McXal's Reviews

Last week was a mess, and I can't pretend I have much confidence that this will much better with an utterly ridiculous FOURTEEN matches set for the show. Gravity taking on Gringo Loco, Gates Of Agony colliding with former Tag Champions Chris Daniels and Matt Sydal, and ex-partners Josh Woods and Silas Young meeting in a Pure Rules bout stand out on the card, but with so much to pack in it is already inevitable nothing will get enough time. In perhaps the biggest shock - the ROH TV Champion is actually wrestling on the show; Samoa Joe teams with Board Member Stokely Hathaway to take on Dalton Castle's Boys. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are in Greensboro, NC.

Gravity has excelled on ROH television in recent weeks, albeit failing to win the most recent TV Title Eliminator Tournament after losing in the final to Shane Taylor. Tonight he faces Loco, who has been a thorn in the side of all the luchadors who have come through ROH's Honor Club show. 

Gravity throws his entire bodyweight at Gringo then rotates out into a lucha arm drag and continues to blitz him with lucha offence. Loco is no stranger to that style, but in the opening minute simply cannot work at the same pace as his opponent. He is a much stockier figure though and changes tactic; dropping Gravity with a chop then plucking him out of the air into a fallaway slam for 2. He works a submission on the mat as well in an attempt to injure the luchador's legs and negate his speed advantage. Gravity throws in a back flip out of the corner though, indicating that it didn't have much effect. He tries to jump off the top next, but Gringo shoves him to the floor then hits a SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT UP THE AISLE! Double springboard twisting senton back in gets 2. Gravity curtails his momentum with a forearm off the apron, before tumbling UP the turnbuckles before hurtling OVER THE RINGPOST INTO A RANA ON THE FLOOR! Vader Bomb off the apron as well! He hits the same move off the top rope back into the ring for a nearfall as well. STANDING C-4 by Gringo! But Gravity shakes it off and rolls up Gringo looking for a Code Red...but loses his grip halfway through and winds up with Loco landing square on top of him. They sell that slight mishap really well though and make it clear both men came up injured as a result. They pursue each other to the top rope. RACK BOMB OFF THE TOP BY GRINGO! He tries to set up one last big move on the top rope...but takes so long setting up that Gravity catches him with an avalanche Samoan drop. Gravity Splash wins it at 10:15

Rating - *** - In the context of Honor Club TV this was given a lot of time, and it was pretty decent as a result. It wasn't perfectly executed and some of the top rope set-ups in the last couple of minutes were a little hokey but this was a solid and action-packed affair. It had a little more substance than some might care to admit as well; following the establishment very early on of the premise that Gravity is faster and more skilled at the lucha style than Gringo Loco, meaning Loco was constantly fighting against the tide, against his preferred style and trying to go for big offensive kill-shots as a result. 

After losing multiple shots at various Ring Of Honor championships, Woods has decided to rip up his approach and start again. He considered stepping away from the 'Varsity Athletes' umbrella and management of Mark Sterling, but is instead going back to basics whilst retaining Smart Mark's services. As a result Sterling has brought back a face from Josh's past. In 2019 these two formed a lovable partnership as '2 Guys 1 Tag'; Josh's enthusiasm and raw skill allied to Young's cold heart and experience. But after Woods flourished during the pandemic-era Pure Title Tournament, Silas decided to teach him a 'final lesson' and betrayed him. Woods would eventually beat Silas in what had become his signature grudge match; the 'Last Man Standing' Match. He would go on to be signed to AEW, whilst Silas' career has drifted following the Sinclair/ROH sale. Can the 'Last Real Man' roll back the years and deliver another harsh lesson to his one-time tag partner?

