McXal's Reviews

We are back in the 2300 Arena for Ring Of Honor's next pay-per-view event, and once again fans are in the building. The show was originally scheduled to take place in Lakeland, Florida, but was moved due to rising Covid cases. ROH have had a slight issue in that they've had to dedicate so much of their TV time to the Women's Title Tournament that the rest of the card does feel a little bit undercooked, albeit the main events are still really strong. Bandido is every bit the 'Most Wanted Champion' tonight as three challengers gun for his title in a four-way; he defends against Brody King, EC3 and his arch-nemesis Demonic Flamita. Gold will be up for grabs in other matches as well - LFI challenge Shane Taylor Promotions for the Six-Man Championship, Josh Woods takes on Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Title, as well as Miranda Alize and Rok-C colliding in the finals of the Women's Title Tournament. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman provide commentary from Philadelphia, PA.

The show opens with a 10-bell salute for Daffney

The centrepiece of Hour One is this year's Honor Rumble for a guaranteed World Title shot. I believe there were some mystery entrants but competitors include The Bouncers, Flip Gordon, PJ Black, PCO, Danhausen, Sledge, Silas Young, World Famous CB, Rey Horus, Dak Draper and Brian Johnson. 

The Mecca is #1, and he is a little bit too needy for hometown support after how well he was received at Glory By Honor. Brian Milonas is #2 so Johnson is giving up plenty of size. On Week By Week Milonas is running a gimmick where is the best Pure wrestler in the world - so Brian tries to use Pure Rules to embarrass him. #3 is Beer City Bruiser, and he has Ken Dixon in his corner as well. Mafia kick/sidewalk slam on The Mecca (who is still trying way too hard to get hometown babyface cheers and comes off like a needy little bastard). The counter ticks down heralding the arrival of Danhausen at #4 - and he gets an actual pop. The Bouncers don't look like they have any time for his antics and splatter him into the ground, as the clock ticks down for entrant #5 - which is Caprice Coleman. He makes a beeline for The Bouncers since they have been trying to bully Riccaboni on commentary. Mind Trip on Danhausen! He then POWERS Bruiser over the top rope for the first elimination. #6 is Sledge, as inside the ring everyone joins forces to topple Milonas over the top rope. Johnson throws out Caprice as well...as Sledge arrives in the ring and makes something of a save for Danhausen. Dan directs traffic and orders Sledge to beat down Johnson until it's time for #7 - which is of course PCO. Danhausen is in his element watching Sledge and PCO beat on his old enemy Brian Johnson...but they inevitably turn on each other. #8 is PJ Black, who has mentored Johnson in the past and comes out to rescue his former protege from a three-on-one beating. #9 is Dak Draper, storming through the field and skittling all of his fellow competitors. The ring is starting to fill, and #10 is Silas Young, nearly eliminating Danhausen to the horror of the crowd. Meanwhile Draper back drops Sledge over the ropes to eliminate him. #11 is Rey Horus, who goes straight after Silas after Young who has personally insulted him on commentary recently. #12 is Dante Caballero, who lays out a few people then hits a running Burning Hammer on Horus. Johnson eliminates Danhausen, which immediately gets the entire crowd to turn on him...as well as PJ Black who sneaks up and almost tosses out his old student. PCO has an electrical malfunction and eliminates himself (urgh), right before #13 arrives...and it's Flip Gordon. He comes out to his old music, draped in the US flag and wearing his old ring gear too. He is suffering from amnesia after being knocked out at Glory By Honor so thinks it is still 2018...and begins by tossing Silas out of the match. #14 is Foundation-associate Joe Keys, joining with his fellow ROH Dojo grad Dante to hit a mafia kick/German suplex combo on Dak. They start fighting among themselves, until Flip interrupts to ask 'Matt and Nick' whilst they are fighting. DOUBLE SUPERKICK on Flip! #15 is World Famous CB, flying into the ring with Shoteis a-plenty. Draper eliminates Caballero with a mafia kick off the apron, then hooks up Keys to suplex him over and out as well. #16 is our final entrant - and it is the returning, recently-released from WWE, Alex Zayne! OUTSIDE-IN MOONSAULT PRESS on Draper! He follows that with a headscissors to eliminate the Mile High Magnum. This should be the exciting closing stages, but there are multiple entrants quite literally standing, doing nothing and watching as Horus eliminates CB. Johnson tosses Horus seconds later, taking us to the final four of Zayne, Flip, PJ and The Mecca. Flip and Zayne start doing whacky ultra-athletic counters, ending with Gordon hitting the Worst Case Scenario. Gordon then LAUNCHES Johnson over the top rope, which the crowd love. All three remaining entrants climb up the same turnbuckle...DOUBLE FRANKENSTEINER by Zayne! Samoan Pop from Flip to PJ, only for Alex to COUNTER the Kinder Surprise by tossing him head-first into the guardrails to eliminate him. Black tries a running crossbody on Zayne - who clings onto the ropes causing the Darewolf to fly to the floor. Zayne is the new #1 contender at 32:06

