ROH TV recap and reactions: Supercard of Honor PPV build

ROH TV is in its second week (Mar. 9, 2023) back on Honor Club. One of the primary purposes for these shows is to build hype toward the Supercard of Honor PPV on March 31. No matches have been announced yet, but directions are becoming clearer.

At the top of the card resides Claudio Castagnoli with the ROH World Championship. Once again, Eddie Kingston belligerently called out the champ, and the champ wasn’t interested. Claudio declared that a man without honor will never be Ring of Honor champion. When Kingston was denied the shot, he shouted louder.

This is turning into a fun little story with minimal camera time. Surely ROH is going to book the match for the PPV, otherwise what a crappy tease to get fans excited and not deliver. I think it would be way too soon to pull the trigger on Kingston winning. The money is in the chase, so this feud might develop into a year-long drama.

Athena put the ROH Women’s World Championship on the line in an exciting fight against Willow Nightingale. The physicality was aggressive. Both played into their charismatic personalities on opposite ends of the babyface/heel spectrum. That provided a classic clash of good versus bad. Athena was taken to the limit, so she bailed on the match. Willow gave chase, but Athena gouged the eyes. Athena took control smashing Willow into the ring steps and connecting on the flying corkscrew stunner for victory. Great main event.

As for Supercard of Honor, Athena’s future is up in the air. She has a feud with Yuka Sakazaki on Elevation and Dark, which has yet to culminate in a match. It doesn’t matter much who Athena’s opponent will be for the PPV, because she will put on a show to create emotion in rooting against her and cheering the babyface.

Samoa Joe was fresh off beating Tony Deppen to retain the ROH World Television Championship. The King of TV called out for challengers. Mark Briscoe answered the call. Joe gladly accepted. Any day to fight a Briscoe is a good day in Joe’s book. This match has not been made official yet, but it is only a matter of time. Good matchmaking. Joe is the favorite to win, but Briscoe will have the world of support behind him. There is high potential for an exciting match.

In the Pure division, it seems clear Wheeler Yuta will carry the ROH Pure Championship into Supercard of Honor. His opponent for the PPV is unclear. Yuta was in action against Timothy Thatcher and used heel tactics to retain. Both men exhausted their rope-breaks, and Yuta landed an illegal closed-fist punch during the bout. A second punch would result in disqualification. Yuta took advantage when the referee’s back was turned to punch Thatcher. That dazed the challenger enough so Yuta could lock in an octopus stretch in the ropes for the submission victory. Yuta then called out NJPW’s Clark Connors from the LA Dojo, and that bout was booked for next week. I have zero clue who will be Yuta’s rival for the PPV. At least we are getting some good Pure matches along the way.

With the unfortunate death of Jay Briscoe, the ROH World Tag Team Championship is in limbo. That hasn’t stopped ROH from fleshing out a tag team division while Mark Briscoe holds the titles solo.

The favorite color of Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Maria Kanellis is gold. They win tag titles everywhere they go, and the new era of ROH will be no different. First though, the OGK has unfinished business with Top Flight. The Martin brothers beat the Kingdom at Final Battle, and a rematch is desired.

Christopher Daniels is also interested in acquiring the ROH tag titles. He called in Matt Sydal to be his partner. They had previous success winning the belts in 2006. That promo contained a smart reference to closing the door on a reunion with Frankie Kazarian. It acknowledged storyline history and showed Daniels to be a man of honor.

Aussie Open are former NJPW Strong openweight tag champs. Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher earned a quality win over former ROH tag champs Tracy Williams Rhett Titus. Both teams put on a show-stealing effort for a fantastic fight. The drama on false finishes was intense. In the end, Aussie Open turned the tide with a pair of piledrivers to their opponents. A lariat sandwich on Williams paved the way for their teamwork Corealis pumphandle half nelson Death Valley Driver finisher. Aussie Open reminds me of FTR in the way they appeal to fans. Both are meat and potato teams with sizzle. When given the time to shine, Aussie Open puts on exciting matches. Their moves are creative and impactful. Plus, they have a fun Aussie chant to get over with the live crowds. Aussie Open are heels right now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the fans turn them babyface over time. Davis and Fletcher would do the ROH tag team legacy proud if they become the next champions.

Metalik and Blake Christian emerged as a potential tag team. Last week, Daivari cheated to beat Metalik. This week, Daivari claimed the win was clean. Metalik ran in to bust the Trustbusters, and he was immediately stomped into the mat. Not a wise move when outnumbered 3-to-1. Christian arrived for the save. Commentary said that Metalik and Christian have been bonding over on NJPW Strong. At this moment in time, it is unclear if a tag team union will form or if Metalik and Christian will remain singles competitors with the common goal of smashing the Trustbusters.

Dalton Castle & The Boys lost the ROH World Six-Man Championship to the Embassy at Final Battle in December. Castle had a message for Brian Cage, Kaun, Toa Liona, and Prince Nana. Losing the titles pained Castle, but defeat isn’t something they haven’t tasted before. When they get knocked down, they come back stronger. Literally. Castle has been moving heavy, dense furniture. They are ready for a rematch. Castle advised that the Embassy stay limber, because they will be in for the fight of their lives. If you are a fan of Castle, then enjoy this promo. He is in fine form full of panache.

ROH TV quick results:

• ROH World Television Championship: Samoa Joe retained against Tony Deppen via musclebuster. Solid contest with Joe handling business. (Full details here.)
• Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Marcus Kross, Cody Chhun, & Guillermo Rosas via Bangarang. Comedy action with peacock power.
• Rush & Dralistico defeated Angelico & Serpentico via corkscrew destroyer. Dralistico earned the pin over Serpentico. SAP worked babyface for the match adding a little comedy.
• Trish Adora defeated Billie Starkz via Lariat Tubman. Adora was the heel and focused on showing extra aggression and a killer instinct. This was the one bout on the episode where the result was a little surprising. Starks had the hype as an 18-year-old prodigy, so I figured this would be a good spot to start winning. I think ROH made the right call putting over Adora. She is a quality wrestler in her own right. Starkz will have her time in due time.
• Ari Daivari & Slim J defeated Jake Crist & Man Scout via STF. Slim J slapped the submission on Man Scout. These opponents put up little trouble for the money man.
• ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta retained against Timothy Thatcher via octopus submission in the ropes. Yuta cheated with a closed-fist punch out of the referee’s sight to set up the win. This cemented a heel turn for the champ. Very good match using the Pure rules to maximize drama. (Full details here.)
• Aussie Open defeated Tracy Williams Rhett Titus via Corealis teamwork finisher. Excellent match. Definitely go watch it.
• Eddie Kingston defeated Ben Dejo via spinning backfist. Squash.
• ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena retained against Willow Nightingale via flying stunner. Two thumbs up. (Full details here.)

Overall, the second episode of ROH TV on Honor Club had plenty of excitement. The watch list for this show is three bouts deep with Athena versus Willow, Aussie Open versus Williams & Titus, and Yuta versus Thatcher. The rest of the matches were on the Dark level, albeit much longer. A few were too long, because the loser was obviously overmatched and did little to make it competitive. There was benefit though acting as a way to showcase personal styles in the ring to new viewers. The action was a little sloppy at times with miscommunication and awkward movement.

The promos and extracurricular activities boosted this show as a whole. It feels like a foundation is being built. Characters are introduced, unions are formed, and motivations are established. All those scenes were interesting. Also, shout out to Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman on commentary. They have been excellent with technical analysis and high energy. They are a perfect example of announcers elevating the viewing experience.

Share your thoughts on the ROH TV episode on Honor Club. Who were the standout performers?