Ring Of Honor
Date: April 9, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice

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

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

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

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

Lio Rush vs. Nathan Cruz

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

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

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

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

Josh Woods vs. Matt Menard

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

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

Soleil vs. Komander

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

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

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

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

Shawn Taylor Promotions vs. Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang

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

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

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

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

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

Action Andretti vs. AR Fox

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

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

IInspiration vs. Viva Van/Frankie B

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

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

We look at Myron Reed beating Mansoor.

Workhorsemen vs. Rascalz

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

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

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

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

Nick Wayne vs. Alex Reynolds

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

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

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

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Bustah And The Brain

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

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

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

Respect is shown to end the show.

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

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

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

WWE Vault Grab Bag IV
Commentators: Marc Lowrance, Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Abraham Washington, Byron Saxton, Brett DiBiase, Matt Martlaro, Jim Ross, Chris Russo

This has become one of my favorite things to do lately as I’ll be looking at a totally random collection of matches from the WWE (or possibly WCW) Vault YouTube channels. You never know what they’re going to drop and it could be something even I’ve never seen before. We’ll be looking at another eleven matches here so let’s get to it.

From WCCW in Dallas, Texas, February 26, 1983.

Von Erichs vs. Freebirds

Lumberjack match. Hayes bails to the floor to start, which isn’t the most logical way to go in this kind of a match. Kerry and Gordy start things off and trade some fists until it’s quickly off to Hayes for the strutting. Hayes sends him into the buckle but gets punched down for two, meaning it’s off to David vs. Gordy.

David takes over rather quickly and hands it off to Kevin for the nice barefoot dropkick but Gordy sends him into the corner. Roberts comes in to choke on the rope and a pull of the trunks keeps David in trouble. A knee drop gets two and it’s back to Gordy to drive him into the corner. David gets a foot up to cut him off and it’s back to Kerry for the big hot comeback.

A snapmare into a knee drop has Gordy rocked but Roberts is right back in. Kerry gets dropped into a hammerlock and Hayes snaps the arm over the top rope. Hayes gets two off a hammerlock backbreaker and Kerry is sent outside where the lumberjacks…throw him back in without getting violent. Kerry manages the tag off to David and everything breaks down. Kerry and Roberts fight to the floor, leaving Hayes to come off the ropes with an ax handle. Kevin breaks up the cover though and David pins Gordy at 11:41.

Rating: B-. As usual, the match itself was only ok, but what mattered the most here was the crowd’s reaction. Make no mistake about it: nothing came close to getting this much heat in wrestling at this point, which is why WCCW is so fondly remembered to this day. It was the hottest feud in wrestling and that was the case for a very long time. Not great, but very entertaining.

Post match the Freebirds are ticked off before leaving. The Von Erichs thank the fans and want the World Title.

From Evansville, Indiana, February 3, 1998 in a dark match before Raw.

One Man Gang vs. Flanagan

The Gang gets quite the nostalgia pop and is a good bit slimmer than he was back in the day. Gang jumps him to start and chokes with a jacket before hammering away in the corner. Flanagan (Flash Flanagan, a longtime OVW star) comes back with a missile dropkick for one and some clotheslines, only to charge into a side slam. Gang splashes him in the corner but Flanagan is back with the usual assortment of strikes. Flanagan charges into a boot in the corner though and a huge clothesline puts him down again. The 747 finishes Flanagan off at 6:10.

Rating: C-. Oddly enough, the Gang didn’t look terrible here. He was out there doing his thing and looked decent doing it. The match wasn’t particularly good of course as Gang wasn’t great on his best day, but this was far from Earthquake’s disaster of an out of nowhere dark match. The other interesting thing is that Gang was only thirty seven here. It absolutely would not have been insane for him to still be going for a few more years so this was definitely worth a shot.

From New York City, New York, September 23, 1985.

Andre The Giant vs. King Kong Bundy

Yes this is the Colossal Jostle, which is a takeoff of Colossal Tussle, which was the planned name for the show that would eventually be dubbed Wrestlemania. Lou Albano and Jimmy Hart are here too. Andre powers him into the corner for the choke to start, with Bundy bailing out to the floor. Back in and Bundy hammers away in the corner but gets dropped with a quick headbutt. Bundy kicks him in the chest and boots him out to the floor for a change. Back in and Andre grabs an armbar and cranks away. Then he cranks some more.

Then they go to the mat with the cranking continues. We’ve been in this same hold for over three minutes now and there is just nothing happening. Wait, they turned over and rolled into the middle of the ring. Bundy FINALLY gets out of it after about four minutes and is headbutted outside for a heck of a bump. Back in and Andre wins a slugout before…well they might be loading up a tango. Bundy knocks him into the corner for more choking on the ropes but Andre cuts off a charge with a raised boot. Andre sits on Bundy’s chest but Big John Studd runs in for the DQ at 13:52.

Rating: D. Oh sweet goodness no. This was one of those matches where they were trying at the start and they could have done better if it was, say, eight minutes shorter. Having Andre work on the arm for almost a third of the match was quite the choice and it was hardly worth watching. They started fast and it was fun for a few minutes, but then reality set in and it got bad in a hurry.

Post match Andre rolls outside and grabs a chair, which he breaks over a table and chases the monsters off. Given that a ticked off Andre was a terrifying sight, I can’t blame them.

From WWC in Caguas, Puerto Rico, August 6, 1993.

Madusa vs. Luna Vachon

I believe that’s the date, as these two fought a few times in Puerto Rico around this time. They go to the mat to start with Vachon working on a hammerlock but getting reversed into a headscissors. That’s broken up and they head outside, with Madusa being sent (a long way) over the barricade.

Back in and Madusa grabs a slam but gets pulled into a nerve hold to put her back down. Madusa fights up and slaps her in the face a few times, setting up a chinlock. Vachon reverses into one of her own but that’s broken up as well, with Madusa grabbing a superplex for two. Back up and the missile dropkick misses for Madusa, allowing Vachon to get the quick pin at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Not exactly great stuff here, but women’s wrestling in 1993 was a very different universe. You could see the talent in there though and they were absolutely trying. It would have been nice to see things had they done this years later, but for now it’s certainly an interesting look at a rather different wrestling universe.

From New York City, New York, July 7, 2017.

US Title: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

Styles is challenging at a house show. Owens stalls a lot before the bell and we’re clipped to more stalling, though the bell singes to have rang. The threat of a wristlock sends Owens bailing to the floor, with Styles following him out. Back in and Owens hammers away but his ram into the corner is blocked. Styles sends him into the buckle instead and they go outside, with Owens being sent crashing down.

Back in and the Phenomenal Forearm misses, allowing Owens to score with the superkick. Some right hands in the corner let Owens load up the Cannonball but Styles rolls outside, leaving Owens to chill on the top rope instead. A clothesline gives Owens two and we hit the chinlock.

We’re clipped to Styles getting pulled back down into the chinlock but he fights up again. A jumping enziguri puts Owens down as well and Styles hits the seated forearm. The belly to back faceplant gives Styles two but Owens bails from the threat of the Styles Clash. Instead Styles goes with the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two and they’re both down again. Another superkick gives Owens two but the Swanton hits raised knees. The Styles Clash gives Styles two and the Phenomenal Forearm connects to give Styles the pin and the title at 13:04 shown.

Rating: B. It’s no surprise that these two had solid chemistry together, but it’s also fascinating to see something like this happen at a house show. That really wasn’t the case most of the time but as usual, the Garden was just different. They had a good match, and Styles winning the title (even though he wouldn’t hold it long) is an easy way to go as Styles can make just about anything work.

Styles gets to celebrate for a long time and spends some time with the fans on the way out for a good moment.

From FCW in 2010/11. This is a bit different as it’s a look back at an entire rivalry with a few matches.

Queen Of FCW/Divas Title: AJ Lee vs. Naomi Knight

From FCW TV, August 29, 2010. Winner take all and that would be the FCW Divas Title, not the main roster version. There are a bunch of Divas watching at ringside too. Lee shoulders her down to start but runs into the Rear View. A backslide with the splits gives Naomi two as commentary is having WAY too much fun looking at these two. Lee flips her over and hits a running knee for two but Naomi blocks a headscissors on the floor. They crash out to the floor and slug it out until it’s a double countout at 2:31.

AJ Lee vs. Naomi Knight

From FCW TV, September 29, 2010 and a non-title lumberjill match. Naomi grabs a headlock to start but gets kicked to the floor, where she is rather aggressively thrown back inside. Lee grabs the chinlock but Naomi sends her outside, where the lumberjills throw her back inside as well. Washington: “That kind of turns me on.” Sweet goodness this guy is insufferable. Back in and a Rear View drops Lee again but she’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. Lee goes up but gets leg lariated out of the air to give Naomi the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, but this was a VERY different time for women’s wrestling. These two weren’t exactly given much time (as we’re at less than six minutes over two matches) and while it seems there is a story, it definitely feels like FCW saying “here’s a women’s match”. You need a bit more than that, though this was on the higher level of women’s wrestling at this point.

Divas Title: Naomi Knight vs. AJ Lee

From FCW TV, January 23, 2011 and Naomi is defending. Lee takes over to start and sends Naomi outside. Back in and Lee grabs a chinlock but Naomi fights up without much trouble. A spinning kick to the head gives Naomi two but a slingshot rollup is broken up. Lee knees her in the face for two, followed by the yet to be named Black Widow. That’s reversed into a backbreaker for two more but Lee is back up with a standing Sliced Bread #2 for the pin and title at 5:04.

Rating: C. This got a bit more time and that did help, but there is still only so much to get from this kind of a match. At least they were able to fit in a bit more with Lee evening the series. They’re also getting the chance to showcase their talents more each time and that was a great thing to see, as it was basically a preview of the coming years.

Divas Title: Naomi Knight vs. AJ Lee

From FCW TV, March 13, 2011 and Lee is defending. Lee takes her down into an early Fujiwara armbar. The Rear View connects but Naomi misses a big crossbody into the ropes for a heck of a crash. Lee is right back on the arm but Naomi kicks her down again. Naomi fires off more kicks, only to get kicked down out of the corner. The standing Sliced Bread #2 finishes for Lee at 1:34. Well that was pretty definitive.

From Portland, Maine, July 21, 1992. This is a dark match from a TV taping (they taped shows for different series that day), including the first ever WWF ladder match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

Undertaker/Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair/Berzerker

Holy Lethal Lottery match! Paul Bearer, Mr. Perfect and Mr. Fuji are here too and this actually aired on a German WWF show later in the year (plus on a Randy Savage Unreleased DVD). We get the big staredown to start until Savage (the WWF Champion) grabs the mic for an OH YEAH. Savage and Flair start things off as we’re over two minutes in with no contact yet.

Flair does the hand slap and then slicks back his hair, meaning it’s finally time to lock up with about two and a half minutes burned off. Savage’s headlock is quickly reversed but he’s right back with a hammerlock. Flair bails to the rope so Savage slaps him in the face to make it more serious. Another slap has Flair down on one knee, with Perfect not exactly happy with any of this.

Flair does a rare leapfrog before getting dropped with a clothesline, meaning it’s off to Undertaker. The forearms and chops in the corner have as much effect as you would expect so Undertaker hits a gorilla press (and seems to stumble a bit as he slams Flair down). It’s off to Berzerker, who gets choked into the corner but knocks Undertaker outside. That’s fine with Undertaker of course, who sends Berzerler’s hands into the steps for some rather hilarious staggering selling.