Rating - ** - 2* actually feels like a rather generous rating because this was an absolute mess at points. It started with them not being able to decide if there were fifteen or sixteen entrants, it continued with them trying WAY too hard to repeat Brian Johnson's organic popularity at Glory By Honor weekend and completely blowing it (even before he threw out Danhausen). There were too many guys who fans very clearly had no clue who they were (Dante, Sledge or Keys for instance). There were points where the audience was so quiet that Danhausen was able to have a conversation with Ian R on commentary (sitting right at the back of the room)...and Danhausen was the most popular dude in the f*cking match! Throw in PCO's dumbass elimination (if PCO hadn't come back after the pandemic I don't think Ring Of Honor's product would have missed him at all), PJ Black going all the way to the final two despite the fact that the guy is so immobile and broken down he can hardly move, people standing around in full view of the camera doing jack sh*t, or chatting to each other whilst watching other people fight. There were some highlights though. I find the Flip amnesia angle pretty funny and the entire presentation of Flip really entertained me here, especially when he thought the two ROH Dojo guys were the Young Bucks. Zayne's return was a cool moment, and a welcome return after he had a couple of matches in early 2020 but got signed away to WWE before ROH returned from the pandemic (and did absolutely NOTHING). Bandido has history with Zayne as well, so having Alex win really was the best possible result. If you skipped this pre-show you missed nothing...

After an inspiring video package spotlighting the competitors in the Women's Title Tournament, before Quinn McKay comes onto the stage to promote the finals tonight. She is joined by Maria Kanellis-Bennett who gets emotional about how much support the fans have shown the tournament. She says there is no 'forbidden door' in the ROH Women's Division and thinks whomever wins the tournament tonight will be one of the best female athletes in the world.

Bandido arrives in the building where he is met by The Foundation's Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus, who offer him their support in the main event tonight.

New Tag Champions Kenny King and Dragon Lee enter the 2300 Arena, dedicating their performance tonight to the injured Rush. Kenny runs down Shane Taylor and plans to take the Six-Man Titles from him later.

Former World Champion Dalton Castle is on a mission to make ROH more entertaining (even though he is reportedly 'very busy'). He saw potential in Dak Draper and Eli Isom to help him in that quest, but feels let down by Eli who has remained focused on winning matches and championships rather than thinking about how entertaining the show is. The lack of cohesion on their team was arguably what cost them the Six-Man Championship at Best In The World, and tonight Eli plans to dramatically enhance his reputation and title ranking status with a win over a former World Champion. Dak Draper is on commentary.

Castle tries to jump Isom, but is swatted out of the ring and obliterated by Eli's spectacular somersault plancha. The Baby Chickens form a protective barrier around Dalton so he can recover...but as he bursts from among them to charge his opponent, Isom counters with a BACK DROP INTO THE APRON! Dalton is reeling, but returns to the ring to deliver a big German suplex followed by a running knee to the head. Castle attacks the back and weakens the athletic prowess of his opponent...but Eli is still able to block the Bang-A-Rang and deliver the swinging back suplex for 2. Dalton repeatedly leaves the ring to catch his breath, forcing Isom to chase him repeatedly. Finally he springs into life and rebounds off the apron into the tiger feint headscissors on the floor. Dak Draper leaves commentary and arrives at ringside shortly after Isom drops his newfound mentor with a pop-up neckbreaker. He rescues Castle from The Promise...so Isom hits a springboard moonsault to the floor, wiping out all of the Baby Chickens. Low blow from Eli to Dak! Bang-A-Rang nailed, and Castle wins at 09:17

Rating - ** - This was more about telling a story than it was having a good wrestling match, but it didn't go too long and actually served as a decent opener. Eli proved he was on Castle's level as a wrestler...but loses out because he doesn't have an entourage/circus surrounding him like Dalton does. As I've said many times, Dalton is still such a charismatic performer that he offers real value to Ring Of Honor even though his best days as a worker are very much behind him. This rivalry with Isom is a smart 'side quest' for Eli on his rise up the card. They make great foils for one another since Eli can inject the kind of pace, energy and athleticism into matches that Dalton simply isn't capable of whilst Castle has the ability to make people care about what he's doing; something invaluable that the sometimes-wooden Isom could learn from. 

