McXal's Reviews

I come into this review still a little bit scarred by the appalling marathon of forgettable dross that was Honor Club TV Episode 13. That felt like a real low point for this new ROH show thus far, compounded all the more by multiple personalities pressing home the 'pay-per-view quality' line through various media channels even though they all had to know how laughably misleading that was. And perhaps of even more concern, this week we're back with ROH being taped on the same night as AEW's Dynamite and Rampage; a format which was extremely damaging to the quality of the ROH show last time they did that. But there are some reasons to be interested in this episode; not least three big championship matches. Zack Sabre Jr. puts the NJPW TV Title on the line against Rocky Romero, Katsuyori Shibata returns to defend the Pure Title against his own student Alex Coughlin, and our main event will see Athena defend her ROH Women's Championship against Kiera Hogan. We also have former World Champion Bandido in an ROH ring for the first time since Supercard Of Honor in 2022. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are in Las Vegas, NV

SIDENOTE - It feels like the arena is maybe a third full as the episode gets underway, which just isn't a good look. 

Taven and Bennett returned to winning ways last week when they overcame the 'Mack Attack' of Willie and Ninja Mack. Tonight they look to go two unbeaten when they take on Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo, who have appeared regularly in the new ROH and are yet to taste victory.

Dean and Bravo anticipate that The OGK are going to attempt to cheap-shot them, and instead thwart that then smash Bennett right out of the ring. Taven hits the Kick Of The King to knock Bravo to the outside, where Mike follows up landing the rebound elbow smash off the apron to turn the tide of the match in their favour. Brainbuster/Aurora Borealis combo gets 2, with Dean having to dive in and break the pin. Carlie dodges Just The Tip and makes a critical tag to Dean...who is tripped from the floor by Maria Kanellis before he can build any momentum. Proton Pack by The Kingdom, giving them the win at 03:45

Rating - ** - They extracted about as much value from less than four minutes as they possibly could. The Kingdom were effective heels, and actually gave The Infantry one of their best Ring Of Honor matches to date. They were getting some audible reactions from the sparse audience too, which is a reflection on the hard work they were putting into this.

Trish doesn't get an entrance which is disappointing (although they do offer a kayfabe explanation that she is now training at the NJPW Academy so is being stripped back to basics like a young lion). She's a much better wrestler than being relegated to cannon fodder for Blue. Skye had a tough match against Miranda Alize last week where she took a real beating before finding a way to snag a victory. Adora is a hard-hitting, tough and technically savvy foe too so things do not get any easier.

Skye grabs an immediate headlock to negate the power of her opponent, but can't maintain it and Adora knocks the wind out of her sails with a backbreaker out of the corner. Adora targets the arm and midsection of her opponent, with such conviction that it seems like Skye has no answer. Blue somehow hits a ragged satellite headscissors, and follows up with a knee strike against the ropes and a big boot. Trish CATCHES her trying another high-flying move though, then dumps her into a German suplex for 2. Blue throws some desperate kicks, disorientating Trish for just long enough to line-up a Code Red. Adora kicks out of that, but eats the Skye Fall soon after, giving Blue victory at 06:09

Rating - ** - The central premise of this was a good one; namely that Adora is big, tough and hard-hitting which forced Skye to wrestle an extremely defensive match, relying on her resilience and resourcefulness to grab a victory. To that end it was actually a very sensible follow-up to her win over Alize last week, showing that Blue is capable of surviving multiple different styles of opponent. Skye's execution is still very patchy and scrappy at times, and Trish Adora is certainly someone I enjoy watching far more than Blue - but they worked well together and delivered a decent match even against the back drop of a pretty silent and uninterested crowd.

Since their return to ROH, The Righteous have pursued and seduced Grayson. They've played mindgames with him, causing him to question his role within the Dark Order to such an extent that he has agreed to give them 'one chance'. Last week they wrestled as a trio for the first time and were victorious, with Grayson seemingly enjoying the violence he was able to express at the side of Vincent and Dutch. His stable-mates in the Dark Order are now thoroughly confused, in particular his long-time team-mate Evil Uno. Can Dark Order bring their wayward comrade back into the fold in Las Vegas tonight?

