Ring Of Honor
Date: May 28, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Supercard Of Honor and now we’re probably past the fallout as well. That means we could be in for more of the norm around here, which means a bit of a slower pace. I’m not sure how well that’s going to go week to week, but the wrestling being as good as it usually is should help. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena is rather proud of her win at Double Or Nothing and warned everyone this was going to happen.

Opening sequence.

AEW National Title: Mark Davis vs. Adam Priest

Davis is defending and Priest shoulders away to start, which really doesn’t work so well. A hard whip sends Priest crashing out to the floor and Davis beats him up against the barricade. Back in and Davis fires off some corner clotheslines before knocking him outside for a crash into the barricade. Priest gets smart by pulling Davis’ hand into the post, allowing him to go after said hand back inside.

The double arm crank goes on but Davis fights out and takes him up top. A diving tornado DDT plants Davis and Priest gets the cross armbreaker. That’s reversed with a sitout powerbomb and they’re both down again. Priest goes to the hand to escape a sleeper attempt and takes out the leg, setting up a quick STF. Davis makes the rope and hits a big clothesline from the apron. Back in and another clothesline sets up the piledriver to retain the title at 11:40.

Rating: B. It was a random match with a challenger who had no chance of winning the title, but they had a heck of a match here. Priest was fighting against the monster every chance he could and knocked him down a few times, making this a lot more entertaining than I was expecting. Davis has been on a roll in recent months and it is rather fun to see.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Darian Bengston

The rest of Shane Taylor Promotions are here with Ogogo. Bengston grabs an armbar to start and gets thrown down rather quickly. A knee lift staggers Ogogo and Bengston bails out to the floor, where he seems to annoy the Promotions. Back in and Bengston decides to try swinging, which isn’t a good idea against a former Olympic boxer. A powerslam gives Ogogo two but Bengston gets in a quick shot, setting up a Whisper In The Wind for two of his own. Something like a Rings Of Saturn is reversed into a spinning slam to give Ogogo two so he knocks Bengston out for the win at 6:09.

Rating: C-. I would assume this was Bengston getting a tryout, as it was much more about him than anything Ogogo was doing. Bengston did well enough in his chance, though he needs someone better than Ogogo across the ring from him. Ogogo’s matches are pretty much “do basic stuff, get frustrated, punch opponent for win”. That isn’t interesting and a big reason Ogogo has never taken off in any way.

Mance Warner wants the Pure Rules Title. Sure. He’s getting a shot at Lee Moriarty next week, though it is at least just a Proving Ground match.

Viva Van vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules. Blanchard takes her down by the arm to start but Van reverses into an armbar of her own. Van’s Fujiwara armbar is broken up and Ellering has another armbar. Back up and Van flips forward into a pose but gets sent to the apron. Ellering knocks her down again, setting up a backsplash for two.

The double arm crank has Van using her first rope break and something like a Tequila Sunrise has Ellering getting to the rope as well. Ellering escapes an electric chair out of the corner and gets two off a running elbow. The Boss Woman Slam is countered into a spinning backfist and Van’s bridging electric chair suplex gets the pin at 7:16.

Rating: C. This was a good example of a match that didn’t need to have Pure Rules and they didn’t add much of anything. Van is at least getting somewhere around here and just having her win some matches is a way to shake off some of her bad reputation. She has a long way to go, but at least she’s not losing over and over.

Angelico vs. Oro

Oro charges at him with a running spinwheel kick in the corner to start. Angelico strikes away to come back but gets dropped again. Something like a Downward Spiral out of the ropes gives Oro two but Angelico’s lifting Downward Spiral gets two more. Oro hits a kind of Pele off his shoulder, only for Oro to pull him into a leglock for the tap at 5:07.

Rating: C+. I get that Angelico has talent and he can make others look good, but it’s really hard to get interested in his matches. He’s been established as someone who is not going to do anything beyond put other stars over and that doesn’t help on shows that are just match after match most of the time. Angelico certainly has talent, but he’s been doing the same thing for what feels like forever in Ring Of Honor.

Athena sits down with Caprice Coleman, who praises her quite a bit to start. She talks about how she started her reign as this innocent girl but then she realized how great she was and became what she is now. Now she has become the person people think of when they think of Ring Of Honor and she doesn’t want to be disappointed with her career. You should watch her and when someone better comes along, they’ll get the title, but that isn’t happen.

Maya World vs. Trish Adora

World flips over her to start and snaps off a running hurricanrana. World goes up and gets chopped down to the floor, followed by the double arm crank back inside. That’s broken up and World kicks her in the head, only to get butterfly suplexed for two. A Sling Blade and springboard moonsault give World two of her own and Adora goes outside.

That works rather well as World charges into a pump kick, meaning Adora can hit a brainbuster for two back inside. World’s springboard back elbow gets two but she walks into a spinning backbreaker for a double down. The German suplex drops World, who is right back with a small package for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Adora wrestles a rather unique style and you can see some wrestlers having to adjust. That was the case here and it wound up being a good enough match. World is still someone who could be put back into the title picture sooner than later, even if it doesn’t have to be another shot at Athena.

Stori Denali vs. Brooke Havok

Mark Sterling is here with Denali, who mocks Havok’s lack of size. Havok gets sent hard into the corner and booted down, setting up Snake Eyes. Another knockdown has Havok in more trouble and Denali boot chokes her in the corner. Havok connects with a few kicks to the leg but gets sent flying. The chokeslam finishes for Denali at 4:03.

Rating: C. At some point, Denali has to get in the ring on her own like this and learn how to have matches. That’s why you put her in something short like this and she was….well she was a giant squashing someone. The match was just what you would expect, and while Denali is a long term project, at least she’s getting started.

Queen Aminata is back next week.

Frat House vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

Non-title Proving Ground match. Karter knocks Magnum into the corner to start and the House starts taking turns firing off the chops. Floyd (wearing the belt) comes in off a blind tag to clean house but the House takes him into the corner. Karter steps onto Magnum for a low blow in the Tree Of Woe but Magnum kicks Garrison down. The tag brings in Castle to clean house (again) but the Bang A Rang is broken up. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up as well, only for the second attempt to connect for the pin on Garrison at 5:38.

Rating: C. It certainly does help to have a regular team coming after the champions as it gives you the change that they could pull off the upset. At the same time, it was nice to see Castle and the Outrunners getting a win shortly into their title reign. They still need some opponents, but we can get to that soon enough.

Post match the Lethal Twist runs in to beat the champions down. The Twist brags about their uniqueness and abilities and seem to want the titles. For now though, they’re just getting a match.

Lethal Twist vs. Il Cartello Grillo

Christian kicks Seal to the floor at the bell and it’s off to Johnson for a basement running forearm. Seal manages a suplex though and it’s off to Grillo, who gets caught with a Helluva Kick. The Twist takes turns striking away at Grillo in the corner, with Christian adding a moonsault to the floor to take out Impala. Lethal’s Figure Four, plus Christian’s springboard 450, make Grillo tap at 3:25.

Rating: C+. If you’re going to have the Twist, who are already an established team, jump the champs, you don’t need to have them win a short match as well. We got the point after seeing them jump the champs and then it was just another match. Let the angle stand instead of doing something else to make the fans forget about it.

From last week in Mexico City.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Volador Jr. vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending. Stereo flips give us an early standoff so Bandido sends him outside for an early suicide dive. Volador fights up back inside and knocks Bandido outside for a dive of his own. Back in and Bandido runs the ropes to get in his finger gun pose. Volador knocks him back down and yells a bit, meaning it’s time to stomp Bandido down in the corner.

More posing ensues but Bandido gets up a boot to cut off the charge. A spinning high crossbody sends Volador outside for the big running flip dive as Bandido gets to take over again. Volador snaps off a running hurricanrana from the apron and the referee is rather concerned. Bandido is fine enough to block a hurricanrana and swing him into the barricade.

Back in and Volador powerbombs him out of the air for two more but Bandido counters a charge into a flipping faceplant. Bandido powerbombs him down for two more but gets backdropped out to the floor. The slingshot hurricanrana connects for Volador but Bandido sends him over the barricade for a running flip dive. Another hurricanrana brings Bandido crashing off of the barricade and they go back inside, where Volador’s frog splash gets two.

A Code Red gives Volador another near fall but he walks into a pop up cutter to leave them both down. Back up and Bandido’s German suplex out of the corner sets up a shooting star press for two more. The X Knee into the 21 Plex gives Bandido two, as does Volador’s running Canadian Destroyer. Volador takes too long to go up and it’s a reverse super fall away slam (with Volador landing on his face). The 21 Plex retains the title at 21:17.

Rating: B+. This was definitely a different style from Ring Of Honor and they had a rather entertaining match, which was quite the treat to see. Bandido can adjust to any style and he certainly knows what to do here. Volador is a big enough star to come after the title and worked well here, with Bandido actually defending the title more than once for a change.

TV Title: Dezmond Xavier vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending and Xavier seems honored to be in there with him. They fight over wrist control to start with Fox taking over. Xavier works on the arm and a rollup sends Fox bailing out to the floor. We pause for Fox to look at the title and then go back inside, where Xavier sends him right back outside. The suicide dive sends Fox crashing into the barricade, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside.