Sterling isn't at ringside and Josh's general presentation is much closer to how he was in ROH circa 2021. He looks to grapple and throw strikes with Silas, who needs all of his experience to stay out of his clutches. They go to an early stalemate to demonstrate how well they know each other. Young goes for a drop toehold, realising that he is near the ropes, and when Josh puts his arms out to break the fall he grabs the rope and loses his first break. That REALLY annoys Woods, who flies at Young and dominates him to such an extent that he can disrespectfully wipe his boot on the back of his fallen body. Silas blocks the Chaos Theory, then counters the Gorilla Lock into a roll-up for 2 though. In the end Josh grabs a wristlock and dives THROUGH the ropes to the outside, causing Young's arm and shoulder to wrench awkardly against them. It immediately injures the left arm and Woods targets it without mercy. Silas is injured, and gets one last burst of energy - trading holds back and forth furiously with Josh. PUNCH BY JOSH! He gets a warning for that, but Silas is reeling and Woods grabs him for a RUNNING BRAINBUSTER TO THE BOTTOM TURNBUCKLE! Woods wins at 06:54

Rating - *** - I was worried that this would be a glorified squash match. Although clearly I'd have preferred they got more time, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much they were able to reference the lengthy history these two had as partners and opponents. It really enhanced the in-ring content; adding bite and an intensely personal edge to all their work. And Josh winning by cheating with a closed fist strike - effectively betraying his old partner the way Silas once did to him - was excellent.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett talks about her near two decades in the business and all she has been through. She has been scouting talent to protect her legacy in ROH...including Leyla Hirsch who interrupts her. Leyla doesn't think Maria has anything to offer her, but Maria says she can offer her opportunities - starting tonight as she's arranged a match for her against Rachael Ellering.

Proving Ground action here, as is standard for the Fallen Goddess when she wrestles in non-title action on Honor Club. But intrigue surrounds her right now. Why did she stop The Renegades attacking Billie Starkz last week? Why did she fail to attack Billie herself? Are they indicative of a dominant champion starting to lose her grip on her throne?

Athena literally shoves Brittany out of the way so she can climb the ropes and play to the crowd rather than start the match. J almost profits with a sneaky pin...which really irritates the champ! Brittany tries a PK from the apron, only for Athena to catch her leg and THROW HER TO THE FLOOR! GUARDRAIL BODY SLAM! That was brutal from the Fallen Goddess! Somehow Brittany is still fighting though, so Athena gives her a POP-UP POWERBOMB! RUNNING ELBOW! Athena wins at 01:52

Rating - N/A - A f*cking GREAT squash match. Credit to Brittany because in two minutes she took some sick bumps. It gave the match a level of violence which sets it apart from the plethora of similar Proving Ground Matches Athena has contested on ROH TV this year. 

The Renegades attack Athena from behind, beating her down until Billie Starkz charges down the ramp to make a save (returning the favour from last week). Athena doesn't look happy and shoves Billie away before walking off though.

A little Cagematch research reveals that despite having first appeared in ROH almost a decade ago, this is actually Stokely's first televised match. He is on the Board Of Directors now, but is accused of having been intimidated into becoming a puppet for the (largely absent) ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe. Joe defeated Dalton Castle at Death Before Dishonor, and when Castle dared to protest about it to Stokely on television, Joe responded by demanding this match 'to send a message' to him.

The Boys try to attack Joe 2-on-1, which wildly backfires and leads to them both taking a pasting. Joe then tags Hathaway in...even though Stoke didn't seem to want to do any wrestling tonight. He hits a lucha armdrag which gets a surprising pop, though soon falls victim to some combo offence from the Tate Twins. Joe takes a cheap-shot from the apron to even things up though, before tagging in and going back to battering both Boys simultaneously. He thinks about a Musclebuster on Brent...but Hathaway stops him and calls for a tag. Joe suggests Stokely try a big splash...only to drag Brent out of the way causing Hathaway to wipe out on the mat. Choke on Brent, and Joe wins at 03:32

Rating - N/A - The honest truth is I wanted to hate on this as I don't care for The Boys, I despise the way Tony Khan has booked Samoa Joe to look like he doesn't give a sh*t about ROH and have no interest in the 'Board Of Directors' as an on-screen authority. But this was pretty entertaining for what it was. Joe beating the sh*t out of The Boys was great. Joe f*cking with Stokely was funny. The pop Hathaway got when he hit that armdrag was a neat moment. A fun, silly little segment - which would be much better if it was leading ANYWHERE in ROH terms (which it isn't, Joe basically abandons ROH to pick up the post-Punk pieces in AEW after All In).