This was billed as a mystery match between two of the many high profile free agents released from WWE contracts over the course of 2021...but neither is a Ring Of Honor debutant. We last saw Atlas in 2019, losing to Bateman at Death Before Dishonor Fallout. Bateman was pretty much full-time in ROH after that match and Jake most likely would have been a regular too were it not for signing a WWE developmental deal. We last saw Rust last year as one of the participants in the Pure Tournament (eliminated by Tracy Williams in the first round), part of that first 'ROH Bubble' set of tapings. He was recruited to WWE NXT shortly after and was briefly part of Roderick Strong's 'Diamond Mine' stable before being released in August.

Atlas is fired up, getting right in Taylor's face and even getting the better of the first mat exchange. The pace quickens and they frenetically block each other's attacks...until Rust catches a boot and almost snaps Atlas' leg in an anklelock. He stomps Jake's arm into the canvas as well, laying the ground work for his battery of submission holds later in the match. Spinning wristlock, into a pin (with the wrist still held) for 2. MMA ELBOWS to the arm and shoulder, and Rust maintains hold of the arm again to hit a version of Sole Food. Gaia Lock applied, and Todd immediately stops the match. Rust wins at 06:55

Rating - ** - Thoroughly decent for a seven minute wrestling match. As he did in the Pure Tournament, Rust looks entirely at home in ROH. I don't think ROH should necessarily be spending their money on MORE wrestlers right now when they don't have time for the talent they already have, but I could give you a pretty extensive list of people I'd cut from the roster to make room for either of these two (but particularly Rust). Atlas 'stepped away' from wrestling shortly after this match. There were rumours that he'd been knocked out or concussed here, which he denied, but he did take several months to focus on rehabilitating his physical and mental health before being signed by AEW.

This match comes as a result of the challenge Chris Dickinson laid down at Glory By Honor. After Violence Unlimited beat La Faccion Ingobernable on Night 1, then viciously attacked The Foundation the next evening Dickinson promised that VLNCE UNLTD would fight any pure wrestlers 'past, present or future'. That is what the opposition team represent. LSG is the 'present' star of the Pure Division, John Walters goes back to 2003 in ROH and is himself a former Pure Champion, and Moriarty was announced as the 'future' - a super-talented grappler whom fans had been wanting to see in ROH for some time (and someone that ROH had reportedly passed on a couple of times before). He was announced for this show, then almost immediately afterwards offered an AEW contract by Tony Khan. He was already on the AEW roster at this point, making this his lone ROH date currently...

Homicide and Walters start; the former Pure Champion clinging to a headlock to stop Homicide doing anything crazy. LSG and Dickinson in next, and unlike the Notorious 187 he is easily capable of trading holds with one of the purists. Deppen and Moriarty in last - Lee quickly in the ascendancy with some illusive and elaborate holds. Homicide shuts his high quality pure wrestling down with a back rake! Walters ties Deppen and Cide's legs together, applying a cloverleaf/MutaLock combination hold for as long as it takes Dickinson to get into the ring and punt him in the face. Homicide is similarly uncompromising and just starts fish-hooking Walters. Lungblower by Walters! LSG hits a stunner on Chris, joined by Moriarty for a running uppercut/sunset flip combo. Homicide pulls Lee out of the ring and punches him in the face, whilst LSG lands Rocket Bye Baby on Dickinson. Lope by Moriarty, who gets straight back up and returns to the ring with a springboard lariat as well. DOUBLE MUTALOCK from Walters to Cide and Dickinson! DOUBLE STOMP BY DEPPEN! Moriarty and Dickinson come up pasting each other with strikes. TOPE CON HILO BY HOMICIDE! Dickinson drops Lee with a running DVD to win at 10:57

Rating - *** - I hadn't expected this to be a bad match, but I hadn't anticipated enjoying it as much as I did either. The chemistry between all six was great, and they all did such a fantastic job of playing up the 'Violence vs Pure' element of the contest. Homicide struggled with Walters in particular when he was able to wrestle with him, but completely on top whenever he could brawl, cheat or fight on the floor. Dickinson and Deppen are skilled wrestlers so they were given more chances to compete with (or exceed) the skills of their opponents...but frequently got ahead based on how wild they were willing to get (e.g. Deppen's double stomp or Dickinson's thunderous strikes). A match that I'd expected to be pretty light turned into something considerably more intelligent.

