By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 36)
Taped October 28, 2023 in Uncasville, Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena
Streamed November 2, 2023 on HonorClub
Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman were on commentary, and Bobby Cruise was the ring announcer…
*Unless otherwise noted, all matches started and ended with the Code of Honor handshake.
We cut right to backstage where Stokely Hathaway told us there won’t be any ROH Champion Eddie Kingston. Hathaway said Kingston is suspended for putting his hands on him, which Kingston can’t do if he’s not here. If Kingston does it again once he returns, he’ll be in the unemployment line…
1. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal vs. “The Righteous” Vincent and Dutch. Vincent backed Daniels into a corner and stroked his face while he made a clean break. Daniels tried some shoulder blocks that got no-sold before Dutch ran Daniels over with a shoulder block of his own. Dutch hit a big scoop slam. Daniels got a drop toe hold into the ropes and tagged in Sydal who came in with a bunch of kicks on Dutch who tagged out to Vincent who took some more kicks. Daniels tagged in and they hit some tandem offense and got a two count on Vincent. Sydal tagged in and hit a slingshot meteora and got a two count on Vincent.
Vincent distracted the ref and Dutch took advantage to give momentum back to Vincent. Dutch and Vincent hit some quick tags and worked over Sydal in the corner. Vincent hit a sliding flatliner and got a two count. Dutch hit a powerbomb and Vincent hit Death From Above but Daniels broke up the pin for a nearfall. Sydal escaped and hit a spin kick on Vincent and got the hot tag to Daniels who came in with clotheslines and elbows. Daniels hit his STO on Vincent and one on Dutch too. Daniels hit a DVD on Vincent but Dutch broke up the nearfall. Sydal came in and ate a bossman slam for his trouble. Daniels rolled up Vincent for a two count. Righteous hit Autumn Sunshine on Daniels for the three count.
The Righteous defeated Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Where is Stu Grayson? This match was a fine opener. Standard tag action. Daniels doesn’t look nearly as slow when he can hide himself in tag matches.
Backstage, Lexi interviewed Ethan Page about his upcoming match with Josh Woods. He said that he’s still upset about his interactions with Tony Nese. He reiterated that he’s trying to do things the right way. He said that Nese derailed his chances to be TV Champion. Page said he dreams of getting his hands on Nese. Lexi wished him good luck…
2. Robyn Renegade (w/Charlette Renegade) vs. Leyla Hirsch. Hirsch hit a quick double leg and tried to mount, but Robyn rolled out of the ring. Charlette got in Hirsch’s face and gave Robyn an opening. Back in the ring Robyn worked over Hirsch with chops in the corner. Robyn hit an ugly looking slam that got her a two count. Hirsch hit a Chaos Theory german, a judo throw and locked in the cross arm breaker for the tap out win.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Robyn Renegade by submission.
After the match Charlette tried to get a beatdown going, but Rachel Ellering ran out and made the save and ran off The Renegades. Hirsch pushed Ellering away and walked up the ramp…
Robinson’s Ruminations: A quick squash to just sow seeds for an upcoming story. I expect to see Hirsch vs. Ellering soon.
3. Lee Moriarty vs. Darius Martin. The ref forgot to call for the Code of Honor and Riccaboni had to cover for it. For the second match in a row the announcers talked about how Final Battle is free to subscribers. While they did this the men in the ring traded backslides for nearfalls. Martin hit a dropkick to put Moriarty down. Martin tried a slingshot move but Moriarty caught him and kicked him in the ribs. The men traded chops in the middle until Moriarty locked in an abdominal stretch.
Moriarty transitioned into an arm wrench with his feet. Martin hit a jaw breaker and came back with an atomic drop and his running hot shot. Martin hit a step up Pele kick and got a two count. Martin went to the top but Moriarty cut him off. Back on the mat Moriarty hit a hammer lock neckbreaker and then locked in his border city stretch but Martin got a crucifix rollup to break it up and get a nearfall. Martin hit a penalty kick, but Moriarty hit a flatliner to get a two count. The men traded kicks and chops in the middle. Moriarty tried a running uppercut but Martin countered with a German. Martin went up top and hit a frog splash and got the three count.
