Brawl In The Ballpark
Date: August 23, 2026
Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni

This is one of those things that you see pop up every so often and it makes for different. In this case, it’s a special event that took place back in July after a Minnesota Twins game. That should make for something interesting, if nothing else for the rather unique atmosphere. Let’s get to it.

The ring appears to be set up either in the outfield or in the stands, with some camera shots showing the field in the background. That’s rather different and pretty cool.

Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta backs him up against the ropes to start as commentary talks about wrestling shows at baseball stadiums. They trade armdrags until Yuta gets in a full nelson, with Cassidy getting his hands in his pockets. Cassidy’s dropkick doesn’t get him very far as Yuta is right back with a suplex.

Yuta grabs a front facelock, with Cassidy getting up to send him into the buckles a few times. That earns Cassidy another knockdown but he gets his feet up to knock Yuta out of the air. Yuta falls outside and then gets back in, only for Cassidy to drop him with the Orange Punch for the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was perfectly fine and a good way to get things going. The point of this show is to give fans a little taste of AEW so for the most part, it should be the good guys going over. Like him or not, Cassidy is certainly unique and it makes sense to put him out there to give the fans a look.

Komander/Top Flight vs. Opps/Action Andretti

Komander walks on the ropes to start as the fans don’t think much of Andretti. The pose off goes to the good guys and after about a minute and a half, Komander and Bowens lock up. Bowens gets the better of things and hits the running Fameasser so it’s off to Andretti vs. Dante. That means more posing before Dante knees him down for a standing moonsault. Darius comes in so Andretti flips over him, allowing Hook to get the tag.

Hook gets in a takedown and Darius is stomped down in the corner to keep him in trouble. Andretti’s springboard corkscrew Vader Bomb (cool….I think) gets two and it’s Bowens grabbing a chinlock. Darius gets up and tries a dive, with Hook stepping to the side ala Samoa Joe.

Darius knocks Andretti away though and it’s back to Komander to pick up the pace. A 450 hits Andretti for two and everything breaks down. Hook breaks up Cielito Lindo but Top Flight is back in for the save, allowing Komander to hit Bowens with a basement dropkick in the corner. The double double underhook DDT finishes Andretti at 14:18.

Rating: B. Dang it can be fun to watch a six man tag. They kept everything basic here and stuck to the simple concept and it worked rather well. Above all else, Top Flight got the win, which they should as this is their hometown. Nice job here and an entertaining match, with everyone getting a bit of focus.

Julia Hart vs. Hyan

Hyan takes her down to start and gets chopped but is fine enough to send Hart outside. That means a kick to the chest but Hart is back with a whip into the steps. Back in and an elbow puts Hyan down, setting up the chinlock. Hyan fights out and takes her up top for a sunset bomb and a near fall. Hart is right back up with an Octopus and Hyan taps out at 5:55.

Rating: C. Hart is another Minnesota star and there is no reason for her to lose here. It was another match between people who have nothing going on and Hart going over is hardly some devastating blow to Hyan. Getting the women on here is fine and Hart is the right choice all things considered.

Brian Cage vs. Serpentico

Serpentico is allowed to get a running start and charges into Cage, who laughs as Serpentico bounces off of him. Cage strikes away in the corner and gives him a release German suplex. Another toss lets Cage pose a bit more and the apron superplex finishes the destruction of at 4:46.

Rating: C. This was a total squash and a way for one of the villains to actually win something. At the same time, it’s not like Serpentico means anything so put the big, muscular monster out there and have his physique draw some attention. This was all it should have been and it was fine for a show like this one.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Hurt Syndicate

Before the match, the Promotions mock Minnesota sports teams and stars before calling out Minnesota’s Benjamin. Moriarty and Benjamin start things off with Moriarty grabbing a headlock. Benjamin is having none of Moriarty’s chops and knocks him down with a single chop of his own. Lashley comes in to elbow Moriarty in the corner but Moriarty gets in an arm snap over the top rope.

That just earns him a rather delayed suplex so Taylor comes in for the trash talk. Taylor cuts him off with a running forearm so Lashley gets in a shot of his own to put Taylor outside. The rest of the Promotions offer a distraction though and Taylor gets in a cheap shot to take over.

Moriarty grabs a front facelock back inside but Lashley fights out rather quickly. It’s back to Benjamin to clean house and Moriarty is knocked outside, allowing Bravo to come in as well. The attempted cheating earns Bravo a big toss out to the floor and the other two villains get back inside. That means a Hurt Lock to Moriarty and a spear to Taylor for the pin at 13:11.

Rating: C+. They threw out one more Minnesota star in Benjamin and let the Syndicate run through the Promotions to end the show. That’s another simple but effective way to wrap things up, as the Syndicate can get over just by being a pair of monsters. Taylor taking the fall is hardly surprising, as, well, what else was he going to do?

Post match Bravo comes in again but Orange Cassidy runs in to lay him out.

Overall Rating: C+. There was absolutely nothing worth going out of your way to see here (though I did like the six man) but it was exactly what it was supposed to be. This wasn’t meant to be some all time AEW show, but rather a quick sampler platter that AEW can tie in with something as big as Major League Baseball. It’s a quick (just over an hour) show and featured some AEW stars in entertaining matches. It didn’t take up any TV time and it was a unique feeling show in front of an audience that might have have seen AEW before. That’s a good thing and all things considered, this went rather well.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Wheeler Yuta – Orange Punch
Komander/Top Flight b. Opps/Action Andretti – Double double underhook DDT to Andretti
Julia Hart b. Hyan – Octopus
Brian Cage b. Serpentico – Apron superplex
Hurt Syndicate b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Spear to Taylor

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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Collision
Date: July 11, 2026
Location: Berglund Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

So Hangman Page is back. You might not have heard about this because Tony Khan announced it in a livestream on Friday rather than on the big Dynamite earlier this week but Page is indeed back. That leads to the question of what he is going to do, but with about two weeks to go before Redemption, he has to figure something out. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Kenny Omega winning the World Title back from MJF on Dynamite.

Here is Hangman Page (with a not great haircut and recently having had a vasectomy) to say that he is….a gardener? He brags about his butterfly weed and talks about how fascinating it is to plant seeds and see what they become. Page wanted to be here in Roanoke because he needed to plant another seed.

Back in March, he lost a Texas Death match to MJF and maybe that was overconfidence, but he did lose. He’ll be a man of his word and never challenge for the World Title again. There are other titles to come after though and he’s coming for some of them. This felt like “Oh well, Page is nearby, let him show up and say something.”

Beach Break recap.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Bandido is defending and thankfully we hear about Shibata’s undefeated streak in Ring Of Honor rather than his success in AEW. Shibata backs him into the ropes to start and we get a clean break. Bandido gets wrestled to the mat without much trouble and has to go to the ropes to escape a kneebar.

Back up and they trade some running kicks in the corner with Shibata getting the better of things. Bandido pops up for a frog splash crossbody, only to get crotched on top. A running boot puts Bandido on the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Shibata knocking him out to the apron for a DDT, followed by a suplex on the floor.

They go back inside for the exchange of chops until Bandido grabs a gorilla press. A shooting star press of all things gives Bandido two but the X Knee is blocked. Back up and another X Knee connects but Shibata reverses the 21 Plex into a suplex of his own. Shibata hits a clothesline and tries a low blow, which is reversed into la majistral to retain at 12:33.

