By Sam Robinson, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@altaine)
Ring of Honor on HonorClub (Episode 129)
Taped on July 31, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, at the Aragon Ballroom
Streamed August 14, 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 started with a rundown of the matches for this show. There’s a Pure Rules proving ground match, so that should be fun…
1. Volador Jr, Difunto, The Beast Mortos, and Hechicero (w/Lance Archer) vs. Angelico, Serpentico, Alex Zayne, and AR Fox in an all-star eight-man tag under Lucha Rules. Down the stretch, Serpentico teased a dive, but got tripped by Archer from the outside, and then things broke down bad. Difunto hit a stomp to the crotch from the top rope while Serpentico was held down and open. The rudos just mugged technico after technico as they came into the ring. Difunto hit a rope running dropkick into the corner on Zayne. Fox avoided charges in the corner and got some boots up and hit a senton dive onto standing opponents. Fox hit running elbows in the corner and hit Difunto and Mortos with cutters. Fox and then Zayne hit Hechicero with diving sentons off the top for a two count. The technicos all dove onto rudos on the outside. Zayne hit his finisher for a two count on Hechicero. Hechicero rolled Zayne all over the ring in a trap pin before finally getting the pinfall on him.
Volador Jr, Difunto, The Beast Mortos, and Hechicero defeated Angelico, Serpentico, Alex Zayne, and AR Fox by pinfall.
After the bell, the rudos all kept the beatdown going until Bandido led the charge of quite a few men to come down to make the save. This group included Brody King and Tomohiro Ishii. The rudos took off quickly…
Robinson’s Ruminations: Typical “All Star ” 8-man tag action, with the CMLL twist of “Lucha Rules ” meaning even more relaxed tags. There wasn’t anything too stand out in the match, just good, solid action.
Backstage Premier Athletes cut a promo on their upcoming match, and they talked about their “undefeated streak “…
2. Willie Mack vs. Gringo Loco. There were some dueling chants as the men circled at the beginning. “Both these guys,” chanted the fans as the competitors chuckled. Loco worked an arm hold for a while until Mack teased, grabbing the junk of Loco, which caused Loco to break the hold. Mack hit a chop, and then they each avoided some lucha throws and had a standoff as the announcers talked about how much these two are alike. Mack hit a huge clothesline and swiveled his hips at Loco. Mack hit a flying head scissors that sent Loco outside. Mack teased a dive and then humped the mat. Mack slid out after Loco, but Loco hit a superkick and a moonsault press off the middle turnbuckle to the outside. Back in the ring, Loco went up top and took too much time on his switch foot moonsault, but landed on his feet only to eat a shoulder tackle from Mack. Mack went up top, and Loco cut him off and hit his top rope Spanish Fly for a two count. Loco went up top for the flying nothing, and Mack countered it with a stunner and a running shining wizard. Mack went up top and hit a frog splash for the pinfall.
Willie Mack defeated Gringo Loco by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: These two are very much mirror images of each other, and while it was one fun match, I really think these two would make a good tag team. Neither dude is quite as quick and fluid as they used to be 10 years ago, and maybe it would give them a new lease on life.
3. Lance Archer vs. Ren Jones. This match started as Archer brought Jones out of the tunnel, already beating him up. Archer threw Jones into the barricades and chopped him a bunch. Archer finally threw Jones in the ring, and the bell rang. Archer hit him with some corner charges and then Blackout for the pinfall.
Lance Archer defeated Ren Jones by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Nothing to see here. Just another Lance Archer match.
An announcer-narrated video package aired about the competitors in the Pure Rules Proving Ground match…
A recap was shown of what Athena was up to on Dynamite…
Mina Shirakawa stood backstage and challenged Athena to a ROH Women’s Championship match. “You have 68 wins, you can’t 69 me, ” she said to close the promo…
4. Taya Valkyrie (w/Johnny TV) vs. Leila Grey (w/Christopher Daniels). MxMTV carried Valkyrie to the ring during her entrance. All of Sky Flight came out with Grey, but only Daniels came to the ring with her. Grey got an early two count with a sunset flip and then another one with a huracanrana. Grey hit a diving uppercut for another two count. TV pulled the foot of Grey, and that was enough for Taya to get control. Taya hit a double leg drop on the legs for a one count. Taya threw Grey out of the ring and then made out with TV at ringside.
