McXal's Reviews

The announced card for this one certainly doesn't have as much obvious appeal as last week. But as I said in my summary paragraph when reviewing Episode 2, the quality of in-ring action we saw seven days ago really was the bare minimum standard this Honor Club show should be hitting each week. The main event sees the finals of the latest TV Title contendership Eliminator Tournament as Shane Taylor meets Gravity with a shot at Samoa Joe's TV Title (on an AEW PPV, not on Ring Of Honor television of course) is at stake. Athena has a genuine challenge in the Proving Ground today with her scheduled opponent being the experienced and dangerous Rachael Ellering. We also have a beefy battle on our hands as The WorkHorsemen lock horns with the Gates Of Agony. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman provide commentary on the action taped in Greenville, SC.

A couple of weeks ago Castle & The Boys beat the Trust Busters in trios action. Tonight Slim J takes on the former World Champion in singles action, with Dalton still in the hunt for a TV Title rematch. The Boys themselves (Tate Twins) aren't here tonight as they are 'bulking up' ahead of their match with Samoa Joe next week, so Dalton has the 'Baby Chick' Boy variants out with him instead.

Dalton says he is 'busy' so needs to make this quick, and makes an early statement by throwing Slim around effortlessly. J rakes the eyes to block a body slam, and scrambles up the ropes into a flipping enzi kick. A standing moonsault nailed, then Slim decides he needs to slow the pace and weaken Castle by working a chinlock. He tries another springboard and almost gets caught in the Bang-A-Rang, and even though he blocks that he still eats a running knee which rockets him from the top rope to the arena floor. That is the cue for Castle's go-home routine; a series of suplexes into the Bang-A-Rang gives him the win at 04:45

Rating - * - This did NOT need five minutes of air-time. It wasn't a total waste though, with Slim hitting a few fun flippy moves and taking a hell of a beating getting tossed around by Dalton, but there was zero merit in this going as long as it did. 

Tony Nese and Mark Sterling get some interview time, which they use to fat shame the locals and call for some group training. So the exact same promo they've done every other show...

Boulder and Bronson are back after consecutive high profile defeats; first in trios action challenging The Embassy for the Six-Man Titles, then going after Aussie Open's Tag Titles and coming up short. This isn't a foregone conclusion either. Pierce regularly features for Billy Corgan's NWA, whilst Ali is a charismatic, exciting athlete who held DPW's World Title and in 2024 would sign for WWE/NXT developmental.

Ali looks to stay out of the clutches of Bronson, which works for approximately one minute before he is flattened with a powerslam. Boulder then back drops him across the ring and back towards his corner, where he takes the opportunity to tag Pierce in. Brady blocks a press slam from Boulder...only for the big man to pick both him and Ali up for a double sidewalk slam. Tope suicida by Bronson, who hops onto Boulder's shoulders for an electric chair splash which finishes Ali at 03:23

Rating - N/A - An effective way to rebuild the Savages after a couple of significant defeats. I don't think they looked particularly special in either of their recent championship matches but were serviceable in both and the powers that be clearly see enough in the 'Sip the Savage Sauce' gimmick to keep them going. 

Dean and Bravo are here to put together consecutive wins after they defeated Nick Comoroto and Jora Johl last week. Zicky is a recognisable name on the opposition team having worked for Impact, NWA, UWN and others.

Dean and Myk get us started, with the latter getting a little too into his 'Movie' gimmick and then getting thrown around by The Captain. Bravo tags and is brimming with confidence, and similarly to Myk moments earlier that costs him. Movie is able to shove him back and make a crucial tag to Dice. They look for a double back drop, but Carlie rolls away. Dean knocks Zicky to the floor then levels Myk with a floatover DDT. The Infantry hit 'Boot Camp' (their mafia kick/legsweep combo) to win at 03:28

Rating - N/A - The Infantry are starting to get over with ROH (and presumably therefore AEW) fans. They certainly don't look the finished product, but they are clearly benefiting from spending time away from getting squashed on AEW programming and handed a more prominent role in ROH (which is exactly how the ROH/AEW dynamic should work). They were extremely vocal and flashy to watch as they made short work of their opponents here.