Rating: B-. This was your latest random Bandido title defense and as usual, it worked fine. If nothing else it’s nice to see Bandido winning a match on AEW TV, as he hasn’t had the best record around here. He’s rather talented, but it would be nice to see him have a feud over the title rather than one off matches with the title on the line. Just to mix it up for a change.

Earlier today, Hikaru Shida bragged about winning the TBS Title and ignored Harley Cameron’s praise before their title match.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the National Title.

TBS Title: Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida is defending and jumps her before the bell. The bell rings and Shida sends her face first into the mat but Cameron gets in some kicks to the face. One of them sends Shida outside and a DDT on the floor has Shida in trouble for a full 17 seconds. With that out of the way, Shida hits a backbreaker into a running knee and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron hammering away in the corner but a sunset bomb is countered. Naturally Cameron bites the leg and grabs a half crab. Shida makes the rope and hits a running knee, setting up the weird surfboard hold to make Cameron tap out at 9:41.

Rating: C+. I can go for Shida getting a win in her first title defense but at the same time, it would be nice to not see Cameron lose so often. She can only be so bulletproof with her insane charisma and having her win something important would be nice for a change. That doesn’t seem likely anytime soon, but at least they’ve Shida’s reign is off to a nice start.

Post match Shida hammers on Cameron until Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

The Lethal Twist and Demand surround Matt Sydal. Threats are made but Sydal calls Ricochet bald and runs off.

Kyle Fletcher is happy with his International Title win but wants to see Brian Cage destroy the Rascalz.

We look at Brawl In The Ballpark, which saw some AEW matches take place at a Minnesota Twins game. Tying AEW to something big like Major League Baseball is a great thing.

Here is the Conglomeration for a chat. They liked Brawl In The Ballpark but know someone who wants to be a champion. This brings out Willow Nightingale, who is sad because she was out of action but she’s ready to go to Wembley. She’s going to prove that she’s ready to be the best and at Redemption, she’ll carry the Women’s Title around her waist.

Skye Blue is ready for Thekla to take out Willow Nightingale. And the Sisters Of Sin aren’t happy with Megan Bayne/Lena Kross.

Death Riders vs. Top Flight/AR Fox/Komander

Garcia takes Darius down to start so Darius takes Garcia down as well. Fox comes in for a spinning suplex but gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Moxley, with the fans rather approving. A quick takedown is enough for Moxley, so it’s off to Castagnoli to backbreaker a diving Komander. That’s shrugged off and Komander fights up to clean house with a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Dante in trouble and getting stomped down for an early one count. Dante is sent outside for the stomping so Komander is there with the rope walk dive. Back in and Fox grabs a cutter, followed by the dives to the floor. The Swanton hits Garcia but Castagnoli swings Fox. Top Flight armdrags Moxley to the floor for a dive, leaving Komander to slug away on Garcia and Yuta. Fox is back in for the save but misses a 450, meaning it’s the running uppercuts in the corner. The Scorpion Deathlock has Fox in trouble and Moxley adds a Stomp to give Garcia the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B-. This got fun for a bit, though I’m not sure why the Death Riders needed so long to beat a thrown together team of people without the most success. That being said, it was good enough action and that’s about all you can ask for on a lot of Collisions. What else is Moxley going to do? Not appear on every show?

Post match Moxley declares it as the Death Riders against the World.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne are sick of the tag team division, especially the Sisters Of Sin. Just keep carrying Thekla’s bags.

Thekla doesn’t think much of anyone but the Triangle Of Madness. Willow Nightingale can keep talking about her happiness but Thekla is going to take her out.

The Bang Bang Gang continue to offer their neutering services. I think we get the joke already.

Zachary Wentz vs. Brian Cage

Wentz knocks him to the apron to start and hits the handstand kick to the head, setting up the required dive. Cage fights back and hits the apron superplex and we take an early break. We come back with Wentz hitting a missile dropkick to leave both of them down. A handspring knee to the face gets two and a middle rope cutter drops Cage for two more. Cage blasts him with a discus lariat though and an apron German superplex sets up the Drill Claw to finish Wentz at 7:53.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty basic formula match with the fast paced guy against the monster and that’s all it should have been. Cage cuts Wentz off to get revenge for Kyle Fletcher and the Don Callis Family gets to celebrate for a bit. That being said, Cage’s return makes me wonder why the Family needs so many monsters, especially when a lot of them just stand around in the back.

Post match Trent Beretta gets in the ring and declares himself the winner over Darby Allin. Cue Allin and we’re having a match.

Darby Allin vs. Trent Beretta

Allin knocks him outside to start but gets distracted by Cage, allowing Beretta to take over. Back in and a quick Coffin Drop attempt is blocked, with Beretta hitting a backdrop into a faceplant. Allin fights up and dives onto Cage, only to get Strong Zeroed onto the apron for two. Beretta takes him up top but gets caught in a super Code Red. The Coffin Drop finishes for Allin at 4:20.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the point was in having Allin just show up at the last second with no indication that he wouldn’t be around, but at least he won in a fun match. That’s all it needed to be and it’s not like Beretta losing is going to hurt her in the slightest. The fans are going to love Allin no matter what he’s doing and getting him on the show makes sense, pretty much no matter how he gets there.

Post match Cage is in to powerbomb Allin over and over, with Mike Bailey running in for the save.

Willow Nightingale meets Maya World and a six woman tag is set up for Dynamite, with the two of them and Hyan vs. Mercedes Mone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne.

Andrade El Idolo is on a boat. How you know? Because that’s what the video shows him doing.

National Title: Mike Bailey vs. Mark Davis

Davis is defending and Kyle Fletcher is on commentary. Bailey can’t get a cross armbreaker to start so Davis slams him down for a backsplash. A big chop gives Davis two and he bites Bailey’s toe for a bonus. Bailey fights up and fires off the kicks in the corner, setting up a super hurricanrana. They go outside, where Davis piledrives him onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Bailey rolling out of a piledriver attempt and kicking him in the chest for two. A double knockdown leaves both of them getting a breather before Doyle bites the toe again. Bailey kicks him in the head and slightly overshoots the Ultimate Weapon for two. Jake Doyle offers a distraction and Davis gets in a kind of reverse Vertebreaker.

Bailey’s arm trap sunset flip gets two and Fletcher is panicking on the floor. The tornado kick sets up a missed Ultimate Weapon and Davis drops him with a running elbow. They fight to the apron, where Bailey’s moonsault knees miss, allowing Davis to clothesline him into the piledriver to retain at 14:13.

Rating: B+. This got rolling near the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to win, which is always a nice feeling. As usual, Bailey is a heck of a star in the ring and the stuff outside of the bells isn’t his best work. They kept that to a minimum here and things worked better as a result. Davis is doing rather well as a monster and that’s a lot more than I was expecting when he started his singles push.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped it a lot but there was quite a bit of the Don Callis Family on this show and that wasn’t a great thing. As usual, this show is entertaining enough while it lasts, but it always feels like it would be that much more effective at half of the length. Either way, it’s another perfectly good wrestling show without much going on and that’s pretty much Collision in a nutshell.

