riccaboni is likely told to say this kind of thing. The problem is in the way the show works, not in him.

Lio Rush vs. Nathan Cruz

Cruz tentatively shakes his hand and wants Rush to stand up. They fight over a suplex until Cruz backs him into the corner for some elbows to the face. Rush’s spinning kick to the head gets one so Cruz knocks him outside, where Rush laughs a lot. Cruz bends Rush’s arms around the ropes but Rush is back up with a handspring kick to the head. The suicide dive drops Cruz again and a Thesz press gets two back inside. Cruz is right back with a Samoan driver for two of his own but Rush gives him a Stunner. The Final Hour finishes Cruz at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Hey, did you know that Rush was weird? That’s the whole thing here, as he just crawls around with his eyes bugging out…and then a few minutes go by and he’s the same wrestler he’s always been. Rush is good at his style and the way he usually moves is rather cool. I have no idea what the Gollum stuff needs to be there for but it’s what we’re getting for whatever reason.

We look back at the women of Ring Of Honor at Global Wars.

Deonna Purrazzo says if Diamante wants to come after the Women’s Pure Rules Title at Supercard Of Honor, bring it. So there’s your first title match and at least it does follow a story that has been going on.

Josh Woods vs. Matt Menard

Pure Rules. They go technical to start, as of course they should, with Woods being sent to the ropes for his first break. Menard goes to the floor for the chase and catches him in a front facelock on the way back in…while in the ropes, which is the second break. A Boston crab has Woods going to the ropes for the third and final break as we’re only 2:10 into the match.

Menard tries another Boston crab and Woods IMMEDIATELY reversed into a leglock for the tap at 2:46. Ok that was actually funny, as Menard took away the rope breaks but Woods realized he’s facing MATT MENARD and made him tap almost instantly. It probably wasn’t on purpose, but I chuckled at that ending.

Soleil vs. Komander

Soleil is better known as Sidney Akeem under a mask (commentary acknowledges that it’s him). They start with the tumbling and neither of them can make much contact, with Soleil doing something like an inverted Worm. Back up and a spinning crossbody gives Soleil two but he gets sent outside. A high crossbody gives Soleil two and a running kick to the head gets the same.

The chinlock goes on but Komander is right back up with a springboard missile dropkick. Something like a pumphandle Side Effect gives Soleil two but Komander grabs an Octopus Hold. Back up and Soleil misses a charge into the ropes and gets kicked down for two. A poisonrana gives Komander two but Soleil is back with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer. Komander pops back up and hits a gutbuster into Cielito Lindo for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. It was the match you would expect from the two of them doing their flips and dives. As usual, that was rather entertaining and the two of them can do some awesome stuff that few others can pull off. At the same time, it felt like the same match they had before and it’s not like either of them are going anywhere anytime soon.

We look at the recent issues between the women of Shane Taylor Promotions and Zayda Steel/Red Velvet. And Shawn Dean cheating so Anthony Ogogo could win a match.

Shawn Taylor Promotions vs. Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang

Moriarty and Austin start things off with Moriarty working on the arm. Austin pops up and pulls him down with an armbar. That’s reversed into an Octopus, which Austin reverses into the Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Ross and Dean come in so Ross can kick him in the face in the corner.

Ross stays on the arm before Taylor and Robinson come in, with neither being able to get a slam. Instead Taylor Snake Eyes him into the corner and everything breaks down. Bravo comes in to dance a bunch before we settle down to Bravo kicking Robinson in the face. Something like a Garvin Stomp gets two and it’s off to Dean for a running elbow drop. Taylor comes in for a splash and it’s back to Dean for a Bronco Buster.

Taylor misses a legdrop and Moriarty gets backdropped, allowing Austin to come back in and clean house. Everything breaks down again and Taylor powerbombs Austin, with Marshall making the save. Marshall manages to slam Taylor and Austin kicks Dean into the Fold for the pin at 14:55. Riccaboni: “He just pinned one third of the Six Man Champs!” Shame it’s not in a six man tag or that might matter a bit more.

Rating: B-. It’s another fun match and odds are this sets up a Six Man Tag Team Title match, even though it was a pair of two man teams pairing up. The match did get going in the end and it was nice to see Austin getting a pin. Can we just get him away from the Bang Bang Gang and let him do something better though?

Bustah And The Brain are ready to change the Ring Of Honor tag division.

Action Andretti vs. AR Fox

They go to the mat to start with Fox grabbing a headscissors before an exchange of rollups gets two each. The rollups continue for another series of near falls before Andretti avoids an enziguri to send Fox into the corner. Fox trips him down and grabs a suplex, followed by the slingshot dropkick to a downed Andretti. They go outside, with Fox putting him in a chair and running around the ring, only to get cut off.

Fox is right back up with a suicide dive, only for Andretti to hit a dive of his own. That doesn’t work for Fox, who sends him outside for a heck of a no hands dive over the top. Back in and Andretti grabs a very spinny wristdrag, followed by some driving shoulders in the corner. Andretti’s suplex gets two and they kick each other for a double down. Fox grabs a rolling cutter for two more but Andretti pips up with a forearm.

