AEW Collision – September 19, 2026: A Healthy One For The Sickos

Collision
Date: September 19, 2026
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight

After last week’s rather touching tribute to the Butcher, we’re back to a more traditional show here. The good thing is that means the action should be high quality, as it tends to be on Collision. Other than that, we’re a week away from All Out and might get some more additions to the card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley says Will Ospreay has chosen conflict with he and the Death Riders. The problem is that Moxley is going to have this match and it is going to be a very long drop for Moxley. He has already given Ospreay everything he has and fallen before but now he has climbed back up. The cliff that Ospreay will fall off at All Out will be the result of gravity. More intense stuff here from Moxley, which he has covered quick extensively over the years.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Myron Reed

Reed is challenging and Steven Borden and Zachary Wentz are here too. We get a show of respect and Allin slips away from an early waistlock. Reed’s attempt to nip up out of a wristlock is broken up as Allin drops down into a headlock for a rather smart counter. Allin sends him outside and Reed is right back in with a jumping enziguri. Reed knocks him off the top for a big crash out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive over the post as we take a break.

We come back with Allin hitting a top rope superplex and Reed rolls out to the floor. Allin is back up with a heck of a suicide dive and tries another one, only to get caught with a cutter. Back in and the diving cutter over the top rope Allin on the floor and a 450 gives Reed a delayed two. Reed kicks him off the apron and into an open chair, with Reed’s running flip dive crashes through the chair. Allin throws what is left of Reed inside for the Coffin Drop to retain at 11:23.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches where they were tasked with going out there and flying around the ring (both inside and out) until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That big dive onto the chair looked great as the chair was just crushed. It’s another case of a random title shot but AEW knew exactly what they were doing here and it worked.

Post match the other two come in and respect is shown. Allin gets the mic and says Reed showed he belonged tonight. As for Steven Borden, teaming with his father was one of the best things of Allin’s career. Borden is ready to give everything to help Allin get the titles again so they’re giving everything they have at All Out.

We look at Tommaso Ciampa attacking Kazuchika Okada to set up their International Title match at All Out.

Don Callis is ready for the Family to beat Steven Borden and Darby Allin to become #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher agree and Kazuchika Okada tells Tommaso Ciampa to be careful what he wished for with his challenge.

Juice Robinson wants the Bang Bang Gang to challenge the Dogs and the Death Riders to a Tailgate Brawl at Tailgate Brawl. We get a lot of football references as well.

Zayda Steel vs. Thekla

Willow Nightingale is on commentary. Shockingly Thekla has no time for a handshake so Steel takes her down and hammers away. Thekla’s kick tot he face is shrugged off and Steel gets in a running shoulder. A Codebreaker out of the ropes hits Thekla, who kicks her to the floor for a double stomp to the back. Thekla’s dancing takes us to a break and we come back with Thekla yelling at Nightingale, allowing Steel to get in a baseball slide.

Back in and Thekla is fine enough to grab a guillotine choke over the ropes but Steel fires off even more right hands. A TKO gives Steel two and they go up top, where Thekla blocks a sunset bomb. Instead Thekla gets tied in the ropes for a top rope double stomp and a near fall. The Killswitch is broken up and Thekla does her spider walk into the spear…and pulls Steel up at two. Instead it’s a stomp to pin Steel at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Steel got to show some offense here but Thekla needed a win on the way to All Out. The big deal here was that Thekla got to show what she can do in the ring, as she is mainly known for her talking abilities. I could still go with more of Steel though, especially with her winning a thing or two outside of a nothing match on Ring Of Honor.

Pac vs. Adam Priest

Pac starts fast with a running clothesline and whips him into the corner. Priest fires off some clotheslines of his own and he gets his half crab, sending Pac over to the rope. Commentary talks about Christmas cards as Pac snaps off a suplex for two and then chokes with the knee. Back up and Priest dragon screw legwhips him down but can’t get the half crab again. Instead Pac hits a running shot in the corner, setting up a Tombstone. The Brutalizer finishes Priest at 4:17.

Rating: C+. Priest is someone who has been built up to be a jobber to the stars and that’s a fine role for him. He’s only going to get so far given his size and basic look, but he’s good enough in the ring to be a good choice for something like this. Other than that, Pac gets to look dominant enough, which is where he tends to do best.

Post match Pac goes to leave but gets cut off by Andrade El Idolo’s entrance. You can imagine how this is received.

National Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade is defending. They circle each other to start and Garcia takes him into the corner for some slaps to the chest. Garcia asks HOW YOU KNOW and gets taken down, allowing Andrade to do a bit of posing. Back up and a test of strength doesn’t work for either of them so Garcia sends him into the ropes…for the Tranquilo pose. A running hurricanrana sends Garcia outside for the slingshot dive and we take a break.

We come back with Garcia raining down right hands in the corner and then escaping Three Amigos as a bonus. Garcia knocks him outside and loads up his own picture with a woman, which has Marina Shafir yelling at Garcia to get back inside. Andrade backdrops him to the floor and there go the pants, setting up a springboard corkscrew dive to take Garcia down again. Garcia breaks up the Three Amigos again so it’s a double moonsault to give Andrade two. They fight over a small package and, after about eight counts, Andrade retains at 13:24.

Rating: B. It was quite the technical showcase with some of those counters being rather nifty. As usual, these title defenses aren’t so much about the title being in jeopardy as much as they’re about getting Andrade in the ring. It makes sense as he’s one of the hotter names in AEW at the moment so showcase him where you can.

Post match the Death Riders run in and beat down Andrade, with Pac demanding a National Title shot at All Out. Andrade accepts in a less than polite fashion and gets beaten up some more. Francesco Akira runs in for the save but gets choked, with Mike Bailey bringing in a chair for the real save.

Mike Bailey vs. Wheeler Yuta

They go with the grappling to start until Bailey snaps off a running hurricanrana to the floor. Yuta is fine enough to send him face first into the steps and bends the exposed ankle over the turnbuckle. Bailey is back up with a missile dropkick but gets German suplexed for two more. They go outside where Bailey gets in a middle rope moonsault to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of rollups for two each until Bailey kicks him in the head to put them both down again. Bailey’s cross armbreaker is broken up and they trade rollups again with Bailey getting the better of things. The moonsault knees hit the mat so Yuta gets two more off a rollup. Back up and Bailey grabs a sunset flip with the arms tied up for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Some of the exchanges of rollups were rather good as both of them can work that fast paced style. That’s the only reason to put these two together and it worked pretty well. Neither of them are about to go anywhere anytime soon but Bailey looks better in the ring than he does trying to make a save and look tough.

