Ring of Honor on Honor Club Episode #4 3/23/2023

Ring of Honor on Honor Club Episode #4 3/23/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/ring-of-honor-on-honor-club-episode-3.html

Samoa Joe had something to say to start. He said he thought Mark Briscoe has forgotten what he has gotten in the ring with. Joe issued an open challenge for tonight and told Mark to watch carefully.

Tony Nese vs Mark Briscoe

Mark gets jumped as he enters and Nese stomps on him. Mark hits a flying kick then an uppercut throat thrust. Mark hits more shots and Nese goes outside where Mark hits more shots. Nese gets slammed on the floor then Mark elbows him off the apron. Mark argues with Mark Sterling outside then is pushed into the post. Mark gets pushed out of the ring again when they get back in and Mark has to fight off Josh Woods. Mark goes to re-enter the ring and gets crotched then is suplexed by Woods on the floor.

Mark is put in the tree of woe and Nese does crunches where he kicks Mark with his feet. Mark hits a big face kick then Nese spin kicks him in the face as he is seated. Nese brings down Mark's throat over the top then misses a slingshot asai moonsault. Mark flurries him with palm thrusts and iconoslams him for 2. Mark hits a nice exploder suplex and neckbreakers him for 2. Nese kips down out of a lariat and hits kicks. Mark then suplexes him. Nese flips out of a german and double stomps him then runs into a Mark lariat. Mark finlay rolls him then hits a froggy bow from the top for the win.

I really wouldn't have had an issue with this if it wasn't for the floor moves. You get slammed or suplexed on the floor and that really should be it. However, that just started the match here and played no role in anything else.

Mark jumps the rail to hug his family after.

Blake Christian, Metalik and AR Fox vs The Trustbusters (Slim J, Ari Daivari and Jeeves Kay)

Kay and AR start us off. Kay hurricanrana's and dropkicks him early then AR combos him with a jaw and neckbreaker. Blake legsweeps Ari and dropkicks him then does a springboard elbow for 2. Blake gets beaten up 2v1 in the corner by J and Kay. Blake holds onto the botom rope and J pulls him into a mini-powerbomb move. Kay hits a 2nd rope euro to the back of Blake's neck then Blake backdrops him.

Metal gets in and headscissors Air before tope con hilo'ing him. Metal then splashes him off the 2nd rope. Metal misses a top rope moonsault but rolls through then rolls him up for 2. Metal gets pulled off the apron then is rammed into the apron. J does a double stomp into an elbow. Kay then slams Metal into a splash the Metal handsprings into a back elbow on Kay. Metal then springboard back elbows Ari. J gets in and knocks the faces off the apron then gets backdropped. Metal goes to make a tag but nobody is there then he tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Ari.

AR gets the hot tag in and beats up Kay then rolls him into a cutter. AR skins the cat into a dropkick then rolls into a double cutter and rolls into another cutter. AR walks up the buckles then does a flip off the top while holding Kay's hand. Kay gets thrown over the top then Blake does a neat twist phosbury flop type of dive. Sterling gets on the apron and is kicked by AR then Kay kicks AR. AR takes a very high death rider style ddt. Everyone gets near the top rope and we have some wild tower of doom spot then Ari dives into an AR cutter. Ar then hits a 450 on Ari and wins it.

I thought this was a decent trios match. Maybe a few too many rolls/flips, but the heels were heels and the faces were faces and it enjoyable. 

The Embassy then jump the faces after.

Lady Frost vs Skye Blue

Skye flips through a wristlock then Frost does the same. Skye cartwheels then Frost does a flip to get out of the wristlock. Frost takes armdrags and works on Skye in the corner. Frost does a spinning kick to the ribs of Skye then does a forward cartwheel into a cannonball on Skye in the corner for 2. Frost handstands into a knee drop on Skye. Skye tries to slingshot in and gets kicked then Frost cannonballs her off the apron.

They trade kicks inside and both go down. Skye headscissors her off the 2nd rope, step up knees her then swinging kicks her on the mat for 2. Frost fakes a kick then high kicks her and does a neat roll into a spinning samurai driver. Skye throws her off the top then top rope crossbodies her for 2. Skye hits a shake, rattle and roll then does a full-nelson slam for the win.

