McXal's Reviews

We are now ten episodes into Ring Of Honor's latest chapter, as a quasi-developmental subsidiary of All Elite Wrestling, and the results have been mixed. The first four, self-contained, episodes of the show and subsequent Supercard Of Honor pay-per-view were extremely promising. A new brand, existing within AEW's sandbox but having a distinctly different identity, was a welcome introduction for the rejuvenated promotion. But it has to be said that since the decision was made to take it onto the road with AEW's flagship broadcasts that the quality of the show has dipped significantly. The weekend after this show debuts will see the next set of standalone ROH TV studio tapings which will hopefully improve the show, and the news that both of AEW's free YouTube shows Dark and Elevation are being scrapped will certainly have implications for what the future of Ring Of Honor looks like in terms of talent and taping schedules too (although it is yet to be seen exactly how). After last week marked a real low point for the show, the line-up for this week is much-improved. Robbie Eagles makes an ROH debut (outside of the New Japan/ROH Honor Rising shows in 2019) to challenge Claudio Castagnoli for the World Championship. Christopher Daniels challenged his old rival Samoa Joe to a TV Title Match, and we'll also have a Pure Rules rematch between Rocky Romero and the man who bested him last week - Lee Moriarty. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Nigel McGuinness are in Sunrise, FL.

Last week Moriarty defeated the veteran, multi-time former ROH Tag Champion Romero in a competitive match, albeit largely thanks to the assistance of his stable-mate in The Firm - Big Bill. Romero noted that he was impressed with Lee's skills but didn't like that he 'out sneak'd the King Of Sneaky Style' and laid down the challenge for a Pure Rules rematch tonight.

Romero goes right for the Diablo Armbar and instantly drives Moriarty to utilise his first rope-break. It means that Lee is now working with a tweaked arm and the match is barely a minute old. He leaves the ring to escape but Rocky won't stop coming after him and leaps up the aisle with a tope suicida. A second rope-break comes seconds later with Romero working a hammerlock, albeit somewhat controversially as Lee tries to argue he'd actually countered Rocky in the ropes and therefore it should have been the veteran penalised. Nonetheless he lands a 619 and starts pummelling Romero with elbows and forearms. Big Bill trips Romero as he tries to attack (unseen by the referee)...and when Rocky reacts angrily with a closed-fist punch on Moriarty it is Rocky who is issued an official warning. Romero dropkicks Lee's knee causing him to tumble out of the corner and with him still stumbling from that he hits a tornado DDT for 2. Pumphandle blocked by Romero...DIABLO ARMBAR again! For a third and final time Moriarty uses a rope-break to escape! Big Bill again makes his presence felt; blocking Romero as he attempts to pursue Lee to the floor again. But Moriarty inadvertently strikes Bill in the midsection, clearing the path for Romero to hit a flying knee off the apron then the running Shiranui into the ring for 2. A second Shiranui is blocked...into the Taiga Driver '18 for 2! Moriarty repeatedly elbows Romero's arm, but has to stop because Rocky has done so much damage to his own arm. DIABLO ARMBAR OFF THE TOP! Lee is in the ropes...but he's out of rope-breaks and taps out giving Romero the win at 09:31

Rating - *** - Marginally better than last week, in that the extra time gave them a little more scope to build some additional drama and excitement...and there was also less involvement from Big Bill. I question why Romero is being put over Moriarty (who would have really benefited from a second consecutive win) but I did like the way he learned from his mistakes last week and used the Pure Rules to his advantage by systematically removing Lee's rope-breaks, contributing to his inevitable defeat. 

Risk is only a couple of years into her career, having trained at the Nightmare Factory. She is the latest courageous opponent looking to survive the Proving Ground with the Fallen Goddess and earn herself a Women's World Title shot. 