A split legged moonsault gives Andretti two but Fox is back up with some kicks to the head. Fox hits a basement cutter so he goes up, only to get caught with a running Spanish Fly. A springboard clothesline into a running shooting star press gives Andretti two, as does the torture rack neckbreaker. They slug it out until a springboard spinning crossbody drops Fox. Andretti dives into a cutter though and the 450 finishes for Fox at 16:59.

Rating: B. Well that was….long. It was rather entertaining and had two guys who are incredibly athletic, though much like a lot of the other matches on this show, it’s hard to buy either of them going anywhere. Fox will probably be in g a TV Title match at Supercard Of Honor and that’s about it. That being said, this was a heck of a match, though the near falls got a bit nutty near the end.

Post match respect is shown.

IInspiration vs. Viva Van/Frankie B

Van is taken into the wrong corner to start but ducks underneath the two of them to escape. Some kicks put Van and B down, allowing the IInspiration to pose a bit. Van gets knocked down again and the Idolizer finishes Frankie at 2:55. Just a squash.

Post match Riccaboni gets in to interview the IInspiration, who allow him to leave and then talk about how awesome they are. Posing ensues.

We look at Myron Reed beating Mansoor.

Workhorsemen vs. Rascalz

Reed is the odd Rascal out here, making the video about him before the match make a bit less sense. Xavier and Henry grapple around to start, which goes to a standoff. Drake comes in and blocks a double suplex so the Rascalz kick the legs out instead. Henry comes in to kick Wentz in the head and we settle back down to Xavier in trouble in the corner.

Drake’s headbutt gets two but Xavier fights up and gets over to the corner, allowing the tag to Wentz. The pace picks up as Wentz gets to strike away, including a big kick to Henry. Everything breaks down and the push moonsault hits Henry’s raised knees. The Rascalz kick Henry back down though and now the push moonsault finishes him off at 10:37.

Rating: B-. As usual, the Rascalz can do the flying around stuff rather well but they continue to feel like a copy of various other teams on the AEW roster at the moment. I could go for seeing more of them, but there’s only so much to be gained from being the Workhorsemen, as everyone does that. Still though, not too bad here, which isn’t exactly shocking.

Action Andretti and AR Fox agree to run it back but Andretti says it will go differently next time.

Nick Wayne vs. Alex Reynolds

Non-title Proving Ground match. Wayne kicks the handshake away and knocks Reynolds into the corner. Reynolds flips his way out of the corner and knocks Wayne out to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody puts Wayne down again but he goes after Reynolds’ arm to take over. They trade shots to the face until Reynolds grabs a neckbreaker for two more. A clothesline and fisherman’s buster give Reynolds two, followed by a string of rollups for the same. Wayne is right back up for a kick to the head and the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure I get the appeal of Wayne. He had a bunch of potential and still has a good bit of it, but he’s feeling like an afterthought despite being a champion. Case in point this match, as he’s not defending the title against a member of a low level stable. It doesn’t feel important in the slightest, at least partially due to how many champions there are around here.

Post match Wayne, with Mother Wayne, talks about being the future around here because he’ll still be here in twenty years.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Bustah And The Brain

Kingston tells Price to shoulder him to start but Oliver is in for a double dropkick. A double suplex drops Oliver though and it’s time to talk about the Backseat Boyz. Ortiz gets dropkicked down but Kingston comes right back in for a camel clutch to Price. With that broken up, Kingston chops him down and chokes away but Price fights out of the corner. That means a quick tag off to Oliver as everything breaks down.

An exchange of strikes to the face leaves everyone down and it’s Ortiz getting struck into the corner. That doesn’t last long though and a Doomsday faceplant drops Oliver. They load it up again but Price runs in with a hurricanrana for the save. Ortiz avoids a frog splash though and it’s a quick rollup to pin Price at 8:30.

Rating: C+. As usual, I like Bustah And The Brain but the two of them aren’t going to get very far if they keep losing like this. Kingston and Ortiz aren’t exactly a thrilling team either and the match wound up being about what you would expect. I’m not sure why this was the main event as it’s not exactly a major match but I guess Kingston being in the last match was the big idea.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah fine. That’s about all there is to say about this show, as it’s a bunch of matches between people who don’t have much going on, but this one just happened to go two hours and fifteen minutes (couldn’t fit a title match in there though). It’s a great example of a show that is long for the sake of being long with pretty much nothing that felt important in the slightest. In other words, I guess we’re still waiting to start most of the build towards Supercard Of Honor, because it makes more sense to have shows go on and on without changing much of anything.

Results
Roppongi Vice b. TMDK – Strong Zero to Nicholls
Lio Rush b. Nathan Cruz – Final Hour
Josh Woods b. Matt Menard – Leglock
Komander b. Soleil – Cielito Lindo
Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Fold to Dean
AR Fox b. Action Andretti – 450
IInspiration b. Viva Van/Frankie B – Idolizer to Frankie
Rascalz b. Workhorsemen – Push moonsault to Henry
Nick Wayne b. Alex Reynolds – Kick to the head
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup to Price

 

 

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