By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 70)
Taped June 20, 2024 in Allentown, Pennsylvania at PPL Center
Streamed June 27, 2024 on HonorClub
Ian Riccaboni and 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…
The show started with a backstage emergency meeting with MIT who had two male security guards with them in MIT shirts. Athena said she’s going to be out for 8-12 months now and that she’s the one who brought in security. Lexi cut a small promo to hype everyone up and Athena said they needed to get Lexi a championship. ..
1. Alex Reynolds (w/ Evil Uno) vs. Lee Johnson. The wrestlers traded some arm work in a feeling out process. Johnson went for his big dropkick, but Reynolds grabbed the ropes and Johnson swept the leg when he came back. Eventually Johnson got a pair of arm drags and then hit a dropkick for a one count. The men pushed each other and Reynolds apologized and backed off and they shook hands again. Johnson hit a huge clothesline to send Reynolds to the floor. Johnson hit a huge flip dive on Reynolds on the floor.
As Johnson tried to get back in the ring, Uno distracted him and Reynolds took advantage and then threw Johnson into the stairs. Back in the ring, Reynolds got a two count. Reynolds threw Johnson to the floor and Uno picked him up and threw him into the stairs while the ref was distracted. Back in the ring Reynolds got another two count. Reynolds hit a cravat suplex and went to the top and missed the moonsault as Johnson rolled out of the way. Reynolds charged in and got dumped into the turnbuckle and then ate two clotheslines.
Johnson hit a neckbreaker and kipped up. Johnson hit a PK and a standing moonsault for a two count. Johnson tried for his finisher but Reynolds kneed out and hit a pop up knee strike. Reynolds went for a butterfly move but Johnson rolled him up for a two count. The men exchanged forearms until Reynolds hit one to the back of the neck for a two count. Reynolds hit a tiger driver and then a piledriver for a two count.
Reynolds came up bleeding from the mouth from something. Reynolds tried for a fisherman’s suplex but Johnson rolled him up for a two count. After some reversals of the Big Shot Drop, Johnson hit Reynolds with a snake eyes. Uno popped up on the apron and got superkicked down by Johnson and Johnson hit Reynolds with the Big Shot Drop for the pinfall.
Lee Johnson defeated Alex Reynolds by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This one was way too on the nose. It was all about Johnson being a resilient fighter after last week’s match and getting hit with a whole bunch of neck moves here too. The announcers were hammering home just how much heart he had to the point where it was just too much.
2. Marina Shafir vs. Erica Leigh. There was not a televised entrance for Leigh. There was some talk of wikifeet by the announcers when Shafir threw her sock in the crowd. Shafir used the Code of Honor to grab a single leg and then grabbed an arm and mounted Leigh with palm strikes and then smothered her with her hand. Leigh rolled through and escaped. Leigh missed with a big boot and Shafir hit one of her own. Shafir hit all kinds of strikes in the corner and then laid Leigh out with a big round kick to the chest. Shafir hit a 619 variant in the corner. Shafir hit a judo throw and then locked in Mother’s Milk for the ref stoppage.
Marina Shafir defeated Erica Leigh by ref stoppage.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another week, another squash. Shafir looks dominating and scary, but it’s only squash matches for the moment.
Backstage, Aura was trying to interview The Kingdom. Matt Taven tried to be nice and ask her name, but then said he was sorry for wasting his time just like everyone in the division was wasting his. Mike Bennett got down on his knees and prayed to the “booker man Tony” for some better competition. Bennett said they work hard and they want competition to work hard too.
We got immediate confirmation that The Kingdom will face Metalik and Komander in a Proving Ground match next week…
3. Lance Archer and “The Righteous” Vincent and Dutch vs. Duke Davis, Victor Benjamin, and Ganon Jones Jr. There was no televised entrance for the jobbers. Archer and Duke traded forearms to start until Archer backed Duke into the corner and knocked him down with forearms. Duke reversed it and hit an avalanche splash in the corner and some shoulders to the gut. Archer hit a crossbody in the ring as Dutch hit one of his own on the floor. Vincent and Benjamin tagged in and Vincent hit a crossbody.
Benjamin came back with a high knee and some fancy kicks for a two count. Vincent came back with a kick to the gut and a basement dropkick and then a basement flatliner. Benjamin blocked a suplex attempt and hit some more kicks. Benjamin slid out of the ring like a dummy and got thrown into the ring steps by Vincent. Back in the ring, Vincent hit a back suplex and Dutch hit a leg drop for a two count.
Dutch hit a headbutt and taunted the opponents. Dutch hit a running forearm but Benjamin was able to tag out to Jones. Jones hit a dropkick but Archer tagged in and goozled him. Vincent hit Death from Above for a broken up nearfall. Dutch hit a bossman slam and then Righteous hit Orange Sunshine for the pinfall.
Dalton Castle defeated Nick Comoroto by pinfall.
After the match, Archer rolled Benjamin back in the ring and gave him the Blackout…
Robinson’s Ruminations: That was a long ass squash match. There was never any doubt who would win, but they gave the jobbers we’ll never see again way too much.
4. Taya Valkyrie vs. Trish Adora. Valkyrie used the code of honor to hit some forearms and then some chops to the chest. Trish reversed it and hit some chops of her own. Trish hit a snapmare and a PK and then a bow and arrow and then twerked on the back of Valkyrie. Trish rolled Valkyrie up for a two count and went for Lariat Tubman but Valkyrie slid out of the ring.
Trish followed her out with a baseball dropkick. Valkyrie took over with some punches and then slammed Trish into the ring steps. Back in the ring, the women traded forearms until Valkyrie hit a kick to the gut and some round kicks in the corner. Valkyrie hit double knees in the corner and got a two count. Valkyrie locked in a bow and arrow of her own but Trish powered out and an arm drag, but Valkyrie put her back down with a clothesline for a two count.
