By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 79)
Taped July 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas at Esports Stadium Arlington
Streamed August 29, 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 opened with a rundown of the matches that will air during this episode….
1. ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Aleah James in a Proving Ground match. Lexi was the ring announcer for this match. No entrance for James. The women traded some arm bars before Athena backed James into the corner and chopped her chest. The women traded hair pulls and Athena complained when she got a taste of her own medicine. Athena offered a handshake and blasted James with a big forearm. James came back with a monkey flip attempt but Athena flipped out. James hit a flying head-scissors and a bulldog that put Athena down on her forehead for a two count! Athena played injured on the apron and grabbed the arm of James and pulled it into the ropes.
Athena hit a back suplex on the apron and pulled her onto the floor. Athena threw James into the barricade and then back into the ring. James came back with some forearms and a popup huracanrana for a two count. Athena put James in the corner with a splash and blasted her with a running right hand. Athena locked in a neck crank and kicked James in the chest. James slipped out of a back suplex and hit some running forearms and a superkick. James got dumped to the apron and hit a springboard crossbody for a two count. Athena rolled through and deadlifted James up and hit her with an ugly powerbomb for a two count. Athen picked her back up and down with a second powerbomb for a second nearfall, and then hit a third powerbomb and locked in a crossface for the tap out.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Aleah James by submission in a Proving Ground match.
After the match, Athena set up to make James kiss the title, but Abadon made an entrance from the stage. Athena looked scared but did not retreat. They had a staredown while the crowd chanted “This is Spooky.” Athena blasted Abadon with a forearm but Abadon just kind of shook it off. Athena ran and tripped, but when Abadon came around the corner, Billie blasted Abadon with the title. Athena assumed Lexi hit Abadon, and Billie protested briefly before they all walked off celebrating. Abadon sat up angry.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Fine proving ground match, but nothing special. James has been the weakest Proving Ground competitor we’ve seen in a while. Athena being scared of an opponent is certainly a new story, and a welcome one.
We got a recap of all the ROH stuff that happened at All In…
2. Sidney Akeem vs. Johnny TV (w/Taya Valkyrie). During TV’s entrance, Riccaboni asked if Slamtown was anywhere near the Riccabone Zone. TV picked the ankle of Akeem and immediately made out with Taya. Akeem took advantage and hit some kicks and then a drop-sault. TV ran out of the ring and Akeem dove on him. Back in the ring Akeem went to the top, and TV pulled him down and it was a rough looking fall. TV threw Akeem out of the ring and dropped him face first on the apron. Another make out session. TV took too long to chop Akeem and he pushed TV only to get a poke to the eye.
Taya chopped Akeem instead while TV argued with the ref and a fan. Back in the ring, TV locked in a chinlock. Akeem tried to get the crowd into it with fist pumps, but it was crickets. TV hit a cartwheel into a facebreaker. TV hit a disaster kick, a shining wizard. TV went up top and tried for Starship Pain and landed on his damn head! Akeem chopped TV a bunch, and went up top and hit a spinning knee strike that was super ugly because there was a ref in the way, pulled there by TV. The men traded punches until Akeem slipped out and hit a superkick. Akeem tried a leapfrog and TV hit him with a mule kick to the junk on the way down. TV hit Starship Pain for the pinfall.
Johnny TV defeated Sidney Akeem by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: That was ugly in all kinds of places, and the crowd didn’t care one bit. The leapfrog low blow spot was sweet. Akeem has potential, you can see in his movements he’s going to be a special kind of talent, kind of like TV at a low bar, but he’s still green as grass at the moment despite his run in WWE as Reggie.
