McXal's Reviews

We are just a couple of weeks away from Glory By Honor 18 weekend so even with the Women's Title Tournament now underway it is crucial that new World Champion Bandido gets on TV at least once before those shows. He is in our main event this evening, partnering with MexiSquad team-mate Rey Horus to face Brody King and Chris Dickinson of Violence Unlimited. The women in tournament action this week are Trish Adora, Marti Belle, Mandy Leon and Quinn McKay. I'll also be checking out Women's Division Wednesday Episode 15 first, which aired on YouTube earlier in the week and featured Willow Nightingale facing former NWA Women's Champion Allysin Kay. Commentary comes from Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Chelsea Green and Lenny Leonard across various points in the episode. We are in Baltimore, MD.

If Sumie vs Rok-C was the most intriguing match in the first round line-ups, this one is perhaps the hardest to call. Neither are contracted ROH stars or regulars, and both are high level female athletes on the US independent scene. Kay is a former NWA Women's Champion, both are regulars for promotions like SHIMMER. Whomever wins here will become a real contender to win the whole tournament, but also ensures a top quality performer won't even make it past the first round.

Their demeanours could not be more different; Willow smiling and dancing whilst AK is all business. Nightingale's size and power sees her control the opening exchanges whilst steering clear of Kay's big strikes. Superkick by Willow, then a mafia kick and a senton splash leaving Kay fighting to stay alive in the match. She hangs Nightingale over the top rope and dishes out a big kick of her own; rocking her opponent for the first time. She works a neck vice, looking to target the neck which Willow has broken previously in her career. BIG ELBOW by Willow! Allysin tackles her off the apron and gleefully hops out of the ring to throw some strikes outside the ring. Rolling suplexes from Nightingale, but in doing so leaves herself vulnerable to Kay grabbing hold of the neck again then peppering her with knee strikes. Nightingale battles out of a sleeper, despite absorbing another barrage of kicks and chops - then charges at her opponent, delivering simultaneous big boots and both collapsing to the canvas. Lariats by Willow...but AK keeps getting back up so she absolutely drills her with a spinebuster. Missile dropkick gets 2! Rear choke by Kay...BROKEN BY WILLOW DIVING BACKWARDS TO CRUSH HER! Cannonball senton nailed...but Willow MISSES A MOONSAULT! BIG D by Kay! But Willow falls out of the ring, saving her from defeat. Allysin has to haul her back in...and is almost pinned as a result! Bae Breaker COUNTERED to a Kimura! Willow taps, and AK advances at 11:30

Rating - *** - Best match of the four we've seen thus far, and I'm glad this was the match they chose to present in full on YouTube rather than chopped up for television. This was hard-hitting, smartly wrestled and a great demonstration of how good both of these women are - and a BIG step up from what anyone outside of Nicole Savoy has been doing in the Women Of Honor/Women's division for quite some time. Kay attacking the neck was a great touch of detail, adding a gritty reality to the match and really putting AK over as a skilled, ruthless fighter. 

We know the history between The Allure and Quinn. They took offence to her perky backstage demeanour so started to bully her, leading to a match a couple of months ago between Quinn and Angelina. The former Women Of Honor Champion won the match, thanks in no small part to interference from Mandy Leon. McKay was granted a match with Mandy, for the second time with a spot in this tournament at stake...but again The Allure's devious underhanded tactics thwarted her; Leon beating her after knocking her out with brass knuckles. Maria Kanellis-Bennett had seen enough; she issued an order banning Mandy and Angelina from accompanying each other to the ring and created a fan poll so ROH's audience could decide whether Quinn deserved a spot in the tournament. They agreed, meaning Quinn is in - and facing a grudge rematch with 'The Exotic Goddess'. Leon's interview suggests she is more focused than ever on becoming a champion in Ring Of Honor, but she has to make it past the plucky underdog first. 

McKay sprints across the ring to hit a spear on Leon, and goes right for the Tangerine Dream (which is blocked). Mandy tries to flee the ring only for McKay to continue attacking her on the floor - tackling her into the ring apron then hitting the same suplex on the floor that Mandy hit in their last match. But back in the ring her inexperience shows as she continues to charge at Leon...and gets picked off with big kicks and a neckbreaker. Leon thinks about coming off the top but takes an eternity climbing the ropes and is nearly caught with a superplex...but Quinn doesn't have enough to execute it and Mandy slithers away to hit a running Unprettier. McKay hits a backbreaker, then a powerslam for 2. Tangerine Dream blocked with a Stunner! Astral Projection countered to a cross-legged roll-up (eventually) - and McKay takes a popular victory at 07:10 (shown)

Rating - ** - These two are at a very different point in their wrestling careers to Willow and Allysin Kay. The latter two work all over the independent scene and have been wrestling the best female athletes in the US for a long time. McKay and Leon don't have that level of skill, but nor have they been exposed to the same level of talent to work with or help them improve. The quality here was a big drop-off from the likes of AK/Willow or Savoy/Mazzerati but one thing you couldn't fault them for was effort. They REALLY worked hard with this, attacking the match with gusto because they KNEW it was a seminal moment in both the tournament and Quinn's career as she picked up her first win, and finally got payback on The Allure. It was rough to watch at times, and actually I thought their last match was better...but that's ok. McKay getting her win is a feel-good moment and a nice subplot to tie off before we get deeper in the tournament.

