McXal's Reviews

As Ring Of Honor returns to Philadelphia for the first time since 2019 for Glory By Honor weekend, on TV we're pressing on with the Quarter Finals of the Women's Title Tournament. Tonight we'll see Quinn McKay look to continue her underdog success story with a win over the teenage sensation Rok-C, then a big-time showdown as the 'Queen Of Suplexes' Nicole Savoy faces 'Lucha Baddie' Miranda Alize. Speaking of lucha baddies...Demonic Flamita is in our main event, taking on former stable-mate Rey Horus in a No DQ Match. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman (plus Lenny Leonard for the Women's Tournament matches) are in Baltimore, MD.

Brian Zane interviews Quinn and Rok-C ahead of their match. Rok-C said she wanted to face Quinn, and McKay gets a little needy and acts like it's because she isn't respected because she's 'just a backstage interviewer'. Cue a tense conversation before they both leave for the match...

This perhaps isn't the Quarter Final we thought we'd see. Rok-C is superb, but at age 19 few thought she would be able to see off the veteran former Women Of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai in the first round. Similarly, as a 'backstage interviewer', Quinn wasn't expected to make it past The Allure's Mandy Leon. But here we are; Quinn still desperate to prove herself but now a little more confident after beating Mandy, Rok-C looking to continue her great run in the new Women's Division by making it to the semi-finals.

Rok-C shows her quality early by hauling her opponent to the mat and applying a bridging hammerlock. She looks completely composed as she dominates Quinn on the canvas. She starts showing off; cartwheeling across the ring and delivering the standing moonsault knee drop for 2. To her credit, Quinn doesn't quit and keeps looking for pins...even ripping off Rok's signature 'Prodigy' pose when coming close to holding her down for a three. ROPE RUN lucha armdrag by Rok-C! They simultaneously hit clotheslines after that, and both nip-up at the same time as well! Quinn seems to jar her knee on the mat and appears unable to stand...and Rok-C goes after it immediately with a shinbreaker. The Prodigy senses that this is her moment and dials up the intensity hammering McKay in the corner with forearms. She misses an elbow drop and is almost trapped in the Tangerine Dream, only to counter out with a drop toehold. Double knee strike misses...Tangerine Dream blocked! Thesz Press by Rok-C, who just keeps getting more aggressive. McKay simply won't quit though - firing back again with a swinging neckbreaker. Super Thesz Press attempt...COUNTERED into a spinebuster by Quinn! Her knee gives out on her though, and Rok wins the match with a Code Red at 10:14 (shown)

Rating - *** - Both women deserve a ton of credit for this. It won't win any MOTY awards, nor was it flashy or spectacular - but for a match between a teenager and a woman with so few matches under her belt, this massively over-delivered. What they were great is conveying the emotion behind their movements and actions. Rok-C a prodigious talent who grew over-confident, then increasingly irritated by her inability to put her opponent away...against Quinn, the feisty underdog who is up for a fight and desperate to prove people wrong. The character work was excellent and it meant they didn't need to get ambitious or start throwing spots around that they weren't capable of performing. Clearly this won't be the best match in the tournament but I don't think any will be more of a surprise package than this one.

Two of the most impressive first round performances came from these two women. Savoy was starting to establish herself in ROH before the pandemic struck, and looked equally impressive upon her return as she commandingly moved past Mazzerati. Miranda overcame the tenacious Alex Gracia. Nicole informs us that they are friends and have trained and roomed together in the past...but friendships will be put aside tonight as each looks for a spot in the Semi-Final.

