By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 80)
Taped August 11, 2024 in Arlington, Texas at Esports Stadium Arlington
Streamed September 5, 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. Aaron Solo vs. Rocky Romero. Rocky reversed an arm move and hit a slow snapmare and paint brushed the head of Solo. Solo came back with a dropkick. Solo caught a chop and hit a knee lift. Rocky hit an atomic drop with a ton of light and a dropkick to the side of the head. Rocky went to the middle turnbuckle, but Solo pulled him down and hit some mounted punches to quite a few boos. Solo hit a vertical suplex and got a two count. Rocky locked in an abdominal stretch but Solo raked the eyes to get out and lock in an abdominal stretch of his own.
Rocky got out with a hip toss. Rocky hit a running flying head scissors and fired up. Rocky hit some right hands and a series of corner clotheslines. Rocky hit a vertical suplex and got a two count. Rocky tried Shurnoi but Solo slipped out and hit a spin kick. Solo went up top and hit a big double stomp but Rocky kicked out at two. Rocky did the tarantula stall in the ropes and sent Solo to the outside and hit a dive on him. Rocky tried Shurnoi again, but Solo put him on the turnbuckle instead. Rocky bit Solo and hit a super Shurnoi for the pinfall.
Rocky Romero defeated Aaron Solo by pinfall in 7:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Riccaboni called this a feature match up….is he watching the same show? Also, we apparently still have matches left from the Esports arena residency, how many is the real question. How much mediocre action were these poor fans subjected to? Does Solo ever win, even on ROH?
Backstage, Lady Frost said it’s been a while because she’s been traveling and winning tournaments. She asked Red Velvet for a ROH TV Championship proving ground match.
2. Nick Comoroto (w/ Jacoby Watts) vs. Lee Johnson. Just as the bell rang, Watts got on the apron and in the face of Comoroto and told him he wanted to see fire and slapped him. Comoroto ran right at Johnson but Johnson slid underneath and used his speed to lay in a few punches. Comoroto finally got a shot in, but Johnson came right back with a drop kick which sent Comoroto to ringside. Watts told Comoroto he wanted more fire. Johnson ran at Comorto but got laid out with a big lariat. Comroto threw Johnson into the ring post lawn dart style.
Back in the ring, Comroto got a one count. Comorto put Johnson in the corner and worked him over with strikes. Comroto threw Johnson hard into the buckle. Comroto strangled Johnson on the ropes in front of Watts and Watts got some free shots in too when the ref turned his back. Comroto hit another nasty looking lariat and tried to choke Johnson when he went for a pin. Comoroto locked in a neck vice but Johnson fought out with elbows only to eat a big knee to the gut. Johnson threw some right hands and tried a clothesline to no avail. Johnson hit a step up enzuigiri to knock the big man down.
Johnson tried a scoop slam, but was too weak, but then out of nowhere hit a huge, quick suplex and got a two count. Johnson hit a hotshot on the ropes and Watts distracted Johnson and Comoroto hit a fireman’s neckbreaker for a two count. “Praise to Jacobi” shouted Comoroto as he tried a deadeye still move, but Johnson rolled out and pushed Comoroto into Watts who was on the apron. Johnson hit a roll up for the pinfall.
Lee Johnson defeated Nick Comoroto by pinfall in 8:00.
After the match, Comoroto and Watts started the beatdown, but EJ Nduka came down to make the save. Watts fled to ringside and Comoroto took a huge spinebuster. Johnson snuck up behind Watts and fed him to Nduka for another spinebuster…
Robinson’s Ruminations: I guess since we’ve still got matches from the tapings, we’ve still got more Watts and Comoroto to go too…..joy. A lawn dart into the damn ring post should be an injury spot, not a one count. Nduka and Johnson could be a fun tag team. Johnson for the sell and Nduka for the hot tag. I’m in for it.
Backstage Paul Wight interviewed Beef and Anthony Henry and called them a great new tag team. Henry took offense to being called a tag team. Beef said they’re undefeated. Wight screamed the question of what’s next. Henry said there was no Workhorsemen without JD Drake and walked off…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Why would you ever use Wight as an interviewer? He’s a literal giant and makes everyone else look tiny, including Beef! Wight also needs to learn to not scream in backstage segments, there’s a mic for that.
3. Rachel Ellering vs. Gigi Rey. Ellering showed off some nice chain wrestling but then Ellering stuffed a shoulder block attempt. Rey came back with a flying head scissors that was completely muffed. Ellering looked annoyed and blasted Rey with a shoulder block. Ellering hit a senton splash and got a two count. Rey hit a come around drop kick off the middle turnbuckle and a sliding elbow for a two count. Rey tried a suplex, but Ellering hit a gut wrench suplex and another shoulder block. Ellering hit a sling blade style move and a sliding rolling elbow. Ellering hit another senton splash for a two count. Rey hit a jumping forearm in the corner and then ran into the bosswoman slam for the pinfall.
