ROH World Championship
Mark Briscoe vs. Matt Taven
ROH on HonorClub #84 – Pittsburgh, PA – 10.3.2024

Briscoe has been champion since 4.5.2024 and this is his fifth defense. Mike Bennett is in Taven’s corner. Briscoe looks to have things in his grasp after he snapmares Taven to the floor and nails him with a spicy dropkick. Bennett intervenes when Briscoe looks to be going for a Cactus elbow, and while it does throw him off track for a moment, Briscoe is still able to pull off a Blockbuster off of the apron. In the ring, Taven gets his boot up to block a charge, but then runs right into a rolling Death Valley Driver. Taven rolls out of the way of a Froggy Bow and nails the Kick of the King to take control. Taven gets two with a Purple Thunder Bomb. Briscoe gets his knees up to block a lionsault. He strikes Taven to the corner, but once again Taven blocks a charge, this time with a superkick. Briscoe palm strikes Taven when Taven sits on the top turnbuckle and then pulls him into a uranage suplex. Taven rolls through a sunset flip and delivers Just The Tip for two. Aurora Borealis also gets him two. Briscoe gets his knees up when Taven goes for it a second time. Taven gets his knees up to block the Froggy Bow. Briscoe comes back with a fisherman’s buster and then the Jay Driller for the pin at 9:31. With the Jericho title defense already announced for the following week, the result was never in doubt. What was a bit clever was Taven mentioning Jericho before delivering the lionsault and seeing Briscoe block it. I wonder if they thought that Taven’s wrestling style was similar enough to Jericho that he would be a suitable warm-up bout for Briscoe. Either way, the wrestling was solid but unremarkable. **½

ROH Women’s World Television Title Match
Red Velvet vs. Diamante
ROH on HonorClub #85 – Pittsburgh, PA – 10.10.2024

Red Velvet has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is her first defense. The title also now has red leather, which is a nice touch. Velvet’s counter game makes it hard for Diamante to get any sort of advantage. Velvet has no counter for Diamante sweeping out her legs and having the back of her head crash against the back of the top turnbuckle, however. Velvet is in agony after Diamante overhead suplexes her into another corner, and Diamante follows in with a dropkick for two. When Velvet tries an attack from the apron, Diamante catches her with a neckbreaker on the middle rope. Diamante also clobbers Velvet in the corner with a hesitation dropkick to the ribs for two after wearing down her back with a full nelson. Diamante German suplexes Velvet before giving her a Death Valley Driver for two. Velvet momentarily halts Diamante’s progress with a small package, but Diamante dropkicks Velvet off of the apron and the floor upon recovering. Diamante throws Velvet into the barricades and ring steps and then picks up her title belt. The referee warns Diamante that she can’t use the title. Velvet throws some wild punches but is shut down with a haymaker. Diamante blasts Velvet with the title belt, disqualifying her at 10:00. After the match, Diamante continued her assault, whipping Velvet with the title several times. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a title match used to build up a title rematch, but this worked for me. Velvet one-upped Diamante, as a champion would, until she found herself at the mercy of a possessed challenger. It was neat to see the match shift from Diamante being unable to get the better of Velvet to her being totally dominant. I came away from the match not knowing exactly what set off Diamante to the point where she got herself disqualified, but that could be explained later (update: I don’t think it was). For the first chapter of a rivalry, I liked this quite a bit. ***

ROH World Television Championship
Atlantis Jr. vs. Brian Cage
AEW WrestleDream 2024 Zero Hour – Tacoma, WA – 10.12.2024

