Turns out I wasn’t completely ready to let this new ROH go. I wanted to keep up with the title matches, just like I did where there wasn’t a weekly TV show. So, that’s the format I’m going back to. It turned out August was a pretty substantial month title match wise.

There was one title match that took place after Death Before Dishonor but before August began, a World Six Man tag title match made official the morning of the episodes airing:

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship
The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) & Jacked Jameson
ROH on HonorClub #22 – Newark, NJ – 7.27.2023

The Mogul Embassy have been champions since 12.10.2022 and this is their seventh defense. Prince Nana is in their corner. Jameson used to be the manager for the Savages, but has traded in his managers license for a wrestlers license, according to commentary. Bronson is running roughshod on The Embassy after Jameson tags him in, but he is dropkicked by Kaun from the inside of the ring into a powerbomb from Liona onto the floor, turning the match into the champions favor right away. Bronson counters a sunset flip from Cage with a sit-out splash and tags in Boulder. Boulder may be the first person to outsize the Embassy in any of their Six Man Tag title matches, and that size is shown off when he drops Cage and Kaun at the same time with a flapjack and Liona with a shoulder tackle. Liona takes down Boulder with a running elbow smash after he misses a moonsault. Liona blocks Boulder’s running crossbody with a knee strike. Bronson clotheslines him to the floor, only for Cage to knock down Bronson with a discus lariat. Cage belly-to-belly suplexes Jameson, and Kaun plants him with Greetings From Ghana for the pin at 10:11. I appreciated the change in dynamic from what most of the Embassy six man tags have been, where they more or less dominate smaller wrestlers. Boulder was particularly impressive, though I’ll remember that powerbomb Bronson took for awhile.The ending was a little weak, but overall this was a solid title defense for The Embassy. **¾

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. El Hijo del Vikingo & Komander
AEW Dynamite #200 – Tampa, FL – 8.2.2023

Aussie Open have been champions since 7.21.2023 and this is their first defense. Alex Abrahantes is in the corner of the challengers. Vikingo headscissors Fletcher to the floor, and then allows Komander to walk off of his shoulders to pull off a headscissors to Davis. Aussie Open regroups on the floor. Davis surprises Komander with a big boot and Fletcher knocks Vikingo off of the apron with a running leg lariat. Komander is double teamed by Aussie Open, and almost pinned with the Aussie Arrow/Dental Plan combo. Fletcher cuts off a rope walk, but spills to the floor when Komander moves out of the way of an attack. Vikingo blind tags in and dropkicks Davis to the floor. Vikingo then legdrops Fletcher as Fletcher lay on the bottom rope. Aussie Open catch the double suicide dives from their opponents and drive them back first into one another. They once again double team Komander back in the ring. Komander rolls out of the way of a senton attempt from Davis and tags Vikingo, who tornado kicks Fletcher for a two count. Aussie Open superkick and big boot Vikingo out of mid-air and then take him out with the one-man Ragnarok for two. Komander surprises Fletcher with a dive off of Davis’ shoulders into a Canadian Destroyer. Vikingo spikes Davis with a crucifix driver, and as Aussie Open gets their bearings on the floor, Vikingo and Komander tightrope walk into double Asai moonsaults! They then land stereo 450 splashes on Davis in the ring, but Fletcher is there to break up the pin. Fletcher drives Vikingo into the barricades as Komander looks for his rope walk shooting star press. Davis avoids it and cracks him with an enzuigiri. Aussie Open clobber Komander with double forearms before stuffing him with Coriolis for the pin at 9:51. This was exciting and really fun. Komander and Vikingo are great on their own, but working together brings out a whole new level of ingenuity. That ingenuity couldn’t overcome the more experienced team, who knew how to cut off and overwhelm their opponents, and had both the size and power advantage to boot. This was a heck of a first defense. ***¾

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson)
ROH on HonorClub #23 – Hartford, CT – 8.3.2023

Aussie Open have been champions since 7.21.2023 and this is their second defense. Jacked Jamesonis in The Savages’ corner. They challenged Aussie Open earlier in the day and the confident champions accepted. The challengers do well to overwhelm the champions at first, but on the floor, Aussie Open are able to throw Bronson into Boulder, sending both of them crashing into the barricades. The champions then beat down Bronson, the smaller Savage, until he halts a double corner attack and takes them out with a double crossbody. Boulder manhandled Aussie Open single handedly upon being tagged in, dropping them simultaneously with a Smaoan Drop/fallaway slam combo. He misses a moonsault on Fletcher, which gives Aussie Open the opening to stun him with double forearm strikes to the head. Bronson interjects, taking out Davis with a Rikishi Driver, sitting down on Fletcher’s chest upon landing. Iron Savages give Davis a double spinebuster for two. They prepare for the Elevator Drop on Davis, but this puts Bronson in a precarious position where Fletcher can surprise him with a Doomsday Device, with Boulder as an unwilling participant. Aussie Open struck Boulder a few times before hitting him with Dental Plan. They blast him with double forearms before impressively muscling him up into Coriolis for the pin at 10:22. It’s a little tough to justify the Savages’ getting this title match after they blew a Six Man Tag title match the previous week, but this was good so I won’t complain. Like The Mogul Embassy was in that match, Davis found himself in the unusual spot of not being the biggest person in the match, and it took both him and Fletcher relentlessly attacking Boulder and taking advantage of Bronson in a bad spot to retain their titles. Aussie Open can now boast back-to-back title match victories which is good for their characters. ***

