McXal's Reviews

Just three weeks of ROH TV to go before Death Before Dishonor 2023, so of course precious little of the PPV card feels like it's taking shape, and most of ROH's meaningful championship matches continue to appear as sporadic midcard bouts on AEW shows, rather than built to be something more significant on ROH. We're back for another week of random filler matches, including a scheduled main event booked by Jerry Lynn where we expect to see Maria Kanellis-Bennett forced back into the ring for the first time in several years, teaming with The Kingdom to face The Infantry and Trish Adora. We are in Hamilton, ONT - and it's the usual Ian Riccaboni/Caprice Coleman team on commentary.

ROH's Honor Club show has become the regular place to see Lucha Libre on North American soil. Gringo Loco has consistently stood out in this environment even if he has found wins hard to come by. Komander has more exposure on both ROH and AEW programming so it would be a big scalp if Gringo could grab a victory here. Alex Abrahantes now manages Komander.

Gringo takes his opponent down and does some sarcastic jumping jacks...so Komander opens up with an outrageous springboard backflip armdrag. Loco cartwheels out of another armdrag attempt though to show that he has the chops to hang with his masked foe. ALLEY-OOP INTO THE TURNBUCKLES as Komander charges at Gringo again! He starts over-powering Komander and almost bullies him around the ring for the next couple of minutes. DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD tumbling lucha armdrag from Komander in response, but when he tries another elaborate headscissors Loco simply catches him in a torture rack and drills him on his face for 2. But then Loco is punished for going to the well once too often - as he looks to catch Komander for a second time and is out-witted with another armdrag. Komander does a random flip off Loco's shoulders for no real reason, but then armdrags GL to the floor and wipes him out with a corkscrew plancha. But Komander takes too long climbing to the rop ropes after that and is caught up there by his foe. SPANISH FLY BY GRINGO! He tries a pop-up strike only for Komander to counter into a mid-air cutter! He tries a headscissors on the floor, but Loco catches him for a GUARDRAIL BOMB! DOUBLE JUMP ACE CRUSHER...but Komander kicks out at 2. Loco tries to electric chair him off the turnbuckles, only for Komander to wriggle away FOR A ROPE RUN FRANKENSTEINER! DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD TWISTING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! SPRINGBOARD PHOENIX SPLASH! Komander wins at 10:41

Rating - *** - By 2023 Ring Of Honor standards this was a long match, and they did a good job with it. Clearly a lot of this was built around crazy highspots, but there was plenty of plot holding it together as well. From the opening moments it was clear that Gringo Loco was here to upstage Komander. He show-boated to the fans, he repeatedly stomped out Komander's attempts at some of his flashiest lucha sequences whilst delivering plenty of exciting offence himself. It was only when Komander was able to string together an utterly bonkers stretch of insane stuff that he finally put Loco away.

Lee Moriarty and Big Bill tell Lexy Nair that now The Firm has ended they have come to ROH to dominate the Tag division. 

Well here is a match I'd love to see go 15-20 minutes but will probably end up being around five. Garcia is on the hunt for Shibata and the Pure Title, and knows going through former ROH World, TV, Tag and Six-Man Champion Chris Daniels puts him at the front of the queue.

Garcia refuses a handshake and tackles Daniels to the ground...and celebrates with one of his silly dances. CURRY MAN DANCE by Daniels! Garcia responds to that by forearming him off the apron to the floor. And even when the veteran tries to charge back into the ring, Daniels shows outstanding wrestling prowess to drop to the deck and trip him into an STF submission. He appears to be sending a message to Shibata, but gets so intent on embarrassing Daniels that he walks blind into a Blue Thunder Driver. Fall From Grace gets 2! Garcia jabs at the throat...so Daniels PALM STRIKES HIM! A forearm strike duel ensues, ending when Garcia bites Daniels, prompting the veteran to level him with an STO. Angel's Wings blocked, as is the urinage slam set-up to the BME. ANGEL'S WINGS! But Garcia rolls out of the ring to save himself. The former champ has to retrieve Garcia, giving him time to recover - which he uses to boot the ropes into Daniels' groin...then plants him with the double-arm lungblower to win at 07:39

Rating - *** - This was right up my street, and exactly the kind of product Ring Of Honor should be in 2024, albeit I clearly wish it was far longer. Garcia is a supremely talented wrestler, but only gets limited opportunity to showcase that in AEW. Coming to ROH he can be presented as a real machine, and get to improve by working with veterans like Daniels. He really excelled here showing some terrific work as he dominated a former World Champion and pushed his case for a shot at Shibata. It should go without saying that Daniels was tremendous in his role, and even in a disappointingly brief seven minutes I thought they told a tight little story and went to a strong finish.