Back in and Savage’s top rope ax handle gets two but Berzerker tosses him into the corner to take over. Flair comes in for a running chop and we hit the chinlock. Savage is tossed outside for a cheap shot from Perfect and Berzerker gets to toss him outside as well. The ring mats are pulled up and Savage gets caught underneath them for a bit of a weird spot. Back in and Savage gets tied up in the ropes but gets out and crawls over to Undertaker for the big tag. We don’t waste time as it’s a Tombstone to Berzerker, a clothesline to Flair and the big elbow to pin Berzerker at 13:37.

Rating: B-. Oh of course this was fun. There was pretty much no way that they weren’t going to have a good time out there, as it was the always effective idea of combining two feuds into one. I had a good time with this and it’s the kind of rarely seen match that is worth looking at all these years later. Come on. Savage and Berzerker? Undertaker and Flair? What’s not to like?

From Hartford, Connecticut, August 27, 1986, a dark match from a Wrestling Challenge taping.

Hulk Hogan/Junkyard Dog vs. Paul Orndorff/Adrian Adonis

Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart and Bob Orton are here too as Lord Alfred Hayes is ring announcer, which oddly works. Orndorff charges at Hogan and hammers away to start but Hogan fights back with right hands of his own. Hogan clears the ring of all the villains, both the legal and illegal ones, before hitting a jumping knee of all things to Orndorff. They fight out the floor with Hogan hammering away even more, followed by Dog coming in for right hands of his own.

The all fours headbutts have the villains down again and the crowd is going insane for all of this. There’s a bunch of trash thrown in and we settle down to Dog vs. Adonis (which thankfully allows Orndorff to fix his trunks, which were riding up). Dog wastes no time in sending Adonis outside, where Orton gets in a cheap shot to take over. Hogan isn’t having that but gets choked by some kind of a belt to put him down again. Back in and Dog headbutts Adonis, who flips around in quite the bump.

A double clothesline drops Adonis again but he’s able to come back with the sleeper. With Dog down, Orndorff adds a top rope fist drop and draws Hogan in like a moron. The chinlock goes on but Dog fights up and a double right hand puts both of them down again. Adonis is right there to cut off the tag though and a jumping elbow hits Dog. That doesn’t do much good though as Dog is up for the tag to Hogan a few seconds later, meaning right hands can come flying. Everything breaks down and Hart’s interference doesn’t work. Instead it’s the big leg to finish Adonis at 9:18.

Rating: B-. More entertaining stuff here, with Hogan of course being over like free beer in a frat house. You could pretty much put anyone with him and have them feel like a huge star, with the Dog already being a big deal on his own. That’s a pretty good situation to have and it worked again here. At the same time, Orndorff was absolutely white hot at this point and the best villain going, with Adonis being more than able to hang in there with anyone. Fun match.

Post match, a lot of posing ensues.

From the NXT pilot at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, December 7, 2011.

Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus/Daniel Bryan

Rhodes is the Intercontinental Champion and says tonight they have defied time because this is tomorrow’s superstars today. This makes you wonder what happens if tomorrow never comes, so what about the current champions? Rhodes asks the people if they know who he is, because he may be the ugly duckling of the Legacy but he is the future of the WWE. He’s ready to define Daniel Bryan but here is Bryan (with banged up ribs and his Money In The Bank briefcase) to cut him off.

With Rhodes’ future wife Eden Stiles out of the way, we’re ready to go. Rhodes shoulders Bryan down to start but gets kicked in the chest for his efforts. That earns Bryan an elbow to the bad ribs, allowing McIntyre to come in and stay on those ribs. Sheamus comes in and gets knocked into the corner by McIntyre. That doesn’t last long as McIntyre is knocked to the apron for the ten forearms. Rhodes is sent outside as well and Bryan adds a running knee from the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bryan giving McIntyre a dragon screw legwhip but McIntyre goes to the ropes to save himself. Back in and Rhodes goes after the ribs, only to get pulled into a surfboard. Rhodes gets rolled up for two and rolls outside, going all the way into the crowd. Sheamus comes in and unloads with forearms to Rhodes’ back, followed by a forearm to knock Rhodes out of the air. McIntyre gets a blind tag and boots Sheamus in the face for two as we take another break.

We come back with Rhodes’ front chancery setting up McIntyre’s suplex for two on Sheamus. It’s back to Rhodes to stomp away in the corner as JR says that Rhodes has the X factor and will be WWE Champion one day. Fair enough actually. Sheamus picks Rhodes up for a toss and it’s back to Bryan to back up the pace, including the running dropkick in the corner. The Swan Dive misses though and Bryan is sent outside for a drop onto the barricade.

Bryan is thrown back in for an abdominal stretch from Rhodes, which includes an elbow to the ribs. McIntyre’s gutbuster gets two and the abdominal stretch goes on again. This time it’s broken up with a hiptoss and they hit stereo crossbodies. Bryan slides through McIntyre’s legs and it’s back to Sheamus for the powerhouse comeback. The Irish Curse gets two on McIntyre with Rhodes making the save as everything breaks down. The Brogue Kick finishes McIntyre at 25:27.

Rating: B. The time helped here as they were able to tell a lot more of a story, which is always appreciated. At the same time, this is a situation where you have four talented wrestlers who were given the chance of showcasing their skills, which was a big deal on this kind of a show. I got into this one and it was indeed worth a look.

Overall Rating: C+. This started slowly but ended well and that made things good enough. The good thing here is that there was a wide variety of matches, which granted is always the high point of these things. It’s another great mixture of what you can see from the Vault and I had fun with it again, which hopefully continues for a very long time.

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: February 12, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting closer to absolutely nothing right now and there are a lot of titles that could use a defense after literal months of no defenses. Hopefully they find a way around that, as the Swirl/Jay Lethal story, which was the best thing going, has already cooled off. Maybe we can switch it up a bit this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Top Flight

La Faccion is defending for the first time since winning the titles on December 5, which was their first time teaming together. We get a cheer off to start and Dante speeds around Mortos. A running shoulder sends Dante flying and it’s off to Darius vs. Guevara. Well never mind as Guevara hands it right back to Mortos, which seems like a waste of time.

And it’s already back to Guevara, who is knocked into Mortos this time, but snaps off a headlock takeover. Guevara’s moonsault dropkick puts Darius on the floor so Dante comes in, only to miss a stomp. Dante gets taken into the corner for some clotheslines from Mortos, who is described as a good lawyer. As your bull monsters tend to be.

A shot to the hamstring lets Mortos start in on the leg but Dante manages a quick DDT. Darius and Guevara come in to pick up the pace but Mortos gets in a blind tag. A jumping Downward Spiral drops Guevara and a tornado DDT drops Mortos for two, as the blind tag didn’t make much of a difference. Mortos is right back with a pop up Samoan drop to pin Darius at 8:39.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see the titles actually defended, as if nothing else you might want to see the still mostly unproven team actually, like, team. It’s not like there are many teams in the title picture (whatever that entails) so it makes sense to give the champs some reps. At least more than one every two months at least.

Jay Lethal has Bandido’s mask and promises that Bandido will lose the World Title soon. Tommy Billington pops in to challenge Lethal. He doesn’t actually do anything physical, but he does make the challenge.

Michael Oku/Von Erichs vs. The OXP/Oday/Timur The Great

Kevin Von Erich is here too and gives Oku his cowboy hat on the way in. Oku grabs OXP’s arm to start and hands it off to the Von Erichs for some running clotheslines in the corner. Everything breaks down quickly and Oku hits the running shooting star to the floor. Back in and the double Claw and half crab give us the triple submission at 2:31. At least it was short.

We look back at last week’s main event.

Persephone vs. Julissa Mexa

Mexa takes her down to start fast and does a quick dance. The hips to the face have Persephone in more trouble and a spinning middle rope crossbody gives Mexa two. Persephone is right back up with a knockdown and basement dropkick to put Mexa in trouble. Some knees in the corner have Mexa down again and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Mexa gets in a capture suplex, followed by a standing moonsault for two of her own. Mexa strikes away so Persephone gives her a bridging German suplex. A pumphandle dragon suplex puts Persephone down for two more but she’s right back with a crucifix bomb for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: B-. They made the most of their time here and it was a back and forth match. The good thing is that Persephone, who is apparently a big deal around here, got to look like a star. At the same time, Mexa had a solid debut and I could go for more of her, as the women’s division could certainly use some new names.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. KM/Nathan Cruz/Rosario Grillo

Magnum scares Grillo into the corner to start so it’s quickly off to Cruz for an early change. Everything breaks down fast and the Outrunners clean house. Castle comes in for the suplexes and it’s a triple slam into the Mega Powers elbow to Cruz. The Bang A Rang gets the pin at 2:32. Total squash.

JD Drake doesn’t think much of Adam Priest going after Kazuchika Okada and wants to teach him a lesson. That’s quite the downgrade from Okada.

Lance Archer vs. Will Allday

Allday bounces off of Archer to start but manages to backflip out of a chokeslam attempt. A choke toss sends Allday flying but he avoids a charge in the corner. Archer has had enough and knocks him down, setting up the chokeslam and Blackout for the pin at 2:30. Anyone think maybe they should do something with Archer and his undefeated run? Anything at all?

Swirl/Premiere Athletes vs. Bandido/Mascara Dorada/Komander/Xelhua

Daivari and Xelhua start things off with Xelhua firing off some early dropkicks. Dorada comes in and gets his mask pulled, allowing the big beatdown in the corner. That doesn’t last long as Dorada is back with a spinning kick to Nese’s head. Komander comes in to face Johnson and flips over into a standoff. That works so well that Komander flips over into a standoff before bringing in Bandido to face Christian.

They forearm it out until Johnson and Komander come in as well. The luchadors clear the ring but some evil cheap shots leave Komander in trouble for a change. Nese drops a leg and the Athletes hit a quick double suplex. Bandido avoids a charge in the corner but gets speared down on the apron in a nice sequence. Back in and Johnson hammers away while Christian hits on Stori Denali.

Daivari and Komander crash on stereo crossbodies and Bandido comes back in to clean house. Komander’s very bouncy hurricanrana connects and the luchadors hit a nice quadruple dive. Christian flips out of the 21 Plex though and Denali sneaks in to chokeslam Bandido. Christian’s frog splash gets two with Dorada making a save. We hit the parade of knockdowns, including a pop up cutter to Daivari. More dives connect to the floor and Bandido 21 Plexes Daivari for the win at 14:07.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match with the luchadors getting to go out there and do some impressive things, as they are known to do. That’s always going to work, though at least this did something to keep up the build towards Christian vs. Bandido. I have no idea when that is actually going to happen, but at least they’re doing something to make it happen. Kind of.

Overall Rating: B-. While there was a lot of filler in the middle, it was nice to see a show actually feel important for a change. That’s not something that you often see around here and putting one of the ridiculous amount of titles on the line helped. Throw in some Bandido/Christian build in and I could go for more of this style. I doubt I’ll get it, but I’ll take it for a week.