ROH Pure Championship
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Josh Woods
ROH on HonorClub #23 – Hartford, CT – 8.3.2023

Shibata has been champion since 3.31.2023 this is his fifth defense. ”Smart” Mark Sterling is in Woods’ corner. Woods himself is a former Pure champion, and defeated James Stone, Tracy Williams, and Eli Isom in Pure Rules matches en route to this challenge. The Pure Rules are as follows:
*The competitors are to obey the “Code of Honor”, shaking one another’s hand before and after the match.
*Each wrestler has 3 rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls. After a wrestler has used all 3 of their rope breaks, submission and pin attempts on or under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
*Closed-fist punches to the face are not permitted. Punches to other parts of the body are permitted, excluding low blows. The first use of a closed fist results in a warning, a second will be a disqualification.
*This match has a 60 minute time limit. If the match goes past the time limit, three judges will determine the outcome. The judges for this match are ROH alumni and former champions John Walters, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jerry Lynn, who is also on the ROH Board of Directors.
*Any wrestler who interferes will be terminated from the roster.

Shibata and Woods fight for a knee bar or ankle lock. They tumble out to the floor while doing so. Woods is able to free himself on the floor and also evades a PK from Shibata. Back in the ring, Shibata tries to count pushing Woods to the ropes in a waistlock as a rope break. When Sterling protests, Woods uses the distraction to shoulder block Shibata to the apron. Referee Mike Posey does not take away a rope break. Woods hammerlocks Shibata’s left arm before throwing him into the barricades. Shibata does more damage to his arm using the barricade. He continues his attack on the arm back in the ring. Shibata kicks out of a Doctor Bomb, and Woods decides to deliver his own PK to Shibata. Shibata rolls up to his feet, deeply angered by Woods’ action. He forearms Woods down to a seated position and delivers a hesitation dropkick. Woods uses his first rope break to escape a sleeper hold. Shibata immediately Saito suplexes him and then gives him a German suplex. Woods attacks Shibata’s shoulder again during a forearm strike exchange, which ends with both of them knocking each other down with stereo bicycle kicks. Woods takes down Shibata with a clothesline. He stomps and kicks away at his hurt shoulder and goes for a TKO. Shibata slips out and surprises Woods with a sleeper hold. He brings him down to a seated position and nails the PK for the pin at 11:11. Even though he was not victorious, Woods looked incredibly effective against the champion, and perhaps came closer than anyone thus far during Shibata’s tenure to unseating him. Woods also came close to being the first person to make Shibata use a first rope break. I appreciated the uniqueness of the match as well – you don’t get a lot of grappling or lock-ups ringside. I hope we get to see this match one more time during Shibata’s reign, and I hope Woods continues to be a staple of the Pure division going forward. ***¼

ROH Women’s World Championship
Athena vs. Diamante
ROH on HonorClub #23 – Hartford, CT – 8.3.2023

Athena has been the champion since 12.10.2022 and this is her thirteenth defense. Diamante heads into the match with a 5-2 record. Athena’s playful nature frustrates Diamante, who cracks the champion with a back elbow and two dropkicks before dumping her on her head with a back suplex. Diamante then dropkicks Athena as she lays on the mat to the floor. When Diamante looks to follow up with a crossbody off of the apron, Athena catches and slams her onto the mat, and then throws her into the barricades. Athena attacks her back inside of the ring with a senton splash, a cartwheel double knee drop, and a bow and arrow stretch. Diamante tries a German suplex on the ring apron but ends up being rammed face first into the ring post before taking a Side Effect onto the ring apron. Diamante is able to surprise Athena with a forearm strike back in the ring and take her down with a headscissors. A sliding clothesline gets Diamante a two count. Athena pounds on Diamante’s neck and rotates her into a backbreaker. Diamante blocks to O-Face and O’Connor Rolls Athena into a German suplex for two. As Diamante comes off of the second turnbuckle with a double axe handle, Athena cracks her in the face with a knee. Diamante escapes a crossface, so Athena rolls her in a waistlock into a cradle for the pin at 9:16. Another good defense for Athena. They told a simple but effective story with Athena wearing down Diamante’s back and it more or less led to her being victorious. It occurred to me that the well is running dry on credible challengers for Athena who are on the ROH roster. They seemed to agree, as we’d soon get a unique story with Athena to build up her next challenger being, and her next defense (in September) taking place against an outsider. ***

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Ethan Page & Isiah Kassidy
AEW Rampage #106; Fight For The Fallen 2023 – Nashville, TN – 8.18.2023

