Ring of Honor TV Results 5/18/23

I never realized how much Pretty Peter Avalon looks like Eddie Bravo. Beefy and Bulky are the Iron Savages, now. Bronson gets dropkicked by Nemeth but Bronson regains control with his strength. Delayed vertical suplex by Bronson gets two. Nemeth tags Avalon who gets caught attempting a cross body, but Nemeth trips Bronson and gets a two count. Nemeth in now with a dropkick to the face and some hip thrusts. Double leg by Bronson and both men are down. Boulder gets the tag and runs through everyone before big booting Avalon, causing him to DDT Nemeth. Double goozle turns into a double flapjack. Middle rope moonsault by Boulder misses and Avalon comes off the top with a splash that gets two. Boulder continually benches Avalon on himself in a funny moment. Diving crossbody by Boulder takes both Wingmen out. Electric Chair Drop to both men and this one is over.

Winners: Iron Savages

Rating: *1/4. Little more than a squash here but the crowd is getting behind the Iron Savages.

Match #4. Zack Clayton & Cole Karter vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal

Quick jaw breaker and reverse DDT with the leg-like maneuver by Daniels & Sydal to Karter. Assisted moonsault by Daniels and a standing twisting moonsault by Sydal. Two count. Karter cuts Sydal off with a knee and makes the tag to Clayton, who eats a leg lariat. Drop toe hold and a leg drop combo by Daniels & Sydal. Arm ringer and a double stomp by Sydal. Sydal with some quick kicks to the chest before hitting the ropes and getting kneed in the back by Karter, forcing him to walk into a Clayton lariat. Sydal tries to fight out of the corner and heads up top but gets caught from behind and rocket launched into a Clayton powerslam. Frog splash by Karter gets a two count. Sydal counters a body slam into a tornado DDT and tags Daniels. Forearms by Daniels and a clothesline to the back. Back body drops to everyone and a running bulldog/clothesline combo. Angel’s Wings by Clayton but Karter breaks it up with a dropkick. Flying hurricanrana by Sydal to Karter. Clothesline by Clayton to both Sydal and Daniels. Head kick by Sydal sends Clayton into a uranage from Daniels. BEST. MOONSAULT. EVER. This one is over.

Winners: Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal

Rating: **. Clayton and Karter FAR surpassed my expectations here, but they were in the ring with two absolute generals.

Match #5. Miranda Alize vs. Lady Frost

Elbows by Alize and a foot sweep in the corner. Big Broski Boot and a butterfly suplex get two. Frost responds with a palm strike and a running boot in the corner. Handspring into the cannonball in the corner gets only a two count. Cartwheel into an Air Raid Crash before the Temperature Drop finishes this one!

Winner: Lady Frost

Rating: **. This match was like four minutes long, tops, but these two women beat the heck out of each other. More of these two, please.

Match #6. Eli Isom & Cheeseburger vs. Angelico & Serpentico

Cheeseburger with some World of Sport wrestling here and looking for the La Escalara submission but Angelico breaks it up. Trailer Hitch by Angelico but Cheeseburger gets to the ropes. Burger goes up and over both members of the SAP and gets the tag to Isom. Isom low bridges Angelico and plants Serpentico with a wrist clutch power slam. Pop-up neckbreaker to Serpentico gets two. Tag to Angelico and a superkick by Cheeseburger as Isom hits a suicide dive to Serpentico. Luther pump kicks Cheeseburger on the outside as Angelico grapevines the legs and locks in an ankle lock as Burger taps.

Winners: Spanish Announce Project

Rating: NR. Unnecessary.