Post match the Death Riders and the Dogs run in until the Bang Bang Gang runs in for the save. Security has to break it up.

Jack Perry is walking through the woods and talks about how you have to face the best to be the best.

The Opps don’t seem impressed but offer Perry a match with Katsuyori Shibata first.

Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa vs. Georgia South/Emily Jaye

Jaye gets wristlocked and clotheslined to start and everything breaks down. Aminata and Shirakawa get to dance before we get stereo Chocolate Kisses. The Glamorous Driver drops Jaye and it’s a Figure Four to South with Aminata adding a top rope double stomp. Aminata gives Jaye a running knee for the pin while South taps at 2:46. Fun squash.

Nick Wayne rants about Chris Jericho beating him and then offering him a handshake. Maybe Jericho is the one who doesn’t know something.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay.

Jon Moxley vs. Zachary Wentz

Non-title eliminator match. Moxley takes him down by the arm to start and Wentz rolls out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Wentz handspring kicks him out to the floor, which is a bit too much selling for Moxley so he comes back in with a cutter. We take a break and come back with Moxley hitting a running shot in the corner but charging into a boot to the face.

A double stomp to the back and a kick to the chest set up a Blockbuster for two on Moxley so Wentz pulls him into a half crab. Moxley reverses into a choke so Wentz gets in a handspring kick to the head. Wentz misses a Spinal Tap though and Moxley Stomps him into the Death Rider for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Well, Moxley was his usual dominant self and that was only so entertaining, but I’ll take them going through this one a bit faster rather than dragging it out. Wentz was never going to be seen as a threat to beat Moxley so it was nice to see them get out of there a bit sooner. It’s another case of getting a star in the ring and that’s fine enough for a Collision main event.

Post match the Death Riders celebrate, with what sounds like the wrong music at first, as the song abruptly changes.

Overall Rating: B. That’s definitely an episode of AEW Collision, with some good action, not much in the way of big stories being advanced, and a few matches being set up for the future. I’ll take that pretty much every week though, as being in a formula can be ok if the formula is working. That was the case here and I liked it well enough this week.

Results
Darby Allin b. Myron Reed – Coffin Drop
Thekla b. Zayda Steel – Stomp
Pac b. Adam Priest – Brutalizer
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Small package
Mike Bailey b. Wheeler Yuta – Arm trap sunset flip
Queen Aminata/Mina Shirakawa b. Georgia South/Emily Jaye – Running knee to Jaye
Jon Moxley b. Zachary Wentz – Death Rider

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – September 10, 2026: Ian Riccaboni Is A Fan

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

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

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

In Memory Of Andy Williams.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Adam Priest vs. Action Andretti

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

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

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

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

Lacey Lane/Janai Kai vs. Maya World/Hyan

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

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

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

We look at Athena dominating on Collision.

Deonna Purrazzo and Emi Sakura seem ready to team up.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. Serpentico/The Colons

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

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

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

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

Ortiz vs. Rocky Romero

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

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

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

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

AR Fox/Soleil vs. Body Bundy/Jacked Josh

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

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

Action Andretti brags about beating Adam Priest clean

Jacked Jameson vs. Matt Menard

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

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

Infantry vs. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner

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

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

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

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

Steph de Lander vs. Zayda Steel

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

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

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

Bang Bang Gang vs. Beef/Premiere Athletes

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – August 27, 2026: Now Was That So Hard?

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

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

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

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

Opening sequence.

We get a stills package on Death Before Dishonor.

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

Lacey Lane vs. Deonna Purrazzo

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

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

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

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

Action Andretti vs. Boom Harden

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

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

Rascalz vs. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto/Tomo Filip

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

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

The Beast Mortos vs. Rob Vegas

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

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

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

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

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

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

Viva Van/Vertvixen vs. Zayda Steel/Red Velvet

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

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

Premiere Athletes vs. Bang Bang Gang

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor Death Before Dishonor 2026: This Was Great

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match, respect is shown.

Zero Hour: El Phantasmo vs. Adam Brooks

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

Zero Hour: AR Fox vs. Soleil vs. Komander

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

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

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

Post match Fox gives Komander a handshake.

Video on the Don Callis Family.

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pure Rules Title: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Lee Moriarty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Priest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV Title: Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring Of Honor World Title: Nick Wayne vs. Bandido

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Title: Hazuki vs. Athena

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match Athena actually shows respect to end the show.

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

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

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

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – August 20, 2026: The One Before The One With Dishonor

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Gia Scott

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

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

Video on Athena vs. Hazuki.

Preston Vance vs. Danny Grandview

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

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

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Hook

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

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

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

Video on Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush.

Alec Price vs. Daniel Garcia

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

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

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

Post match we do get another handshake.

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

Lio Rush vs. Joe Keys

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

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

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

The Lethal Twist seems to see things differently.

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

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

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

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

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

Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

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

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

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

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

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

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

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

Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata

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

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

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

Nick Wayne says that was a message to Bandido.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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Ring of Honor – August 18, 2026 (Bonus Show): These People Man (Includes Full Show)

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Komander vs. Ariya Daivari

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

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

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

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

Action Andretti/Hook vs. Lio Rush/AR Fox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anthony Ogogo vs. Aaron Solo

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

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

The Hex vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

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

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

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

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

El Phantasmo vs. Adam Priest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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AEW Collision – August 15, 2026: Very Collision Of Them

Collision
Date: August 15, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Paul Wight

We are just over two weeks away from the biggest show of the year and that means it’s time to focus on the Continental Classic Cup, with a couple more first round matches. Hopefully the rest of the show gets some more attention, as it could use a bit more of a spark. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Trios Titles: Brodido/Hangman Page vs. Lethal Twist

The Twist is challenging. Page shoulders Christian down to start but is quickly cut off with a headscissors. Lethal tries to come in but only winds up helping Page moonsault onto Johnson. King drops a backsplash onto Johnson so Lethal makes a save before it’s off to Bandido. That earns Christian a handspring into the gun to the head pose so Johnson comes in to tie Bandido in the Tree Of Woe. The 619 and running dropkick hit Bandido and a moonsault takes Page down as we take a break.