Atlantis Jr. has been champion since 6.28.2024 and this is his fourth defense. Cage had a promo against Atlantis where he hit him with the Mean Girls “he doesn’t even go here” line, more or less stating he wants to bring the title back to ROH. He was close to winning the title last month in a six way elimination bout, only for Atlantis to counter the Drill Claw into a prawn hold to retain. Atlantis’ upper back has kinesio tape on it, which Cage wisely targets with a spinebuster, stomps, and a hard Irish whip into the corner. Cage is frustrated with referee Stephon Smith when a Saito suplex doesn’t get him a three count. Atlantis takes down Cage with a flying headscissors and then pulls off the satellite headscissors that he could not pull off earlier in the match. Cage rolls to the floor after being wiped out by a crossbody, so Atlantis follows him out with a tope suicida. Atlantis uses Cage’s momentum to pull off a powerslam back in the ring. Cage cuts off Atlantis climbing the ropes with an enzuigiri and then muscles Atlantis up from the apron and into the ring with a superplex for two. Atlantis avoids the Drill Claw and DDT’s Cage for two. Atlantis also pulls Cage off of the middle rope and into a spin-out torture rack bomb for two. Cage also kicks out of a frog splash. Atlantis sets up Cage for a Frankensteiner and instead Cage counters into an Avalanche Liger Bomb. Just like at DBD, Atlantis counters the Drill Claw into a prawn hold. This time, however, Cage kicked out of the prawn hold, discus lariated Atlantis, and then successfully delivered the Drill Claw to win the title at 11:00. Cage has a fun dynamic with smaller wrestlers – he can throw them around, but it’s also believable when they get the better of him due to their speed and agility. Atlantis’ reign was fun while it lasted but won’t be remembered by many. ***

ROH World Championship
Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho
AEW WrestleDream 2024 – Tacoma, WA – 10.12.2024

Briscoe has been champion since 4.5.2024 and this is his sixth defense. Jericho challenged Briscoe to this match after pinning him in a tornado trios tag team match at Grand Slam. Big Bill is in his corner. Briscoe is champing at the bit to get to Jericho after Jericho uttered Jay Briscoe’s name during a Learning Tree segment. Briscoe is so fired up that he defiantly kicks out of an early Code Breaker and suplexes Jericho onto the floor. Briscoe wipes out both him and Bill with a tope con hilo and also lands a flying Blockbuster to Jericho. Bill cracks Briscoe with a big boot while Jericho has referee Aubrey Edwards distracted. He looks to chokeslam Briscoe through a table but Orange Cassidy intervenes and Superman punches Cassidy several times. They fight to the back and Briscoe plants Jericho with a rolling Death Valley Driver. Jericho rolls to the apron where he suplexes Briscoe off and to the floor. Back in the ring, Briscoe cuts off Jericho with a throat thrust. Jericho then cuts off Briscoe by crotching him on the top turnbuckle and bringing him down with a Frankensteiner. Briscoe back elbows Jericho as he approaches and takes him down with a flying forearm. Briscoe throat thrusts Jericho before giving him a fisherman’s buster for two. Jericho weaves out of a Jay Driller attempt and puts Briscoe into the Walls of Jericho. Briscoe makes it to the ropes to escape. Jericho distracts Aubrey once again so that Bryan Keith can crack Briscoe with a bat. Despite the attack, Briscoe is still able to kick out from Jericho’s subsequent pin, and Rocky Romero brawls Bryan to the back. Briscoe kicks a chair into Jericho’s face that he tries to introduce and then puts him through the table Bill previously set up with a chair-assisted tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Jericho cuts off Briscoe’s Froggy Bow in mid-air with a Code Breaker for two. The Molasses Elbow Judas Effect knocks out Briscoe, but rather than go for a pin, Jericho decides he wants to humiliate Mark by pinning him with the Jay Driller. He lands it, but Mark kicks out with authority at two. Briscoe has Jericho reeling with a throat thrust when he plants him with another rolling Death Valley Driver. Mark has Jericho down with the Froggy Bow, but he decides to utilize the Jay Driller, which gets him the pin at 15:18. Briscoe being frenzied because of Jericho bringing up his deceased brother’s name and wanting to defeat him with his brother’s finishing move worked for me and this crowd. This was also an instance where I think the interference added to the match, especially when Chekov’s table, set up by Big Bill, paid off by backfiring on Jericho. It pains me to say nice things about Jericho in 2024, but he did very well with Mark in this bout. ***½

It’s rare for their to be an ROH title to be defended outside of ROH and AEW these days, but Athena made her first defense since “Death Before Dishonor” during Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Wrestling debut weekend:

ROH Women’s World Championship
Athena vs. Gisele Shaw
Maple Leaf Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 2 – Windsor, ONT – 10.19.2024