I really didn't have any problems with this. They didn't overdo it here and Frost was decent as usual. Really not sure why Frost isn't on the main roster when she's better than a lot of the girls on it.

Rush and Dralistico vs Rhett Titus and Tracy Williams

All four trade forearms to start then Rhett and Tracy are dropkicked out. Tracy gets beaten up and double dropkicked. Dral corkscrew kicks him then Tracy and Rush trade forearms and chops. Dral top rope legdrops Tracy as he hangs off the 2nd rope. Dral and Tracy trade chops and forearms then Dral is saito suplexed. Rush and Titus trade forearms then flurry each other. Titus belly to belly suplexes him then hits face kicks on both opponents. Rush is then dropkicked into a spinning forearm. Dral is supposed to break the count but barely hits it then Tracy takes a release german on his neck. Dral springboard codebreakers Tracy, Rhett spinning neckbreakers Dral then Tracy spears rush in mid-air.

Rhett takes a belly to belly into the buckles then Dral flip dives on Tracy and his own manager, Jose. Rush does a stiff basement dropkick to Rhett and wins it.

I liked this. It was on the shorter end, they did not stop at all here and there was lots of fury throughout.

Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli do a sitdown interview with Caprice Coleman. CC apologizes to Eddie for saying he didn't have honor. Eddie says the apology means nothing and all he cares about is beating him for the ROH Title. Eddie says the ROH lineage belongs to him. Eddie said he lived with CC and says he's a coward for "not doing business" with him. Eddie says he's the underdog and says CC isn't a fighter like him. CC says he went to the gym when Eddie didn't. CC says Eddie can't walk the walk. CC says Eddie can't beat him and Eddie tells him to prove it. CC agrees and says he will beat and outclass him. CC says Eddie will run away and make excuses and implode. CC says Eddie is the biggest waste of potential he has ever seen in his life. CC says Eddie can't handle it.

The main problem with this segment is that everything CC said is true. Eddie is a major waste of potential and is kind of a lazy dude who blew his career over it. Had Eddie just hit the gym even a little, he would have gone a lot further.

Matt Taven vs Darius Martin

Darius gets piefaced then armdrags Taven. Darius dropkicks Taven and later armdrags him. Darius avoids a legsweep and taunts him then double stomps his back. Mike Bennett tries to help Darius on the apron but fails then Maria grabs Darius on the apron in clear view of the ref and absolutely nothing happens. Mike Bennett forearms Darius then Taven hits a backbreaker on Darius. Taven misses a springboard senton and Taven hits a stiff spinning high kick. Taven comes off the 2nd rope and eats an atomic drop.

Darius hits punches then hits a flatliner through the ropes. Taven facekicks Darius then takes a standing spanish fly for 2. They both enzugiri each other at the same time. Taven top rope frogsplashes Darius but Darius gets his knees up. Darius rebound germans Taven and ends up hitting a tope on Mike Bennett when Taven moves. Maria grabs Darius' foot and Taven hits his headlock driver (the climax) and wins it.

Darius put on weight and wasn't anything special here. The interference was sloppy and the ref sucked.

The Kingdom teases beaten up Darius but Dante makes the save. 

Brian Cage vs Tony Deppen

Why?

Cage pushes off Tony then is slapped. Tony flips over his back and slaps him again. Tony comes off the bottom rope and is superkicked. Cage hits his 2nd rope deadlift superplex then throws Tony hard into the ropes. Cage slams him. Cage gets superkicked while on the 2nd rope and then superkicked. Tony hits a springboard codebreaker then flip dives Cage outside. Tony then springboard dropkicks him and running meteora's him. Tony hits a top rope double stomp for 2. Cage hits a spinning lariat and is rolled up for 2. Tony jumping knees him and headbutts him then Cage hits a spinebuster. Cage hits a drillclaw then wins it.

I really don't get why this wasn't just a short squash or why they keep having Tony get the edge on people.

