By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 97)
Taped December 21, 2024 in New York, New York at Hammerstein Ballroom
Streamed January 2, 2025 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…
1. Red Velvet vs. Hanako for the ROH Women’s World Television Championship. We’re still at the Hammerstein Ballroom, but it’s darkly lit now, probably signaling this match was held near the end of the tapings. After some arm work trading, Velvet taunted and ducked into the ropes for a break. Hanako stuffed a shoulder block and begged for more, but Velvet pie faced her and kicked her in the gut, but then ran right into a shoulder tackle. Velvet tried for a crossbody block but Hanako caught her and body slammed her. Velvet rolled out of the ring, but Hanako chased her around the ring.
Back in the ring, Velvet hit a chop block to the knee and then worked on the leg by wrenching it in the ropes and punching it. Velvet continued to work on the leg by wrapping it around the steel ring post. Velvet complained to the ref about the crowd still cheering for her even as she did all the heel work she could. Hanako reversed a suplex attempt and hit a vertical suplex of her own. Hanako hit a boot as Velvet was distracted by the crowd again.
Hanako hit another boot to the face and a Samoan drop. Hanako hit a series of splashes in the corner and then a big splash on the mat for a two count. Velvet dropped Hanako on the ropes and hit double knees to the back and then a leg drop for a two count. Hanako locked in a torture rack but Velvet went to the eyes, hit some superkicks and then hit Straight Out Your Mama’s Kitchen (Natrual Selection) to get the pinfall.
Red Velvet defeated Hanako by pinfall to retain the ROH Women’s TV Title.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Velvet was really annoyed with the crowd here, and it really distracted from what was an ok match with a foreign opponent who looks like they have all the tools to be something with a bit more seasoning.
Shane Taylor spoke from his big leather chair. “No one cares how you rise to power, only what you do once you get there,” Taylor said. “Gone are the days of the true warriors.” Taylor added that Shane Taylor Promotions is answering all challengers and willing to go to war.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Taylor is really reminding me of Marvel’s Kingpin here in these video packages, and that’s a good thing.
2. Action Andretti and Lio Rush vs. Rocky Romero and Homicide. Again with the dumb big spiky coats. Big love for Homicide from the crowd. Rush used the code of honor to kick Rocky in the gut. After a tag out to Andretti, Andretti got in the face of Homicide and got rolled up by Rocky for a two count. After Homicide got tagged in, Andretti and Rush bailed to ringside to whisper about strategy.
Back in the ring, Rush used his speed to duck and move around Homicide and slap him in the head. “He fucked up” chanted the crowd. A light chop from Homicide and a double shoulder block with Rocky was all that happened. Rocky hit two clotheslines in the corner before he got poked in the eyes. Andretti and Rush used speed and quickness to disorient Rocky and hit him with a double suplex. Andretti pushed Homicide off the apron and Homicide threw a chair at the ring ropes.
Homicide kept getting drawn into the ring and allowing Rocky to get double teamed more. Rush hit a dropkick and tagged back out. Andretti worked on the arm of Rocky by pulling it in the ropes. More quick tags from Rush and Andretti but then Rocky did some dodging and Rocky did his rewind kick and got the hot tag to Homicide. Homicide hit some punches and shoulders in the corner. Homicide hit Rush with a belly to belly and then Andretti with three amigos for a two count.
Homicide hit a cutter on Andretti for a broken up nearfall. Rush got dumped to ringside but dodge the dive attempt and hit Rocky with a Asai moonsault. Homicide had a fork and stuck it in the turnbuckle. While the ref was removing the fork, Andretti hit Homicide with a low blow and got the pinfall.
Lio Rush and Action Andretti defeated Rocky Romero and Homicide by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: All right, using the equity of Homicide to put over your new heel tag team is a smart idea. Fine booking here. The match was nothing special, but I really love how high flyers are adapting to use their speed and quickness to outfox babyfaces rather than be flashy. It works for Blake Christian and it works great here for Rush and Andretti too.
We got a recap of the Bull Rope match from Final Battle. Then we went backstage after Final Battle where Dustin Rhodes was thanking Sammy Guevara for his help. He apologized to Sammy for not being 100 percent at the beginning. Dustin said they did what they said they were going to do and said Sammy has grown into a great man. Sammy said he’ll have Dustin’s back at the Tokyo Dome. Dustin shifted his attention to House of Torture and said that they’ll have their shot.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This is really the Sammy Guevara rehabilitation tour, and it’s going ok. I don’t know that it’s done enough for me just yet, but I think they’re getting there. Jason Powell will be covering WrestleDream live. I’ll probably try to catch some clips on delay, so check me out on Twitter/X to see my thoughts there.
3. Harley Cameron vs. Ashley Vox. The venue wasn’t doing a great job of moving people around as there were obvious seats empty on the hard cam. After some trading of headlock takeovers, Cameron hit an ugly splash in the corner. Vox came back with a shotgun dropkick, but she missed a cannonball as the crowd chanted “let’s go Harley”. Cameron choked Vox with her boot in the corner and then hit a vertical suplex for a two count with a mounted pin. Cameron hit a chop and a back elbow.
Cameron hit some 12 to 6 elbows on the collar bone before she locked in a straight jacket. Vox stood up and arm dragged out, but Cameron hit a thrust to the throat. Vox came back with strikes in the corner and hit her cannonball for a two count. Vox hit a headbutt and grabbed a fish hook and then hit a clothesline for a two count. Cameron hit some knees and a step up enzuigiri. Cameron hit a pump handle back suplex and then a shining wizard for the pinfall.
