Ring of Honor Review - January 16, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Katsuyori Shibata, ROH World Television Champion Komander and The Outrunners def. Dylan and Zack Stewart, Rosario Grillo and Colby Carter

Shibata, Komander and The Outrunners were such a random pairing. This felt like an excuse to put a bunch of Ring of Honor's fan favorites together to get them on the show and give them an easy win. The match was fine albeit inconsequential. Speaking of Komander, QT Marshall revealed at the start of the show that he'll challenge Komander for the ROH World Television Championship on next week's 100th edition of ROH TV.

The Beast Mortos def. Tony Nese

Mortos infamously took part in the latest Continental Classic and didn't pick up a single win. I'd say that hurt his credibility, but at least on AEW TV, it's not like he had much credibility to begin with. Regardless, this was a much-needed win for him. I don't understand why this had to be a competitive contest, though. Mortos really should have beaten Nese quicker than he did.

Blake Christian def. Parker Li

Christian continues to find his footing in the heel role and has shined in his recent appearances on ROH TV. His in-ring ability has never been an issue, but I hope he can get over as a heel in ROH the same way he has in GCW (from what I've seen, anyway). This was a solid showcase for him, but Christian will need to start beating names that matter in order to be taken seriously.

ROH Women's World Television Champion Red Velvet def. Angelica Risk in an ROH Women's World Television Championship Proving Ground Match

Velvet has been having nothing but Proving Ground matches since Final Battle (except for that title defense she had on the Boxing Day Brawl episode), which is logical if the intent is to establish her new heel persona. As I've said before, she's already infinitely more interesting as a heel than she ever was as a babyface. This served its purpose, but hopefully it isn't long before she and Leyla Hirsch further their feud in meaningful fashion.

Shane Taylor Promotions (ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor) def. Serpentico, Boulder and The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno)

I'm sorry but Serpentico, Boulder and Dark Order do not belong in any main event in 2025, even if it's ROH TV. Thankfully, Boulder was tolerable without the rest of Iron Savages, but this should have been booked as a straightforward squash. Yes, it was well wrestled and had some enjoyable action, but it was largely a waste of time and I'm not sure why it had to go on last. It had the correct outcome, so there was that.

Overall Show

This edition of ROH TV gets an automatic thumbs-up for being significantly shorter than it has been as of late. At just 70ish minutes long, this show was a breeze to get through, especially if you eliminate the replay of Mark Briscoe vs. Slim J from the first episode of ROH TV on HonorClub. That isn't to say this show is worth watching as there was almost no significant stuff, but I do appreciate that they announced Komander vs. Marshall for the TV title for next week's 100th episode.

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