IN LAIMAN’S TERMS #418
Contact: Email
Support: Donate here
Thoughts on Ring of Honor – SuperCard of Honor 2023
1. It’s Friday night, and I’m covering my first-ever Ring of Honor show. The opening match alone was worth the price of admission, but I’m excited to see how the ROH brand feels since the relaunch. I haven’t seen any of the TV leading up to it, but if the parent company delivers on anything, it’s definitely PPVs.
2. Komander and El Hiro del Vikingo, holy shit, this is going to be ridiculous. Anyone who has been reading my weeklies knows that I’m new to both of these wrestlers, but of all the new names (to me) that I’ve seen recently, these are the two that stood out the most, so to see them facing each other? Wow.
3. (About Vikingo) “I don’t know how he does what he does.” Understatement of the JBLdamn millennium!
4. Oh wow, this crowd is hot already. This is gonna be a fun night.
5. This is certainly starting slower than a lot of people imagined, but having them build up to the mutual aerial insanity we’re going to see is probably a really good idea. Considering how quickly it started in the match with Omega recently, it’s good for contrast too.
6. They’re smacking each other while locked together and standing on their heads. This is absolutely delightful. A few seconds later, Vikingo dives out of the ring and lands in a dragon sleeper on the floor. This is about to take a step up in Ridiculous, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.
7. We’ve got tables already, and I’m sure that won’t stop the chant later in the show. Wait… Seriously, LA? Did you seriously start chanting “we want tables” AFTER they got the tables out? Captain Hindsight Fans out here.
8. One of the first things I ever learned about wrestling was my dad showing me the Undertaker walking the ropes. One of the first things I ever sent him about wrestling was Komander running the ropes and doing the shooting star press in the process. We don’t talk a lot and/or about many things, but it was incredibly sentimental to be able to share something like that.
9. In the words of my partner, “Caprice got that drip though.” I have no idea what that means but it sounded like a compliment.
10. I’m sure a lot of fans are feeling this way, but to think this is the same company from whom we downloaded low-grain matches and DVDs with handheld cameras once upon a time when we were desperate for an alternative. Say what you want about everything else, the aesthetic upgrade is strangely nostalgic for that very reason.
11. Vikingo is doing moves that I don’t even know how to describe. I just know I’m audibly gasping when he does them. Wow. The commentators emphasizing that they are not speeding up the cameras in these replays really speaks to the level of skill and precision these two are capable of.
12. Okay, Komander hit… I think… a reverse Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron to the outside, and then a full run to the other side of the ropes, a twisting dive, and landed about six inches from the steps up to the stage. Un. Fucking. Real.
13. I AM THE TABLE! The Sonic 630 jump doesn’t break the table, that couldn’t have felt good on either side.
14. I have the old WWF “don’t try this at home” clips from the early aughts playing in my head right now, especially Kurt Angle talking about breaking his tailbone. Can’t imagine why.
15. Vikingo gets the win after a ludicrous display this night. I can’t fathom how the commentators managed to call that match. Incredible by both performers, and I feel privileged to know who these two are now.
16. There’s a familiar face, I haven’t seen Metalik since Enzo Amore was complaining about him in the ring during the cruiserweight rebellion segment. Not familiar with Blake Christian but I’m sure I’ll learn quickly. AR Fox trying to get more of that good good with another pair of tag partners. Defending the trios titles are the Embassy, and since they took the titles from Dalton Castle and the Boys, I’m directly attributing the attack on Wednesday night to their tab. How dare you, sirs?
17. Those steps and their proximity to these dives are making me nervous. The last thing I want to see is someone concuss themselves from blunt force trauma.
18. It’s nice to be watching a show where the winners aren’t just a formality. I feel like Dynamite (and Rampage) have been in that rut for a little while. This is refreshing.
19. Brian Cage got his hair done by the Outcasts’ Mean Girls attack, that was nice of them.
20. So many destroyers, they should have a tribute banner to Petey Williams hanging in every arena at this point.
21. Cage and the Embassy end up getting the win, which is nice considering the streak of good matches Cage was in on AEW in recent months. I wonder who the next contenders will be, as commentary alluded to.
22. Next, we’ve got Athena’s title defense. I feel like I haven’t seen her in forever since the “brand split” for lack of better terms. I wonder if she’s in the same badass “destroy everyone” run that she was. I’m not familiar with her opponent, but this has already been a good night for learning about new wrestlers.