Xavier ties up the leg for a bit until he knocks Fox into the corner for an enziguri. Fox hits his own enziguri and clotheslines away in the corner. A basement cutter gives Fox two so Xavier hits him in the face. The Cardiac Kick gets two more but Fox is back with a DDT into the springboard tornado DDT into a spinning suplex for two of his own. Xavier kicks him back down but slips on the top and crotches himself. Lo Mein Pain and the 450 retain the title at 12:29.

Rating: B-. This was another good match from Fox, even with Xavier dominating for a big chunk. You can bring in challengers like Xavier for the TV Title as it’s kind of the random match championship. Xavier, a member of a trio, wasn’t likely to win the title here but letting him fly around with Fox for a bit was a fun way to go.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The last two matches were good but, say it with me, this was far too long. There were so many things that could have been cut off to get this down to a more manageable length. As usual, there are so many matches that a lot of them are forgotten so quickly. Hopefully they get the time issues under control, because dang this show could be so much better if it got things down to an hour a week or so. Just focus a bit more and trim some time off and it’s that much better.

Results
Mark Davis b. Adam Priest – Piledriver
Anthony Ogogo b. Darian Bengston via knockout
Viva Van b. Rachael Ellering – Bridging electric chair suplex
Angelico b. Oro – Leglock
Maya World b. Trish Adora – Small package
Stori Denali b. Brooke Havok – Chokeslam
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Frat House – Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle combination to Garrison
Lethal Twist b. Il Cartello Grillo – Figure Four to Grillo
Bandido b. Volador Jr. – 21 Plex
AR Fox b. Dezmond Xavier – 450

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 21, 2025
Location: Berglund Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are eight days away from Death Before Dishonor and that means it should be time for more of the card to come together. In this case, we currently have three matches set up for the card so there are several other matches that need to be added. There is at least one match that is all but announced so maybe now we get to see it officially confirmed. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

CMLL Trios Titles: Volador Jr./Magnus/Rugido vs. Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Neon

Mistico and company are defending and the challengers aren’t up for handshakes. Neon and Rugido start things off and they exchange some armdrags. Dorada and Magnus come in with Dorada snapping off a spinning headscissors to send Magnus outside. It’s off to Volador vs. Mistico with Mistico hitting a springboard crossbody but the challengers take over, with some triple teaming in the corner.

Neon comes in and seems to be favoring his shoulder but the good guys are back in with some springboard hurricanranas. Triple dives connect as well, followed by a superkick to Magnus back inside. Mistico and Dorada use something like Private Party’s Silly String to drop Magnus again and it’s off to Rugido, who is taken down with a springboard hurricanrana. Neon hits a dropkick and a great looking springboard hurricanrana but Magnus decks him from behind.

Mistico gives Magnus a super Spanish Fly but walks into a Canadian Destroyer from Volador. We hit the parade of knockdowns until no one is left standing for a bit. Back up and we get a double rowboat spot with the four feet touching (basically making a circle), leaving Neon to roll Magnus up for two in the middle. Dorada’s shooting star press hits Volador and La Mistica retains the titles at 10:08.

Rating: B+. It was a fast paced and exciting match with the champions looking incredibly smooth (that springboard hurricanrana from Neon was one of the best I’ve ever seen). There’s a reason these guys are some of the best in the world at this style and the match went well. I could go for the Ring Of Honor versions of these titles being defended, but this was a great showcase.

Blake Christian vs. Beef

Fallout from last week when they were in a tag match and Lee Johnson is here with Christian. Beef easily wins a battle of shoulders but Christian knocks him into the corner, where Johnson gets in some choking. The strutting Old School is broken up, though Christian hits a nifty springboard dropkick to the back of the head. Beef strikes away in the corner but gets sent to the apron for a spear to the floor. Back in and a 450 stomp sets up the Vanilla Choke Zero for the win at 5:10.

Rating: C. I’ve said it before, but I’m really not sure if I’m comfortable with enjoying Blake Christian this much. There’s something about him just embracing being so….average. I get that’s what he’s going for with the vanilla deal, but dang it’s working for reasons I can’t explain. Give him the TV Title rather than Nick Wayne. My goodness I just said I want Christian to be TV Champion (the Christian Cage connection is even included in his name).

Post match Christian and Johnson lay Beef out again.

We look at Paul Walter Hauser saving QT Marshall last week.

Marshall is not happy with Hauser coming into his industry and they are set to fight at Death Before Dishonor. There’s your match that was all but set.

Video on the Outrunners.

The Beast Mortos vs. AR Fox

Dralistico is here with Mortos. Fox wastes no time in sending Mortos to the floor for a pair of big no hands dives. Back in and Mortos takes him into the corner and snaps off a powerslam for two. Fox is right back up to knock him to the apron for the flipping double stomp, followed by a big Swanton for a near fall of his own. Fox charges into a boot in the corner but kicks him in the head, setting up a Death Valley Driver. Mortos shrugs that off and hits a headbutt, followed by the spinning piledriver for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was always going to be fine, as you have a basic formula of power vs. speed and wrestlers who know how to do that rather well. Fox hasn’t become a huge star, but it feels like he is giving it his all out there. That’s something I absolutely appreciate and it’s taken him from just someone on the card to someone reliable for me and that’s a big upgrade.

Post match Rush comes in for the big group beatdown.

Here are the Workhorsemen and Adam Priest to say that the Von Erichs’ partner is injured so just forfeit since we can’t have a six man match. Cue the Von Erichs to say not so fast my friend, because they have a replacement.

Workhorsemen/Adam Priest vs. Von Erichs/Sammy Guevara

Neither the Von Erichs nor Guevara have their belts with them. Henry headlocks Guevara to start and goes nowhere with it so Ross comes in to take over. Ross’ Stinger Splash misses Priest though and the villains take over in the corner. Drake hits a big chop but Ross fights his way out of trouble rather quickly. It’s back to Guevara to clean house but Henry kicks him down. A Shining Wizard sets up Priest’s top rope splash for two and Guevara is taken onto the ramp. That’s broken up rather quickly and it’s Marshall coming in to take over on Priest. A spinning claw slam into the claw finishes for Marshall at 7:26.

Rating: C+. This would be the logical way to go for the Six Man Tag Team Titles, though I’m not sure about the Tag Team Titles. Or they’ll just leave the titles in limbo until Dustin Rhodes gets back. Or they still don’t know because there is almost no planning in Ring Of Honor. Then again, the fact that the Workhorsemen and Priest went from not being together two weeks ago to working with the champions here, there isn’t much of a need for Six Man Tag Team Titles in the first place.

Trish Adora vs. Janai Kai

Kai shoulders her down to start and gets two off a quick kick. Adora’s comeback is cut off by more kicks and a spinning faceplant gives Kai two. Back up and Adora grabs a backbreaker for two of her own, followed by the German suplex from her knees. The Lariat Tubman finishes for Adora at 4:35.

Rating: C. This was much more about Kai, who was being given a lot of time and offense here and that’s great to see. Her striking and movement were both good, but there was pretty much no way she was going to win here. Adora did her big moves well, but it’s pretty clear that she’s not going anywhere and that isn’t changing.

The Von Erichs and Sammy Guevara seem to be ready to team together at Death Before Dishonor. I’m not wild on it, but swapping Guevara in as the other Six Man Champion is as good as anything else.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

We get the Hechicero vs. Bandido old west video from last week.

Jay Lethal vs. Hechicero

Don Callis is here with Hechicero and butchers his Spanish entrance. Hechicero goes after the arm to start but gets punched to the floor for a suicide dive. They get back in and Hechicero kicks him in the head in the corner but Lethal grabs some rollups for two each. Callis gets caught interfering and is promptly ejected, allowing Lethal to come back with some snap jabs.

Hail To The King is blocked but Lethal blocks the block and tries the leg. Hechicero cuts that off but the Lethal Injection is countered into the headscissor driver. Lethal gets tied up in a…well he’s on top of Hechiero, who ties up Lethal’s legs and bends his neck forward for the submission at 6:31.

Rating: B-. And this is what Lethal should be used to do. He’s still a big enough name around here and certainly has the resume in Ring Of Honor to matter. Use him to put over people like Hechicero, who is involved in the upcoming World Title match and needs the rub. As usual, Hechicero does things that should not seem possible but he made it look easy.

Hechicero says he’s ready for Bandido to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event alone made this work, and that’s about all you can ask for around here. Death Before Dishonor is likely going to get its usual card thrown together at the last minute and that’s about all it’s going to be. Just go with the bigger matches and hope for the best, as that’s pretty much as good as you’re going to get around here.

Results
Mistico/Mascara Dorada/Neon b. Volador Jr./Magnus/Rugido – La Mistica to Magnus
Blake Christian b. Beef – Vanilla Choke Zero
The Beast Mortos b. AR Fox – Spinning piledriver
Von Erichs/Sammy Guevara b. Workhorsemen/Adam Priest – Claw to Priest
Trish Adora b. Janai Kai – Lariat Tubman
Hechicero b. Jay Lethal – Full body neck crank

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 14, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

With Death Before Dishonor two weeks from tomorrow, things need to pick up a bit, as usual. The World Title match is officially set, but with three shows to go, that’s all we have. In theory we’ll get something else this week, though you never can tell with how things go on this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Volador Jr./Difunto/The Beast Mortos/Hechicero vs. Spanish Announce Project/Alex Zayne/AR Fox

Lance Archer is here with Volador and company. Angelico and Hechicero start things off with Hechicero dancing out of a lockup. They trade legsweeps and covers for two each and it’s off to Fox vs. Difurto. Some takedowns don’t go very far so Fox grabs a swinging suplex, allowing the double tag to Mortos and Zayne. Mortos gets taken down for a running backsplash and it’s time for Serpentico vs. Volador. Serpentico sends him outside but Archer gets in a trip from the floor, allowing the villains to beat Serpentico down.