Athena bullies Risk from the bell and smashes her right to the mat with a big boot. Angelica tries a 619, but is caught and planted with a brutal facebuster instead. Every time Risk attempts something she is CRUSHED by Athena (who then adds insult to injury by illegally fish-hooking her out of sight of the ref). Still Risk keeps fighting and finally does hit her version of the 619. She looks for a flying crossbody but Athena CATCHES her. Wrath Of The Goddess into a Crossface, and Risk taps at 05:06

Rating - ** - A little longer than it needed to be, but everything Athena did was getting reactions from this crowd. There is no doubt that ROH/AEW's audience is really starting to realise how special Athena's current run is and are getting behind her. 

Athena picks Risk back up and gives her a SKYE FALL ONTO THE TITLE BELT! That was a direct message to Skye Blue...

These two as opponents need no introduction. They've been partners and adversaries across countless promotions, contesting some legendary matches along the way. One shouldn't forget that it was technically Chris Daniels who brought Joe into Ring Of Honor way back in 2002, hiring him as an enforcer for The Prophecy and sending him straight into the very first 'Fight Without Honor' against Daniels' biggest rival at the time, Low Ki. Daniels has had a celebrated thirty year career but last week confessed he is at a low point due to recent high profile losses. But he didn't want to rebuild from the bottom, in his words he wanted to 'swing for the fences' and challenged Joe for the TV Title (that Daniels himself once held). What can we expect from these age-old rivals?

The knowing smile between them as they shake hands before the bell is a lovely, quiet moment of acknowledgement of all they've gone through together in their careers. Ian informs us that this is the 93rd time they've been in some kind of match together across all promotions - I'm not fact-checking that but what a statistic! Joe doesn't move as Daniels spends the first 90 seconds trying to shunt him off his feet, then explodes into life and pummels the Fallen Angel into the corner. He slows Daniels right down by working a nerve hold and continues to beat on the neck as another minute passes. The challenger recognises the danger he is in and tries to quicken the pace...only to be crushed again with a powerslam. Choke blocked, allowing Daniels to start diving into rapid-fire pinning combinations which visibly tire Joe to escape. The champ staggers into a running STO, then a swinging flatliner for 2. Angel's Wings easily countered though, showing that Joe still has plenty of gas in the tank. He dumps Daniels with an overhead suplex before dragging him out of the corner with the MUSCLEBUSTER! Joe retains at 05:51

Rating - *** - Before I rant that less than six minutes for these guys is complete bullsh*t, I want to be clear that within the confines of a six minute greatest hits package for these guys, it was really fun. Joe and Daniels are seasoned pros and can knock out matches like this in their sleep - it is a total privilege to watch them. And fortunately there are plenty of matches between them down the years where you get a much better opportunity to see them working together for longer. However, after using social media to hype this as one of the biggest matches on the show, slinging them out third on the card and giving them barely any time absolutely sucks. It is 2023 so I completely understand that the days of these two going 20-30 minutes together might be over. But if ever there was an indication as to why the current schedule of cramming ROH into the weekly AEW tapings really blows it is this. This should have been doing 12-15 minutes and delivering a strong bout for the people who are putting their hand in their pockets to pay for Honor Club each week. What we got of the match was fine, but I really do need to emphasise how much of a crushing disappointment this was.

I'd love to understand the reason why the World Title match is getting chucked into the middle of this episode. Claudio invited challengers from all over the world to come and face him in the aftermath of his successful defence against Eddie Kingston at Supercard Of Honor. Metalik of Mexico was despatched, and now he faces the Australian NJPW junior heavyweight star Robbie Eagles. 