Results
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Sky Flight – Pop up Samoan drop to Darius
Michael Oku/Von Erichs b. The OXP/Oday/Timur The Great – Triple submissions
Persephone b. Julissa Mexa – Crucifix bomb
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. KM/Nathan Cruz/Rosario Grillo – Bang A Rang to Cruz
Lance Archer b. Will Allday – Blackout
Bandido/Xelhua/Mascara Dorada/Komander b. Swirl/Premiere Athletes – 21 Plex to Daivari

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 15, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show because things are kinds of all over the place here, as usual. The only big story is Blake Christian coming after the World Title and now has Jay Lethal in his corner. Other than that, we have the usual assortment of people allegedly trying to get into title contention. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Angelico and Drake start things off with Drake wrenching the arm before sending Angelico into the corner. Some alternating elbows in the corner drop Angelico, who fights right back without much trouble. Serpentico comes in to work on the arm and drops a backsplash for two. The Veterans shrug that off and kick them down, with Drake working on Serpentico’s leg.

Gibson grabs a half crab, which is broken up, so Serpentico hits a quick backbreaker. Angelico comes back in to clean house with everything breaking down. Drake sends Angelico into the steps, leaving Gibson to give Serpentico the middle rope Codebreaker. Drake’s springboard dropkick finishes Serpentico off at 8:47.

Rating: C. In case you were wondering what a tag match between two teams going nowhere looks like, here you are. I’m assuming this was the way to heat the Veterans up before they get wrecked by Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, which makes me wonder about the logic when it’s in two different places. Either way, the technical stuff was fine, but these teams are so low on the totem pole that it just doesn’t matter.

Post match the Veterans promise the same for Kingston and Ortiz. Cue the two of them with chairs for the save.

Lance Archer vs. Vin Parker

Chops and a crossbody take Parker down and the Blackout finishes at 1:52. Total decimation, which will in no way get Archer closer to a title shot, even though he’s 15-0 here.

Kiran Grey vs. Shane Taylor

The rest of the Promotions are here with Taylor. Grey gets in a shot to the face and grabs a choke, which is broken up with pure power. A knee to the face rocks Grey and Taylor fires off some shoulders in the corner. Taylor’s big clothesline gets two but Grey sweeps the leg and gets two off a jumping splash. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom and his own big splash for two, followed by the right hand for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: C+. They pretty clearly see something in Grey and that’s not a bad thing. He certainly has something of a mystique to him and it’s interesting to see some fresh blood around here. It also helps that he got in a bit of offense and wasn’t totally squashed, so at least there was some protection here.

Frat House vs. Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs

Karter gets dropkicked by Ross to start and it’s off to Marshall for a dropkick of his own. Solo comes in to neckbreaker Garrison, who catches him with a slingshot powerslam. The House takes Solo into the corner for some stomping before Jameson misses a middle rope backsplash. Marshall comes in to clean house and Vance clotheslines Karter by mistake. Stereo Claws set up the cutter to give Marshall the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these guys, though I did appreciate it being a bit shorter. The Von Erichs were their usual bland selves and Solo got to be the punching bag for a good chunk. The good thing is that it wasn’t long enough to get dull, making it more “well it could have been worse”, which is about the best you can hope for with these guys.

We look at Trish Adora beating Zayda Steel in last week’s mixed tag.

MxM TV vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Rare heel vs. heel mixed tag here. Valkyrie and Adora start things off, with Valkyrie hitting a basement clothesline to take over. Madden comes in to elbow Bravo in the back, setting up a finger tip double elbow drop. Mansoor gets caught in the wrong corner though and some clubberin sets up a chinlock. A belly to back suplex gets Mansoor out of trouble and the diving tag brings Valkyrie back in.

The running knees in the corner get two on Adora and they forearm it out. They clothesline each other and it’s back to Madden to clean house as everything breaks down. Mansoor spinebusters Bravo and hits a dive but we pause for a fan to get Mansoor’s attention. Bravo gets in a cheap shot (Bravo to the fan: “BE RIGHT BACK!”) to Mansoor, followed by the double stomp for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. I’m curious about the fan getting involved as it’s better than the same nothing matches that they have over and over. The Promotions are still about the same as usual, meaning they’re only so interesting, but MxM TV playing the heroes for a change made things a bit better. Just find something different for both of them to do already and things could improve.

Post match Bravo brings the fan over the barricade and she’s rather tall.

Red Velvet vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Robyn can win or last the time limit, she gets a future title shot. Renegade uses the hair to pull her down to start but Velvet is right back with a short armscissors. That’s reversed into a fall away slam and Renegade throws her out to the floor. Back in and a springboard double stomp to the back gives Renegade two. They trade missed hand licking chops in the corner until Renegade grabs a sitout gordbuster for two more. Velvet gets fired up and hits a leg lariat, followed by the big left hand for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. There have only been so many success stories in modern Ring Of Honor but Velvet has been added to the list in recent months. Something has clicked since she returned from her injury and she feels like a star. That’s a nice thing to see and her matches are becoming one of the highlights around here.

Tony Khan announces that Ring Of Honor will be teaming up with Metro Plex Wrestling, run by Athena, on January 29. Athena is rather pleased. Eh it’s something different at least.

Dark Order vs. Swirl

Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. Christian and Uno start things off, with Christian flipping him off in a few different ways. Uno is back with a knockdown into his own strut, allowing Reynolds to come in for a double basement dropkick. Reynolds fights out of the wrong corner but gets kneed in the face for his efforts. They go outside, with Christian using the chair for a step up forearm to the back.

The chinlock goes on back inside but Reynolds fights up and ties him in the ropes for something like a Black Widow. The tag brings in Uno to clean house, including a big boot into a DDT for two. Christian fights out of a Gory Bomb though and everything breaks down. A Lethal Injection is countered into a Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination to drop Christian again. Johnson is back in for the save and a pair of basement superkicks knock Reynolds silly. The Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Reynolds at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The Swirl are the top heels around here, though I’m not sure where that is leading. In theory it sets up Christian getting a World Title shot, though he’s been ready for that for a rather long time now. At least they’re looking like a dominant team at the moment and I could go for seeing that continue for a while to come.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Tommy Billington and Adam Priest make the save.

Overall Rating: C. There were parts here that I liked, but one of the biggest issues was the simple fact that it featured so many of the same people that we’ve seen time after time. How many Lance Archer squashes can we see? Or Shane Taylor Promotions for that matter? Meanwhile, the Women’s Pure Title, Tag Team Titles, Six Man Titles and Women’s Title have not been on the line in about six weeks. Fix this, as it’s making for quite the annoying show.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Spanish Announce Project – Springboard missile dropkick to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Vin Parker – Black Out
Shane Taylor b. Kiran Grey – Right hand
Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs b. Frat House – Cutter to Vance
Shane Taylor Promotions b. MxM TV – Double stomp to Mansoor
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Left hand
Swirl b. Dark Order – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Reynolds

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 8, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a regular show this week after three in one week. That’s quite the lineup, but last week did feature a heck of a swerve in the featured tag match. Hopefully they can follow up on that, as it’s certainly an interesting story. As usual, there are pieces in ROH that can work, but they need the right presentation. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Jay Lethal’s turn last week.

Opening sequence.

Aaron Solo vs. Ace Austin

They go with the grappling to start with Austin taking him down into a headscissors. Solo reverses into a headlock but Austin breaks it up and kicks him in the back. That earns Austin a trip to the floor though and Solo hits a slingshot dive. Back in and we hit the front facelock, followed by a running dropkick for two.

They head out to the apron, where Solo is sent outside for a kick to the chest. The Fold is blocked so Solo is catapulted into the corner, where he bounces right back out with a double stomp for two. Solo’s charge in the corner misses though and Austin hits a nice springboard spinning kick to the face. The Fold finishes Solo at 7:35.

Rating: C+. I like Austin a good bit, but dang it shouldn’t be taking him seven and a half minutes to get rid of Solo. I’ll take that over a loss though, as at least he’s getting some ring time and starting to establish himself. Just maybe let him be a bit more dominant next time around?

Athena knows she is the best in the world but she keeps having to deal with problems. She has a massive target on her back and she kept failing to prove her greatness in 2025. Who is she if she can’t bring home any gold for her minions? How did she get in this position? The only person she can depend on is herself.

Cru vs. Will Allday/Jay Alexander

Lacey Lane is now with Cru and Andretti starts with Allday. Hold on though as Allday springboard kicks Rush off the apron and hands it off to Alexander. Everything breaks down and Cru hits stereo dives to the floor. Back in and Cru goes with the misdirection to take Alexander down. Allday’s missile dropkick hits Alexander by mistake and a double Falcon Arrow finishes Allday at 2:19. This has been your reminder that Cru is in fact still around.

Christopher Daniels talks about how Leila Grey is out of action for a long time with an injury. Now though, Zayda Steel is taking her place. I’m not sure how well that is going to fit but it’s something.

Darius Martin/Zayda Steel vs. Lee Moriarty/Trish Adora

Mixed tag and the rest of their teams are here. Moriarty works on a cravate to start before taking Martin down by the arm. With that going to a standoff, Adora comes in to take over on Steel, including a mocking arm crank. Steel is back with a sunset flip but the referee is distracted, meaning no count. They trade kicks to the face and it’s back to the men. Everything breaks down and Steel jumps onto Adora to hammer away, followed by a Canadian Destroyer to Moriarty. Shane Taylor offers a distraction though and Steel gets dropped with the Lariat Tubman for the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C+. So Steel joins the team and loses ten minutes later. Great to see that kind of a start, as they made sure she gets no momentum for the debuting team. But at least Adora, who is pretty much exactly where she was years ago, gets a pin. I’m sure that will put her in titl….oh you get the idea already.

We look back at Madison Rayne’s retirement match last week.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Reiza Clarke/Shay Karmichael

Athena is here with Starkz and Diamante. Karmichael and Starkz lock up to start with the former yelling a lot. Starkz takes Karmichael into the corner and it’s a double toss to send her crashing down for two. Clarke comes in and gets caught with a quick Stunner, leaving Diamante to hit a rolling cutter to pin Karmichael at 3:48.

Rating: C. Pretty much a total squash here with Starkz and Diamante getting to dominate the jobbers to please Athena. That’s all this needed to be and now we get to see what is next for them. In theory it’s a run towards the Women’s Tag Team Titles and I’m not quite sure I see that actually happening.

Cru says they’re back with new member Lacey Lane.

Rachael Ellering/Demo Diamond/Delynn Cavens vs. Premiere Athletes

Daivari and Cavens start things off with Cavens being taken into the corner for the double beatdown. Nese’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two, with the rather tall Diamond making the save. Denali comes in to stare at him and it’s off to Ellering, with Denali not being impressed. Some running shoulders don’t do much to Denali, who drops her with a big boot. Everything breaks down and a chop block puts Diamond down, leaving Nese to pumphandle driver Cavens for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C. And now I’m sure the Premiere Athletes will be launched into the stratosphere, just like I’m sure they will be after every single win they have. They’ve been around since the beginning of Ring Of Honor and do just about the same things they did at the start. Yet they’re still trotted out there, thankfully with Denali there to at least change the act just a tiny bit. Either drop them, change them up in a big way or do something with them already.

Frat House vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

Magnum and Garrison start things off with Magnum grabbing a hiptoss. It’s off to Floyd for a running knee and a double hiptoss. Garrison drives him into the corner and a grab of the leg from the floor lets Karter hit a clothesline. Floyd gets sent into the corner for the beating, including a collection of choking. Vance and Floyd collide, followed by the tag off to Castle for the house cleaning. A triple slam drops the villains and the Mega Powers Elbow into the Bang A Rang finishes Karter at 6:01.