A commercial for All Out narrated by Swerve…
3. Lance Archer vs. Auzzy. Archer brought Auzzy with him and tossed him down the ramp as he made his entrance. Auzzy hit an enzuigiri when Archer missed a splash. Auzzy tried to hit a springboard move and got blasted with a right hand. Archer teased the Code of Honor and hit a Blackhole Slam. Archer hit a Shhh chop in the corner. “One more time” called the crowd. Auzzy moved and Archer took off his shirt and let the kid have a free one before blasting him with another. Archer hit a running back elbow in the corner. Auzzy slid out of a back suplex and went up top. Archer blasted him with a punch and hit blackout for the pinfall…
Lance Archer defeated Auzzy by pinfall.
After the match Archer hit Auzzy with another chokeslam, then stole a fan sign and ripped it up…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Oh boy, squash match hour starts now.
Backstage Shane Taylor talked about Angelico’s challenge to Lee Moriarty. Taylor said all his training won’t be enough. Moriarty accepted the challenge, and told Angelico to watch his neck.
4. Rachel Ellering vs. Mina Shirakawa. Ellering pushed Mina into a corner very early, but the crowd chanted “Mina” and she danced. Rachel picked Mina up and put her on the top turnbuckle. Mina kicked her away but ran right into a shoulder block. Mina slid out of a clothesline and danced. When Ellering charged, Mina swept her feet and kicked her in the back. Mina hit a kick from the corner and got a two count. Ellering blocked a round kick and blasted Mina with a clothesline. Ellering lit up Mina in the corner with some chops.
Ellering hit an arm wringer and a dropkick to the face for a two count. Mina came back with a rolling forearm and a step up enzuigiri for a double down. The women traded forearms to the chest until Mina went around the world and hit a Russian leg sweep. Mina hit a splash in the corner but Ellering hit her with one and a running uppercut. Ellering hit a pendulum fisherman’s slam for a two count. Ellering missed a running senton splash and got rolled up for a two count. Mina hit a lucha wrist held knee strike off the ropes. Mina went up top and hit a splash for a two count. Mina hit some strikes but almost walked into the Bosswoman slam, but Mina slid around and locked in a trap pin for the pinfall.
Mina Shirakawa defeated Rachel Ellering by pinfall.
After the match Mina bowed to Ellering and extended her hand. Ellering shook her hand and held up her hand. Taya Valkyrie slid into the ring from behind and blasted Mina and threw Ellering out of the ring. Taya stood over the fallen Mina…
Robinson’s Ruminations: A nice television match. I guess they’re setting up Taya vs Mina. Ok, that’ll be a good match too.
A commercial aired for All In 2025…
5. Action Andretti and “Top Flight” Dante and Darius Martin (w/Lelia Grey) vs. “Ace of Space Academy” LSG, GKM, Colt’n Charles. Andretti and LSG traded some early rollups nearfalls. Top Flight hit some tandem kicks and Dante hit a standing kicking splash for a two count on LSG. GKM got turned around by Top Flight and hit with a double clothesline for a two count. Andretti hit a wheelbarrow elbow assisted by Darius. Big Charles got a knee up and broke up Andretti’s momentum. GKM hit a stinger splash and AoSA hit some tandem strikes ending with a monster clothesline from Charles for a two count. Charles blocked a hot tag for just minute but got knocked back and the other two couldn’t hold him off either. Dante hit dropkicks and a leaping rana on two dudes at the same time! Dante hit an apron enzuigiri and a springboard crossbody on GKM for a two count. Dante hit his complete shot and then Top Flight lifted a leaping Andretti and he came down with a butt drop on a kneeling GKM for the pinfall.
Action Andretti and “Top Flight” Dante and Darius Martin defeated “Ace of Space Academy” LSG, GKM, Colt’n Charles by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A squash win for Top Flight and Andretti. Just fine with me, you gotta get the new gimmick a few matches to make it work. Top Flight is smooth as silk.
6. EJ Nduka vs. Demo Diamond No televised entrance for Diamond. “EJ” chanted the crowd as the code of honor happened. Diamond grabbed the hair and got a headlock. Nduka pushed him off and hit a jumping spear. Nduka hit a pair of spears in the corner, but missed a third. Diamond hit a few punches, but Nduka hit a huge running clothesline. Nduka hit a huge spinebuster. Nduka hit “Exodus” a dropping back suplex for the pinfall.