Athena has been the champion since 12.10.2022 and this is her twenty-third defense. Shaw scores big with a spinebuster onto the edge of the ring apron. Athena however is able to throw Shaw face first into the ring post twice before knocking her down with a superkick, hoping to take a countout victory as a result. Athena chokes Shaw when Shaw reenters the ring and drives her knees into her abdomen. Shaw counters a corner attack by driving Athena’s face into the mat with her feet and then giving her a backbreaker destroyer. Athena throws her off of her shoulders and into a senton splash with defiance. Athena misses a second back senton, and Shaw outstretches her arm behind her back. She rolls Athena forward when Athena begins to muscle out of it, and shuts her down with a sit-out powerbomb. Shaw folds up Athena with a spinebuster for two. Athena weaves Shaw’s clothesline into a Saito suplex. Shaw sneaks back up with a Dragon suplex, and Athena comes back with a running big boot. Athena tilt-a-whirl slams Shaw afterwards for a two count. Shaw outmaneuvers Athena and pulls off her own powerslam for two. Athena cracks Shaw with a knee to the face after kicking out of a schoolboy pin. Athena blocks a spring back Ace Crusher and lands a splash off of the second rope. Athena pounds on Shaw’s shoulder blades and neck repeatedly. Shaw however catches Athena coming off of the ropes and spikes her with a Cradle Shock for two. Shaw cartwheels out of a headscissors but Athena shotgun dropkicks her to the corner right after. Athena gets in some strike before she gives Shaw a straightjacket sit-out powerbomb. Shaw counters a crossface into one of her own. Athena rolls Shaw into a kneebar, which Shaw counters into a modified sharpshooter. Athena escapes and reapplies the crossface. Shaw spears Athena upon escaping. She then strings together a backbreaker and facebuster for two. Shaw angrily Kawada kicks Athena before knocking her down with a forearm smash. Shaw pulls off the springback Ace Crusher but Athena kicks out from it as well. Athena counters an electric chair drop by wheelbarrowing Shaw face first into the turnbuckles. Athena also counters a super Death Valley Driver, grabbing the top rope and pushing Shaw down to the canvas. Athena then delivers the O-Face for the pin at 23:52. With a little more structure and a more compact run time, this could have been something really special. It was a fun back-and-forth match with a lot of emotion, but it was all over the place in terms of who was working on what body part and who was feeling the effects of the other’s offense. The match was just starting to fall apart but they saved it by just ending the match. It felt more like a Davey Richards ROH title match than it did an Athena title match. ***¼

ROH World Championship – Ladder War
Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho
AEW Dynamite #264 – Salt Lake City, UT – 10.23.2024

Briscoe has been champion since 4.5.2024 and this is his seventh defense. Jericho claimed that Mark cheated to win their match at WrestleDream and vowed to become a two time ROH World Champion, just like Jay Briscoe. Because Jericho once again uttered Jay’s name, he challenged Jericho to this World Title rematch, adding the Ladder War stipulation. Ladders, tables, and chairs are set up around the ring. Briscoe instantly spears and pummels Jericho at the start of the bout. Briscoe then shoulder checked Jericho off of the ring apron and through two tables ringside. Jericho suplexes Briscoe onto the floor to avoid being suplexed onto a ladder. As Jericho pulls a ladder into the ring, Mark uses it as a lever to send the top of the ladder into Jericho’s face. Jericho dodges a tope suicida, with Briscoe sending himself crashing through a ladder. During the commercial break, Jericho uses the ladder as a weapon and busts Briscoe open. As we return from break, Briscoe stops Jericho from climbing a ladder and puts him through another ladder in the corner with a Death Valley Driver. When Jericho goes for the title again, Mark pushes over the ladder and Jericho falls onto the ropes. As Briscoe is poised to deliver a Froggy Bow off of the ladder and through a table, Bryan Keith runs out and climbs the ladder to stop him. Rocky Romero takes out Keith with a kendo stick and sends him running, leaving Mark to put Jericho through the table with the Froggy Bow. Big Bill stops Briscoe from climbing the ladder for the title and chokeslams him through two tables on the floor. Bill then puts Jericho on his back and climbs the ladder. Jericho pulls the title down to win the match and the championship at 15:44. If Jericho is going to win the title and fans are going to be mad about him being champion, he may as well win in the cheapest way possible, with Bill basically winning the title for him. To both Jericho and Briscoe’s credit, they busted their asses and took roughly equal punishment, and the crowd was very into it. I did not want Jericho to win and this is not how I wanted Mark’s title reign to end, but I can at least say the match where both things happened was enjoyable. ***¾