Rating: C+. At least Castle and the Outrunners are fun and seem to be having a good time out there. It makes for some more entertaining matches, though the Frat House lost its charm a long time ago. It’s also not a great sign that a match this short was one of the best on the show, though maybe it moves them closer to a title shot.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie aren’t happy with Red Velvet, as Valkyrie wants a title shot. Velvet just happens to be there to offer Valkyrie a Proving Ground match.

MxM Collection vs. Von Erichs

Oh joy the Von Erichs are back. I had forgotten how pathetic these losers were. Mansoor gets shouldered down to start and a double dropkick does it again. The Collection takes over on the floor, with Ross’ hand being crushed underneath the steps. Ross’ cowboy hat is stolen as the Collection keeps working on the hand, which is put in the turnbuckle for a kick from Mansoor.

A big boot gets Ross out of trouble and the tag brings in Marshall to clean house. Marshall’s running clothesline in the corner sets up a pop up powerslam but Madden is back in for the save. A leg lariat Hart Attack connects but the Centerfold is broken up. Ross’ hand is fine enough to claw slam Mansoor for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C. This has been the latest example of the Von Erichs living off their family name because they aren’t good enough or interesting enough to do anything on their own. The idea of having the Von Erichs continue their legacy in Texas is fine, but the team couldn’t be less interesting if they tried. The “aw shucks, we’re just two good old boys from TEXAS” stuff is terrible and we’re probably going to be stuck with them while this whole residency goes on.

We look at LFI winning the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle. Probably not a good sign that we need a reminder about a month later.

Kiran Grey vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara flips him off to start, marking the first and only time anyone has ever done that in wrestling. Grey sweeps the leg to start and they fight outside with Grey sending him hard into the barricade. Back in and a clothesline turns Guevara inside out but he knocks Grey out of the air. The GTH ends Grey at 2:38. This was the “get Guevara some momentum back, even though he really didn’t have any in the first place, after he lost to Bandido on Dynamite because there was no one but Guevara to take that loss” special.

Swirl vs. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest

Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. Johnson and Billington start things off with Johnson cutting off a charge in the corner. Priest comes in to chop Christian hard in the corner, causing Christian to fake a knee injury. That lets Johnson get in a cheap shot from behind to take over, with Lethal adding a strut. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Priest gets up to hit a clothesline, allowing the tag off to Billington.

Everything breaks down and Johnson gets spiked for two. The half crab has Christian in trouble and Johnson gets crossfaced at the same time. Johnson powers up and Death Valley Drivers Billington onto the other two for the save. Christian hits a 450 for two on Billington, earning Billington a toss to the floor. A suicide headbutt drops Priest on the floor, leaving Billington to Tombstone Johnson. Christian is back in to drop Billington though and the Vanilla Choke Zero gets the tap at 10:12.

Rating: B-. Above all else, it was nice to have a story that actually felt important. This is by far the biggest story in Ring Of Honor and it was a fine way to go to move things forward. Christian winning the World Title doesn’t sound like the worst idea, though it might take some time before we finally get there.

Post match the big beatdown is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I cannot get my head around how they manage to make this show so uninteresting week to week. There are some watchable enough matches, such as the main event, but so much of the problem is Ring Of Honor/AEW has gone out of its way to show just how unimportant a lot of these people really are. That was on full display here, as it feels like you could have seen some of these matches at any point in the last year plus. That makes for a very tedious show and it took me more than a few sittings to watch this one. Please either shorten the thing or put in more effort on the stories, because this was drek.

Results
Ace Austin b. Aaron Solo – The Fold
Cru b. Will Allday/Jay Alexander – Double Falcon Arrow to Allday
Trish Adora/Lee Moriarty b. Darius Martin/Zayda Steel – Lariat Tubman to Steel
Diamante/Billie Starkz b. Shay Karmichael/Reiza Clarke – Rolling cutter to Karmichael
Premiere Athletes b. Rachael Ellering/Demo Diamond/Delynn Cavens – Pumphandle driver to Cavens
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Frat House – Bang A Rang to Karter
Von Erichs b. MxM Collection – Claw slam to Mansoor
Sammy Guevara b. Kiran Grey – GTH
Swirl b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Vanilla Choke Zero to Billington

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: November 28, 2025
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on Friday this week due to the avoidance of Thanksgiving. It’s a week before Final Battle and thanks to AEW TV, we actually have some of the bigger matches set for the show. This includes the World Title match, but more importantly than that, we’re actually finishing the first round of the Women’s Pure Title tournament, a mere three months after it started. Let’s get to it.

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

Sammy Guevara reveals that due to Rush’s injury, the Tag Team Titles have been held up, so he’s teaming with The Beast Mortos to win the titles next week at Final Battle.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Dark Order

Silver takes Moriarty down to start and poses, allowing the rest of the Order to come in for some rapid fire triple teaming. Taylor comes in so Reynolds goes for his leg, only to get dropped with a hard clothesline. It’s off to Ogogo for some knees to the ribs and a slam for two and it’s back to Moriarty for a front facelock. Reynolds gets his feet up in the corner though and cuts off a charging Taylor, allowing Uno to come in for the house cleaning. A double DDT plants Moriarty and Ogogo as everything breaks down. Taylor breaks up the triple flipping slam and Moriarty Border City Stretches Uno for the win at 7:17.

Rating: B-. This was….fun? I liked a Dark Order match? Geez it must be the holiday still impacting me or something as that’s not something that often happens. These guys went out there and had a heck of an entertaining match, with everyone working hard. This was a pretty awesome surprise and I’ll take that every time.

Blake Christian is in the World Title match on a technicality and that’s ok with him. All that matters is he can win the title.

Von Erichs vs. Zack Mason/Warren Johnson

Kevin Von Erich is here too. Ross takes Mason down to start and it’s off to Marshall for a dropkick. Marshall gets taken into the corner so Johnson can come in and whip him around a bit. A backdrop out of the corner gets Marshall out of trouble and it’s back to Ross to clean house. The Claws are good enough to give the Von Erichs the double pin at 3:57.

Rating: C. Nothing to see here as it’s the same Von Erichs stuff you’ve seen time after time. They’re perfectly fine in the ring but just dull in almost every imaginable way. If nothing else, they’re a logical choice to go after the Tag Team Titles, as they have a history with LFI and are at least an established team. Just please find something to make them more interesting. There has to be a way.

Jay Lethal apologizes to Adam Priest for accidentally hitting him with a Lethal Injection. Priest’s neck is still sore but he seems to accept the apology.

Frat House vs. Adam Priest/Jay Lethal/Tommy Billington

It’s a brawl to start fast and Lethal hits Garrison with a basement dropkick. Priest comes in and gets choked in the corner, setting up the triple teaming. Lethal’s save attempt doesn’t do any good as it’s off to Jameson for an elevator slam. Taking a drink takes too long though and Jameson misses his middle rope backsplash. Priest avoids a charge into the post and brings Billington in to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s the Lethal Injection into the Swan Dive to give Billington the pin at 6:35.

Rating: C. Nothing to this one, with the Frat House being their usual self and the other guys getting to prove that they still have it. That doesn’t really matter if they’re going to keep losing in AEW, but it’s not like wins or losses on this show matter when it comes to the bigger shows anyway. I do like Billington/Lethal/Priest as a team though, as they have some nice chemistry and it gives Lethal something to do.

Post match we’re told that Billington and Priest are in the Tag Team Title match at Final Battle. As usual, enjoy your hearty laugh at commentary so constantly telling you that teams winning title matches gets them into title contention. That’s the case with probably half a dozen teams but who gets the title shot? A team who hasn’t actually wrestled a two on two tag match in Ring Of Honor (and are winless in AEW). Again: nothing that happens around here matters because it’s just stuff being thrown together to make a card, with continuity having no impact.

Women’s Pure Rules Title Tournament First Round: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Serena Deeb

We’re told that the semifinals are taking place next week as Sakazaki starts in on the arm. Some armdrags send Deeb outside for a clothesline, followed by an ankle lock back inside. That means the first rope break from Deeb, who sends her hard into the ropes to take over. Something like a Black Widow on the mat has Sakazaki in trouble, only for her to reverse into an arm crank of her own.

Deeb uses the ropes again and crabs Sakazaki’s arm, making her use the rope for a break as well. Sakazaki hits a slingshot knee to the head and a suplex gets two. An STF makes Deeb use her third rope break so Sakazaki grabs a superplex. Sakazaki gets suckered into a slugout until it’s a Snowplow to drop Deeb. The Magic Girl Splash hits raised knees but it’s a spinning hammerlock faceplant to pin Deeb (whose foot on the rope doesn’t matter) at 10:31.

Rating: B-. Nice enough match here, even if it continues the tradition of this tournament feeling like nothing. It took about four months to complete the first round but it’s ok because we’ll have the last three matches in the span of two days. At least they had a good match on the way to the second round, though sweet goodness I lost any potential interest in the whole thing a long time ago.

Video on Persephone vs. Athena.

Premiere Athletes vs. Carrie King/Gino/Exodus Prime

Denali powers King into the corner to start and brings in Gino, with Nese hitting a quick dropkick. Prime gets the tag and is planted by Denali, setting up the Magic Carpet Splash (complete with carpet) for the pin at 3:03.

Rating: C-. It’s not a good sign when I have to figure out the jobbers’ names by listening to commentary as they didn’t even get a graphic. The match was the usual squash and therefore I have no reason to believe it changes anything for the Athletes. They’re one of the acts that gets on a lot of shows but doesn’t seem to go anywhere, which makes their continued use feel like nothing more than filler.

Main Man Oro/Beef vs. Swirl

So Christian is in a World Title match in a week and he’s in a tag match here. Right. Johnson and Oro start things off with Johnson taking it over. Christian comes in for a whip into the corner and a running dropkick to the back. It’s off to Beef, who is quickly beaten down, only to come back with a double crossbody. Oro gets the tag and is sent outside for a suicide dive, followed by a double superkick to Beef. Back in and the Swirl Stomp finishes Oro at 6:16.

Rating: C+. So again, the Swirl looks dominant here and continues their winning ways, but for some reason they’re nowhere near the Tag Team Title match. As usual, this promotion’s wins/losses have no impact on anything, which makes for quite the tedious show when there are so few storylines. It’s even more annoying when Swirl is getting better and are actually fun to watch most of the time.

We get Ricochet’s victory promo from Collision.

We run down the Final Battle card and….wait. Sammy Guevara and The Beast Mortos are in both the Tag Team and World Title matches? BUT THE REGULAR TEAMS HAVE NOTHING TO DO? If they can do that, why isn’t Swirl in the Tag Team Title match? Or the Von Erichs? Or ANYTHING THAT MAKES MORE SENSE???

Nigel McGuinness wants a thirty minute Iron Man match with Lee Moriarty at Final Battle.

Mansoor vs. Komander

The rest of MxM TV is here with Mansoor, who armdrags him down and poses in the corner. A quick rollup gives Komander two and he kicks Mansoor in the back of the trunks. Mansoor bails to the floor for a bit before his cheap shot is cut off. Instead Mansoor kicks him out to the floor and strikes a pose earning a trip out to the floor.

