McXal's Reviews

So the reviews were mixed and the reception appreciative...but measured in response to the debut of ROH's new Honor Club-exclusive TV show. It was far from perfect, but there were a couple of great matches and some clear potential to improve and deliver an authentic, updated Ring Of Honor product in 2023. This week is set to be even bigger, with three championship bouts scheduled. The main event sees Athena defend her Women's Title against the ultra-popular Willow Nightingale, whilst the undercard sees 'King Of Television' Samoa Joe defend the TV Title against Tony Deppen and outsider Timothy Thatcher step into an ROH ring to accept the open challenge of Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta. We are once again taping at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are you commentary team.

I'm a little surprised that Joe hasn't been more of a focal point of ROH's relaunch. He is an iconic figure in the promotion's history, has held the TV Title for almost a year, has name value having enjoyed success across pro-wrestling and is on AEW television most weeks too. He arrives now, putting his title on the line against former champion Tony Deppen. It was back in 2021 during VLNCE UNLTD's brief reign of terror that he captured the belt; beating The Foundation's Tracy Williams in April but then losing to La Faccion Ingobernable's Dragon Lee at Best In The World. He claims to have studied Joe and identified his weaknesses...but he remains outsized and out-matched. This would be a sizeable upset if he were to win...

Joe smirks as he bullies Deppen in the early going...until Tony tries laying in a few stiff strikes. The champ goes into kill mode very quickly and annihilates Deppen against the ropes. Deppen shows considerable heart by absorbing a barrage of Joe's signature strikes but still coming out of the corner swinging and fighting. Musclebuster blocked with a missile dropkick, followed by a slingshot jawbreaker by the challenger for 2. Double stomp misses...and Tony eats the ST-Joe. LARIAT nailed, setting up the Musclebuster! Joe retains at 05:26

Rating - ** - Joe has always been fun to watch in TV squash matches like this. He is incredibly skilled at portraying a dominant, unstoppable monster whilst giving his opponent just enough shine to come away looking credible. Some of this was a little scrappy, but in many ways scrappy and tough are words that embody Tony Deppen's style anyway. He played his part in a snappy, lively opener.

Joe grabs a microphone and says that when it comes to ROH he 'runs things' as he always has. He wants to know if there are any challengers left for him to beat for his TV Title...and out comes Mark Briscoe. He calls the TV Title his 'destiny' (that's been a plot-point for Mark for what feels like the last decade), and Joe says any time he gets to fight a Briscoe is a good day...so accepts his challenge.

In a brief backstage interview Dalton talks about how losing the Six-Man Titles to The Embassy was a tough defeat for he and his Boys to take. But they want a rematch and are gunning for Prince Nana's guys, so need to win matches like this to prove their credentials for a title shot.

Kross starts with Dalton...and is almost polished off with the Bang-A-Rang inside thirty seconds. He clings to the ropes to save himself and topples the former World Champion to the floor. Rosas tags and is met with a flurry of combo moves by The Boys. Chhun manages to get a shot in on Brent from behind, then hauls him back into their corner for a 3-on-1 attack. Brent hits an enzi on Kross though and makes a hot tag to Castle soon after. Dalton starts throwing Boys into planchas to the floor then gives Rosas the Bang-A-Rang to win at 05:29

Rating - * - If you aren't burnt out on the Castle/Boys act then you may get more out of this than I did. However, as someone that has watched ROH for many years, watching an injury-ravaged Dalton rehash the exact same act he was doing more than half a decade ago doesn't interest me much. He's a versatile and charismatic performer so I absolutely see a place for him in the 'new' ROH even though injuries mean he's nowhere near the wrestler he was in the mid-2010's...but matches like this (where he and The Boys essentially do the exact same routine every time) aren't for me. This also lasted longer than it needed to when the result was such a formality.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett introduces Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. The OGK are pissed off at Top Flight for 'ruining' their return to ROH at Final Battle. They want the ROH Tag Titles back too

The SAP are the team of Angelico and Serpentico, with Luther in their corner. I don't follow the lower reaches of AEW's card all that closely, and I must confess that when I read the results of these tapings I'd actually forgotten that Angelico (who was a part of one of my favourite storylines in Lucha Underground a long time ago) was still in AEW. They face the imposing force of La Faccion Ingobernable; former ROH World Champion Rush and his brother Dralistico. 