Lexy Nair catches up with 'Legit' Leyla Hirsch and asks for her thoughts on her undefeated streak. Hirsch starts laying out her challenge to Athena, but is interrupted by Maria Kanellis. She suggests Leyla needs a 'few more wins'...and will be watching.

Everett actually made his ROH debut almost a decade ago as part of the 2014 Top Prospect Tournament. Injuries and commitments to other companies have seen him appear only sporadically ever since though, and this is his first match under the new ownership (although he started 2020, before the Covid pandemic, on a real roll with fun matches against Dragon Lee, Rey Horus and Alex Zayne). Moriarty has been impressing in the new ROH era (although he's still largely a jobber on AEW TV simultaneously so isn't building much momentum).

Moriarty knows Everett his a high flyer so inevitably wants to lock up with him and keep him on the canvas. He stomps the knee (which Everett has had issues with in the past) and boots him in the jaw to complete an imposing start. Andrew tries to come off the top rope, but finds Moriarty smart to it and rolling away so he can't hit a dive. When Everett comes down Lee arm-wrenches him to the mat again and then starts cranking that same arm in the ropes. He spends the next minute or so punishing the arm, meaning that even when Andrew is able to hit a springboard moonsault and a Pele kick his arm hangs limp by his side. One-arm falcon arrow gets 2! He goes for broke looking for an SSP...but wipes out and eats canvas. Moriarty lariats him onto his shoulder then locks in the Border City Stretch to win at 04:58

Rating - ** - These two had chemistry as opponents. I liked the juxtaposition of Everett needing to run, jump and fly everywhere whilst at every turn Moriarty was breaking him down and grounding him with wrestling skill. It was time that was their greatest enemy here - they just didn't have enough of it to flesh what they were doing out into anything more substantial.

The Premier Athlete has been unsuccessful in back-to-back TV Title Eliminator Tournaments. Not that his character has progressed in any way as a result - he is literally doing the exact same gimmick that he's done throughout his ROH/AEW run. His opponent is Buck, a veteran who is involved in AEW's Talent Relations (having had a similar role in WWE previously). 

Buck's entrance prevents Nese from his latest attempt at group training, and Pat spends the opening exchanges frustrating the Premier Athlete by matching him hold for hold. Mark Sterling distracts him though, allowing Nese to throttle him against the ropes (as an uninterested crowd chants for waffles). Smart Mark gets in a few cheap shots whilst Tony distracts referee Aubrey Edwards too. Ab Day kicks in the corner land leaving the veteran slumped in a heap. Springboard moonsault by Nese...and in trying to avoid it Buck inadvertently rolls right into its path. I suspect that was an error as they repeat the same spot a second later and this time Pat does get out of the way. Sky High by Buck gets 2. Tony is rattled as they scruffily jostle for position on the ropes. Sterling again distracts Pat, and Tony hits the Running Kneese to win at 05:54

Rating - DUD - Whilst it may have been popular in the locker room, Buck wrestling did nothing for me. Some of this was pretty haphazard and error-strewn, and it does absolutely nothing for Nese that he needed this much interference from Mark Sterling to even beat someone of Buck's standing in AEW/ROH. I actually like Nese's wrestling, but this double-act with Mark Sterling is terrible and should go.

The WorkHorsemen get some interview time to contemplate their frequent losses in the new ROH. Prince Nana interrupts and pokes fun at their claim to be 'championship material', but offers them a match with the Gates Of Agony with the stipulation that if Drake and Henry win they'll earn a Six-Man Title shot.

After defending her title against Diamante last week, the Fallen Goddess continues her packed schedule with another Proving Ground encounter. She is sticking true to her word too as Ellering certainly doesn't constitute a 'local jobber or porcelain hussy'. She is highly experienced, has wrestled all around the world and we've seen her on this show before pushing the likes of Willow Nightingale to the limit. 