Referee Stephon Smith officiates this, and in so doing seemingly becomes the first Black person to referee an ROH World Title match. I hadn't actually realised that until Stephon Tweeted it, and it feels lamentable that it has taken 21 years. Claudio marches into battle with a clear intention to slow down and ground Eagles. The second he fails to do so Robbie is all over him; driving him to the floor with a headscissors. Castagnoli is furious and suplexes Eagles most of the way across the ring in response. A press slam drops Eagles right on his shoulder, which Claudio spots and continues to exploit with armbars and a chickenwing. Robbie starts kicking at the champion's knee, and when Claudio tries to leave the ring to cover Eagles absolutely wipes him out with a TOPE CON HILO! SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK TO THE KNEE! 619 TO THE KNEE! Claudio shunts Robbie down, but his leg is so weakened he can't execute the Big Swing. Eagles peppers him with kicks and jumps into the Pulse Drop for 2! 450 Splash misses! MICHINOKU DRIVER by Castagnoli gets 2! Eagles goes for flash pins in an effort to force the victory, but Claudio holds on and socks him with an emphatic lariat. Pulse Drop again...CAUGHT by Claudio. KNEE STRIKE RICCOLA BOMB! Claudio retains at 08:21

Rating - *** - It does nothing for the prestige of the Ring Of Honor World Title for it to be reduced to eight minutes in the middle of the show. Once again it feels like the brand is being treated incredibly shabbily thanks to the constraints imposed upon it by being taped on the same night as Dynamite and Rampage. But putting that aside, for eight minutes these guys really did provide a hell of a lot of fun. Claudio tried to bully Eagles, who showed his experience and skill as a junior heavyweight by inflicting an injury on the champ that he was able to exploit. Unfortunately he wasn't able to sufficiently hurt Claudio to force a victory, and Castagnoli finally smashed his way to victory with an ultra-impressive knee-striking Riccola Bomb. For some context, and to compare it to Claudio's other defences on Honor Club TV, I thought this was better than the Metalik match, but not at the same level as Claudio/Fox from Episode 1.

Skye Blue has asked for some interview time because she is sick of being disrespected by Athena. She says she refuses to be bullied and challenges the Fallen Goddess to a Women's Title Match...

The rivalry between The Kingdom and Top Flight & Action Andretti continues in this 10-man tag; The OGK linking up with the Varsity Athletes whilst Andretti and Martin recruit the Best Friends and Stu Grayson of Dark Order. Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Mark Sterling are in the OGK/Varsity corner, whilst their opposition have Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver with them - so there are a lot of people involved here.

Taven starts with Andretti and they waste no time throwing big strikes at each other. Darius comes in to help Action, meaning Bennett immediately charges in too kick-starting a brawl between all ten participants. SOLE FOOD/HALF NELSON SUPLEX combo from the Best Friends to Taven, but Nese jumps Trent from behind to swing the initiative back in the favour of his time. Grayson comes to Beretta's aid, triggering another sequence with bodies flying everywhere. Kick Of The King from Taven to Martin! Butterfly suplex from Woods to Andretti! He then runs up the ropes and hoists Grayson into an unorthodox superplex as well. Somersault plancha up the aisle by Action into a pile of bodies. Taven wants to dive as well, only for Trent to catch him up on the ropes and SUPERPLEX HIM ONTO EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR! In the ring Grayson blocks Daivari's Pepsi Twist and levels him with a Pele Kick. The Righteous' music hits before he can capitalise though, with Vincent and Dutch once again dancing around on the stage to distract Stu Grayson. Dark Order frantically reason with their team-mate as he tries to confront them in the aisle...and inside the ring Andretti hits a TKO on Daivari to win at 06:24

Rating - *** - Six minutes of bodies flying everywhere, with a couple of actual angles involved as well (Grayson and The Righteous plus Martin/Andretti vs The OGK). Even though this was again criminally short, this was perhaps the least frustrating segment of the entire show so far. 

Athena is backstage to issue her response to Skye Blue's challenge. She calls Dasha Fuentes 'Lexy', makes fun of Skye's ring gear...but eventually accepts her challenge and will put the belt on the line next week.