Darius Martin defeated Lee Moriarty by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This one was pretty good. These two have some chemistry and I’d like to see them have a match that really kicked into that final gear. This one didn’t quite get there but was still very good.
There was a 30 second promo video full of recent clips to hype up Final Battle…
4. Josh Woods (w/Mark Sterling) vs. Ethan Page. The men traded arm wringers for a bit before Page hit an arm drag into an arm bar. Page tried a tip up in the corner but Woods punched the plant arm out and then worked over the arm. Woods slammed Page’s shoulder into the turnbuckle and then hit a hammerlock body slam for a one count. Woods continued to work over the arm. Tony Nese was shown walking down the ramp.
Page made a comeback with some punches and a big boot. Page hit a clothesline but Woods got the momentum back by targeting the arm again. Page came back with a over the shoulder powerslam for a two count. Sterling got up on the apron and distracted the ref. Woods tried to take advantage but Page grabbed an inside cradle. While the ref was still distracted, Nese came in and rolled the cradle over to give the win to Woods.
Josh Woods defeated Ethan Page by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fine match with a distraction finish to continue the storyline. There were some moments in here where it seemed like the guys didn’t quite know how close to the ropes they were, but it wasn’t too distracting.
A recap video showcased the Mogul Embassy defeating The Elite to recapture the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite…
5. Sim J vs. Gringo Loco vs. Metalik vs. Angelico in a four-way lucha match. Everyone other than Slim J took part in the Code of Honor handshake. J eventually did and used it to get a head-scissors on an opponent. The men all traded foot capture flips. Gringo hit a flip dive onto Angelico and Slim J and ringside, then Metalik hit a Asai moonsault onto everyone. Back in the ring Angelico hit a back suplex on Slim J for a two count. Angelico locked in a crazy leg cross surfboard kind of move before Metalik broke it up.
Metalik hit his sling blade bulldog and rope walking dropkick for a two count on Angelico. Loco got hung up on the ropes and Metalik hit a rope walking Frankensteiner for a two count on Loco when Angelico broke it up. Angelico hit a running sunset flip on Metalik for a two count. Loco hit a diving cutter on Angelico, Slim J hit a top rope splash on Loco and got a two count. Slim J hit an abdominal stretch driver and then everyone traded roll-up near falls for a bit. Slim J hit a top rope Pele kick on Loco and then Angelico hit a trap pin on Slim J for the pinfall.
Angelico beat Slim J, Gringo Loco, and Metalik in a four-way lucha match by submission.
After the match Serpentico came in to celebrate with Angelico…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Crazy lucha action.
Backstage, Sonjay Dutt talked about just how opposite Jay Lethal and Eddie Kingston are from one another. Lethal is a technical genius, whereas Eddie is a garbage wrestler. Stokely came in and said the Jarrett clan did a great job of beating up Eddie. Dutt asked when Jay Lethal’s title match is going to be. Stokely ran away while saying he had to get with his secretary and said she’ll send an email…
7. Rachel Ellering vs. LMK. The women traded arm work before LMK tried a shoulder block that didn’t work. LMK tried a headlock but got lifted up and dropped with a shoulder block. LMK tried a lucha rope walk arm drag but Ellering caught her and hit a senton splash. Ellering hit a gut-wrench throw and got a two count. LMK hit a head scissors takeover but missed a corner splash. Ellering hit a running uppercut and the bosswoman slam for the pinfall
Rachel Ellering defeated LMK by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A quick squash to show off the size and power of Ellering. There’s a lot to like about Ellering. I hope we see a bunch more of her.