Harley Cameron defeated Ashely Vox by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Cameron has all the personality in the world and she’s good enough in the ring to get by. But, she’s still not great in the ring, she doesn’t hit the ropes hard enough or move with enough urgency for me.
Backstage, Lexi Nair asked Red Velvet why she did what she did at Final Battle. Velvet started to complain about fighting fire with fire. Hirsch came in and said Velvet had to use the wrench because she wasn’t good enough to beat her. Velvet said Hirsch could have another shot, but it would be on Velvet’s time.
4. “Shane Taylor Promotions” Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Shawn Dean, and Carlie Bravo (w/Trish Adora) vs. “The Iron Savages” Bulk Bronson and Beefcake Boulder and “Dark Order” Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno (w/John Silver, Jacked Jameson). Moriarty hit a waist lock slam on Reynolds for a one count and then wrestled all around Reynolds and locked in a stretch and posed. Reynolds grabbed a quick roll up for a two count. Reynolds hit a dropkick and kipped up. Boulder and Bravo in. Bravo hit a big right hand but then got pressed into the air, with ease by Boulder. Savages took Bravo and then Dean to Titty City.
The Savages hit tandem body slams on Infantry. Adora got on the apron and distracted Bronson so that STP could take advantage and hit some moves off the apron. Back in the ring, Taylor tagged in and chopped Bronson in the corner. Moriarty tagged in and stomped on Bronson. Bravo choked Bronson with his boot. Infantry tried to suplex Bronson but he fought off briefly before getting hit by some new tandem backdrop suplex. Infantry tried a sunset flip trick but Bronson sat on Dean and hit Bravo with a driver at the same time. Uno got the hot tag and he came in with boots and DDTs.
Uno hit Moriarty with a brainbuster for a two count. Moriarty kicked out the arm of Uno and Boulder came in. Boulder hit Infantry with a double swing out facebuster. Taylor came in and the big men circled. Boulder ate a right hand from Taylor and stayed standing and then hit Taylor with a body slam. Savages hit Transformer splash for a broken up two count. Moriarty blocked a Reynolds dive by grabbing a Border City Stretch. Uno hit Infantry with a noggin knocker, but Adora saved them by grabbing the foot. Infantry hit Uno with a double stomp and then Moriarty locked in the Border City Stretch while Taylor and Infantry circled like dogs.
“Shane Taylor Promotions” Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Shawn Dean, and Carlie Bravo defeated “The Iron Savages” Bulk Bronson and Beefcake Boulder and “Dark Order” Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: A fun “all-star” eight man tag. 2025 is going to be the year of STP and I’m all kinds of here for it. The announcers kept telling us as much as the match went down.
An ad aired for AEW Revolution in March. Tickets go on sale in two weeks…
A recap aired of Lexi Nair being expelled from MIT last week…
Throwback Match: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale from the July 21, 2023 Death Before Dishonor. Athena Defeated Willow.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Athena is a factory for great matches, and making the women she works with better. I remember at the time that I wasn’t 100 percent sold on Willow’s in-ring work, but this match changed my mind.
5. ROH TV Champion Komander (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. QT Marshall in a Proving Ground match. We jumped away from Hammerstein to a full crowd, so this must be from before Dynamite. As soon as the code of honor was done, QT went to the floor to stall, doing his best Larry Zbyszko impression. QT did it again, and complained about gymnastics instead of wrestling. QT teased locking up and bailed to ringside again, but Komander hit him with a baseball slide dropkick. Back in the ring, QT took over with some strikes but then got hit with a flying head-scissors and dropkick for a one count nearfall.
Komander hit QT with some chops but QT blocked the tip up in the corner with a kick to the gut. QT bodyslammed Komander as the announcers talked about QT’s time in Mexico recently. QT hit a knee drop for a two count. QT hit a tilt a whirl backbreaker for another two count. QT tried for another cover and put his feet on the ropes, but Arbrahantes threw his feet off. QT worked on the mask in a chin lock and as Komander stood up, he threw him to the mat. QT choked Komander on the mat with his shin and then got a two count nearfall. The announcers compared QT to Larry Sharpe as he locked in a chin lock. After Komder fought out, Komander locked in a standing abdominal stretch, but QT backed him into a corner.
Komander got moving and hit a jackknife flip out facebuster. Komander hit a rope walking flying head-scissors and then a big cannonball dive to the outside. Back in the ring, QT hit a pop up forearm and a suplex powerbomb for a two count. QT put Komander on the top rope and teased a diamond cutter, but Komander fought out and hit a huracanrana over QT’s head. Komander missed a dive on the outside and QT tossed him in the ring and blasted Abrahantes with a forearm. As QT soaked up the boos, Komander hit him with a Asai moonsault and then checked on Abrahantes. Back in the ring, Komander hit a springboard destroyer. Komander went up top and very slowly hit his rope walking shooting star press, but QT fell out of the ring as the ten minute time limit expired. The time limit expired and QT Marshall has earned a future title shot.
ROH TV Title Komander fought QT Marshall to a time limit draw in a Proving Ground match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I’m not the biggest fan of QT, but his wrestling is technically sound, he can work around just about any style, and he does resemble all those heels named above from the past. I think this is a fine way to tie up Komander for a little while.
The overall show was fine. We got to see some champions, and storylines were reinforced at worst and forwarded at best. They also did some promotion for the WrestleDream show. Not a lot to complain about. I’ll have more to say during my weekly audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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