Ring of Honor on HonorClub 5/23/2024 Episode #65

Ring of Honor on HonorClub 5/23/2024 Episode #65

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/05/ring-of-honor-on-honorclub-5162024.html

JD Drake does a promo. He says he's here by himself and said the work doesn't stop because of it. He said he needs to tighten up his bootstraps and get back to work. Anthony Henry comes in and says they aren't having that. Henry says they've been doing this since 2016 and will keep doing it together. They say it's time to punch in and knock out.

Proving Ground Match - Kyle Fletcher vs London Lightning

LL wristlocks Kyle. Kyle throws him down by the arm then waistlock throws him down. Kyle side headlock takeovers him and side headlocks him. LL crossbodies him then flying knees him. LL plancha's and Kyle fails to catch him as planned. Kyle brainbusters him on the floor.

Kyle hits kicks and chops him. LL chops him back then Kyle running back elbows him. Kyle slams him a couple of times. LL fires up and hits punches. LL running lariats him. LL atomic drops him and corner splashes him. LL rolls him into a suplex.

LL 2nd rope elbow drops him for 2. LL is enzugiri'd while on the buckles then Kyle topes him. Kyle running facekicks him in the corner and brainbusters him for 2. Kyle hits kicks to the chest and thye trade forearms. Kyle leg laraits him and is rolled up. LL spinebusters him then sharpshooters him.

Kyle cradles him for 2 and superkicks him. Kyle hits a weird piledriver and wins it.

Thoughts: It was nice to see them play up the proving ground concept a little and make it seem like London maybe had a chance to go the distance. They clearly see something in London and they put him over some here. I didn't like the brainbuster on the floor spot. It ended up meaning nothing and the match just continued like it didn't happen when that should have taken someone out.

The Workhorsemen vs Angelico and Serpentico

They announce Angelico and Serp as the Spanish Announce Project, but Luther hasn't been with them in months so I thought the group was dead.

Ange side headlocks JD and rolls over his back. Ange armdrags him off the hiptoss. JD then does the same and rolls onto him. Ange tries to legsweep him and can't get it until the 2nd try.

Serp and Henry go at it. Henry gets out of a wristlock and snapmares him into a chinlock. Serp snapmares him and crucifixes him. Serp headscissors him out of the corner. They trade armdrags and side headlock takeovers with headscissors. They then stare down. Henry pump kicks him. Serp and JD trade and Serp takes a hard chop. They trade chops and Serp diving torndo ddt's him off the 2nd rope. Ange is tagged in. He lariats both opponents. He throws Henry then jumps off his back to lariat JD. Ange upkicks Henry for 2.

Henry takes a backdrop + double axe handle combo and Serp topes JD outside. Ange lifting flatliners Henry. Griff Garrison and Cole Karter come down to apron then back off. JD belly to belly suplexes Ange out. Henry meteora's Serp in the corner. Serp takes a flatliner + enzugiri combo. Henry pins Serp.

Thoughts: It was a good match here with Serp being a good underdog face. My only issue was that Ange completely blew his hot tag segment and killed any heat he could have gotten off of it.

Griff and Cole beat up Ange and Serp after. Serp superkicks Griff and swings a chair at him. Ange sends Griff into the steps.

Matt Menard does a promo. He said he doesn't know where his tag partner Angelo Parker is. He says he has a big opportunity tonight against Mike Bennett, who he calls a Beantown B!tch. He says he and Parker get a shot at the ROH tag titles if he beats Mike and that makes his nipples hard.

Satnam Singh vs Jimmy Jacobs

JJ tries forearms that get nowhere. SS low crossbodies him for 1. SS chokeslams him then pins him with a foot on his chest in a short squash.

Shane Taylor and Anthony Ogogo vs Artemis Spencer and Jon Cruz

Art wristlocks Ogogo. Ogogo shoves him and hits knees to the gut. Ogogo hits euros. Jon and Shane go at it. Jon hits shots and shakes the ropes. Shane punches him then hits a big forearm. Shane hits a package piledriver on Jon and wins it.

Thoughts: This was another short squash that didn't do much for Shane and Ogogo.

Tag Title Shot on The Line  - Mike Bennett vs Matt Menard

Mike boots him in the gut then is back body dropped. They lock up and Mike side headlock takeovers him. Mike shoulders him over then Matt back body drops him. Matt lariats him over the top to the floor. Mike is thrown into the rails then pounded on. Mike is thrown into the steps then has his head banged off the commentary table.

Mike rebounds off the bottom rope outside and forearms him. Matt is thrown into the steps. Matt hits forearms then is dropkicked. Mike chinlocks him. Matt bends over and is kicked. Mike forearms him then back body drops Mike. Matt drops down on him for 2. Mike kimuras him from the mat then Mike is back body dropped to the floor outside. Mike is back body dropped onto the ramp.

They trade forearms and Matt hits corner punches. Matt boston crabs him and goes after Taven. Mike death valley drivers Matt for 2. Matt ddt's him. The ref gets distracted. Taven tries to throw powder in Matt's eyes but gets it in Mike's eyes instead. Matt cutters Taven and Mike and wins it.

Thoughts: It went a little longer than it needed to but I do give them credit for trying to make something out of what would have been a meaningless match otherwise and to try and make it feel important.

Matt is beaten up by Taven and Bennett after then takes a belt shot to the hit. 

Athena, Lexy Nair and Billie Starkz talk. Athena is mad Queen put her hands on her. She said it's ridiculous. Starkz interrupts. She said she can catch some of Starkz's hands if she she wants some. They say Red Velvet accomplished nothing their whole time here and is attacking the top of the food chain to stay relevant. Athena says they can call themselves whatever they want but never will be able to cal lthemselves champ. Athena says "How about you stir that up b!tch".

Lee Johnson, Top Flight and Action Andretti vs Ari Daivari, Tony Nese, Cole Karter and Griff Garrison

Darius side headlock takeovers Ari. He backslides him and armdrags him. Ari and Nese chop Darius in the corner. Darius dropkicks Nese. Nese takes a double snapmare and AA low dropkicks Nese. AA flying headscissors Nese then dropkicks him. AA springboard corkscrew splashes Nese off the bottom rope.

Lee side headlocks Cole then goes up and over him. Lee dropkicks Cole then dropkicks Griff. Lee lariats Nese then plancha's Ari outside. Nese then running back elbows Lee outside. Cole stomps on Lee. Lee is held for punches from Griff. Griff slams Lee and chinlocks him.

Nese dropkicks Lee then Lee is double punched by Ari and Nese in the corner. Ari slams Lee then chinlocks him. They trade punches and Lee step up enzugiri's him. Lee blue thunders Nese. Dante gets in and forearm flurries Griff. Dante springboard crossbodies Griff. Dante forearms Griff off the apron then the faces do quadruple stereo dives.

Dante flips Griff out of the side slam position and everyone fights. AA does a handspring double back elbow. AA goes for a springboard but is brought down over the top rope. Dante goes up top and Mark Sterling gets on the apron. Dante is distracted and is brought down.

A chair is set up in the corner. Seprentico comes out to move it. Cole goes after Serp and Angelico outside. Dante flying knees Griff then does a half-nelson slam on him and wins it.

Thoughts: I thought it was a decent match here with some dives and them following up the Serp/Ange vs Griff/Cole feud. Nothing wrong with this one at all and it was okay for the main.

Overall thoughts: It was one of the better ROH shows ever produced. We had two champs wrestling and one doing a promo. There were some actual feuds and storyline progression going on and some acceptable matches. I really hope this is what things look like going forward because this is what this promotion should be doing and needs to keep doing.