Valkyrie tried for a butterfly move, but Trish slid out and hit some big forearms. Trish hit a running crossbody and a splash in the corner. Trish hit a bridging vertical suplex for a two count. Trish put her in a fireman’s carry but Valkyrie slid out and locked in a sleeper. Valkyrie hit an arm drag and grabbed the arms and hit Shania Pain. Valkyrie locked in an STF and then hit another Shania Pain as the announcer said that was uncalled for.
Taya Valkyrie defeated Trish Adora by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fine TV match. There was no doubt about the outcome sadly, but Trish held her own here.
Backstage Arcady Aura congratulated Leyla Hirsch congratulations on her win against Diamante. Hirsch said she understood why Diamante was mad because Diamante can’t beat her. Diamante came in and said she can’t beat her in a “fight”. Hirsch challenged Diamante for a “No Holds Barred” match and Diamante accepted…
5. ROH Women’s TV Champion Billie Starkz vs. Angelica Risk in a Proving Ground Match. No entrance for Risk. Strakz made fun of the height of Risk and pie faced her. Risk fired up and punched her. Starkz choked Risk against the ropes. Strakz hit a big boot and some running forearms in the corner. Starkz got pulled out of the corner by the ref and argued with him. Starkz hit a running boot in the corner. Starkz slapped Risk in the face, but Risk returned it and Starkz put her back down in the corner with some strikes.
Risk tried a tip up but got caught and dumped over the ropes onto the apron and then she fell out of the ring. Starkz followed her out and Risk tried to fight back a bit but got thrown into the barricades. Starkz hit a basement dropkick against the barricade and said that was for Athena.
Back in the ring, Starkz went to the top for her swan dive, but Risk rolled out of the way before Strakz could jump. Starkz hopped down and mocked the “stir it up” gesture of Red Velvet, but she missed her knees. Risk came back with a 619. Risk tried a slingshot move but got caught and Starkz locked in her hammerlock fishhook move for the submission.
ROH Women’s TV Champion Billie Starkz defeated Angelica Risk by submission in a Proving Ground match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fine display of violence from Strakz here.
We got a rundown of the matches for Forbidden Door. The sound of Riccobanni reading at 100 miles an hour was mixed badly and it was softer than the music that was supposed to be underneath…
6. Mark Briscoe vs. ROH TV Champion Kyle Fletcher for the ROH Championship. Fletcher kicked away the code of honor to big boos. After some fast paced reversals Briscoe hit an arm drag and Fletcher grabbed the head with his legs and Briscoe kipped out. “Dem Boys” chanted the crowd. Briscoe grabbed a headlock, and Fletcher got out and tried a sunset flip, but Briscoe grabbed the headlock again. Fletcher stuffed a shoulder block, but ate a chop when he tried to return fire. Fletcher recovered and knocked down Briscoe with a shoulder block of his own.
Briscoe tried to fight back with chops, but Fletcher hit a superkick and hopped to the top. Briscoe cut him off and knocked him to the floor. Briscoe hit a running cannonball dive, landed on his feet and posed with a borrowed hat for a moment. Briscoe hit some chops against the barricade and then hit a redneck kung fu dropkick. Briscoe threw Fletcher in the ring and Fletcher hit him with a running kick. Fletcher back suplexed Briscoe on the apron and then hit a running PK and posed.
Fletcher threw Briscoe so hard into the barricade he landed in the crowd. Fletcher suplexed Briscoe over the barricade to the padded floor at ringside. “You still suck” the crowd chanted at Fletcher as the announcers talked up the ROH TV Championship match against Atlantis Jr. Fletcher threw Briscoe in the ring and got a two count. Fletcher hit a running elbow and posed as the announcers talked about how it was smart for him to slow the match down. Briscoe fired up and the men traded forearms until Briscoe hit the kung fu chop. Briscoe hit a spinning forearm.
Briscoe hit a corner clothesline and a fisherman’s buster for a two count. Briscoe put Fletcher on the top but Fletcher knocked him down and tried a double axe handle for a kick to the gut. Briscoe put Fletcher down with a forearm and went up top. Fletcher cut him off with a running kick and tried a superplex but Briscoe floated over and pushed Fletcher down onto the buckle.
Briscoe went up top too and hit a fisherman’s superplex for a double down. As Briscoe tried to cover him, Fletcher rolled out of the ring. Briscoe followed him out but Fletcher popped up on the apron and hit a superkick. Fletcher tried a piledriver on the apron but Briscoe knocked him down with a kick.
Briscoe hit the cactus jack elbow drop and rolled Fletcher in the ring. Briscoe tried Froggy Bow but Fletcher got the knees up. Fletcher hit a tombstone variant and got a two count. Fletcher hit a running leg lariat on the ropes and went for the piledriver but Briscoe rolled him up for a two count.
Briscoe hit a DVD and popped up top for the Froggy-bow and got a two count even though Coleman said “I promise you that”. Briscoe went for the Jay Driller but Fletcher stuffed it. The men traded running strikes until Fletcher hit two superkicks and Briscoe hit a big huge lariat. Briscoe hit Jay Driller for the pinfall.
Mark Briscoe defeated Kyle Fletcher by pinfall to retain the ROH Championship.
Robinson’s Ruminations: That was a main event quality match. It was a freaking sprint down the stretch. Fletcher got a big honor kicking out of Froggy-bow. I’d like to say Fletcher kept up in this match, but that’s not even enough, he thrived. That was an intense, high quality match.
The overall show was a main event and some filler. I’m not sure what Athena’s injury timetable is, but I can imagine her continuing to make it longer and longer and then baiting Queen Aminata in for the strike. My weekly ROH on HonorClub reviews are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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