We come back with Bandido’s corkscrew crossbody getting him out of trouble so King can come in to swat at the Twists like King Kong swatting at planes. The double Cannonball gives King two and Page is back in to clean house, including the slingshot dive to the floor (he looks pleased). King crushes Christian and Johnson against the barricade so Page can moonsault onto both of them.

We hit the parade of strikes so Christian can moonsault (popular move in this match) to King on the floor. Johnson adds a splash from the apron and a frog splash into a 450 gets two, with the kickout stunning Christian. Page is back in with the Buckshot though and an X Knee sets up a Ganso Bomb to pin Johnson and retain at 12:17.

Rating: B. These titles are a good choice to open a show and let the people go nuts and it helps that the champs are all rather popular. Bandido doing this is better than losing all the time in singles matches and that’s a relief after the absurd number of losses he’s had. Page needs something to do since he can’t go after the World Title so why not do this for a bit?

Post match Ricochet interrupts and here are the Gates Of Agony to jump the champs from behind. The Twist gets back up and the beatdown is even worse.

Don Callis is ready for Hechicero and Brian Cage to face off in the Continental Challenge Cup. Callis offers an interesting translation for Hechicero’s words of friendliness.

Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly say may the best man win in their match.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: Hechicero vs. Brian Cage

Hechicero’s CMLL World Title isn’t on the line. Hechicero takes him down to start but gets chopped and forearmed in the corner. Back up and Hechicero’s running should doesn’t work so he kicks Cage’s leg out for a bit more success. Cage sends him hard into the corner though and it’s the apron superplex as we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero tying Cage’s arms up in the ropes until Cage swings him into a DDT for two of his own. The Drill Claw is broken up and a leglock sends Cage over to the ropes. A discus lariat gives Cage two so Hechicero is right back with the headscissor driver. Hechicero rolls him around and ties up the arms for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: B-. This was the power vs. technical match and they’re both good enough at their styles to make it work. At the same time, it’s also a heel vs. heel match between two of the lower stars in the massive Don Callis Family. It was only going to be so interesting, which is part of the problem with a lot of this tournament.

Darby Allin talks about how Sting taught him that he didn’t have to change a thing. Kevin Knight has changed everything to be a champion. What kind of a family is the Don Callis Family though? Allin gives Knight his word that he won’t jump him or attack him before All In, because Allin wants to beat him at his best. Was Allin next to a train for this? It wasn’t clear but that’s what it appeared to be.

The Rascalz are in a rather smoky room but Lio Rush pops in to talk about how everyone needs friends. That’s enough to scare the Rascalz away.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Rachelle Riveter/Mazzerati

Non-title. Kross shoves Mazzerati around to start and cuts off a headscissors with a side slam. Riveter comes in for a few shots to Bayne, who drops her hard with a clothesline. Double suplexes set up the Divine Intervention to finish Mazzerati at 2:19. As expected.

Post match the Brawling Birds come in for a fight but Kross and Bayne bail.

Zayda Steel has been waiting to face Mercedes Mone, who comes in to interrupt. Steel says she has lost respect for Mone, who doesn’t care and knocks her down.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: Nigel McGuinness vs. Katsuyori Shibata

We get a tentative handshake to start and we’re ready to go. They go technical to start and keep trading escapes on the mat with Shibata getting the better of things and working on the arm. McGuinness kicks the rope into Shibata’s face to escape and Shibata gets more serious, meaning it’s a bunch of kicks to put McGuinness down. A snapmare sends Shibata’s ankle into the ropes though and we take a break.

We come back with Shibata getting a guillotine and then a sleeper, with McGuinness leaning down onto the banged up ankle for a brilliant escape. The Tower Of London is broken up but Shibata’s PK is countered with a kick to the leg. An ankle lock goes on but Shibata gets out and connects with the PK for a delayed two. Shibata grabs a sleeper so McGuinness drops back and flips over for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. This was the technical off match and some of the stuff McGuinness was doing came off as so incredibly smart. It’s such a shame that he lost so much of his career due to injuries, as he was just so good at what he did. Him getting a Cinderella run to Wembley wouldn’t be crazy, but he’s a long way off from there.

Will Ospreay is going to call some friends in Japan to help him against the Don Callis Family.

Video on Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. the Young Bucks.

Rascalz/Lio Rush vs. Jeaux Braxton/Frescomatic/Watson/Ice Williams

The Rascalz are of course scared of Rush so he dives onto all four of the opponents before the bell. Williams gets clotheslined down to start and it’s off to Wentz to knee Braxton in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz still aren’t sure what to make of Rush. The Rascalz hit dives to the floor and a string of top rope dives hit Watson. Rush’s cravate choke makes him tap at 2:30.

Post match the Hurt Syndicate comes out and has a weird staredown with Rush.

Hurt Syndicate/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Sonico/Jake Redondo/Ro Montana/Juli Montana

The Syndicate wreck the other team on their own to start and MVP uses his cane to conduct the WE HURT PEOPLE chants. Apparently the Syndicate’s retainer is up though and they leave, with Taylor’s Marcus Garvey Driver finishing Redondo at 2:10. Well that was different.

Tommaso Ciampa is in the Casino Gauntlet and warns everyone else involved. Simple and to the point here.

Mercedes Mone vs. Zayda Steel

Mone fires off the forearms to start but gets taken down with a springboard wristdrag. Steel’s Codebreaker through the ropes gets two so Mone flips her up into a gutbuster. The chinlock goes on and we take a break. We come back with Steel Stunnering her way out of a double arm choke. Steel strikes away and gets two off a high crossbody but Mone is back with a Backstabber. The Mone Maker into the Statement Maker (with Mone pulling at the jaws) makes Steel tap at 8:09.

Rating: C+. Well thank goodness Mone got to beat her up this badly after knocking her down in the back. There was a full half hour or so where Mone didn’t look like the biggest star in the world. I’m holding out hope that Willow Nightingale gets to keep the title at Wembley but history would suggest that isn’t going to happen.