ROH World Television Championship
Brian Cage vs. Komander
ROH on HonorClub #87 – Stockton, CA – 10.24.2024

Cage has been champion since 10.12.2024 and this is his first defense. Komander earned this title opportunity by defeating Willie Mack in a #1 Contendership match last week. Alex Abrahantes is in his corner. Komander attempts a springboard headscissors, and when Cage catches him, he converts into a sunset flip. Cage pulls up Komander from the mat into an overhead slam. Cage carries a shit eating grin as he easily overpowers Komander, including a scary overhead slam straight to the floor. When referee Mike Posey demands Cage take Komander back into the ring, Cage obliges by press slamming Komander back inside. Komande kicks Cage in the side of the head from the mat when Cage goes to pick him up. Cage quickly stops him, but Komander flips out of a German suplex and dropkicks Cage in the shoulder blades. Komander pulls off a rope walk Dragonrana to send Cage to the floor and then tope suicida’s after him. When Komander tries another rope walk, Cage shakes them to trip Komander. He then muscles Komander in from the apron with a superplex into the ring for two. Komander slips under a superplex. He kicks Cage’s legs out so that Cage lands face first onto the top turnbuckle. Komander lands a seated senton to Cage’s neck and a Phoenix Splash, but only gets a one count. Komander shuts down Cage quickly with an enzuigiri before climbing back to the top turnbuckle. He lands the rope walk moonsault. Cage rolls up to his feet with Komander in his arms and powerbombs him thrice. A spin out F-5 then gets Cage the pin at 10:16. As we saw here, the bigger the beating the smaller wrestler takes, the bigger the comeback feels and the more the fans get into the nearfalls. I think the crowd likely being more familiar with Komander than Atlantis may have also helped with the reaction as well. Both of those matches had similar stories but were wrestled differently enough to not feel repetitive. I liked this just a smidge more than the Atlantis match. ***¼

ROH Women’s World Championship; Halloween Ring of Horror Match
Athena vs. Abadon
ROH on HonorClub #88 – Cedar Rapids, IA – 10.31.2024

Athena has been the champion since 12.10.2022 and this is her twenty-fourth defense. This match is the culmination of a month plus of Abadon mentally tormenting the champion. While a holiday episode or match may be a throwaway, they actually spent a good month or so building this match, which is rare these days. Athena and Abadon are connected by a chain at the wrist, there are no disqualifications, and falls count anywhere. Tables covered with pumpkins and trash cans with spooky paintings on them surround the ring. Athena also now has a custom spinner title, courtesy of her minion Lexy Nair. Athena sets up three chairs on the floor and then wisely uses a trash can lid as shield to stop Abadon’s singapore cane shots. Athena surprises everyone by pulling a barbed wire bat out of one of the trash cans and hitting Abadon in the stomach with it. As Athena is propping up a table against the guardrail, Abadon spears Athena into it. Both a splash and another spear don’t break the table either (kudos to Abadon for the subtle Botchamania shoutout), but a toss finally does the trick. Athena places a ladder on the bottom rope but Abadon strikes before she can do anything with it. Back on the floor, Athena clobbers Abadon with a trashcan and brings it back into the ring with her. Abadon surprises her with a stunner onto the trash can as she is picking it up for two. Abadon then lands a senton to Athena onto the ladder placed on the bottom rope. Abadon pours out a bag of thumbtacks on the floor. Athena throws a chair at her face and knee strikes the back of her head into the ring steps for two. Back in the ring, Athena gets two with a super back suplex into a uranage. Abadon ducks a cane shot, and the cane bounces off the ropes and hits Athena. Abadon knocks Athena onto the ring steps which are turned sideways. Athena recovers and powerbombs Abadon onto the steps instead for a two count. Lexy Nair brings Athena a handful of skewers which Athena digs into Abadon’s forehead while she has Abadon tied up by the chain. Blood trickles down Abadon’s right eye, which only seems to reinvigorate her. Abadon slides to the floor and uses the chain to pull Abadon head first into a chair set up in the corner. Abadon then slams Athena onto the tacks for two. Athena goes under the ring, and when she comes back, she smashes a beer bottle into Abadon’s face! Athena gives Abadon the O-Face onto the three chairs she set up at the start of the match to get the pin at 19:47. We’ve seen from her street fight with Kiera Hogan and tables match with Nyla Rose that Athena can deliver in these types of matches and she did so once again. The visual of blood slowly trickling down Abadon’s face after skewers were dug into her head is not one I will soon forget. I do think the match meandered a bit in the middle, but otherwise, this was a very good brawl. It is sad that Abadon only gets dusted off for spooky szn, because she’s good. ***¾

