McXal's Reviews

If the previous episode set aside in-ring action to concentrate on storyline advancement for a week, tonight should bring the wrestling right back into focus. The hour is packed with three big matches meaning plenty of intrigue, lots on the line and almost certainly nothing getting as much time as you'd truly like. Kicking us off will be a grudge match between former tag partners Flamita and Bandido, followed by another grudge showdown as The OGK face Beer City Bruiser and his new ally Ken Dixon. In our main event the TV Title will be on the line, and Violence Unlimited look to make a real splash in the faction warfare for ROH's ideological future; Tony Deppen challenges The Foundation's Tracy Williams. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Quinn McKay are in Baltimore, MD.

Quinn opens the show with an announcement that next week she won't be hosting, because she'll be competing in the ring for the first time. She faces Angelina Love in a grudge match...

This singles match has been brewing since the 19th Anniversary. On that night Flamita and Bandido struggled to get on the same page and failed to win back the Six-Man Titles from Shane Taylor Promotions. Rey Horus suggested they settle their differences in the ring, leading to a spectacular triple threat match at the pay-per-view. Bandido won that, receiving widespread acclaim for another spectacular performance and once again eclipsing Flamita. All seemed right within MexiSquad and they reunited to face The Foundation's Jay Lethal and Jon Gresham in a tag match...but that ended in ugly scenes. Flamita, who had seemed 'off' all night, lost his temper and finally walked out on his partner, declaring that there would be 'no more MexiSquad' as he left Bandido to lose. In a brief pre-match interview he delivers more incendiary and provocative comments, whilst on the flip side Bandido extends an olive branch and says he hopes they can rebuild their friendship and brotherhood after this singles contest...

It doesn't need a genius to predict that the opening section of the match is frantically paced and full of near-misses and counters as each man demonstrates their familiarity with the other. Flamita almost caves Bandido's chest in with a brutal dropkick and barely breaks stride before hurling his body through the ropes with a tope suicida. He starts assaulting Bandido against the guardrails in the aisle and, as clips from the commercial break reveal, opens up a shoulder injury on his former partner. We come back with him absolutely nailing Bandido with a yakuza kick...but then finding Bandido retaliating with a Tornillo then a MULTI-REVOLUTION satellite headscissors. RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Flamita begs off and asks for some mercy, but sees the fired up Bandido start smashing his leg into the ringpost instead. He ties the legs around the post then SMASHES THEM with a broom handle! That isn't a DQ because Todd Sinclair is feeling exceptionally generous it appears. Both men are trash-talking each other now, but Flamita's leg injury is so bad he can barely stand. It doesn't stop him launching his opponent injured-shoulder first into the guardrails again. Bandido lies prone across the guardrail - and Flamita hops up alongside him almost walking a tight-rope. This is NOT the kind of thing you could do with a crowd! JUMPING RANA FROM THE GUARDRAIL TO THE FLOOR BY BANDIDO! Both men are destroyed by that yet somehow they both lunge in before the count-out. They get up and start throwing strikes at their respective injuries; a sequence that ends when Bandido back flips off Flamita's chest INTO A CRUCIFIX DRIVER for 2! Flamita retaliates with a brutal superkick to the head and a 450 SPLASH FOR 2! El Retador COUNTERED to a knee bar by Bandido! Flamita SLAPS at the shoulder to escape it! BRUTAL CHOP DUEL! BIG SLAPS! Todd Sinclair's face during those is a picture! POP-UP CUTTER BY BANDIDO! NO SOLD! SUPERKICK BY FLAMITA! Bandido looks for the Revolution Fly, but finds himself clinging on as Flamita almost counters it with a sunset flip bomb. DRAGON-RANA BY BANDIDO! TWO AGAIN! X-KNEE NAILED! But Todd got knocked sideways in the process. Flamita takes advantage of that by hammering Bandido in the balls and pinning him (by standing on his FACE) at 10:53 (shown)

Rating - **** - Clearly I found the finish slightly uninspired, but one can acknowledge the 'long game' in play here; Flamita is establishing this new heel persona and hopefully this is the first of a longer series of bouts between them. Rather than dwell on that, lets talk about what an exceptionally high quality sprint this was, given away on free television. Had there been an audience in attendance they would have been going absolutely wild in the last couple of minutes; whipped into a frenzy by the frenetic countering and at times incredibly violent action on display. Bandido and Flamita are world class; but in the ring together with no language or stylistic barrier to hold them back they are so fluent and easy to watch. Where this excelled was the way they incorporated elements of Japanese-influenced striking into an authentic Lucha Libre experience. If you can get over the cheap conclusion this was a real adrenaline rush. Empty arenas don't do matches like this justice. 