With Serpentico knocked outside, Angelico comes in and gets knocked outside as well. Zayn comes in and gets sent outside as well, meaning Fox is able to try his luck. This one works a bit better, including some cutters to drop Mortos and Difurto. Zayne is back in with a top rope splash for two on Hechicero as everything breaks down. Hechicero faceplants Zayne though and ties up his arms for a very rolling cradle and the pin at 9:29.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of putting too much in one match. Hechicero is coming up on a World Title match in just over two weeks and while he got the fall here, he was in the middle of a wild eight man tag. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have him go out there and pin someone, like say Zayne for instance, in a singles match to make him feel like more of a threat? As usual, the CMLL stars are entertaining, but it’s one random match after another with little ever feeling like it’s building anywhere.

Post match the villains keep up the beatdown but Bandido, Brody King, Tomohiro Ishii and Hologram make the save.

The Premiere Athletes are ready to face a team from CMLL, though Ariya Daivari’s idea of wearing a mask doesn’t work.

Willie Mack vs. Gringo Loco

They fight over a wristlock to start and then exchange cartwheels to escape takedown attempts. Back up and Loco jumps over him for a hip swivel, only for Mack to hit a running shoulder for one of his own. Did you get that they’re mirroring each other? I wasn’t sure if that and commentary explaining it every three seconds was making it clear enough. Loco knocks him down again but has to stick the landing on the switchfoot moonsault. Mack Stunners him into a running kick to the face, followed by the frog splash for the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. It was two bigger guys hitting each other with some flashy offense, which works well for a bit but doesn’t have the most staying power. At the same time, it doesn’t help that neither of them feel like they’re likely to go anywhere. Loco has been getting some more ring time in the Chicago residency, but that doesn’t make him much more interesting.

Lance Archer vs. Ren Jones

Archer jumps him in the aisle and beats him up around ringside. They go inside for the Black Out and the pin on Jones at 41 seconds. I’ve long since lost count of how many times Archer has done this but it’s losing its charm.

Video on Xelhua vs. Lee Moriarty.

We look at Toni Storm and Athena’s brawl from this week’s Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa, who has been out of action since All In, wants to face Athena for the Women’s Title at Death Before Dishonor. Athena has sixty eight wins but she can’t sixty ni….never mind. Remember that Shirakawa is the Interim Women’s TV Champion so it might be time for another double champion!

Taya Valkyrie vs. Leila Grey

Johnny TV and Christopher Daniels are here too. Valkyrie poses to start and is quickly sunset flipped for an early near fall. TV gets in a quick trip as we’re again promised that the Women’s Pure Title tournament is coming (four months or so now). Valkyrie takes her outside for a bit before working on the arm back inside. Grey fights up with a faceplant and a Stunner gets two. TV offers a quick distraction so Daniels cuts him off, leaving Grey to hit another Stunner. This one sets up a dragon sleeper for the tap from Valkyrie at 5:29.

Rating: C-. Another match from more people who are jockeying for position for some title which has been coming for months now. That’s in addition to the Women’s Title (champion going after another title), the Women’s TV Title (champion injured) and Interim Women’s TV Title (champion going after another title). Maybe either slow down a bit or find a better way to present your women.

Willie Mack wants the TV Title and as luck would have it, Nick Wayne is RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, being surprised that Mack would say that. Wayne doesn’t seem scared.

Main Man Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Oro is better known as Oro Mensah from his NXT days. Oro strikes away to start but gets knocked out of the air. That earns Ishii a kick to the chest and another to the back and we’re already into the chinlock. Back up and they strike it out until Ishii hits a hard clothesline. Oro grabs a tornado DDT across the top rope but Ishii blasts him with another clothesline. The brainbuster finishes Oro at 4:40.

Rating: C+. Oro got in a bunch of offense here and that was nice to see, though Ishii shrugging it off and hitting his finisher for the pin was a bit odd. Ishii getting a win is fine, though Oro didn’t do much to stand out here. He was athletic and high flying, but that would be the case for all kinds of people on this show. Maybe find something that makes you stand out more. Or stop signing so many people with similar styles.

We get a SPECIAL EPISODE tomorrow. Just in case this wasn’t enough you see.

Xelhua vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Xelhua wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Xelhua works on the arm but gets reversed into a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Back up and Xelhua works on the arm again but Moriarty takes him down by the leg. That’s broken up so Moriarty goes for the arm, sending Xelhua over to the arm.

Xelhua ties up Moriarty’s legs and arms, meaning Moriarty uses his first rope break. Moriarty is fine enough to hit a springboard clothesline for two before tying up the arms again. Xelhua’s second rope break gets him out, meaning it’s a leglock to make Moriarty use his second break as well. The Fang into the Border City Stretch has Xelhua in more trouble, only for him to escape on his own this time. The Stretch is broken up again and Xelhua ties up the arms as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: B-. The fans being rather quiet for this sums up the problem: there is little reason to care about this match. Xelhua has had one match in ROH before this, which was two weeks ago against someone else who isn’t around here. It doesn’t help that this wasn’t the title match, but more or less a glorified dress rehearsal. Odds are this sets up a rematch for Death Before Dishonor,

The rematch is made for Death Before Dishonor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. On one hand I do appreciate something being announced for Death Before Dishonor, but the pay per view is still feeling incredibly slapped together. Mina Shirakawa being back for revenge on Athena is fine, but the Pure Rules Title hasn’t felt important in years and this isn’t changing that issue. Other than that, we had a lot of guest stars and people who don’t make regular appearances around here, which makes this show feel like it could have been one (short) email rather than an hour long broadcast. The action is fine, but the show feels like the afterthought of afterthoughts and that’s been old.

Results
Volador Jr./Difunto/The Beast Mortos/Hechicero b. Spanish Announce Project/Alex Zayne/AR Fox – Spinning cradle to Zayne
Willie Mack b. Gringo Loco – Frog splash
Lance Archer b. Ren Jones – Black Out
Leila Grey b. Taya Valkyrie – Dragon sleeper
Tomohiro Ishii b. Main Man Oro – Brainbuster
Lee Moriarty vs. Xelhua went to a time limit draw

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: August 7, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have four shows left before Death Before Dishonor and one match has been announced (earlier this week on Twitter), as Bandido will defend the World Title against Hechicero. Other than that you can probably guess some matches, but nothing else is officially set. They’ll need to come up with something for the Tag Team and Six Man Titles, as apparently having Dustin Rhodes stand on the apron while his partners lose them was asking too much. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bandido vs. Gringo Loco

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Loco wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Bandido flips around to start and snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana but Loco sends him outside. Back in and a spinning faceplant puts Bandido down but he’s back up with a quick hurricanrana. Loco shoves him off the top though and hits a split legged moonsault for two. A GTS drops Loco again and Bandido goes up, where he gets caught with a super reverse Spanish Fly. The switchfoot moonsault misses for Loco though and Bandido hits the frog splash for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: B-. They had five minutes to get in a bunch of spots so it was entertaining while it lasted but it didn’t last all that long. That’s not the most thrilling stuff as they were coming in cold with pretty much no reason to believe that Loco was going to win. I’ll take it over the World Champion never being around though so this could have been far worse.

We run down the rest of the card.

Video on Mistico.

Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal vs. GPA/Hunter Holdcraft

Lethal headlocks Holdcraft to start and snaps off the strut. Holdcraft uses the distraction to jump Lethal from behind and some double teaming ensues. Lethal slides away and teases the tag to Singh, which has the jobbers terrified. Singh comes in for the big chops in the corner before chokeslamming GPA over and over (bouncing him off the mat like a ball). The Lethal Injection drops Holdcraft and the big chokeslam finishes GPA at 3:18.

Rating: C. This is in the category of “well, what were you expecting?”. Singh isn’t going to be the next big giant around here so putting him in nothing tag matches is a fine way to go. I’ll take that over having him do important stuff as this could have been a far worse idea. It’s sad that this is the best they have for Lethal though, as he could be working with someone with a brighter future.

Blake Christian and Lee Johnson want the Tag Team Titles. We look at some of their recent success.

Athena/Billie Starkz vs. Missa Kate/Laynie Luck

Athena and Starkz deck them to start fast and it’s Kate getting caught in the wrong corner to start. A running forearm knocks her out and it’s off to Starkz vs. Luck. Athena pulls her off the top and it’s a Swanton from Starkz into a Koji Clutch from Athena for the tap at 2:26.

Post match the hold stays on until the referee gets it broken up.

We look at Dustin Rhodes’ knee injury but there is no word on the future of either title.