Ellering doesn't hesitate in locking up with the champ. She can hold her own in the power game too - decking Athena with a series of clotheslines. Athena momentarily hides in the corner, using that sanctity to lure Rachael in then jerk her arm, shoulder and neck-first into the ropes. The pace slows and the champ peppers the head and neck with strikes...but at every turn Ellering fights back. She tries to sneak a pinfall, and evades a standing moonsault attempt to throw shots back at the Fallen Goddess. Eventually Athena grows frustrated and hits a violent dropkick knocking her from the apron to the outside. She then bounces her head off the announce table with such force that the headband falls from her head. Back in the ring with a cravat, once again trying to punish Ellering's neck. Rachael still defies her, grimly fighting out and levelling her with a flailing knee strike. RUNNING UPPERCUT! Sling Blade to follow...into the BOSSWOMAN SLAM for 2! Even the crowd feels like they need to catch their breath such was the sudden ferocity of that charge from Rachael. Athena drives the neck into the turnbuckles and hits the Shimmering Warlock. O-FACE! Athena wins at 07:03

Rating - *** - To the surprise of nobody, Athena continues to be almost the sole reason to watch Honor Club TV. This was a solid little match, and to the immense credit of those booking, I'm glad they recognised the skill of Ellering and how much more she had to offer giving Athena a genuine challenge rather than simply playing the role of Athena's weekly jobber. The story of the match almost became Ellering's defiance. She refused to be another 'porcelain hussy', even when Athena was brutalising her neck, she fought back and kept going until the very end. It speaks volumes for her that the champ needed her 'big match' finisher the O-Face to win.

As we heard earlier, JD Drake and Anthony Henry might be stalwarts of the new Ring Of Honor, but their record is pretty abysmal (even if their work is generally good). Prince Nana and The Embassy have thrown them a bone, challenging them to this match with the incentive that if they win they'll be permitted to pick a partner and challenge for the Six-Man Championship.

Henry shuts Kaun down because he has no interest in getting hammered by the big man, but in doing so almost falls victim to an early Greetings From Ghana. They both vacate, clearing the ring for some serious beef as Drake and Toa come face-to-face. JD stomps on Liona's bare feet to get an advantage, but Toa is able to shake off the attacks of both opponents then steamroll Henry with a running tackle. GOA send Henry to the outside...where Kaun MURDERS Drake with a running elbow as Liona flattens Anthony with a body attack against the guardrails. With JD incapacitated the Gates are able to isolate Henry and spend several minutes mauling him from all sides. Anthony manages to avoid one of Liona's sentons, but can't make it to his corner before Bishop has smashed Drake off the apron. Making one last charge, Henry crawls through Kaun's legs and lunges into the hot tag. Bossman Slam gets 2 on Kaun after a slight misfire on an attempted combo move. Drill Bit blocked, into another ugly exchange between Kaun and Henry. Anthony holds the ropes open for JD to hit a tope suicida on both opponents (albeit barely connecting). Toa rescues Kaun from being pinned, but The WorkHorsemen can't be stopped and they hit a double stomp/backbreaker combo for 2. Drake misses his weekly attempt at a moonsault though, and flips into Open The Gates. Kaun pins him at 10:52

Rating - ** - Maybe others will get more out of this than I did. I liked that they were given a half-decent time allowance (by 2023 ROH standards) since both teams rarely get this much space in standard 2-on-2 tags to impress. Unfortunately it wasn't necessarily the best bout they could have delivered. Some of the work was solid; I liked Henry trying to grapple with the bigger guys and the sequence with GOA brutalising both WorkHorsemen on the outside was very good. But it started out pretty formulaic and predictable and, rather then building on that, it sort of fell apart at the end with a few clumsy mis-steps and very little drama or tension. It also feels like a really weird idea to set up the possibility of a Six-Man Title shot (and a rare victory) for Drake and Henry...just to shut them down like jobbers without even getting to the championship match.