Post match Mone beats up both Steel and Christopher Daniels until Willow Nightingale runs in to chase her off.

At Dynamite, a rather bloody Jack Perry was ready to become World Champion and he knows what he has to do to get there. He wants to face former World Champions so here is Swerve Strickland to say Perry can’t beat him. Perry disagrees.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega.

Omega can’t stand the Don Callis Family so he and the Young Bucks want to face three of them next week. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage come in to talk to the Bucks, with Omega leaving. The Bucks say Copeland and Cage are old enough to be their father. Cage: “Who says I’m not?” And the Bucks have nothing.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong

They go to the mat to start with Strong bailing away as we’re told that Nigel McGuinness is hurt and may be out of the tournament. O’Reilly’s seated abdominal stretch is broken up so O’Reilly starts in on the arm. Strong’s backbreaker cuts that off in a hurry but he gets sent to the floor. That’s fine with Strong, who counters O’Reilly’s suicide dive into a drop onto the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Strong hitting another backbreaker but banging up his own ankle in the process. They trade kicks to the chest until O’Reilly ankle locks him to the ropes. Another backbreaker onto the turnbuckle gives Strong two so O’Reilly suplexes him down. The cross armbreaker is blocked and they strike it out, with Strong’s knee getting two. Back up and O’Reilly quickly pulls him into a small package for the pin at 13:00.

Rating: B. This was pretty much exactly the match I was expecting, with a heavy technical aspect that wasn’t as entertaining as Shibata vs. McGuinness. Both guys are rather technically sound so the match was far from boring, but having good guy partners face each other is only so interesting. It was kind of an odd choice for a main event, though I’m not sure if there was a great choice on the entire card.

Post match a frustrated Strong shoves him down but pulls him back up for the hug.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, Collision is a tricky show to watch. The action was good as always, with McGuinness vs. Shibata being a lot of fun. At the same time though, AEW doesn’t really try to hide the fact that this show is almost strictly for the midcard. Between the multiple long Continental Cup matches and the two eight man tags, it definitely felt like they were just putting as many things out there as they could. In other words, a perfectly good show and rather worthwhile if you’re more into the in-ring side of things, but not so thrilling if you want some storyline spice.

Results
Brodido/Hangman Page b. Lethal Twist – Ganso Bomb to Johnson
Hechicero b. Brian Cage – Arm trap crucifix
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Rachelle Riveter/Mazzerati – Divine Intervention to Mazzerati
Nigel McGuinness b. Katsuyori Shibata – Flipping cradle
Rascalz/Lio Rush b. Jeaux Braxton/Frescomatic/Watson/Ice Williams – Cravate choke to Watson
Hurt Syndicate/Shane Taylor Promotions b. Sonico/Jake Redondo/Ro Montana/Juli Montana – Marcus Garvey Driver to Redondo
Mercedes Mone b. Zayda Steel – Statement Maker
Kyle O’Reilly b. Roderick Strong – Small package

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – July 31, 2026: Good Grief This Show Sometimes

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the regular show after Tuesday’s bonus show. In this case that means we have three weeks to go before Death Before Dishonor and it’s time to start getting the card ready. Hopefully that is covered this week, though we already have the Pure Title match as Lee Moriarty is defending against Angelico. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Moriarty vs. Angelico, with the focus still being on their first match nearly two years ago. I’m really not sure how big of a deal that actually is.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico

Moriarty is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Angelico spins out of a wristlock. Angelico’s full nelson is countered into a cravate, which allows Moriarty to go after the arm again. Angelico slips out of that as well and does his dance before pulling him into a leglock, which has Moriarty burning his first rope break.

Back up and Moriarty spins around into the Border City Stretch, which has Angelico using his own first rope break. Moriarty works on the arm and fingers so Angelico goes to the ropes for the second time. With that not working, Moriarty loads up a Scorpion Deathlock but reaches down and grabs Angelico’s head before leaning back and stretching…well pretty much everything.

That’s the third rope break from Angelico, which thankfully means that I don’t have to try to describe that nutty hold again. Angelico grabs something like Konnan’s old Tequila Sunrise to send Moriarty to the rope again, leaving him with one. A triangle choke doesn’t get Moriarty very far and Angelico pulls him into…we’ll say it’s the Rings Of Saturn but with Angelico using his legs. Moriarty burns his last rope break and they trade some rollups for two each. Moriarty’s Border City Stretch goes on again and Angelico gives up at 12:31.

Rating: B. Yeah there were some cool spots in there (some of those submissions were absolutely insane) but it’s the same kind of thing that we’ve seen from Moriarty literally for years now. It would be a bit better if Angelico was built up for the title shot but it was basically just “they had a match about two years ago”. Do you know how many pure matches Angelico has had since then? One, which he lost. It’s really not that hard to set up a title match, but instead we get “Hey remember what we did almost two years ago? We’re doing it again.” Try harder than that.

Bandido is asked about his World Title defense at Death Before Dishonor against…Nick Wayne. This brings in Wayne, who promises to win the title, though Bandido says Wayne has no honor. Bandido promises to show why he’s the most wanted. I’m not sure what that means but it’s not like logic matters around this title anyway.

The World Title match for one of the few PPVs that ROH does every year was announced in a random backstage segment between two people who have no history together. Not one of the three or four people who have beaten Bandido on an AEW PPV lately, because everyone in the company wants to be “insert name here” Two Belts, unless it’s a Ring Of Honor title because who could possibly want one of those? Oh and Wayne was last seen losing on Dynamite, because that’s how you build up a World Title challenger. Good grief this place is ridiculous sometimes.

Viva Van vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura knocks her into the corner to start but Van is back up with a running hurricanrana. Sakura goes outside…and appears to be crying, but it’s just a ruse so Sakura can send her into the steps. Back in and Sakura hits a running crossbody in the corner but Van kicks her away. A missile dropkick gives Van two but she can’t get the Ocean Cyclone suplex. Van is back up with an ax kick and they both block and counter quite a few things. Finally Sakura grabs the Queen’s Gambit for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of where you need a better explanation of things around here. Sakura hasn’t wrestled in AEW since 2025 and hasn’t wrestled in ROH since 2023 (this is her fifth ever match here). It came off like we’re just supposed to remember her like she’s a regular and that isn’t the case. She comes in, she works a few matches, and she leaves. It isn’t a case of her talent, but rather she’s gone for long stretches of time and that doesn’t really work in wrestling. Tell us, or better yet, show us, a bit more about her.