Back in the ring, Taya grabbed a high double wrist lock, but Grey stood up and fought out with a jawbreaker. Grey hit some clotheslines and a pump kick. Grey hit a high knee and tried a bulldog, but it got reversed, and the women did a double hair spin spot. The women exchanged forearms until Taya missed a pump kick and Grey hit a cutter for a two count. Grey got on the middle rope, but TV got on the apron for the distraction. As Taya and TV went to make out again, Daniels pulled TV off the apron. Grey hit a cutter and rolled into a dragon sleeper and got the tap out.
Leila Grey defeated Taya Valkyrie by submission.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I don’t know how much Daniels is actually helping train Grey, but whatever is happening behind the scenes, it’s working. This was probably the best I’ve seen Grey look in a while. The match had a consistent pace and built up all the way through to the logical ending. I want to see more of Grey with Sky Flight.
Backstage, Willie Mack said it was good to be back in ROH, and he said he wanted to get some gold, maybe the TV Championship. Nick Wayne came in and asked if right now was the right time and ran down his accolades. Wayne dared Mack to come after it. Mother Wayne looked down on Willie disapprovingly…
5. “Main Man ” Oro vs. Tomohiro Ishii. Oro ducked a chop and hit some of his own that had no effect, and Ishii hit a chop of his own to drop Oro. Oro fired back but was put down with a shoulder block. Oro hit a springboard and ran into a shot from Ishii. Oro hit a leg sweep and a kick to the head. Oro hit a snapmare and a kick to the back. Oro locked in a chin lock, but Ishii stood up out of it. Oro hit a superkick, but Ishii came back with a back suplex. Ishii hit a running clothesline and tried his brainbuster, but Oro threw a knee to get out. Oro hit a kick and a springboard moonsault press. Oro hit a dragon suplex for a two count. The men exchanged strikes, but Oro hit a tornado hotshot out of the corner. Oro tried a hammerlock move, but Ishii hit a lariat out of it and then a brainbuster for the pinfall.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated “Main Man” Oro by pinfall.
Robinson’s Ruminations: This was your standard Ishii match, but Oro held his own and looked good and competitive here. He worked as Oro Mensah in NXT and has good upside.
We got a rundown of an ROH on YouTube special for tomorrow night at 7 pm. It features Premier Athletes vs. Neon and Mascara Dorada match, Nick Wayne vs. Willie Mack for the ROH TV Championship.
Robinson’s Ruminations: I might cover the show, but it certainly won’t be live, as that’s my D&D night.
6. ROH Pure Rules Champion Lee Moriarty vs. Xelhua in a Proving Ground match. All of STP made their entrance with Moriarty, but stayed on the ramp and went backstage while he headed to the ring. After some arm work Moriarty was able to grab an abdominal stretch for a quick hold. Xelhua hit a standing splash for a two count. Moriarty hit a splash of his own, and Xelhua bridged out. Moriarty grabbed a knee bar, but Xelhua used his free arms and leg to lock up Moriarty in a hold of his own, and they broke mutually. They did the knuckle lock spot only for Moriarty to lock in a Kimora with body scissors, and Xelhau had to use his first rope break.
Xelhau hit a back elbow and then locked up Moriarty in another unique submission hold, and Moriarty had to use his first rope break.
Xelhua chopped Moriarty down and locked in an ankle lock variant that was more attack than submission. Moriarty hotshot the arm of Xelhua and then hit a springboard clothesline. Moriarty grabbed a butterfly style submission, and Xelhua had to use his second rope break.
Xelhua came back with some arm drags and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then got a trap pin for a two count. Xelhua locked in an inside clover leaf, and Moriarty had a wiggle to the ropes to use his second rope break.
Moriarty hit a straight jacket slam and locked in Border City, but Xelhua rolled over into a pin attempt for a two count. Xelhua locked in a swinging stand hold, and Moriarty rolled him up for a two count. The men exchanged chops and forearms in the middle, to the crowd hyped back up. Moriarty rolled him up for a two count and locked in Border City in the middle of the ring, but Xelhua just powered out of it and locked Moriarty up with a double arm hold as the time limit expired.
Xelhua survived the Proving Grounds and earned a future ROH Pure Rules Championship match.
Robinson’s Ruminations: Man, as someone who loves weird submissions as much as I do, this one just kind of fell flat to me. The holds were interesting and unique, which I love, but the crowd did not care one iota about any of it, and that really took me out of it. I look forward to seeing if these guys can get a PPV-style crowd into their work in a few weeks at Death Before Dishonor.
The overall show was nothing special, but it did have some moments that shone. Leila Grey growing and showing out was nice. Getting to see a new competitor in Oro was fun. Other than that, though, it was a lot more of the same. At least nothing was actively bad.
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