Lethal, Williams and Titus of The Foundation come out and ensure that the losing purist team don't start fighting among themselves. None of them are booked tonight, but Lethal is still 'excited about the future of this company' and lists all the talent he's happy he gets to watch tonight. He wishes Lee was sticking around to be in the Pure Division too. More stars of the Pure Division come out on the stage as Jay cuts an emotive, impassioned promo about the heritage, prestige and future of Ring Of Honor. It's all very touching...but extremely uncomfortable to watch if viewed after ROH gave notice of the termination of all their talent contracts just over a month later (and Lethal had rocked up in AEW).

This is the renewal of what was an incredibly intense rivalry going back to Bennett's previous run in the company, climaxing during the 2015 Winter Warriors Tour when Bennett and Taven defeated the Briscoes in a 'Tag Team Armageddon Match'. Now Bennett is back, he has reformed his team with best friend Matt Taven and they are supposedly focused on the Tag Championship. But this is the first time we've seen Taven since he lost a gruelling, blood-soaked Cage Match against bitter enemy Vincent (losing his World Title rematch as a consequence). Will Matt's head be in this match? Have the Briscoes repaired their strained relationship sufficiently to defeat a team the calibre of The OGK?

We start hot and heavy, strikes flying and finishers attempted inside the first thirty seconds. Bennett gets out-gunned in a strike battle with Jay and is punished with a 2-on-1 beatdown in the Briscoe corner. They methodically hammer Bennett into the ground, barely letting him get up to his feet or even catch his breath as they rain shots down on him. The Kingdom show their own skill as a team though - rushing Mark with a couple of rapid-fire double-teams and immediately turning the match in their favour. It's only momentary relief though since Jay does the same thing and rushes the ring to take out Taven as Mark knocks Bennett off the apron. The OGK tease an Air Taven Doomsday Device, but Jay saves his brother then superkicks Bennett on the floor. MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY TAVEN! Mark follows out with a FROGGY BOW TO THE FLOOR! DVD/Just The Tip combo on Jay, into the superkick/Spear combo on Mark. Piledriver blocked though and Mark unleashes a Redneck Kung Fu flurry to drive The Kingdom back. Blockbuster off the apron lays Taven out and he is still reeling from that when Jay levels him with a lariat. Froggy Bow nailed - and Bennett breaks the pin. He Spears Jay to block the Redneck Boogie...but Mark blocks the Hail Mary in turn. Step-up somersault plancha off a chair. Inside the ring Matt counters the Jay Driller into a small package and wins the match for The OGK at 13:17

Rating - *** - A condensed greatest hits highlight reel package of some of their best work together, thrown through a blender and aired in double speed. That isn't a bad thing at all, as a match it felt wild and absolutely lived up to the legacy of their very best matches (Tag Team Armageddon in 2015 and Survival Of The Fittest 2014)...but it was very unashamedly an offence-laden spot-fest rather than an attempt to deliver a match of genuine substance. One thing this definitely proved is that these teams do still have great chemistry together and have more matches in the tank if ROH wants to go in that direction. Delirious hasn't really had the time to explore the 'new' version of The OGK team with much detail at all unfortunately - which is a shame because the new dynamic with Taven as the main event guy/former World Champion and Bennett as the more humble worker is completely different from their previous incarnation.

This match is preceded by a really well done hype video. It is completely different from many big matches in that they barely say a cross word about their opponent tonight as both recognise, respect and admire the skills of their opposite number. The difference between them is what they are fighting for. Woods talks about Gresham being one of his first friends in ROH; someone he has trained with and learned from, but now someone he wants to emulate and surpass. He wants the adulation and respect that the Pure Title has brought to Gresham, and having beaten Gresham's 'mentor' Jay Lethal, he knows he can overcome The Octopus as well. Gresham though, believes he is unbeatable because he is fighting for something bigger. He doesn't just want to be champion. He is The Foundation, acts as a beacon of hope for pure wrestlers all over the world and is on a mission to rebuild a pure Ring Of Honor for years to come. Gresham is annoyed that Josh wants to challenge him rather than join The Foundation and fight for the same goal.