Marti is another well-travelled, experienced, high profile independent female talent who increases the quality of this tournament with her presence in it. She has worked for SHIMMER, NWA, TNA, appeared in the 2017 Mae Young Classic and is also a friend and tag partner of Allysin Kay. That is significant because Kay meets the winner of this one in the Quarter Finals. Adora earned her Ticket To Gold through the quality of her work across the indies as the Pan Afrikan World Diaspora Champion and carrying that to her appearances on Women's Division Wednesday - she prides herself on being a technician who is looking to tap Belle out tonight.

Belle locks up with Adora, which Trish easily negotiates demonstrating her technical prowess in the process. Marti starts nursing her arm after their exchanges, but has to use it to block Trish's big Lariat Tubman and further injures herself. She clocks Adora in the jaw with a big elbow though...then starts attacking Trish's arm to negate the threat of the aforementioned Lariat. Adora looks for the protection of the ropes only for Belle to start wrenching the arm around the same ropes to inflict further damage. Big forearm using Trish's good arm, followed by a running crossbody. Adora delivers a punt to Marti's own bad arm...and starts using it to try and gain leverage whilst pinning her! Hells Bells COUNTERED into a diving armbreaker! CATTLE MUTILATION! Adora struggles to lock it due to her own injury, but still forces Marti to tap at 07:05 (shown)

Rating - *** - Trish Adora is really good. She made a strong impression on Women's Division Wednesday and she was fantastic again here; a kick-ass wrestler who has served in the military and comes across as such a legitimate tough athlete that it adds so much to her matches. Although this only went seven minutes, these guys killed it - perhaps even exceeding Willow/Allysin for the best match of the round. Trish said in her interviews she is a technician and she proved it by injuring Marti inside a couple of minutes. Belle's strategy to counteract that was also to work the arm - but in an act of self-preservation because it also deprived Adora of her Lariat finish. Simple, smart story-telling in a match which really promoted Trish as a threat in the tournament.

At Best In The World Bandido defeated Rush to become World Champion, becoming the top man in ROH and fulfilling the potential he so clearly had when ROH signed him out from under AEW's nose in 2019. His nickname is the 'Most Wanted' and that rings true now. His victory celebrations were short-lived because La Faccion Ingobernable assaulted him, and now he has Violence Unlimited's Brody King and Chris Dickinson coming for him and looking to add the World Title to a faction which now holds the Tag Championship (Homicide and Dickinson defeating The Foundation to win the belts at Best In The World). Silas Young is on commentary, since he faces Horus at Glory By Honor.

MexiSquad start the match throwing chops, but it does little more than make Brody and Dickinson laugh! They easily split their opponents and commence roughing Horus up; trapping him in their corner for an increasingly physical beating. It takes several minutes for Rey to create some space - but as soon as he does so he hits the SPRINGBOARD 720 DDT on Brody! Bandido tagged, almost flying over Dickinson's head with his Tornillo. PRESS SLAM TO THE FLOOR! RUNNING MOONSAULT OVER HORUS TO THE OUTSIDE! SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW PRESS by Horus as well! MexiSquad repay the favour by isolating Dickinson and King has to hurl his body into the ring to break the pin after a Red Star Press from Bandido. Running DVD/senton splash combo on Horus, leaving Violence Unlimited free to double-up on the champion. Boston crab on Bandido...and Brody holds on even when Rey starts PUNTING him in the face! STF from Dickinson to Horus, as Bandido struggles to the ropes. BRAINBUSTER gets 2! Horus lands the slingshot rana to the floor on Brody, but in the ring Chris counters the 21-Plex into a German suplex of his own. BANDIDO SKINS THE CAT OVER HORUS INTO THE 21-PLEX! He pins Dickinson to win at 09:12 (shown)

Rating - *** - They did as much as they possibly could with a nine minute match. Violence Unlimited looked superb as they mauled and dominated Horus, but lost control of the match as soon as Bandido tagged and struggled to turn the momentum back in their favour again. Which in turn is a great way to promote Bandido's quality. All four of these men are so good, so the second half of the match as they just went nuts on each other with big spots was fantastic to watch. It's just a shame there is no scope to let them have longer in the ring together to deliver something truly special

Yet again Bandido doesn't have time to celebrate because Rush dives into the ring and tears off his mask! La Bestia stomps Horus down as Rush hammers Bandido with a chair. Kenny King and Dragon Lee are here to fight with Violence Unlimited, so of course Homicide comes out looking for a fight as well. With mayhem all around ringside, Rush stands triumphant with Bandido's mask as his prize...

NEXT WEEK - Max The Impaler vs Holidead in the final first round match of the Women's Title Tournament plus Champions vs All-Stars 2021.

Tape Rating - *** - The pandemic and closed-set tapings have forced Ring Of Honor to really focus on the value of the television time (since it's all they have without live shows). Often that means they try to cram far too much in, and can't seem to get back to producing a genuinely cutting-edge top quality in-ring product. But what they've gotten better at is episodes like this; a compact, tight package with clear characters defined by simple, compelling promos creating athletes you relate to and want to see wrestle. The show is forty five minutes long, yet somehow they packed in Quinn's big babyface win over The Allure, perhaps the best Women's Tournament first round match between Adora and Belle, an action-packed main event and an ending which spotlights both Faction Warfare and the crowded queue of contenders chasing the 'Most Wanted Champion' Bandido.