Ring of Honor Review - January 25, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Righteous def. Camaro Jackson and Anaya

I'm all for more of The Righteous and I'm glad they're racking up some wins, but they desperately need to find direction. The problem is that I don't see them challenging for the ROH World Tag Team Championship anytime soon with The Undisputed Kingdom being in possession of the belts, so The Righteous simply have to tread water for now. This was a simple squash win for them and nothing more.

Nyla Rose def. Laynie Luck

As I've said before, Rose is killing it as a babyface right now and I hope it isn't short-lived. I don't see her beating Athena for the ROH Women's World Championship, but I'm glad it's become a full-fledged feud instead of it being a one-off as so many Athena title defenses have been. Rose went over quickly and decisively here as she should have and she once again let her personality shine through.

Zak Knight def. Aaron Solo

Knight has had a few matches on ROH TV and has won every single one of them, so it is really fair to call these "tryouts" at this point? Perhaps he's under some sort of deal with Ring of Honor, but hopefully that's made clear eventually. Either way, he was once again impressive here, and Solo has been around long enough where beating him actually meant something for Knight. Now we just need to hear him on the mic.

Cole Karter and Griff Garrison def. Spanish Announce Project

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I truly can't bring myself to give a single shit about this tag team feud. Props to all involved as they're skilled wrestlers, but they're at the bottom of the barrel in ROH's tag team scene and none of them are benefiting from these matches. This was perfectly passable, but I imagine Karter and Garrison winning means the rivalry will continue. Oh, joy.

Willie Mack and Blake Christian def. The Outrunners

I can't recall if we've seen Mack and Christian team up before. If they did, it was likely to lose to another team and this was designed to be a rebound win for them. That's cool and well, but will they actually stick together beyond this match? I'm not complaining if so because it's not as if they have anything going on individually at the moment. They gelled really well as partners here in what was a well-worked match.

Diamante, Leila Grey and Taya Valkyrie def. Trish Adora, Lady Frost and Kiera Hogan

​We've seen a lot of the same matches with different combinations of these women in recent weeks because they're in a holding pattern until the ROH Women's World Television Championship Tournament get underway. If nothing else, these matches give them a chance to show what they can do, so this was solid stuff. It really didn't matter who won, but Diamante picking up the pinfall win for her team was a pleasant surprise.

Lee Johnson and The Infantry def. Iron Savages (Jacked Jameson, Bronson and Boulder)

The shtick is so stupid that Iron Savages have go-away heat with me personally, and it doesn't help they're featured almost every single week. Jameson's a goof, but Bronson and Boulder are a talented tandem when they're not going the gimmicky crap. I don't know what brought Johnson and The Infantry together, but they were an entertaining trio. I wouldn't be opposed to them setting their sights on the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.

Red Velvet def. Heather Reckless

Velvet has had a handful of matches on AEW TV since returning from her latest injury, but ROH might be the best place for her at the moment. She's still as good as other women on the roster and should get more focus (as well as opportunities to improve) in ROH's women's division. There wasn't much to this match, but it did serve as a credibility booster for Velvet ahead of the ROH Women's World Television Championship Tournament.

Billie Starkz def. Tootie Lynn

The string of wins for Starkz continues. I don't know if she'll definitely become the first-ever ROH Women's World Television, but they're doing an effective job of convincing viewers that she will be. Plus, the more matches she has, the more experience she'll get. She's already come so far from where she was even a year ago. Thankfully, this didn't overstay its welcome and was what it needed to be.

"All Ego" Ethan Page def. Kody Lane

Page has made it quite clear that he has gold in his sights, so having him score some wins makes sense. Ideally, he should be the one to dethrone Kyle Fletcher as ROH World Television Champion, but I can understand not rushing into that. He's thriving in the babyface role and maintained his momentum with this win. This was a basic squash that gets Page one step closer to his ultimate goal.

Abadon def. Robyn Renegade

It's safe to assume Abadon will be involved in the ROH Women's World Championship Tournament based on their appearances as of late. Similar to Velvet, they'll be better off in ROH for the time being. Abandon already unsuccessfully challenged for both of the AEW belts, so now it's time for them to pursue new gold in ROH. The Renegades are whatever, but Robyn played her role well here in putting over Abadon.

Jack Cartwheel def. Jon Cruz

Cartwheel's aerial antics aren't my cup of tea, personally, but he never ceases to get crowds invested in his matches, so I give him credit for that. He flies around the ring with easy and is quite the impressive athlete. He's popped up in ROH here and there, so although this was a nice little showcase for him, I don't know why it happened unless he'll be back on an upcoming episode to lose to someone else.

Action Andretti def. Anthony Henry

Yes, there was indeed a time when Andretti appeared to be on the brink of breaking out about a year ago, but then Tony Khan failed to follow up with him properly and now here he is. Don't get me wrong, this was one of the better bouts on this show, but it felt fairly pointless since both Andretti and Henry are tag team guys currently, unless this is leading to something with Top Flight and The Workhorsemen.

Rocky Romero def. Slim J, JD Drake and Josh Woods in a Four-Corner Survival Match

I've grown to loathe these Four-Corner Survival matches, not because they're poorly wrestled but rather because they have no stakes and are intended to be filler. I mean, why these four guys? It virtually didn't matter who won, but Romero was a fine choice considering he's a regular on AEW TV alongside Best Friends these days and is a champion in other promotions. This had its moments but was essentially every other Four-Corner Survival matchup we've gotten as of late.

ROH World Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) def. Gringo Loco and Gravity in an ROH World Tag Team Championship Proving Ground Match

I would've appreciated an explanation as to why Loco and Gravity were teaming up for a potential title shot, but I don't expect one because I realize that's rare with this sort of stuff in ROH. They had an enjoyable main event, but needless to say, there was zero uncertainty regarding the outcome. Undisputed Kingdom feels like a cold faction right now, but at least Taven and Bennett are being protected.

Overall Show

We got 15 matches in two-plus hours, the worst type of ROH TV episode. Seriously, I thought the show would never end. Who is this even for? It brings me back to the days of Dark and Dark: Elevation when episodes were filled with meaningless squashes for no real reason. There have been some thumbs-up editions of ROH TV in recent weeks, so hopefully this won't become the norm again. There was so much on this show that virtually nothing stood out as a result.

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