Ring of Honor Review - December 14, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston def. Evil Uno in an ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match (NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Was Not Defended)

It's pretty lame that the ROH World Championship (as of this writing, anyway) is not being defended at Final Battle tomorrow night due to it being at stake in the ongoing Continental Classic. That's just poor planning. Hell, I don't think Kingston will be on the show at all. I can't say this made up for that, but he and Uno did have a solid opening match here and this episode emanating from Canada (where Uno is from) helped.

"Legit" Leyla Hirsch def. Katrina Creed

Hirsch squashing people is fun to watch because of the style she works. She's back to racking up wins after failing to win the ROH Women's World Championship not too long ago, but the main focus right now is on her storyline with Rachael Ellering and Maria Kanellis-Bennett. She made quick work of Creed as she should have, but this easily could have been two minutes instead of four because it was never about Creed.

ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta def. Jason Geiger in a Pure Rules Match (Non-Title)

I'm glad Yuta will actually be appearing on ROH TV while champion despite being a regular on AEW programming. It feels like the norm for ROH title holders to appear primarily on AEW TV and not on ROH TV as often. There was no question surrounding the outcome here, but it did serve as a solid showcase for Yuta before he defends against Tom Lawlor at Final Battle (a match I'm looking forward to, by the way).

Dalton Castle and The Boys def. Iron Savages (Jacked Jameson, Bronson and Boulder)

I used to like Bear Country, but they've been unbearable since Jameson became their manager. I suppose that's the point since they're heels, but the absurdly stupid gimmick doesn't make them look like threats whatsoever. On the bright side, Castle and The Boys are over as a trio, so at least the crowd was behind them here. Post-match, Johnny TV stared down Castle from the stage, so apparently they're headed for a rematch soon.

Taya Valkyrie def. Rachael Ellering

Valkyrie is another Canadian, so it wasn't wise to put Ellering against her if the idea is for Ellering to be a babyface. It was a decent match, nonetheless. Valkyrie completely disappeared from AEW TV a few months ago, so having her in Ring of Honor may not be the worst thing, especially if she'll be aligned with her husband Johnny TV. As for Ellering, Maria acted disappointed with her loss.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter def. Bobby Sharp and Shaun Moore

This sent the message that Garrison and Karter can't win against contracted talent because they've lost a majority of their matches up to this point. Sure, they won here, but who could possibly care? The best thing I can say about it is that it was kept brief. Garrison and Karter still lack chemistry as partners in my opinion and Maria adds nothing to their act. The stuff with Hirsch and Ellering is a much better use of her time.

Shane Taylor def. Channing Decker

As someone who loved Taylor and Keith Lee as a tag team several years ago, I'm excited for their upcoming one-one-one encounter at Final Battle. That has the potential to be great if given time. This was designed to put over Taylor as dominant before then, so it accomplished what it needed to. Lee showing up afterward and facing off with Taylor would have been ideal, but I don't think Lee has appeared on ROH TV at all in the buildup to the bout.

The Righteous def. Australian Takeover

Ian Riccaboni mentioned on commentary that Australian Takeover have had success elsewhere, but they definitely didn't stand a chance against The Righteous here. The Righteous won in under five minutes and that was all there was to it. As I've said before, I'm a big fan of The Righteous, but they've been spinning their wheels for months and that's a shame. It's also a shame their alliance with Lance Archer and Jake Roberts was so short-lived.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage def. Gravity

The Gates of Agony have been away in Japan partaking in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's World Tag League, and because TMDK beat them in that tournament, TMDK will be getting a shot at their ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship at Final Battle. That wasn't explained on commentary but rather on Twitter/X by Tony Khan. This match didn't serve a purpose, but it was a cool clash of styles while it lasted.

The Butcher & The Blade def. The Outrunners, The Workhorsemen and The Infantry in a Four-Corner Survival Tag Team Match

Ah, yet another multi-team match with zero stakes. This is probably the fifth or sixth one we've gotten on this show in the last two or three months. They get everyone on the show and the wrestling isn't bad, but without anything to vie for, they're fairly meaningless and this was no exception. Khan really needs to strip MJF and Adam Cole of the ROH World Tag Team Championship and call it a day. This was an enjoyable little sprint as they made the most of the time they had.

ROH Women's World Champion Athena def. Roxanne in an ROH Women's World Championship Proving Ground Match

There was nothing much to the match as it was your average Athena enhancement match where she beat her opponent almost immediately, but her post-match brawl with Billie Starkz was really well done. Athena getting busted open was an awesome touch. I've been quite critical of the ROH product this year, but Athena and Starkz deserve a ton of credit for doing such a strong job of generating interest in their storyline since the summer.

Overall Show

Khan has since announced more matches for Final Battle on social media, so it's pretty much a complete card on paper. The hype for the event has been nearly nonexistent and the brand hasn't been this cold in quite a while, but I'm sure the show will exceed expectations based on what's advertised. As for this episode, it was a weak go-home show for Final Battle and didn't need to be over 90 minutes long, but at least that brawl at the end with Athena and Starkz left me looking forward to their main event on Friday night.

SEE MORE: ROH Reviews