Tony gets attacked by the Embassy after. AR Fox with a lead pipe, Metallik and Blake Christian use weapons on The Embassy and get them out of the ring. Ian Riccaboni accidentally called Metallik "Dorada", which was his old name.

Shane Taylor vs Silas Young

They said this is the first time they fought 1 on 1 and that looks to be correct. Caprice said the fans basically begged for Shane Taylor to come back and I can tell you that I was not one of those people, if they exist.

JD Griffey is with Shane. Silas slaps him early then is shouldered over. Shane hits a big lariat then runs into a forearm. They trade forearms and Shane misses a legdrop on the apron. Silas hits double stomps then sentons him and hits elbows. Shane misses then hits a stiff clothesline then hits lariats and a splash. Shane hits a stiff knee then hits a sky high for 2. Silas hits a stiff knee then tornado ddt's him.

Shane headbutts him then pulls him into a uranage. Shane then splashes him for 2. Silas hits a finlay roll and misses his arabian moonsault. Shane his a knee then hits a package piledriver for the win.

It took a few minutes to get them on the same page but then it ended up being a decent hard hitting match.

Billie Starks vs Miranda Alize

Billie comes out with a very dirty and bloody oversized rabbit head. They have an extended lock up. Alize bites Billie's hand then Billie half nelson suplexes her. Billie topes her outside then is pulled down by the head from the 2nd rope. Alize runs the ropes then just shoves her head. Billie hits forearms and is back elbowed. Alize hits a christo into a crossface then Billie hits a nasty spinning crescent kick. Bille takes a spike hurricanrana off the bottom rope for 2.

Billie suplexes her over the knee the nisses a swanton. Alize cutters her then Billie hits a spinning tombstone and wins it.

I wasn't that into it. There were a lot of sloppy moments here and it wasn't special.

Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal vs Aussie Open

Kyle shoulders over Matt then Matt spinning headscissors him. Matt does a nice roll up for 2 then Kyle is tripped into a baseball slide. Daniels takes a slam then Mark shoulders him over. Mark gets 2v1'd by his opponents then Sydal flips Daniels onto Mark before hitting a standing corkscrew moonsault on him. Daniels pulls Kyle off the apron and euros him then Daniels is double teamed. Sydal gets slingshotted into a euro. Daniels and Sydal have their backs rammed into each other.

Mark lifts Daniels for a suplex and passes him to Kyle, but Daniels rolls Kyle up. Mark slams Daniels then Aussie Open is pushed into each other. Daniels does a 2nd rope swinging flatliner. Sydal gets a tag in and hits kicks on both opponents then does a nice hurricanrana for 2. Sydal hurricanrana's Kyle as he is on the 2nd rope. Kyle takes a combo meteora + powerbomb then Mark lariats Daniels. Kyle half-nelson suplexes Sydal then takes a death valley driver from Daniels. Sydal is pulled up for a powerbomb but gets a hurricanrana out of it. Sydal is thrown into a knee then is thrown up for a cutter from Kyle off the 2nd rope.

Daniels bangs the heels heads together then clotheslines both. Daniels hits a blue thunder on Kyle for 2. Daniels swings Kyle's foot into Mark's face then Kyle hits a spinning tombstone on Sydal. Daniels hits a uranage on Kyle then Mark hits an enzugiri. Daniels takes a sandwich lariat then takes a double team driver for the Aussie Open.

I wasn't a real big fan of this. It just went into a moves and kickout fest in the second half of it with nothing meaning anything.

Samoa Joe Open Challenge - Samoa Joe vs Cheeseburger

Joe charges at him and punch flurries him in the corner. Joe lariats him and wins it with a muscle buster in no time.

Joe hits another muscle buster after and knocks down the announcer, Bobby Cruise. Mark Briscoe comes out with a chair and Joe runs off.

Overall thoughts: Not great, but there were some ups and downs here. I liked the Rush/Dralistico tag match, Young/Taylor and the trios match. I didn't like Starks/Alize, the semi-main or Taven/Martin. I do prefer this promotion over AEW though. It's more focused, there's no comedy and a lot of the people I don't like from AEW aren't here.