The Righteous prevent Uno and Grayson from shaking hands before the bell...and Stu doesn't hesitate in FLOORING Uno with an elbow strike right from the outset. Silver and Reynolds work together to get the better of Marseglia...until Stu tosses Reynolds off the apron into a BOSSMAN SLAM ON THE FLOOR by Dutch! In the ring Grayson sets Reynolds up for a sliding flatliner from Vincent as well. They spend several minutes isolating Alex from his partners, with Dark Order looking wholly uneasy at having to fight Grayson. Uno does eventually get the tag and powers through both Vincent and Dutch. GERMAN SUPLEX from Silver to Dutch! But Stu stomps in and nails Johnny to break the pin! Grayson and Uno stare down once more...but before they can make contact Vincent wipes out Evil from behind. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR by Dutch! There's nobody around now, meaning Uno is left alone to wrestle his with conflicted emotions regarding Grayson. LARIAT BY UNO! Stu screams at his long-time partner to hit him again, at which point Vincent arrives to make the save. NIGHTFALL on Evil Uno! Vincent scurries in past Grayson and gleefully pins Uno at 09:13

Rating - *** - As I've said a few times, this storyline isn't groundbreaking but it is almost the only angle on ROH television at the moment, and all involved are doing a good job with it. Uno and Grayson in particular were excellent in this match, using few words and sticking almost exclusively to expressive body language and physical enactments of their emotions to drive the story forward. The premise was that Grayson has had his head turned by The Righteous and is more aggressive than ever (even with his Dark Order team-mates), and I thought the way Uno sold the emotional toll the character shift in his long-time friend and partner had taken was outstanding. Around the character stuff they delivered a solid - and even rather exciting in flashes - trios match too.

Dasha Fuentes is poised to interview the ROH and NJPW TV Champions once again. Joe suggests it was him that made the difference in their tag match last week and has made it clear who the 'superior TV Champ' is. Zack doesn't take kindly to Joe's implications...

Episode 13 was a good one for both of these performers. Diamante snagged her first ROH victory after overcoming Trish Adora. Braxton made her debut and delivered a surprisingly tenacious and courageous performance even in defeat against the Women's Champion Athena. 

Just like last week, Promise shows no fear and charges right into battle with the veteran (even as Diamante starts to pummel her in the corner). It actually takes a cheap rake to the eyes for Diamante to convincingly put Braxton on the defensive for the first time. Promise is steadfast in her refusal to buckle though and hits a gutbuster/double knee strike combo for 2. Diamante snuffs that out with a German suplex then locks in the same stranglehold submission that tapped out Adora last week. Braxton submits at 03:56

Rating - * - This one left me a little confused. There wasn't necessarily much wrong with it in isolation, but its wider connotations for the ROH Women's division left me a little baffled. Athena supposedly sets the standards in the division, but took almost twice as long and had arguably a more competitive match with Braxton than Diamante did? But at no point did this really feel like Diamante was being put over big-time as an immediate challenger for Athena either. It just felt like a blah, forgettable match that was thrown out there for no real reason.

These two are long-time rivals who have squared off in multiple promotions. When I first saw this booked my immediate memories were of a crazy Falls Count Anywhere Match between the two during the first ever 'Ultima Lucha' at the end of Lucha Underground Season One. The Machine has looked unstoppable in singles competition in ROH (yet never gets spoken about in championship contention because of reasons), but will know that record will be seriously tested by his old nemesis here.

