Last Week: Angelico and The Gates of Agony continued their respective marches toward the ROH World and Tag Team Championship while Mercedes Martinez & Diamante defeated Athena & Billie Starkz in a Tornado Tag Team match.
ROH on HonorClub Episode 36
Uncasville, CT
November 2, 2023
– ROH Board of Director Stokely Hathaway announced that ROH World champion Eddie Kingston is temporarily suspended for putting his hands on the authority figure. Fearing for his life, Hathaway has ensured the champ can’t touch him as long as he’s sitting at home. The warning extended that if Eddie tries to touch Stokely he’ll be fired.
The Righteous vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
Christopher Daniels opted to start this one off for his team as Dutch got the good word to be the representative for his team. Backing Daniels into the corner, Dutch broke clean while flicking his tongue at the former ROH World champion. Kicking Dutch’s legs from underneath him didn’t allow Daniels to get any momentum as he ran into a shoulder block. Catching a running Dutch with the drop toe hold, Daniels set up a slingshot kick from Matt Sydal. Vincent tagged himself in, getting kicked around the ring by Sydal before he felt a double team hip toss into Sydal corkscrew moonsault splash. Slingshot Meteora to the seated Vincent almost gave Sydal a three count. Using the referee’s positioning against Sydal, Vincent set up an illegal punch from Dutch on the apron.
Sydal found himself on the wrong part of town; giving The Righteous the chance to sling Sydal back-first against the turnbuckle. Huge power bomb from Dutch set up Vincent’s Swanton bomb. Daniels had to save his partner from a sure pin. The save allowed Matt to recover, kicking Vincent in the mouth before tagging out.
Daniels was on fire, using a pair of STOs to down both opponents. The Death Valley driver on Vincent didn’t end this one thanks to a diving Dutch. Poor Daniels got caught between the nearby corner and Dutch’s clutches for the Boss Man Slam. Vincent finished Daniels with Autumn Sunshine to get another pin.
Winners: The Righteous
Match Review: A solid opening contest that had two issues: predictable ending because Daniels & Sydal never win anymore, and it really would’ve been a memorable encounter if it had more time. It’ll be interesting to see if they build up The Righteous for another Tag Team title opportunity or if they’ll just be aimless for a while picking up wins.
– Ethan Page was in the interview zone with Lexy Nair to explain he won’t revert to his old ways to get revenge on Tony Nese for robbing him of his win streak. But he’s up for embarrassing the other Premier Athlete Josh Woods tonight.
Leyla Hirsch vs. Robyn Renegade w/ Charlette Renegade
Disrespectful slapping of Robyn Renegade’s hand instead of following the Code of Honor caused the fight to spill to the floor where Charlette distracted Leyla for a Pearl Harbor job. Robyn was wearing Leyla out with strikes and even an inverted Side Effect. Hirsch countered a pinning combination to hit Chaos Theory. Before Robyn could recover, she got locked in the cross arm bar for the submission. The Renegades struck right after, causing Rachael Ellering to clear the ring. Hirsch wanted nothing to do with Ellering.
Winner: Leyla Hirsch
Match Review: Another bout that proved solid, if not short. Robyn actually got a majority of the offense here before falling to the arm bar. Ellering making the save was an interesting twist and may lead to another odd couple tag team in ROH similar to what, ironically enough, Maria’s “Baby Boys” Griff Garrison & Cole Karter are in the men’s Tag division.
Lee Moriarty vs. Darius Martin
Similar to their match last week, Darius Martin used his quickness to counter Lee Moriarty’s grappling resulting in the Shane Taylor Promotions representative getting dropkicked. Martin tried to shoulder ram Lee from the apron, only to get caught in a front face lock Lee used to set up a PK to Martin’s left arm. Lee’s point of interest became the left arm, getting chopped for holding onto his opponent’s wrist. Running into an abdominal stretch, Lee was twisting Darius up like a pretzel.
Martin recovered, firing off some right hands before executing some impressive maneuvers including a rope walk moonsault. Lee stopped Darius’ climbing of the ropes with a rolling elbow. Lee’s plan to superplex his opponent failed and resulted in him having to catch an incoming Darius in a hammerlock neck breaker. Lee took his chance to go for the Border City Stretch. Martin countered the submission with two crucifix attempts. Lee stopped the pin attempt, took a PK, and retaliated by dropping him on his head. Rushing his opponent, Lee ran into a German suplex. A roundhouse kick by Martin put Lee in position for the flying splash off the top. Martin made the cover and avenged his loss from last week by pinning Moriarty.
Winner: Darius Martin
Match Review: The match that could’ve been delivered upon last week when they fought happened here and, once again, could’ve benefited from more time as the pair wouldn’t have to rush. But they did very well with the time given and the face Martin won clean was something of a surprise. Hopefully we’ll get that Martin & Action Andretti versus STP match in the near future as teased last week.