They lock up almost immediately and barely let go of each other for the next few minutes as they probe for weaknesses. The idea is that Gresh is quicker and Woods is taller, eventually they both fall into the ropes and have to be separated (without a rope-break deduction). Referee Joe Mandak has a hard time keeping them apart and when they battle into the ropes and refuse to break for a second time he decides to deduct them both a rope-break as punishment. Woods showcases his technical skill by constantly repelling Gresham's approaches with The Octopus at times bouncing off him as if he has a forcefield protecting him. Gresham finds a way in after seven minutes by snapping Josh's arm between his legs then dropkicking the same limb seconds later as Woods tries to come off the top rope. Josh manages a rope-run throw off the top, but we get an immediate indication of how much his arm is already hurting him because he slipped and struggled to find the power to even lift the champion. He collapses in failure when trying a German suplex, and for a third time they both fall into the ropes with the ref struggling to break it up. As if inspired by the champion, Josh starts trying to work the arm as well. For a fourth time they battle to a stalemate in the ropes, refuse to break...and the official feels forced to penalise them another rope-break each. Gresham's experience comes to the fore - as Josh stands over him trying to get at his arm, The Octopus latches onto the leg instead and hyper-extends the knee. Woods crumples and they go into a lengthy rolling cradle battle, leading to both men having their shoulders counted down for three at 11:46. The official verdict is a draw, but Gresham gets on the microphone. He doesn't want to retain in a draw - and insists the match is restarted. Woods strikes him so hard that he collapses, and they then start working simultaneous leg locks and throwing  strikes even when in the ropes. Poor Joe Mandak is having a tough night and now feels he has no choice but to deduct their final rope-breaks as yet another punishment. They've lost the fans with that. Woods lures Gresham into a rear naked choke...which Gresh breaks by attacking the arm again. FLYING KNEE STRIKE by the Technical Beast! Gresham somersaults out of the Chaos Theory and knee drops the arm! ARM CAPTURE MMA ELBOWS! Woods rolls free...but only into an Anklelock! Josh counters to an anklelock of his own, which the champ breaks by kicking at Josh's injured leg. CHAOS THEORY! But Josh collapses under the weight of his own injuries and can't get the pin (although it wasn't timed perfectly so didn't really create any drama to the live crowd). Gresham hits a bridging German of his own and transitions into a kimura on the bad arm from there. ONE-ARM TOMBSTONE SUPLEX! What the f*ck do you even call that?! Woods wins! We have a new Pure Champion at 20:01

Rating - **** - I loved this match. Putting aside all the Pure Rules work, the actual WRESTLING was top class. They staged the drama so well; Woods initially dominating, Gresham dissecting his arm and trying to dismantle him as he has done to every other challenger...except Woods ultimately overcame with an absolutely ludicrous finish even with one arm. I've been all in on the return of the Pure Title since it was reinstated last year and in some ways this match marked the culmination of Gresham's work in that project. BUT - and this was a problem with Pure Rules matches back in Gabe's era too - they are a niche, artistic concept that a portion of your fanbase just won't like. I won't say this match tanked in the 2300 Arena, but the crowd were very restless at points. Not because the wrestling was bad, but because the Pure Rules are such an alien concept that some just won't buy into the direction it takes matches. And they REALLY went on an exploratory journey into how far you can manipulate the Pure Rules with this. Referee Joe Mandak was involved constantly in a match which saw him deduct all six rope breaks, overturn his double-count draw (and in reality 'miss' a pinfall on that Chaos Theory spot because Woods didn't release it in time and Gresh definitely didn't kick out). In his final match in the division, Gresham pushed the rules as far as he could...and probably beyond what the Philly fans wanted to see. Having spent most of Glory By Honor weekend pointing out how much having fans back improves the product, ironically I think this would have been better on the closed arena set in Baltimore without some jackass yelling 'when the f*ck are you two going to start fighting'...

Gresham presents the championship to Josh and fastens it around his waist in a show of respect. 

