Ring of Honor Review - May 18, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH World Tag Team Champion Rey Fenix def. Gringo Loco

I realized while watching this match that we've barely seen The Lucha Brothers in action since they became ROH World Tag Team Champions. Hilariously, they'll be defending the belts against Blackpool Combat Club next week on Dynamite, not on ROH TV. Not sure what the logic behind that decision is. Nonetheless, this was quite the sprint. Loco is a treat to watch and Fenix works well with just about anyone.

Willow Nightingale def. Madi Wrenkowski

Another week, another win for Nightingale. She's reaching Athena and Skye Blue territory where she's having matches with no consequence or a formal setup. She's winning matches simply for the sake of winning matches, but it's better than nothing and I'm all for her building momentum. She has to be in line for another ROH Women's World Championship match against Athena eventually, right? On a side note, Wrenkowski has worked a ton of enhancement matches on AEW Dark and is actually one-half of the NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship currently, though that wasn't acknowledged here.

Iron Savages def. The Wingmen ("Pretty" Pretty Avalon and Ryan Nemeth)

My thoughts on Iron Savages haven't really changed since they've gotten a hype man because he doesn't add much to the act, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I maintain that they're a team with potential but need to start beating credible teams in order to be taken seriously. The Wingmen are obviously not high on the totem pole, but at least they're on the roster. This would have benefited from being more straightforward in favor of Iron Savages. The Wingmen shouldn't have nearly as much offense as they did.

Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal def. Zack Clayton and Cole Karter

I believe it was on Dark a few weeks ago that Clayton and Karter joined forces. Karter returned to AEW last year with some fanfare only to join The Factory almost immediately. That turned out to be a bad move because now the group's no longer together, and an alliance with Clayton isn't much better. They're bound to be nothing more than an enhancement team if this was any indication. This was pretty pedestrian stuff.

Lady Frost def. Miranda Alize

Alize was on the brink of breaking out in the women's division before Ring of Honor closed its doors in late 2021, and although I'm happy she's been brought back, it's clear Tony Khan doesn't have any significant plans for her. On the bright side, Frost is very good and deserves this chance to shine. There wasn't much to this match, but both women were impressive and maximized their minutes.

Spanish Announce Project (Angelico and Serpentico) def. Cheeseburger and Eli Isom

The Wingmen wrestling in ROH is fine if they're only utilized as jobbers, but Spanish Announce Project is just abysmal and appear to have found a new home in ROH now that Dark is no longer a thing. Ugh. Angelico means nothing at this point, Serpentico has never meant anything and Luther is unbearable in any on-air role. ROH has enough tag teams and does not need Spanish Announce Project. It was a decent match, but I would've rather see Isom and Cheeseburger win to be honest.

NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. def. AR Fox

As I've said before, Sabre is a great get for ROH TV and it looks like we haven't seen the last of him based on the segment we got afterward involving him, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal. Joe and Sabre teased a clash of champions, but Daniels and Sydal interrupting with Sydal announcing his intentions to challenge for one of their titles. That set up a tag team match with these four for next week. Oh, and Sabre vs. Fox was excellently wrestled, as you'd probably expect.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Gates of Agony def. Dalton Castle and The Boy

The Boy was Brandon Tate, but he was just billed as The Boy. Castle previously teased wanting another opportunity at the six-man tag titles, which goes to show how depleted the division is considering The Embassy has already beaten him and The Boys twice. Gates of Agony went over decisively, so we're not closer to a title match, anyway. The highlight was Tate/The Boy selling for Gates of Agony's offense.

Shane Taylor and The Workhorsemen def. Schaff, Ricky Gibson and Eddie Pearl

Are The Workhorsemen going to become members of Shane Taylor Promotions? They're an odd fit, but not terrible. I'm all for anything that will get Taylor on ROH TV more and The Workhorsemen can obviously go. I assume their partnership will eventually be explained because the commentators brought it up as well. This was total domination from them. Perhaps a shot at the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is in their future despite both trios seemingly being heel.

Mercedes Martinez def. Ashley D'Amboise

I believe this marked Martinez's first match in either AEW or ROH since her loss of the ROH Women's World Championship to Athena at Final Battle back in December. I don't know why she's been away for so long, but I'm glad she's back, as she brings a veteran presence to ROH's women's division. D'Amboise is another quality addition assuming she is indeed sticking around in ROH as has been reported. This was a relatively quick win for Martinez. Time will tell if she's headed for a rematch with Athena.

Action Andretti and Darius Martin def. The Kingdom in a Fight Without Honor

I don't know if this rivalry reached a level where a Fight Without Honor was necessary, but it did make the match more interesting and entertaining than it would have been otherwise. Props to all four guys for giving it a great effort and having a hell of a brawl. They made the most of the stipulation and there were some super cool spots. I assume Andretti and Darius are sticking together in the absence of Dante Martin. Them challenging Lucha Brothers for the ROH World Tag Team Championship one of these days would be an absolute blast.

Overall Show

With Dark and Elevation officially abolished, it feels like ROH TV has filled the void they left behind, and that's not intended to be a compliment. It's concerning, actually. The first few weeks of the relaunched ROH TV were enjoyable, but the lack of consistent storyline progression and important angles has been disappointing, not to mention the excessive amount of enhancement wrestlers that are being featured. The Wingmen? Spanish Announce Project? The Trustbusters? Why? Even Iron Savages are doing the same thing they were doing on Dark, which is to say they're still doing nothing of note. I appreciate the abundance of quality wrestling, but there is zero reason for this show to be two hours weekly. Thankfully, this edition was an improvement over most we've gotten since Supercard of Honor with the main event and the NJPW World Television Championship match specifically standing out. The rest of the episode largely consisted of squashes, which has unfortunately become the norm for ROH TV.

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