Lexy Nair asks Cole Karter for his opinion on Maria Kanellis-Bennett checking out his match. He thinks she has the hots for him...although as Maria interrupts him that doesn't seem to be the case. But she leaves by confirming she'll be watching when he wrestles later.

Hirsch wants a Women's Title shot, we know that now. Maria Kanellis is something of an x-factor and will be keeping an eye on this one, and she has said she thinks Leyla should keep building momentum and go undefeated for longer before finally locking horns with Athena...

Risk is full of attitude and gets verbal with Hirsh during the handshakes. Leyla smirks but is clearly pissed off as she violently muscles her around the ring, almost dropping her on a head on a biel. As promised Maria is out on the stage to watch, as inside the ring Leyla chokes her opponent in the ropes. Angelica breaks free and gets some real velocity on a lariat...but then MISSES a crossbody and is drilled with a back drop driver. Cross Armbreaker locked in, and Risk submits at 02:24

Rating - N/A - A brief squash to keep Leyla rolling, with another appearance from Maria Kanellis to maintain intrigue into what her interest in Hirsch's business really is. 

Athena checks in with Lexy Nair and affirms that she is the 'face of Ring Of Honor'. She continues to intimidate Lexy...then hauls her off so they can go 'break some more porcelain hussies'

After returning to ROH with a victory over LSG last week, Karter steps up in quality against another ROH veteran - but this time a former TV and Tag Champion in Rhett Titus. As we heard earlier, Maria will have her eye on this one just as she did the previous Hirsch/Risk bout.

Titus tries to utilise his experience and wrestle with the youngster, landing the monkey flip in the process. Hydraulic Dropkick misses though and Karter makes a statement by levelling him with a dropkick of his own. Cole starts waving, smiling and gesturing to Maria (who is on the stage again), although it breaks his concentration allowing Rhett to hit a butterfly suplex. He attacks Karter's back, then hits the Hydraulic Dropkick for 2. Cole managed to turn his body meaning that blow landed more with his shoulder than his head. He recovers to knee Titus in the jaw then hits the big lifting DDT to win at 04:04

Rating - ** - It was nice to see Titus getting at least a halfway competitive showing here and not being relegated to complete jobber status. By presenting him credibly and reminding everyone that he is a former Tag and TV Champion it actually made Karter's win feel more impressive as well. I don't know why this and Hirsch/Risk couldn't have been spaced out slightly better so we weren't doing the two 'Maria stands on the stage mysteriously' matches in succession. That feels really sloppy.

It doesn't have any hype or build, but this quietly feels like a big match in ROH's women's division. The Renegades have re-emerged onto Honor Club TV in recent weeks and racked up a few wins. They are clearly well-regarded young talents. But arguably the MOST hotly-rated women's prospect in all of AEW/ROH is across the ring from Robyn tonight. Billie hasn't been in ROH since Episode 4, and the teenage prodigy returns here looking to pick up where she left off (previously defeating Miranda Alize in Florida)...

Despite an early distraction from Charlette, Starkz is still able to deck Renegade with a couple of big suplexes to get us going. But Charlette remains a factor and knocks her off the turnbuckles whilst Robyn distracts the ref. Renegade hits a couple of big kicks in the corner and chokes her, to the annoyance of the live crowd. Camel clutch applied - with hair pulling and fish-hooking to add insult to injury - as Robyn tries to stretch her advantage. The constant verbal barbs and nasty strikes are really starting to rile Billie though. She eventually snaps and explodes out of the corner with a Gory Bomb for 2. Renegade shuts the comeback down with a faceplant though, impressing every bit as much as the highly-rated teenager. Billie manages to trip her out of the ring though...and in an instant charges for a HEAT SEEKING MISSILE wiping out both Renegades. SWANTON BOMB! Billie wins at 05:28

Rating - *** - Her matches are always helped by the fact that Billie is just so likeable. A plucky, fun-loving, living-the-dream teenager is something everyone can relate to and route for. It contrasted well with a strong heel performance from Robyn - arguably her best in an ROH ring so far. She carried her side of the match with poise and aggression, and I liked how she kept things much simpler this week and largely utilised a combination of nasty smack-talk and even nastier strikes. 