Rachel Ellering defeated Gigi Rey by pinfall in 3:50.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Squash match hour starts now.
4. Anthony Henry and Beef vs. Jay Lucas and Terry Yaki. Beef got a blind tag immediately and Henry was annoyed. Beef showed off his power by flipping one the jobbers off him out of a waist lock. Beef hit a judo style hip toss. Yaki came in and hit a few elbows and the jobbers did some quick tags. Beef picked up Yaki and slammed him in his corner. Henry tagged in and hit some chops and knees in the corner.
Henry did his neck twist and sat down with it and held it in a neck vice, neat! Yaki got out and tagged in Lucas who ran into a low down powerbomb. Beef tagged in and grabbed a two count nearfall off a Henry snapmare. Lucas flipped out of a suplex attempt and hit a round kick. Henry and Yaki came in and Yaki hit some kicks. Yaki did a wall walking tip up and hit a nasty German suplex on Henry. Henry came back with a snap powerslam. Henry hit a suplex style move and Beef begged for a tag. Beef went up top and hit a big frog splash on Yaki to get the pinfall.
Anthony Henry and Beef defeated Jay Lucas and Terry Yaki by pinfall in 5:20.
Robinson’s Ruminations: If you get to pick your wrestling name, why would you name yourself a sauce pun like poor Terry Yaki? Odd couple tag team gets another win, but it took five minutes to beat a guy named after a sauce. Honestly, Yaki was pretty impressive looking in the few moments he got here.
A commercial aired for yet another AEW mobile video game, this time the wrestlers look like action figures…
5. “Iron Savages” Bulk Bronson and Beefcake Boulder (w/Jacked Jameson) vs. “SAP” Serpentico and Angelico. Bronson did some powered arm work and Angelico came back with some technical arm work. Bronson punched Angelico to get out of the arm wringer. Angelico used his speed to hit a dropkick. Boulder and Serpentico tagged in. They posed at each other for a bit and then locked up with Serpentico on the top turnbuckle.
Serpentico got pulled off but used his speed to avoid Boulder for a bit but ran right into a shoulder block. Bronson tagged in and both savages got kicked in the face and Serpentico hit a flying head scissors to send Bronson into Boulder. Jameson threw Serpentico into the barricade. Back in the ring, Bronson hit an elbow drop and some mounted punches. Savages hit the “Squat Party” in the corner and threw Serpentico out to ringside so Jameson could do a squat slam too. Boulder hit a running crossbody block for a broken up nearfall.
Bronson locked in a chin lock on Serpentico who fought out with elbows. Serpentico hit a big chop that knocked himself down. Sereptnico got the formula hot tag and Angleico hit strikes on both Savages, even using Bronson to launch himself at boulder Poetry in Motion style. Angelico hit his capoeira kick and got a two count. Angelico hit a flatliner and Serpntico hit a frog splash for a broken up nearfall.
Boulder scoop slammed Serpentico and Savages missed the Transformer splash. Boulder got low bridged and Bronson ran into him. Serpentico dove onto Boulder and Jameson at ringside. SAP hit some kicks on Bronson and Serpentico hit a top rope crossbody. Angelico locked in his deathlock style submission for the tap out.
SAP defeated Iron Savages by submission in 8:55.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I guess the squash matches didn’t last. This was a fine formula tag match, but man was there a lot of stalling at the top of this one. AEW and ROH have quite a few decent big men, I just wish they were treated better and used effectively. The Savages are just comedy wrestlers.
6. ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet vs. Lady Frost in a Proving Ground match. The women traded some early arm work until they traded some arm drags. Then they traded some awkward roll up attempts. The women did knuckle lock spots and then traded ducking spin kicks. Frost hit a light kick to the face and some shoulders in the corner. Frost hit a release fisherman’s suplex. Velvet hit a flying head scissors off the middle rope and worked over Frost in the corner with a foot choke.
Frost came back with an enzuigiri and some chops of her own. Frost hit a handspring cannonball in the corner for a two count. Velvet locked in an abdominal stretch but Frost hip tossed out of it. The women rolled around the ring and Velvet got a one count rollup. Frost got a roll up of her own for a two count. Velvet hit a spin kick but missed the standing moonsault. Frost hit the standing moonsault for a two count. Frost hit her cartwheel air raid crash for a two count. Velvet hit a hip toss neckbreaker that looked dumb for a two count. The women traded quick roll up nearfalls again for a bit until Velvet got a three count on the last one.
ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet defeated Lady Frost by pinfall in 7:55 in a Proving Ground match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This one was rough. The crowd had died considerably by the time this match went on and it was quiet. Considering the whole match was “I can do that too”, the roll up finish was fine, but it didn’t pop because of the dead crowd.