There is no feeling out process here and both guys coming out swinging with some big bombs. The Machine swats Mack off the turnbuckles and starts bludgeoning him in the corner. BACK DROP DRIVER gets 2! Willie blocks a German though and tosses Cage across the ring with an exploder suplex. He lands the big cannonball senton, hurting The Machine so much that he staggers blindly into Willie's Samoan drop/standing moonsault combo (even though Cage must have seen that move countless times). Stunner blocked, Drill Claw blocked too! Mack dodges the F'n'5 as well...then COUNTERS the discus lariat with a kick! GERMAN SUPLEX by Cage! NO SOLD! GERMAN BY WILLIE! NO SOLD! They collide in the middle of the ring then collapse in a big, sweaty heap with the crowd roaring them on. STUNNER by Willie! FROG SPLASH GETS 2! Brian musters up one last burst of energy to hit the GMSI, followed by the Discus Lariat to win at 07:42

Rating - *** - This was exactly what I wanted to see; two big dudes and long-time rivals playing the hits and just beating the sh*t out of each other from first bell to last. There was nothing complex or intricate here, but if you like heavyweight wrestlers absolutely bombing on each other in some pretty astonishing displays of aggression and uncanny athleticism then you'll like this. Doing this in Vegas, near to the West Coast where they've had so many of their matches, meant the crowd was really into it too.

Outwardly, Zack enters the arena full of his usual confidence and bravado. But inwardly he'll be contemplating that he has much to deal with right now. After going to a time limit draw with Jeff Cobb for his TV Title at Wrestling Dontaku he knows that Cobb is still coming for his belt. Meanwhile in ROH he has Matt Sydal petitioning for a shot at his belt, lingering tension with his fellow 'Island Boy' 'Samoan Joseph' and now puts the belt on the line against savvy veteran Rocky Romero too. He is one of the best wrestlers on the planet, but this is a gruelling and demanding schedule that will weigh heavy on even him.

Romero is good enough to go hold-for-hold with Zack; countering a number of Sabre's trademark sequences and breaking free to hit him with a running rana. A frustrated Zack tries to give him a sleeper hold in the ropes only Rocky to counter by snapping the arm over the top rope. A flurry of tope suicidas hit the mark, until he goes for one too many and Zack CATCHES HIM WITH A CRAVAT! He then snaps his neck on the apron for good measure. Upon returning to the ring he continues to target Romero's neck, visibly wounding the veteran. On instinct Rocky looks for another hurricanrana...but this time ZSJ brilliantly counters into an anklelock. Still Romero fights; kicking his way free then sneakily poking the champ in the eyes. Shiranui blocked...but Rocky unleashes a hanging armbar in the ropes. COUNTERED TO A HANGING CLOVERLEAF BY ZACK! Judo DDT, right into a dropkick to the injured neck as the Englishman looks to put the match beyond Romero. Rocky tries desperately to keep kicking at Sabre's arm, then charges into the running Shiranui for 2 (even though it hurts his own leg and neck to execute). ZSJ blocks a second attempt at that, into a sleeper hold reminiscent of Joe's Choke. Romero counters that to a super-close roll-up pin for 2. DIABLO ARMBAR! Sabre grabs the bad leg and counters to a calf cutter! He cranks on the neck from that position as well, forcing Romero to submit at 11:19

Rating - **** - I'll admit that this rating is slightly generous and bolstered by how much I adore watching ZSJ work, but even taking that into account this was such a smart match. Tonally it was totally different from some of the other ZSJ singles matches we've seen in ROH, simply because Romero is a relatively unique opponent. He is comparably skilled as a technician, arguably an even better striker and has an experience advantage over Zack too. It meant that where Sabre is usually able to utterly bully his opponents safe in the knowledge that he can wrestle circles round them almost without breaking a sweat, he didn't have that advantage here and therefore had to work much harder from the outset. His dual-pronged attack on the neck and legs had multiple pay-offs throughout the match and ultimately proved such a skilful/dangerous tactic that even Romero (who himself was able to open up a significant injury on his opponent) couldn't survive.