Willie Mack is one of the participants in a $25,000 Six Man Mayhem later tonight. He tells Lexy Nair he's going to buy a capybara and a chinchilla, then go to Jamaica with his winnings. That was lovably bizarre!

Toa and Kaun are part of the dominant Embassy trio that has a vice-like grip on the Six-Man Titles. Andretti and Martin have unsuccessfully challenged for those in the past, but are building momentum as a duo. Their win over The Kingdom in a Fight Without Honor was memorable, and last week we also saw Andretti defeat one half of the IWGP Jr. Tag Champions TJP as part of a trios match as well. Do they have enough in their locker to defeat one of the most imposing teams in ROH?

Kaun tries to bully Andretti, but finds Action too fast and nimble to pin down. They bust out a couple of double teams to knock both Embassy members out of the ring...only to find Prince Nana in place for a well-timed distraction as they line-up a dive. Andretti tries a tope suicida...BUT TOA CATCHES HIM FOR A SPINEBUSTER INTO THE GUARDRAILS! Jesus! Kaun tackles Darius to the ground as well, but the cameras are still capturing the chaotic aftermath of that wild guardrail spot. It means Action is utterly incapacitated and helpless as the GOA take turns pummelling him inside the ring. Darius gets a critical tag and bulldog's Liona into the bottom rope, setting him up for a slingshot flatliner. Sadly for him Toa quickly crushes his momentum with a pop-up Samoan drop. He catches Andretti outside the ring...so Martin dives through both of them in a tope! Springboard 450 GETS KNEES! Toa dumps Martin off the apron, but inside the ring Andretti hits the STANDING C4 ON KAUN! Nana distracts the referee so there's no pin! Andretti tries to fight both opponents at the same time, but handsprings right into Open The Gates! GOA win at 06:37

Rating - *** - Another decent little match here. Andretti and Martin bumped like absolute maniacs and made the Gates look like complete monsters. Smaller dudes doing wild, athletic spots in amongst some absolutely brutal stuff from big, bruising opponents is always pretty entertaining.

The Righteous are here, fresh off their tag team victory over Dark Order last week. As their issues with the Dark Order continues to fester, they'll be looking to showcase some of the aggression they've been preaching and make short work of their opponents.

The Righteous punch the lights out of their opponents from the bell. Grayson lays out Impact with an urinage slam as Vincent and Dutch clear the ring, before the three of them splatter Rip into the mat with a wild triple-team facebuster to win at 01:03

Rating - N/A - A functional squash which was kept brief. No complaints from me

Lee and Bill spelt out their intentions earlier, that being coming to ROH in the aftermath of The Firm breaking up and looking to dominate the tag division here. They have an unblemished record thus far, and are looking for a third victory - this time over former Six-Man Champions, The Boys.

Moriarty starts with one of The Boys - I don't know which because the commentators are chatting away about AEW Grand Slam tickets and storylines. Brandon hits a springboard crossbody to enter the ring (it was Brent who started) and together they land a couple of combo moves for an early nearfall. Lee stomps on Brent's knee to escape, then sets Bill loose for the first time. Brent climbs on his brother's shoulders to get to the same height as Bill...who simply boots Brandon in the head! Brent hits a few dropkicks and manages to knock Big B off the apron, and lands an inverted Code Red on Moriarty! They try a tope suicida flurry...but Bill plucks Brandon out of the air for a CHOKESLAM ON THE APRON! In the ring Lee hits a running heel kick on Brent for the win at 04:44

Rating - * - I find myself quite liking the Moriarty/Bill team. Lee is a great wrestler and really entertaining as a bit of a sh*thouse who can basically do anything he wants because any time he's about to face the consequences he can simply tag in a seven foot behemoth to smash the sh*t out of his opponents. It's a fun dynamic, I just didn't need almost five minutes of it against the tired old "Boys" act which hasn't changed in years.

It is another Proving Ground match for Athena tonight, but this time she faces a woman with some Ring Of Honor history. She was part of the House Of Truth Hoopla era with Matt Taven and Truth Martini, until she fell foul of US immigration laws and found herself with a five-year banning order which effectively ended her time with the company.