Valkyrie offers a distraction though and Johnny TV powerbombs her onto Komander. Back in and they slowly trade forearms until Komander grabs a middle rope facebuster. A DDT gives Komander two but TV offers a distraction. Komander uses him as a stepping stone to set up a moonsault to TV, followed by a satellite DDT to Mansoor. Cielito Lindo gives Komander the pin at 9:09.

Rating: B-. I guess this counts as building towards Komander in the World Title match. To their credit, there is something to be said about having him go through multiple people on his way to an elimination match. It’s not quite the same challenge, but you have to take what you can get around here.

Overall Rating: C+. Well it wasn’t boring and things were set up for Final Battle. If you can ignore how head scratch inducing some of those matches are, you can call this something of a success. The show still features WAY too much filler and is dying for something to break up the monotony, but at least the six man and women’s matches were good and they made Final Battle seem important. I’ll take that over the usual around here.

Results
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Dark Order – Border City Stretch to Uno
Von Erichs b. Zack Mason/Warren Johnson – Double pin
Adam Priest/Jay Lethal/Tommy Billington b. Frat House – Swan Dive to Karter
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb – Spinning hammerlock faceplant
Premiere Athletes b. Carrie King/Gino/Exodus Prime – Magic Carpet Splash to Prime
Swirl b. Beef/Main Man Oro – Swirl Stomp to Oro
Komander b. Mansoor – 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: October 16, 2025
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the slow, deliberate, at its own pace build towards Final Battle, which has pretty much nothing set up yet. You can probably figure out some of the matches from here, but nothing feels ready to announce anytime soon. This week’s show features a name from years past making a bit of a surprise appearance, which could be fun. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Sidney Akeem vs. Alex Zayne

Akeem flips over him to start so Zayne does the same thing for a staredown. They trade stereo dropkicks and stare at each other until Akeem kicks him into the corner. Zayne gets in a forearm and twists the arm, followed by a flipping kick to the back of the head in the ropes. Akeem fights up from a wristlock but gets double kneed in the back, only to catch Zayne with a dive on the floor.

Back in and a high crossbody gives Akeem two, followed by a pumphandle slam for the same. They knock each other down before trading forearms, only for Zayne to catch Akeem up top with a super hurricanrana. Zayne’s Molly Go Round misses though and Akeem backflips into a cutter for the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C+. It was a fun enough way to open the show with the exchange of flips. Akeem getting the win is a bit of a surprise as Zayne has been treated as a bigger deal around here. Odds are neither of them wind up going anywhere anytime soon, but at least they got to show off a bit here.

Isla Dawn is glad to make her debut here but the Premiere Athletes interrupt. Dawn isn’t impressed and the Grizzled Young Veterans come in to have her back.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Isla Dawn vs. Gabriel Aeros/Javi/Carolina Cruz

Drake and Javi (formerly Javier Bernal in NXT) with Drake forearming away before handing it off to Gibson. Drake is sent into a leg lariat and it’s off to Cruz vs. Dawn. A quick suplex drops Cruz but she’s back with a basement clothesline for two. Some clotheslines and a kick to the head stagger Cruz so it’s off to Aeros, who is dropped just as fast. Drake and Dawn get dropped onto Aeros, before a sliding boot to the face knocks him silly. A high/low finishes for Drake at 4:02.

Rating: C. Pretty much total destruction here, as Dawn and the Veterans weren’t messing around. Dawn is someone who could be a nice addition to the women’s division if she is given a chance, though the Veterans aren’t exactly people who will boost them up. They’re a talented team, but they haven’t done anything important in months and it doesn’t bode well for Dawn.

Post match the Premiere Athletes run in to lay out the Veterans and Dawn. Eh I’ll take a story of any kind over absolutely nothing.

Riccaboni: “The Ring Of Honor Women’s Pure Championship tournament has been heating up.” Liar.

We recap the tournament thus far.

Deonna Purrazzo chides Trish Adora over her lack of honor. She’ll prove that to Adora the next time they’re in the ring. Naturally there is no date given, as we are coming up on two months since the first match.

Diamante vs. Aleah James

Diamante sends her face first into the mat to start before grinding away on a headlock. An armbar has James down but she spins up into a monkey flip. Diamante is right back on the armbar and whips her hard into the corner. A German suplex drops James for two and Diamante muscles her up for a bridging German suplex and the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C+. Both of these two could be something if they were given the chance but commentary spent most of the match talking about the Pure Rules tournament. Neither of these two are in the tournament, but it’s what we focused on anyway. Diamante was wrestling a bit more seriously here and that was nice for a change, even if she isn’t around much.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Oro

Yuta shoves him in the corner to start but gets hit in the face. Oro plants him down for two and wins a slugout but gets backdropped out to the floor. Back in and Yuta hits a top rope forearm as there are A LOT of empty seats in the first few rows. Oro chops his way out of trouble and hits a tornado DDT neck snap across the top rope. Yuta shrugs that off and hits some elbows to the head, followed by the chinlock.

Back up and Oro kicks him in the head for two and then does it again…but Yuta shrugs it off and German suplexes him for two. Cattle Mutilation is broken up thanks to the ropes, though Yuta HAS TIL FIVE. Oro pops back up with an alley oop for two but Yuta goes to the eyes. The running knee finishes for Yuta at 8:55.

Rating: B-. So we’re building to Yuta vs. Bryan Danielson, or at least we should be as otherwise this is a rather big waste of time. Yuta is still about as dull as you can get and doing a knockoff/ripoff of Danielson’s stuff is not about to change that. That being said, it was a nice match here and rather competitive, even if that is a bit of an odd way to go with these two.

Shannon Moore vs. Blake Christian

Somehow this is Moore’s first match in ROH. Christian knocks him into the corner to start and hits a running dropkick for a bonus. Moore gets in some armdrags and a spinning middle rope crossbody as Coleman mentions recently facing Moore in an independent match. They go outside, where Lee Johnson’s distraction lets Christian get in a superkick. Christian does a strut on the barricade and then dances into a double knee stomp back inside.

Moore’s knees are fine enough to hit a Whisper In The Wind for two but Christian anklescissors him down. A springboard 450 gets two but Moore knocks him outside again. The big dive connects and a top rope flipping neckbreaker gets two back inside. The Lethal Injection cuts Moore off though and Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Moore at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Well, it was fine, if you’re into having 46 year old Moore around here. He’s not bad at all and did some of his signature stuff, but there is only so much to get out of having him appear. Christian is still one of the better heels around here, though I’m not sure when he’s going to be doing anything important.

QTV mocks the Don Callis Family but Don Callis himself comes in to call QT Marshall a mark. Then the Family comes in and beats the crew down. I really have to put up with the Family on this show too?

We look back at LFI taking out the Von Erichs.

Frat House vs. Von Erichs

Karter and Ross start things off with Karter hitting a running shoulder. Marshall comes in with a dropkick but a cheap shot lets Karter bring Garrison in instead. Jacked Jameson’s distraction doesn’t work but Preston Vance gets in a shot on the floor to Ross to take over. Back in and Garrison hammers away, followed by the chinlock. Vance takes Marshall down on the floor but Ross sends the House together. Marshall comes back in and cleans the House’s house until Karter scores with a jumping knee. Everything breaks down and stereo Claws finish for the Von Erichs at 6:36.

Rating: C. Yeah they’re still the Von Erichs, meaning they’re still as uninteresting as they’ve ever been. There’s just nothing to make them stand out at all and their “aww shucks, we’re just good old nice guys” isn’t exactly thrilling. This was what they used as a main event here and my goodness that’s not a great sign.

Overall Rating: C-. So what was the big development here? The Premiere Athletes attacking the Grizzled Young Veterans and Isla Dawn? That’s about all we got here, and I’m going to need a lot more than that. In other words, it’s the kind of Ring Of Honor show that makes this place feel like such a waste of time. Almost nothing changes and it’s a bunch of the same people doing the same matches. But I’m sure the Pure Title tournament will pick up again anytime. As has been the case for months. Like so much else.

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 25, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re a few months away from Final Battle but before we start the build towards the biggest show of the year, we actually have a title match with some build this week. The Tag Team Titles are on the line, as Sammy Guevara and Rush are going to be defending against the Von Erichs. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

At All Out, Bandido and Brody King talked about how much they’re willing to do to defend their titles. Their AEW titles.

Bandido vs. Dralistico

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Dralistico (with Rush) wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Dralistico flips him off to start and bails out to the floor, with Bandido following but getting sent into the barricade. Back in and a superkick cuts Bandido down again and Dralistico hammers away in the corner. Bandido slugs back and snaps off a running hurricanrana, followed by the gorilla press for two. Rush trips Bandido and gets tossed as a result. Well that was done quickly. Rushed even. Bandido grabs a rollup for two, followed by the X Knee for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C+. They got in a decent amount of stuff in their limited time, but there is only so much that can be done with this kind of a match. Bandido is turning into a pretty big star in AEW as well as ROH and it’s nice to see him treated as something important on both shows. It makes this feel a bit more important, and it worked fine enough here.

Post match a masked man runs in to jump Bandido and it’s…Blake Christian, who is joined by Lee Johnson to beat him down. Hologram, with the returning Kommander, run in for the save.

Premiere Athletes vs. JD Ink/El Magnifico/Rebecca Scott

Nese wrestles Ink down to start and grabs a headlock. A legsweep and legdrop have Ink in more trouble but he flips out of a belly to back suplex. Magnifico comes in and is quickly clotheslines into the corner by Daivari. It’s off to the rather tall Denali so Scott jumps on her back for a choke. Denali kicks her down and hits a spinning kick in the corner. A chokeslam finishes Scott at 3:38.

Rating: C. This was about Denali getting to clean house and that worked well enough. The key thing here was to have Denali get in there, do her dominant stuff and then leave without being exposed. That’s exactly what they did so they couldn’t have done it much better. It’s the first interesting thing that has happened with the Athletes in probably years, likely because it has nothing to do with the two of them.

The Blue Meanie joins the Frat House by doing various frat style things. Sweet goodness can we get away from ECW country already? And the Frat House for that matter?

Viva Van vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Pure Rules, but still not a tournament match because we need to keep waiting. They go technical to start as the fans seem split. Purrazzo goes for the Fujiwara armbar and Van goes to the ropes for her first break. Back up and a rolling kick to the head lets Van take over but Purrazzo drops her in the corner with ease. Purrazzo snaps the arm and a cross armbreaker makes Van burn off her second break. A spinning backfist takes Purrazzo down but she hits Van in the face. The short cradle piledriver gives Purrazzo the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. It’s another match that means pretty much nothing when it comes to the tournament and could have been under regular rules with no change. Once again, they felt like they are trying to put together a division after establishing a tournament and title. You know, assuming we ever actually have a champion crowned.

We look at Mina Shirakawa winning the Interim Women’s TV Title about four and a half months ago. It’s time for her first title defense.

Interim Women’s TV Title: Mina Shirakawa vs. Lacey Lane

Lane, better known as Kayden Carter in WWE, is challenging in her ROH debut (just go with it). Lane actually takes her down to start and does a bit of dancing. That’s reversed into a double leg stomp, with Shirakawa dancing as well. Back up and a kick to the head gives Lane two but Shirakawa fires off even more kicks to take over. A Russian legsweep sets up the Figure Four on Lane, who makes the rope.

Lane pops back up with more dancing into a springboard spinning legdrop. The Glamorous Driver is broken up and Lane hits a hammerlock Downward Spiral for two. Lane goes up top but gets dragon screw legwhipped back down. A top rope Sling Blade gives Shirakawa two so she strikes Lane down again. The Figure Four makes Lane give up at 6:33.

