Ring of Honor Review - September 14, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli def. Rocky Romero

It was ridiculous to think Castagnoli would lose the title so close to his defense against Eddie Kingston next week at Grand Slam. Why not do this match a week ago? Don't get me wrong, they had an enjoyable outing, but I wish they explained why this happened and bothered to build it up a bit in advance. Also, there was no excuse to not have this headline the show, though they probably wanted the fans in attendance to see it because the building is pretty much empty at the end of the taping.

Willie Mack and The Infantry def. Kevin Ku and The Outrunners

I've speculated before that The Outrunners might be under a Ring of Honor deal because this wasn't the first time their entrance has been shown. I'm not so sure about Ku, though. This was Mack and The Infantry's match to win as they continue racking up wins and building chemistry as partners. They really should be the trio to take the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship from Mogul Embassy (not like there's many other options). It really should not have taken Mack and The Infantry as long as it did to beat these three jobbers.

Mercedes Martinez def. Zoey Lynn

It was cool seeing Martinez on Collision last month working with Kris Statlander and even challenging for the AEW TBS Championship on one episode, but we'll see if her alliance with Athena and Diamante sticks because there hasn't been much progression with that in a few weeks. This was a simple squash for her to get back on track and showcase her dominance. Here's hoping her alliance with Athena and Diamante isn't over because that's probably her best bet at finding some direction on this show if she isn't going back after the ROH Women's World Championship any time soon.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Gates of Agony def. Matt Brannigan and Cole Radrick

Maybe I'm nitpicking here, but I don't understand what purpose this was supposed to serve unless Gates of Agony are going to challenge for the ROH World Tag Team Championship at some point. It's possible they will, but if not, they'd be better off focusing on the titles they currently have. They don't need those belts if they're going to be built up in two-on-two competition. The best part about this was that it was over almost immediately.

Darius Martin def. Christopher Daniels

Darius has primarily been working tag and trios matches with Action Andretti since Dante got hurt, so it was refreshing to see him on his own for a change. Daniels was a perfect opponent for him as he's seasoned and Darius benefits just by being in the ring with him. This was on the shorter side, but they had a fun little match here. Martin winning was a pleasant surprise, so we'll see if they bother to capitalize on it.

Shane Taylor def. Lee Johnson

I was disappointed we didn't get a longer match from Taylor and Samoa Joe when they fought for the ROH World Television Championship at All Out, but what we got was good. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll remain exclusive to ROH TV instead of making more appearances on AEW programming. He and Johnson had a nice match here. Lee Moriarty was at ringside and was confirmed to be the newest member of Shane Taylor Promotions later on.

Willow Nightingale def. Lady Frost

These are two standouts in ROH's women's division, though Nightingale arguably belongs on AEW programming full-time these days. I mean, she won the women's Owen Hart Cup. Why is she working meaningless matches in front of so few people? That's not to dunk on this match, though, which was solid. Frost is skilled and I'm glad she's getting some spotlight in ROH. However, her inconsistent win-loss record hurts her chances of building momentum.

Josh Woods def. Dominic Garrini

Woods is in a weird spot. He's been racking up wins recently but doesn't seem to be headed toward anything of note. Sure, he could challenge Katsuyori Shibata for the ROH Pure Championship again, but he's not going to win, not to mention that being paired with the goofy Mark Sterling does him no favors. He beat Garrini in a matter of minutes here and picked up the decisive victory but gave no indication of what's next for him.

Ethan Page def. Griff Garrison

I don't believe Page is using the "All Ego" nickname anymore now that he's a babyface, but maybe I missed it during his entrance. I'm actually intrigued by this new direction for his character. I'd get him the hell away from The Hardys, however, and pretty much anyone else. ROH might be the best place for him right now as he said in his backstage interview. This was a well-worked match to give him his first singles win on the brand. Garrison was approached by Maria Kanellis-Bennett later on, so we'll see if he joins whatever faction she appears to be putting together.

The Workhorsemen def. The Boys

It was the battle of ROH's two biggest enhancement teams. Both need wins, but it made more sense for The Workhorsemen to go over here to establish some credibility. The Boys are always at their best when they're getting beat up and I liked the dynamic they had with The Workhorsemen. Of course, if this win doesn't amount to anything for them and they go back to losing weekly, then this was a waste of time.

AR Fox def. Tony Nese

Has Nese been in the main event of ROH TV a lot lately or is it just me? These matches don't mean anything and are only slotted in the main event because barely anyone is in the building by this point. Maybe going back to taping at Universal Studios wouldn't be the worst thing. This was well wrestled, but it's alarming that Fox is already back to pulling ROH duty after being a prominent member of Mogul Embassy on Dynamite before being kicked out because he couldn't work All In.

Overall Show

There's no need for ROH TV to be an hour and 45 minutes. I know it changes from week to week, but trimming it down to an hour would make these episodes more worthwhile and force them to feature less matches that don't matter. This was more of the same from the brand. Castagnoli vs. Romero was a highlight, but that's about it. The ROH World Championship, the ROH World Television Championship, and the ROH World Tag Team Championship essentially becoming property of AEW programming has made ROH TV even more inconsequential than it already was.

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