Ring of Honor Review - November 7, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Silas Young def. Sandman in a no Disqualification Match

Yes, Sandman represented Flip Gordon against Bully Ray's representative, Silas Young. It would have been a joke for Sandman to beat Young, so thankfully that didn't happen. I don't know when this became a No Disqualification match, but it pretty much had to be given Sandman's limitations. That said, it was fun while it lasted and was a nice trip down memory lane for the fans in attendance (this episode emanated from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, a.k.a. the old stomping grounds for ECW). Afterward, Bully gave Gordon his punishment, which was 10 kendo stick lashings. Despite being drawn out, the angle was well done and seemed to set up something between Bully and Cody.

WOH World Champion Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose and Madison Rayne def. Kelly Klein, Britt Baker and Karen Q

The Women of Honor division is thriving at the moment and it's cool to see such a diverse group of talent mixing it up almost every week on ROH TV. This was another enjoyable, well-wrestled showcase for the women and everyone had their time to shine at one point or another. Klein teased tension with her partners throughout the bout and that was ultimately what cost her the win in the end. I was surprised to see Rose pin Klein to pick up the victory for her team, especially considering Klein has rarely been beaten during her Ring of Honor tenure. Time will tell if that will actually lead to anything or if it was merely because Rose was competing in her hometown.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion and NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Cody def. Kenny King by Disqualification (Non-title)

Damn, that's a lot of titles for Cody to be carrying at one time! Thankfully, I won't have to write as long of an introduction for him in the future considering I read he recently lost the NWA title back to Nick Aldis as well as the six-man tag titles back to The Kingdom at an ROH Survival of the Fittest. At any rate, King has been defeating Bullet Club members left and right as of late, so it made sense for King to take on Cody next. They had a very good match and I didn't mind the non-finish because it protected both guys and put even more heat on King. Not only did King and Jay Lethal further their feud going into their upcoming ROH World Championship clash, King and Cody now have unfinished business as well.

Overall Show

I won't give any spoilers away here, but I saw someone tweet out what the likely card is for Final Battle next month and I'm extremely excited for it (especially considering I'll be there in attendance). Thus, some of these storylines feel temporary before ROH sets in stone certain matches for the pay-per-view, but the weekly television shows have been entertaining in the meantime. This was a solid show with three worthwhile matches/angles, as well as some build for next week's show which will feature Lethal, Jonathan Gresham and a mystery partner vs. The Kingdom as well as Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor.