Ring of Honor Review - October 10, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd def. Anthony Henry

This was billed as an open challenge, but Kidd vs. Henry was advertised on social media beforehand, so perhaps Henry already answered the open challenge. I don't know, I barely pay attention to the commentary (not because it's bad but because the show is a slog to sit through most weeks and it's difficult to pay complete attention to what's being said). Nonetheless, this was a good opener between two talented athletes. Unfortunately, Henry tore his biceps during the bout, so he'll be missing more time after being sidelined with a different injury earlier this year.

Katsuyori Shibata def. Brandon Cutler

I am not kidding when I say that Cutler came out to almost total silence. I'm sure he's a pleasant dude, but the fact he continues to be featured is an embarrassment, even if he never wins. He issued an open challenge of his own and Shibata answered. Thankfully, this was essentially an extended squash for Shibata, who will be challenging Jack Perry for the AEW TNT Championship at WrestleDream.

Billie Starkz def. Ella Elizabeth

There was a quick backstage segment that aired at the start of the show where Athena acted concerned for Lexi Nair but completely neglected Starkz. That's been going on for a while and I'm ready for the next step of the storyline. At this point, I'm sure they're waiting until closer to Final Battle to have Starkz turn on Athena... again. This was a standard showcase for Starkz.

Shane Taylor Promotions (ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor) def. The Infantry

Anthony Ogogo wasn't with Shane Taylor Promotions, which was weird. Moriarty and Taylor haven't teamed a ton since Moriarty won the ROH Pure Championship, but I'm glad they reunited here and picked up a win. The problem is, if they're going to beat an actual team in The Infantry, this victory should actually amount to something. It was a well-wrestled match while it lasted.

ROH Women's World Television Champion Red Velvet def. Diamante by Disqualification

I've liked the mini feud these two have had going in recent weeks. Between her rivalry with Leyla Hirsch and now this, Diamante's renewed singles push has been nice to see. She and Velvet were having a decent match up until the lame finish. Diamante getting herself intentionally disqualified tells me that Velvet must've been legitimately hurt and they had to go with a different finish. If that was the plan all along, then Diamante looked dumb for costing herself the title when she could've easily rolled Velvet into the ring and beat her.

Lance Archer def. Sam Beale

I totally forgot about Beale! He spent some time in TNA/IMPACT a few years ago and I'm pretty sure he was aligned with Brian Myers. He departed the promotion and I hadn't seen him until now. This was the usual destruction from Archer. As seen on Wednesday's Dynamite, Archer is no longer aligned with Lance Archer and will be managed by Don Callis going forward, though Callis wasn't present here because I imagine it was taped before that happened.

ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe def. Josh Woods in an ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match

I appreciated that they made sense of this match by airing the footage of Briscoe brawling with Woods during The Conglomeration vs. Premier Athletes last week on Collision. I typically lose interest in anything having to do with Premier Athletes, but this was a solid main event. It also gave Briscoe a last-minute momentum boost before he defends against Chris Jericho at Saturday's pay-per-view.

Overall Show

Don't be fooled by the near-two-hour runtime. Much like last week, they aired a classic Ring of Honor match before the main event and this week it was Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA from 2006. Yes, I've heard it was an excellent matchup. No, I didn't watch it here because I'd like to get through ROH TV as quickly as possible, personally. This show was slightly better than usual with two title matches and Briscoe being in action, but the lack of energy on these episodes is noticeable and makes it all the more apparent that ROH feels completely pointless these days.

SEE MORE: ROH Reviews