The Kingdom uses AI to pick their partners for tonight: the Grizzled Young Veterans! This gives them an 87% chance of winning the match, but the Veterans aren’t sure about this AI stuff. Neither am I, but it’s certainly topical at the moment so points for something new.

Diamante vs. Allie Katch

Diamante grabs a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Diamante pulls her out of the corner and fires off some crossface shots to the jaw. A hard whip into the corner lets Diamante pose a bit but Katch is back up with a seated senton. The cannonball gives Katch two but Diamante is right back with a Stunner. Katch’s enziguri gets two more but Diamante gives her a hot shot into One In The Chamber to give Diamante the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. I still like Katch and could go for having her around to do some more stuff around here. At the same time, Diamante is still good enough in the ring most of the time but she only gets so many chances to show what she can do as the third person in Athena’s group. The match was a pretty good back and forth showcase too so I’ll take this.

Post match Diamante stays on her but Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Shane Taylor, who doesn’t like Coleman’s previous suggestions that Shane Taylor Promotions do gangster things. Coleman apologizes and asks Taylor about his matches with Jon Moxley. Taylor brags about laying out Moxley multiple times, which no one else has done. He likes finding the diamonds in the rough and he and his team trust each other. That’s how they’ll accomplish their goals but he wants to remain the person he was raised as being. As usual, Taylor is quite the talker when things are toned down a bit and I could see him having a future as a commentator.

AR Fox vs. Soleil

They go with the grappling to start and Soleil rolls backwards, all the way out to the floor. Back in and Fox uses a handstand to block a cutter (it was cool when I saw him do it live at the WrestleCon Supershow and it’s still cool here). They nip up into a standoff and Soleil flips away and hits a Meteora, landing on his feet before he hits the ground.

Back up and Fox rolls through into a neckbreaker before elbowing away in the corner. The elbows continue against the barricade and we’re off to the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they hit stereo crossbodies to leave both of them down. Soleil is up with a high crossbody for two but Fox is right back with a rolling cutter. A fisherman’s buster gives Fox two more but he misses the 450. They go up top until Soleil is shoved away, allowing Fox to give him a jumping Stunner. Lo Mein Pain into the 450 finishes Soleil at 11:00.

Rating: B. Fox has grown on me like few others around here as he wrestles a very different style but does it so well. That makes him stand out, along with being so smooth in the ring. This was good stuff as Soleil is as unique as it gets around here and the whole thing meshed together rather well. Good stuff here.

Athena is sick of people trying to come after her, including Hazuki. They can have their title match at Death Before Dishonor. In case you’re wondering, Hazuki hasn’t wrestled in ROH since before AEW existed and has wrestled four times in AEW. At least she had a brawl with Athena in her match this week on Collision. Athena defending against the woman who beat her in the Owen Hart Cup? You should know better than that.

Steph de Lander vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules and de Lander uses her first rope break in less than twenty seconds. Ellering takes her down without much trouble and hits a basement dropkick to the head. The second rope break is quickly used, as is de Lander’s punch to the face for the warning. Back up and de Lander kicks her in the face but Ellering is right back with a spinning elbow. Something like the dragon sleeper makes de Lander use her last rope break. Ellering tries a charge so de Lander hides behind the referee, with Ellering throwing him down. That lets de Lander get in another right hand and it’s a sitout F5 for the pin on Ellering at 4:49.

Rating: C. I can absolutely go for someone who cheats in this division as that’s not something you often see. De Lander cheating every chance she could makes a lot of sense and I could go for seeing what she can do in the division. It’s not like there is anything else interesting going on in the division.

Juice Robinson has glistening nipples and is coming to ROH.

Trish Adora vs. Angelica Risk

Adora sends her into the corner for a running splash to start before pulling Risk out of the air. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s time to go after Risk’s arm. The sit on the back double arm crank, followed by the rapid fire hips to the face in the corner. Risk is back up with a hurricanrana faceplant into a 619 and they trade some rollups for two each. Back up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up the Lariat Tubman to finish Risk at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Adora got to do her usual stuff here and as a result it was entertaining while it lasted. It’s also just the kind of stuff that we’ve seen from her for a long time now and that kind of puts a limit on what she can do. That’s not likely to change and unfortunately that’s going to keep her in the same spot for however long she’s around.

Steph de Lander is coming for the Women’s Pure Rules Title. She’s already gotten a better build than Angelico so why not.

Vertvixen vs. Julissa Mexa

Mexa grabs the leg and rolls around a lot, allowing her to dance. Vertvixen grabs the leg though and slaps on a half crab, followed by a running boot in the corner. Back up and they trade some forearms until Mexa gets up top for a missile dropkick. Mexa strikes away but charges into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. They go up top at the same time and strike it out, where Mexa grabs a super Samoan Driver for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C+. Mexa has been around here a few times before and she’s done well enough in those limited appearances. She has some good charisma and that finish was quite the crash landing. Vertvixen continues to be someone who feels like she could be something if given the chance but that has yet to happen.

Nigel McGuinness wants the Pure Rules Title and is willing to put his ROH career on the line.

Von Erichs/Bustah And The Brain vs. Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans

Hold on though as AI says that Drake should start against Price, who takes him down with an early wristlock. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex and it’s off to Taven for a clothesline and dropkick to Oliver. The Von Erichs come in for a bunch of slams so the villains bail out to the floor. Back in and Gibson takes over on Ross, with a cravate sending him face first into the mat. Bennett comes in for a front facelock but Ross gets out and dropkicks his way to freedom.

Everything breaks down and Gibson gives Oliver a Death Valley Driver. Price hits a pop up dropkick to Bennett and spins over into a crossbody to Taven (that was awesome). The Von Erichs hit stereo cannonballs on the Veterans and the Claws go on. That’s broken up though and the distracted referee misses the low blow to Marshall, with Drake getting a rollup for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. As much as my eyes rolled at seeing the Von Erichs back, the match wound up being good and I could go with the AI Kingdom as a thing. It’s been thirty five years since the York Foundation (oh dear) so why not? Go with something to see if it works, as it’s not like the Kingdom has been lighting things up since they returned. At least the numbers backed them up this time.