It was time for the Conglomeration and Learning Tree to put their rivalry to rest with ROH’s traditional feud ending match stipulation:

Fight Without Honor
The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith)
AEW Dynamite #266 – Manchester, NH – 11.6.2024

Tables and chairs are strewn about the ringside area. Briscoe spicy dropkicks Jericho into a Saito suplex from Ishii through the table. Briscoe then lands a tope con hilo off of the apron, using the chair to boot himself. Keith digs his fingers into O’Reilly’s eyes before throwing the both of them off of the ring apron and through two tables. Bill chokeslams Briscoe through a ladder, leaving everyone laying going into the commercial break. Ishii and Jericho’s chop battles goes from outside of the ring to the inside, as the other four brawl near John Cena Sr. in the front row. Jericho and Briscoe then joust with chairs, with Briscoe getting the better of the exchange. Bill takes out all of the Conglomeration and stands tall amongst the rubble. All three members of the Conglomeration strike Big Bill between them, ending with a lariat/leg sweep combo from Ishii and O’Reilly. O’Reilly then lands a running knee strike off of the apron. Ishii chops Jericho to save Briscoe from the Walls of Jericho. Bill and O’Reilly fight to the back as Keith cracks Ishii and Briscoe with a kendo stick. Ishii cuts off Keith on the top rope. He brings down Keith with a superplex at the same time that Briscoe powerbombs Jericho. O’Reilly and Bill have now brawled to a section of the crowd. Bill sets up two tables and looks to chokeslam O’Reilly off of two production boxes through them, but instead, O’Reilly puts him in a guillotine choke and puts them both through the tables. Back in the ring, Briscoe avoids a chair shot from Jericho and plants him with the Jay Driller. He then puts Jericho through a table with a Froggy Bow off of the ladder, but Keith jumps in to break up the pin at the very last moment. Ishii takes out Keith with a lariat and leaves him to Briscoe, who wipes out Keith on the floor with a tope suicida. Ishii clobbers Jericho with a sliding lariat and drills him with a delayed vertical brainbuster for the pin at 13:38. This was a very fun and creative plunder match. Briscoe gets the satisfaction of hurting Jericho for disrespecting Jay, and Ishii solidifies his title shot by pinning the champion. The Jericho vortex is never where you want to be, but everyone involved in this rivalry made the most of it, producing some really solid matches and went out on a high note. ****

ROH Women’s World Television Title Match – Street Fight
Red Velvet vs. Diamante
ROH on HonorClub #90 – Bridgeport, CT – 11.14.2024