Ethan Page vs. Josh Woods
Showing off early was Ethan Page by actually controlling the former Pure champion on the mat while isolating the left arm. Using the ropes to free himself, Woods countered a leaping “All Ego” to clip his opponent’s arms. Like Page, the left arm became the focus as Woods slammed him around by his left arm. Page took a Bret Hart bump in the corner, exploding with the forearm.
Tony Nese arrived to watch the action. Using a back elbow to stop an incoming Woods, Page was lighting up his opponent until Page’s eyes got pulled to Nese. Woods had the left arm in his clutches. Mark Sterling jumped onto the apron after Page countered the Tilt-a-Woods into a Northern Lights Bomb. The referee was distracted and didn’t see Nese turning a small package against Page for the pin when the referee did refocus on the ring.
Winner: Josh Woods
Match Review: Though Tony Nese said last week he was done with Ethan, his actions tonight proved otherwise as he was the main reason for Page now being on a losing streak. The match itself proved enjoyable while it lasted and, just like Nese-Page from a few weeks ago, a rematch wouldn’t be upsetting to watch.
– Last night on AEW’s “Dynamite”, The Mogul Embassy regained the World Six-Man Tag Team title from The Hung Bucks.
Angelico vs. Gringo Loco vs. Slim J vs. Metalik
As expected, the action started fast & furious with Slim J getting an early advantage by using the head scissors on Metalik off the Code of Honor before diving on Angelico. Sadly for Slim, Gringo Loco took him down with the plancha before all three opponents were downed by a moonsault from Metalik. Angelico and Slim were the first two back in the ring with the prior locking in a double underhook leg lock that only Metalik could break up. Slingblade bulldog by “The King of the Ropes” prior to using a rope-walking springboard dropkick Angelico. Walking the ropes again, Metalik pulled a waiting Gringo off the middle rope with a hurricarana. Angelico got downed for a Slim J splash after Metalik felt Loco’s ace crusher.
Gringo and Slim rose first with the latter using rolling knee-back breaker that set off a chain of events where every competitor was looking for a flash pin. Angelico took advantage of Metalik and Gringo taking themselves out by putting Slim in the mousetrap for a pin fall.
Winner: Angelico
Match Review: Almost a retread of what was seen last week with a Fatal Four Way featuring half of the same participants as that aforementioned bout. Excitement from bell to bell with the winner actually benefiting as Angelico’s winning streak has established how he’s earned a ROH World title shot even if Eddie Kingston is suspended and may or may not be around for the foreseeable future.
– Last week, Sonjay Dutt recounted meeting both Jay Lethal and Eddie Kingston many years ago. Lethal became Dutt’s best friend. But Dutt saw Eddie as nothing more than a garbage wrestler with a bad attitude. Stokely Hathaway arrived to congratulate Dutt for helping beat down Kingston. Before Hathaway could leave, Dutt wanted to know when Lethal is getting his title shot. Hathaway promised to let him know with Dutt chasing behind him for an answer.
Rachael Ellering vs. LMK
After a quick grappling exchange, LMK ran into a shoulder block that almost dropped her on her head. LMK surprised herself by almost rolling up Ellering, going for a rope-assisted arm drag. Ellering not only stopped the arm drag, she pitched her around the ring. But Rachael let the distance get too much until she charged out of the corner to shoulder tackle the fired-up LMK. Boss Woman Slam followed for Ellering as did the subsequent three count.
Winner: Rachel Ellering
Match Review: Rachel got another ROH victory with the local talent doing her best to make her vocal fans proud. Nothing remarkable or memorable, but served its purpose to establish Ellering as a growing force in the division.
The Gates of Agony w/ Prince Nana vs. The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Peter Avalon) vs. The Infantry vs. The Iron Savages w/ Jacked Jameson
Bronson threatened to make Peter Avalon drink the Savage Sauce from the source, only to take a head scissors. Bronson recovered quickly, slamming Avalon for a senton splash. Boulder got the tag from his partner, taking a splash from Avalon after being tripped with Peter continuously landing on Boulder instead of flying backward. Ryan Nemeth didn’t do well for his team either as Kaun and Shawn Dean tagged in. Pitching Dean over the top rope, Kaun almost ran through “The Captain” with a clothesline.
Avalon tagged himself in via Kaun, only for Dean to fight off both Wingmen until Nemeth caught him with that pendulum DDT. Dean recovered, using the clothesline to get to his partner. Carlie Bravo entered as the legal man as The Gates of Agony refused a tag from Avalon.