Shane Taylor Promotions make their entrance for the next match, but as they do so Kenny King charges at Taylor himself and viciously attacks him with a steel chair. He unleashes repeated shots to the ribs and legs. It takes about twelve seconds for Todd Sinclair and security personnel at ringside to decide he isn't competing (which is about right for how little respect the Six-Man Title gets), before Todd announces that O'Shay Edwards is replacing Shane T in the match...

LFI hold a win over Shane Taylor Promotions in 8-man action, and are looking to capture an ROH championship which has somehow eluded them during their run to date. Of course, the focal point here is Kenny King's reignited issues with Shane Taylor. Having taken STP's leader out of the match he will want to add insult to injury by taking the titles...but on the flip side SOS and O'Shay will be gunning for revenge. It's also a massive opportunity for three products of ROH's 'Future Of Honor' system to prove they can hang with the top talent in ROH without the comfort blanket of Taylor himself.

Edwards isn't remotely intimidated by the antics of LFI, and Kaun starts by getting into a strike battle with Dragon. The speed of the TV Champion is a lot for Kaun though - and he gets smeared into the corner with a big dropkick. Moses in, confronted by La Bestia as the biggest man on the LFI team. Bestia's experience shows and he overpowers Moses...so O'Shay tags and puts a fist through King's face! Atlanta Stampede blocked but Edwards splatters Kenny into the ground with a spinebuster instead (one of King's own preferred moves). Dragon Lee's class is needed again; tagging in and spearheading the isolation of Kaun. Moses bludgeons his way into the fight to rescue his partner though, showing that even if SOS aren't the classiest workers on display they have the toughness and the tenacity to take the fight to their more experienced foes. Edwards catches Lee trying to go aerial and drills him with a Ligerbomb for 2. Powerslam/Incinerator combo on Kaun gets 2. Flapjack DDT by SOS to Kenny, but they are too beaten up to cover. Instead O'Shay climbs the turnbuckles and lands the Shane Taylor second rope splash. Pescado from Kaun to La Bestia! Somersault plancha by Lee! Kenny King looks for the corkscrew pescado...but only ends up laying out his own partners! Apron cannonball by Moses onto everyone. King gives Moses a receipt from earlier by laying him out with a spinebuster, followed by the One Night Stand. Shane Taylor hobbles back in and blasts Kenny with a steel chair behind Todd's back...and Moses pins him to retain at 11:25

Rating - ** - I admired the spirit of this match, particularly the intention to showcase three 'home grown' talents like SOS and O'Shay by putting them in the ring with La Faccion Ingobernable and having them go toe-to-toe with them. This was a completely inessential match however. This could (and probably should) have been done on TV, thus saving time for other matches on the show to go longer - because in terms of quality it was one of the weakest matches all night. 

Firstly, kudos to Ring Of Honor for giving this match a prime spot in the semi-main event of the pay-per-view. Contrast this spot to something like the first Women Of Honor Tournament Final at Supercard Of Honor 2018, or when Kelly Klein and Mayu Iwatani got eight minutes way down the G1 Supercard. The video package to promote the bout is really good too. Miranda does a lot of the talking as she seems more comfortable in that department, and she points out that Rok-C appears to have been spotlighted as the star attraction of the new Women's Division thanks to her youth and prodigious talent. But Alize has fought incredibly hard to reach this stage; eliminating Alex Gracia in the first round before overcoming Nicole Savoy and Trish Adora (in two of the best matches of the whole tournament) in subsequent rounds. She calls herself the star, the 'money maker' and calls Rok-C a 'little girl' incapable of handling 'grown woman business'. Rok-C's path to the final has been a strange one. She was a pretty big underdog in the first round and semi-final when she fought past veterans Sumie Sakai and Angelina Love (who was injured), but sandwiched between those bouts was a match where she was the clear favourite, against Quinn McKay. Earmarked as a star since the very first Women's Division Wednesday and nicknamed 'The Prodigy' she possesses remarkable skill for her age and has demonstrated creditable composure at every stage. Will it be the youth and clean-cut skill of Rok-C or the street-smart toughness of Miranda that deliver championship gold tonight? Lenny Leonard joins commentary.

