Ring of Honor Review - July 25, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta) def. Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo and Lee Moriarty)

Although it was good for ROH TV to have Castagnoli back, it's not exactly an encouraging sign for Castagnoli, who has felt directionless for a while now. Despite that, this served as a nice preview of Yuta vs. Moriarty for the ROH Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor. It was a very well-wrestled opener and was given plenty of time. Shane Taylor feels like much more of a threat to Yuta than Moriarty does.

ROH Women's World Champion Athena and ROH Women's World Television Champion Attacked Queen Aminata and Red Velvet

We don't get talking segments in the ring often on ROH TV, but when we do, Athena is almost always involved. However, that's not a bad thing, as it means Athena's feuds receive storyline support and usually receive proper build ahead of the pay-per-views. This was simple stuff with the heels laying out their opponents at Death Before Dishonor, but it was well done. Athena officially revealed she isn't actually injured, even though it's been obvious for weeks.

The Gates of Agony def. Spanish Announce Project

This is what I'd like to see more of Gates of Agony on ROH TV if they're going to be staying put in Ring of Honor: dominant wins against established teams. Spanish Announce Project are obviously threat to them and thus this could have been slightly shorter than it was, but at least it had the right result. Now let's get Gates of Agony in the mix for the ROH World Tag Team Championship where they belongs.

EJ Nduka def. Jon Cruz

What's funny about the timing of this match is that it took placed right after Serpentico was in action. In case you didn't already know, Serpentico and Cruz are the same person, so while I don't think these matches were actually taped back-to-back, it is hilarious to think Serpentico went backstage, ditched the mask and returned to the ring for this squash as Jon Cruz. And a squash is exactly what it was, as it should have been. I've been waiting a long time for Nduka to make his formal AEW/ROH debut and he came across like a total beast here.

Shane Taylor and Johnny TV def. ROH World Television Champion Atlantis Jr. and Lio Rush

This looked like a really random match on paper, but then it was announced that the ROH World Television Championship will be defended in a Survival of the Fittest match with these four men, Brian Cage and Lee Johnson at Death Before Dishonor. That's also really random, but whatever. If nothing else, all four of these guys are talented, so this was a solid match. I liked Taylor pinning the champ to score a momentum boost.

Abadon def. Dulce Tormenta

I still don't understand AEW/ROH's use of Abadon. They'll get showcased in these enhancement matches, but in matches that actually matter, they won't win. This has been the case with them since they started in AEW years ago. I'd like to think these wins will amount to something for them eventually (perhaps in the ROH Women's World Television Championship picture), but I have no reason to believe that'll happen. At least this was kept short and sweet.

Top Flight, Action Andretti, Komander and Fuego Del Sol def. Nick Comoroto, Anthony Henry and Iron Savages (Boulder, Bronson and Jacked Jameson)

To my knowledge, none of these guys are facing each other at Death Before Dishonor (unless they get added to the Zero Hour pre-show), so this match served zero purpose. Technically, there was nothing wrong with it from an in-ring standpoint as it had its moments, but it wasn't necessary on a show that ended up going past the 90-minute mark. Fuego being back was notable as AEW didn't renew his contract at one point, so we'll see if this was a one-off or if he's been re-signed to an ROH deal.

The Von Erichs def. The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

It was announced that The Von Erichs and Dustin Rhodes will take on The Dark Order at Death Before Dishonor, where the winners will go on to face Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett for the vacant ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (yes, they're unfortunately bringing the belts back) at Death Before Dishonor. This was a decent main event that only headlined this episode emanated from Texas and The Von Erichs were involved. Plus, the crowd popped for Kevin Von Erich locking in the Iron Claw on Reynolds afterward.

Overall Show

As expected, several matches were added to the Death Before Dishonor card at the last minute. Only the top matches are somewhat interesting, but of course, they need a complete card to justify having a pay-per-view. The mic work on this show (in the ring, in backstage segments and in pre-taped promos) was fine and everything else wasn't total throwaway, so that was appreciated. The largely-lazy build for Death Before Dishonor hasn't left me looking forward to it, but I have no doubt it will deliver as all of the ROH events under the AEW banner have so far.

SEE MORE: ROH Reviews