Volador Jr./Magnus/Rugido vs. Dark Order

Reynolds and Rugido start things off with Rugido flipping his way out of an armbar. Back up and Reynolds gets a headscissors choke in the ropes before it’s off to Magnus. Some running shoulders to Uno don’t work and it’s Uno getting caught in a triple team. Uno has to save his mask and neckbreakers Magnus, which is enough for the tag off to Silver. Magnus gets caught in the corner for a parade of running clotheslines but the triple flipping slam is broken up. Instead it’s a suplex into a top rope elbow into la majistral to give Volador the pin on Uno at 6:27.

Rating: B-. As usual, the luchadors are fun stars to have around for a one off match like this. In this case though, there is a very good chance that the Six Man Tag Team Titles will be available in the near future so this might have an impact later on. The rapid fire lucha offense was fun as always, even if the match was nothing that we haven’t seen a bunch of times.

QT Marshall mocks Paul Walter Hauser’s career as an actor and now Hauser is obsessed with him. This isn’t a fantasy land so next week, Hauser can show up to watch his match. Then they can deal with their issues.

Video on Mascara Dorada.

Mistico/Mascara Dorada vs. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian

Christian and Dorada start things off with Christian getting in a cheap shot to start fast. They both bounce off the ropes and Dorada kicks him in the head, meaning it’s off to Mistico vs. Johnson. Everything breaks down rather quickly with Christian and Johnson being sent out to the floor. The stereo dives are broken up so it’s a pair of handspring elbows to drop Christian and Johnson instead.

Back in and Johnson drops Dorada onto the top rope for a splash from the top, leaving Christian to send him into the barricade. A basement forearm gives Johnson two but Dorada is up for the tag without much trouble. Everything breaks down and Christian hits a superkick to Dorada, followed by a suicide dive to Mistico. Back in and we get a parade of superkicks, followed by everyone being planted to leave all four down. Dorada hurricanranas Christian to the floor and drops Johnson, leaving Mistico to grab La Mistica for the tap at 10:01.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of entertaining match you would expect from Mistico and Dorada, but at the same time, I have no idea why you would build up Christian and Johnson for the sake of putting the CMLL guys over. Unless the CMLL guys are going after the Tag Team Titles (not likely), this continues to leave the belts mostly high and dry for the sake of pushing stars who don’t need the wins. I don’t quite get the thinking here, but at least the match was good.

Overall Rating: B-. Better than usual show, but the bigger issue is that after this show, we have three weeks left before Death Before Dishonor and we have one match set. There are likely to be two vacant titles decided at the show so maybe we could hear something about them? I have no idea why they wait this late to announce things, but my guess would be they don’t know what they’re going to do yet. That’s not a good sign and leaves a lot to be desired, yet here we are again with the same issue.

Results
Bandido b. Gringo Loco – Frog splash
Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal b. GPA/Hunter Holdcraft – Chokeslam to GPA
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Missa Kate/Laynie Luck – Koji Clutch to Luck
Volador Jr./Magnus/Rugido b. Dark Order – La majistral to Uno
Mistico/Mascara Dorada b. Blake Christian/Lee Johnson – La Mistica to Johnson

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

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Dynamite
Date: June 18, 2025
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the annual Grand Slam edition of the show and in this case we’re in Mexico City at one of the most famous arenas in all of wrestling. The show will feature a variety of stars from CMLL, including a major showdown between Mistico and MJF. Other than that, we have less than a month to go before All In so the show is going to need some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page to get things going. Page actually speaks Spanish and talks about the importance of working together. He thanks the fans for having them in CMLL’s house and together, they have the best wrestling in the world. Page doesn’t like Jon Moxley and while he won’t be wrestling tonight, Page can do something after the main event is over. That was a rather nice change of pace and made Page feel like that much bigger of a good guy.

Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario vs. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr.

Stokely is here with the villains, though Cash Wheeler and Callis himself are nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Stokely (now minus Hathaway) says that Wheeler can’t be here (I wonder if that’s due to previous legal issues) so they do at least acknowledge it. Bandido and Takeshita start things off, with Bandido spinning into the gun pose. The X Knee is blocked and it’s Hechicero, who the fans certainly react to, coming in to flip Bandido into a choke.

Garcia comes in and dances at Hechicero, who pulls him into something resembling a Boston crab. Harwood and Atlantis Jr. come in, with the latter holding Harwood up for a dropkick from Templario. Atlantis and Templario clean house until we get a Templario vs. Volador showdown. Templario clears the ring and hits a flip dive and it’s off to Archer, who is sent into Alexander on the apron.

King Death Valley Drivers Alexander onto the apron and it’s Cole clotheslining Fletcher back inside. Atlantis takes Fletcher down and Garcia knocks Fletcher to the floor as we take a break. Back with Garcia neckbreakering Alexander, allowing Bandido to come in and hammer away. A Doomsday Device is broken up and Bandido and Templario hit a pair of super flipping World’s Strongest Slams to Alexander and Takeshita.

Atlantis Jr. superkicks Fletcher and everything breaks down, including a string of dives to the floor. King and Archer have a big man showdown but Hechicero breaks that up in a hurry. That’s fine with King, who gives him a running hurricanrana, leaving Harwood to pound on Atlantis. Back up and Atlantis grabs a small package for the fast win at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was a fast paced match with a bunch of people flying around and doing entertaining stuff. That’s all you need for something like this and the fans were certainly into what they were seeing. Atlantis doesn’t do much for me, but that’s not the point of a show like this so letting a legend pin a more than over former champion is a perfectly fine idea.

Post match Harwood jumps Atlantis and runs off.

Video on Kazuchika Okada joining the Don Callis Family before his title unification match with Kenny Omega. Because Don Callis has to be involved in everything.

Mark Briscoe talks about his history with Kenny Omega and he wants some revenge on Kazuchika Okada.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada is sent outside to start but comes back in to pat him on the chest. Some Red Neck Kung Fu takes Okada down and Briscoe sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Okada dropkicks him off the top and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe fighting out of a chinlock and reversing a Tombstone attempt. A double down gives them both a breather and they slug it out until Okada goes to the eyes.

Briscoe is back up with a running corner clothesline for two but Okada grabs the neckbreaker onto the knee for two. Okada flips Briscoe off so, of course, Briscoe bites the finger. The Froggy Bow gets two but Okada dropkicks him down. The Rainmaker and Jay Driller are both blocked so Okada gives him a Tombstone. Now the Rainmaker finishes Briscoe at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Briscoe can work well with anyone and that includes Okada working at half speed. That’s just what you’re going to get most of the time with Okada, but there is quite the potential for his showdown next month with Omega. I could go with Briscoe having a better story though, which has been missing for a good while.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mistico

Naturally MJF has the very American style gear, which looks quite a bit like MVP’s old stuff. Mistico gets an incredible reaction, with the fans singing his song, which is no surprise given what an incredible draw he is for CMLL, especially around here. MJF takes him down to start and we get a standoff with the fans rather behind Mistico.

Back up and Mistico runs the ropes for a wristdrag to the floor before teasing a dive. Mistico gives chase on the floor but is smart enough to not run into the Hurt Syndicate. That’s enough of a distraction for MJF to get in a cheap shot and pose as the fans calm down a bit. A powerbomb onto the knee puts Mistico down again and we take a break. We come back with MJF slugging away and Mistico hammering him down. Mistico tornado DDTs him down and sends MJF outside for a springboard dive.

Back in and a springboard Swanton sets up Mistico’s missed moonsault so he settles for a powerslam instead. A Canadian Destroyer cuts MJF off again and they go to the ramp, where Mistico charges into a tombstone. Mistico manages to beat the count back in, where the super Spanish Fly (albeit not a great one) gets two. La Mistica makes MJF tap but MVP distracts the referee, allowing MJF to hit a low blow for two more. Back up and MJF kicks him low and that’s enough for the DQ at 16:50.

Rating: B. This is the kind of spot where MJF shines, as he knows how to drive a crowd crazy like few others. That was the case again here, with the fans going nuts at the idea of MJF doing such things to their hero. Odds are we’ll be seeing these two again and it would make a lot of sense to put that match on All In.

Post match MJF beats on Mistico some more and takes the mask. That sounds lucha de apuestay at All In to me. Various good guys come in for the save.

Hologram vs. Lio Rush vs. Ricochet vs. Mascara Dorada

The winner gets four million pesos. Rush poses to start so the other three glare at him, only for Ricochet to team up with Rush for the beatdowns. Hologram and Dorada are back up with superkicks to Ricochet and Rush, both of whom are knocked outside. The villains cut off some stereo dives, leaving Ricochet to plant Dorada. Rush dives onto Hologram and we take a break.

Back with Hologram slugging away but Ricochet and Rush take him down. That’s enough of the working together though and Ricochet shoves Rush, only to get caught with a running hurricanrana from Dorada. Hologram and Dorada hit some dives before Hologram tornado DDTs Dorada for two back inside. Dorada’s crucifix bomb gets the same but Rush is back in to cut him off.

Ricochet can’t hit Vertigo so Rush snaps off some poisonranas. A middle rope version gets two on Dorada so Ricochet goes up, only to get cut off. Rush’s super hurricanrana is blocked so Rush rolls Hologram up with feet on the ropes for two. Hologram grabs his spinning torture rack bomb to finish Rush at 15:55.

