By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 85)
Taped October 3, 2024 in Toledo, Ohio at Huntington Center
Streamed October 10, 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…
We started the show backstage where Lexi was all giddy about the upcoming Athena championship celebration and going through her checklist with Billie. Athena came in scared, but played it off saying she was scared for Lexi. Billie asked “what about me?” Athena said Billie could protect herself and locked handcuffs around the wrist of herself and Lexi. Billie stormed off. Lady Frost came in and said it was hilarious that Athena was scared of Abadon. Athena accidentally laid out a challenge for a Proving Ground match, and Frost accepted.
We got a rundown of the matches for tonight.
1. Gabe Kidd vs. Anthony Henry (w/Beef) for the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship. Henry came out the gates fast with a dropkick in the corner that sent Kidd to the floor and Henry charged him into the barricade. Henry went to the top and tried a double stomp, but Kidd rolled out. Henry dodged a bit and hit some strikes and eventually a bridging german suplex for a two count at the 1:00 mark. Henry hit a pump kick and tried a tornado DDT but Kidd caught him and pushed him out of the ring. Kidd ran Henry into the barricade and got in the face of Beef briefly.
Kidd grabbed a mic and called the crowd “smelly tramps” as he kicked and stomped on Henry in the ring. Kidd said he’s the best and maddest. Kidd chopped Henry and Henry asked for more. The men traded chops and kicks in the middle until, Kidd bit Henry in the skull. Henry chopped Kidd in the corner, but Kidd bit him again and hit a scoop slam. Kidd rolled out of the ring and looked under the apron, but Beef threw the apron back down screaming “fair fight”. Kidd laid Beef out, but Henry hit a dive onto Kidd.
Back in the ring, Henry hit a flipping kick in the corner and then a double stomp onto the back of a kneeling Kidd. Henry hit a tornado DDT and then a brainbuster for a two count. Kidd begged for another shot and Henry kicked him in the head but only got a two count. Henry went up top but Kidd cut him off and hit the cleanest superplex I’ve ever seen and then immediately hit a Saito suplex and got a two count nearfall. The men traded strikes in the middle again, but Kidd hit a lariat for a two count. Kidd hit a snap piledriver and got the pinfall.
Gabe Kidd defeated Anthony Henry by pinfall in 8:15 to retain the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Fine match, but there was never a doubt about the outcome. Kidd is pretty aggressive in the ring, and it’s nice to see, but he’s not a ton bigger than Henry. Unfortunately, Henry announced that he suffered a torn biceps during this match.
We got a commercial for WrestleDream focused on the Danielson/Moxley main event.
We got a video package about the Briscoe/Jericho feud for the ROH World title match this weekend.
Cutler told the crowd to thank the EVPs for the ROH matches they were seeing. He said he was challenging an ROH Champion to a match right now. Katsuyori Shibata’s music hit.
2. Brandon Cutler vs. Katsuyori Shibata. Cutler used the code of honor to kick Shibata in the gut. Cutler threw some chops that Shibata just ate. Shibata returned fire with chops that sounded like baseball bat shots. Cutler hit a springboard clothesline and an elbow drop as his chest turned red from all the chops. Cutler ran into another chop and got a boot to the face as he got run into the corner. Shibata hit his corner drop kick and hit a half and half suplex. Shibata locked in the sleeper and then hit the PK for the pinfall.
Katsuyori Shibata defeated Brandon Cutler by pinfall in 2:30.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Cutler didn’t work long, but he made his money taking all those chops. Such a red chest.
Backstage Brian Cage said he’s a machine with tunnel vision and he wants gold. Atlantis “don’t even go here” and Cage wants to take the ROH TV Title back to ROH. “Who Better?”
3. Billie Starkz vs. Ella Elizabeth. Starkz hit a shoulder block on the much thicker Elizabeth and it just barely looked believable. Starkz hit a jaw jacker and a hook kick. Starkz hit a vertical suplex and stared down the barrel of the camera. Elizabeth tried a german suplex, but Starkz used the ropes for a break and dumped Elizabeth to ringside and hit a baseball dropkick through the ropes. Starkz fired up the crowd and went to the top but had to settle for flying nothing. Elizabeth hit a straight jacket suplex. Starkz hit a kick and went up top, but Elizabeth cut her off and screamed in her face. Starkz fought back with headbutts and scream of her own and then hit her swan dive for the pinfall.
Billie Starkz defeated Ella Elizabeth by pinfall in 3:20.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Squash match, and Billie is starting to lose it, again. We really are going to do this all over again huh, ok.
4. “Shane Taylor Promotions” Shane Taylor and ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty vs. “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo (w/Trish Adora). After some maneuvering Taylor hit a shoulder block but Bravo kipped up and blasted Taylor with a right hand. Bravo hit a dropkick and pushed him into The Infantry corner and tagged. They mugged Taylor and hit a double shoulder tackle. Taylor hit a left hand that put Dean on his back. Morairty tagged in but got hit with some arm drags. Bravo and Taylor argued at ringside and Dean looked for a tag but Bravo wasn’t there and STP took advantage.