Flamita walks away, stomping on Bandido's face again on the way out...

Bennett and Taven's team does appear to have officially been christened 'The OGK' now. Bruiser has developed a real problem with them it seems. He didn't like that his regular partner (Brian Milonas, who is on commentary) is friends with them and showed them some leniency in a tag match, then decided to smash a beer bottle over Taven's head (at Vincent's suggestion). He backed away from a confrontation with The OGK after a singles match with Bennett due to inferior numbers - but has now picked up a new protege it seems. BCB was disrespectful after beating Future Of Honor star Joe Keys in an internet-exclusive match, and just when the rest of the Dojo crew looked set to jump him, Dixon turned on his fellow FOH young lions by smashing a bottle over Dante Caballero's head. Bennett, meanwhile, appears to be struggling to get Taven to keep his temper in check and concentrate on getting the Tag Titles back...

Dixon cheap-shots Bennett and marches straight into battle, as Bruiser barks his admiration from the apron. He shows smarts as well - leaving the ring just as Taven threatens a fight-back. BOX OFFICE SMASH ON THE APRON by Bennett though, which quickly halts his early momentum. 'Purple' Thunder Bomb gets 2 and allows Mike to tag in legally for the first time. Dixon trips Bennett, who's ankle is still bothering him months after being attacked by The Righteous. It causes him to stumble into the ropes and allows the Bruiser to be tagged in. He and Ken ruggedly isolate Bennett, and even when Mike drops Dixon with a DVD, Beer City is on hand to down him with an elbow drop. BCB berates Dixon for making a 'rookie mistake'...and in doing so turns his back on the action and allows Taven to get the hot tag. Rolling neckbreaker on Bruiser...then Just The Tip (after the nearest miss on an attempted ass splash to the face you've EVER seen!). Kick Of The King nailed, and brings Dixon in to break the pin. Bruiser dodges Aurora Borealis and hits a BRUTAL pumphandle powerbomb! For some reason he tags Dixon rather than pinning Taven for the win...which even Ken is confused by. The hesitation buys The OGK time to recover and they hit Dixon with the Proton Pack for the win at 08:07 (shown), cementing their status as #1 contenders for the Tag Titles.

Rating - * - I don't think this needed almost fifteen minutes of TV time (including entrances and post-match). It was fine for what it was; I liked the aggression of The OGK, the curmudgeonly and misguided mentorship offered by Bruiser to Dixon, and I thought Milonas told a really solid story on commentary too - but the whole segment was SO long. The actual match itself could have been cut in half and lost nothing of any real value. ROH's television time is at such a premium now - matches that go this long simply cannot afford to be as forgettable as this was.

Taven shatters a beer bottle over Bruiser's head, prompting Milonas to leave commentary and argue with The OGK as they walk back up the aisle. Milonas enters the ring and helps Bruiser to his feet, telling him that he 'was right'. Brian violently attacks Dixon and reunites The Bouncers...

Deppen has been a popular addition to the ROH roster since he debuted during the Pure Tournament. He has grabbed high profile wins here and there, earning him a regular spot in the TV Title rankings, but has generally floated on the periphery as an oddball loner...until 19th Anniversary. That night he stepped into the spotlight and aligned himself with Brody King - a man that, like him, has endured assaults at the hands of the lawless La Faccion Ingobernable. They formed Violence Unlimited with the returning Homicide and Chris Dickinson and are now a dangerous new force in the battleground to control the spiritual heartland of Ring Of Honor. They believe in honour through violence not purity, and have made no secret of the fact that they will take out The Foundation too should they get in the way. Deppen now looks to strike a major blow for the new faction and hopes to take the TV Title from Hot Sauce in his very first defence of it...