Rating: B. Here’s the problem with Hologram: I was relatively certain that he was going to win because, well, that’s what he does. At the same time, Hologram feels like he has been in this same spot for months. I’m not sure what they’re waiting on with him, but it would be nice to see him getting to do something a bit more important than these random matches which are rarely more than flying around for one spot after another.

CMLL Women’s Title: Zeuxis vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is challenging and gets thrown down by the stronger Zeuxis to start. Mone’s middle rope sunset flip is blocked and Zeuxis plants her down for two. Something like the Bank Statement goes on but Zeuxis rolls away to the floor, only for Mone to come back with a middle rope Meteora. Zeuxis knocks her outside again though and hits a heck of a dive as we take a break.

Back with Mone kicking out again and both of them needing a breather. Mone gets another Bank Statement but Zeuxis powers up and slams her down for two more. Zeuxis takes her to the middle rope for a slam, which is reversed a super small package to give Mone the pin and the title at 9:17.

Rating: C+. And Mone wins again, which is just kind of what she does. In theory that’s what she’s going to do again at All In, though seeing her with another title doesn’t change anything. She’s just doing a lot of the same stuff over and over again, which is still entertaining because she is incredibly talented, but at the same time, it would be nice to see something fresh.

Post match Toni Storm pops up for a film noir speech about how she’s coming for Mone. Mina Shirakawa appears for a distraction and Storm appears to chase Mone off.

Will Ospreay/Opps/Swerve Strickland vs. Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos

Mortos kicks (the bandaged) Ospreay into the corner to start and grabs a quick Samoan drop. Ospreay fights up to send Mortos outside but the Bucks cut off the dive. Back in and the Bucks beat up Ospreay and Strickland without much trouble and Ospreay’s comeback is cut off. Yuta comes in and hammers on Strickland, which seems to just annoy him.

Strickland fights up and brings in Joe to unload on Yuta in the corner. It’s off to Shibata for some beating of his own before the Opps take turns with running corner shots. Moxley comes back in to strike it out with Joe before everything breaks down. Ospreay’s big corkscrew dive to the floor takes out a pile and we go to a break.

We come back with Moxley slamming Ospreay for two and starting in on his arm. That’s broken up and Hobbs comes back in to clean house. Hobbs does not care for the Bucks going after him and he fights off an attempted quadruple teaming. A powerslam gets two on Yuta but Mortos is back up to clean house. Joe Rock Bottoms Mortos out of the corner but the Bucks are back in with the superkicks.

A double Oscutter takes the Bucks down and Strickland hits a dive. Shibata shrugs off Yuta’s running knee and kicks him in the chest, leaving Strickland to slug it out with Moxley. Ospreay and Strickland team up for Chasing The Dragon on Moxley…but Marina Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Moxley to roll Strickland up with tights for the win at 16:15.

Rating: B. Another wild match with Hobbs getting some great shine, though naturally Moxley takes a big beating and wins anyway, because that’s what he does (a pattern is emerging on this show). Swerve and Ospreay continue teasing working together, which very well could be coming at All In as well. There was a lot going on here but they made it work, which is rather impressive given how many bodies they had moving around.

Post match the villains beat Strickland down but Hangman Page comes in for the save. The slugout is on with Moxley but Page’s Buckshot Lariat hits Nick Jackson. Matt Jackson is annoyed so Moxley tries to bring in the briefcase, which is cut off by a group stare. Page glares at the Bucks to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this show, with the crowd being more than enough to help carry things. That being said, I could have gone with something other than the usuals winning, as Mone, Hologram and Moxley winning feels like something that has been done to death. Overall though, rather entertaining and quality show, with nothing bad in the ring and some things being tightened up before All In.

Results
Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario b. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr. – Small package to Harwood
Kazuchika Okada b. Mark Briscoe – Rainmaker
Mistico b. MJF via DQ when MJF kicked him low
Hologram b. Lio Rush, Ricochet and Mascara Dorada – Spinning torture rack bomb to Rush
Mercedes Mone b. Zeuxis – Super small package
Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos b. Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland/Opps – Rollup with tights to Strickland

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 12, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are about a month away from Supercard Of Honor and thus far, it seems that we have one match likely for the show. In theory that should mean something gets put together here, but stranger things have happened in Ring Of Honor. If nothing else, it would be nice to see someone coming after the World Title so let’s get to it.

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

Shane Taylor Promotions is tired of waiting. I’m tired of waiting for Shane Taylor Promotions to be interesting.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Atlantis Jr./Templario vs. Magnus/Volador Jr.

Volador isn’t interested in shaking hands before taking Templario down to start. Back up and Templario trips him down before it’s off to Magnus and Atlantis. Some double teaming has Atlantis in trouble but he pops back up to clear the rudos out. Templario comes back in and flips over both of them, followed by an armdrag to Magnus.

Back in and Volador hits a powerslam, only to get dropkicked by Templario. Everything breaks down until Atlantis is sent outside, leaving Templario to get kicked in the ribs for two. Atlantis comes back in and is immediately elbowed down, leaving Magnus to go for his mask. Magnus ties Atlantis in the Tree Of Woe for the stomping but Atlantis is right back with the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The powerslam plants Magnus though and the frog splash finishes for Atlantis at 7:54.

Rating: B-. Usual entertaining stuff from the CMLL guys, even if it feels like they’re just doing random matches over and over. I still don’t get the appeal of Atlantis Jr., but Templario has one of the best looking masks I’ve ever seen and Magnus does well almost any time he is in the ring.

Preston Vance vs. Evil Uno

The rest of the Frat House and Alex Reynolds are here too. Vance jumps him to start but gets sent outside. Back up and Uno hammers away, only for the Frat House to get in some cheap shots to take over. Vance mocks the Dark Order pose and flips Reynolds off, which seems to wake Uno up.

Uno Stunners his way out of trouble but misses a charge, allowing Vance to grab the full nelson. That’s only good for two arm drops and Uno fights back with the right hands in the corner. A DDT plants Vance for two but Uno can’t hit a piledriver. Vance’s Samoan driver gets two but Uno is back with a discus lariat. The Frat House offers a distraction though, allowing Vance to get in a shot with the paddle for the pin at 6:42.

Rating: C-. This is what I mean when I talk about a match that feels like it is just there. These various groups have been having matches for months and it feels like nothing has changed at all. That’s not good storytelling but it keeps going no matter what, which makes for some very tedious action. It doesn’t help that neither of these guys are anything noteworthy in the ring, making this even less interesting.

Post match John Silver returns to chase off the Frat House and hits a helicopter slam to one of the prospects.

Red Velvet is on her way to Mexico for three matches.

Red Velvet vs. Harleen Lopez

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Lopes wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Lopez powers her down to start but Velvet is back up with a dropkick. A butterfly suplex sends Velvet into the corner but she’s fine enough to grab a snapmare. Velvet wins the strike off and the flipping faceplant finishes at 2:42.

We look at Nick Wayne in the New Japan Best Of The Super Juniors tournament.

The Dark Order wants to face the Frat House in a six man tag.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Vaughn Vertigo/Martian Webb/Riley Reinhart/Joe Demaro

Dean powers Webb into the corner to start and it’s Bravo coming in for the stomps in the Tree Of Woe. Demaro comes in and gets tied in the ropes for some rapid fire clotheslines, followed by Taylor’s big chop in the corner. Taylor throws him over for the tag to Vertigo, who is quickly knocked down by Moriarty. Reinhart comes in and for some reason slugs away at Taylor, earning him a splash for two, with Webb making a save. Taylor’s “you are DUMB” look is great and everything breaks down. Moriarty kicks Reinhart in the chest and grabs the Border City Stretch for the win at 5:02.

Rating: C. Speaking of things that seem like they are going nowhere, I present you with Shane Taylor Promotions, who have been talking about being ready to break through and be taken seriously or whatever for months now. It’s the same stuff over and over and that stopped being interesting or believable a long time ago. They do this kind of squash well enough, but spare me on trying to make them a thing.

Bandido vs. Mansoor

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Mansoor wins or lasts ten minutes, he gets a future title shot. Mason Madden, Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie are here with Bandido. Mansoor ducks behind him and strikes a pose to start before jumping over Bandido and posing again.

Bandido knocks him down and does the gun pose but Madden breaks up a 21 Plex attempt. A cheap shot puts Bandido in trouble and Mansoor gets in a hard whip to the steps. Back in and a backbreaker gives Mansoor two and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and Bandido comes off the top with a twisting crossbody.

The one armed gorilla press sets up the frog splash but Madden breaks up the 21 Plex. The double underhook spinning slam gives Mansoor two and the other villains choke, only to get caught and ejected. A Backstabber sets up Mansoor’s missed moonsault so it’s the X Knee into the 21 Plex to give Bandido the pin at 7:17.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have the World Champion in action on the show, even if this hardly feels like anything important. The problem at the moment is the same that it has always been: there really aren’t things like contenders or challengers for titles around here, so the champion will have random matches (or even ones with small feuds like Bandido has been in recently) but it doesn’t feel worthy of a World Title match in the slightest.