Lexy Nair asks Billie Starkz what is going on with her and Athena. The Renegades crash the interview because THEY have an issue with Athena. Charlette wrestles Starkz later and plans to make short work of her

Columbus, OH (9th August 2023) - On paper this is a really interesting match. Daniels and Sydal are legends in ROH, and have held the Tag Titles together previously. Kaun and Toa are upcoming stars; dominant monsters rising through the ranks fast. In the 'DVD-era' of ROH you could imagine these teams getting 15-20 minutes on a B-show card - an opportunity to steal the show and for the GOA to earn their stripes holding their own with the veterans. Unfortunately that isn't how it works now, but the premise remains the same. Liona and Kaun have been monsters since the Honor Club show launched, but can they dominate even teams with the kind of experience Daniels and Sydal possess? This was taped at the previous week's Dynamite/Rampage taping (I believe this was at the point when Punk had reportedly used his influence to have Daniels banned from Collision, which ROH tapes on the back of usually).

Daniels tries to lock up with Liona, who is simply too strong for the former World Champion. Sydal and Kaun in next and after assist from CD, Sydal is able to land a standing corkscrew senton for 2. The veterans try to cut Bishop off from his bigger partner. Kaun blocks the Koji Clutch though, and after Toa illegally wipes Daniels out from the apron the Gates take control. They isolate Daniels and start focusing some of their offence on his neck and back (a historical weak spot on his ageing body). Sydal has to break a pin after a lungblower/splash combo...and is then punished by Toa violently throwing him to the arena floor. Urinage backbreaker from Kaun to Daniels gets 2. GOA and Nana start getting frustrated that they can't put Daniels away, with Toa eventually making a mistake and walking into an STO. Hot tag to Sydal, who lands the Meteora on Bishop. He looks for a spinning heel kick on Liona, but soon has to dodge a butt splash when he catches it. Shining Wizard/Buzzsaw Kick combo gets ONE for Sydal! GOA gang on up Matt and almost finish him off with a double lariat. Open The Gates blocked though, allowing Sydal to tag in an ailing Fallen Angel. He tricks Kaun into knocking Toa to the floor then hits ANGEL'S WINGS on Kaun! Liona dives back in to break the pin! Samoan drop on Sydal! Kaun hits Death By Roderick on Daniels and wins the match at 10:11

Rating - *** - Kaun and Toa have been given a few longer 2-on-2 tag matches recently, and this was by far my favourite. It would be easy to assume it was because they were in there with veterans whom I love from previous ROH eras (which helps of course), but the Gates themselves were much better in this too. They heat segment on Daniels was genuinely interesting. They really held their own dropping bombs with the former Tag Champs down the closing stretch too. This was the kind of solid 'new stars versus established Ring Of Honor names' action I thought would become a mainstay of the new Honor Club venture - but we just haven't seen this kind of thing often enough.

Columbus, OH (9th August 2023) - Rayne has some history in ROH, and made a few appearances earlier in 2023. She returns tonight in a match taped in her home state of Ohio. I believe Dani has appeared in ROH before in the corner of the 'Neon Ninja' Facade.

Caprice checks that Mo can be something of a daredevil, so it is perhaps understandable that Madison dips into all her years of experience and tries to dictate a more methodical, grounded match. Dani is jeered by the Columbus crowd and seems to revel in it as she lands a series of elbows and knees. Neckbreaker by Rayne to shut that down. Mo blocks the Rayne Check with a kick to the ribs...but misses a second and Madison hits CrossRayne to win at 03:13

Rating - N/A - A pretty unnecessary match which felt like it existed only to give Madison a big pop in her hometown (she wouldn't wrestle again in 2023 after this) and really should have been cut. Having said that I did find myself quite enjoying Dani Mo's impromptu - if brief - heel performance.

Columbus, OH (9th August 2023) - Dark Order should have emerged from their Fight With Honor victory over Stu Grayson and The Righteous with lots of momentum. But we've barely seen them since, other than a bizarre interaction with the departing Grayson a couple of weeks ago. They return to action tonight and we'll see if they are still packing the extra aggression Stu and The Righteous wanted to see from them.