Results
Bandido b. Katsuyori Shibata – La majistral
Hikaru Shida b. Harley Cameron – Surfboard choke
Death Riders b. AR Fox/Death Riders/Komander – Stomp to Fox
Brian Cage b. Zachary Wentz – Drill Claw
Darby Allin b. Trent Beretta – Coffin Drop
Mark Davis b. Mike Bailey – Piledriver

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: 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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Collision
Date: May 2, 2026
Location: Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re firmly into the Darby Allin title reign now and that very well could have something tied into this week as well. Other than that, we’re on the way to Double Or Nothing in a few weeks and that means the card needs to be put together. Some of the matches are either set or practically made so maybe we get some movement in that direction this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Death Riders/The Dogs vs. Top Flight/Rascalz

The Rascalz and Top Flight jump the villains to start and the brawl is on the floor before the bell. The bell does indeed ring and Reed is right there with a big dive onto a pile at ringside. Back in and Connors misses a charge into the corner, allowing Wentz to strike away in the corner. Finlay comes in to stomp Wentz in the corner but it’s quickly off to Darius to strike away at Pac.

That doesn’t last long either as Moxley comes in to rain down right hands in the corner but Darius fires off some forearms. Darius gives him a suplex into Dante’s slingshot hilo, allowing Reed to hit a springboard spinning dropkick. Castagnoli drops Reed on the floor though and we get a stream of knockdowns outside. Back in and Reed dives into Castagnoli’s uppercut as we take a break.

We come back with Reed fighting out of trouble but getting taken right back down. Reed gets close to the tag but the other villains run in to knock his partners off the apron. The diving tag brings Xavier in a few seconds later and everything breaks down. Connors gets double stomped for two but the push moonsault is broken up. A spear gets two on Wentz but he knocks Connors down, allowing the tag back to Darius.

Everything breaks down and Pac gets taken down with a springboard Downward Spiral for two more. Finlay gets caught in the wrong corner and pummeled with a string of strikes but he shoves Reed into Wentz. A high/low hits Xavier but the Rascalz are back in with stereo springboard Codebreakers. Moxley gets tornado DDTed for two, only for Pac’s big lariat to drop Darius. The Brutalizer makes Darius tap at 16:23.

Rating: B. I mean, yeah it’s a lot of fun and you could tell the people involved had a great time. The thing is, I feel like I’ve seen a version of this match or something really close to it dozens of times in AEW. That doesn’t make it bad in any way, but if you want to get the “I can’t believe I just saw a match like that” feeling, maybe don’t have multiple versions of it every week.

Jack Perry, and his bus, are on the way.

National Title: Jack Perry vs. Mascara Dorada

Perry is defending and, after a handshake, goes for the wristlock. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Perry and he follows it up with a monkey flip. Back up and quite the headscissors drops Perry for a change and they trade very springboardy wristdrags. Dorada sends him crashing out to the floor and then into the crowd, where Perry comes up swinging. They slug it out on the barricade until Dorada hits a Canadian Destroyer.

We take a break and come back with the two of them trading flips until Perry superkicks him into a poisonrana. Dorada’s Code Red drops Perry and they both need a breather. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Perry two more and he sends Dorada outside for a moonsault. Back in and Dorada kicks his leg out and loads up an electric chair, which is flipped into a neckbreaker for a rather near fall.

The 450 gets two more and Dorada knees him out of the air. A Razor’s Edge Dominator plants Perry for another near fall but the shooting star press hits raised knees. Dorada goes up top again but gets pulled down with a super hurricanrana for the pin to retain the title at 14:20.

Rating: A-. This got rather outstanding by the end and that’s no surprise given Dorada was in there. He shows up every so often and has become a remarkable treat around here. That fast paced style works so well for him and that was certain the case with this one. Perry is a lot better when he’s firmly in the midcard where he belongs because he can do stuff like this. Very good stuff here as they kept pulling me in further, which doesn’t happen often.

On Dynamite, Kris Statlander snapped on Hikaru Shida for costing them the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Shida promised to make it up to her.

Conglomeration vs. MxM TV

Non-title. O’Reilly and Mansoor start things off with some kicks sending Mansoor over for the tag to TV. That’s fine with O’Reilly, who hammers away in the corner to put TV in trouble. Cassidy takes too long to hit a single punch though and TV kicks him down, followed by a big dive to the floor. MxM poses inside and it’s a side kick/German suplex combination to Cassidy.

Starship Pain gets two as everything breaks down. What looks like a double Doomsday Device is broken up and Mansoor gets crotched on top. Madden gets Angle Slammed and low bridged to the floor, with Cassidy sitting on O’Reilly’s shoulders. Cassidy chokeshoves Mansoor onto Madden and Cassidy’s falling top rope elbow finishes TV at 4:29.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was fine, with the champs getting to show off a bit against an established team. It was nice to see the Conglomeration win a shorter match for a change and look dominant enough. After a pair of long, wild matches, this was a nice change of pace and it went well.

Post match Tommaso Ciampa comes out for the staredown.

We get a rather somber moment with commentary wishing Rebel the best in her health situation. That’s a nice thing to see, but dang the whole situation is a punch to the gut.

We recap Will Ospreay seemingly joining the Death Riders.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Anna Jay

Nightingale is defending in an Open Challenge and this is Jay’s first match since November. Jay’s early rollup attempt is blocked so she sits Jay on top instead. Nightingale wants Jay to show her fire, which apparently means a sunset flip for two. Some clotheslines in the corner have Jay in trouble but she avoids a backsplash. The running flipping neckbreaker gets two and Jay fires off the kicks in the corner. Nightingale sends her outside though and hits a flip dive off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Jay fighting back but getting sent into the corner again. A superplex drops Jay and a Death Valley Driver gets two. Jay kicks her in the face and grabs an X Factor for two, followed by the Queenslayer. Nightingale breaks that up though and grabs the Babe With The Powerbomb to retain at 9:45.

Rating: C+. It’s good to have Jay back, as she is one of the long lasting members of the division. At the same time, it seems like nothing has changed for her as she continues to lose big matches. The good thing is Nightingale gets another win, though she’s going to need a big challenger sooner rather than later.

Hikaru Shida’s make up gift to Kris Statlander is…a match against Harley Cameron and Mina Shirakawa. Shouting ensues.

Death Riders vs. Bang Bang Gang

Yuta and Robinson start things off with the former quickly being taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and a rolling tag brings Austin in to fight back. A basement dropkick hits Yuta and Austin hits a kick from the apron. That means the handstand can ensue, only for Austin to get dropkicked to the floor. Back in and Garcia hammers away in the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Austin still in trouble, with the Riders hitting a string of running shots in the corner. Austin fights out of Garcia’s front facelock and grabs a Death Valley Driver, allowing Robinson to come back in. House is quickly cleaned but Marina Shafir’s distraction lets Garcia get in a cheap shot. That’s shrugged off and Robinson hammers away on the now bleeding Yuta.

A lariat gives Robinson two as everything stays broken down. Austin is flipped over the top to the floor, meaning it’s a Fastball Special for two on Robinson. Back in and Austin hits his springboard spinning kick to the head but walks into an Angle Slam. Robinson is back up with his forward DDT and actually pins Garcia at 12:07.

Rating: B-. Well dang man. I wasn’t expecting that so well done on having a surprise result for a change. It helps when the Gang never wins anything of note so having them beat an established team is a good thing. The group still needs reinforcements, but a win is better than nothing.