Alize looks incredibly focused, and slaps her opponent's hand away to decline the Code Of Honor. On the opposite side Rok looks rather more cautious...and it shows as Miranda drops her on her face after the first lock-up. She grows into the match with a bridging hammerlock, then a spinning toehold showing her prowess as a wrestler if Miranda allows her to slow the match down. They scrap ferociously on the ground, each fighting to lock in a Crossface before mutually backing off to the ropes to re-evaluate. Miranda wants to quicken the pace, but Rok-C matches her; flipping out of a headscissors then landing a lucha armdrag on the Lucha Baddie! Backflip knee drop blocked, but Rok cartwheels away and poses confidently. SLAP by Alize! As expected that fires The Prodigy up and she starts throwing strikes and trying to brawl with Alize...who pounces to hang her in the ropes then drop her on her neck for 2. Rok tries another lucha armdrag except this time it is countered by Alize biting her hand. She goes back to the neck again, putting a knee right into it as she chokes the teenager over the ropes. A guillotine over the ropes soon follows, setting up a slingshot sliding rana into the canvas for 2. Alize's unique combination of lucha, street fighting and rule-breaking has seen her to a commanding position. She tries to press it home with a surfboard - but in doing so slows back down to Rok-C's level and she quickly counters out and lays in a few strikes. She lands the 'Rok-Knees' (back flip knee drop)...so Alize levels her with a ripcord knee smash. Go To Sleep gets 2 for the Lucha Baddie. She starts to taunt the crestfallen youngster; headbutting her in the corner and spiking her with a HANGING DDT out of the turnbuckles. Miranda Rights applied...and even though she holds it for a almost a minute she can't tap Rok-C out before she makes the ropes. The Prodigy rolls outside - which proves to be a genius move as she gets some time to recover before hitting a HEAT SEEKING MISSILE! Alize retaliates by dropkicking her off the apron...then hitting a LOPE KNEE STRIKE TO THE FACE! Both women barely beat the count back in, then rise from the canvas right in each other's faces and wildly striking at each other. ACE CRUSHER by Alize, crunching down on the neck again! NO SOLD! Rok-C gets up to block the Drive-By with her own knee strike. MIRANDA RIGHTS! ROK-C COUNTERS! Alize escapes Rok's crossface with a crucifix pin for 2. DRIVE-BY BLOCKED! CODE ROK! Rok-C wins! She is the champion at 18:12

Rating - **** - I'm racking my brains to think of a longer women's match in ROH, whilst I'm also certain it's one of the best women's matches the company has ever produced. Well done to all involved for having the confidence in these athletes to give them this kind of platforrn. The biggest issue with the old Women Of Honor Title is that the matches were simply never given the opportunity to reach this level, constantly cut off at the knees and clocking in at a 'safe' six to ten minutes. However, it is one thing to give these women the opportunity, it's quite another for them to take it so wonderfully. Both entered the tournament with solid reputations, but neither were established stars or household names...and yet they relished this stage. The match was smart; much like the hype video before it, they used Alize's charisma and skill to cover for some of Rok-C's inexperience and lack of presence. Rok-C started the match strongly and frustrated Alize - forcing the Lucha Baddie to get nasty. She used strikes, she bit, she broke rules, but she did what she had to do with the championship on the line. It was a stellar showing from her (perhaps the best individual wrestling performance on the entire show), providing the platform for a stirring babyface comeback from Rok-C and an uplifting victory for the talented teenager. I believe both were signed to some kind of agreements by ROH, and they are great building blocks for a new women's division. Both young, both fresh faces and as this match proved, both have the chops to carry a genuine high quality wrestling match. For those of us who have complained and pushed Ring Of Honor to give female performers more opportunities to work longer, higher profile matches - this was a joy to watch. Even if ROH isn't where Rok and Miranda find themselves in 2022 I have no doubt that the strength of this match alone will ensure that neither will struggle for work.

Rok-C's family come to the ring to celebrate with her, as Maria Kanellis-Bennett presents the championship to her. 

Bandido has taken to calling himself the 'Most Wanted Champion', and this match typifies why, as he faces three top athletes all gunning for his championship. His former partner Flamita is how his arch-rival, and also the last man to defeat him. Brody dismantled Jay Lethal at Best In The World and is coming for the World Championship he feels he was robbed of by LFI back at Final Battle 2020. EC3 is the wildcard, wanting to use the World Championship as a weapon to promote his agenda (the video package has him say a lot, but as always it's a lot of words which amount to very little). This is under elimination rules, but Bandido is still very much an underdog even as defending champion.

