Ring of Honor Review - November 30, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston def. Lee Johnson in an ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match (NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Was Not Defended)

Athena wasn't wrong when she said that Kingston barely shows off on ROH TV, but at least he's making more appearances than Claudio Castagnoli was right before he lost the belt. It's clear Tony Khan simply sees Johnson as a good hand at this point with no plans to do anything of note with him, but I appreciated that he scored an ample amount of offense in what turned out to a fairly competitive contest. Kingston may not be ROH World Champion for much longer depending on the outcome of the Continental Classic.

The Infantry def. The Boys

Both The Infantry and The Boys are booked like enhancement teams most of the time, so it didn't really matter who won here because you know they're probably winning their next match. They had a nice little sprint, but this was one of those matches that means nothing because the ROH World Tag Team Champions aren't around right now. In other words, it felt like filler and didn't need to happen.

Emi Sakura def. Trish Adora

It's hilarious when you think about how Sakua has won a ton of matches on ROH TV and on AEW's Dark shows over the years and has gotten a ton of title shots but never wins whenever it matters most, specifically on television. It's hilarious because she really shouldn't be getting title opportunities if she can't win on AEW programming. Despite that, she won here to bounce back from her loss to Julia Hart on Wednesday's Dynamite (even though this was taped prior to that I believe). This was fine while it lasted, but I would've preferred to see Adora go over.

"Legit" Leyla Hirsch def. Heather Reckless

I applaud Tony Khan for trying to tell more than one story in the women's division, especially since that doesn't seem to be happening right now in AEW. Athena and Billie Starkz are obviously the focal point, but whatever's going on with Hirsch, Rachael Ellering and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is also progressing well.​This was a one-sided squash for Hirsch that saw Maria and Ellering accompany her to ringside and walk out with her afterward. I assume Hirsch will ultimately side with Ellering, but I wouldn't mind seeing Maria as her manager (even if I wasn't originally sold on the idea).

Willie Mack def. Robert Anthony

Anthony will pop up every now and again in AEW and ROH as a jobber to the stars because he's an experienced veteran. However, the Willie Mack problem remains. Mack himself isn't a problem but rather his booking. I don't know if he's signed a full-time deal with Ring of Honor or not, but he'll have random matches and pick up wins that don't amount to anything. Why not put him in a Survival of the Fittest qualifier? This was a well-worked match and I appreciated that it was kept brief.

Billie Starkz def. Marina Shafir

In a backstage segment at the start of the show, Athena blamed Starkz for being the weak link in their loss to Shafir and Ronda Rousey in last week's tag team main event. Starkz redeemed herself with a win here in what was a decent albeit lifeless match with Shafir (who isn't remotely interesting without Ronda Rousey). Post-match, Athena held a "graduation" for Starkz and Lexy Nair and that was where Starkz finally turned on Athena to a big pop from the crowd. Needless to say, Starkz vs. Athena should absolutely be the main event of Final Battle.

Dalton Castle def. Evil Uno to Qualify for the ROH World Television Championship Survival of the Fittest Match at Final Battle

The Dark Order act is so tired that almost anything involving them is virtually impossible to care about. As much as I like Castle, that was the case here as well. Uno isn't awful in the ring and they actually had a solid match, but the outcome was hardly in doubt. Uno had no business being in a Survival of the Fittest qualifier. The bright side is that Castle advanced and has to be considered a favorite to win the title.

Colt Cabana and Brandon Cutler def. GPA and Trevor Outlaw

We've reached such a low with ROH TV that they're now putting the dark matches for Dynamite on the show, and I know that Cabana and Cutler would wrestle in the pre-show dark matches because they would air on Being The Elite (before it was quietly canceled/went on hiatus). The ROH tag team division does not need them and neither does AEW's for that matter. I like Cabana, but the Cutler crap is not for me. This was a waste of time.

AAA Cruiserweight Champion Komander def. Gringo Loco ​to Qualify for the ROH World Television Championship Survival of the Fittest Match at Final Battle (Non-Title)

This was the obligatory luchador spot-fest we get at least once a week on ROH TV. They're enjoyable for what they are but never build to anything substantial, but at least this one served a purpose with the winner advancing to the ROH TV title match at Final Battle. They worked hard and did a ton of stuff that the crowd came alive for. Neither one of these guys is winning gold at Final Battle, but Komander was the more logical choice to advance.

La Faccion Ingobernable (Preston Vance and Dralistico) def. Spanish Announce Project

Luther linked up with Toni Storm, so it's safe to say he's out of Spanish Announce Project (thank God), which means it's down to Serpentico and Angelico. So much for Angelico getting any sort of singles push following his mini feud with Kingston for the ROH World Championship. I wasn't expecting it, but it's a bummer they didn't use that as an opportunity to break him back off on his own. There was nothing wrong with this, but the crowd just did not care. It only existed to LFI a win.

Nyla Rose def. Zoey Lynn

I'm all for Shafir and Rose going their separate ways because they accomplishing anything as a team (especially since there's nothing for them to fight for together). Rose's squashes have been done to death over the last four years, but at least she has a change of scenery in ROH. This was a standard showcase for her that possibly gets her one step closer to eventually challenging for the ROH Women's World Championship.

The Butcher and The Blade def. Iron Savages (Bronson and Boulder)

Butcher and Blade are flying solo now that The Bunny has departed the company, but I don't think they'll be any worse off seeing as how they haven't been treated like a top tag team in ages. They're at least a notch above Iron Savages, whose ridiculous gimmick has actually made me less of a fan of them compared to when they were Bear Country. This was a hard-hitting affair that didn't need to go almost seven minutes on an already-lengthy show.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage def. Action Andretti

I felt bad for these two. Assuming this was taped last just like it aired, then that's a horrible spot for them to be in after two-plus hours of ROH TV. Those in the building were probably ready for it to be over and couldn't have given two shits who won. Cage dominated a majority of the match and Andretti attempted to battle back at the end, only to fall short. It was a quality contest, but this did not need to go on last if there was no reason for them to be fighting in the first place.

Overall Show

This show ran almost two hours and 15 minutes, the definition of overkill. Khan was doing a better job for a while when it came to making ROH TV shorter and trimming the fat, but we were back to having a million matches this week and most of them were completely inconsequential. Seek out the segment with Starkz finally turning on Athena because that was well done, but the rest of ROH TV is in shambles heading into Final Battle. I honestly don't know why they're bothering with a pay-per-view when only two matches have been confirmed and it's in two weeks.

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