Ring of Honor on Honor Club Episode #9 4/27/2023

Ring of Honor on Honor Club Episode #9 4/27/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/ring-of-honor-on-honor-club-episode-8.html

I skipped one match here.

Proving Ground Match - Athena vs Lady Frost

Athena headlock takeovers her Forst handsprings and backflips then Athena misses a dropkick. Frost rolls and back flips into a headscissors takedown. Frost tries to go up and over in the corner but is kicked and senton'd. Athena slaps her around then takes shots. Athena then backbreakers her.

They trade chest forearms then Frost back kicks her. Frost step up kicks her in the corner then hits a forward cartwheel into a cannonball. Frost hangs from the top rope and is hit and then put in a facelock as she hangs. Frost spinning high kicks her then does a top rope corkscrew moonsault. Athena grabs onto the ropes so she can't be pinned.Athena is pulled from the ropes and hits a big forearm and wins it.

Athena then pounds on her after.

Lady Frost is much better than Athena and I don't know why they had her not only lose, but not go the needed time to get the title shot either. I thought Frost was good here and she carried this one.

The Kingdom do a promo. Bennett says this is Ring of Honor and says ROH means something to them. Taven said they should have gotten a title shot at Final Battle but had to fight Top Flight instead. Mike said he's tired of people like Action Andretti and Top Flight using their company as a step stool. Matt says other teams took their moment at Supercard of Honor. Maria said she would never forget having things taken from her and Matt said they want revenge on every team in the Supecard of Honor ladder match. They said they built what they are, brick by brick. They said when people talk about Ring of Honor, they talk about something built. They said they will teach them what Ring of Honor means and said if they don't get the honor they deserve, they will take it. 

LFI (Rush and Preston Vance) vs  The Infantry

Vance flips off Bravo then takes chops. Vance pump kicks him then hits shots in the corner. Vance his corner lariats then spinebuters him. Vance full nelsons Bravo and Dean breaks it up. Vance double lariats The Infantry then spinning lariats Dean. Bravo then gets a spinning lariat. Rush does a stiff dropkick on Bravo in the corner and picks up the win.

It was a short squash. I don't know how much this is really going to accomplish since these two haven't really teamed together much. Rush's dropkick was nice here and I liked Vance's spinning lariats.

Best Friends vs Joe Ocasio and Mookie Summers

Joe throat thrusts Trent to start and hits shots on him in the corner. Trent backdrops him then pounds on him with forearms. Joe is thrown into the rails by Chuck then takes a lariat. Mookie forearms chuck then is popped up into a powerbomb. Chuck piledrivers Joe then Mookie takes a flying kick doomsday device for the loss.

This was a squash and I really have no idea why this needed to be on here.

Brian Cage vs Leon Ruffin

Cage drives him into the corner to start and hits spears. Cage hits a big belly to belly. Leon goes for a tornado ddt but is caught. Leon kicks him from the apron then top rope crossbodies him. Leon is caught and powerslammed. Cage goes for the F-5 but Leon ddt's him out of it. Leon does his rope escape then springboard cutters him. Cage hits a big spinning lariat, a powerbomb and a powerbomb on the knee. Cage then does a very stiff texas cloverleaf variation and wins it.

This was just a short squash here with Leon getting a couple things in before his doom.

They had Vincent and Dutch come out on the ramp after the Dark Order's match, which is the one match I didn't cover.

Christopher Daniels is interviewed. He said he knows what its like to be at the top and bottom and says he is at his all-time low right now. He said nothing comes easy in an ROH ring and said he has to earn everything he wants. He said he's not going to take baby steps and is swinging at the fences. He brings up Samoa Joe. He said they have a history drenched in blood and have been friends and enemies. He said he wants his title. He said he's ready to go and not afraid of him. He said he is challenging him for the title.

Skye Blue vs Diamante

They shoulder each other and Dia knocks her over. They try pin attempts then Dia baseball slides her off the apron. Dia backbreakers her then Skye hits a forearm. Skye dropkicks her then top rope crossbodies her for 2. Skye swing kicks her from the mat. They fight on the apron then Dia germans her on the apron. Dia corner dropkicks her for 2. Dia goes for a suplex, slides out of a full nelson and Skye pins her.

They had a lot of sloppy moments here and what we did get wasn't good. The ending wasn't real good either.

Athena comes out after and stomps Skye's hat on the ramp.

Rocky Romero vs Lee Moriarty

Rocky 2nd rope double stomps him as he is over the 2nd rope early. Rocky goes for a springboard but he is distracted by Big Bill outside. Lee then hits him and drives him into the rails. Bill then takes a shot at Rocky outside.

Lee splits Rocky's fingers then Rocky hits a springboard ddt. Rocky hits corner lariats then Lee criss crosses and lariats him. Lee lifting flatliners him. Rocky armbars him then Lee puts him in a border city stretch. Rocky rolls him up then hits a pumping knee.

They trade kicks and Rocky hits a back enzugiri. Rocky hurricanrana's him off the steps then does a shiranui for 2. Lee tries to powerbomb him but is lariated over the top. Rocky then tries to tope him but hits Big Bill instead. Bill grabs Rocky and chokeslams him on the apron, and he hits his neck on it. Lee then leg lariats him and wins it.

Good for them giving Lee the win even if it was through cheating. I didn't think this was anything special.

Rocky Romero does a promo on Lee. He said he could be ROH champion. He said he got the win due to Big Bill and said next week they need to meet in a pure rules match so he can get a pure @ss whooping next week.

Gringo Loco vs Blake Christian

Loco headflips then Blake does the same right behind him and poses. Loco pushes him and gets piefaced. Blake flips over him, rolls under him then they each avoid each others moves. Blake hits a headscissors and sends him out. He lands on a fosbury flop attempt on his feet then Loco tope con hilos him. Blake spears him on the apron then hits a fosbury flop.

Loco spinning enzugiri's him then takes an enzugiri. Blake hits a handspring back enzugiri then Loco superkicks him in the gut. Loco then hits a sitout powerbomb out of the electric chair for 2. They go up top and Loco hits a reverse olympic slam up there for 2.

Blake hits a standing spanish fly then springboard 450's him for the win.

They did too much here but they matched up okay otherwise. Lots of unnecessary flips here.

They show a classic match from 2005 to finish the show, but I won't be covering that here. I think they had just ran out of new footage so they cut this one short.

Overall thoughts: You can say what you want, but ROH having to show classic matches to fill time in its 9th episode is not a good look. AEW has way too much money to be doing stuff like that. The show really wasn't that good as it was mostly squashes and short matches. They set up Rocky Romero vs Lee Moriarity for next week and they are teasing an Athena/Skye Blue match at some point, but there's really not a lot going on in this promotion right now otherwise. There's no excuse for it either as they have enough wrestlers and they have enough money to run an additional taping if they need to.