Aussie Open have been champions since 7.21.2023 and this is their third defense. It was already going to be difficult to buy Kassidy and Page as believable challengers as is, but with a title defense against MJF and Adam Cole at All In on the books, that difficulty was exacerbated. The champions isolated Kassidy right away, and shut down his and Page’s short comeback by driving them back first into one another mid-ring. They then beat down Page during the commercial break,, and just before coming back, Page cut off Fletcher with a bottom rope Ace Crusher and gave him a sheer drop brainbuster before tagging in Kassidy. Kassidy’s comeback is ended when Fletcher gets his knees up to block a Swanton Bomb. The Dental Plan and the Aussie Arrow only get a two count thanks to Page breaking up the pin. Aussie Open puts Page away with stereo kicks, then double lariats Kassidy before planting him with Coriolis at 9:18. That was about as good as this match could be with such low stakes for the champions. **½

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy)
AEW Dynamite #203; Fyter Fest 2023 – Duluth, GA – 8.23.2023

Aussie Open have been champions since 7.21.2023 and this is their fourth defense. The Hardys shined bright to start with their signature tandem offense. They kept control on the outside until Fletcher superkicked Jeff out of mid-air when he leapt off of the steel steps, and Davis back suplexes Hardy onto the ring apron. They ran the Hardys back first into each other and sequestered Jeff back inside of the ring. Jeff wiped them out with a Whisper in the Wind and tagged in Matt, who ran down Fletcher in one corner with multiple head shots into the turnbuckles. He earns a nearfall on Fletcher with a Side Effect, then suplexes him into a splash from Jeff. Fletcher saves Davis from a double suplex, powerbombing Matt off of the second rope. Aussie Open takes out Jeff with Dental Plan and the Aussie Arrow at 8:02. Again, despite having a title match on the books for All In in a few days, Aussie Open had a title defense and it was hard to buy the challengers as viable. That said, seeing these two teams against each other was pretty cool, and it was nice to see that it main evented Dynamite as well. You could tell they had to rush the ending to make TV time, but they made good use of the time they had. The Hardys also looked better than I expected. **¾

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Adam Cole & MJF
AEW All In London 2023: Zero Hour – London, England – 8.27.2023

Aussie Open have been champions since 7.21.2023 and this is their fifth defense. This was never going to be a match I liked. I don’t like MJF, and the skits he’s done with Adam Cole make Chuck Lorre’s shows seem like peak SNL. The skit where they ate at Outback Steakhouse and watched kangaroo footage to prepare for this match gave me horrible secondhand embarrassment. It would’ve been fine if Aussie Open made MJF and Cole regret fucking around en route to this match by demolishing them, but no, this horseshit HELPED MJF and Cole defeat Aussie Open and win the titles. Aussie Open, who were able to defeat three other teams to win the ROH tag titles, defend those titles four times in a month, with two of those matches happening on back-to-back nights, fell to a kangaroo kick and double clothesline at 6:58. I’m glad Aussie Open participated in this show. I am sure they are being well compensated, and in Fletcher’s case, I’m sure traveling with your girlfriend is nice too. But this to me was the death of the Aussie Open that I became a fan of over the past couple of years. On one of the biggest wrestling shows of all time, they lost in a comedy match on the pre-show. I know MJF and Cole are popular, but was it worth undermining Aussie Open and the ROH tag titles to give them a win on a show where they are both already in the main event? There was no other team that didn’t deserve to be featured? “Hate” isn’t a strong enough word for how I felt about this atrocity. DUD

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship
The Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. Darius Martin, Action Andretti & Lee Johnson
ROH on HonorClub #27 – Lexington, KY – 8.31.2023

The Mogul Embassy have been champions since 12.10.2022 and this is their eighth defense. Prince Nana is in their corner. Why is Martin getting his third title attempt and Andretti his second against the same team? It takes Johnson multiple strikes before he can take Cage off of his feet with a slam. Cage gives him a neckbreaker off of the top rope, sort of like a reverse Tower of London. Johnson is beaten down and his partners kept at bay, but Liona missing a corner splash gives him an opening to tag in Andretti. Andretti knocks Liona off of the apron with a backhandspring and gets a two count on Kaun with a C4. Liona saves Kaun from being pinned with a split-legged moonsault. He then double shoulder tackles Martin and Andretti and blasts Johnson with a running back elbow. The challengers get their stuff together and put down Cage with an assisted Ace Crusher. Kaun saves him from being pinned and gives Johnson a gutbuster. Liona shoulder tackles Martin out of the ring. Liona and Kaun toss Johnson to Cage for a sit-out powerbomb, getting them the pin at 9:45. Cage looked noticeably off a few times during the course of the bout, but otherwise this was fine. Basically about the same as the other matches with Andretti or Martin but not as good. I’m ready for some new champions. **½

August wasn’t a bad month per se, but it was a slog to get through. I’d really go out of your way to watch Aussie Open’s defense against Vikingo and Komander.