Bravo’s crossover hook on Avalon set up the DDT. Before Bravo could pin his opponent, Toa Liona grabbed him for Kaun’s lung blower into Toa’s Samoan drop. Dropkicking Liona to the floor, Nemeth left himself open for Bravo’s double underhook backbreaker. Beefcake tagged himself in off a running Bravo as they executed Boot Camp on Avalon. Liona entered, knocking down The Iron Savages. Kaun joined his partner to Open the Gates on Avalon for the pin fall.
Winner: The Gates of Agony
Match Review: A strong, albeit short four-team encounter that reinforced what’s been known for the last two weeks: any match involving The GoA results in them winning.
– Mark Briscoe made his return during last week’s episode of AEW “Rampage”, beating up Kip Sabian.
Nick Comoroto vs. Action Andretti vs. Lee Johnson
Throwing his lollipop at Action Andretti, Nick Comoroto made himself a target before getting pitched out of the ring. Recovering quickly, Nick used a DDT on Action while using a one-hand gorilla press slam on Lee Johnson. A “Freak of Honor!” chant broke out as Nick executed the over-the-knee neck breaker on Lee. Action and Lee seemed conflicted about fighting each other until Nick got between them for a double suplex. Shane Taylor watched from the backstage area.
Nick found himself as the house of fire until Action kicked him into Lee’s leg sweep. Finally slugging it out, Lee and Action left themselves open to be cross body blocked. Lee countered whatever Nick had in mind, using a flying forearm smash to set up a failed cross body block of his own as Action came off the top rope to dropkick Nick. Comoroto stumbled to his feet, getting rolled up by Action. Andretti held Nick down for the three count much to the anger of Taylor.
Winner: Action Andretti
Match Review: Another fun encounter that suffered slightly from the Triple Threat trope of one wrestler out of the ring a majority of the time. Nick thrived here, actually turning face by the match’s end while Taylor seemed upset because Lee – whom he offered a spot in STP – has failed to win a match yet again.
Charlette Renegade w/ Robyn Renegade vs. Kiera Hogan
The fans were solidly behind Kiera Hogan, but it was the taller Charlette getting the first strike off a successful shoulder block. Flapjack connected for Renegade before she pulled off a little mockery. Ripping at Kiera’s face while looking for the camel clutch put a smile on Charlette’s face. What didn’t make Charlette happy was Kiera popping her in the mouth with a forearm.
Charlette responded in kind, knocking Hogan backward. When Renegade rushed her, Kiera used the drop toe hold to send her opponent into the turnbuckles for a sliding dropkick. Hogan took too much time following up, almost getting swept into a pin fall with a little rope assistance. Renegade hoisted Hogan up for something that Kiera countered with Face the Music/spinning fisherman’s suplex for the three count.
Winner: Kiera Hogan
Match Review: Like her sister, Charlette dominated a majority of this bout before failing in the end. Kiera picks up another win following a good bout, but where it leads her is anyone’s guess as she is so far removed from title contention.
– Rachael Ellering wanted to check on Leyla. Hirsch didn’t take kindly to Ellering getting in her business. Rachael made a verbal note that Maria Kanellis-Bennett wasn’t there to help when Leyla needed her the most; just wanting to do the honorable thing by helping Leyla like Maria didn’t. Leyla still didn’t care for Ellering as she left Rachael dumbfounded.
Dalton Castle, The Boys & Gravity vs. The WorkHorsemen, Griff Garrison & Cole Karter w/ Maria Kanellis-Bennett
Gravity found himself squaring off with Anthony Henry, keeping his Boy mask on while performing head scissors into an arm drag. Tagging out to Boy Brent, Gravity allowed his partners to set up a double team on Cole Karter. Sadly for Boy Brandon, his subsequent attack saw him get lifted and slammed face first against the mat. Brandon was able to work his way to Gravity after his brother joined the fray. Gravity’s attempt at a handstand-based attack from the corner ended with him getting kicked.
Gravity was now on the wrong part of town, getting abused mostly by The WorkHorsemen. Ducking a JD Drake clothesline, Gravity rolled to Dalton Castle for a tag. Castle was taking his opponents to Suplex City before using the Boys as projectiles against his foes at ringside. Then Gravity wanted in the Boy toss, only for Drake to pull Gravity out of the ring. Castle sent Henry into his own partner, only for JD to recover and clothesline Castle in position for a power bomb. The Boys arrived with a double team enzuguri that put Drake down just in time for a Gravity tope that wiped out JD’s allies at ringside. Castle grabbed Drake for a successful Bang-a-Rang. Castle made the cover, pinning JD.
Winners: Dalton Castle, The Boys & Gravity
Match Review: Similar to several matches, the result wasn’t in question even if the action, specifically when The Boys and Gravity were getting beaten down, made it seem Castle’s crew didn’t stand a chance. Though a fine match, how it came together or even why it existed in the first place is a question in no way answered through commentary or the action itself.
ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez w/ Diamante
Big forearm off the Code of Honor by the champ rocked Mercedes Martinez early, putting her on a back pedal to the point she couldn’t even move out of the corner until Athena tossed her to the floor. Yanking a sign from Mercedes’ sister, Athena angered the challenger and paid the price by getting clobbered. Athena reentered the ring, taking a power bomb and being placed on the top rope for that spider German superplex.
Athena flipped out of the superplex, landing on her feet and catching Martinez with the Code Breaker. Using Martinez’s body as a base, Athena pulled off a pendulum double knee strike. Dropkicking Martinez to the floor, Athena used the low tope to knock Mercedes against the nearby commentator’s table. Diamante got near Athena, distracting “The Fallen Goddess” so Martinez could blindside her.
Using the suplex, Mercedes sent her competition into the timekeeper’s area. Martinez had a chair-elevated curb stomp in mind when Athena fought back to suplex the challenger off the barricade to the floor! The referee decided that it was time to start counting them down after they were fighting at ringside for a couple of minutes. Both made it back into the ring before the twenty count, leading to a standoff in the ring’s middle for a forearm exchange. Winning the battle, Mercedes ran into an enzuguri. Ducking a clothesline, Martinez used the Saito suplex. Showing her fighting spirit was Athena by rallying to her feet immediately for a successful roundhouse kick.
The crowd was behind the champ as she climbed the ropes. Diamante jumped onto the apron for the distraction and the challenger to hit the OG Drop (Razor’s Edge into a face buster) … for a near fall!
Mercedes had the Brass City Sleeper in mind when Athena bit her way out of the hold. The champion countered a leg yank to forearm Martinez in position for a running attack in the corner. Martinez stopped what Athena had in mind, only to feel a hotshot. “The Fallen Goddess” immediately went to the top rope, pulling off the O-Face! But Diamante was there to distract the referee. Athena gave up on the pin, knocking out Diamante. Having a fit, Athena ripped off the top turnbuckle. Mercedes sent the champ into the exposed turnbuckle before Athena could turn around for a subsequent fisherman’s buster … to give Martinez a near fall!
Blocking another OG Drop, Athena used a roll up to send her opponent face first into a hooded assailant who bashed Mercedes with the title belt. Athena pulled a staggered Martinez into the Wig Splitter, picking up the pin fall.
Billie Starkz revealed herself as the assailant, handing the title belt to her mentor in a kneeling fashion. Athena seemed very pleased with her Minion.
Winner: Athena
Match Review: Now that’s more like it! Not only was this the first main event in nearly a month to get more than five minutes, it produced both the show’s longest bout and its best. Thanks to a mix of incredible brawling, an enthused crowd, and an actual story to give the match some heat, Athena-Martinez II for the title may have surpassed their “Final Battle” encounter from last year. The ending didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment while adding a new layer to Athena and Billie’s relationship with the champ may not seeing her harbinger for championship defeat has officially been born.
Overall Review: Back to a near two hour episode, this show had one very noticeable high point in the form of the main event to somewhat make up for the fact a lot of the action, though good, barely left a lasting impression. Athena and Mercedes absolutely killed it in the first ROH main event in weeks to last longer than five minutes. The ending, while not the most inspiring, added a new wrinkle to the relationship between mentor and minion that may result in an unsuspecting Athena losing her glory to her protege who has taken “The Fallen Goddess’s” mentality and dishonorable ways to heart. To top it off, Martinez has a claim for another match after being cheated.
Though a majority of the matches were good – the opener, Woods-Page, both Four Ways, Martin-Moriarty, and the Triple Threat – none will be remembered by next week in terms of must-see quality. Story advancements did occur through some bouts, though, including Rachael Ellering trying to help an ungrateful Leyla Hirsch that may or may not result in another odd couple tag team, Nese costing Page another match through nefarious means, and the likes of The Gates of Agony and Angelico establishing themselves as definitive top title contenders.
But there were shortcomings in both character presentations and potential for the future. Eddie Kingston is off ROH and AEW programming for an unknown amount of time during a period when the ROH World champ is needed the most considering ROH’s biggest show of the year is just six weeks away and he already has two contenders lined up in Angelico and Jay Lethal. Dalton Castle is just having random matches even though he wants to be the must-see attraction of ROH. The aforementioned GoA are now the Six-Man Tag champs again and may ignore their intentions of becoming the World Tag Team titleholders; essentially giving up on weeks of wins in two-on-two action. Certain wrestlers are on a treadmill like The Righteous, Kiera Hogan, The Renegades, and Karter & Garrison with the latter being on a losing streak after making a big deal of now seeing things from the same perspective going forward.
With six episodes before “Final Battle”, there’s still time to establish some exhilarating stories, build up credible title contenders for the TV, Tag Team, Six-Man, and even ROH World Championships; but it’s going to take focus and consistent investment in the characters and said stories.