Vance was impressive teaming with Rush last week, and now competes in his first ROH singles match once again looking to make a positive impression. Adonis works out of Florida, has been an enhancement talent on Dark/Elevation quite a few times, with a career that has seen him in various WWN promotions, CZW and more...

Vance hammers Adonis from the bell and starts battering him against the guardrails on the floor...just like Rush developed a reputation for doing in Ring Of Honor. Rich tries desperately to throw some strikes back at LFI's 'Perro Peligroso'...only for Preston to dump him with a German suplex. Discus Lariat wins it for Vance in an emphatic 02:19

Rating - N/A - Another one of those Dark-esque squash matches that are becoming far too common on ROH television. I do think Vance has some potential and he is a promising young enforcer for Rush and Dralistico in LFI so there is some merit in having him smash through some jobbers. 

In the locker rooms The OGK jump Darius Martin and Action Andretti as they try to cut a promo. They leave both the youngsters laid out on the concrete...

Two weeks ago we saw Robyn produce a feisty, tenacious, defiant performance even in defeat to Willow Nightingale. She didn't take the loss well and was joined by her sister Charlette to beat Willow down after the bell. Now she faces another likeable babyface talent with eyes on Athena's ROH Women's Title. Athena has accepted Skye's challenge for next week, so Blue needs a win and to start building momentum going into her championship opportunity.

Both seem to recognise the importance of a victory here and come out swinging with a flurry of pinfall attempts. Renegade is aggressive and wants to intimidate Blue, eventually bouncing her head off the ringpost as the fight spills to the outside. Next she applies a camel clutch, whilst fish-hooking the mouth and verbally taunting Skye. Things get a little rough in terms of execution but Blue shows some heart and comes at Renegade with a satellite headscissors and a big boot for 2. Skye Fall nailed for the win at 04:14

Rating - ** - At times it was messy, but there was some really earnest hard-work on display here. Both are evidently bright and well-thought of young prospects and it was interesting to see how they coped in the ring together without a more experienced foe to bounce off. Once again I thought Robyn Renegade was genuinely impressive. She isn't necessarily the smoothest wrestler to watch, but there is a pugnacious and aggressive quality to her work which I enjoy watching - and it made her a natural foil for Skye. That match with Athena will be a big test for Blue and a measuring stick as to how much she has developed whilst being given some decent opportunities on both ROH and AEW programming.

The Machine arrives for his weekly beatdown of an enhancement talent. Brock at least gets an entrance (unlike most of Cage's recent opponents), implying that this will be a sterner test for Cage than he has faced on recent episodes.

Anderson sensibly tries to grapple The Machine, trying to both blow him up as well as negate the obvious power advantage. Cage has to work incredibly hard to shake him off, but finally does so with a big powerslam. He has evidently fatigued Brian though, because Anderson is able to recover and even drop him with a DDT. Cage shakes off  a big boot and clamps onto a Texas Cloverleaf - but his chest is heaving and he struggles to catch his breath. DISCUS LARIAT! DRILL CLAW! Cage wins at 03:16

Rating - N/A - This was a pretty effective little match. Cage gets another dominant victory, but gave more in defeat to his opponent than the jobbers he has crushed in recent weeks, which does help put Brock over too. I thought in three minutes they did a great job telling the story of Anderson using his wrestling skill to try and blow the muscle-bound Machine up. 

We know that Willow has been on a strong run in Ring Of Honor recently, but this should be a stern test. It is a year since De Lander was released from WWE (where she had been part of the NXT 2.0 brand), and she has done a good job of gradually building her reputation. A trainee of the great Madison Eagles, since her release she has impressed back in her home country of Australia whilst also making appearances in AEW, Impact, GCW and others. She has recently formed an alliance on the independents with Matt Cardona which will only bolster her reputation I'm sure...