8. “The Wingmen” Peter Avalon and Ryan Nemeth vs. “The Infantry” Sean Dean and Carlie Bravo vs. “The Iron Savages” Bronson and Boulder vs. “Gates of Agony” Bishop Khan and Toa Linoa (w/ Prince Nana) in a four corner survival match. Avalon tripped Bronson and took him over with a head scissors. Bronson hit a powerslam and senton splash for a two count. Boulder hit a scoop slam but missed the elbow drop. Avalon tried a splash and got a couple of two counts while Boulder pressed Avalon. Dean took Khan down with some punches but got tossed to ringside. Khan laid Dean out on the floor with a clothesline while Nana distracted him.
Avalon and Nemeth hit a superkick and pendulum DDT combo for a two count. Dean made a comeback and Avalon tried to tag out but Gates dropped off the apron. Bravo came in and hit a spinning elbow. Bravo hit his crossover punch and his big DDT spot. Toa broke up the pinfall and headbutt Bravo. Gates hit some tandem offense on Dean. Wingmen dumped Gates to ringside. Dean hit a butterfly backbreaker on Nemeth. Infantry hit Boot Camp on Avalon but got blind tagged out by Boulder. Savages tried a backpack move but got cut off by Gates who hit Open the Gates on Avalon and got the pinfall.
“Gates of Agony” Bishop Khan and Toa Linoa beat “The Wingmen” Peter Avalon and Ryan Nemeth, “The Infantry” Sean Dean and Carlie Bravo, and “The Iron Savages” Bronson and Boulder in a four corner survival match by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A crazy four-way tag with plenty of action. You had to know The Wingmen were here to eat a pin. The question was just who was going to beat them get the win. The Gates of Agony getting the win was a fine choice in this “get everyone on the card” style of match.
9. Nick Comoroto vs. Lee Johnson vs. Action Andretti in a three-way. Johnson and Andretti tried to dropkick down Comoroto but they ate a double clothesline. They dumped Comoroto to ringside and traded near fall roll ups for a bit before Comoroto came in and broke it up. Comoroto hit snake eyes on Johnson and hit a one handed press slam, DDT combo on the two high flyers. Comoroto dumped Johnson to ringside and hit a neckbreaker on Andretti.
Comoroto tried for a corner splash but Johnson pulled Andretti out of the way. The high flyers hit some kicks and Shane Taylor was shown backstage watching the match. Comoroto hit a double suplex on the high flyers. Comoroto hit scoop slams on them but got taken down by some kicks and trips. Andretti and Johnson traded punches but ate a running crossbody from Comoroto. Johnson hit a middle rope crossbody and then tried a running one but Comorto caught him. Andretti hit a springboard dropkick on Comoroto and got a quick rollup for the three count.
Action Andretti defeated Lee Johnson and Nick Comoroto in a three-way by pinfall.
After the match, Shane Taylor was shown throwing his hat backstage disappointed. The announcers questioned who he was watching and rooting for…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Fine match that had a different feel than most on these shows since Nick Comoroto is so big and strong. Andretti getting a win in a match like this is almost meaningless sadly.
10. Charlette Renegade (w/Robyn) vs. Kiera Hogan. Charlette hit a flapjack for a quick two count. Charlette hit a running uppercut and then locked in a nostril stretch and then got a two count. Hogan rolled up Charlette and got a two count. Hogan got a drop toe hold into the corner and hit a hip attack and a running dropkick and got a two count. Charlette got a two count even though she had her feet on the ropes. Hogan hit a rolling fisherman’s suplex for the three count.
Kiera Hogan defeated Charlette Renegade by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This one was a little slow and clunky in places. The crowd was pretty quiet.
Backstage. Lexi tried to ask Leyla Hirsch about the beatdown the Renegades tried. Ellering interrupted and introduced herself and said that Maria Kanellis-Bennett wasn’t there for her. Hirsch acknowledged that Maria wasn’t there but said she will be in the future and then stormed off.