EJ Nduka defeated Demo Diamond by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another squash for Nduka. I still want to see more of Nduka and in a real match.
Backstage, Lexi Nair welcomed Rachel Ellering back to ROH and congratulated her on the hard fought match earlier. Ellering said she needs to keep working and getting better. Harley Cameron came in and played dumb about meeting her before. Cameron said a platitude badly to Ellering and called her “kid” on the way out…
7. Jacoby Watts (w/Nick Comoroto) vs. Evil Uno (w/John Silver). Before the match Watts asked if the “purple headed goofballs” wanted to join him. Uno said he’s a one cult man and blasted Watts. Uno put Watts in the corner and blasted him with chops. Watts thought he could avoid a chop by turning around and Uno just chopped his back instead. Watts fled to ringside and Uno followed him out and blasted him with a clothesline. Before Uno could get inside, Comoroto put the book in Uno’s face. Silver got in Comroto’s face and posed, so Comroto posed back. Back in the ring, Watts hit a corner splash and a clothesline for a two count. Uno came back with a big boot and a DDT. Uno stomped on his hands and hit a round kick. Uno hit a piledriver for the pinfall…
Evil Uno defeated Jacoby Watts by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I really expected some sort of follow-up with Watts and Comroto at the end, but it never happened. I saw on X that Comroto is going to be out for a while because he underwent hip surgery for a lingering injury. I have no idea where this leaves Watts, but it’s probably not good since he got squashed by Uno.
8. Josh Woods (w/Mark Sterling) vs. Barrett Brown. Sterling did some heel mic work on the way to the ring with Woods, running down his resume. Brown tried to pick the ankle but Woods sprawled right out and rolled Brown away. Brown hit a back elbow and then some other strikes that ended with a dropkick to the face. Brown hit a running forearm in the corner and Woods came right back with a big boot. Woods hit some sort of crazy tombstone german suplex for the pinfall.
Josh Woods defeated Barrett Brown by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another Woods squash, not much to see here, but…what the hell is it with Woods and scary ass suplexes?
9. Lelia Grey (w/Dante Martin, Darius Martin, Action Andretti) vs. Promise Braxton. Braxton hit a shoulder block, but Grey came back with some arm drags. Top Flight tried to get a “Leila Grey” chant going, but it echoed through the quiet arena. Grey hit a tilt a whirl head scissors, and that got the crowd fired up. Grey hit a middle rope blockbuster for a two count. Braxton fought out of a butterfly attempt and hit a superkick. Grey came right back with a full nelson slam. Grey hit a butterfly facebuster for the pinfall.
Leila Grey defeated Promise Braxton by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A squash match for Grey, but she may need to work on her high flying skills a bit if she’s really gonna hang with Top Flight. And the whole group is being called Top Flight now.
10. Blake Christian vs. Rosario Grillo. Christian blasted Grillo with a running knee before the bell and then did the Italian flip off. Christian did a nasty looking arm dislocation spot. Grillo came back with some punches and kicks. Christian hit a rolling kick and Grillo fell outside. Christian hit a stiff suicide dive and tossed Grillo in the ring. Christian hit a springboard 450 for the pinfall.
Blake Christian defeated Rosario Grillo by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A squash match for Christian? I’ll take it! He’s fully in his new heel character now.
11. Ariya Daivari (w/Mark Sterling) vs. Tomihiro Ishii. More heel mic work on the way to the ring from Sterling. Daivari fled to ringside after the bell to stall. Daivari worked a headlock but Ishii pushed him off and Daivari actually stuffed the shoulder block. Daivari leapfrogged a shoulder block and Ishii blasted him on the back end with another shoulder block. Ishii hit some chops in the corner. Daivari tried a chop and missed, and Ishii chopped him so hard he fled to ringside.