Flamita buzzes around all three opponents like an annoying bug and hops out of the ring before Brody or EC3 can get hold of him. Instead he sneak attacks the champ from behind and dumps him into the guardrails. In the ring King manhandles Carter until they both spill to the outside. As they go out, Bandido and Flamita explode back in; running the ropes and flipping around with incredible speed. RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR from the champ to wipe out Demonic. ELBOW SUICIDA AT BRODY...AND BANDIDO BOUNCES OFF HIM INTO THE FRONT ROW! Not content with that, EC3 pulls him up and bashes his face into the ringpost as well. He delivers a brainbuster inside the ring too then cranks on Bandido's already-weakened neck. Flamita attacks Carter from behind, making an unlikely save for his former stable-mate. EC3 powerbombs King...then press slams the champ off the top into a somersault senton on top of Violence Unlimited's leader. Flamita hits EC3 with the weakest chair shot ever seen...which EC3 rightly no-sells. Todd Sinclair didn't see that one, but he does see EC3 grab it and smack Flamita in return - and disqualifies him at 08:49. It was all an evil trick by the 'Demonic' Flamita! He gets even more devious as he tries to re-united MexaBlood just to they can take out Brody. DOUBLE standing moonsaults by MexaBlood! Flamita and Bandido hug, then the champ wheelbarrows his former partner into a moonsault splash on King for 2. DOOMSDAY MEXICAN DESTROYER! But then Bandido jumps Flamita from behind; tossing him over the ropes into a somersault plancha! TOP ROPE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR by the Most Wanted Champion! Brody retorts by booting Flamita in the face and laying him out with the All Seeing Eye to eliminate him at 13:45. Tornillo by Bandido gets 2...but Brody throws him away and hits a piledriver, again on the damaged neck. He muscles the champ to the top...but is dropped by a jumping rana. Crucifix Driver nailed, as is a shooting star press...FOR ONE! Gonzo Bomb countered into La Magistral - and Bandido retains at 17:11

Rating - *** - This was lively, really entertaining at points and a frenetic spot-fest. The added touch of detail with all three guys working on Bandido's neck at various points wasn't necessary but very appreciated as well. This felt more like a TV main event than a pay-per-view though. Perhaps I'm old fashioned, but as a long-time ROH fan my standards for the ROH World Title are high and I feel like we should be getting something a little more substantive and ambitious to main event a PPV. EC3 plodding around before his goofy elimination or Flamita and Bandido flossing like cartoon characters felt like they were from a different match to some legitimately stunning moments like Bandido's suicida into the front row or that whacky Doomsday Destroyer spot. Ultimately this achieved its purpose as Bandido enhances his reputation, we continue to build to a grudge match with Flamita and Brody isn't too damaged despite dropping a fall. 

Lifeblood come to the ring to congratulate Bandido, with Gresham still doing the hard-sell on his injured arm. The Octopus shares a tense handshake with the champion which makes it very clear he wants a shot...but the camera can't linger on that because The Righteous - now clad all in white attire - come onto the stage to offer their own sinister congratulations.

Tape Rating - *** - It would be easy to launch into a paragraph of criticism regarding this show. The main event is fun but the kind of light-hearted fluff which I think doesn't necessarily deserve a PPV World Title headline slot, there are a number of pretty forgettable or inessential bouts, the age old Delirious/Sinclair problem of booking too many matches onto a pay-per-view meaning nothing gets enough time...and even at its best (Gresham/Woods) the appeal is very intensely niche and was dividing fans inside the building, let alone the wider viewing public. But actually, even if it wasn't as good as Glory By Honor Night 2 and even if it's a pretty non-essential show in an era where wrestling fans have more choice and more content easily accessible than ever before...it doesn't mean it wasn't a generally decent, fun experience for those that did give it a chance. Gresham/Woods and Rok-C/Alize were ambitious matches which I felt were largely successful. The OGK and the Briscoes delivered a really fun greatest hits package from their feud of years gone by. Purists vs Violence Unlimited was decent, Taylor Rust looked REALLY good in his second debut, the main event is frantic to watch, we exit with a decent batch of future World Title bouts set up (Flamita, Vincent, Gresham and Zayne) too. This isn't the show which will win back lapsed fans and it isn't one which will do anything to persuade people that Delirious/Sinclair have done ANYTHING to address the same old problems that have been plaguing their management of the product for years (well before The Elite left)...but that alone doesn't make it a terrible show. 

3) The OGK vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe (***)

2) Rok-C vs Miranda Alize (****)

1) Jonathan Gresham vs Josh Woods (****)