Post match Lee Johnson comes out for a distraction and Blake Christian jumps Bandido from behind. Christian holds up the title but Mascara Dorada comes out to cut off that insanity. Dorada holds up the title and implies that he wants a title match to end the show. Well, it’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: C. And so much for the tiny bit of interest they were teasing last week for Supercard Of Honor. Athena and Thunder Rosa are not even mentioned this week and it looks like we’re heading towards Bandido vs. Dorada for the title. That’s not exactly a must see match, but I’m sure it will make CMLL happy and apparently that’s about half of the reason Ring Of Honor exists.

Results
Atlantis Jr./Templario b. Magnus/Volador Jr. – Frog splash to Magnus
Preston Vance b. Evil Uno – Paddle to the face
Red Velvet b. Harleen Lopez – Flipping faceplant
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Riley Reinhart/Martian Webb/Vaughn Vertigo/Joe Demaro – Border City Stretch to Reinhart
Bandido b. Mansoor – 21 Plex

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re finally getting closer to Supercard To Honor and that means we might actually get a big story around here for once. Then again you never know what you’re going to see around here as ROH tends to take its sweet time setting up the big events. In this case we’re also getting closer to the Women’s Pure Wrestling Title being a thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Trish Adora vs. La Catalina

The Infantry is here with Adora. They take turns shoving each other down until Catalina grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Catalina snaps off some armdrags, followed by a running dropkick. Adora is right back up with a knockdown and starts cranking on the arm. The Air Raid Crash stretch is broken up and Catalina is back with a running boot. A Pedigree gives Catalina two and a bridging German suplex gives Adora the same. They go up top and Catalina slips down into an electric chair, followed by a top rope splash for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Catalina continues to be someone who works well when given the chance, but she hasn’t had all that much success against bigger names. Until that comes, this is about all she’s likely to do, though hopefully we get to see her doing more. The division needs some fresh blood and Catalina could be part of that.

Post match respect is shown.

Taya Valkyrie brags about her star power and calls the tournament a casting call for the main character. Which is her you see.

Lance Archer vs. Diego Hill

Hill’s springboard high crossbody is knocked out of the air and a swinging Rock Bottom puts him down again. Archer’s nose is busted open somewhere in there and he grabs something like a standing Sharpshooter for the tap at 2:10. The blood dripping off Archer’s face is eerie.

Post match Archer gives him the Blackout for a bonus.

Athena is back next week. In person I’m assuming.

We go to this weekend’s Dean Rasmussen tribute show, co-promoted with Action Wrestling.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

Moriarty is defending. Mako, who is known for his cross armbreaker, grabs a cross armbreaker and Moriarty uses his first rope break about 40 seconds in. Back up and Moriarty runs the ropes to grab the Border City Stretch, making it a rope break each. A springboard clothesline sets up something like a seated Octopus to keep Mako in trouble.

Mako belly to back suplexes his way to freedom and a spinwheel kick cuts Moriarty off. They fight over a suplex until Moriarty gets in another Border City Stretch to make Mako use another rope break. Mako superplexes him into a Falcon Arrow and the cross armbreaker sends Moriarty over for another rope break of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Moriarty pulls him into another Border City Stretch, this time with a foot on Mako’s face for the tap to retain at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen much of Mako, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen in him so far. That being said, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of being in a Pure Rules match. The whole thing continues to feel like something that is tacked on I’m really not sure why it needs to be its own championship.

Post match, respect is shown.

Also from the Rasmussen show:

Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Valiente/Virus vs. Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr./Xelhua

So this is a Torneo Cibernetico, which is a ten man survival match. Panther wrestles Xelhua down to the floor to start but Xelhua is right back with a leglock and we stop for a standoff. Cerebro and Virus come in to continue the grappling until Virus takes him down by the leg. Virus’ armbar is broken up and they go to another standoff. They shake hands and it’s off to Valiente vs. the much bigger Euforia. A running hurricanrana sends Euforia outside and we get Neon vs. Volador.

That means a single running hurricanrana and Volador is outside, so it’s Hologram vs. Averno to complete the first run through. Hologram spins around and grabs an anklescissors out to the floor for the big dive. Back in and we get some rapid fire tags until Virus suplexes Xelhua a few times for two each. Virus ties up the arms and neck and Xelhua taps for the first elimination at 9:10.

It’s off to Cerebro but Volador pulls Virus outside. The brawl doesn’t last long until it’s Euforia super press slams Virus. A powerbomb gives Euforia the pin on Virus to tie it up at 11:04. Panther comes in and gets double stomped down but fights up to clean house anyway. It’s off to Valiente, who tries to take Volador down but gets caught with a Backstabber for the pin at 13:21.

Neon gets triple teamed and pulled out to the floor, with Hologram getting the same treatment. A running dropkick takes Hologram down but Panther is back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neon and Hologram hit back to back high crossbodies to take Euforia down, only for Hologram to superkick Neon by mistake. Euforia wrecks the two of them until a super hurricanrana takes him down. A moonsault into a top rope double stomp gives Hologram the pin on Euforia and we’re tied up at 16:33.

Panther comes in and gets rolled up by Cerebro but Panther stacks him up for the pin at 17:25. It’s off to Neon vs. Averno with the latter getting his boots up to block a moonsault. Neon runs the corner for a rather spinning armdrag but Averno is back with a super Pedigree (ouch) for the pin at 19:02.

So it’s Hologram/Panther vs. Averno/Volador with Panther clotheslining Averno but getting sat on the top. A double superplex drops Panther, with Hologram having to make a save. Panther cuts off a double monkey flip, allowing Hologram to get a double cover for two in a clever move. Back up and a superbomb/Backstabber get stereo near falls on Hologram and Panther but they’re back with a cradle/torture rack bomb for the double pin at 23:56.

Rating: B-. This is the definition of not something I’m overly familiar with, as I’ve only heard a few of the names before. I did like what I was seeing though as the concept wasn’t hard to understand and the action was good. It’s not something I’d like to watch week after week, but it was more than fun enough to work for a week.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate beating the Sons Of Texas at Double Or Nothing.

Satnam Singh vs. Facade

Facade tries some kicks to the legs to start and is loudly chopped for his efforts. Some big beals send Facade flying and the comeback is cut off by a chokeslam to give Singh the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a slightly extended version of the usual Singh match and that means it was….well it was a giant squashing a non-giant. They’ve figured out that Singh is basically the ROH version of an attraction and that’s as good of a use as he has at the moment. Let him go out there and have the fans go ooooo at him. It’s something that has worked for giants over the years and it’s working again now.

We look at Hologram and Bandido’s team winning an eight man tag at Double Or Nothing.

Frat House vs. Rhino/Hologram

Hologram and Garrison start things off with an exchange of dives over the other. Hologram sends him into the corner and it’s off to Karter, with Rhino coming in as well. For some reason Karter slaps him in the face, earning a running shoulder in the corner. Everything breaks down and Jakked Jameson offers a distraction so Preston Vance can send Hologram into the barricade. A double flapjack plants Hologram but he strikes his way to freedom. Hologram gets over for the tag to Rhino, who snaps off the belly to belly for two on Garrison. Hologram hits a dive and Rhino hits the Gore for the pin on Garrison at 7:29.

Rating: C. This was a perfect example of “send them home happy” and it went fine. Rhino is a hometown star and he came in to help a popular wrestler against some goofs. It’s a story that works well for a one off, with the assist coming from Rhino still being able to carry his own in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t a show you needed to see or a show with much going on, but it was also a very different kind of show than you usually see from Ring Of Honor. I’ll definitely take that over what we tend to get, as it at least had me wondering what I was going to see. Now just start talking about Supercard Of Honor, because it’s getting close.

Results
La Catalina b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash
Lance Archer b. Diego Hill – Standing leglock
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako – Border City Stretch
Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Virus/Xelhua b. Valiente/Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr. – Double pin
Satnam Singh b. Facade – Chokeslam
Rhino/Hologram b. Frat House – Gore to Garrison

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s another Friday show due to Collision airing on Thursday due to Double Or Nothing weekend. On paper that means we should be in for something a bit more special than usual but Ring Of Honor does not tend to follow logic. Hopefully it works out here with an entertaining outing but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena (haven’t seen her in a bit) isn’t happy enough to make jokes at the moment so she’s getting to the point: Billie Starkz is entering the Women’s Pure Title tournament. No one can interfere to help her so for once, do your job and come home with some gold.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Marina Shafir vs. Laynie Luck

Shafir goes for the arm off the handshake to start and goes for an early cross armbreaker. Luck manages to get to the apron and goes for the legs but Shafir pulls her into a triangle choke. Some hard shots to the head set up a running knee in the corner for some near falls as the destruction is on. Luck pulls a sunset flip into an STF out of nowhere (the fans are VERY happy) but Shafir is back out. An enziguri rocks Shafir but she pulls Luck into Mother’s Milk for the fast win at 4:10.

Rating: C. This was more or less a squash until Luck got in a bit of offense, only to get smashed again. That’s what you expect from a Shafir match and thankfully the fans are enough behind Luck that they cared what they were seeing. Shafir can be fun to watch when she gets to smash through some people and that’s what we saw here.

Gringo Loco vs. Blake Christian

Lee Johnson is here with Christian, who jumps Loco to start and stomps away in the corner. The fans are behind Loco, who gets taken down with an anklescissors, but comes back with a knockdown of his own. A top rope spinning split legged moonsault gets two on Christian and they both go up.