Athena quickly ends Sparx's emotional homecoming by putting a boot through her face. But Seleziya CATCHES Athena going for a crossbody and dumps her with a body slam. Sliding lariat gets 2! She tries a big boot too, but this time Athena catches her and lands a capture suplex. Sparx tries to trade strikes with the champ, but gets knocked senseless with a running elbow and pinned at 02:08. Athena administers a post-match beatdown as well to put an exclamation point on it.

Rating - N/A - Seleziya looked as good as it is possible to look in a two minute match where she's basically there to get crushed. It was a fun cameo, and by demonstrating some quality herself it makes Athena's swift and decisive victory over her seem even more impressive. 

This was originally supposed to be Nese and Drake in a singles match but (as a Premier Athlete) Tony decides to offer personal training to JD instead. Drake buries Canadian cuisine and just as the crowd wonder who the f*ck they're supposed to like here, Mark's music hits. Apparently he was sent out here because Tony Khan thinks nobody gives a crap about what either one of them are saying (which seems a touch demeaning) so it's now a triple threat.

Nese and Drake form an alliance to attack Briscoe from behind, but Mark quickly scatters them with a series of strikes. Mark Sterling distracts him...but when Nese tries to bring a chair in Briscoe simply snatches it and uses it for the STEP-UP SOMERSAULT PLANCHA to the outside! JD pulls Nese out of the way of a Froggy Bow though and levels Briscoe with a clothesline to save the match. Ab Day strikes in the corner by Tony as they once again join forces and take turns laying into Briscoe in the corner. There is quite a fun dynamic to Nese and Drake's impromptu team though, since JD's utter disgust at Nese's attempts to 'train' him are pretty funny. Inevitably their alliance collapses, and Briscoe lands the Urinage on Drake. Nese somersaults over Drake's fallen body to hit an uppercut on Briscoe in the corner, then hits a springboard sunset flip bomb on Drake! Jay Driller on Nese, giving Mark the win at 05:57

Rating - ** - Short and predictable, but Mark making an appearance on ROH TV breaks up the usual procession of AEW Dark talents and I really did like the chemistry between Drake and Nese. If ROH were an actual separate brand a Varsity Athletes/WorkHorsemen feud would be really fun...

Eddie Kingston cuts a promo in the aftermath of defeating KENTA for the NJPW Strong Title, confirming that he is in the G1 meaning he won't be at Death Before Dishonor. It means he can't come back for another shot at Claudio Castagnoli and instead calls on Mark Briscoe to get a title shot and honour his brother's legacy by taking the title.

Renee Paquette (is this her first appearance in ROH?) asks Mark for his thoughts. Briscoe agrees, and officially confirms that he is parking his dream of becoming TV Champion to follow in his brother's footsteps and pursue the World Title. Claudio interrupts and encourages Mark not to listen to Eddie. He pointedly implies that Mark isn't on his level. They shake hands and agree to face each other at Death Before Dishonor...

Week after week we see Diamante continue to climb the ranks in ROH, and move closer to a title shot at Athena. Tonight she continues that quest by taking on a former SHIMMER Tag Champion in Kraven. She is a tall athlete with an interesting story - spending four years away from wrestling, before making a surprise comeback a couple of years ago.

Diamante goes after Kraven's leg, knowing she has a history of injuries there. But Vanessa flattens her with a tackle then lands a fallaway slam with such authority that Diamante flies out of the ring. Kraven starts throwing chops on the floor, but inadvertently chops the ringpost and hands Diamante the advantage. She bounces her skull off the post then lands the big basement dropkick in the corner for 2. Kraven goes for the Cliff Hanger, but Diamante counters out with a jawbreaker then hits a Code Red to win at 02:36

Rating - N/A - This followed a pretty similar formula to Athena/Seleziya earlier, in that by allowing the opponent (Kraven in this instance) a few moments to come off like a real threat it makes the emphatic victory for Diamante feel even more impressive. Like Sparx earlier, I thought Kraven eeked as much as possible for herself out of this brief appearance.

The winner of this Six Man Mayhem receives $25,000, so there are some stakes here. This is Trent's ROH debut (after working a couple of AEW shows and appearing at Final Battle in 2022). The rest of them are guys we've seen lock horns before. Castle, Woods and Taylor are familiar with each other and have shared the ring in both this and the previous iteration of Ring Of Honor under Sinclair. Cage and Mack are old rivals too. 