Angelico's mere presence seems to annoy Rush, and his relaxed attitude only pisses off the former champion even more. Rush completely ignores Serpentico's clowning around as well, so leaves and allows his brother to almost knock him out with a flurry of acrobatic kicks. Angelico comes in illegally to make a save, but he too is sent packing with a boot combo from LFI. Dralistico hits a somersault plancha into the aisle, skittling both opponents and Luther with ease. Both Angelico and Serpentico get their heads smashed into the turnbuckles...before Rush starts flogging Angelico with electrical cable (as he does in pretty much every match). LFI return to the ring with Rush hanging Serpentico in the ropes for a springboard leg drop from Dralistico for 2. Lots of miscommunication and stumbles occur over the next minute - to the extent that the commentators speculate that Serpentico might have been knocked out. He manages to trick Rush into punching his own brother's lights out...but is KO'd himself seconds later with a headbutt. Angelico blocks the Bull's Horns...only to eat a springboard facebuster from Dralistico. Springboard Destroyer by Dralistico wins it for LFI at 09:14

Rating - * - At the better part of ten minutes this really outstayed its welcome and went on for far too long. The last few minutes of this were just outright bad as well, with so much sloppiness and so many instances of poor-timing or miscommunication that no amount of editing in post-production could cover it. There's no doubt in my mind that this will do little more than take time away from matches later in the show that need it more. I like the Rush/Dralistico team, and understand the need to give them a dominant squash victory here. But the execution, the choice of opponents, and the length of time this took were all wrong...

LFI attack Serpentico after the match, stealing his mask to add insult to injury. The post-match lawlessness from Rush was more impactful than the entirety of the ten minute match that preceded it

Adora is a great technical wrestler, and someone for whom the previous era of ROH coming to an end curtailed a major opportunity to progress. She was featured prominently when Maria Kanellis and Bobby Cruise were running the Women's Division - and is now looking to make her mark under the new regime. Her opponent is popular teenage indie sensation, Billie Starkz. Still a teenager, but with a few years of experience under her belt, Starkz has been gaining popularity steadily (and feels like one of the hardest working women on the indies right now with appearances on significant shows in reputable promotions almost every week it seems). Of the two it is certainly Starkz who has a higher profile presence on AEW television currently...

Trish comes out rocking her ROH Dojo hoodie (and admiring her own Cary-tron video!). She starts confidently and quickly demonstrates that she is technically superior to the teenager. She tries to leave the ring when Starkz escapes her grasp...and when Billie tries to capitalise with a dive, Adora is there to meet her with a thunderous uppercut. Body slam INTO THE SIDE OF THE RING by Trish! STALLING GERMAN SUPLEX gets 2! Cattle Mutilation locked in, only for Starkz to show her heart by fighting to the ropes. She lands a roundhouse kick which rattles Trish...albeit only for a second before Adora hammers her down again with a big boot. Lariat Tubman blocked, and they stand in the middle of the ring pelting each other with elbows. Spinning heel kick by Billie...NO SOLD! LARIAT TUBMAN! Trish wins at 05:40

Rating - *** - This was a super little match, which did a wonderful job of putting Adora over without ever feeling reductive or damaging to Billie. From the opening bell Trish came out looking to use her toughness and technical skill to dominate, but found in Starkz a feisty youngster who was willing to fight her at every turn. Despite some really violent offence thrown her way, Billie continually stood tall; eventually holding her ground in the middle of the ring and absolutely bombing on Trish with elbows. I really enjoyed this one.

Lexy Nair is ready for an interview with Christopher Daniels. He fondly remembers being an ROH Tag Champion in the past and wishes he could call Frankie Kazarian back to ROH so The Addiction could get back together. But he's had success in ROH with other people in the past, and in particular with another man somewhat lost in the AEW shuffle who is looking for opportunity. He introduces his former partner (and a man he held the Tag Titles with), Matt Sydal. Sydal enters and points out how much better they are since they last teamed. Daniels thinks all the other teams in ROH should 'say their prayers'...

Tony Khan really must see something in the Trust Busters. Despite their lukewarm reception in AEW he put them all over Episode 1 of the new ROH TV, and they're back in action again this week. Daivari picked up a tainted win over Metalik seven days ago and will be looking to go 2-0 with a win tonight. Their opponents have both competed in ROH before, albeit Crist with a longer run as part of Irish Airborne versus 'Man Scout' Jake Manning's handful of jobber appearances.