23. Yuka Sakazaki’s music… Well, it’s conceptually different from most that I’ve heard, I’ll say that. Athena’s got a creepy doll entrance, but fortunately it doesn’t wink. Athena stomps it to hell before her killer entrance theme and awesome paint bring her into the light. Talk about contrast.
24. Both Athena and Sakazaki have amazing wardrobe. Regardless of what you think of the product as a whole, you can’t tell me AEW and ROH aren’t killing it in the aesthetics department. AEWGlam on Insta alone is an amazing follow.
25. Athena taking great revelry in her heelery is gloriously HAMmy, I love it. Much like the recently-turned Danielson, I love to see someone being a heel who is also clearly having the time of their life while doing so.
26. “Unmitigated violence” from Athena, what a great phrase to describe a vicious, dastardly heel.
27. Athena kicks Yuka out of the ring and she lands with full weight on the knees. I don’t care how much padding there is, that’s gonna leave an unpleasant mark at best.
28. Didn’t say it at the beginning, but what an absolute treat to have Nigel on commentary. I still remember seeing him and Claudio in a bout in front of maybe 100 people… gosh it was almost 20 years ago now. Claudio still had glorious, long hair at the time. I need a moment to process that.
29. Athena uses the ref to prevent Sakazaki from coming off the top rope, and inverts her finisher to catch her off them. What a great finish, even if the crowd has died down to “respectful applause.” Another treat to learn about someone new and see Athena continue to be booked very strongly.
30. Joe and Mark are going on this early? That’s a surprise. I’m not doubting that Mark is going to get the win here for the sentimental moment, but this early in the show? The highlight package also has a cover of “Run On” by Blues Saraceno which… I remember it was used for one of the Undertaker’s WrestleMania hype packages. I want to say it was during the “Last Outlaw” thing with Triple H but I’m not certain on that. I know I love the song though.
31. I appreciate that the stage and presentation are visually distinct from that of AEW. If we’re going to distinguish the two as separate brands, touches like that truly help.
32. Samoa Joe immediately powders, and someone in the front row holds out a t-shirt at him. That’ll learn ‘im some. Just like all the times my life perspectives have been changed by a bumper sticker.
33. Thar be potatoes here, to the surprise of literally no one.
34. I haven’t heard so much about Delaware since that one time a long time ago…
35. In a matter of a second, Joe can go from looking deliberately lethargic to quick and terrifying. It’s such an amazing touch to his matches.
36. I can hear a little girl screaming “I hate you, Joe! I hate you!” Front row, perhaps one of the young ‘uns from the Briscoe family they mentioned?
37. Mark Briscoe utilizes a steel chair, legally, and soon after we’ve got tables. Please don’t start chanting for them after the fact again, it jinxed the table into not breaking. Nevermind, the Blockbuster took care of that. One has definitely not become a table in this case.
38. Interesting heartfelt moment of Mark getting a tag from the corner. They’re driving home the connection to Jay in a non-cringy way, and I continue to appreciate that.
39. Joe got out of the Froggy Boy, and that was a really surprising near fall. I was there when Joe dropped the title to Darby, and even if he loses the other belt here, Joe has lost nothing as a badass character. He’s reached that status of permanent awesome.
40. Joe won? Wow, I can safely say I did not see that coming. Heartbreaking shot of the little ones at ringside right after too. Joe grabs Mark by the throat afterward, but then observes the Code of Honor. Mark’s face is hard to see, I can only imagine what he’s been through recently.
41. Daniel Garcia and his really slow entrance music gets to face another dream opponent in Tanahashi. They really must all see the world in him, not just in the hyperbolic promo sense.
42. Tanahashi is such a joy to watch. I haven’t seen much of his work, but he just has so much presence that it’s hard to not find him endearing. Garcia, like I mentioned earlier, has been built up by association and reputation. With how many people of note see the world in him, it’s hard not to think he’s going places.
43. Tony has a “very special important” announcement coming on Dynamite. He sure does love his announcements, doesn’t he?
44. Really nice touch with Tanahashi working in a version of the Walls of Jericho. I also love how “you’re a wrestler” has become a taunting chant. Try explaining that one to someone else out of context.
45. Tanahashi gets the win as Garcia gains more valuable experience with working with some of the best in the world. The emotional connection wasn’t as much there following the match that it did, but that takes nothing away from it. Everything has to follow something, for better or worse.