Match #7. NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. AR Fox

Wrist control by ZSJ as Fox cartwheels out and hits a snap mare. ZSJ looks mildly impressed. Kravat by ZSJ but Fox escapes and connects with a leg lariat. Fox skins the cat with a pair of boots to ZSJ in the corner and a two count. ZSJ charges but Fox lands a Slingblade that sends ZSJ to the floor. Fox follows with a dive over the top before rolling ZSJ back in the ring and coming off the top with a missile dropkick. Two count. ZSJ counters a suplex with an arm ringer and now focuses the attack on the arm and shoulder. ZSJ with some boots to Fox in the corner and another arm ringer. Stomps to the fingers and hand of Fox. Hip toss now by Fox but ZSJ uses a butterfly guard sweep to lock in a straight arm bar that forces Fox to get to the ropes. Diving clothesline by Fox and a huge boot to the face. Swinging suplex by Fox gets a long two count. Fox looks for a fireman’s carry but ZSJ locks in a kimura. Fox with a Pele kick to the arm and a double stomp to the hand now. ZSJ now stomping on the elbow before delivering a PK. Stack pin by ZSJ gets two. Fox manages to dump ZSJ to the outside and catches him coming in with a boot to the head and a DDT between the ropes from the apron for a two count. Fox places ZSJ on the top rope and follows him up. ZSJ now with a Cobra Twist on the top rope but forced to break before the five count. Fox runs back up with a seated avalanche Spanish Fly for a two count. ZSJ attempts to roll to safety but Fox comes flying out of the ring with a somersault plancha to the floor. Fox rolls ZSJ in and comes off the top with a 450 that misses. ZSJ with a leg trapped roll up that gets two and now a brutal attack on the knee of Fox by ZSJ. Standing heel hook by ZSJ but Fox fights out. ZSJ takes the back of Fox and kicks the knees out, getting his hooks in and locking in a spladle. ZSJ grabs a hold of the far leg and applies a Stretch Muffler WITH the spladle and Fox taps!

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.

Rating: ****. Heck of a match here and if you’re a fan of mat-based wrestling, then you loved this. ZSJ is a beast, a technical wizard, and he can work with anyone. AR Fox has a home in ROH and just hung with one of the best in the world and proved he can wrestle many different styles.

After the match, ZSJ says he’s the most active TV champion in all of wrestling, and that brings out…

Samoa Joe!

Joe says there can be only one TV Championship. Joe says it’s clear the powers that be don’t want either company to lose face, but the powers that be aren’t here, so let’s see who the real TV champion is.

For some reason, this brings out Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal. Daniels said Sydal has never been a TV champion and he deserves his shot. ZSJ says he and Joe should team up and if they take care of business, then they can talk to each other.

Match #8. Dalton Castle & Boy vs. Gates of Agony

Dalton is fired up since the Mogul Embassy injured Boy 2 last week. Kaun and Boy to start. Boy uses his speed to avoid Kaun but Leona blasts him from behind and gets gutwrenched 3/4 of the way across the ring. Avalanche in the corner by Leona and a backbreaker by Kaun. Basement flatliner by Boy but Castle isn’t able to make the tag. Leona with some big splashes to Boy and he’s in trouble. Chops in the corner and a body slam by Kaun get two. Leona is just torturing Boy here for what seems like an extended period of time. Castle finally gets tagged and clears the ring with exploders and suplxes. Bunch of splashes by Castle and a German suplex to Kaun. Castle now uses Boy as a projectile but Leona catches him and hits a uranage on the apron. Fireman’s carry into a gut buster to Castle and Open the Gates to Boy and this one is over.

Winners: Gates of Agony

Rating: *1/4. Not a good match, and way too long. When you’ve got a two hour, 11-match show… we don’t need a 10+ minute squash.

Match #9. WorkHorsemen & Shane Taylor vs. Midnight Heat & Schaaf

Henry kicks Pearl in the face and Drake destroys him with chops in the corner. Belly-to-belly to Pearl and Drake with a Vader Bomb in the corner. Chops by Drake and a drop toe hold by Henry onto Drake’s knees, with a double stomp finish. Schaaf makes the tag and he’s big… but he gets headbutt by Taylor and a big lariat. Package piledriver/Drillbit/brainbuster in stereo and this one is over.