Daivari starts with Manning (who is still reading his scout guide as the bell rings). Ari tosses the book and batters Man Scout into the corner, whilst Slim J starts pulling at his moustache. Crist tags and lays Daivari out with a flying forearm...but misses a flying crossbody moments later. J cheap-shots Manning  then launches himself into a top rope inverted DDT. STF on Manning, giving Slim the submission win at 02:48

Rating - N/A - It was kept brief so it's hard to knock this too much. I can't believe there aren't better, brighter, more talented younger wrestlers for enhancement matches than a 40+ year old goofball 'Man Scout' gimmick which sucked a decade ago and hasn't aged well either. I also have no clue why Slim J picked up the win here. With the greatest of respect to him, he is not where the (limited amount of) potential or upside in the Trust Busters team actually is.

Smart Mark passes a microphone to Ari, who boasts about beating Metalik 'all by himself'. Metalik tries to run in but is quickly beaten down 3-on-1. Blake Christian comes out to make the save and run off the Trust Busters - having apparently formed a bond with Metalik in NJPW Strong.

Last week Yuta gave an interview where he refuted that he was a 'junior member' of the Blackpool Combat Club and instead asserted that the training given to him by Danielson, Moxley and Castagnoli (and Regal) has turned him into one of the most dangerous men on the roster. To prove it he issued an open challenge for his Pure Title - which was swiftly answered by the shock debut of Timothy Thatcher. The former Evolve Champion, NXT star and notorious technician is a perfect fit for the Pure division and makes his long-awaited ROH debut on the back of an impressive AEW debut against Bryan Danielson earlier the same month (and less than week after working in the Tokyo Dome as part of Keiji Muto's retirement show). Ringside judges are BJ Whitmer, Colt Cabana and Christopher Daniels.

Thatcher instantly drops Yuta with a Fujiwara armbar, causing Wheeler to burn his first rope-break. The challenger seems to be relishing torturing Yuta, who has been in little more than survival mode throughout the opening minutes. Wheeler does survive and finds an innovative way to counter Timothy into an octopus stretch, causing him to utilise his first rope-break too. He goes after Thatcher's arm just like the challenger had done to him, with Coleman on commentary complimenting his tenacity and willingness to fight. Tornado divorce court scores and damages the arm further, leaving Thatcher visibly injured. Belly to belly suplex scores...but Timothy is so hurt he can't do anything to follow up and rolls away clutching his bad arm. Yuta knee strikes the arm and draws Thatcher's second rope-break with a mounted kimura stretch. And he clings to a hammerlock moments later to curtail a flurry of European uppercuts from an increasingly frustrated Thatcher. The challenger looks for a back superplex...but can't steady himself on one-arm and is kept at bay with a PUNCH TO THE FACE by Wheeler! He is given a formal warning as per the Pure Rules, but is happy to have avoided that major offensive bomb...and capitalises by hurling his entire body straight into Thatcher's shoulder. ARM-CAPTURE OLYMPIC SLAM gets 2 - Thatcher using his final rope-break to escape. Bridging German by Yuta...COUNTERED TO A KIMURA by Thatcher out of nowhere, instantly causing Yuta to take a second rope-break. The challenger hits his back suplex, and follows with a double underhook suplex as well. He can't win on that perhaps due to his arm...but instead he starts relentlessly knee-ing Yuta in the spine until the champ has no choice but to use his final rope-break to escape. HUGE palm strike by Timothy almost knocks Yuta out; he collapses into the ropes then tumbles to the floor. ILLEGAL PUNCH TO THE FACE from the floor, out of sight of the ref! That would be a DQ if the ref had spotted it, but he doesn't and Yuta slaps the stunned Thatcher into an OCTOPUS STRETCH IN THE ROPES! Thatcher taps at 12:37

Rating - **** - If you can tolerate slow-burning technical bouts where high spots at a premium but every little moment is loaded with significance...then this is absolutely a match for you. It certainly wasn't the most exciting bout, but I thought the story-telling - centred around a new, more aggressive direction for Yuta - was spectacular. After getting annoyed at Riccaboni calling him the 'junior member' of the BCC last week it was apparent that Yuta was here to make a statement. The opening minutes were all about establishing Thatcher as a threat to the title, with the dangerous technician causing him to lose a rope-break in mere seconds. But with his championship in jeopardy we saw all of Yuta's development with the Blackpool Combat Club come to the fore. The toughness and resilience of Mox, the technical skill of Claudio and Bryan and even the 'win at all costs' willingness to cheat William Regal became famous for. Yuta wrestled and carried the storyline drama of this match superbly, whilst Thatcher produced a stellar performance to put him over. This is right up there with some of my very favourite Pure Title matches since the belt was rejuvenated in 2020.