Rating: B-. Nice match as tends to be the case with Shirakawa, with Lane more than holding up her side. At the same time, there is pretty much zero reason for this title to exist. Red Velvet hasn’t defended the title since May 1 and this was the first defense of the Interim Title two and a half months into the reign. There’s another title on the way (eventually) so why does this thing need to be around?

Tag Team Titles: Rush/Sammy Guevara vs. Von Erichs

The Von Erichs are challenging and get jumped to start the brawl fast. They get inside with the Von Erichs getting splashed in the corner but Marshall manages a suplex on Guevara. Ross comes in for a Falcon Arrow but a Rush distraction lets Guevara dropkicks him out of the air.

Rush’s cocky kick connects in the corner but he misses a charge in the corner. Marshall comes in to clean house, including on the cowboy hat wearing Guevara. The Claw has Rush in trouble and the belly to back suplex gives Marshall two as Guevara makes the save. That means the Bull’s Horns can hit Marshall and Guevara’s Swanton connects to retain at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Thank goodness. The Von Erichs have become some of the weakest parts of the AEW/ROH roster, with that promo they gave a few weeks ago making them feel so pathetic. Guevara and Rush aren’t much of a tag team but they’re miles better than the Von Erichs, who have been around for years and barely improved in the slightest.

Deonna Purrazzo is proud of her win but Shane Taylor Promotions offer a distraction. Cue Trish Adora to jump her from behind. Adora promises to win the Pure Rules Title.

Women’s Pure Rules Title Tournament First Round: Olympia vs. Billie Starkz

They go with the grappling to start and fight over wrist control. That’s broken up and Olympia kicks her in the leg and goes with the top wristlock on the mat. Olympia rolls her around but Starkz grabs the rope, which counts as a break. She has to go to the ropes again to escape some forearms on the mat before things reset a bit.

Starkz knocks her to the floor but misses a dive, allowing Olympia to hit a springboard. Starkz’s leglock sends Olympia to the ropes for a break and then outside, meaning Starkz can hit a suicide dive. Olympia’s leg is wrapped around the post and Starkz cranks away back inside. A snapmare out of the corner gets two but Olympia reverses a suplex into a small package for the same.

Olympia sends her into the corner for a handstand Bronco Buster and another near fall. That works so well that she puts Starkz against the ropes for a skin the cat Bronco Buster (that looked great). Olympia ties up the legs for a standing leglock so Starkz hits her in the face for the official warning. Starkz hits a Last Shot for two and a crucifix gives her the pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. Gah I’m not surprised by the result, but I’m not exactly thrilled. Olympia was a lot more impressive than Starkz, but Starkz is the star so she needs to advance. At the same time, this tournament was announced about five and a half months ago and we’ve had two matches. Yeah there were injury issues, but either drop the whole thing or just find some different people. It’s not that hard, but somehow we’re probably going until Final Battle in December to get the first champion. Because of course.

Overall Rating: C. This Pure Rules stuff is so uninteresting and could not feel much less important. Rather than just getting to the point with the title tournament, we have to have what are basically preview matches for the people involved. It’s stretching the whole thing out even longer and my goodness just get on with the stupid tournament already. Other than that, the Von Erichs getting beaten up is nice to see, but that’s only so helpful. Another frustrating show, as Ring Of Honor continues to feel like the least important show around.

Results
Bandido b. Dralistico – X Knee
Premiere Athletes b. JD Ink/El Magnifico/Rebecca Scott – Chokeslam to Scott
Deonna Purrazzo b. Viva Van – Short cradle piledriver
Mina Shirakawa b. Lacey Lane – Figure Four
Rush/Sammy Guevara b. Von Erichs – Swanton to Marshall
Billie Starkz b. Olympia – Crucifix

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 4, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Death Before Dishonor and the big story is we have a pair of new champions, with Sammy Guevara and Rush as the new Tag Team Champions and Shane Taylor Promotions winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Bandido and Athena retained their titles and we have a little over three months before Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down this week’s card.

Athena vs. Dayami

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Dayami wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Neither gets an entrance for some reason. Dayami jumps her to start and knocks her into the corner, only for Athena to fight right back. They go outside with Athena sending her into the barricade. Back in and a Koji Clutch finishes for Athena at 2:09.

Long recap on Death Before Dishonor.

Bandido says his win is for everyone who has been down, because it proves they can come back as champions.

Swirl vs. Thomas Heim/Joe Alonzo

Johnson takes Alonzo down without much trouble to start but Alonzo is back up with a running dropkick in the corner. Everything breaks down for a bit though and a running dropkick into a belly to back suplex gets two on Alonzo. Christian misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Heim, who gets caught in the wrong corner as well. The double stomp/Death Valley Driver finishes Heim at 2:35.

Wheeler Yuta vs. John Silver

Yuta takes him down without much trouble to start but Silver cuts him off with a powerbomb. Back up and Yuta sends him outside for a suicide dive, with Marina Shafir getting in a slam on the floor. Cue Evil Uno to glare at Shafir and then slap the mat as Yuta grabs a chinlock.

Silver fights up with a hard clothesline and forearms but cue Jon Moxley to back Yuta. A half crab has Silver in trouble but he reverses into something like a crossface. Shafir offers a distraction but gets pulled down, leaving Uno to go after Moxley. That means Moxley goes after Uno’s mask so Silver makes the save, only to walk into the running knee to give Yuta the pin at 8:17.

Rating: C. I guess Moxley is just bored and popping up on these shows, which does at least make them feel more important. That being said, there is a firm limit to how much I can bring myself to care about Yuta and Silver having a match. While Silver has charisma, he’s only able to do so much in these spots, especially with someone as dull as Yuta in there with him.

Trish Adora accuses Deonna Purrazzo of overlooking her, with Purrazzo saying she’s overlooking everyone because she’s better than everyone. Sweet goodness this tournament could not feel less important.

Lance Archer vs. Marcus/Adam

Blackout and double pin at 1:05 in the same thing Archer has done for years now.

We look at Sammy Guevara dropping the Von Erichs and teaming up with Rush instead.

The Von Erichs can’t accept what Guevara did and he is officially in their crosshairs. Oh goodness no, anything but that. Get these guys off the show, please. They’re as boring as a sidewalk on a summer day and OH NO! SAMMY GUEVARA DOESN’T RESPECT TEXAS! Get out of here and go do anything else because you’re the least interesting wrestlers I’ve ever seen. And I just watched a Wheeler Yuta match.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia

Angelico and Collins start things off with an exchange of wristlocks. It’s off to Serpentico to stomp on the arm and a splash gets two. Tenaglia comes in for a running knee in the corner and a side slam/slingshot elbow gets two. Serpentico fights out of a chinlock and grabs a double running Downward Spiral for two, allowing the tag off to Angelico. Some strikes have Collins in trouble and La Majistral gets two. Angelico pulls him into a kind of reverse Figure Four with an ankle lock for the tap at 6:36.

Rating: C. Hey did you know that the Spanish Announce Project can have a decent tag match if they’re given about six minutes? That’s what they did here and, again, it was perfectly fine. It’s the same match they’ve had for years around here and as usual, there is pretty much nothing else to say about it because it never changes.

Jordan Oliver vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata easily wins a wrestling exchange to start and takes him down by the arm. A hammerlock keeps the arm in trouble but Oliver is back with a running clothesline into the corner. The bulldog back out of the corner has Shibata down but he pulls Oliver into an ankle lock to cut that off. Shibata kicks him in the corner and gets two off a suplex, followed by the PK for the win at 4:49.

Rating: C+. Shibata was fine here and it was a good showcase for him, even if that’s about all you ever get from him. It’s easy to forget that he’s part of the AEW Trios Champions as he does his own thing over here and it’s so disconnected from everything else. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s a weird way to go. Oliver is a nice addition around here as he has some size and experience, though right now he’s just kind of floating around. That’s fine for now, but if (and it’s a big if) he’s sticking around, he’ll need to be used a bit better.

Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Premiere Athletes

Nese takes Hologram over with a headlock to start and then chops away in the corner. Ishii comes in to shoulder Daivari down and hammer on Nese, allowing the tag back to Hologram. Nese takes Hologram down for the chinlock, only for Hologram to fight out and bring Ishii back in.

Everything breaks down and Ishii hits a double clothesline but Sterling offers a distraction, leaving Hologram to get crotched on top. The Flying Carpet splash gets two but Nese is back up to knock Daivari down. Sterling gets knocked off the apron and it’s a 450 to give Hologram the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. It’s hard to get excited about a Hologram match as there is a grand total of no chance he’s losing his undefeated streak to the Premiere Athletes on Ring Of Honor. This in no way felt like a main event and while Hologram can be exciting in the ring, it’s just another match that took place. Like so many other things on here.

In case you didn’t get enough here, tomorrow there is a bonus episode of the show, featuring eleven matches.

The Premiere Athletes are mad that Mark Sterling has a torn bicep and can’t pick up his daughter. The team needs a contingency plan.

Overall Rating: C-. A colleague of mine recently pointed out something about the Ring Of Honor show and he’s absolute right: for the most part, it’s just matches. You’ll get singles matches, Proving Ground matches, Pure Rules matches and the occasional tag match, but for the most part, that’s it.

The shows don’t build towards anything, there is very little in the way of variety, and a lot of it is the same stuff week after week. How many times has Lance Archer squashed someone? Or the Athletes or the Project or Athena had a similar match? It isn’t that what we’re getting is terrible, but rather it’s the same dry stuff far too often. Last week’s PPV had 13 matches, this week’s show had 7 and tomorrow’s special will have 11.

That’s a heck of a lot in eight days and for the most part, it doesn’t stand out as different in any way. This week’s show was really hard to sit through because it was just so uninteresting, with even more of it to come tomorrow. I know nothing is going to change, but it would be nice if we got something else. Oh and far less Von Erichs because this “aw shucks, we’re just two good old boys from Texas but we’re perturbed” is horrible.

Results
Athena b. Dayami – Koji Clutch
Swirl b. Thomas Heim/Joe Alonzo – Double stomp/Death Valley Driver to Heim
Wheeler Yuta b. John Silver – Running knee
Lance Archer b. Marcus/Adam – Double pin
Spanish Announce Project b. Philly Collins/Marino Tenaglia – Ankle lock to Collins
Katsuyori Shibata b. Jordan Oliver – PK
Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii b. Premiere Athletes – 450 to Daivari

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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Death Before Dishonor 2025
Date: August 29, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back on pay per view around here and since this is Ring Of Honor, nine matches have been added to the card in the last day and a half. This includes the Tag Team and Six Man Tag Team Titles being decided as both were recently vacated. That’s in addition to the double main event of Hechicero challenging Bandido for the World Title and Athena defending the Women’s Title against Mina Shirakawa. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Jordan Oliver vs. Jay Lethal

Feeling out process to start, with Lethal rolling away and getting in a strut. Oliver takes him into the corner for some chops, followed by something like a crossbody to counter a leapfrog (that was cool). They trade some escapes in a nice sequence until Lethal gets in a suplex. Oliver sends him into the corner for a flip out to the apron, and there’s the strut. Back in and Lethal hits a superkick but the Lethal Injection is cut off. Lethal blocks a superplex but Hail To The King is countered into a crucifix for two. Back up and the Figure Four goes on in a hurry and Oliver taps at 6:57.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine warm up match for the fans, who will recognize Oliver from his time in smaller promotions while Lethal is the established veteran trying to prove he still has it. Oliver scouting a bunch of Lethal’s moves made sense but ultimately Lethal was just too much for him. Nice stuff here, with the match lasting just about the exact amount of time.