Post match Jon Moxley freaks out and Robinson motions that he wants the Continental Title. That brings the Riders in for the beatdown but the Gunns are back to make the save. Yuta is laid out with the 3:10 To Yuma.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross brag about their success.

Skye Blue vs. Nixi XS

Blue kicks her in the face at the bell and another boot sends Nixi out to the floor. A hanging swinging neckbreaker drops Nixi again and it’s a Cheeky Nandos Kick back inside. The running knee connects but Blue pulls her up at two. The Descent Into Madness finishes for Blue at 2:15. Complete squash.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

TNT Title: Hook vs. Kevin Knight

Hook, with Katsuyori Shibata, is challenging and takes Knight down by the leg to start. Back up and Knight gets in a shot to the arm before they fight over a lockup on the ropes. Hook flips out of a hiptoss attempt before avoiding a dropkick, leaving Knight frustrated. With nothing working, Knight slugs away in the corner and dropkicks him to the floor. The slingshot dive misses though and Hook suplexes him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Hook’s northern lights suplex getting two. Knight makes the clothesline comeback and hits the spinning splash for two of his own. A super hurricanrana sends Hook flying and a running dropkick hits him in the corner. The referee gets distracted though and Shibata crotches Knight on top. A belly to belly superplex and a high angle suplex give Hook two but Redrum is countered. Knight takes Shibata out and hits a running DDT into the UFO Splash to retain at 12:06.

Rating: C+. The match was fine for an extended Knight workout, but that’s about all it was. There was zero reason to believe that Hook was going to win the title, especially from someone who has been on a roll like Knight. As a result, the Opps, or at least half of them, were little more than some pests that had to be dealt with here. In other words, it’s exactly what you would expect from the Opps if Joe isn’t involved.

Overall Rating: B+. Any show with those first two matches is going to be a hit, even if the rest of the show was somewhat mediocre. This show felt like the usual Collision, but dang that Perry vs. Dorada match was awesome. The in-ring side of things have been on a roll lately in AEW and if they can get their stories close to that level, the place will be hard to stop. Check out the first two matches here, as they’re rather great.

Results
Death Riders/The Dogs b. Top Flight/Rascalz – Brutalizer to Darius
Jack Perry b. Mascara Dorada – Super hurricanrana
Conglomeration b. MxM TV – Top rope elbow to TV
Willow Nightingale b. Anna Jay – Babe With The Powerbomb
Bang Bang Gang b. Death Riders – Forward DDT to Garcia
Skye Blue b. Nixi XS – Descent Into Madness
Kevin Knight b. Hook – UFO Splash

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 10, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s an AEW PPV week so that means we get a bonus Ring Of Honor. I’m guessing the theory is to get the wrestling happy people on the Ring Of Honor bandwagon but the show was barely mentioned on this week’s Ring Of Honor show, with no mention on AEW TV. In other words, expect the equivalent of the deleted scenes from a TV taping. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

MxM Collection vs. Top Flight

Mansoor and Darius start things off with Mansoor stopping to pose but Darius bends the finger back. Dante comes in with a top rope ax handle to the arm so Mansoor bails into the ropes. That lets Madden come in from behind with a leg lariat and a side slam/legdrop combination gets two on Dante.

Madden crushes Mansoor in the corner though and it’s off to Dante to start the comeback. Everything breaks down and Darius gets caught in a sitout powerbomb/leg lariat combination for a rather near fall. Mansoor gets crotched on top though and it’s a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb to give Darius two. Darius suicide dives onto Madden and Mansoor is slingshotted into a cutter for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. While it might not have been the exact same match, this feels like the kind of match that we have seen several times now. They’re both entertaining teams, but neither of them are going anywhere. The Tag Team Titles aren’t defended very often and it’s not like the champions even appear very often. In other words, nice match, not going to mean anything.

Rush vs. Dante Leon

Rush knocks him to the floor and then takes him back inside for the forearms in the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Leon at 1:12.

The IInspiration are ready to face anyone around here.

Hyan/Maya World vs. IInspiration

World has to duck out of a right hand out of the corner to start but Lee drives her right back into another corner. Hyan comes in for a hurricanrana out of the corner and a bridging suplex puts Lee down for two. Lee makes a blind tag though and hits a knee to the face to put Hyan in trouble for a change.

The IInspiration gets in some posing before talking some trash, followed by an armbar to keep Hyan down. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hyan comes out of the corner with a running clothesline. World splashes both of them in the corner and a moonsault gets two on McKay. A posting puts McKay down on the floor and a double chickenwing faceplant/Downward Spiral combination finishes Lee at 6:55.

Rating: C. Well, they were undefeated for about a day. I’m not sure what the point was in having the team win a match on one episode of Ring Of Honor and then lose the next night. It isn’t like there are many teams who matter much in Ring Of Honor and the IInspiration lose that soon? Hyan and World are established enough and don’t gain much here so…why?

Gates Of Agony vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Paul Virk

Sasaki is a big deal in DDT. Kaun leapfrogs Sasaki to start and chops him into the corner before handing it off to Liona. Sasaki gets pulled out of the air and driven into the corner, only to get over for the tag to (the rather tall) Virk. That means a mini hoss fight with Liona, who eventually drops Virk with a spinebuster. Open The Gates finishes Virk at 3:10.

Rating: C. Sasaki might not be the biggest star in the world but he felt way out of place as a jobber in a tag match. Other than that, this was a reminder that the big power team are till a big power team. That’s pretty much what you’ve seen from the Gates for years now and that doesn’t seem likely to change.

Sisters Of Sin vs. Nixi XS/Aminah Belmont

XS and Hart knock the other two off the apron to start and it’s off to those other two rather quickly. XS is knocked off the apron this time and Belmont gets caught in the Tarantula, allowing Blue to hit a running dropkick. A snapmare into a PK gets two on Belmont but she fights out of the corner. There’s no XS to tag though and a Black Widow makes Belmont tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. The string of fairly run of the mill tag matches continues, albeit with a team who aren’t regulars around here. The Sisters are fine enough in their role, but there isn’t exactly anything for them to do around here. The match was little more than a squash, though at least Belmont got in a bit of offense to keep it from getting dull.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Deonn Rusman/Devo Knight/Alex Findley

Castle is rather excited for the new ROH figures and wants them in your guest bathroom. Magnum headlocks Knight to start and it’s off to Floyd to work on the arm. A spinning belly to back suplex drops Knight and his partners both get chopped. Castle comes in for the suplexes and the Mega Powers Elbow finish Findley at 3:42.

Rating: C. Cool, now give them a title shot. I’m not sure what else is next for the Outrunners/Castle, but the only logical step is a title shot. They’ve won all kinds of regular matches in a row, they’re popular and they’re…not likely to face the champions, because the titles have been defended once since December so we just get to keep waiting, as always.

Dralistico vs. Komander

Dralistico is wrestling in a shirt, which is apparently rather disrespectful in lucha libre. They trade some early rollups for two each but Dralistico tells him to stop running. Komander does for some reason, allowing Dralistico to remove his shirt. Dralistico takes him down and hits a running knee to the face, followed by a running shot in the corner. Komander fights up and chops away, followed by a DDT for two.