Backstage, Santos asked Taya Valkyrie about her match with Mina Shirakawa. Valkyrie complained about Shirakawa coming and going. Shirakawa came in and asked Valkyrie to say it to her face. Valkyrie said “no” to her face. Shirikawa said no one wants Mina. Shirakawa got Santos to dance with her…
7. Lance Archer and “The Righteous” Vincent and Dutch vs. “Lights, Camera, Faction” Braxton, Fresco, and Watson. Vincent hugged one of the jobbers for the code of honor and whispered something in his ear that made him scared. Vincent hit some chops and a running back elbow. Vincent hit a school boy that put the back of the head into the turnbuckle. We got tags to Archer and a new jobber.
Archer gave the jobber a free shot that got no-sold. Jobber got stomped out of the corner and then Archer hit a ton of back elbows in the corner. A new jobber came in and hit a big kick on Archer who tagged in Dutch. Dutch ate some punches but then got hit with a block hole slam. The first jobber got a powerbomb and a frog splash from Righteous. The second jobber ate Orange Sunshine. The third jobber got hit with Blackout onto the first jobber for the pinfall.
Lance Archer and “The Righteous” Vincent and Dutch defeated Lights, Camera Faction in 3:45 by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another week, another squash match for Archer.
8. Diamante vs. Tiara James. Diamante hit some knee lifts and a release German suplex. Diamante hit a spear and then her crossroads move for the pinfall.
Diamante defeated Tiara James by pinfall in 0:55.
Diamante continued the beatdown after the bell, but Red Velvet came out to make the save and Diamante scurried to ringside before the two went face to face while the ref kept them off each other…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Diamante getting a title shot after losing the street fight at the PPV is interesting.
A recap aired of EJ Nduka saving Lee Johnson earlier…
Backstage, Santos asked Lee Johnson about Nduka saving him. Johnson said he just needed to look to his friend and brother. Nduka came into frame and ran down some platitudes about how big and strong he is. Nduka said Johnson got jumped by cowards and it won’t happen again…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Nduka can talk and has a million dollar smile. He’s a star. Hopefully tagging with Johnson can help Nduka’s development along.
9. Griff Garrison (w/Maria) vs. Angelo Parker. Garrison put his hand way up in the air for the code of honor and Parker stomped on his foot. Parker hit an arm drag but Griff blocked the second. Parker hit a single leg drop kick and Garrison fled to ringside and took a lap. Back in the ring, Garrison hit a big boot. Garrison worked over Parker in the corner with strikes. Garrison threw Parker hard into the buckle and got a two count for it.
Garrison hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Garrison hit another vertical for a two count. Garrison charged in but Parker moved out of the corner and hit a running clothesline. Parker hit a running blockbuster. Parker tripped Garrison and hit an outside-in elbow drop to the back. Maria got on the apron and tossed a boot to Garrison. The ref saw the boot get thrown and took it from Garrison. Maria hit Parker with another boot and Garrison hit a torture rack bomb for the pinfall.
Griff Garrison defeated Angelo Parker by pinfall in 4:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A win for Garrison over a fairly game opponent? I’m here for Griff’s ascent.
10. “The Premiere Athletes” Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese (w/ “Smart” Mark Sterling) vs. Joe Alonzo and Josiah Jean. Nese hit a waistlock slam. Daivari tagged in and PA hit some punches in the corner. Daivari hit a back elbow for a two count. Nese came back in and hit some chops on Alonzo and then some knee lifts to the face. PAs hit a double stalling suplex. Jean came into make a save but got dumped to ringside. Alonzo got put on the top turnbuckle and hit with a rolling uppercut. PA hit a lawn dart cutter combo on Alonzo. Nese dove on Jean at ringside and Daivari hit the Carpet Ride on Alonzo for the pinfall.
“The Premier Athletes” Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese defeated Joe Alonzo and Josiah Jean by pinfall in 2:30.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another squash for Sterling’s faction.
11. John Silver (w/ Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds) vs. Fuego Del Sol. Silver asked Fuego to kiss his hand for the code of honor, but Fuego just slapped it away. Silver hit a shoulder block and posed. Fuego hit a flying head scissors and kipped up as Silver rolled out of the ring. Back in the ring, Silver hid in the corner until he could get an advantage and get in a gut kick. Reynolds held the feet of Fuego on the outside, so he hit an Asai moonsault on both him and Uno on the outside. Silver took advantage and hit a hotshot and some mounted punches and posed again. Silver tore at the mask of Fuego but then hit some kicks to the chest.