Dean got trapped in the STP corner and foot choked by Taylor. Taylor hit a scoop slam and leg drop on Dean for a two count. Dean low bridged Taylor and got the “hot tag” to Bravo who hit a neckbreaker on Moriarty. Bravo hit the Carlie Crossover for a two count. Bravo tried for his DDT but Taylor cut him off with a punch. Infantry hit some tandem strikes on Taylor. Bravo hit a DDT on Moriarty and Dean went to the top but Moriarty pushed Bravo into Dean and rolled up Bravo for the pinfall.
“Shane Taylor Promotions” Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty beat “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo by pinfall in 5:45.
Robinson’s Ruminations: The downfall of The Infantry continues. Does this mean a breakup? I don’t like Dean’s chances if that happens. Bravo is the breakout star.
Backstage Evil Uno said Dark Order was on a roll and they need to get back to the trios division. The Iron Savages came in and complained about their recent tag loss. Savages challenged them to a trio match. Reynolds said playtime is over and the next time they meet it’ll be war.
5. Red Velvet vs. Diamante in an ROH Women’s World TV Championship match. Diamante tried to use the code of honor to sneak a punch, but Velvet caught it and put her in an arm hold. Diamante rolled over and got a two count. Diamante hit some arm drags, but Velvet got a roll up nearfall. Velvet hit a leg lariat for a two count. Diamante threw Velvet into some turnbuckles but Velvet got a body scissors roll up for a two count. Velvet did a leg choke with the splits in the corner. Diamante fought back with strikes in the corner. Velvet tried to go up top, but Diamante pulled her down and Velvet hit her head on the turnbuckle.
Diamante did the old school rope face burn spot and then beal tossed Velvet across the ring. Diamante hit a corner splash, but missed a second. Diamante belly to belly suplexed Velvet into the corner for a two count. Diamante hit a neckbreaker in the ropes for a two count. Diamante hit some clubbing forearms and hit a pair of back suplexes. Velvet flipped over the third back suplex and got a two count nearfall. Diamante hit a lAriyat for a two count. Diamante locked in a full nelson and tossed Velvet across the ring and hit a drop kick in the corner for a two count.
Diamante hit a German suplex and a DVD for a two count. Velvet got an inside cradle for a two count, but got blasted with a lariat again. Diamante hit a drop kick to the back to send Velvet to the outside. Diamante threw Velvet into the barricades, ring post and stairs. Diamante broke the count and drop kicked Velvet into the stairs. Diamante grabbed the title belt and the ref tried to tell her not to use it. Velvet tried to fight back but got blasted with the title belt and the ref called the match off for DQ.
Red Velvet defeated Diamante by DQ in 10:10 to retain the ROH Women’s TV Championship.
Diamante lashed Velvet with the title belt until the match announcement and she realized she lost…
Robinson’s Ruminations: This made Diamante look strong and violent.
6. Lance Archer vs. Sam Beale. Big reaction for Beale, who got no entrance. Beale threw a right hand that made Archer mad. Beale hit a flying forearm in the corner but Archer just stomped him down. Archer hit a snap suplex that threw Beale across the ring. Archer hit some running elbows in the corner. Archer put Beale on the top and hit Blackout for the pinfall.
Lance Archer defeated Sam Beale by pinfall in 1:45.
Robinson’s Ruminations: If squash matches happen where no one watches, do they actually do their job of making that person strong?
Backstage, “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo said something was off. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty came in and said they are impressive, and have some impressive wins, but they need to show people they can rumble. Taylor asked when they are going to stop being good soldiers. They all agreed Taylor had something to say there.
A replay aired from September 6, 2006 of Kenta challenging Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship…
7. ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe vs. Josh Woods (w/Mark Sterling, Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese) in a Proving Ground match. Sterling did some heel mic work while the Athletes made their way to the ring. Woods tossed Briscoe to ringside as the match started and threw him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Briscoe hit a kung fu chop and spicy drop kick. Briscoe chopped Woods at ringside and threw a chair in the ring. Briscoe hit a triple jump dive off the chair, rolled over Woods and landed on his feet. Briscoe gave his shirt to a fan at ringside.
Back in the ring, the men traded forearms until Briscoe threw some chops and then hit a flying forearm. Briscoe hit a T-Bone suplex for a one count. Woods raked the eyes and tried for chaos theory, but Briscoe hit an enzuigiri instead. Briscoe hit a DVD and went up top for Froggy-bow but Woods grabbed the arm in a cross arm breaker. Briscoe got to the rope and Woods broke but Sterling pulled on the arm while the ref was distracted. Woods hit a hammerlock scoop slam for a two count. Woods worked on the arm and fingers but Briscoe got the ropes again as Sterling fought with the crowd about the athletes sucking.
Briscoe fought back with kicks and punches and hit a drop toe hold. Briscoe hit a middle rope drop kick and a running kick in the corner. Woods hit a hot shot and threw knees in the corner. Woods put Briscoe on the top and kept uppercutting the arm of Briscoe and hit a super arm drag for a two count. Briscoe went for Jay Driller but the arm gave out. Woods lifted Briscoe onto the top by his arm, but Briscoe bit Woods and hit him with headbutts. Briscoe hit Froggy Bow for the pinfall.
ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe defeated Josh Woods by pinfall in 7:20 in a Proving Ground match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fine TV main event. Sadly, there was no doubt regarding the outcome. Woods lifting Briscoe by his arm to put him on the top was impressive though. My ROH on HonorClub audio reviews are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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