Wheeler grabs a microphone and defiantly calls himself a 'full member' of the BCC (comparing them to the 1996 Chicago Bulls), before running down the 'tracksuit-wearing young boys' of the NJPW LA Dojo, and even their trainer Katsuyori Shibata. Clark Connors - a product of that LA Dojo - interrupts him. He says that Claudio, Moxley and Bryan all wish they could train under Shibata, then challenges him to a Pure Title Match next week. Yuta accepts...

Last week we got an intensely personal promo from the last remaining members of The Foundation. They said the ending of the previous era of ROH took their dreams away. Former World Champion stable-mates Jay Lethal and Jon Gresham have both left (one for AEW, the other for Impact), but these two former TV and Tag Champions have returned and are fighting tooth and nail to retain their place in the 'new era'. They face a tough task in United Empire's Aussie Open, who last week called themselves the best tag team in the world right now. They have held titles in Australia, Europe and in the US with NJPW Strong and are back in ROH for the first time since 2018 (although Kyle Fletcher worked the ROH UK tour in 2019 whilst Mark Davis was out injured).

The Foundation try to target Fletcher's arm but he is quick to roll back to his corner and tag Davis in. They give Mark the same treatment moments later though, forcing Aussie Open back to their corner again to regroup. Their recovery is instantaneous; Davis booting Titus in the face whilst Kyle charges the ring to hammer Williams off the apron. They hit the relay stalling suplex on Rhett, and again knock Tracy off the apron to ensure he can't come to Rhett's aid. Titus hangs on for all he's worth before at last tumbling into a hot tag to Hot Sauce...who plants Kyle with a DDT for 2. YAKUZA KICK ON THE FLOOR from Rhett to Davis! Tracy MISSES a flying knee off the apron and eats guardrail! The Aussies hoist up their broken bodies and soon after almost beat Williams with a double team cutter. Dragon screw on Fletcher, into the CROSSFACE on Davis! Titus intercepts Kyle's attempt at a save with a single leg crab! Both Aussies scramble to the ropes and barely survive that. Belly to belly suplex from Titus to Fletcher, followed by the Dropkick/discus lariat combo for 2. Diving knee off the apron from Williams to Davis! FROG SPLASH into the ring gets 2! Kyle blocks Tracy's Piledriver and counters him to a SPINNING TOMBSTONE! SIT-OUT PILEDRIVER BY DAVIS! CORIOLIS! Fletcher pins Tracy to win at 10:21

Rating - **** - Probably a little generous, but there was something about this that felt distinctly like the 'golden era' Ring Of Honor, and I found that incredibly likeable. Two teams who went hell-for-leather from the opening bell, tore into each other for the duration and ran through non-stop bombs in a high-octane slug-fest. Williams was an unsung hero of the pandemic-era ROH and an incredibly under-rated wrestler (you could probably call Rhett an 'unsung hero' of just about any era of ROH too) so it was great to see them given a chance to shine against one of the hottest acts on the independent scene right now. They certainly didn't look out of place...

Last week Eddie Kingston 'quit AEW' and showed up in Ring Of Honor, making a beeline for World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, with whom he has a storied history. He promised mutual friend Jon Moxley that he wouldn't target Claudio in AEW, but all bets are off here it seems. Castagnoli walked out on him rather than answer his challenge last week, so now the Mad King is here to put Ben Dejo to the sword and continue his pursuit of the ROH Champion.

Not that the result is in much doubt, but Ian and Caprice are absolutely burying Dejo on commentary! Kobashi chops by Eddie, then the Backfist To The Future. He wins at 00:41

Rating - N/A - Eddie's run in AEW brought him more mainstream success than I think many thought possible at this stage of his career. The response he got from the crowd at this taping is testament to just how popular he is. If there isn't time to concentrate on guys like Eddie and Claudio on AEW TV, ROH really is a great place to keep them active. The match itself was nothing more than a momentary, resounding squash to welcome him back to ROH and keep him moving towards an inevitable showdown with Claudio.

Kingston gets on the microphone and once again demands a shot at the ROH World Title. Claudio comes out, calls Eddie a 'man without honor' then walks out again. 

As a documented fan of both of these women, this is a match I've been eagerly anticipating. Athena has been awesome in her role as the hard-hitting, bully champion. She hasn't had as much air-time on AEW programming to showcase it (largely restricted to working squashes on Dark), but whenever she has been given a feature match she always brings the goods. Last week she called her challenger 'happy to be here' and implied she wasn't good enough to beat her...whilst Willow comes into this on the back of a winning streak in ROH. 