Dralistico avoids a 450 but gets rolled up for two more instead. A gutbuster hits Dralistico but he pops back up to kick Komander down. That doesn’t last long as Komander knocks him off the top and hits a super crucifix bomb for two. A poisonrana into Cielito Lindo finishes Dralistico at 9:29.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match you would have expected from the two of them and, while it doesn’t have the best competition, it did feel like the biggest match of the show. They had their high flying stuff and it worked pretty well, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Granted it’s the second Komander vs. a high flier match I’ve seen in two days but at least it was good.

Overall Rating: C. Yep this was exactly what I was expecting the second I saw this show being announced. Ring Of Honor turns these shows into big ads for the weekly show and that’s exactly what what it felt like: a bunch of mostly mediocre matches which don’t feel like they have any impact on the ongoing stories. If you like Ring Of Honor, you’ll like this, but after three plus hours of the same style in two days, I could go for a break from this stuff.

Results
Top Flight b. MxM Collection – Slingshot cutter to Mansoor
Rush b. Dante Leon – Bull’s Horns
Hyan/Maya World b. IInspiration – Double chickenwing faceplant/Downward Spiral combination to Lee
Gates Of Agony b. Daisuke Sasaki/Paul Virk – Open The Gates to Virk
Sisters Of Sin b. Nixi XS/Aminah Belmont – Black Widow to Belmont
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Deonn Rusman/Devo Knight/Alex Findley – Mega Powers Elbow to Findley
Komander b. Dralistico – Cielito Lindo

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: March 13, 2026
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a special episode that is so special it was mentioned with less than twenty four hours’ notice. The big story here is that the Trios Titles are actually being defended, with Shane Taylor Promotions putting the titles on the line for the first time since winning the things back in December. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. TMDK

The Promotions are defending and no, this version of TMDK (Mikey Nicholls/Robbie Eagles/Shane Haste) have never teamed as a trio in Ring Of Honor. It’s a brawl to start and Eagles clears the ring for a running flip dive through the ropes. A belly to back neckbreaker combination gets two on Bravo back inside but Eagles gets crushed on the apron for his efforts.

Eagles is beaten down in the corner and a springboard Vader Bomb gets two. That doesn’t last long and it’s a tag to bring in Haste, who is rather intense during his comeback. The Marcus Garvey Driver is countered and Eagles gives Taylor Sliced Bread. TMDK takes over on the Infantry until Haste gets dropped with a middle rope leg lariat. The double stomp retains the titles at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Ok. I mean what else am I supposed to say? There was no build to this match, the titles are barely ever defended and the challengers literally had no record as a three man team in Ring Of Honor. This was the latest example of “here’s a match that we pulled out of a hat”, which is the specialty of the house around here.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall (facing part of the Promotions at Revolution) make the save.

We look at Persephone winning the CMLL Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone last week.

Persephone vs. Jen Savani

No entrances for either, as this was taped before Persephone had the title. Persephone takes her down into a rollup to start and is looking rather cocky. Savani’s knee is countered and Persephone hits a spear. A bridging backslide gives Persephone two and a superkick drops Savani again. Savani catches her on top but Persephone flips over her for the Razor’s Edge and the pin at 3:34.

Rating: C. Persephone has become something of a treat around here, partially because she’s been around enough to establish herself a bit more. She’s rather talented and can look dominant in her matches, which makes her beating Mone for a title a nice result. This was basically a squash though and that worked well for a quick appearance.

Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall are ready for the Infantry at Revolution. And the Rizzler might be there too!

Beef vs. Rush

They trade big shoulders to start until Rush hits a running dropkick. Beef comes back with big right hands and they fire off big chops. Rush knocks him into the corner for the cocky kick to the face and the Tranquilo pose. A staggered Beef is knocked outside and whipped into the barricade a few times. Back in and the Bull’s Horns finishes for Rush at 4:50.

Rating: C+. Beef was as intense as usual to start but the match turned into the squash you were probably expecting. As usual, Rush feels like a big star when he’s around, but that doesn’t happen enough to make the biggest impact. I get why Ring Of Honor throws him on the shows when they can, though it doesn’t happen enough to matter much.

Serpentico vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta, now in trunks, works on a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a cradle for two. Serpentico takes him down for a basement elbow to the face and works on the arm for a few seconds. Back up and Yuta grabs the mask to take him down and the double arm crank is on. Serpentico gets up for a jawbreaker into a hurricanrana out of the corner, followed by a superkick. Yuta pops back up with a German suplex and the hammer elbows. The running knee and seatbelt pin Serpentico at 5:34.

Rating: C. Yuta was his usual self here, with the fans getting on him a bit more for the shaved head, even if it grew back in rather quickly. As usual, it was a perfectly fine match that doesn’t feel like it matters in the slightest. Yuta is someone else who pops in and out of here but doesn’t really move up the ladder, which is the case for a lot of people around Ring Of Honor.

Ace Austin vs. KM

Austin kicks away at the bigger KM to get him down, setting up a running basement dropkick. KM fights up and starts talking trash but gets kicked down again. Austin’s knee drop rocks KM again, followed by a Death Valley Driver. The Fold finishes for Austin at 3:13.

Rating: C. I still like Austin quite a bit but he’s already feeling like the latest victim of “hey he’s cool” and then he’s not doing anything for weeks at a time. At least he got a pretty dominant win here, with the Fold always looking cool. KM isn’t much, but his size will keeps him around, even in this kind of a spot, for a good while.

Danielle Kamela vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir powers her into the corner to start and then ties up the legs without much effort. Kamela fights up and gets in an ax handle to the back, which has Shafir smiling. Shafir kicks her down and then uses a foot choke in the corner. Kamela manages a running neckbreaker but Mother’s Milk makes her tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. The idea here was to get Shafir in the ring before her big match with Toni Storm at Revolution. That’s a fine enough way to go, but you know what you’re getting with Shafir so it isn’t like this added much. Kamela (the former Vanessa Borne in NXT) certainly has charisma so this could have been far worse.

RPG Vice/MxM Collection vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight

Kingston and Romero start things off, with Romero taking him up against the ropes for some dancing. A knockdown means more dancing, which has Kingston chopping away. Ortiz comes in to work on the arm and a hip swivel annoys the Collection. Beretta gets the tag and is armdragged into an armbar.

The Collection comes in to put Ortiz down and strike the pose, only for Mansoor to be taken into the wrong corner. Kingston’s neckbreaker gets two and it’s off to Darius, who gets chokeslammed from the apron to put him in trouble. Kingston goes to get a chair but gets caught, with everything breaking down for a bit.

We settle down to Madden working over Darius in the corner before Beretta comes in for a Death Valley Driver. The Collection cuts the other three off and the villains hit a string of elbows. The four way pose is broken up and Darius gets in a dropkick and the tag brings in Dante to clean house. Vice cuts Dante off with a double jumping knee but Dante is over for the tag to Ortiz. Everything breaks down and Kingston’s DDT into Ortiz’s top rope splash finishes Mansoor at 11:47.

Rating: C+. This was the biggest match of the show by far and it was perfectly fine. There’s pretty much nothing to it that made it feel important, though Kingston is always worth a look no matter what he’s doing. At the same time, I’m not sure I get the appeal of Ortiz. He’s fine, but he really just makes me want to watch TNA to see Mike Santana.