Uno slaps Broner across the face and batters him into the corner to get us started. He and Reynolds then cheap-shot his partners off the apron, demonstrating that they very much intend to continue showing their new mean streak. Despite giving up a chunk of size to Broner, even Silver gets some time in the ring to batter him with strikes. Stu Grayson appears on the stage, still dressed in the white of The Righteous, and momentarily distracts Dark Order allowing Broner to escape. Mafia kick/German suplex combo on Crewe, before they polish Calhoun off to win at 03:51

Rating - N/A - Too long for my taste, but I opted not to negatively rate this because I do think it used the medium of a squash match to effectively progress the characters of the Dark Order. In the aftermath of Death Before Dishonor I appreciated that they are a changed, developed and 'darker' version of themselves. 

Dark Order continue to attack their opponents after the bell, which Stu Grayson audibly approves of from the stage. Where is this going?

Claudio Castagnoli addresses the criticism of him that he isn't on ROH's show very often. He says he loved being Ring Of Honor Champion, but he learned something when he lost it to Chris Jericho. He learned that he needs to 'let go' of the passion for Ring Of Honor...his only job is to be World Champion and to keep people like Eddie Kingston, Mark Briscoe or Pac from the belt.

A separate, developmental territory version of ROH would be the perfect breeding ground for AEW to cultivate two young talents like Karter and Garrison. They've appeared sporadically on Honor Club TV, and recently Karter has impressed Maria Kanellis - who is on the hunt for new stars to 'protect her kingdom'.

Garrison starts strongly and almost wins it early with a falcon arrow. Roaring Elbow dodged though and Karter trips him into the turnbuckles before landing a dropkick. A powerslam follows, as do repeated breaks where Cole walks away from his opponent to play to the crowd. He even starts playing to the commentators...taking too long to set up his finish and walking into Griff's Roaring Elbow. Karter rakes Garrison's eyes though and hits that spinning implant DDT twice to win at 04:28

Rating - * - These two are young talents whom AEW are clearly invested in for the long term. But for the here and now they both need work and this was really quite bland - although I will concede it is hard to inject too much personality when you get less than five minutes.

Maria Kanellis comes to the ring to congratulate Karter, and they walk up the aisle together as Cole continues to celebrate.

Billie made her return to ROH last week and defeated Robyn Renegade. But The Renegades attacked her after the bell, meaning the teenage sensation is coming for some revenge this week. Can she complete a 2-0 sweep over The Renegades in consecutive weeks?

Renegade attacks Billie before the bell, then tricks her to the floor where Robyn is waiting to distract her. Tackle off the apron by Charlette, causing Starkz to take a nasty fall on the entrance ramp. Back in the ring she applies a camel clutch whilst clawing at Billie's nose and mouth, whilst the youngster is still reeling from that spill outside the ring. Robyn holds Billie down when she tries to climb the ropes as well, setting Charlette up for a superplex. But Starkz ROLLS THROUGH into an ushigoroshi! Starkz looks for the Swanton...but Robyn drags Charlette out of the way. Michinoku Driver by Charlette gets 2. Starkz  hits a gruesome hammerlocked version of a Styles Clash (which some internet research implies is called the 'Star 10' but I don't know how accurate that is) to pin Charlette at 03:42

Rating - ** - Pretty much a shorter, more compressed version of the match Billie had with Robyn last week. Everything I liked about that one I also enjoyed here; namely a more focused, vicious heel performance from The Renegades contrasted to the bravery and likeability of the teenage Billie. They just didn't get long enough to produce something more substantive

The ref barely has time to count the pin before Robyn has dived into the ring to attack Billie again. Athena comes out for payback from earlier and almost cuts Robyn in half with a spear! All four women start throwing strikes...and this time Athena clearly helps Starkz; telling her to duck so she can KO one of the Renegades with her big elbow strike. STEREO HEAT SEEKING MISSILES by Athena and Billie! Still Athena refuses to shake Billie's hand, but does call her a 'minion' before they leave together...