Respect is shown post match.

Zero Hour: MxM Collection vs. Dark Order vs. Frat House

Everyone has at least one second with them. Reynolds takes over on Garrison’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Silver, with the Order getting to pose. That doesn’t work for the House, who break it up as everything breaks down into a fight on the floor. We settle down to Silver staring up at Madden but everyone jumps Silver to start the beating. Garrison comes in for two off a snap suplex as the Frat House and Collection get into it over the House’s paddle on the floor (multiple spankings ensue).

Reynolds comes in to clean house, including a running boot to put Madden on the floor. Back in and Madden grabs a kind of spinning AA for two on Reynolds. Silver is back in with a double standing Sliced Bread on the House, followed by the Spin Doctor to Madden. The Order hits their pinfall sequence on Mansoor but Johnny TV sprays his cologne into Silver’s eyes, allowing Mansoor to get the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C+. They had a lot going on here, including a bunch of comedy on the floor, but the Collection winning makes the most sense. The Order is going to be popular no matter what they do and the House are the resident morons. That leaves the Connection to be the only slightly serious group so thankfully they split the difference here and won.

Zero Hour: Ashley Vox vs. Billie Starkz

Pure Rules. Starkz wants a test of strength to start but gets pulled into a headlock for her efforts. A leglock is broken up as Vox kicks her away but Starkz is right back to sit on Vox’s back. Something like an Octopus sends Starkz over to the ropes for her first break, leaving her able to hit a nasty running Alabama Slam into the corner. Starkz hammers away in the corner but the Swanton misses, allowing Vox to grab an anklescissors. An armbar makes Starkz use another break and she hits Vox in the face for the official warning. Back up and Starkz grabs the brainbuster onto the knee for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C. As tends to be the case, the Pure Rules aspect meant very little here, as the match could have been done pretty much exactly the same without them. I still have no idea why this thing needs a title of its own, but this wasn’t even a tournament match as we apparently needed a preview before the real thing. On top of that, Vox isn’t even a star around here so this was somehow the best they could do, which says a lot.

Zero Hour: Dralistico vs. Adam Priest vs. AR Fox vs. Angelico

For $50,000. Priest and Dralistico bail out to the floor to start, earning themselves dropkicks through the ropes. Back in and Angelico works on Angelico works on Fox’s arm before tying up Priest’s leg in a Figure Four. That’s broken up so Priest and Dralistico get in a fight of their own, only for Fox to break it up. Fox cutters both of them for a bonus and it’s time for the rather popular dives to the floor.

That’s not enough as Fox gets a running start on the barricade and jumps for a legdrop to Angelico on the apron. Back in and Priest sunset bombs Dralistico for two but Dralistico is right back with a Swanton. Priest and Dralistico chop it out until Dralistico hits a springboard Destroyer for two on Fox. Dralistico goes up and hits a super Codebreaker to Angelico for the pin at 8:27.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that will almost always work as you have a bunch of talented people out there going nuts and flying around for a nice stretch. That’s all you need in a situation like this and Dralistico is certainly a surprise winner. Good match here and main event of this kind of a show, even one as packed as this one.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video talks about war and focuses on Hechicero vs. Bandido, with Mina Shirakawa vs. Athena getting a bit of time as well.

Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Premiere Athletes

Before the match, the Hologram load screen doesn’t work for some reason. Mark Sterling handles the Athletes’ entrance and wants to pay tribute to the Extreme originals, with Nese as the Human Six Pack Machine, Daivari as the Innovator Of Finance and Sterling as the King Of Law School. Eh funnier than anything else he usually says. Ishii and Daivari start things off and neither goes anywhere off an exchange of shoulders.

For some reason Daivari pokes his finger in Ishii’s face and gets it twisted, with Nese telling Daivari that he has this. A single forearm puts Daivari down and it’s off to Hologram for the standing moonsault. Nese is back up to flip away, setting up a running headscissors. Hologram dives over him and hits a Spanish Fly for two but Sterling offers a distraction. That’s enough for Hologram to get put in the wrong corner for some double teaming, with Sterling getting in a bit of choking.

Nese ties him in the ropes for a step up legdrop but Hologram flips out and hands it back to Ishii. A Saito suplex gets two on Nese and everything breaks down, with stereo German suplexes dropping the Athletes. Hologram goes up for a high crossbody to go with Ishii’s brainbuster but Nese is right back with a pumphandle piledriver. Sterling gets up but Daivari collides into him, leaving Nese to get caught with a brainbuster/spinwheel kick combination for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C+. As usual, good enough stuff from Hologram and Ishii, but it’s just another match that could have been on any given ROH show with a bit more time than usual. That doesn’t make it interesting as there’s no story to the match and it’s just added to the show to make it longer. Either find something for Hologram to do already or stop acting like he’s some kind of phenom, because we’ve kind of covered the idea already.

We recap the Six Man Tag Team Title match, with the focus on Dustin Rhodes’ injury resulting in the titles being vacated. The Sons Of Texas are getting their shot, with Shane Taylor Promotions getting the other spot because wins and losses don’t mean much around here. Sidenote: the video makes it sound like Rhodes died saving a basket of puppies on its way to an orphanage on Christmas morning. In other words, very Ring Of Honor of them.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs

For the vacant titles. Guevara charges into the wrong corner to start and the beating is on but he pops up with a leg lariat. A snap suplex gives Guevara one and Ross comes in for a running boot in the corner. The Von Erichs hit some double dropkicks and Marshall powerslams Bravo for two. Dean pulls Ross to the floor though and some triple teaming has him down, meaning the Promotions get to pose together.

Dean comes in for a Bronco Buster (which Caprice dubs the BBC) before Taylor hits a hard knee to the face. The fans start with a “F*** THE COWBOYS” chant as Bravo hits a middle rope knee. Ross finally kicks Bravo away and brings Marshall in to clean house. A moonsault gives Marshall two and everything breaks down, with Guevara (wearing a cowboy hat to lean into the heat) coming back in for the brawl.

Marshall and Dean trade shots to the face but Guevara hits a high crossbody to the Infantry. A springboard clothesline hits Bravo, though the fans tell Guevara that “YOU STILL SUCK”. Guevara gets caught with a big right hand from Taylor and a double stomp from the Infantry is good for the pin and the titles at 13:04.

Rating: C+. Ok. The Promotions have never actually won a match together as a three man team coming into this and lost as recently as the special episode from two weeks ago (all three members of the team that beat them are on the show tonight), but now they’re champions. Ok, sure. They’re holding titles that would go months without being defended and Dustin Rhodes (praise be his name) couldn’t possibly have stood on the apron while his teammates lost the titles because he’s just too important for that but they are in fact champions. Ok, sure then.

Women’s Pure Wrestling Title Tournament First Round: Taya Valkyrie vs. Queen Aminata

Because this is a thing after months of nothing being said about it. Valkyrie uses a rope break about 40 seconds in to get out of an early hammerlock and then does it again a few seconds later. Aminata pulls her into the hips to the face but Valkyrie kicks her in the head. The sliding German suplex pulls her out of the ropes and Aminata’s leg is wrapped around the post.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Valkyrie one and she sends Aminata face first into the steps for two. The STF sends Aminata to the ropes for the first break and she’s back with some double chops. Aminata grabs a full nelson with her legs, which has Valkyrie using her last rope break. A hammerlock has Valkyrie trying the ropes to escape but instead she sends Aminata throat first into them for a more violent way out. Aminata shrugs that off, hits the headbutt and advances at 8:15.

Rating: C. So, again, the idea is that someone burns through their rope breaks because they don’t know the rules very well (yet she’s in a tournament for the title built around these rules) and then they do their regular match. I still have no idea why this needs to be a title yet here we are with a tournament four months after it was announced. And again: this is the third active women’s title in Ring Of Honor, because that’s something this place can support.

Post match Deonna Purrazzo comes out for the staredown with Aminata.

We don’t know who Sammy Guevara’s partner is going to be.

Kingdom vs. Swirl

Swirl is Blake Christian/Lee Johnson and they’re described as being “red hot”. Naturally, this is code for “they’ve lost two of their last three matches”. Swirl jumps them to start and are clotheslined out to the floor, with Taven hitting a big dive to take them out. Bennett comes in and fires off a bunch of chops in the corner but gets sent outside. Johnson drops him onto the barricade for a splash from Christian as Jay Lethal is watching backstage.

Back in and a step up enziguri connects in the corner but Bennett gets over for the tag to Taven. The Lionsault connects for two and we get a double Proton Pack to leave everyone down. Christian hits a 450 for two and Taven’s rollup with tights gets the same. The Vanilla Choke Zero has Taven in trouble until Bennett AA’s Johnson onto them for the save.

Just The Tip connects to send Christian outside but the Doomsday Device is broken up, with Bennett being dropped on the floor. Taven fights up and hits some kicks to the face, only for Christian to hit him low. The Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp finishes Taven at 11:25.

Rating: B-. Another good match with no backstory, though the stuff about Swirl being “red hot” made me roll my eyes given their recent losses. One might wonder why a team that was “red hot” wasn’t in the match for the vacant Tag Team Titles, but I’m probably thinking about it too hard. They’re certainly pushing the Swirl as something, but I’ll believe they’re getting somewhere when I actually see it.

We recap Xelhua challenging Lee Moriarty for the TV Title. Xelhua survived the ten minute time limit in a Proving Ground match to get the shot. That’s it.

Pure Wrestling Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Xelhua

Xelhua is challenging. They lock up and go into the ropes but the referee calls it unintentional (fair) so that’s not a break. Instead Moriarty gets caught in a leglock, meaning it’s time for the first break. Moriarty’s open hand chops are blocked and Xelhua grabs an anklescissors to spin Moriarty around. Back up and they fight over a top wristlock with Moriarty getting in trouble and not knowing what to do here.

Xelhua hits him in the face for the official warning, leaving Moriarty to leapfrog the referee to hit a dropkick and take over. Moriarty starts in on the hands and Xelhua has to use his first rope break. They go outside and trade chops until Moriarty goes back to the arm. Said arm is slammed into the mat over and over until a small package gives Xelhua two. Back up and Xelhua is sent outside for a series of suicide dives, only for the third to be countered into a cross armbreaker.

That’s broken up and Moriarty snaps the arm across the top rope, followed by the Border City Stretch. Riccaboni: “This has won Moriarty dozens of matches as the Pure Champion!” No, it hasn’t. Anyway, Xelhua comes back with a suplex and a high crossbody for two, setting up a rather nasty looking headscissor armbar.

Moriarty has to use his second break but goes right back to the arm. A flapjack gives Moriarty two, with Xelhua using his final rope break. The Border City Stretch is broken up again and a hammerlock drop gives Xelhua two more. Moriarty goes to the arm again with an Octopus, followed by a Border City Stretch in the ropes (legal) to retain at 16:16.