Overall Rating: C. In theory, the idea here was to have a special show on the big pay per view weekend and get fans to watch Ring Of Honor. That only works so well when you had to watch Ring Of Honor to know about the show, but that’s more effort than Ring Of Honor usually gets. As usual, the wrestling was perfectly fine and not much more, though this show felt like a bunch of stuff not good enough to make the regular show, which says quite a bit. I have idea why I would need around two and a half hours of Ring Of Honor in two days, but we’re just lucky that way I guess.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. TMDK – Double stomp to Haste
Persephone b. Jen Savani – Razor’s Edge
Rush b. Beef – Bull’s Horns
Wheeler Yuta b. Serpentico – Seatbelt
Ace Austin b. KM – Fold
Marina Shafir b. Danielle Kamela – Mother’s Milk
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz/Top Flight b. RPG Vice/MxM Collection – Top rope splash to Mansoor

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: March 5, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

And then everything changed. Apparently from now on, the show is going to be taped from this studio, with multiple weeks already in the can. That could make for some better focus around here, but there is also the chance that this is going to result in the shows being even longer with more mostly tossed out there matches. We can hope for the best though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening video.

Video on Persephone.

Persephone vs. Sara Leon

Persephone grabs a headlock to start and elbows Leon in the face to put her down. Back up and Leon’s chops don’t do much good, with Persephone taking over on the arm instead. A fall away slam sets up a hammerlock but Leon manages a headscissors into the ropes. Leon German suplexes her for two but Persephone is back with a missile dropkick for the same. A Razor’s Edge doesn’t work for Persephone so she hits a spear, followed by the Razor’s Edge for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C. Commentary kept hyping up Persephone’s shot at the CMLL Women’s Title on Friday so this was a glorified warmup match. Leon got in some offense here and did well enough, but this was all about Persephone getting ready for Mercedes Mone. Not a bad match, but pretty much the same kind of thing that you would see on any of the older shows. That’s hardly the best way to start off a new era, if if the match was ok.

Komander vs. Sidney Akeem

They take turns spinning out of wristlocks to start and we get a handshake, with Akeem pulling him into a waistlock. Akeem flips out of a sunset flip and hits a running Meteora to put Komander down. A running shooting star press gives Akeem two but Komander is back up with a spinning high crossbody for the same. Komander superkicks him to the apron, where Akeem pops up and over a baseball slide for a dive to the floor (geez). Back in and Akeem flips away from some shots but gets sent outside for a suicide dive. Cielito Lindo finishes for Komander at 5:55.

Rating: B-. The match was all over the place as Akeem continues to look like a human video game character. The kinds of things he can do in the ring are absolutely insane and while he’s hardly a top star, there is pretty much no one else who can keep up with him. It’s worth a look, especially with Komander being one of the few people close to what he can do.

Video on Bustah And The Brain (Jordan Oliver/Alec Price). They’re described as “on the rise”. Their career record in ROH/AEW: 0-5.

Top Flight vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Their respective friends are here too. Darius takes Gibson down by the arm to start and they’re quickly on the mat for a technical off. Back up and Darius hits a dropkick, meaning it’s already time for a double tag. Dante comes in for a hurricanrana to Drake, who goes to the hair to pull Dante down. It’s back to Gibson, who is taken into the wrong corner so Top Flight can pick up the pace.

Darius is back in and gets cut off on the apron, allowing Drake to elbow him in the face for two. A suplex gets Darius out of trouble and it’s back to Dante to start flipping and kicking. The springboard high crossbody gets two on Drake with Gibson making the save. Everything breaks down and Isla Dawn jumps Zayda Steel on the floor. Darius is dropped as well as Steel fights back to go after Dawn. Back in and the double underhook double DDT finishes Gibson at 9:25.

Rating: B-. Another fun match, though forgive me for not believing that these teams are on the way up the ladder. Top Flight has been around for the better part of ever and never accomplished anything of note, which is rather frustrating. The Veterans aren’t much better, but you can probably pencil in a six person tag out of this thing.

Post match Top Flight goes to leave but walk past Big Bill and Bryan Keith, apparently now known as Paid In Full.

Paid In Full vs. Darian Bengston/Kiran Grey

Keith throws his gear at Bengston to start and shoulders him down for two. Bengston’s comeback is cut out with a spinning forearm to the face and it’s off to Bill. A running splash in the corner hits Grey and Bill does it a second time for extra oomph. Back to back big boots finish Grey at 2:47. Total squash.

Video on Athena vs. Maya World, with a Proving Ground match being set for next week.

Josh Woods vs. Nathan Cruz

Pure Rules. An early cross armbreaker sends Cruz straight over to the ropes for his first break before Woods works on a hammerlock. Back up and Cruz is sent crashing out to the floor, with a suplex bringing him back inside. The armbar goes on again but this time Cruz takes him into the ropes, with Woods being pulled into them for a break. Not a Rope Break but a break. A neckbreaker puts Woods down for two and a belly to back suplex gets two. Cruz’s sleeper is countered into an armbar with Woods using his legs to make Cruz tap at 4:23.

Rating: C+. As usual, Woods looks good in these things and can do some rather impressive technical stuff, but it only gets him so far when he’s barely ever around. If nothing else, it would be nice to see him go after the Pure Rules Title, just so it can be defended in a way that isn’t “the challenger doesn’t know the rules”. That finisher certainly looked good as I can go for someone using a unique way to torture their opponent.

Tommy Billington and Adam Priest are going to get to the Swirl and Jay Lethal, but they have something else to do this week.

Tommy Billington/Adam Priest vs. Workhorsemen

Priest uppercuts Henry down to start and it’s already off to Billington. Drake breaks up a double suplex though and Billington is taken outside for a piledriver on the floor. Back in and Priest gets caught in the wrong corner. Drake gives him a suplex and it’s back to Henry for some ripping at the face. Priest escapes but Billington is still down on the floor (that’s nice to see for a change) and Drake hits Priest in the face again.

The villains take turns beating on Priest in the corner again but Billington is back in for the save. Everything breaks down and back to back dives take the Workhorsemen down on the floor. Back in and Billington manages a rollup to pin Henry (that didn’t look great as Billington seemed to let go early) at 7:45.

Rating: C+. At least Priest and Billington are getting a push and are in an actual feud. That’s a heck of a lot better than what you would get otherwise, as there is something to be said about having two wrestlers actually doing something rather than running on the treadmill that is the tag division. The Workhorsemen are good in their spots, but they’re firmly locked into those spots and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Zayda Steel

Christopher Daniels is here with Steel. Shirakawa slides into the dance to start so Steel goes around her for a quick spank and dance of her own. Back up and Shirakawa pulls her into something of a Texas Cloverleaf and drops her into a backbreaker. The block of the Figure Four is blocked and Shirakawa gets it on, with Steel making the rope rather quickly.

A neckbreaker gives Steel two and a running knee in the corner rocks Shirakawa again. They trade the big forearms until Steel hits a running elbow against the ropes, only for Shirakawa to do the same. A missile dropkick and the top rope Sling Blade give Shirakawa two but Steel is back with a dropkick. Shirakawa just decks her with a spinning backfist though and the Figure Four finishes Steel at 7:47.