These two duos have become core parts of the new Ring Of Honor, and this match should probably be presented as a much bigger deal than feels like they are here. Drake and Henry have formed an antagonistic trio with Shane Taylor to make waves, whilst Andretti and Darius are still on a high after winning the climactic battle in their feud with The OGK in a Fight Without Honor two weeks ago.

Henry and Martin contest a great opening thirty seconds, going back and forth in a frantic exhibition of speed, agility and technical prowess. Andretti quickens the pace still further, coming off the top in an armdrag then hitting a springboard twisting splash for 2. Drake tries to ambush Darius from the floor, and although he fails once Martin is still booted off the apron by Henry...right into a forearm smash into the deck by JD. Martin makes a vital tag to Action, who flips out of a suplex attempt by Henry and flattens Drake with a tope suicida, then an Arabian press to the floor. German suplex/Shining Wizard combo by the WorkHorsemen gets 2! Double spinebuster on Henry, allowing Andretti to pin him at 05:36

Rating - ** - Good in short bursts, but given how prominently featured these two teams have been in this new incarnation of Ring Of Honor it felt like they deserved more time in the ring together to really produce something worthwhile. Five minutes simply wasn't long enough for them. There are multiple matches I'd have cut from this episode to give these guys more time (something I feel like I say every week) and it never felt long enough for them to even scratch the surface of what they could do as a foursome. I'm incredibly disappointed at how lukewarm the follow up has been to Andretti and Martin getting their big win over The Kingdom; it feels like the old days of Delirious booking where young guys would emerge victorious from hot feuds only to go right back into the same slot they'd occupied previously 

Both Blade (as Pepper Parks) and Sabian have wrestled in ROH before, but it is the first time Butcher has made it to this promotion I believe. They will be looking for a convincing win over three enhancement talents here.

JAY, Saturn and Shogun try to get the jump on their opponents during their entrance, but get absolutely massacred. Butcher emphatically pins Young at 00:45

Rating - N/A - This felt like it existed only to give Butcher, Blade and Sabian something to do. There are already enough tag teams floating around in ROH with nothing to do (after being relegated from the exact same spot in AEW) as well, so I don't quite see how Butcher & Blade would fit in at all. At least they kept it short. 

This one should be fun. Vikingo and Komander have appeared in ROH sporadically and always entertained with their modern day Lucha Libre feats of wonder. They are joined by Bandido, a former ROH World Champion who has only wrestled for the promotion once since 2021. After illness forced him to miss Final Battle 2021 and the end of the Sinclair era (including his much-anticipated title showdown with Jonathan Gresham), he returned at Supercard Of Honor in 2022 looking to regain the belt from Gresham - but failed and returned to the independents and Mexico for several months. He re-emerged in AEW last August to challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title and was so impressive - even in defeat - that he signed a contract with AEW (although spent a couple of months earlier this year dealing with visa issues preventing him from wrestling in the US somewhat stunting his momentum). Across the ring from them, the opposition trio are notable for the debut of Jack Cartwheel; a spectacular young athlete who has popped up in AEW but is probably more recognisable for his work in GCW.

After Komander and Angelico go to an early statemate, Bandido steps in for the first time to go back and forth at breakneck speed with Serpentico. Vikingo and Cartwheel go even faster, ending with Jack hitting a cartwheeling senton off the ropes for 2. All six men brawl through the ring, with Luther tripping Komander from the outside whilst the SAP thwart attempted dives from Vikingo and Bandido. SASUKE SPECIAL by Jack! He misses an SSP back into the ring but barely breaks his stride before delivering a handspring standing moonsault back in the other direction to get a nearfall on Komander. CARTWHEEL DUEL by Komander and Jack, ending when Komander WRENCHES Jack into a Code Red! Hot tag to Bandido, who tries to press-slam Angelico with one hand before being stopped by Serpentico. TRIPLE TANDEM DIVES to the floor by Bandido, Komander and Vikingo! POP-UP ASSISTED MISSILE DROPKICK COMBO gets 2 on Cartwheel, with the SAP diving in at the end to break the pin! Again Luther tries to distract Komander...so Bandido PRESS SLAMS SERPENTICO AT HIM! TOPE ATOMICO by the former ROH Champion! TIGHTROPE WALK TWISTING MOONSAULT UP THE AISLE BY KOMANDER! Jack chases Vikingo up the ropes...SUPER REVERSE RANA by the AAA Mega Champion! 630 SENTON! Vikingo pins Cartwheel to win at 09:06