Winners: Shane Taylor & Workhorsemen

Rating: NR.

Match #10. Ashley D’Amboise vs. Mercedes Martinez

Headlock takeover by Mercedes but D’Amboise counters with a head scissors. Mercedes gets out and paintbrushes D’Amboise. Mercedes ducks a clothesline and responds with a rolling elbow. Snap suplex by Mercedes and she holds on for a second, and a third. Hammer throw by Martinez who misses a charge as D’Amboise responds with a pop-up running neckbreaker. D’Amboise looks for a Burning Hammer, maybe, as Mercedes counters with a spinebuster. Mercedes traps the arms and pounds on the chest. D’Amboise comes back with some really… odd… looking strikes and now looks for the Burning Hammer (variation) and lands it. Two count. Martinez trips up D’Amboise from behind and traps the arms for a curbstomp. Surfboard with a dragon sleeper finish and D’Amboise taps.

Winner: Mercedes Martinez

Rating: *. Not a great showing here, as there were more awkward spots in this match than not. I’ll chalk that up to D’Amboise, as Mercedes has been doing this for 20 years.

Match #11. Fight Without Honor: The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin & Action Andretti

Brawl starts on the ramp as Andretti comes prepared with a kendo stick. Martin and Andretti look for anything they can find under the ring and we have some plunder. Double dropkick Van-Daminator to Bennett. Double drop toe hold to Taven on the unfolded chair and a hurricanrana by Andretti. Taven is in a garbage can and getting beat with chains, pipes, and more. Marka goes low on Martin on the apron as Bennett blasts him with a chair to the face. Kick of the King by Taven on Andretti and a trash can shot to the face. Spinebuser by Bennett to Andretti on a trash can as Taven sends Martin into the ladder in the corner. Bennett has a Martin in the Doomsday Device position on the outside as Taven dives from the ring but Martin moves and Taven takes Martin out. Andretti takes out both men with an Arabian Press. Andretti puts another table in the ring. Bottom rope assisted Complete Shot by Martin to Bennett but Taven is here to blast everyone with a chair. Kingdom set up about six chairs like a table and look for a Spike Piledriver and (kind of?) hit it, only to get a two count as Andretti breaks it up. Proton Pack attempt on Andretti but he gets free and hits a bit boot to Bennett and a wheelbarrow bulldog to Taven. Taven set up on a table now as Andretti comes off the apron with a springboard 450! The table doesn’t break, so Andretti suplexes Taven through the table anyway (tables never break on 450 splashes, btw). Bennett breaks down Andretti with a series of forearms and a spear. Running Spiccoli Driver through the table by Bennett! Purple Thunder by Taven through the chair on Martin! two count only. Andretti takes Taven to the floor as Bennett disposes of Martin from the top to the apron. Maria is here and she’s got a pipe in her hand, which she uses to black Martin in the back. Maria holds Martin as Bennett delivers a bunch of stiff chops. Bennett rebounds off the bottom rope and absolutely LEVELS his wife Maria with a rolling elbow! Back in the ring, Andretti goes low on Taven. Double team inverted Fidget Spinner to Taven! Superkick party to Bennett in the ring as Martin puts Bennett on his shoulders and Andretti comes off the top of the ladder with a Doomsday Device! One, two, three!

Winners: Darius Martin & Action Andretti

Rating: ***1/4. Heck of a brutal, bloody brawl here. The Kingdom are an all-time tag team and they brought Martin and Andretti up to another level. However, to me, they still feel like a thrown together team that shouldn’t be beating guys like The Kingdom.

The Kingdom offer their hands after the match and the Code of Honor is observed.

Final Thoughts: This was a long two hours, I’ll be honest. There were a lot of fun matches this week, but there is also a lot of fluff. This shouldn’t feel like the cousin of Dark and Dark: Elevation, and it sometimes does. The Ring of Honor veterans are carrying this company on their back, and I worry some of the newer talents aren’t at that level just yet. 6.75/10.