Zayda Steel vs. Sara Leon

Steel takes her down by the arm to start and Leon is surprised. For some reason Leon is surprised again when she gets pulled into an armbar and Steel wrestles her down again without much trouble. Steel misses something off the top and gets snapmared down into a running kick to the head. Leon’s kick from the apron is blocked though and Steel starts in on the leg, followed by a scorpion kick. A hanging Codebreaker gets two but Leon rolls into a German suplex to drop Steel hard. Steel is able to block a second attempt though and a leglock finishes Leon at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Steel worked on the leg, countered a move and then put on a leg hold for the win. It’s not much of a steel but it’s certainly better than what you get a lot of the time. That’s all you need here and at least Steel got a win, even if it’s against someone who might not be so well known around here. It’s better than nothing and it might lead to…oh give me a break.

Deonna Purrazzo is down to face Steph de Lander at Death Before Dishonor.

Juice Robinson vs. Anthony Henry

Henry wrestles him down to start and works on the arm but Robinson grabs a waistlock to cut that off. It’s enough for Henry to need a breather on the floor before coming back in for a dragon screw legwhip. Robinson has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock but a backsplash hits raised knees.

Henry goes right back to the knee so Robinson snaps off a spinebuster. Now the backsplash connects for two but Henry knocks him down again, setting up the Figure Four. They slap it out until the hold is broken and Robinson is up to snap off the jabs. The forward DDT pins Henry at 7:54.

Rating: C+. Yeah fine. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about this as it’s basically just a guest star from AEW showing up here for what is likely a one off match. As usual that’s hardly exciting but Robinson is so quirky and odd that he winds up keeping me interested. Not bad for a match, but as usual, a completely random choice for a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, the show was far too long and did little more than showcase how random this place is. McGuinness and de Lander technically earn title shots while Nick Wayne is just handed one while Hazuki at least interacted with the champion to get hers. It feels like every story has its own rules and that’s not exactly a great way to run a show. At least things should have something close to a focus for the next three weeks, but as usual there was a bunch of stuff that felt like it was here because Tony Khan has to film everything and air it as we approach three and a half hours of ROH this week. How lucky.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Angelico – Border City Stretch
Emi Sakura b. Viva Van – Queen’s Gambit
Diamante b. Allie Katch – One In The Chamber
AR Fox b. Soleil – 450
Steph de Lander b. Rachael Ellering – Sitout F5
Trish Adora b. Angelica Risk – Lariat Tubman
Julissa Mexa b. Vertvixen – Super Samoan Driver
Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans b. Bustah And The Brain/Von Erichs – Rollup to Marshall
Zayda Steel b. Sara Leon – Leglock
Juice Robinson b. Anthony Henry – Forward DDT

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – July 3, 2026: Show Half Full

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 3, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a rare Friday night show due to the holiday throwing everything off. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing here, but there is a Ring Of Honor World Title match set for an upcoming Collision, because of course. Other than that, we do have a title match from CMLL, because that’s where the Tag Team Titles belong these days. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hook vs. Nick Comoroto

Comoroto powers him into the corner to start so Hook trips the leg for a takedown. A missed charge leaves Comoroto having to skin the cat so Hook grabs a front facelock. Hook gives him a t-bone suplex and an ax handle gets two but Redrum is blocked. Comoroto gets in a powerslam but misses a backsplash, allowing Redrum to make him tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. He’s still Hook and he’s still pretty much the same thing he’s been for a long time now. The suplexes and chokes are nice and Hook has something of a presence to him. The problem is the Opps stuff, which just feels sad without Samoa Joe. It’s almost like people pretending to be a stable without having anything that makes it work. There is still a reason to try with Hook, but dang he needs a new direction.

We recap Beef being beaten down by the Premier Athletes, which might have been an initiation.

Keagan Garland/LJ Cleary/Aaron Dallas vs. Premier Athletes/Beef

Beef and Garland start things off with Garland flipping around to reverse a wristlock into one of his own. Garland backs him into the ropes so Dallas can get in a shot of his own, with Cleary pounding away as well. Beef fights out of the corner and hands it off to Daivari to hammer away. Nese adds an uppercut and Beef’s top rope splash finishes at 3:03.

Rating: C. So I guess Beef is the new odd man out in the Premier Athletes, which might not be a big move but it is at least SOMETHING. If the Athletes just have to be around here every single week (and apparently they do), at least give them something other than “we insult the crowd and win a nothing six man tag”. It’s something and I’ll take that after all the months of them running on a treadmill.

We look at Mercedes Mone beating Maya World to win the Women’s Owen Hart Cup at Forbidden Door. Athena was really not impressed with World either.

Trish Adora/Robyn Renegade vs. Maya World/Hyan

Hyan and Adora start things off with Hyan elbowing her in the face. A gator roll is countered into a small package but World gets a blind tag to send Adora outside. The stereo suicide dives connect with Adora and Renegade before Hyan comes back in with a hurricanrana to Renegade. A Christyan XO distraction cuts Hyan off though and Adora cranks on both arms.

Hyan breaks out and makes the pretty easy comeback to bring in World for the house cleaning. Renegade reverses a Tombstone into a rollup for two as everything breaks down. A swinging suplex drops Hyan but World is back up to put Adora down. Something like Chasing The Dragon drops Hyan but World shoves Adora onto the pile for two. The running knee gives World the pin on Renegade at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was a rather fun match that I wasn’t expecting. They were all working hard, with World and Hyan breaking quite the sweat to pull out the win. At the same time, Renegade and Adora worked well together for a random team and I liked this for a nice surprise here.

The Premier Athletes don’t think much of Beef’s contributions to their win. Beef challenges Dalton Castle and the Outrunners for the Six Man Tag Team Titles but Mark Sterling calls it the worst promo he’s ever heard. Daivari says the exact same words and gets praised, just in case you didn’t get the idea.

We look at Lio Rush getting involved in the cage match at Forbidden Door.

Rush touches the TV Title and a bunch of smoke comes up. Rush says it’s his.