Silver tried a crane kick but got caught. Silver hit a German suplex that flipped Fuego all the way over. Silver locked in a chinlock until Fuego powered out only to be put down with a clubbing forearm. Feugo hit a step up enzuigiri and some running strikes in the corner. Fuego hit a moonsault press and a superkick for a two count. Feugo called for his tornado DDT and went up top. Fuego hopped off and right into a wheelbarrow German suplex. Feugo came back with a high knee and a step up double stomp to the head for a two count. Reynolds got on the apron and got blasted down. Uno slid in and hit a big boot on Fuego. Fuego slid out of a move and got a rollup for a two count. Reynolds hit a sliding dropkick from outside and Silver hit a torture rack slam for the pinfall.
John Silver defeated Fuego Del Sol by pinfall in 7:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: The Dark Order have fully embraced their heel personas, but man does Silver need to work on his heel move set. There was a ton of stalling at the beginning that made this one slow.
12. Abadon vs. Rache Chanel. Chanel slapped away the code of honor and Abadon knocked her down and hit some mounted punches. Abadon hit some double knees in the corner. Abadon hit a basement dropkick. Chanel hit a big boot and a stinger splash. Abadon blocked a hip toss attempt and hit some knees to the face. Abadon hit a cutter and Black Dahlia for the pinfall.
Abadon defeated Rache Chanel by pinfall in 1:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Another attempt to make Abadon seem like a real contender, but I’m still skeptical if Abadon can have a good match that lasts more than a few minutes.
13. Josh Woods (w/Mark Sterling) vs. Katsuyora Shibata. The men traded missed big strikes right at the top. The men traded single leg attempts until Shibata got to the ropes. The men traded some quick chain wrestling including a Boo/Yeah spot with arm bars, which made Woods go to the ropes to break. Woods pulled the arm of Shibata hard and pulled him into the ropes. Shibata fell to the floor and Sterling got some stomps in. Woods went to ringside and ran Shibata into the apron and hit a vertical suplex on the floor.
Back in the ring, Woods stomped on Shibata in the corner. Woods threw some hip strikes at Shibata’s face and got a one count nearfall. Woods hit some more running strikes in the corner. Shibata hit a reversal and hit some punches of his own in the corner. Shibata hit a stalling dropkick in the corner. Shibata hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Woods blocked a suplex attempt and hit one of his own. Woods went to the top turnbuckle and Shibata cut him off. Woods hit a super anarchist’s suplex for a two count. Woods hit a backbreaker lariat combo. Shibata slipped out of a suplex and locked in a sleeper. Sterling got on the apron and distracted Shibata. Woods slipped out of the PK attempt. Shibata hit an STO. Shibata locked in a Claw and then rolled into the cross arm breaker for the submission.
Katsuyora Shibata defeated Josh Woods by submission in 6:40.
Robinson’s Ruminations: That was too quick to really be any good, as both of these guys felt like they were just getting warmed up. I’d love to see a longer match from these two, but I don’t think we’ll get any more than what we got here sadly.
14. Taya Valkyrie (w/ Johnny TV) vs. Mina Shirakawa. Mina danced after the code of honor but got kicked in the face for it. Taya stomped and choked Mina in the corner. Taya bit the arm of Mina and chopped her chest. Mina slid out of a big boot attempt and tripped Taya and kicked her in the back. Mina hit a basement dropkick to the knee and stomped on the knees. Mina went to work on the knee of Taya. Mina hit a kick off the ropes for a two count. Mina tripped Taya and hit a dropkick to the face and worked over the knee some more. Mina locked in a Figure Four but Taya got the ropes to break it. Taya dumped Mina into the turnbuckle on a charge and put her in the tree of woe and elbowed her down to the mat.
Taya hit an elbow drop on the mat for a two count. On the outside, Taya hit some kicks on Mina and made out with Johnny for a bit. Johnny kissed Taya’s knee too. Back in the ring, Taya got a two count nearfall. Taya missed a kick in the ropes and Mina hit a dragon screw through the ropes. On the outside, Mina kicked the knees of Taya. Taya held Mina and Johnny charged at her but Mina slid out and Johnny hit Taya. Mina hit a cross body from the top to the floor on both of them. In the ring, Mina hit a back fist and a kick to the face for a two count. Taya picked the ankle and hit a weak clothesline for a two count. Taya put Mina on the top turnbuckle and chopped her.
Mina fought back and slid out and pulled Taya down onto the turnbuckle. Mina hit a wrist held knee strike off the ropes to the face. Mina went up top and hit a splash for a two count. Mina went for a big move but Taya fought out and hit a spear. Taya hit her backpack jaw jacker move for a two count and then locked in a single leg crab but Mina was right by the ropes to break it. The women traded forearms until Mina locked in another Figure Four and Taya tapped out.
Mina Shirakawa defeated Taya Valkyrie by submission in 10:35.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fine match, but not the best. It was a little clunky in places which I can only attribute to a lack of familiarity between the two. Overall, this show was two hours of mediocre action and questionable choices. What a big miss.
Be the first to comment