46. Next we’ve got the ladder match, which maybe should’ve come before the Briscoe match in terms of the whole “honoring the guy” thing. I don’t know, feels weird to me.
47. We’ve got The Kingdom, Top Flight, Rush/Dralistico, the Lucha Brothers, and Aussie Open. I’m amazed how excited they get for the Kingdom’s Entrance, but I do love the color aesthetic. Not to mention, even the heels are wearing Briscoes shirts. That’s nice to see.
48. It’s a multi-team ladder match, so you know exactly what it’s going to contain. The first thing that stands out in a terribly scary way though was Taven diving over the top rope with serious air and then landing flat on his front with a sickening thud. That’ll knock the wind out of ya at the very least. Oof.
49. More tables! Tablemania is running wild tonight, or as it’s described on commentary, “urban planning.”
50. Jose the Assistant decides to assist by keeping the beat as Rush and Dralistico threaten to make the climb. Bennett and Rush climb up the ladders, but then they realize one resembles a typical Mox match and they decide to go back down at the same time and deal some potatoes. At least they’re honest about it and don’t need to facilitate it by some contrived manner.
51. Ian seems to be hoarse already. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of the show, including the main event. It’s been a fun show for yelling, that’s for sure.
52. Those four tables have been sitting there far too long for the result of the match to get determined without them. This has been chaos and fun, as ladder matches with teams like this are wont to be.
53. After eating it flat-faced earlier, Taven splashes Dralistico on a propped ladder on the outside. “I don’t want to see the injury report tomorrow.” Two freaking votes.
54. Is it weird to call the title belts gold when they’re clearly silver or an otherwise grey metal? I know it’s pedantic but still…
55. Dante and Penta end up going through those tables in an absolutely nuts spot. Nobody seems to be holding back in this one, it’s the good kind of car crash. Soon after, the Lucha Brothers get the win, and while I wasn’t expecting that, good for them.
56. Both Mark Briscoe and FTR come out to congratulate the Lucha Brothers for their victory, and in a show filled with sentimental moments, this is also among them.
57. Pure title up next with Yuta and Shibata, and I’m excited to see these two go at it. It’ll be a good contrast of styles after the last match of pure aerial chaos. Well-timed on that one’s part. Plus, Shibata just has such an air of badass and dangerous. I read up on him after learning about who he was in AEW and what a story of a comeback he had to go through. I’m sure I’m not telling anyone here something they don’t already know (no O’Haire) but it’s fun for me to learn it fresh.
58. Wheeler Yuta has Mox with him. He must’ve smelled the blood from the previous match and felt left out.
59. I saw Pat Buck sitting ringside and for a minute I thought Tormund Giantsbane had graced us with some vulgar commentary. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
60. In an era of wrestling where everything seems to escalate, including the chaos we’ve seen earlier in the evening, I like that there’s something with limitations like pure rules to balance it out a little bit. I like to see how people utilize those boundaries and work within them to tell a unique story, and I’m sure this will be no exception, given who is involved.
61. Mox noped out about 90 seconds in. He came, he saw, he bailed. When you reach a certain level, you just get to do what you want, I guess.
62. A “fuck you Wheeler” chant breaks out after he uses a rope break. Gosh how things have changed since his epic Rampage match with Mox a while back, eh?
63. Shibata taking Wheeler’s chops and not even moving, let alone showing impact, is once again that moment of badass that can’t be taught. Yuta responds by getting himself in trouble with the rules and getting the crowd to hate him even more. What great storytelling.
64. Shibata wins! I’ll be damned, I didn’t see that coming. With how many stars came over in Forbidden Door and other shows, they usually end up losing in awesome matches, and it gets old after a while to have all these amazing stars from outside the company come in to always lose. Plus, Shibata’s story lends itself to a moment like this, and I feel so good for him to get something like that after having his life on the line. Tanahashi and Shibata both win tonight, I’m genuinely shocked, in a good way.
65. Yuta continues to be a shitheel and refuses to shake Shibata’s hand. I’m honestly surprised we didn’t get another BCC mauling, either there or beforehand.
66. Cue Mark Henry, it’s time for the main event. I still don’t get the whole “I quit AEW to go to ROH” thing when a good bit of the wrestlers are splitting between brands, but it’s Eddie getting a world title shot. I’m expecting a huge crowd reaction.