Savoy clings to Alize like a limpet, almost holding her to the ground to thwart her lucha influences. Miranda comes back by grabbing a wrist and biting Nicole's fingers! She points to her nickname as a 'Lucha Baddie' on her shoes, but it's also smart as damaging Savoy's grip weakens her ability to grapple or throw suplexes. She goes to ranas and headscissors; quickening the pace and driving the former SHIMMER Champion out of the ring. That proves to be a mistake though because as we fade for commercials we see Savoy landing a suplex on the arena floor. During the break the match devolves into an all out brawl with the competitors throwing punches and headbutts. We return with Savoy landing a German suplex for 2 and she keeps on her by delivering a fallaway slam. BACK FIST by Nicole, into rolling butterfly suplexes. ROYAL BUTTERFLY gets 2! Cross armbreaker applied, but Alize counters to Miranda Rights! Nicole rolls free to hit a MICHINOKU DRIVER! But she tries an ill-advised springboard move...and sails into a thrust kick from the Lucha Baddie. Hanging DDT out of the corner...followed by the DRIVE-BY! Alize wins at 08:06 (shown)

Rating - *** -  Another strong match, hampered by some minor sloppiness and the usual problem with women's wrestling in Ring Of Honor which is that they never get more than ten minutes for a match. This would have REALLY benefited from more time, allowing them to slow everything down and really explore the nuances of Miranda's heelish lucha work against the suplexes, strikes and grappling of Savoy. That clash of styles anchored the entire match and made it a lot of fun, but eight minutes wasn't enough time to flesh it out or layer in much drama. Still, it's eight minutes of two of the best wrestlers in the tournament going at it - which is hardly a bad thing.

The Bouncers talk about adding Ken Dixon to their group, but don't let him talk and Milonas doesn't seem that thrilled with him being there. Bruiser tries to get them on the same page...

These two are former stable-mates and Six-Man Champions, but their partnership dissolved when Flamita's ego caused the break-up of the MexiSquad. They are 1-1 in singles matches, last meeting during Hour One of Best In The World - where Horus won but then got attacked by his bitter former partner. Now they look to settle their differences without rules to stop their ill intentions...

Flamita deposits a chair in the corner of the ring during his entrance. They start fast and in a flurry of motion, ending when Flam delivers a roundhouse kick through the ropes as Horus attempts a dive. Rey dropkicks a chair into his face though...but when he looks for his slingshot rana to the outside Demonic LAUNCHES the same chair into his skull! Next he puts the chair on the apron and pancakes Rey into the air down on top of it. Returning to the ring provides no respite either, with Flamita whipping him head-first through a chair in the corner. Rey is pissed and tosses a chair back at his foe. SATELLITE DDT ON THE FLOOR! Turnbuckle belly to belly suplex gets 2. Having torn each other to shreds they now start slapping the sh*t out of each other - until Demonic F hits a flipping version of the Retador for 2. Flam Fly! NO SOLD! Tornado DDT...NO SOLD! FLAM FLY! NO SOLD! SATELLITE DDT! Both men are out like a light. They brawl on the apron above an open table on the floor, then start climbing up the ropes too. TOP ROPE FLAM FLY THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR! PHOENIX SPLASH! Flamita wins at 11:52 (shown)

Rating - *** - This was every bit as entertaining as you might expect. Sure it was shallow and lacking in much plot, and I'm also in doubt that the no-selling sequence will irritate people. But it was too luchadors with a grudge against each other throwing chairs around and hitting big lucha spots - which is clearly a lot of fun. Flamita is the right call to win as you feel he still has a match left with Bandido, but to his credit Horus was pretty good here as the fiery tecnico to Flamita's rudo. 

NEXT WEEK - The remaining Women's Title Tournament Quarter-Finals take place, with Angelina Love facing Max The Impaler and Allysin Kay taking on Trish Adora. Dragon Lee defends the TV Title against Eli Isom in the main event.

Tape Rating - *** - Three good matches, all of which met or exceeded expectations but the lack of ring-time in the top bouts (Alize/Savoy and Flamita/Horus) placed a ceiling on just how good those matches could actually be. Another solid, well-wrestled hour of television even though it still lacks any kind of compelling 'must-see' factor which would enable Ring Of Honor to genuinely regain fans in greater numbers.