11. JD Drake, Anthony Henry, Griff Garrison, and Cole Karter (w/ Maria) vs. Gravity, Dalton Castle, and “The Boys” Brandon Tate and Brent Tate. Gravity was wearing a peacock mask over his lucha mask while wrestling. Some quick tags left The Boys hitting a back elbow combo on Karter for a one count. Karter and Garrison hit a tandem move on a Boy for a nearfall that got broken up. Karter hit a dropkick and got a two count. The Workhorsmen hit some tandem offense and Henry hit a DDT on a Boy and got a two count. Gravity hit some kicks on Garrison and a scoop powerslam.
Gravity did a headstand on the turnbuckle and Henry kicked him down. Garrison got a quick roll up for a two count. Gravity hit a head scissors that sent Henry into Drake. Castle came in house of fire with punches and t-bone suplexes on everyone. Castle threw The Boys onto the heels at ringside and then Gravity asked to be thrown too, but Drake broke it up before Castle could. Henry got a roll up two count on Castle, who came back with a German suplex on Henry, only to eat a clothesline from Drake. Gravity got thrown onto the heels at ringside this time. Castle hit the Bangarang on Drake for the pinfall.
Dalton Castle, The Boys and Gravity defeated JD Drake, Anthony Henry, Griff Garrison, and Cole Karter.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Fun Dalton Castle and The Boys action.
12. Athena vs. Mercedes Martinez (w/ Diamante) in an ROH Women’s World Championship match. Athena looked to see if Billie Starkz was going to join her as she made her entrance and looked a little disappointed for just a moment before heading to ringside when Billie didn’t show. Athena used the code of honor handshake to lay in a big forearm. Athena kept laying in the punishment with a foot choke in the corner and then dumped Martinez to ringside. Athena took a sign from Martinez’s sister and ripped it and that gave Martinez an opening to make a brief comeback. Back in the ring, Athena continued laying in forearms.
Martinez came back with a popup slam for a two count. Martinez put Athena on the top turnbuckle and tried a spider german but Athena rolled through, and hit a springboard codebreaker. Athena hit a baseball slide dropkick to send Martinez to the outside. Athena hit a suicide shoulder block dive to send Martinez into the announcer’s table. Diamante made a distraction and Martinez regained control. Martinez dumped Athena onto the time keeper’s table. Martinez set Athena up in a tree of woe kind of position on a chair but she fought out. The women fought on the tiny little barricade and Athena hit a superplex off of the barricade!
The ref made the count and the ladies got into the ring on 19 (of 20) but both women were still on hands and knees. In the middle of the ring the women traded forearms until Martinez hit some palm strikes and a knee lift. Athena came right back with a couple of kicks and a step up enzuigiri. Martinez hit a Saito suplex and Athena came back with a big boot for a double down. Athena went up to the top but Diamante made a quick distraction and Martinez hit her OG Drop and got a two count. Martinez tried to lock in her Brass City Sleeper but Athena fought out with a hand bite.
Athena came back with a big forearm that dropped Martinez. Athena got a hot shot and went to the top and hit the O-Face but Diamante got on the apron to distract the ref from counting. Athena punched Diamante off the apron and dropped her with a suplex on the floor. Athena ripped off a turnbuckle but was kicked right into it by a big boot from Martinez. Martinez hit a fisherman’s buster for a two count. The women traded reversals for a bit until Martinez got pushed out of the ropes and a hooded figure blasted her with the title belt. Athena hit Wig Splitter for the three count.
Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez by pinfall to retain the ROH Women’s World Championship.
After the match, the hooded figure revealed herself to be Billie Starkz. Bille kneeled down and gave the title back to Athena and showed off her MIT shirt…
Robinson’s Ruminations: This match was great. I’m glad it was the main event and was given plenty of time, and that there was a pretty decent crowd still in attendance for it. The announcers did a great job detailing the history of both women and their shared history together throughout the match. The ending with Billie turning to the dark side a little bit is interesting, as I was really thinking it was going to be Billie pulling Athena into the light. I guess that was just so Mercedes could be the heel in this feud. I’m not sure what’s next for Athena and Billie, but I’m looking forward to it. I will have more to say about this episode in my weekly ROH on HonorClub review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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