67. I remember Eddie being super pissed off at Punk, and there’s always been a plethora of controversy surrounding him, but I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Claudio. Maybe it’s for storyline purposes, but even if it isn’t, Eddie pretty much says what he wants in the moment. If nothing else, he is authentic.
68. I love the new intro to Claudio’s theme, feels very V for Vendetta. Yes, I know it’s a classical song used in many things, but this particular version felt like the one from that.
69. Not many people can match Eddie’s intensity, on the mic or in the ring, and he’s come out with fire tonight to say the least.
70. I’m sure it doesn’t need saying, but Claudio manages to seemingly bring out the best in everyone he shares a ring with, and this is no exception. They’re telling a great story, the commentary is adding to and enhancing it. This is so much fun to watch, as this evening has consistently been.
71. I’m pretty sure there is a dueling “let’s go Eddie/fuck you, Eddie” chant going on, and I didn’t expect that kind of crowd split this evening. I know heel status doesn’t matter as much as it used to, but I also think being so assertive, direct, and aggressive can rub some people the wrong way. I also think he couldn’t give less of a shit, so there’s that too.
72. Kingston gets a near fall that a lot of people bought on, and his eyes alone sell the entire thing. This match is stiff, brutal, and taking its time in all the best ways. Great stuff here.
73. And just as I say that, gutwrench suplex from the apron to the outside. So many backs and tailbones are gonna be sore tomorrow.
74. Eddie kicks out of the supercharged European Uppercut, and the fan split seems to be leaning more in favor of Kingston. Eddie responds to Claudio’s taunting with (hopefully an intentional) terrible backfist. He follows it up with more, but Claudio comes back with the Neutralizer. Emphatic kickout! Uppercut, even more emphatic kickout and the crowd reaction grows even more!
75. Eddie reverses the Ricola Bomb, near-fall, but Claudio switches it back up and gets the win. Eddie can just never catch that break, but what a match he put in with the main event here. Claudio played his role perfectly as well. There have been a lot of downer endings lately though, and it’s a lot to accept.
76. Yuta comes to ringside, and I’m expecting some shenanigans here. This night has been surprisingly bereft of them. Eddie seems to be expecting them too, and rightfully so.
77. Before they can take on Eddie, Shibata walks out without a care in the world to even the odds. Eddie Kingston and Shibata was not the combination I was expecting to come out of this evening, or any other for that matter. They have a boo/yay handraising exchange, which was definitely a thing that happened.
78. Eddie gets a mic but has some trouble getting it working. He lets loose with some good profanity before putting over Shibata and Tanahashi. Great joke about how much promo time MJF gets in comparison, but he still runs out of time. I’m not sure why they had to get off at that exact moment, but I’m sure the PPV rules work that way that if you go into the next hour, you have to pay extra or something, I don’t know. Still fun to see Eddie swearing a storm about it.
79. This was a night of nonstop fun wrestling of a great variety. The match order was a bit odd in places, but I didn’t find any of it boring at all, even when it was someone I didn’t know. Some unexpected results for sure, both positively and negatively, but a fantastic night to lead in Wrestlemania weekend. I’m sure Rampage was also serviceable, but I chose this one to watch for the evening, and I’m glad for it.
LARGE HAM
1/4/23 – The Gunns
1/11/23 – Daddy Magic
1/13/23 – Danhausen
1/18/23 – Sonjay Dutt
1/20/23 – Stokely Hathaway
1/25/23 – Tony Schiavone
1/27/23 – Danhausen
2/1/23 – Jade Cargill
2/3/23 – Ethan Page
2/8/23 – MJF
2/10/23 – STIIIIIIING
2/15/23 – Ruby Soho
2/17/23 – Dustin Rhodes
2/22/23 – Chris Jericho
2/24/23 – Matt Hardy
3/1/23 – Big Bill
3/3/23 – Jungle Boy
3/5/23 – MJF
3/8/23 – Anthony Bowens
3/10/23 – Riho
3/15/23 – MJF/Darby Allin/Jungle Boy/Sammy Guevara
3/22/23 – STIIIIIING
3/29/23 – Juice Robinson
3/31/23 – Eddie Kingston
Athena had it the whole evening until the very last minute there, but seriously, how could I not?
We’ve had thundersnow, hail, and now a blizzard all in one day. Hope you’re safe wherever you are. Minnesota weather gives fewer fucks than Eddie Kingston.