Tracy starts confidently and sets about working Deppen over on the canvas. Tony finally gets a chance to show his own skill as a mat wrestler though and busts out a couple of awesome escape sequences. He goads Tracy into a strike exchange...so Williams UNLOADS on him with an astonishing flurry. Tony leaves the ring to compose himself, only to slingshot right back into a Gory Stretch. Deppen shows his wrestling skill again by escaping that and hitting a double stomp to the neck. As we come back from commercials he grabs Tracy's bad arm and uses it to snap the neck over the top rope. TOPE CON HILO NAILED! Deppen using a staple Homicide move to get ahead, and he returns to the ring with a savage knee drop right in the neck again. Williams is now so weakened that it is Deppen that is able to hit a big strike flurry in the corner it seems. SUPER TURNBUCKLE DDT by Williams, straight into the Crossface. Deppen makes the ropes, as Tracy clutches his head and gasps for air through the disappointment. DVD drops Deppen high on his neck and this time the challenger only just kicks out. Tony balls up his first and starts hitting very un-pure punches to the face. SINGLE ARM CATTLE MUTILATION! On Tracy's bad shoulder and neck...but too close to the ropes. JUMPING PILEDRIVER BY TRACY...for 2! Hot Sauce tears off his shoulder brace and screams at Deppen, begging him to get up and get 'violent'. It's the window of opportunity Deppen needs - in a flash he grabs a flailing limb and unleashes a flash roll-up. DEPPEN WINS! New champion at 10:56 (shown)

Rating - *** - A strong main event which was, by a distance, Deppen's best ROH outing so far (in my opinion anyway). The central premise - that Tracy is a better 'pure' wrestler so Tony used countless rope-breaks and used VIOLENCE to attack the neck and permanently-injured shoulder as a way into the contest was a good one. The twist ending - which saw Deppen finally engage the 'pure' Tracy (and his 'Hot Sauce' temper) into a 'violent' strike battle only to nab him with a super bit of wrestling into a flash pin - was the perfect finish too. The middle portion did lose me a little and wasn't as coherent as it should have been though, perhaps more through constant interruptions for commercials or visible edits to ensure the episode keeps to time. There is no doubt in my mind these guys can do better - and will if given more time in a rematch. 

Brody, Dickinson and Homicide come out and mob Deppen in jubilant scenes as Tracy screams in anguish...

Tape Rating - *** - Another good week of ROH television. Right now Ring Of Honor have a consistently engaging, relevant and generally enjoyable product. It doesn't compare to what many consider to be the 'golden age' of the promotion, and looking around social media this week I'm still seeing plenty of 'nobody watches ROH' comments flying around - but they definitely should be watching it right now. Comparing closed-set, pandemic-era ROH to Joe/Kobashi, Danielson/McGuinness, the CZW feud or the Summer Of Punk is like comparing apples with oranges; they simply aren't the same. But for the last five or six weeks in particular this promotion has been churning out a tight, wrestling-centric forty-five minutes of television that deserves some respect. Bandido/Flamita was a show-stealer this week; a stunning ten minute lucha sprint delivering great in-ring action as part of a wider story to keep you interested (albeit with a lousy finish). Personally I didn't like the Bouncers/OGK segment but ending with a big title switch; putting Violence Unlimited 'on the board' in faction warfare ensured we ended strong. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I haven't enjoyed ROH TV this much in a long time...

Quinn McKay hosts the first 'Women's Division Wednesday' broadcast and explains that we'll be seeing new faces and returning Women Of Honor stars get the chance to showcase their skills each week ahead of this summer's tournament to crown a new ROH Women's Champion. As a member of the Board Of Directors, Maria Kanellis-Bennett will be informing tournament participants via weekly zoom calls apparently. Maria herself is on commentary, alongside Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman.

Maria pays respect to the pioneers of women's wrestling in ROH (name-dropping Sara Del Rey, MsChif and Daizee Haze) but says this is the start of a new era of female athletes in Ring Of Honor. 

