By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 91)
Taped November 7, 2024 in Providence, Rhode Island at Amica Mutual Pavilion
Streamed November 21, 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 rundown of the matches…
1. NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd vs. Angelico in a non-title match. Kidd called out Eddie Kingston off mic as he made his entrance. Kidd slapped the face of Angelico and beat him in the corner before hitting a t-bone suplex out of the corner as the match started. Angelico reversed a suplex attempt into an inside cradle for a two count. Angelico hit a few clotheslines and kicks to get himself back into the match. Angelico hit his rewind kick and grabbed a cradle for another two count.
Angelico hit a back suplex and tried another cradle for a two count. Both men fired big strikes before Kidd hit a back suplex for a two count. Kidd hit a brainbuster for a two count that surprised the announcers, but not me. Anglico tried a crucifix driver but there was some reversals and Angelico got a stacked two count nearfall out of it. Kidd hit two piledrivers and got the pinfall.
NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defeated Angelico by pinfall in 4:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Kidd reminds me a bunch of Preston Vance. They have similar faces and body structures. Kidd has the intensity that Vance lacks though.
2. JD Drake and Beef vs. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty (w/Trish Adora, Shawn Dean). Beef begged for the tag before anything actually happened. Beef locked up with Taylor who threw him to the mat. Taylor backed Beef into the corner and slapped him, and Beef fired back with some chops only to be put on his butt because of a big clothesline. Beef cartwheeled out of a strike and hit a drop kick that sent Taylor to his corner and he tagged out. Moriarty came in and ate an arm drag. Beef caught a crossbody attempt and then tagged in Drake. Drake chopped Moriarty in the corner. Taylor got a blind tag and blasted Drake with a clothesline and then sent him to Dean who choked Drake on the ropes. Taylor threw some jabs in the corner.
The big men traded chops in the middle of the ring until Taylor ducked one and landed a clothesline for a two count. Moriarty tagged in and knocked Beef off the apron. Taylor back in and he hit a headbutt but Drake fought back with a back suplex. Drake “hot tagged” Beef who hit a bunch of right hands on both men and then knocked Taylor to ringside. Beef hit the ten punches in the corner and bit the head of Moriarty on ten. Beef hit a bulldog and got a two count. Beef hit a crossbody on the ropes and then Drake hit a spinebuster on Moriarty and went up top. Drake missed as Moriarty rolled out of the way and tagged out to Taylor. The big men traded huge strikes but Taylor hit a uranage and big splash for the pinfall.
Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty defeated JD Drake and Beef by pinfall.
After the match the beatdown started, but The Kingdom ran down with chairs to chase off the heels…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Fun match where the big men got to trade big haymakers. Sadly the crowd wasn’t really into this match unless there were big haymakers happening.
A Righteous vignette aired with Dutch called himself a long lost Rhodes brother. Dutch recounted Dusty gifting him the cowbell. The video concluded with shots of them making weird faces…
3. Kevin Knight vs. Serpentico. Knight, who holds the NJPW Jr. Hvt. Tag Titles with Kushida, hit a shoulder tackle and a couple of arm drags, including a springboard arm drag. Serpentico hit a flying head-scissors and a cradle for a two count. Serpentico hit a jumping flatliner and then some running uppercuts in the corner. Serpetnico hit a PK and a falling splash for a two count. Knight fought back with some clotheslines and a back body drop. Knight hit a sky high powerbomb and then a leaping frog splash for a two count. After some ducking and weaving Serpentico was able to hit a dropkick to the back of the head for a two count. Serpentico went up top and missed a double stomp. Knight leaped over a clothesline attempt and hit a dropkick. Knight hit a running boot in the corner and a springboard clothesline for a the pinfall.
Kevin Knight defeated Serpentico by pinfall in 4:30.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Knight is a hell of an athlete just as the announcers were telling me the whole match. It is so weird to me that I see more NJPW Strong champions on ROH than I see ROH champions. ROH titles have become Collision titles and NJPW Strong Dojo guys come to ROH to get reps in.
A commercial aired for Final Battle. It’s going to be Dec 20 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. That should be really fun…
4. Mike Bennett vs. Tomohrio Ishii. The men traded chops in the ring to start things off for nearly a minute until Bennett finally dropped to a knee. Ishii stuffed a shoulder block and belated Bennett with one of his own. Bennett blocked a suplex attempt and hit a thrust kick and a clothesline for a two count. Bennett threw some forearms and begged Ishii to get to his feet. Ishii finally got to his feet, begged for more and blasted Bennett with a chop to send him to the mat.
Ishii hit some clotheslines in the corner and then a snap power slam for a two count. Bennett hit a discus forearm and slammed on the mat to try and get the crowd going and he got a polite golf clap for it. Ishii stuffed a spear attempt and tried a piledriver that Ishii stuffed. Bennett hit some big strikes including a superkick that got him a two count. Bennett hit a spinebuster for a two count. Bennett went to the top, but Ishii cut him off and hit a stalling superplex for a two count! Ishii hit a sliding clothesline for a two count. Bennett fought out of a brainbuster attempt, hit a superkick and a DVD. Ishii hit a headbutt, clothesline and the brainbuster for the pinfall.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Mike Bennett by pinfall in 6:55.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Look I understand wanting to give Ishii a hard hitting bout to show how much punishment he can take, but against Mike Bennett? I don’t think anyone takes Bennett seriously as a contender to anything but the ROH Tag Titles, and it showed in the crowd enthusiasm in this match. Polite golf claps was the height of the fervor. The minute long chop fest at the top did have a rising tide of like “ooh” but it didn’t even get above the noise of the chops.
