Ring of Honor Review - December 21, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dalton Castle def. Brian Johnson

Castle is coming off three straight losses (including at Final Battle), so he pretty much had to win here. That said, Johnson had a hell of a showing in defeat and continues to impress. He's intense both in the ring and on the mic, so he showed a ton of fire while taking Castle to the limit. In the end, it wasn't enough, but I'd argue he gained plenty with his performance. It's amazing how he went from being some random, generic dude to me to now being a top prospect in the promotion. He just needs to win more often so he can begin building credibility.

Rhett Titus def. Delirious

This match did nothing for me on paper, but once again, the pre-match interviews with both men got me hooked. They discussed the history they had from the early years of Ring of Honor, which I knew nothing about until they mentioned it. I've never really cared about Delirious, likely because I wasn't watching ROH when he was a full-time competitor, but I enjoyed his recent outing with Matt Sydal in the ROH Pure Championship Tournament and this was also well-worked. Titus is another person I've never given a crap about because he felt bland to me, but he feels revitalized now that he's in The Foundation and this was an effective way of reestablishing him as a threat.

Overall Show

This show aired on Friday in some markets, so it technically took place before Final Battle and thus there wasn't any fallout or recap. I'm not sure if there will be next week, but hopefully on the sooner side. Despite that, this was another rock solid edition of ROH TV with two matches that exceeded expectations. Johnson and Titus in particular shined during the sit-down interviews and I can't stress enough how much those interviews are helping the talent. I also loved the hype for Kenny King vs. LSG next week, and if that wasn't enough, the annual Christmas Surprise match is tap for the episode as well. I'm looking forward to the fallout from Final Battle, whenever that is.