Athena lands an early armdrag and poses; full of confidence even when faced with a challenger as powerful as Willow. The challenger hits back instantly - fast enough to evade Athena's strikes and strong enough to repeatedly batter her off her feet. Slaps by Athena...so Willow elbows the f*ck out of her and starts throwing her around the ring with suplexes. The Fallen Goddess hits an armbreaker over the top rope, going after the arm in an effort to disrupt Nightingale's dominating streak. DIVING ELBOW TO THE FACE! She then starts bludgeoning Willow's head against the canvas, clutching the injured arm the whole time. The challenger is clearly hurt, so starts going for flash pins in an effort to escape with a win...but Athena kicks out repeatedly then blasts her with another savage elbow smash. A brutal baseball slide sends Willow rocketing from the canvas to the arena floor too. She traps Willow's injured arm in the metal ring-steps, then starts jerking the other arm around the ringpost too! DROPKICK TO THE STEPS! Willow is left screaming in pain, with a potentially broken arm after that. Athena tries a rana off the apron. COUNTERED WITH AN APRON BOMB BY WILLOW! THEN A DVD ON THE F*CKING FLOOR! Both women sell that like utter death (as they should), needing almost the full twenty-count to get back into the ring. Athena slaps and trash-talks Willow...who annihilates her with a hip attack and a big boot! Dangerous Babe Bomb attempted...but Willow's arm gives out on her! ROLLING ARMBREAKERS by Athena! Fujiwara Armbar applied, but Nightingale still has too much fight left in her. GUTWRENCH GUTBUSTER gets 2 for Athena! The crowd go nuts for that! Athena climbs but can't land the O-Face, with Willow back on her feet and charging into the POOUUUUUNCE! FOR 2! Athena tries a springboard, but it's COUNTERED TO THE DANGEROUS BABE BOMB! Athena kicks out again! Perhaps because Willow stuttered during hitting it thanks to her bad arm. Athena tries to walk out, only to be caught in the aisle by Willow. FINLAY ROLL ON THE RAMP! She smashes Willow shoulder-first into the ring-steps too! O-FACE NAILED! Athena retains at 14:46

Rating - **** - The last couple of years have been a golden period for women's wrestling in Ring Of Honor. From the exceptional title tournament which concluded with the outstanding Rok-C/Alize final, the Martinez/Deeb battle at Death Before Dishonor 2022 through to the hard-hitting war between Mercedes and Athena at Final Battle. But this was perhaps a better match than all of those. They stole the show, actually delivering the best match of the entire taping thus far. It was a hard-hitting, violent war - brilliantly executed with an outstanding, relatable narrative that they enacted faultlessly from first bell to last. The Fallen Goddess has excelled as the hard-hitting, bully champion...but was pushed to her absolute limit by a challenger who is bigger than her, stronger than her and hits every bit as hard. The work around the arm and shoulder was impeccably sold by Willow too. Hell, even the commentary was outstanding; in particular Riccaboni and Caprice discussing the patriarchal double standards by which Athena acts in a similar way to Jon Moxley yet is demonised in the women's division whilst Mox is a beloved anti-hero. This was a big opportunity and they smashed it out of the park. I'd love to see a rematch, but moreso I hope Tony sticks with Athena in this role for a while longer yet. ROH getting it's own TV show feels like it has opened up a whole new avenue to really push the limits with what 'The Fallen Goddess' can do...

The show ends with Athena threatening the ref then using the title belt to assault Willow from behind. She knocks her out against the ring-steps before walking out.

Tape Rating - *** - This was a big step up from Episode One, and of course it helps that there are three all-out bangers on the show. Yuta/Thatcher, Foundation/Aussie Open and Athena/Nightingale are all completely different, yet all incredibly high quality. Last week when I questioned whether the ROH/Honor Club venture would provide value for money - and those three matches are exactly the kind of bang for your buck this 'new ROH' needs to deliver. Outside of those three bouts the rest of the show was better too. Adora/Billie was a fun undercard sprint, there were genuine storyline developments with the Daniels/Sydal reunion, the set-up for heelish Yuta vs Clark Connors, plus more groundwork laid for big title matches between Joe/Briscoe and Claudio/Kingston. It was still far from a perfect episode, with around 40 minutes of this near two-hour broadcast feeling pretty superfluous; the LFI/SAP match was a drag, the Trust Busters just aren't very interesting and the 'Dalton & The Boys' act is incredibly tired. But for the three headline bouts alone this is well worth a watch and a drastic improvement on Ep#1. Lets hope for more of the same next week...