Something like a DDT onto the top turnbuckle sends Loco outside and a diving DDT over the bottom rope takes him down again. Back in and Christian hits a flipping splash and drops a leg to keep Loco in trouble. The taunting takes too long though and Loco pulls him into a pumphandle swinging Downward Spiral.

Loco goes up and gets caught in a super hurricanrana, setting up a 450 double stomp to give Christian two. They both go up again, with Loco hitting a super Spanish Fly for his own near fall as the fans are WAY into this. A pumphandle piledriver is broken up and Christian hits a 619 to the ribs. Christian hits a poisonrana and the Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Loco at 8:39.

Rating: B. WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM? I was expecting nothing more than a generic, basic match here and they went out and came this close to tearing the house down. This was a heck of an entertaining match with one high spot after another. Rather good stuff here and I’ll absolutely take this as a huge surprise.

We look at Billie Starkz winning the Women’s TV Title tournament.

Queen Aminata vs. Allysin Kay

Pure Rules. Aminata pulls her down for a full nelson with the legs and Kay uses her first rope break less than a minute in. The Rings Of Saturn send Kay straight over to the ropes again and she comes up with a right hand for the first warning. Kay gives her a fall away slam to send Aminata outside, where Kay bites her finger. Back in and they trade strikes to the face, with Kay’s big kick getting two. Aminata headbutts her down and ties up…well almost everything for the tap at 6:07.

Rating: C. If there is a point to this division, title or tournament, it is completely eluding me. The men’s division barely exists and now we are getting a third women’s title for no apparent reason. It’s not like there was anything special to the match in the first place and it just came and went, with a tournament of them coming in the next few weeks. Why that is supposed to be interesting is beyond me but here we are.

Serena Deeb is tired of coming here and never winning anything in years. Now she has heard about the Pure Rules Title and knows that is tailor made for her. She’s done waiting and being patient and is going to win because this is hers.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Barbaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Volador Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr./Neon/Fuego

Fuego and Volador start things off with Fuego taking over, meaning it’s time for some dancing. Cavernario comes in and gets taken down, with Hechicero getting the same treatment. Back in and some triple teaming takes Atlantis down but he fights out without much effort. Neon comes in for a springboard armdrag out of the corner but Hechicero grabs him from the apron. A double powerbomb plants Neon and it’s back to Fuego, who gets taken down as well.

Fuego gets tossed into the air for a missile dropkick and it’s back to Atlantis, who gets kicked in the chest. A reverse monkey flip into a double knee to the face gets two on Atlantis, who fights up to knock Cavernario…into the Worm? Everything breaks down and Fuego and Neon hit stereo dives but Cavernario drops Atlantis. A running springboard splash hits raised knees though and a Canadian Destroyer plants Cavernario. The frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 8:06.

Rating: B-. It was the usual fun match but “the usual” is the problem. Ring Of Honor has been running these matches for a few months now and while they’re quick fun, there’s nothing here that really stands out. Atlantis continues to be one of the least interesting stars I’ve seen in a long time and that was on full display here. Fuego and Neon are fun, but these matches might as well be on a loop because nothing about them is unique in the slightest.

Overall Rating: C+. Thank goodness for Blake Christian here, as he and Loco stole this otherwise completely forgettable show. I have no idea what was supposed to be special about this episode, but that is pretty par for the course for Ring Of Honor. The wrestlers work hard, but there is nothing about this show that feels important, special, memorable or engaging in the slightest most weeks. In other words, this was as Ring Of Honor as you could get.

Results
Marina Shafir b. Laynie Luck – Mother’s Milk
Blake Christian b. Gringo Loco – Vanilla Choke Zero
Queen Aminata b. Allysin Kay – Seated Octopus
Atlantis Jr./Neon/Fuego b. Babaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Volador Jr. – Frog splash to Cavernario

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 27, 2025
Location: The Theater At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’ve actually got a major show set as Supercard Of Honor will be taking place in early May. That gives us something to look forward to, but in addition we are likely going to have Chris Jericho defending the World Title against Bandido at Dynasty, title vs. mask. We should get some more build towards that this week so let’s get to it.

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

Athena tells Diamante that she isn’t sure about Diamante joining the Minions because she doesn’t let just anyone in. Billie Starkz comes up to tap Athena on the shoulder, with Athena suggesting that it’s time for someone new in the Minions.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Okumura vs. Dark Panther

Okumura clotheslines him down to start and they’re quickly on the floor. Panther gets whipped into the barricade for two back inside but he’s right back up with a running dropkick. A slightly modified 619 gives Panther two but Okumura grabs an Iconoclasm and a running cutter for a breather. Panther’s Fujiwara armbar is cut off and they trade kicks to the back. Okumura is sent outside for a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by another dive to do it again. Back in and Panther misses a dropkick but grabs a small package for the fast pin at 6:10.

Rating: C+. This was the signature AEW/ROH win to get someone back on track after their big loss. Panther is at least becoming more of a regular character on the show, but we still only know so much about him. That’s more than can be said about Okumura, who is apparently “a guy who has been here before”, end of biography.

Post match Okumura won’t shake hands.

We see a clip of a video on Komander from AEW’s Youtube page.

We look at the MxM Collection stealing the Tag Team Title which has since been recovered.

Sons Of Texas/Willie Mack vs. MxM Collection/Johnny TV

Mack and TV start things off and we actually get a handshake. TV picks up the pace a bit and slips through Mack’s legs but gets dropped with a hard shot to the face. Guevara comes in and hits a dropkick but TV forearms him down without much trouble. It’s off to Mansoor, who gets taken down as well with a springboard moonsault. Rhodes comes in and gets dropped with a clothesline from the apron to cut him down.

Madden’s hip attack drops Rhodes and an old Sidewinder gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Rhodes fights up and grabs the snap powerslam, allowing the tag off to Guevara. A big dive takes out TV on the floor and another drops Mansoor as Guevara gets to clean house. Everything breaks down and Mack Stuns Mansoor, leaving Rhodes to hit the Canadian Destroyer. Shattered Dreams hits Mansoor and Guevara drops Madden with a middle rope cutter. The GTH to TV gives Guevara the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. Another perfectly fine match, even if the Collection vs. the Sons should have been wrapped up a good while ago. Mack is kind of a random person to team with them but I do like getting to see him do something of note after being little more than a jobber for so long. Sidenote: the fact that this was Rhodes in a six man tag and his Six Man Tag Team Champion partners were never named isn’t a good sign.

Post match the villains beat down the winners and steal one of the titles AGAIN.

Lady Frost and Taya Valkyrie didn’t win the CMLL Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Athena/Diamante vs. Mazzerati/Jordan Blu

Diamante and Mazzerati start things off as commentary tries to figure out why Diamante wants to be a Minion. Mazzerati quickly hands it off to Blu, who is quickly beaten down as well. It’s back to Mazzerati, so Diamante gives her a German suplex. Blu gets knocked to the floor and Athena comes in with the forearm to finish Mazzerati at 2:50. Total squash.

We look at Chris Jericho challenging Bandido to a title vs. mask match at Dynasty.

Premiere Athletes vs. Dark Order

The Frat House is watching from the crowd as the Athletes get in a cheap shot to start fast. It’s a brawl to start but the Order clears the villains out to get things going for good. Reynolds gets caught with a running clothesline to the floor and the Athletes hammer away on him in the corner. A hard whip into the corner drops Reynolds again but he’s able to grab a backdrop.

Uno gets pulled off the apron though and Reynolds is pulled back so Daivari can start in on his leg. Reynolds fights out of that without much trouble and it’s Uno coming in for a double DDT. Nese comes back in to clean house but gets taken down by Reynolds. The Frat House throws a drink on Reynolds and Preston Vance comes in to give him a spinebuster. Daivari’s Magic Carpet Splash is good for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C. This was a fairly dull six man, with the Frat House stuff not exactly making it that much better. The problem is these teams all feel as low on the ladder as you can get and that doesn’t make for the most thrilling matches. Throw in how many times we’ve probably seen them fight and it somehow gets even worse.

Post match the Athletes and the Frat House pose together.

QT Marshall has annoyed actor Paul Walter Hauser by throwing alcohol on him.

Hauser wants revenge.

Marshall says Hauser is a fan and Marshall tried to make him look good in a recent match. Hauser owes him an apology, but if he wants a match, come ask for one like a man.

Viva Van vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata slips out of a wristlock to start as a few people are cheering for Van. An early cross armbreaker sends Aminata over to the ropes and she’s right back with a running kick to the chest for two. Back up and Van hits a nice spinwheel kick for two before ramming Aminata’s head into the mat. They trade some rather loud chops until Aminata knocks her into the ropes for Off With Her Head and the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how many times I can say something to the effect of “cool, now do something” about a match like this. Aminata is another person who gets a mini push every so often and then loses again. It’s hard to get any real momentum going, even if she wins a match like this. Van had some good stuff in there, with that spinwheel kick standing out.

The Premiere Athletes are very happy with their win and they want the Tag Team Titles.

Los Titantes del Aire are happy with how things went in CMLL.

Rugido/Volador Jr./Barbaro Cavernario vs. Atlantis Jr./Titan/Fuego

They start fast and it’s Cavernario vs. Fuego to officially get things going. The rapid fire tags/switches are on, with Atlantis getting to clean house. Titan comes in but gets beaten down with some triple teaming. With Titan being pulled off the top for the crash, Cavernario hits a running basement dropkick before it’s time to go after the mask (as is custom).