Rating: C. Hey look: Steel loses again. That’s almost all she does around here (and in AEW) and it’s getting more and more difficult to care about her. I’m not sure how many more matches she’s going to lose but odds are it’s going to be several, all while she’s “climbing the ladder” or whatever the latest term is around here.

Post match respect is shown.

Billie Starkz seems to have attacked Deonna Purrazzo and Athena says this is a message/warning to Maya World. Ignore that Purrazzo seems to be smiling her head off.

Bang Bang Gang vs. MxM Collection

Robinson sticks his finger in his nose for Mansoor’s tip to tip touch, earning himself a hair pull. An armbar puts Mansoor down and into the ropes, meaning Robinson is back up with an atomic drop. Gunn comes in and gets his eyes raked, only to hit Mansoor low. It’s off to Madden to hammer on Gunn in the corner so Robinson makes a blind tag. The Gang starts taking turns to stagger Madden, who suplexes both of them at once.

Mansoor comes in to stomp away, with Madden adding the running hips to the face. A belly to back suplex puts Gunn down and a side slam/running legdrop combination gets two. Madden misses a middle rope elbow though and it’s back to Robinson, who runs into a boot in the corner. Mansoor gets crotched on the top rope for some bouncing, with Madden hitting a double spear for the save. A double suplex drops Madden though and Mansoor gets thrown onto him. Robinson’s forward DDT finishes Mansoor at 12:01.

Rating: C+. So I guess the Gang is another team who is being added to the rotating roster around here because that’s what this place needs. Robinson is still a ball of charisma but as usual, there’s only so much that can be done with Robinson and one half of the Gunns. The team just feels like some scraps thrown together and that isn’t likely to go very far.

La Faccion Ingobernable brags about being undefeated as a tag team but they have to defend the belts. Therefore, it’s open challenge time for any former Tag Team Champions to come after the belts. And there’s the kind of thing that makes this weekly show feel useless. Commentary spends the entire show talking about how someone can win to move up in the title standings and all that, but instead it’s “anyone can come get a shot”. In other words, all of the previous matches mean nothing, because “eh screw it, open challenge time”.

Lacey Lane vs. Robyn Renegade

Renegade takes over with the power game to start so Lane does a rather springboardy wristdrag. Lane hits some running kicks in the corner but Renegade is back with a springboard stomp of all things. A sitout gordbuster gives Renegade two but Lane is back up with some running shots to the face. What looks like a Nightmare On Helm Street (which looked like it had a camera edit) gets two on Renegade, followed by something like an AA into a legdrop to finish for Lane at 5:17.

Rating: C. This was another match on a show with a lot of them. I’m really not sure what else there is to say here, as neither of these two have anything going on and it’s hard to believe that they’re going to have anything going on. Maybe Lane gets a TV Title shot or something, but it’s not like there’s any story there. That’s the problem with so many matches around here, as they’re just things that happen rather than matches that go anywhere.

Matt Menard vs. Shane Taylor vs. Lee Johnson vs. AR Fox

The winner gets an immediate title shot at a mystery championship and this is under elimination rules. Menard and Taylor start things off, with Taylor powering him into the corner. That has Menard bailing away a few times but getting dropped with a running shoulder. It’s off to Johnson vs. Fox for an exchange of quick escapes and counters until Taylor comes back in. A Tower Of London to the floor plants Johnson hard but Menard is back in to slug away on Taylor. Everything breaks down and Taylor punches Menard in the jaw for the elimination at 6:09.

Taylor takes Fox into the corner but gets low bridged down to the floor. Fox dives over the top onto both of them but Taylor is back in for running splashes in the corner. That doesn’t last long either though as Fox rolls Taylor up for the pin and elimination at 8:47. Johnson immediately rolls Fox up for some near falls, followed by Fox’s tiger bomb for two more.

The Swanton hits raised knees though and they trade some rapid fire kicks. Johnson hits a brainbuster and they’re both down (with their heads on the other’s arms, which should probably be a double pin. Johnson suplexes him hard and a frog splash gets two but Fox is back with a quick slam. The 450 gives Fox the pin at 13:34.

Rating: B-. This was another match that felt rather long and is designed to set up another match on this show, which feels rather crammed on at the end. Fox winning is a nice way to go as there is something to be said about having him fight like this and then win a title as a way to end the show. The other three were fine as well here and it was nice to see Menard getting hit in the face.

And now, a title match, with Fox pulling the announcement out of a box.

AEW International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. AR Fox

Fox is challenging and we are again reminded that Okada is the greatest tournament wrestler of all time. I still have no idea what that has to do with a non-tournament match but that’s what we need to be told over and over. Okada dropkicks him into the corner to start as commentary tries to say Okada is wrestling on short rest as well after winning the Trios Titles last night (despite him not having that belt or being announced as such due to the taping schedule).

Fox gets choked on the rope and a DDT plants him on the floor. Back in and another DDT gives Okada two but he misses a charge and gets sent to the apron. That means a running DDT from Fox, followed by a kick to the face. An Air Raid Crash onto the knee sets up the top rope elbow to give Okada two. Back up and Fox kicks him in the face, followed by a 450 for two more. Okada misses a few Rainmakers but his the dropkick, setting up the Rainmaker to retain at 5:44.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. The bigger star came in, beat up the tired challenger, kicked out of his finisher, and retained the title. It was deflating to have Fox lose like that after his big win as it was little more than a quick loss. Maybe like, let the match be built up for a bit and get some time on another show?

Overall Rating: D+. Nope. I’m not sure what this was supposed to be, but it was more of the same mess that has gotten Ring Of Honor in its current place. This was supposed to be some new era of the promotion and NOT ONE OF THE EIGHT TITLES THIS SHOW HAS TO OFFER is on the line?

No no, instead your big moment is an AEW star coming in (unannounced of course) because Heaven forbid the Women’s Title, World Title or even the Six Man Titles are defended (I mean, none of them have been defended since Final Battle, three months ago). Instead, it’s the usual bunch of matches, most of which are just wrestling for the sake of wrestling. The show ran two hours because every single thing (even down to Josh Woods vs. Nathan Cruz and Lacey Lane vs. Robyn Renegade) absolutely had to be here.

Ring Of Honor isn’t a wrestling promotion. It’s Tony Khan getting to pretend that he owns two promotions because he thinks it’s impressive while putting on the least important weekly show he can imagine. As usual, this absolutely isn’t a problem from the wrestlers, but rather spending two hours with almost nothing involving Ring Of Honor taking place. I’m sure TV is coming though. Any…what is it, year now?

