Ring of Honor Review - May 21, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Action Andretti def. QT Marshall

I'm glad Andretti had the chance to cut a pre-match promo. I expressed concern in the past with where he was headed in Ring of Honor after he and Lio Rush went their separate ways, but we now know that he and Rush will be feuding going forward after Andretti cost Rush the ROH World Television Championship at Supercard of Honor. It was smart to give him a win over an established wrestlers on the roster in what was a well-wrestled opener.

Maya World and Hyan def. Allie Katch and Kaia McKenna

It was cool to see Katch make an appearance, as I recognize her from GCW. I believe she's been done with GCW for the last little while, so perhaps this was supposed to serve as a tryout for her in ROH. Regardless, this was all about World and Hyan, who are on the rise in ROH. I don't see them challenging for the AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship again anytime soon, but this was a fine win for them.

Rush def. Ryan O'Neill

Anything I've said about any of Rush's matches in the last month or so can be applied to this match as well, which is to say it was short and sweet. I understand building him up over in AEW assuming a title shot is in his future, but I don't think any of these wins mean anything in ROH. Hey, wasn't he supposed to challenge for the ROH World Championship back in December? Does he not care about that belt anymore (not that I blame him)?

Bustah and The Brain def. Premier Athletes (Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari)

We saw at Supercard of Honor that Bustah and The Brain are headed for a clash with the returning Kingdom, so it made total sense for them to pick up a victory before then. I liked that they beat a contracted team, too, specifically a team that has been winning a lot of enhancement matches lately. This was good for as long as it lasted. I'm hoping this means Bustah and The Brain are in for a push going forward.

Caprice Coleman Hosted a Sit-Down Interview with Eddie Kingston and Ortiz

Kingston comes across as real and authentic in everything he appears in and this was no exception. It was cool to hear from him and Ortiz considering Kingston should be doing so much more at the moment. This was another excellent interview from Coleman and I thought he utilized the time effectively. Kingston and Ortiz still feel like they're treading water in ROH, but this was better than nothing.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Dalton Castle and The Outrunners def. Chulo Montana, Danny Grandview and Ykies in an ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Proving Ground Match

It looks like Castle and The Outrunners are going to go from having random squashes to now having random Proving Ground matches without the level of competition changing. Good lord, I hope not. They're a fun trio, but this kind of match got old many months ago for them. There are actual trios they can defend their titles against, so it shouldn't be long before they defend them.

Lio Rush def. Aaron Solo

Rush was already crazy, but he's probably fallen more into madness after failing to win the ROH World Television Championship at Supercard of Honor. He did his usual shtick here. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about the match, but at least Rush is finally starting to rack up wins. I also fear his character is starting to grow on me, if only because of how much he's committing himself to it.

ROH Women's Pure Champion Deonna Purrazzo def. Janai Kai in an ROH Women's Pure Championship Proving Ground Match

Kai has competed in her fair share of matches on ROH TV (and possibly AEW TV, too), though I'm not sure if she's officially signed to some sort of a deal with the company. If she's not, she should be, as she'd be another nice addition to the division. She had her best success in MLW, for those unfamiliar with her work. As your average Proving Ground match, this was more about Purrazzo than it was Kai, but I did think Kai had a solid showing in defeat.

Mina Shirakawa and Queen Aminata def. Billie Starkz and Diamante

Shirakawa and Aminata teamed up on the Supercard of Honor Zero Hour pre-show because Harley Cameron wasn't medically cleared and thus Aminata filled in for her. It was interesting that they teamed up again here, so we'll see if it sticks. This was a well-worked tag team match that seemed to exist to build toward Shirakawa vs. Athena in the quarterfinals of the women's Owen Hart Cup at Double or Nothing this Sunday.

ROH World Television Champion AR Fox def. Shane Taylor

I appreciated how Taylor acknowledged his history with the ROH World Television Championship earlier in the episode. There was no reason to think Fox was dropping the belt one week after winning it, but this did make for a meaningful and entertaining main event on this show as they had great chemistry together. Fox is off to a strong start as champ.

Overall Show

I have no idea why ROH TV went from being an appropriate length to now closing in on two hours every week. It's so unnecessary, especially since most of these matches don't accomplish anything. That said, there was some quality stuff sprinkled throughout the show, specifically the main event. We're also getting some storyline progression for a change, so that's slightly encouraging.

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