Fuego and Atlantis both come in and are both knocked down without much trouble. Cavernario’s powerslam gets two on Fuego and we hit a seated abdominal stretch to slow things down a bit. With that broken up, it’s time to go after Atlantis’ mask before Volador settles for just choking in the corner. Titan comes back in for a springboard double dropkick and Atlantis is back up to fight back.

Everything breaks down again and an exchange of strikes leaves everyone down. Volador and Titan strike it out until Titan hurricanranas him to the floor for a suicide dive. Atlantis and Cavernario get to strike it out this time, with Atlantis’ big boot…causing Cavernario to do the Worm. Cavernario takes way too long setting up some kind of a splash and lands on a raised boot. A Canadian Destroyer into the frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fun, but it was fun watching these seemingly random six man tags for the last month and a half or so. They’re just kind of a feature on the shows now and while they’re good, you could swap them in and out for just about any other show with nothing changing. As usual, find something for these people to do. I’m well aware that it’s part of their international deal with CMLL, but that doesn’t mean it makes for interesting viewing week after week.

Overall Rating: C. This almost felt like a rerun, as so many of the things could have been swapped in from previous weeks. You have the CMLL main event, the Collection stealing one of the title belts, and something with Aminata and the Athletes/Order. There isn’t much that is worth seeing here and it wasn’t overly interesting when I’ve seen such similar things for the last few weeks. Supercard Of Honor could help, but dang I’m worried about how random the card might be.

Results
Dark Panther b. Okumura – Small package
Sons Of Texas/Willie Mack b. MxM Collection/Johnny TV – GTH to TV
Athena/Diamante b. Mazzerati/Jordan Blu – Forearm to Mazzerati
Premiere Athletes b. Dark Order – Magic Carpet Splash to Reynolds
Queen Aminata b. Viva Van – Off With Her Head
Atlantis Jr./Titan/Fuego b. Rugido/Volador Jr./Barbaro Cavernario – Frog splash to Cavernario

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 20, 2025
Location: Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Normally we would be on the way towards Supercard Of Honor but that doesn’t seem to be the case this year. At the moment, the big story seems to be Chris Jericho defying Gravity and annoying Bandido in the process, which doesn’t seem likely to play an important role on this show. The TV Title is on the line though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Hechicero/Volador Jr./Rugido vs. Mistico/Fuego/Neon

Hechicero takes Neon down by the leg to start and they go into the grappling. Neon’s leg gets tied up but he reverses into a Brock Lock of all things. Back up and Hechicero pulls him into a surfboard, with Neon standing up to escape. Neon spins him out with an armdrag and it’s off to Mistico vs. Volador. Rugido comes in for a cheap shot on Mistico as Ian gives us a history between Volador and Mistico, which is kept short and to the point, making it that much more valuable.

Neon comes back in and gets thrown into the air for a kick to the chest but it’s quickly back to Mistico. A wishbone has Mistico in trouble again but he elbows and hurricanranas his way out of trouble. Everything breaks down and Mistico and company hit stereo dives. Fuego comes in to dance at Rugido before taking him down with an armdrag. It’s off to Hechicero, who gets some more Fuego dancing before Neon springboard hurricanranas Rugido to the floor. Mistico comes in again and gets to clean more house before Fuego and Neon hit stereo dives. Back in and La Mistica finishes Rugido at 12:32.

Rating: B. As usual, it was the fun match that you have come to expect but at the same time, it’s the same match that doesn’t build anywhere and is little more than a showcase. If only there were, I don’t know, some titles that these six man teams could challenge for in the future. But nah, that would mean defending those belts and we haven’t done that in nearly eight months so why bother?

Viva Van vs. La Catalina

They fight over wrist control to start and trade legsweeps for some near falls. A fisherman’s suplex gives Catalina two but Van is back up with a spinwheel kick for two of her own. The Rocking Horse keeps Catalina in trouble but she’s back up with a Shining Wizard for two more. Van is back up with a victory roll for another near fall and a springboard crossbody drops Catalina again. Catalina’s running dropkick in the corner sets up a Pedigree for two so she pulls Van into an arm trap choke for the win at 6:18.

Rating: C+. More fun stuff here, with Catalina getting to stand out with some of her rather impressive offense. She’s already gotten her title shot against Athena so maybe she could move on to the Women’s TV Title or something else. On the other side, Van has come a long way in the last few months and it’s nice to see her develop so well.

We look at the Beast Mortos’ success in ROH. Ignore his lack of success in AEW.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros

Aeros and Dralistico chop it out to start and Dralistico stomps away to take over. More stomping in the corner has Aeros in more trouble before it’s off to Mortos to slug away at Theseus. Dralistico is back in with his springboard Codebreaker for the pin at 2:22.

Video on Komander before tonight’s title defense.

Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox

They fight over wrist control to start and go to an early standoff. Stereo nipups lead to both of them blocking armdrags for the standoff sequel. Fox sends him outside and hits an early dive, followed by a ram into the steps. A flip dive off the barricade knocks Knight down again but he’s back up with a dropkick through the ropes.

Back in and Knight’s twisting splash gets two and we hit the double armbar. Fox fights up and hits a running hanging DDT. A package piledriver is broken up though and Knight plants him down. An F5 gives Knight two but Fox is back with an Iconoclasm into a cutter. Fox’s Swanton gets two more and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Fox pulls him into a crossface until Knight turns over into the ropes as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted, though I’m not sure I can remember Knight doing anything of note in ROH coming into the match. As usual, Fox is good at getting in a bunch of his stuff and looking impressive in the process, but it isn’t going to mean as much if he never wins anything important. That being said, fun match and I could go for more of Knight around here.

Satnam Singh vs. Sid Ellington

Ellington looks like an evil clown, which gives you one of the weirder names compared to his look. Singh throws him around, chops him down, throws him onto the turnbuckle, and finishes with a chokeslam at 2:41. As dominant as you would expect.

QT Marshall/Aaron Solo vs. Top Flight

Darius and Solo fight over a waistlock to start with Darius hitting a dropkick, seemingly impressing himself. Marshall comes in for a headlock but gets taken down by an anklescissors. It’s off to Dante, who is knocked outside for a crash to the floor. Back in and Darius gets suckered in for…well nothing actually so Dante hits a high crossbody.

The tag brings in Darius to clean house. A jumping clothesline gets two on Solo and a tornado DDT gets the same as everything breaks down. Darius gets caught with a belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination for two and Dante is knocked to the floor. Dante is back in with a hurricanrana to take Marshall out. That leaves Darius to get something like the Rings Of Saturn to make Solo tap at 8:27.

Rating: B-. Another entertaining match here, with Top Flight continuing their undefeated streak. That should mean something about the idea of them getting into the title hunt but you should know better than that by now. I have no idea why they haven’t gotten the chance to do something already, but Ring Of Honor isn’t known for the logic in its booking.

Here are the Outrunners to hype up the University Of Omaha’s game against St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament. The Infantry comes out to praise St. John’s and mock Omaha’s mascot, earning themselves a beating with some trashcans from the Outrunners. St. John’s would go on to massacre Omaha.

TV Title: Dark Panther vs. Komander

Komander is defending. Panther takes him down by the leg to start but Komander is back up to avoid a charge in the corner. A takedown sets up a sunset flip for two on Panther and we get an early standoff. The very springboardy armdrag is blocked and Panther hits a basement dropkick for two. The armbar has Komander in trouble until he fights up, only to get dropped with a clothesline.

Panther misses a charge into the post but he’s back up to cut off a dive. Komander gets tied up in the ropes and a rather loud chop drops him again. An inverted Gory stretch is broken up so Panther faceplants him down for a big crash. The surfboard goes on to stay on Komander’s knees but he backdrops a charging Panther over the top. The springboard flip dive drops Panther again but a moonsault hits raised boots. Panther dropkicks him down again for two, only to get backdropped outside again. Komander’s rope walk flip dive hits Panther again and the Cielito Lindo retains the title at 11:38.

Rating: B-. More good, entertaining high flying here, but what mattered the most with this match was the fact that they actually set up the match over a few weeks. This wasn’t just “someone wins a match and gets a title shot”, as they gave it a bit more effort and attention. It didn’t make for a great match but it made for a much better story and that is very welcome around here.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As has been the case in recent weeks, the show is entertaining, though the fact that a good chunk of it is focused on guest stars from CMLL doesn’t help things. It makes the show feel like it isn’t so much about Ring Of Honor but rather everyone else that they can find to fill in the gaps. That makes me wonder why Ring Of Honor continues to be a thing, but I’ve wondered that for a very long time now.

Results
Mistico/Fuego/Neon b. Hechicero/Volador Jr./Rugido – La Mistica to Rugido
La Catalina b. Viva Van – Arm trap choke
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Eli Theseus/Gabriel Aeros – Springboard Codebreaker to Theseus
Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox went to a time limit draw
Satnam Singh b. Sid Ellington – Chokeslam
Top Flight b. Aaron Solo/QT Marshall – Rings Of Saturn to Solo
Komander b. Dark Panther – Cielito Lindo

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

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