Results
Persephone b. Sara Leon – Razor’s Edge
Komander b. Sydney Akeem – Cielito Lindo
Top Flight b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Double underhook double DDT to Gibson
Paid In Full b. Darian Bengston/Kiran Grey – Big boot to Grey
Josh Woods b. Nathan Cruz – Leg armbar
Tommy Billington/Adam Priest b. Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Mina Shirakawa b. Zayda Steel – Figure Four
Lacey Lane b. Robyn Renegade – Fireman’s carry slam into a legdrop
AR Fox b. Shane Taylor, Lee Johnson and Matt Menard last eliminating Johnson
Kazuchika Okada b. AR Fox – Rainmaker

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: January 1, 2026
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Hey I actually got the year right this time. Anyway, it’s the first show of the year and the third Ring Of Honor show in the last seven days. There is actually a feature match this week, as the Swirl is facing Bandido and Jay Lethal. If you ignore Lee Johnson getting squashed like a bug this week on Dynamite, it’s a bit more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Swirl vs. Bandido/Jay Lethal

Lethal starts with Christian, who wants Bandido, but tags out to Johnson when he gets his wish. Neither of them can get a suplex so they clothesline each other down (with Coleman getting in an interesting point of saying that if Johnson tried the same move as the champion, he was thinking like a champion). Johnson takes him down and it’s off to Christian, who works on Bandido’s bad arm. Bandido gets over for the tag…and Lethal walks away. Christian’s 450 gets two on Bandido and Lethal adds a Lethal Injection. The top rope stomp/Death Valley Driver combination hits Bandido and the triple team draws the DQ at 5:13.

Rating: C+. This was an angle rather than a match and that’s a VERY good thing to see. While this would have been better to set up Final Battle, I definitely like that we’re getting something involving the title and a story being told. That’s been lacking for such a long time and they did a good job with executing this one. Well done.

Post match Lethal takes off Bandido’s mask as Tom Billington and Adam Priest run in for the save.

Bryan Keith vs. Serpentico

We get some BOO/YAY chants to start before Serpentico tries to pick up the pace. That earns him a toss to the floor and they chop it out a bit on the floor. Back in and they fight over a suplex with Serpentico getting the better of things. A running Downward Spiral gives Serpentico two and Keith’s hard clothesline gets the same. Serpentico is right back with a superkick to the floor, followed by a suicide dive. Back in and Keith knees him in the face though and the tiger driver is enough for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Well the result was far from shocking, but it was nice to see Keith getting to do something for a change. He’s been stuck doing absolutely nothing for so long now that even toiling in Ring Of Honor is an improvement. At least the match wound up being decent, which is usually the case with Serpentico.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne

It’s a brawl to start and a double suplex puts Diamante down. Rayne works on Diamante’s wrist but Starkz breaks up Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar. Diamante can’t fight out of the corner though, instead being taken down by the leg. It’s back to Rayne, who gets taken into the wrong corner, with a pair of double backbreakers putting her down. Starkz grabs a chinlock, followed by a double wishbone. The villains get to stomp Rayne down in the corner even more but she kicks Starkz away.

Cue Diamante to sneak around the ring to pull Purrazzo off the apron and the beating continues. Rayne manages to send Starkz face first into the buckle a few times though and that’s enough for the needed tag off to Purrazzo. Everything breaks down and Rayne gives Starkz a Canadian Destroyer. A kick to the head drops Rayne though and a double kick leaves Purrazzo and Diamante down as well. Rayne and Starkz come back in, with an assisted Sliced Bread taking Rayne down. Starkz adds the Swanton for the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. They were working hard here and it made for a good match, as Rayne was putting in more effort than usual. She still has something to offer out there, which is something that the division could use. Diamante is useful as a tag partner as well and that was her main focus here. Then you have Starkz, who might be coming after Athena, and Purrazzo, who is closing in on a month as champion with nothing involving her new title. Sounds like a textbook Pure Champion already.

Lance Archer vs. Steve Gibki

Gibki is in good shape. Archer starts fast with a big boot and chokeslam but Gibki gets in a dropkick. That’s enough to send Archer outside, where he cuts off a dive and chokeslams him onto the apron. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:30.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Rules Title last week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Top Flight/Komander

Non-title as it’s not the champion combination of the Promotions. Moriarty kicks Dean down to start and it’s off to Komander to work on the arm. Dean gets smart by going after the mask, with Bravo coming in to hammer away in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with the Infantry getting to stomp away. Komander fights up and manages a rather spinning crucifix for two on Moriarty, allowing the tag to Dante. The pace picks up but a hard clothesline takes Dante down, only for him to come back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and the double DDT pins Bravo at 6:23.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here, with Top Flight getting a win after not having the best run recently. If nothing else there is a chance that they can team with Komander for a future title match, even though they didn’t beat the champions. Either way, nice match here, with talented wrestlers getting to showcase themselves, albeit in a short match.

Deonna Purrazzo and Madison Rayne are in the back, with Rayne saying she’s retiring from the ring. She lost her father earlier this year and it lost a piece of her. This was a perfect way to end it and she thanks Purrazzo for being her partner. Tears ensue.

Hechicero vs. Aaron Solo

Hechicero dances a bit to start before they go to the mat, with Hechicero snapping the arm. Some rather spinny rollups give Hechicero two but Solo sends him outside. The big flip dive hits Hechicero outside, followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Hechicero is back with a spinning faceplant for two and he catapults Solo into the corner, only for Solo to come back with a double stomp. Solo’s kicks to the chest just wake Hechicero up so he hammers away in the corner. A flapjack sets up a spinning arm trap rollup to pin Solo at 6:45.

Rating: B-. Solo got a chance to do something different here and it made for a fun match. You don’t see him get to hang in there with someone like Hechicero very often and it worked out well, with Hechicero being crafty enough to twist Solo around in the end. That’s always fun to see, as there is pretty much no one as smooth out there as Hechicero.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. MxM TV

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes. TV comes out second and stomp on a Christmas tree on their way to the ring. The good guys charge the stage and the brawl is on, with the tree being repaired for all of three seconds. That’s enough for TV to beat them down to the steps and pull out some wrapping paper kendo sticks. Naturally Castle makes the save with a huge Christmas ornament before Mansoor tries punching a present.

Floyd finds a brick inside, leaving Mansoor’s hand in quite a bit of pain. Madden throws the tree inside and yes Floyd uses it for the Terry Funk ladder spin. Castle gets knocked down but Madden and Mansoor miss a double Grinch elbow. TV gets up and grabs a pie which hits Taya Valkyrie (in full Grinch attire) in the face, which he knows is a very bad result. That means a German suplex from Castle, who walks into a spinebuster.

It’s time for a stocking full of Legos, with Madden and the Outrunners fighting over suplex onto them. Instead Madden is sent (bare) feet first into them and then gets a present over his head. Some tables are brought in, with another being set up on the floor. The Outrunners are laid on the tables with Mansoor and TV going up, only for Castle to throw the ornament at them for a double crotching. TV is sent through a table at ringside and a double superplex sends Mansoor onto a table (and Legos) for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This was a fun, weapons based match with the Christmas theme working well. It’s something that a lot of promotions do but they still make it work every time. I had a good time here and that’s the point of this kind of a match. Now get Castle and the Outrunners into the Six Man Tag Team Titles picture already.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe it’s the low standard this show has given me over the years, but this felt like the best weekly show Ring Of Honor has done in the better part of ever. There was the big angle at the beginning, some good action throughout, the surprise of Madison Rayne’s retirement and the fun main event. I had a good time with this show and hopefully they do this more often going forward.

Results
Bandido/Jay Lethal b. The Swirl via DQ when Bandido was triple teamed
Bryan Keith b. Serpentico – Tiger driver
Billie Starkz/Diamante b. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne – Swanton to Rayne
Lance Archer b. Steve Gibki – Blackout
Top Flight/Komander b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Double DDT to Bravo
Hechicero b. Aaron Solo – Spinning arm trap rollup
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. MxM TV – Superplex through a table to Mansoor

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