This is billed as a tag match between four debutants all looking to make a big impression. Hyan is the current Heart Of SHIMMER Champion; a Texas native who came up in Booker T's ROW promotion. She teams with the energetic, dancing Laynie Luck, who herself spent time in that promotion, plus companies like RISE and a TV appearance for Impact as well. The other team make for a fascinating duo. Rok-C is a teenage prodigy, an eighteen year-old product of Booker T's ROW promotion but with years of experience already and appearances for the likes of SHIMMER and RISE to her name too. Her diminutive, smiling stature contrasts enormously to the imposing sight of Max The Impaler. A fur-clad, dread-locked brawler with a terrifying look. Of the four she is the most visually striking by far.

Rok-C starts, showing no hesitation despite her youth. Luck is in with her and they tentatively probe for weaknesses. Rok continues to show experience beyond her years and gets the edge on Laynie with a bridging hammerlock. The Prodigy makes all the running and finds time for an ultra-confident bridging counter to a grounded headscissors. Luck starts 'flossing'...so Rok slaps on a headlock and puts her on the ground! Layne gets annoyed and the confidence of her teenage foe and goes for a few flash pins...so C pops her in the mouth with a spinning heel kick! Lucha armdrag by Laynie though, shooting the teenager across the ring...and into a tag to The Impaler! She rockets Laynie through the air, bringing in Hyan who doesn't back up an inch. Max grabs her by the throat...so 'The Rennaisance Woman' locks her in a cravat and lays in a few knee strikes. Rok-C blind-tags back in, which visibly annoys Max. She uses her legs to smash Hyan's face into the turnbuckles then lands a Meteora for 2! The Impaler tags again, grabs Hyan by the hair and almost twists her head off! A body avalanche flattens the Heart Of SHIMMER Champion, but thankfully she is able to escape and tag Laynie in. Luck looks terrified and is mauled by Max in short order. URINAGE BACKBREAKER leaves Laynie on the ground with her eyes rolling around in her skull! Rok-C has a big smile on her face and calls for Max to tag her...and The Impaler obliges. She then picks Rok up against her will and USES HER AS A WEAPON! She throws Rok-C at both opponents, then picks her up again to bodyslam her into a senton on Hyan! Hyan in turn ducks a strike from Rok-C, causing her to strike Max across the face! Rok bails with her partner so angry she stumbles into a slingshot dropkick to the knee from Laynie. DOUBLE SUPLEX from Max to both opponents...as the fifteen minute time limit expires (14:40 shown).

Rating - *** - This was a solid reintroduction to women's wrestling in ROH. The last iteration of the Women's division saw some great wrestlers pass through (Candice LeRae, Deonna Purrazzo, Mayu Iwatani, Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa immediately spring to mind but there are more) but the ability to retain talent was poor, and almost every women's match went the same 6-8 minutes and ended before you had a chance to relate to any of the participants. Going to (most of) a fifteen minute draw certainly meant you had enough time to get to know these four and I really welcomed that. Few would deny that Rok-C was the star of the show. To be as good as she appears to be at such a young age is astonishing and you would suggest that if serious about a women's division ROH would already be looking at recruiting her long-term. I liked Hyan's poise and confidence too. My biggest problem with the match as a package was that I didn't feel like there was much jeopardy or urgency here however. There weren't even any time cues to count-down to the draw, so the whole clash felt like it was fought in a vacuum totally devoid of any palpable drama. Laynie's act didn't necessarily land with me, and whilst Max's gimmick and look are fantastic her ring-work didn't necessarily grab my attention in the same way. In truth this felt like a commendable set of fine young wrestlers though. 

If this is 'the best' of what is out there as far as unsigned female talent then ROH could do a lot worse, because starting an entire division from scratch in the current climate is going to be extremely tough. What this group felt like they need are some veterans to work with. I don't mean Angelina Love or Sumie Sakai either. I'm talking about the Cheerleader Melissa's, the LuFisto's, the Mickie James', the Madison Eagles' of the world. The pandemic prevents the likes of Madison or LuFisto from being a possibility of course - but the point remains. If ROH is serious about this women's division they need to recruit the Women's Division version of Terry Funk to ECW, or Chris Jericho to AEW.