The Renegades attack Billie after the bell...only to be interrupted by Women's Champion Athena. She MURDERS them both with big strikes, but then grabs Billie and sets up to stomp the teenager onto the title belt herself. But she thinks better of it and lets her go - leaving having effectively saved Starkz...

Josh Woods is back, a week on from his interview where he said things needed to change after multiple championship losses. He tells Mark Sterling that he is done with group training skits and the Varsity Athletes, and wants to get back to what he does best. Sterling agrees and suggests he wrestle Silas Young next week.

This is the final of the latest TV Title Eliminator Tournament, with the winner earning a shot at Samoa Joe (albeit not on ROH television). Taylor is a finalist for the second tournament in a row, having powered past Serpentico and Christopher Daniels to make it this far. Gravity has been equally impressive, making his way through ROH/AEW veterans Anthony Henry and Tony Nese. Will it be the size, power and brute force of Shane T or the unorthodox lucha of Gravity that wins out?

The opening exchange is a genuine cat-and-mouse struggle as Gravity isn't strong enough to land anything meaningful on his opponent but Shane isn't quick enough to lay a glove on him either. That ends when Taylor plucks the luchador out of the air on a crossbody, dumps him against the turnbuckles and hits a big lariat. The big man keeps it ruthlessly simple, scooping Gravity up and delivering repeated body slams. But then he momentarily loses focus and makes fun of the masked man...with Gravity instantly popping up to capitalise by handspring off the ropes into a headscissors. He starts going for flash pins, with Shane tossing him across the ring on each kick out. Urinage slam by Taylor, who ascends to the second rope but can't get there in time to hit his diving splash. Gravity climbs to meet him and hits an AVALANCHE SAMOAN DROP! He goes for the top rope splash he's won his other matches with...but Taylor gets the knees up. Garvey Driver nailed, and Taylor wins at 05:29

Rating - ** - I liked what we got of this but the (lack of) time they got was incredibly galling. There is so much fat that could've been trimmed from this episode to give these guys more time. It was fascinating to watch a big brute like Taylor interact with the offbeat lucha style of Gravity...but in five minutes they were so rushed for time they just couldn't deliver anything substantive. The fact that Nese/Buck got more time than this is utterly laughable and completely pathetic.

Tape Rating - * - As far as in-ring quality goes this is an AWFUL episode. Maybe the worst in the checkered history of Honor Club TV so far. If you watch these episodes selectively looking for worthwhile matches...well you can skip this altogether. Athena/Ellering and Starkz/Renegade are decent but certainly not worth going out of your way to see and hidden amongst a veritable parade of short, unimportant filler. Made worse by the fact that the only contest which gets any real time (WorkHorsemen/GOA) fell a little bit flat too. Even the lay-out of these shows are so very poor. Back to back tag squashes earlier in the show which could've been split up. Having Maria on the stage in consecutive matches when, again, that could've been split. Only finding FIVE MINUTES for your main event, a tournament final you've been building to for weeks. This really is just outright poor television, there is no other way to phrase it. If you're looking for positives, you actually need to look outside of the ropes. For the first time since Death Before Dishonor we're starting to glimmers of storyline and character development emerge. Of course Athena, the undeniable star of Honor Club TV, is front and centre. She has Leyla Hirsch as a potential contender on the horizon, but her interference in the Starkz/Renegades skirmish adds another layer of intrigue. We also have mystery surrounding Maria Kanellis-Bennett's interest in Hirsch and Cole Karter, and a much-needed character reset for Josh Woods in the offing as well. You hope those storyline threads will be heavily featured in the weeks to come because shows like this are becoming unbearable.