Red Velvet has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is her second defense. Diamante had not been seen in ROH or AEW since Diamante’s attack during their title match last month. Commentary says she was injured, but really she was in CMLL. Velvet reappeared last week, attacking Diamante after her match with Rachael Ellering. Velvet not only blocks an early kendo strick shot, but also catches the stick to block another. Diamante German suplexes Velvet and then cracks the stick across the small of her back, the same place she whipped Velvet with her own title belt. Diamante misses stomping the belt into Velvet’s head and instead lands face first onto it. Diamante however dropkicks a trash can into Velvet to stop Velvet from using it. She then places Velvet inside of the trash can and dropkicks the can for two. Diamante chokes Velvet with a chain until Velvet uses a chinbreaker to escape. Velvet also halts an Irish whip into a trash can and bulldogs Diamante onto a chair. She then sends Diamante face first into the trash can in the corner. Velvet then brings a ladder into the ring and hip tosses Diamante onto it. Velvet misses a seated senton onto the ladder. Diamante connects with a splash onto the ladder for two. Diamante brings a table into the ring. Velvet cuts her off with a chair jab to the ribs. Velvet uses the chair to smash the ladder onto Diamante and Diamante crawls under it to try and escape Velvet’s wrath. Diamante crotches Velvet as Velvet climbs the ropes and then superplexes her through the table. Diamante is too hurt to go for a pin right away, and when she does, enough time had passed for Velvet to be able to kick out. Diamante brings the TV title into the ring. Velvet ducks a shot to the head and kicks Diamante in the stomach. Velvet plants Diamante face first onto the title belt with a standing Diamond Dust for the pin at 10:58. I was worried that with so many weapons related matches happening around ROH titles these past couple of months that this one may fall short of the others. What really helped this was the intensity brought on by both competitors, especially Velvet, who showed she could match Diamante’s ferocity when push came to shove. The title being Diamante’s undoing in winning the title for a second time was also quite poetic. It’s a shame TK doesn’t like women’s wrestling because these two could and should be tearing it up on a more prominent stage. ***½

ROH World Television Championship
Brian Cage vs. AR Fox
ROH on HonorClub #91 – Albany, NY – 11.21.2024

Cage has been champion since 10.12.2024 and this is his second defense. Fox defeated Jack Cartwheel and former Pure Champion Josh Woods en route to this title opportunity. Fox quickly changes directions on Cage, getting the Swolverine to the floor where he can take him down with a tope con hilo. Air Fox lands back in the ring for two. Cage traps Fox in the corner with a back elbow and clothesline before Saito suplexing him to the middle of the ring. Fox slips to the apron to avoid another corner attack. Fox sends Cage chest first onto the middle rope before delivering a roll-up dropkick. Fox clotheslines Cage in the corner and then skins the cat into a dropkick. Fox purses Cage into a pendulum DDT for two. Cage weaves Fox into GMSI for two. Fox grabs the ropes to escape the Gorilla Clutch. As Cage looks for Weapon X, Fox counters into a Yoshi Tonic for two. Fox impresses with a rolling Death Valley Driver right into a 450 Splash. Cage pushes Fox up and off of him just before the three count. Cage swats Red to block Lo Mein Pain. He satellite DDT’s Fox and then powerbombs him thrice for a two count. Cage damn near is pinned by a small package. Cage then immediately discus lariats Fox and pins him with the Drill Claw at 9:25 to retain the title. Dang did they do a good job convincing myself and the crowd that Fox could pull off the upset. This was on par with, but felt different from, the Komander title defense. It’s nice to see that they also picked up on the fact that Cage wrestling flippy guys is a good time. ***¼

ROH World Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Tomohiro Ishii
AEW Dynamite #267 – Chicago, IL – 11.27.2024