De Lander slaps Willow across the face to make her intentions perfectly clear. She is tall and powerful enough to stop Nightingale being able to muscle her around, and rocks her in the corner with a big Yakuza kick. She hits a diving elbow strike to a seated Willow for 2, and has successfully lulled the pro-Willow crowd into almost complete silence. Nightingale has to take a risk and blasts De Lander with a missile dropkick - then a cannonball senton. Spinebuster nailed, giving her the win at 03:35

Rating - N/A - I wasn't ready for this one to end. This felt hard-hitting and high impact from the first bell, and De Lander made a real impression with her imposing physical presence. It was bruising enough to really put Willow over in victory and I'd have no issues with a rematch (although I suspect De Lander won't be available for too many more of these enhancement talent spots now she's involved with the Major Figure Pod crew).

Komander returns to ROH for the first time since he signed his full-time deal with AEW. Last time we saw him it was failing to capture the AAA Mega Title from Vikingo at Supercard Of Honor. Tonight he faces Angelico; a South African with plentiful experience competing against luchadors. 

Angelico tries to use his height and size...and decapitates Komander with a mafia kick inside the first minute just as he tries to start building up speed. He traps Komander on the canvas, before missing a big knee strike and falling to the floor. ROPE WALK TWISTING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR by the luchador! Angelico takes evasive action and tries to leave the ring again, so Komander leaps again - this time with a DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR! Back in the ring Angelico hits a back suplex and looks to set up the Fall Of The Angels. But Komander COUNTERS into a turnbuckle rana! He follows that with a snap hurricanrana for 2. Serpentico tries to interfere on Angelico's behalf, but Komander boots him off the apron...THEN TIGHT-ROPE WALKS THE LENGTH OF THE RING INTO A SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT UP THE AISLE! ROPE-WALK SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Komander wins at 06:03

Rating - *** - This reminded me a lot of Blake Christian vs Gringo Loco in last week's main event, in that it presented two dudes who were thrown through the curtain with minimal time and told just to go bananas on each other with spots as quickly as they possibly could. I respect that there was a modicum of narrative holding this together (Angelico trying to use his height and size to ground the luchador), but this was existed almost solely as an exhibition of Komander's crazy repertoire - and in that context this was effective enough.

Angelico and Serpentico attack Komander after the bell...but are run off by Orange Cassidy and returning former ROH World Champion Bandido...

Tape Rating - ** - This was a slight improvement on last week. Not a huge improvement mind you, but there was enough better wrestling this week to warrant a higher rating; even the squash matches like Cage/Anderson and Willow/De Lander had a little more going on than some of the Dark-esque fodder we've had to sit through in recent weeks. But it doesn't change the fact that ROH's Honor Club show should aspire to be significantly better than this. A blitz of moderately entertaining 6-8 minute spot-fests does not justify the expense of an Honor Club subscription, and I cannot find the words to convey how disappointing it is to only find five minutes for a Joe/Daniels TV Title Match, or only eight minutes for the Castagnoli/Eagles World Title Match. Even the balance of this episode felt completely weird - with the two big championship matches randomly in the midcard and the main event slot given to another 'American lucha' sprint (for the second week in a row). I can only assume the funky lay-out of the show is down to having to fit in with everything else being taped at the same venue for AEW...and that is why this taping schedule really doesn't work. And if they don't have much time to tape ROH as part of a Dynamite/Rampage evening - how about they stop filling these cards with endless short, pointless filler bouts and just concentrate on giving us three or four great 10-20 minute matches instead? Romero/Moriarty, Joe/Daniels, Castagnoli/Eagles, the midcard 10-man tag and Komander/Angelico form the backbone of this episode though and - although brief - they are fun enough at least...

5) El Hijo del Vikingo vs Blake Christian (**** - Episode 5)

4) El Hijo del Vikingo vs Gringo Loco (**** - Episode 8)

3) Konosuke Takeshita vs Lee Moriarty (**** - Episode 8)

2) Athena vs Emi Sakura (**** - Episode 5)

1) Athena vs Miyu Yamashita (**** - Episode 6)