THROWBACK MATCH – Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe vs. Kensuke Sasaki and Katuhiko Nakajima from the December 27, 2008 Final Battle in New York…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Again, I don’t recap throwback matches, I’m here for new and fresh stuff.
5. NJPW Strong Never Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Ariya Daivari (w/Mark Sterling) in a non-title match. Sterling did his usual heel mic work on the way to the ring, really trying to get his “Athletes Rules” shirts and chant over. Takagi hit some strikes in the corner and then a hip toss. Sterling grabbed a leg to distract Takagi and Daivari threw him outside. Daivari worked on the arm of Takagi by ramming him into the steps and the barricade shoulder first. Back in the ring, Daivari kept working on the arm with stomps and then a top side double wrist lock that Takagi had to use the ropes to get out of. Daivari threw Takagi’s head into the turnbuckle but that only fired him up. Takagi threw a clothesline but came up holding his arm.
Takagi hit a scoop slam and a senton splash. Takagi hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Takagi actually got the crowd to fire up for a chant, but Sterling got on the apron and Daivari used this distraction to hit a hammerlock DDT for a two count. Daivari locked in a cobra clutch but Takagi threw him off and hit a DDT for a double down. Takagi got the crowd changing again and put Daivari on the top. Daivari fought out by targeting the arm and hit a splash off the top for a two count. Takagi stuffed a clothesline with a headbutt and then hit a sliding clothesline. Daivari hit a superkick but Takagi hit a lariat and then The Big Bomber. Takagi hit his finisher for the pinfall.
NJPW Strong Never Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defeated Ariya Daivari by pinfall in 8:00.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I can’t imagine letting your promotions champion go eight minutes with what amounts to a jobber to the mid-card. Is anyone from NJPW actually looking at the call sheets for these ROH shows?
An ad aired for The Outrunners’ fanny pack available on AEW Shop.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Tony Khan is just chronically online. There’s no other excuse for pushing the meme team of The Outrunners.
6. ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Leila Grey in a Proving Ground match. Athena grabbed a quick single leg and a submission, but Grey popped up and hit a clothesline. Grey hit a huracanrana for a two count. Grey hit some kicks and a shotgun dropkick to send Athena to the outside. Grey followed her out but Athena threw an arm drag and a dropkick. Athena bounced Grey’s head off the steps. Athena slid in the ring and called for the count out, but Grey slid in almost immediately. Athena hit a snapmare and bashed on the back with forearms.
Athena locked in a standing crossface and then rolled through into a cover for a two count. Athena charged in and went hard face first into the buckle. Grey hit some clotheslines and a knee strike in the corner and a bulldog for a two count. Athena hit a Saito suplex and a handspring slap in the corner. Athena hit a snap powerslam for a two count. Athena went up to the top but Grey was able to cut her off. The women battled on the top but Athena slid out but Grey pulled her back up and hit a sunset bomb off the top for a two count. Grey tried a fireman’s carry but Athena raked the eyes. Athena locked in some sort of leg choke for the pinfall.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Leila Grey by pinfall in 7:45 in a Proving Ground match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Athena can make anyone look good and credible in the ring with her, but somehow still comes out of it all looking strong. She is the closest we’ve got to a modern day Ric Flair. “Could wrestle a broomstick to a Broadway, and you’d love every minute of it.”
7. Brian Cage vs. AR Fox for the ROH TV Title. Lance Archer came out with Cage but only to the stage and he retreated. Cage is now rocking a full beard. Cage immediately threw Fox out of the ring with just a lock up and posed, and he’s probably put on even more muscle. Cage tried a drill claw on the floor but Fox flipped out, hit a backflip dive off the ring post and then slid in the ring and hit a dive through the ropes. Fox went up top and hit a flip dive off the top onto Cage on the floor. Back in the ring Fox hit a top rope crossbody and then a top rope swan dive for a one count that got a mild “AR Fox” chant going.
Cage hit some clotheslines in the corner and then hit a Saito suplex out of it. Cage threw Fox hard into the buckle and posed again. Cage curled Fox and then slammed him to the mat, posed and got a two count nearfall. Fox got a boot up on a charge and tripped Cage and hit a step up enzuigiri. Fox hit a dropkick to the face for a double down. Fox ducked a clothesline and hit a clothesline in the corner and skinned the cat for a pendulum dropkick in the corner. Fox hit a rope hung DDT for a two count. Cage hit a headbutt and a pump-handle flip slam for a two count.
Cage locked in a reverse cloverleaf submission but Fox grabbed the ropes. Fox hit a code red for a two count. Fox hit a DVD on Cage and went up top and hit a 450 for a two count that finally got one guy in the crowd on his feet. Fox put Cage on the top rope and then leaped up and Cage stuffed the Spanish fly attempt. Cage hit a tornado DDT off the ropes and then powerbombed him three times to get a two count nearfall. “AR Fox” chanted the crowd. Fox rolled up Cage for a two count. Cage hit a clothesline that sent Fox inside out and then hit Drill Claw for the pinfall.
Brian Cage defeated AR Fox by pinfall to retain the ROH TV Title.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Thais match actually had the crowd invested by the end of it. Cage doing a bit less interesting offense and focusing down to powerful offense, which is good for him as a heel. Interesting, novel moves get cheered. A vicious clothesline does not. Fox is such a great resilient babyface. It’s a shame these two are stuck in ROH wrestling in front of mostly empty arenas and fighting for crowd reactions this late in their careers. But the wrestling world has a glut of really great stars these days to be fair.
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