Action Andretti vs. Alex Reynolds

Andretti won’t shake hands but he will hit Reynolds in the face to start fast. Reynolds flips out of a belly to back suplex and clotheslines Andretti to the floor. Back in and Reynolds hammers away again, only for Andretti to use to use the referee for a distraction to get in a cheap shot.

A corkscrew Vader Bomb gives Andretti two and the pumphandle Side Effect gets the same. Reynolds sends him outside and kicks him off the apron, with Andretti being whipped into the barricade a few times. Back up and some kicks stagger Reynolds and a Falcon Arrow gets two. A tiger driver gives Reynolds two more, only for Andretti to Stunner him over the top rope. The springboard 450 finishes for Andretti at 8:45.

Rating: B-. This was another acceptable match but Andretti is another person on a long list of people who can do athletic moves and have almost nothing that makes them stand out. I’m not overly interested in seeing his feud with Lio Rush because Cru never mattered in any significant way but tag teams must feud because of reasons. This was completely ok, but the people involved aren’t so interesting.

Post match Andretti kicks him down again and grabs a chair but Jon Silver runs in for the save. Andretti leaves but Lio Rush pops up with an umbrella to scare him on the way out.

Mance Warner doesn’t care what rules he’s wrestling under because he doesn’t know rules. He’s here to punch people in the face and hit the pay window. This sounded like the old Warner from his original MLW days and I like hearing that again.

Kiran Grey vs. Anthony Ogogo

Ogogo shoves away a handshake offer and runs him over with a shoulder to start. A running elbow puts Grey down again and Ogogo gets two off a powerslam. Grey gets in a forearm to the back and some running clotheslines but Ogogo hits a big clothesline of his own. The Right Angle sets up the big right hand to Grey and the referee stops it at 4:32.

Rating: C-. Well, Ogogo can in fact still do pretty much exactly what he’s done since he got here several years ago. He can punch and do a few other moves, which doesn’t exactly make me want to see him. As usual, with so many people on the roster, it feels like a bit of a waste of time to see someone who has been here so long and is basically in the same place. I get that he’s some kind of a project, but how interesting is it that he won a bronze medal fourteen years ago?

Caprice Coleman sits down with the Infantry, who talk about their military backgrounds. In the ring, they’re rather dangerous and bring in an American flag to explain how much they have studied every member of the ROH roster.

Cassie Lee vs. Zayda Steel

Steel knocks her down to start but gets sent into the corner for a rub of the head. A headscissors works a bit better for Steel and la majistral gets two. Some armdrags have Lee down again and they head outside, where Red Velvet has to chase Jessie McKay off. The distraction lets Lee ram her into the apron to take over, with the stomping in the corner keeping Steel in trouble. A hard whip into the corner puts Steel down again and a fisherman’s suplex gives Lee two. We pause for the pose though and that’s enough for Steel to hit the Real Deal for the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C+. I approve of Steel getting a win and having the IInspiration in singles match is at least a bit of a fresh way to use them. Steel still feels like someone who could go somewhere if she is given the chance and while this isn’t that yet, it’s better than another loss. She’s looking more comfortable in there and if that keeps growing, it’s a good thing.

Action Andretti wants the TV Title. He doesn’t like Jon Silver or Lio Rush and promises to beat the latter with Rush’s own umbrella.

We look at Jon Moxley beating Bandido at Forbidden Door. Next week, Bryan Keith gets a World Title shot. Why? Like Ring Of Honor knows.

Tag Team Titles: Sky Team vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

La Faccion (Sammy Guevara/The Beast Mortos) is defending and we’re in Arena Mexico for CMLL. Mistico’s entrance in this place does indeed feel special and that’s quite the sight to behold. Dorada (as in Mascara, Mistico’s partner) armdrags Guevara down to start and it’s Mistico springboarding in with a hurricanrana to Mortos. The stereo dives put the champs down but Mortos runs them over back inside.

Guevara takes over on the floor and yells at a camera before Mortos gives Dorada a pop up Samoan drop back inside. Guevara goes for Mistico’s mask and Mortos holds Mistico in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. Dorada is back in with a pop up hurricanrana and Mistico is back up to…not do anything to Guevara, who is pulled out to the floor. The champs run away from stereo suicide dives and we settle down to Guevara vs. Dorada with the latter grabbing a rather springboardy armdrag.

Mortos is sent outside as well, meaning the Faccion wants a time out. Mistico comes back in to clean house and get the rather spinning headscissors takeover to Mortos. Guevara grabs the GTH for two on Mistico so Dorada gives Guevara a super hurricanrana. Mortos’ super gorilla press drops Dorada so Mistico makes the save and everyone is down. A spear drops Mistico but he and Dorada are back up with big dives. Back in and Mistico la majistrals Guevara for two, earning himself a low blow. Dorada is back up with a springboard crucifix bomb before La Mistica makes Mortos tap the titles away at 19:13.

Rating: B. This lucha style takes some getting used to but you can tell that the four of them know what they’re doing. Mortos was good as the power guy to mix things up a bit, but Sky Team is the classic high flying team that the fans can get behind. While Sky Team is rather talented, the most important thing here is that ANYONE who can actually defend the titles on the regular ROH show won the belts. Having them sit in holding for so long was such an annoying situation and it’s not like La Faccion was some kind of special team. This is a great result to see and it was cool to see it in such a different environment.

Sky Team gets the big title presentation to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event was the best part of the show, as not only was it a good match but it also solved a rather annoying problem. At the same time, the show was a bit shorter than it had been in most of the last few weeks and that takes away a lot of what feels like filler. I’ll also take what seems like an actual story over the TV Title after so many just random matches (like Bandido defending against Bryan Keith next week). This show did a better job of avoiding some of the regular problems and that’s a nice thing to see in any given week.