Rating - *** - There was a lot going on here in this incredibly fun, rapid-fire Lucha Libre trios match. Vikingo and Komander were astonishing to watch as always, it was great to have Bandido back in ROH (I thought he oozed charisma, composure and class; eclipsing even the much-loved Vikingo), but in a strange way the real story was on the other side of the ring from them. Caprice Coleman even referenced it on commentary; this was a major opportunity for Jack Cartwheel, being given a chance to get his sh*t in on one of the bigger stages of his career thus far. He didn't wilt under the pressure at all, despite being involved in some incredibly complex, spectacular sequences (with just the one spot with Komander looking slightly ungainly). He didn't look out of place with guys like Vikingo and Bandido; two of the biggest international names in Lucha right now. 

The last time Shibata was on ROH TV (Episode 7) he was teaming with his student Alex Coughlin in a victorious effort against The WorkHorsemen. In the aftermath of that Coughlin motioned that he felt ready to challenge Shibata for the belt, and is rewarded with his championship opportunity immediately. Shibata hasn't wrestled at all in the last seven weeks, and we know has to be extremely cautious with his physical well-being after sustaining such a traumatic, life-threatening injury. In contrast, Coughlin has maintained a packed schedule and comes into this having prepared with NJPW victories over the likes of Christopher Daniels and Tracy Williams (in a Pure Rules match no less). Does the old master Shibata have enough in his body to stave off his toughest challenge yet?

Coughlin thinks he can work the mat with Shibata, but gets instantly picked off into an armbar which forces him to use his first rope-break (inside the first minute). Seconds later he needs his second rope-break as well, after finding himself unable to break a triangle choke from the champion. Coughlin tries to exert his strength advantage but even then almost gets trapped in Shibata's Cobra Twist. The champ winds up mounting him in a surfboard, tying the challenger up so emphatically that Coughlin has to take his final rope-break using his teeth. Now unencumbered from the risk of rope-breaks, Shibata ties Coughlin up again - whilst simultaneously hammering him with close-range strikes. DEAD-LIFT SUPLEX by Alex to escape! Selling injuries to multiple body parts, Coughlin ferociously strikes at his mentor...then starts tossing him around with real power and authority. Triangle choke again by Shibata...COUNTERED with a one-arm powerbomb! Every single blow inflicted to the head and neck by someone with the power of Coughlin puts Shibata in real peril too. He rolls around clutching that head after Coughlin ploughs into him with a big tackle...but Shibata counters the Jackhammer and locks in the Sleeper Hold! The PK follows and Shibata is victorious at 08:55

Rating - *** - I enjoyed this more than I'd expected. Watching Shibata in 2023 is quite an uncomfortable experience, and the entire Pure Title concept feels somewhat irrelevant in a time when Ring Of Honor already has too many wrestlers, too many matches and therefore not enough space for something as niche and complex as the Pure rules. But against that backdrop this was a smart little match, where they quickly established that Shibata - the teacher - rules the roost and can out-wrestle Coughlin all day long. But Coughlin is an incredible physical specimen and, given Shibata's documented vulnerabilities, even in a match where he got his ass kicked for long periods, Alex's raw power in the ring versus a guy with pronounced head and neck frailties made him dangerous on the counter. Compared to the frenetic spot-fest that came before it, these guys did so little in the ring together - but were getting some huge reactions from the crowd by the end. That tells you all you need to know about how good this was.