Back in the ring, Ishii hit Daivari with forearms to the back and knocked him back to ringside again. This time he followed him out and slammed him into barricades and chopped him against the post. Sterling mouthed off and Ishii missed a chop and hit the post. Daivari started targeting the hand with slams against the stairs. Back in the ring, Daivari stomped on the injured hand. Daivari pulled on the fingers as the crowd chanted “Ishii”. More hand stomps from Daivarii but Ishii finally came back with some chops with the bad hand. Ishii hit a shoulder block out of the corner.
Daivari blocked a back suplex attempt but turned around and got caught with the Saito suplex for a two count. Sterling mouthed off again and Ishii missed a charge in the corner and got rolled up for a two count. Sterling got on the apron and Daivari tried a hammerlock lAriyat. Sterling got on the apron again and Ishii made Daivari bump him off. Ishii hit another Saito suplex and a sliding elbow for the pinfall.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Ariya Daivari by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This match was slightly better than the Tony Nese match from last week, at least I think. They were both pretty bad. Lots more Sterling interference here, but thankfully it wasn’t as egregious. That said there was lots of Daivari stalling being done here that I wasn’t a fan of either.
An ad aired for AEW Forbidden Door 2025…
Robinson’s Ruminations: I really do not want to watch these commercials for the next year, but I guess I’m doomed to.
Bobby Cruise ran down the Pure Rules to the crowd with a set of graphics for the TV viewers…
12. Lee Moriarty (w/Shane Taylor) vs. Angelico (w/Serpentico) for the ROH Pure Rules Championship. The judges were Paul Wight, Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels. The crowd chanted “Tiger Style” as the wrestlers locked up. The men traded arm work until Angelico broke the arm hold, got a trip and a one count nearfall. Moriarty went back to the arm and Angelico followed until Moriarty got an arm wringer to put Angelico on his back. Angelico went back to the arm and hit an arm drag. Moriarty and Angelico traded waist locks until Angelico flipped out of a hip toss attempt. The men traded some trips and one count nearfalls.
Angelico got a drop toe hold and locked in an STF style hold from the front. Moriarty used his first rope break to get out. Taylor gave Moriarty a pep talk on the apron. Angelico used the arm work to hit an arm drag. Moriarty came back and locked in an abdominal stretch, but transitioned into a trap pin for a two count. Angelico grabbed a hammerlock and used his legs to do a standing bow and arrow stretch. Moriarty rolled up Angelico for a one count. Angelico hit a half nelson snapmare. Moriarty ducked the capoeira kick and locked in the border city stretch. Angelico used his first rope break to escape. Serpentico gave some words of encouragement.
Moriarty did an inside ankle trip and rolled through with the wrist control, very slick. Angelico did some leg movements, got a trip and locked in an ankle lock. Moriarty used his second rope break to escape even though he didn’t want to. Moriarty got an ankle trip and then worked over the shoulders of Angelico. Moriarty got a bow and arrow stretch and bridged over the extended arm in a nasty looking hold. Angelico used his second rope break to escape.
Moriarty slid onto the apron on an Irish whip attempt and grabbed the arm over the ropes and hot shot it. Moriarty hit a shoulder tackle and locked in a Kimura. Angelico used his long legs to use his last rope break to escape. Moriarty missed a drop kick from the middle rope. Angelico locked in a death lock style submission and Moriarty used his last rope break to escape. More ankle picks and arm work until Moriarty rolled Angelico up on a waist lock to get the pinfall.
Lee Moriarty defeated Angelico by pinfall to retain the ROH Pure Rules Championship.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This may be one of my favorite Pure Rules matches in a while. Some of these matches will do the chain wrestling at the top, but devolve into a normal match after a while. This one stayed with the chain wrestling all the way through the 12 minutes, but it just kept getting faster and more urgent.
The show was pretty easily a throw away show using up whatever matches they had left at the end of the Esports Stadium residency. Other than the main event, there was nothing really of note to talk about. I’ll do my best during my weekly audio review of ROH on HonorClub for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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