Jericho has been champion since 10.23.2024 and this is his first defense. Jericho defended the ROH World Title against Ishii during his first reign two years prior, also on the Thanksgiving Eve edition of Dynamite in Chicago. Big Bill and Bryan Keith join commentary for the bout. A long chop battle leads to both men giving each other German suplexes and clotheslines. Ishii bounces off the ropes after taking a boot and nails Jericho with a clothesline. Ishii chops Jericho on the ring apron until Jericho pokes him in the eyes and DDT’s him on the ring’s edge. Back in the ring they trade open handed strikes to the face. Jericho’s lip and mouth are busted open in the process. Jericho leaves a handprint of blood on Ishii’s face as they continue to slap each other. Ishii throws in a couple of headbutts and then pummels Jericho to a crouching position in the corner. Weariness sets in as the open hand slaps turn to swipes to one another’s face. Jericho executes a superplex, but Ishii’s fighting spirit rises him up quickly upon landing. Jericho blocks a lariat so Ishii gives him a left arm clothesline to the corner. Jericho German suplexes Ishii after ducking a clothesline. Ishii clobbers Jericho in the back of the head to block the Molasses Elbow Judas Effect and then falls to the mat in exhaustion. Jericho is the first to come to, and he lionsaults onto Ishii for two. The Judas Effect and Code Breaker only get Jericho a one count. Ishii also blocks a Walls of Jericho and delivers a diving headbutt to Jericho’s chin for two. Jericho ducks a diving lariat, so Ishii surprises him with a Code Breaker of his own. Ishii lariats Jericho for two. When he goes for another lariat, Jericho cuts him off with the Judas Effect. Another Judas Effect gets Jericho the pin at 13:15. The tone of this match was off. Jericho, booed by the crowd, fought valiantly as he was bleeding from his mouth and stood toe-to-toe with one of the hardest strikers today. If this was anyone but Jericho, he’d have been beloved by the crowd. I also feel like they reset the match by going back to forearm strike battles one too many times. Some of their strikes (mostly Jericho’s) looked whack as well. It’s a shame because I actually liked their match two years ago and was looking forward to this rematch. They did not deliver. **½

ROH had just one title defense in December, so that’s getting added on to this post.

ROH Pure Championship
Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Taven
ROH on HonorClub #94 – Columbus, OH – 12.12.2024

Moriarty has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is his third defense. Taven has been aiming to claim the Pure Title, as it is the only men’s title he has not won in ROH. He defeated Aaron Solo and former Pure Champion Josh Woods in Pure Rules matches prior to this bout. 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. Overhanded slaps and chops to the face are permitted. Punches to the rest of the body are permitted, excluding low blows. The first use of a closed fist results in a warning. The second use of a closed fist to the face results in a disqualification.
*If the match goes past the sixty minute time limit, three judges will determine the outcome. The judges for this match are ROH alumni and former champions Nigel McGuinness, Chistopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn.

Moriarty has to back Taven to the corner to escape a hammerlock, but he is not charged a rope break for doing so. Moriarty kicks out Taven’s knee after ducking a spin kick. Taven comes back with a suplex and floats over into a lateral press for two. Moriarty savate kicks Taven in the mid-section, and the damage results in Taven taking a break in the corner. Moriarty rushes in with a clothesline and then repeatedly shoulder blocks Taven’s stomach in the corner. Taven stumbles into the ropes, using his first rope break to escape an Octopus Stretch. Taven uses his second rope break to escape a crossface. Moriarty grins as he pulls Taven up to his feet and sends him to the ropes, following him in with knees to the mid-section. Taven rolls over a knee strike to the gut and connects with a spinwheel kick. Taven goes for a Koji Clutch after taking down Moriarty with a Complete Shot. Moriarty maneuvers his way free but Taven cracks him with Just The Knee for a two count. Moriarty snaps Taven’s fingers on his left hand after blocking The Climax. He turns Taven inside out with a discus clothesline before pulling him into a straightjacket facebuster. Moriarty puts on the Border City Stretch, and Taven uses his third and final rope break to escape. Taven pushes Moriarty to the floor and wipes him out with a tornillo splash. Taven hits Aurora Borealis in the ring, but quickly feels the pain from doing so. When Taven recovers, he puts Moriarty in a modified Anaconda Vise, and Moriarty uses his first rope break to escape. Moriarty also pulls Taven’s hair while he has foot on the ropes. Moriarty also blasts Taven with a closed fist and is issued a warning. Taven sends Moriarty tumbling to the corner with a superkick. Taven comes charging in. Moriarty hops over Taven and wraps him in an Anaconda Vise in the ropes until Taven submits at 11:19. Moriarty’s brash mannerisms made this match and also helped get the crowd behind Taven. Taven fighting through the pain of his injured ribs helped as well, and it especially came through when he looked to have Moriarty defeated after his frog splash but couldn’t capitalize. I don’t understand why this wasn’t saved for Final Battle – Taven going for the only ROH title he has not held is a great story, and the quality of this match proved that it would’ve been worthy of the PPV stage. ***½

The Final Battle card looks pretty bad, but the title matches leading up to it were pretty good!