Results
Hook b. Nick Comoroto – Redrum
Premier Athletes/Beef b. Keagan Garland/LJ Cleary/Aaron Dallas – Top rope splash to Cleary
Maya World/Hyan b. Trish Adora/Robyn Renegade – Running knee to Renegade
Action Andretti b. Alex Reynolds – Springboard 450
Anthony Ogogo b. Kiran Grey via referee stoppage
Zayda Steel b. Cassie Lee – Real Deal
Sky Team b. La Faccion Ingobernable – La Mistico to Mortos

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – June 16, 2026: That’s What I Thought (Bonus Show, Includes Full Show)

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 16, 2026
Location: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Somehow this is at least partially from the Huntsville taping, which must have been one heck of a night. In this case it’s another bonus show, which hopefully is just as good as last week’s bonus show, as Ring Of Honor is somehow making two shows a week something closer to normal. Oh joy. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title: Hyena Hero vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and Hera is in her second match in ROH (I’ll let you guess how the first one went). Hyena licks her hand for the handshake and Velvet isn’t pleased, meaning the beating starts fast. Velvet knocks her into the corner for a shaky boot choke but Hyena is back with a Gory Bomb into the buckle. A release gordbuster and a dropkick give Hyena two but Velvet flips on top of her with a crossbody for two of her own. The running knees in the ropes have Hyena in trouble, only to have her come back with a kick to the face. Hyena tries another Gory Bomb but Velvet slips out and the spinning kick to the head retains at 5:14.

Rating: C. I still have no idea how title shots are awarded around here and unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. Velvet beat up someone who had no momentum or anything at all really so what exactly does this get her? That’s part of the problem for these matches, as beating Hyena means nothing so what does Velvet gain here?

Video on the triple threat for the TV Title, with Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox, with Fox and Andretti being serious while Rush is….adjective.

Tony Nese wants the TV Title.

Lethal Twist/RPG Vice vs. Spanish Announce Project/Outrunners/Dalton Castle

Lethal shoulders Magnum over to start and gets in the strut, meaning we’re quickly off to the big staredown. Christian and Floyd come in with the former rolling through a sunset flip and hitting a dropkick. The Outrunners clear the ring and it’s off to Angelico to work on the arm. Serpentico comes in for a hurricanrana but Johnson gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. A sunset flip gives Serpentico two and earns him a heck of a clothesline to cut him back down.

Romero starts away in the corner but Serpentico is back up with a clothesline, as Romero continues to be so useless. It’s off to Castle to clean house and we hit the parade of missed middle rope splashes. Floyd finally connects with a splash on Christian but the Mega Powers Elbow is broken up. Christian is back up for the big running flip dive to take out the pile on the floor and a running shot to Serpentico back inside. The springboard 450 gives Christian the pin at 11:06.

Rating: C+. This was a bunch of people in one match and the big thing in the middle was the string of missed splashes. In theory this should help move the Lethal Twist into contention for a title shot though as usual, it’s kind of hard to tell given the way things work around here. At least they’re a regular team likely coming for the titles and I’ll take that for a change.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Aaron Solo

Pure Rules. Shibata easily wrestles him down to start and fires off the elbows to the head. That’s released so Shibata pulls him down into a chinlock and wins an exchange of a slugout. Solo blocks an O’Connor roll and fires off some chops, which just make Shibata mad. The running corner dropkick connects for Shibata and it’s the sleeper into the PK for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. Solo used his three rope breaks in there and that’s the extent of the Pure Rules aspect of this match. It’s a match with a stipulation that was just not needed but then again I have no idea why this match needed to take place whatsoever. Shibata has run through almost everyone around here and never really moves up the ladder so it was nice to confirm the status quo. I think?

The Tag Team Titles are on the line this week in CMLL with LFI defending against Los Villanos from CMLL, because that’s good enough for the first title defense in three and a half months.

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir snaps her down with a headlock to start and escapes a headscissors, leaving Steel worried. A wristdrag doesn’t get Steel anywhere so she grabs a middle rope headlock takeover to actually put Shafir down for once. Back up and Steel picks the ankle before dropkicking her to the floor.

That’s fine with Shafir, who whips her hard into the steps and stops for some pushups. Steel gets back inside and kicked in the back, setting up a bearhug. Shafir throws her down a few times and shrugs off some forearms. Steel’s standing Kofi Clutch has Shafir in trouble for a bit, only for her to swing it into Mother’s Milk for the tap at 6:21.

Rating: C+. This was another loss for Steel, who is in that annoying place of “she’s talented and fights but no, of course she can’t win because that’s not what new stars do around here”. I’m sure she’ll get to win eventually but I guess this is the usual dues paying stretch. It doesn’t make for the most thrilling matches though and that was the case again here, as it was just waiting for Shafir to crush Steel as expected, which she eventually did.

TV Title: Tony Nese vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending and Mark Sterling is here with Nese. They start fast with Nese pounding Fox down in the corner but Fox is back with a dropkick out of the corner. The threat of a cutter sends Nese bailing to the floor, where he catches Fox with a big forearm. Fox is right back in with a huge dive onto the floor and the fans certainly approve. Back in and Nese kicks him off the top and a shot to the knee gets two.

A bodyscissors stays on the ribs but Fox is back up with a Stinger Splash. The cutter out of the corner gets two but Nese sweeps the leg. A shot to the head gives Nese two as Fox makes the rope. The pumphandle piledriver gives Nese two more so Fox knocks him into the ropes. Some running boots take out Nese and Sterling, setting up the 450 to retain the title at 7:59.

Rating: C+. So the big title match is already set for Thursday but we had to get this in at the last minute because….Fox is going to lose the title isn’t he? I’m guessing that they had to get this match in before the title change on Thursday, which hopefully goes to Rush as I can’t imagine the idea of taking Andretti seriously as a champion. Why am I ignoring this match? It was Nese getting a singles title shot. What am I supposed to say about it?

Post match Action Andretti runs in to go after Fox but Lio Rush pops up in a Cru shirt to scare Andretti off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. And that was the show I was expecting last week. This was a bunch of stuff that felt thrown together with a tiny something at the end. Other than that, we had Shibata winning a squash, a totally random Women’s TV Title match, a ten man tag and Shafir vs. Steel. It wasn’t a bad show, but this was a good example of “you don’t have to tape/air everything”, as there would be nothing lost if it didn’t air.

Results
Red Velvet b. Hyena Hero – Spinning kick to the head
Lethal Twist/RPG Vice b. Spanish Announce Project/Outrunners/Dalton Castle – Springboard 450 to Serpentico
Katsuyori Shibata b. Aaron Solo – PK
Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel – Mother’s Milk
AR Fox b. Tony Nese – 450

 

 

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