Rating: B. This was getting into a heck of a technical exchange and that’s what can make these matches fun. When you have two people who can do this stuff, it turns into something of an art form and they were making it work here. Moriarty has been champion for over a year now and while the title could easily be dropped without losing much, he’s gotten pretty snazzy at this style.

Post match respect is shown.

We recap Paul Walter Hauser (an actor who wrestles) vs. QT Marshall. They’ve been arguing over Marshall throwing alcohol in Hauser’s (a recovering alcoholic) face and telling Hauser to stick to acting. Hauser has shown up to go after Marshall and it’s time to have a Fight Without Honor.

Paul Walter Hauser vs. QT Marshall

Fight Without Honor (basically anything goes). They stare at each other to start until Marshall grabs a front facelock. That’s reversed into a hammerlock slam as Hauser gets to show some wrestling abilities, followed by an atomic drop into a Russian legsweep. Hauser sends him outside for a flip dive, meaning it’s time to set up a table. Marshall tries to slide a chair at Hauser, who manages to duck, and suplex Marshall on the floor.

Naturally it’s time for a ladder, which is knocked back into Hauser’s face. Back in and Hauser hits a quick Flip Flop and Fly, only to get sent hard into the ladder. A catapult sends Hauser into the ladder (albeit not very hard), busting him open in the process. Marshall whips out a box full of barbed wire toys, including a baseball bat, which he rakes over Hauser’s head. The chair takes too long though and Hauser fights back, only for Aaron Solo to run in with a cheap shot for the save. The barbed wire chair to the back keeps Hauser down but he manages to backdrop Marshall to the floor.

Solo whips out some handcuffs but cue Hook to send Solo through a table. Hook chokes/drags Solo out and Hauser Regal Rolls Marshall off the apron through a ringside table. Back in and Hauser gives him a sitdown piledriver onto an open chair (that’s a new one) for two and it’s a Golden Globe to the face to drop Marshall again. The box of broken glass (because that’s a thing) is pulled out and Marshall’s Diamond Cutter attempt is countered with a toss into said glass.

An AA sends Marshall into the glass again for two and Hauser can’t believe it. Some tacks are brought in and Marshall hits a superkick, followed by a powerbomb to send him into the tacks for two more. Marshall uses a dustpan to pour glass onto another table and then grabs….a mic. Naturally the insults take too long, allowing Hauser to hit him low. Hauser goes up but gets hit low, allowing Marshall to super Diamond Cutter him through the glass covered table for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: C+. Hauser is one of the better celebrity wrestlers and he was certainly trying here, but this was more of the same stuff that has been done far too often. There’s nothing about it that stands out as the tacks, glass and barbed wire have all been done. Marshall winning is certainly odd as well, as he might be a wrestler…but he’s QT Marshall, so why would he need a win?

Post match Hauser gets the hero’s sendoff.

Tag Team Titles: Sammy Guevara/??? vs. Outrunners

For the vacant titles and Guevara’s partner is….Rush. Huh. Ok then, so I guess Guevara is a heel again. Magnum takes Guevara into the corner to start and snaps off a hiptoss so it’s off to Rush to change things up. Floyd comes in as well and we get a rather aggressive lockup, followed by an exchange of shoulders. It’s back to Magnum for a running knee lift into a belly to back suplex for two on Rush, which doesn’t sit well with him.

Guevara comes in for some double teaming of his own, allowing him to crank on Magnum’s neck in the ropes. Magnum is sent outside for a ram into the steps before Rush adds a chop so hard that makes Guevara cringe. Rush and Guevara do the Tranquilo pose and it’s Guevara coming in….as we get a WE WANT RUSH chant. Instead Guevara grabs a chinlock but Magnum suplexes his way to freedom.

Floyd gets to come in for a bunch of slams but Guevara breaks up the Mega Powers elbow. Everything breaks down and the Outrunners send them into each other, setting up the Mega Powers elbow to Rush. Total Recall hits Guevara and everyone is down again. The fans are all over Guevara again and he shoves Magnum off the top. That leaves Floyd to get caught with the Bull’s Horns into the Swanton to give Guevara the pin and the titles at 12:58.

Rating: B-. The match was ok, but it was still hard to buy the idea that the Outrunners were going to win in the first place. Even with Rush and Guevara being thrown together, they still felt like the favorites and then won the belts. At the same time, thank goodness Guevara is just a villain again, as he’s not someone who has done much in the way of good guy stuff before. Just let him be a natural jerk and go from there, which is what we’re seeing here. Oh and ACTUALLY DEFEND THE TITLES rather than just having them sit on the sidelines for such ridiculous stretches.

Post match Dralistico comes in to celebrate but the Von Erichs come in to wonder what is going on. Uh, not everyone is obsessed with Texas? The Von Erichs are quickly destroyed.

The Outrunners are depressed about their loss but Shane Taylor Promotions come in to laugh at them.

We recap Hechicero challenging Bandido for the World Title. Hechicero got the shot and has tried to unmask Bandido. And something about them fighting outside of a saloon in the old west.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Hechicero vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending and here is Don Callis for his terrible Spanish introduction (which is fairly funny). Bandido’s entrance gear is something like a half suit of armor, which is probably going far over my head. They start slowly with Bandido scoring off a quick kick to the knee. Hechicero takes him into the corner and starts in on the arm, followed by a headscissors to pull Bandido down.

Bandido is back with his own headscissors and they grapple on the mat as this is rather clean thus far. An exchange of rollups gets two each, followed by Hechicero pulling him down into a rollup. Bandido gets his own rollup for two and Hechicero bails out to the floor. Back in and Bandido flips away, only to snap off a hurricanrana. Hechicero flips out of that as well but gets sent outside, with Bandido hitting a running flipping hurricanrana.

Callis is rather nervous so Bandido flips him off, only to charge into a knee back inside. Hechicero starts going after the mask (as is required) and Bandido goes after the rather chatty Callis. That’s enough for Hechicero to get in a shot from behind and Callis is back on commentary (because we’re so lucky). Hechicero starts in on the legs and grabs a surfboard, only for Bandido to reverse into one of his own. That doesn’t last long and Bandido is knocked outside, where Hechicero sends him into the barricade.

Back in and we hit the cross armbreaker for a bit, followed by Hechicero going with straight shots to the head. Bandido pops back up with some shots of his own, followed by the spinning high crossbody. The gorilla press drops Hechicero and he goes outside for the big running dive (as the fans are VERY into this). Back in and a frog splash gives Bandido two and now it’s time to go after Hechicero’s mask.

Bandido sends him outside again but this time Hechicero is back with a ram into the apron. Naturally they climb onto the barricade with Bandido hitting a suplex and they’re both down again. They head to the apron, where Hechicero charges into a monkey flip, allowing Bandido to hit a heck of a dive from the top. Back in and Hechicero hits a top rope clothesline for two of his own so Bandido goes after the arm.

A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked so Hechicero gives him an insane spinning faceplant back to the floor (GEEZ). Back in again and Hechicero rolls him up for two but the spinning backbreaker is countered. An exchange of hard strikes to the face sets up Bandido’s poisonrana to leave both of them down.

They get up and strike it out until Bandido nails the X Knee. The 21 Plex is countered into an inverted Gory stretch, which is reversed rather quickly but Hechicero pulls him into a rocking horse. That’s broken up as well and they both fall down for a breather. The super fall away slam plants Hechicero again and the 21 Plex retains the title at 37:12.

Rating: A-. Well they certainly got some time to make this work. It was two guys beating the heck out of each other and it became a question of who was going to be able to catch the other. They weren’t so much trading near falls, but rather trying to see who was going to last longest. It’s an awesome match and they beat the fire out of each other, which made the rather long match time fly by.

We recap the main event, of Athena defending the Women’s Title. Athena is approaching 1000 days as champion and broke Shirakawa’s hand in a recent match, meaning it’s about the title and revenge.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa

Athena, with Billie Starkz, is defending and backs Mina into the corner to start. They run the ropes until Mina drops down and dances before sending Athena out to the apron. A Russian legsweep drops Athena again and a dancing top rope knee gives Mina the same. They go outside, with Mina winning a chop off but hitting the post by mistake. Athena gets smart by crushing the hand on the steps before going after the hand back inside.

The hand is put in the corner for some rapid fire kicks. They head outside again and Athena misses a charge into the barricade, allowing Mina to come back with a backbreaker inside. Starkz offers a distraction to break up the Figure Four around the post though, only for Athena’s dive to hit Starkz by mistake. Athena is fine enough to swing Mina into the barricade but she’s fine enough to slap on a quick Figure Four back inside.

The rope gets Athena out of trouble so she snaps off a German suplex. They trade running shots for a double down before Mina wins a strike off. A big kick is reversed into a Tombstone to give Athena two, with the kickout leaving her stunned. Mina is back with a spinning DDT for two and the super Sling Blade gets the same. Athena goes to the hand to block the Glamorous Driver and grabs an Old School Expulsion of all things. The Koji Clutch is broken up and Mina grabs a spinning electric chair faceplant.

The Figure Four goes on until Athena flips it over, with Mina flipping her right back. Athena makes the rope so Mina goes up, where Athena catches her with a superplex. The leg gives out again though and Mina hits a discus forearm to the back of the head. Now the Glamorous Driver can connect for two but another attempt is countered into a cross armbreaker, allowing Athena to bite the hand. A powerbomb drops Mina again and it’s the O Face to retain the title at 26:01.

Rating: B. It’s another good match and they beat each other up with the hand vs. the leg stuff, making it a worthwhile main event. It wasn’t going to be able to hang with Bandido vs. Hechicero, but it was a very different kind of match. At the same time, I have no idea who is going to take the title from Athena, but at this point it’s hard to imagine it actually happening. That’s a good way to go, though I’m not sure it needed to go on this long. Either way, another solid match here.

Athena and Starkz are rather pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. In a word, this show was frustrating. The last two matches are an outstanding one two punch and worth seeing, but the rest of the show is every Ring Of Honor problem rolled into one. You had title shots being thrown around to random people, matches being added with no stories whatsoever and a lot of stuff that could have been put on any given Ring Of Honor show.

In other words, it continues to feel like this show was booked on the back of a napkin in about five minutes with whomever happened to be available that weekend. In a week where AEW already had a six hour pay per view, having this thrown out there, with several matches having literally no build, was really tiring and I stopped caring for a good chunk of the show. Either act like Ring Of Honor matters or drop it, because this thrown together styles where wins and losses on the weekly show mean absolutely nothing is beyond annoying. As usual, the good wrestling bails them out, but that’s the extent of the positives.

Results
Jay Lethal b. Jordan Oliver – Figure Four
MxM Collection b. Dark Order and Frat House – Sunset flip to Silver
Billie Starkz b. Ashley Vox – Brainbuster onto the knee
Dralistico b. AR Fox, Angelico and Adam Priest – Top rope Codebreaker to Angelico
Hologram/Tomohiro Ishii b. Premiere Athletes – Brainbuster/spinwheel kick combination to Nese
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Sons Of Texas – Double stomp to Guevara
Queen Aminata b. Taya Valkyrie – Headbutt
Swirl b. The Kingdom – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Taven
Lee Moriarty b. Xelhua – Border City Stretch in the ropes
QT Marshall b. Paul Walter Hauser – Super Diamond Cutter through a glass covered table
Sammy Guevara/Rush b. Outrunners – Swanton to Floyd
Bandido b. Hechicero – 21 Plex
Athena b. Mina Shirakawa – O Face

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