Bodies start flying literally from the opening bell, with Woods and Seven left inside the ring dropping bombs on each other. Mack levels Trent with the standing moonsault, but is rocked with a headbutt from Shane T in the aftermath. SPRINGBOARD DDT from Cage to Taylor! All of this is interspersed with multiple guys tossing Castle out of the ring for comedic effect too. Dalton returns for a fifth time and tosses Woods...but then eats a KNOCK-OUT PUNCH from Taylor! Tower Of London nailed, but Seven catches him with a lariat before he can pin him. Doctor Bomb from Woods to Trent...into a Sky High from Mack! GMSI by Cage! Trent tosses Dalton off the top rope into a pile of bodies to the floor...but is then dumped on his head by Cage. The Machine hooks him up for a DEAD-LIFT SUPERPLEX ONTO EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR! TOPE ATOMICO BY WILLIE! FROG SPLASH! Prince Nana scurries over and saves Cage by putting his foot on the ropes when Mack has him pinned. Northern Lights Bomb by Trent gets 2. STUNNER FLURRY by Willie! He tries one on Cage as well, but Brian counters then grabs the tights to roll Willie up and win the match at 06:31

Rating - *** - Big dudes diving all over the ring, attempting junior spots and beating lumps out of each other - this one delivers pretty much what you'd expect. I thought they used Dalton Castle really well, deploying him on multiple occasions to break up the meat-fest with moments of comedic levity (without ever being done in a way which overly demeaned Dalton himself). The finish felt a little lame in comparison to what had gone before, although as a character study into Brian Cage I liked the idea that his old rival Mack came SO close to beating him that he was completely spooked and panic-cheated to win/escape.

It is time for our main event, but Maria Kanellis-Bennett has a microphone in hand. She announces she isn't medically cleared and has recruited a suitable replacement - in the form of 'Legit' Leyla Hirsch.

Last week we saw The Infantry get the win over The Kingdom that they've been chasing since the very first episode of ROH on Honor Club. It was a momentous moment, earned in no small part thanks to their decision to recruit Trish Adora in order to neutralise the presence of Maria at ringside. The Board Of Directors quickly booked this six-person tag, expecting Maria to team with Bennett and Taven. Instead we have the return of Hirsch, back in action after missing more than a year with a serious knee injury. 

Bennett and Dean kick off by trading big chops. The Captain drags Mike into The Infantry corner where he and Carlie take turns lighting him up. Leyla briefly gets a tag, but Taven tags her right back out, which seemingly frustrates Leyla. The Trend walks into a flurry of double-teams from The Infantry and walks back to his corner with his tail between his legs to tag Leyla in. Adora gets the better of their early exchanges, but the second she tries a submission hold Hirsch easily escapes and DUMPS her with a German suplex. She goes right after Adora's arm in an effort to eliminate the Lariat Tubman - which Caprice notices. LARIAT TUBMAN NAILED...but thanks to the work done Trish collapses holding her arm. Tags all round, with Bravo tearing through The OGK and lawn-darting Bennett into Matt's crotch! Adora NAILS Leyla with a running elbow, then clotheslines Bennett over the top rope...into the path of a plancha by Dean! Kick Of The King from Taven to Bravo! AIR TAVEN onto everyone! Hirsh and Adora are legal, and Maria appears to distract Trish...then SNAPS her injured arm over the top rope! Adora rebounds back into the cross armbreaker from Hirsch, and has no choice but to submit at 07:31

Rating - *** - Hirsch and Adora were awesome together. My exposure to Leyla has been pretty limited as other than AEW I've not really watched many of the promotions she was active in pre-injury but she looked solid here coming back from injury and I'd love to see more of her and Trish as opponents. Some of the stuff involving The Kingdom and The Infantry was a little theatrical and silly, but seven minutes is no time at all and the whole match breezes by in a whirlwind of frenetic energy. 

Hirsch walks out by herself, declining to celebrate with The Kingdom. Instead she is interviewed by Lexy Nair, telling her that it was purely a business arrangement between her and The Kingdom, and that she is here to stay in ROH.

Tape Rating - ** - There are quite a few decent matches here, so if your standard for what constitutes a 'good' episode of Ring Of Honor television that you've paid money to watch on Honor Club is what simply would've constituted a 'good' episode of AEW Dark then you'll get more out of this than I have. As a long-time ROH fan I do miss the days when the brand was worthy of more than a just few decent five minute matches - but this certainly isn't a bad episode. Lots of solid wrestling, some storylines advanced, a main event scheduled for Death Before Dishonor too. Trust me there have been worst episodes (and will be again soon).