Hogan made her ROH debut last week with a victory over VertVixen, and immediately got the attention of the reigning Women's Champion (who even came out to watch her match). They exchanged words then, and later in the night Kiera attacked Athena (to stop her bullying Promise Braxton in the aftermath of a Proving Ground Match). The Fallen Goddess was so furious that she agreed to title match tonight just so she can get her hands on the 'Girl On Fire'. Can Hogan succeed where so many others - from all over the world - have failed, and dethrone Athena?

Athena DECKS Hogan at the bell with a big elbow, barely able to contain her fury at being attacked last week. Curb stomp Rocker Dropper blocked, and Athena snaps Kiera to the canvas shoulder-first. Hogan collapses to the arena floor, holding her arm in pain...and of course Athena instantly goes after it; ramming the arm into the guardrails sadistically. Back in the ring the champ hits a hammerlock suplex to again leave Kiera writhing in agony. Somehow Hogan escapes a submission, and with her arm hanging limp by her side she does land the curb stomp Rocker Dropper to stay alive in the match. Unfortunately Athena simply grabs her by the arm, uses it to swing her into a backbreaker then drops her to the canvas with another armbreaker. Fujiwara Armbar locked in...but again Hogan won't give up. FLYING headscissors nailed, as is a big hip attack in the corner. She keeps striking Athena in the head...then drops her on it with a satellite DDT for 2. The arm gives out on her before she can hit a suplex though...and Athena pins her using the tights for leverage at 07:54

Rating - *** - A step below the top tier Athena title defences, but this was a feisty and spirited main event which I really liked. First and foremost I thought that - even with a pretty quiet crowd - they did a great job making this feel like a grudge match. Athena wrestled this match differently and, even by her standard, attacked it with incredible aggression. Across the ring from her, Hogan took a hell of a beating and sold it with real sympathy. The only thing I wasn't on board with here was the finish, in that I didn't feel like there was any reason for Athena to cheat. She'd dominated most of the match, had inflicted a serious injury on her opponent and hadn't utilised any of her finishing moves yet. In just eight minutes, it didn't feel like Athena 'couldn't beat Kiera and had to cheat', and nor did it feel like Athena was in any danger of losing so had to cheat either. In short, it felt like a lazy, tacked on finish that actually let down some of the qualities of the bout that preceded it. Presumably it leaves the door open for a rematch; perhaps when they'll be permitted more time - and I'm ok with that.

Athena tries to walk out, but is attacked again by Hogan who violently tosses her into the guardrails and ring steps. Referee Mike Posey stops her from assaulting the champ with a steel chair, but the brawl continues after a wayward kick from Athena sends security guards sprawling. It needs ten or more referees and staff members to finally separate them...

Tape Rating - ** - Crucially, this was a much better show than last week. There was still plenty of filler that could have been trimmed and multiple matches that I wanted to see which would have benefited from the additional time they'd have gained by trimming that fat...but this episode never felt like a slog to get through and flowed relatively breezily throughout. I felt like significant things were happening more often than not, and the show was consistently more entertaining as a result. ZSJ/Romero was the stand-out match for my taste, but there was lots of variety here and I could easily understand someone preferring the athletic spectacle of the lucha trios match, the heavyweight Mack/Cage slug-fest or the understated drama of Shibata/Coughlin. Tonally there is still so much wrong with this show though. We're still getting too many matches, too few angles and too many wrestlers who feel like they are having bland, middle-of-the-road matches just for the sake of giving them something to do - and it all comes together to make for a disjointed, chaotic example of how to make bad weekly episodic wrestling television. At the very least though - after a torturous few hours getting through Episode 13 - it is important and right to recognise the clear improvements this week. And with Death Before Dishonor 20 now announced for July hopefully we'll start to see more angles and purpose injected into the product as we build towards the next pay-per-view event. And maybe even some of the bigger ROH matches taking place on this show rather than held back for Dynamite/Rampage/Collision.