Ring of Honor Review - January 30, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Juice Robinson def. PJ Black by Disqualification

This match must have been taped a good while ago, because Black didn't have the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship here (which he won at Wrestle Kingdom 13) and Nick Aldis was on commentary promoting an NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship defense he had against Black earlier this month. I believe both of these guys recently signed with Ring of Honor, so this bout gave them the chance to showcase their skills in front of an audience that may not have been overly familiar with them. It was a good matchup, but the disqualification finish was a bit deflating. Then again, both guys were protected and Black got heat for attacking the referee, so it wasn't a terrible idea.

Shane Taylor def. Mike Law

Taylor has been built up as a destroyer over the last year or so, and as impressive of an athlete as he is, I have yet to see him involved in a memorable program with anyone. He can continue squashing local athletes like Law in record time, but these wins won't mean anything if they don't lead anywhere. He took credit afterward for ridding Ring of Honor of Christopher Daniels, so we'll see if there's any follow up to that or it was just ROH's way of writing Daniels out of storylines.

Kenny King Interrupted Flip Gordon

Colt Cabana interviewed Gordon about his big win over Bully Ray at Final Battle and Gordon setting his sights on the ROH World Championship. King interrupted and presented Gordon with footage of him pinning Jay Lethal, though I have no clue when that would have been from. Either way, it's cool to see Gordon and King getting involved in the world title picture and I'm all for them feuding in the meantime.

Villain Enterprises def. Shinobi Shadow Squad

Villain Enterprises were originally supposed to receive a shot at the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship on this show, but The Kingdom backed out at the last second and were replaced by the trio of Cheeseburger, Eli Isom and Ryan Nova. I had never seen Brody King and PCO in action prior to this and I was impressed by them. I was surprised Villain Enterprises were getting a championship opportunity so soon anyway, so this turned out to be the better option with Villain Enterprises being able to develop chemistry as a team and picking up a nice win.

Overall Show

Despite the bait-and-switch in the main event, this was a solid show. Villain Enterprises made their in-ring debut as a faction, Gordon and King kicked off their rivalry, Robinson and Black produced an enjoyable opener, and Taylor killed some random fool. I feel like I read about someone new signing with ROH every week, which is excellent news. Here's hoping they can continue to put together a strong roster and fill the void left behind by The Elite and SoCal Uncensored.