Ring of Honor Review - October 26, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Angelico def. Metalik

I liked the video package that aired for Angelico beforehand with Angelico addressing Eddie Kingston ahead of their inevitable ROH World Championship clash. It's impossible to take Angelico as a legitimate threat to any title at this point (especially when he has Serpentico, the ultimate enhancement talent, in his corner), but I appreciate the attempt and at least he's doing something significant for a change. This was a well-worked opener.

The Infantry def. Terrence and Terrell Hughes

As I've mentioned in past reviews, the Hughes brothers are the sons of D-Von Dudley. They've made a number of appearances on the AEW Dark shows in the past, though they didn't get much of a chance to show what they can do here because this was a quick win for The Infantry. Speaking of whom, I dig The Infantry, but they need a string of notable wins to really rise up in the tag team division. This was a step in the right direction.

Dalton Castle def. Anthony Henry

Man, Ring of Honor has completely dropped the ball with Castle in recent months. He had a fun match with Samoa Joe for the ROH World Television Championship at Death Before Dishonor back in July and came close to winning it. It looked like he'd remain in chase mode and even mentioned afterward that he intended to contend for the title again, but that storyline was seemingly dropped and there's been no mention of it since. Henry took Castle to his limit here in what was a very good match, but Castle went over in the end as he should have.

Mercedes Martinez and Diamante def. Billie Starkz and ROH Women's World Champion Athena

It was refreshing to get some actual development with the Athena and Starkz storyline for a change. They've been aligned for months, but they can only do so much stuff as a team before they have to move onto the next chapter and it looks like that's where we're headed. This was a quality contest from these four and I liked the finish with Martinez pinning Starkz, likely earning her an opportunity at the ROH Women's World Championship and further teasing tension between Starkz and Athena.

Kyle Fletcher def. Willie Mack

In a backstage interview beforehand, Fletcher brought up his failures against Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega in recent weeks, so it's cool that he's got a storyline going in the absence of his injured tag partner Mark Davis. Hell, he might be getting television time now than he was previously. He'll be facing Konosuke Takeshita on Friday's Rampage, so this was a warm-up of sorts for him and it was a well-wrestled match at that.

Gravity def. Slim J, Gringo Loco and Blake Christian and in a Four-Corner Survival Match

I'm convinced ROH books these high-flying multi-man matches at this point to convince people to stay after the Collision tapings and not because there are any plans to do anything with those involved in these things. Don't get me wrong, this had enjoyable action, but I don't know why this couldn't have been for a shot at the ROH World Television Championship. Instead, it feels like a hollow win for Gravity.

"Legit" Leyla Hirsch def. Nyxx

This was the usual enhancement match for Hirsch with her making short work of Nyxx. It was short, sweet and exactly what it needed to be. What's interesting, though, is that she confronted Maria Kanellis-Bennett backstage earlier in the episode and told her that she's willing to listen to her offer to join her little faction. I have no desire to see her linked up with those goofs Griff Garrison and Cole Karter, but Maria managing Hirsch on her own could work.

Lee Moriarty def. Darius Martin

The booking of Martin is so puzzling. He was winning a string of wins and beating some established talent, but then he started losing again, rendering the previous wins irrelevant. At least these two worked well together and I don't mind Moriarty being built up now that he's joined Shane Taylor Promotions. Action Andretti came to Martin's aid afterward when Shane Taylor attacked him, so a tag team match is clearly coming.

Rachael Ellering def. Robyn Renegade

Ellering's an interesting name​ because her stints in WWE NXT and IMPACT were short-lived, but she's skilled in the ring. She just lacks personality from what I've seen of her work, so I'm curious if she'll catch on in ROH and have better luck in this division. This was a pretty straightforward showcase for her. Giving her squash wins to start off is the way to go, but cutting promos will be her first real test.

The Gates of Agony def. Cole Karter & Griff Garrison and Iron Savages (Bronson and Boulder) in a Three-Way Tag Team Match

This is probably the second or third multi-team main event that we've gotten on ROH TV within the last month and this one was also extremely brief. I mean, what's even the point without anything at stake? Sure, Gates of Agony won again and teased challenging for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, but I doubt that happens anytime soon with The Gunns getting the next shot at Full Gear and The Kingdom also waiting in the wings. This was a nice sprint, but it was a meaningless main event.

Overall Show

Thankfully, this edition of ROH TV was kept under the 90-minute mark, so that made it easier to sit through. It was yet another episode to feature a lot of meaningless matches with no stakes and the champions don't show up. I'm glad we're getting a program between Kingston and Angelico for the ROH World Championship and the Athena and Starkz stuff is progressing, but the other divisions are treading water at the moment. This was a solid show, but per usual, you missed very little if you didn't watch.

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