Lexy asks Tony Nese why he tries to do 'group training' every week. He points out that he gets interrupted every week, but says he has been promised by Mark Sterling that tonight will be different.

This trios match basically throws together a load of talented guys who appear week after week on ROH TV in Dark-esque matches without much meaning or development. Johnson is the interesting addition, as he makes just his second appearance in the new ROH.

Moriarty and Johnson start with a crisp and fast-paced exchange. Andretti and Martin come in together and scatter all three opponents with some impressive double-team sequences. The WorkHorsemen show their experience and even things up for their team by attacking Johnson from behind. Their team takes turns beating on 'Big Shotty'...until he counters an attempted 2k1 Bomb to escape. Action gets the hot tag and quickly clears out Henry with a tope suicida. Standing C-4 on Moriarty gets 2. DROPKICK/GERMAN COMBO gets 2! Mafia kick by Drake gets 2. Moriarty gives Johnson a swinging neckbreaker, only to walk into a slingshot flatliner from Darius. Henry blocks the Burning Hammer, but Andretti floats into a bridging cover and - even if the count is a little awkward - gets the win at 07:05

Rating - ** - All six of these guys have talent so there wasn't anything wrong with this at all. But seven minutes only means everything was rushed, and chucking them all into this environment together really did show how stagnant and aimless they've all been in ROH over recent months. 

In the back Athena calls Lexy Nair her 'bestie' and then drags Billie in to congratulate her on becoming a 'minion'. Billie wants to challenge The Renegades to a match next week, but Athena says she makes the decisions and demands that Starkz 'drive [her] to the mall'. That was lovably odd...

Adora has suffered some high profile losses recently but has credited her association with The Infantry in helping her bounce back. Frost returns to ROH after a few months away, but comes in having impressed in a few recent defeats on AEW television and seems to be getting another shot within the Khan promotions.

Adora comes out trying to throw the Lariat Tubman and trying to grapple with Frost...but finds her a capable and formidable foe with a counter for everything coming her way. A big kick in the corner rattles Frost, and she retreats to the apron after Trish stretches her out with a surfboard. Lady F cartwheels across the apron twice over before propelling herself into a cannonball to the floor. Adora goes back to strikes and lands the kneeling German suplex for 2. Hanging gutbuster out of the corner gets a nearfall as well, before Adora starts calling for the Lariat again. Frost ducks it and lands a corkscrew kick. Temperature Drop nailed giving Lady F a huge win at 04:06

Rating - ** - What little action we saw here was excellent. Frost entertained as an athlete and a high-flyer, whilst Adora tried to use her power, striking and ground game to win. It was a simple premise but executed as well as they could in a four minute sprint. Frost winning is a big call, because it kills any momentum Adora gained by joining up with The Infantry a few weeks ago. Does Tony have any kind of plan from here, or is this just an AEW Dark-like match for the sake of it?

Kiera Hogan is back, and she has her eyes on Lady Frost it seems...

It is nice to see that Ellering now has a Cary-tron video and entrance music. Maria Kanellis-Bennett orchestrated this match to put 'Legit' Leyla Hirsch's dominant run through the women's division to the test. Hirsch has already said she wants a title shot at Athena, with Maria seemingly looking to prepare her for that opportunity.

Ellering chops the f*ck out of Leyla and looks for the Bosswoman Slam right away...only for Hirsch to counter and attack the arm. She kicks and elbows at it, before smashing it into the turnbuckles. Rachael fights to block a Fujiwara armbar, and almost rolls straight into Leyla's cross armbreaker instead as a result. Thankfully she blocks that as well; powering out and rocking Leyla with a kick to the jaw. 2k1 Bomb gets a nearfall. Hirsch tries to mount Ellering in a sleeper hold, and uses her attempts to block it to instead grab her bad arm. BOSSWOMAN SLAM to counter! But Leyla keeps hold of the arm and locks in the Cross Armbreaker. Ellering taps at 04:48

Rating - *** - A generous rating since this is another match which was far too short. But I thought the intensity of this one was exceptional. From the way Ellering absolutely lit Leyla up with chops in the opening seconds to the ferocious countering in that closing sequence - this whole match felt like an absolute battle between two hard-hitting, technically skilled gladiators. 

This is Avalon's second ever Ring Of Honor match, confronting an extremely irritated former World, TV and Six-Man Champion in Castle - who saw his Boys decimated by Samoa Joe earlier. He has the Baby Chick Boys with him again as a result.

They spend most of the first minute posturing and circling each other, until Dalton loses his temper and dumps Avalon on the mat. Pretty Peter clings to a headlock only to be swatted away and dropped with a suplex. Bang-A-Rang wins it for Castle at 02:36

Rating - N/A - A short and comprehensive squash. This probably didn't need to be on the show as it's already long enough (with plenty of matches which could've used the extra minutes) but it certainly didn't take up much time.

Shane Taylor tells Lexy Nair that he is one of the most dominant wrestlers in ROH history. In the previous era he says he was frustrated by people always comparing him to the likes of Punk, Danielson or Joe. By becoming #1 contender to Samoa Joe's TV Title he finally has the chance to silence the critics and prove himself the 'baddest champion' ever seen.

Metalik has spent most of the summer back in Mexico, after failing to take the World Title from Claudio Castagnoli back on Episode 7 of Honor Club TV. He is back tonight, and back in the main event. However, as we heard earlier, Nese is once again more intent on conducting some 'group training' than he is on wrestling. These two have plenty of history together (including multiple meetings in WWE's Cruiserweight division) so it's a nice touch to put them together again. 

Jerry Lynn is the one who prevents group training tonight, and Metalik gets the party started by walking the ropes into an armdrag which sends Tony out through the ropes. Ari Daivari (at ringside with Tony) trips the luchador though and it allows Nese to splat him into the arena floor. Ab Day kicks find their mark and continue to put the hurt on Metalik. The masked man manages to get to the ropes, and in one swift movement manages to kick Daivari away then launch himself into a springboard moonsault back to the outside. Rope-run missile dropkick gets 2 for the 'King Of Ropes'. Tony blocks the Metalik Driver, landing a Ligerbomb for 2. Superkick by Metalik...into the Metalik Driver. He wins at 07:18

Rating - ** - The pacing and format of these ROH shows is terrible. This is yet another episode which has a perplexingly mediocre, middling main event. I really liked the idea of putting Nese and Metalik together to renew a rivalry from other promotions. It was a smart move and the crowd were there for it too. But to give them a perfectly decent but quickly forgettable seven minute splurge of all the spots these guys do every week just felt like a really flat way to end the show.

Tape Rating - ** - This was by no means anything like a 'good' episode of the show. But marginal gains should be noted and appreciated, and this was a definite step in the right direction versus the last couple of weeks. The first hour of the show is legitimately good, with several watchable matches (Gringo/Gravity, Woods/Young and GOA vs Daniels/Sydal) alongside notable storyline progression and the fun Joe/Stokely/Boys segment. There was actually a lot of content within this episode which drove characters forward, and I really appreciated that as it helps to create the impression that Ring Of Honor is a self-sustaining product and not just a re-tooled version of AEW Dark. The Dark Order were back and showed development from Death Before Dishonor. We saw the formation of the Athena/Lexy/Billie trio which looks set to provide plenty of entertainment (alongside a bubbling rivalry with The Renegades). Maria Kanellis looks to have formerly recruited Cole Karter. Lady Frost got something of an upset win over Trish Adora. Leyla Hirsch survived the sternest test of her undefeated streak yet. In isolation none of these are particularly ground-breaking...but they all add up to give this episode an undeniably more watchable feel. All that being said, there are still SO many issues however. Way too many matches. Too many squashes, too much trash which still feels like it belongs on Dark and continues to leave ROH's once-proud reputation in tatters. And the lay-out of these episodes continues to be HORRIBLE. Another mediocre main event with the better matches on first - presumably because they tape around Collision. Once again all the champions (excluding Athena) barely feature. Now we've got the extra wrinkle of hopping between venues because they're taping these episodes across multiple AEW shows. It is something of a farce...