ROH decided to squeeze in one final title match to close out 2024, so we’ll cover that before getting into January.

ROH World Television Championship
Komander vs. Johnny TV
ROH on HonorClub #96 – New York, NY – 12.26.2024

Komander has been champion since 12.20.2024 and this is his first defense. TV has the MxM Collection in his corner. Actually, they’re on the second floor of the Manhattan Center with a “If Johnny loses, we’ll be really sad” sign. TV impresses his pals with a Samoan Drop into a standing moonsault. Even more impressive, when Komander moves out of the way of a suicide dive, TV bounces off the second rope with his chest, rolls to the side of the ring where Komander now is, and takes him out with a tope con hilo through the middle and bottom rope. Komander evades a slingshot elbow drop and gets two with an impressive double jump Dragonrana. TV pokes Komander in the eyes to halt his progress. Komander fails to use the ropes to counter a waterwheel slam, but does manage to turn it into a Destroyer. TV blocks a clothesline and gives Komander a backbreaker. TV then maneuvers Komander into both an inverted Moonlight Drive, and the original, for two. Komander superkicks TV twice after escaping a powerbomb attempt and spikes the challenger with a reverse Frankensteiner. When MxM come ringside to try and stop Komander’s Cielito Lindo, he moonsaults onto both of them. The distraction is enough for TV to regain control with a leg sweep on the apron. TV misses Starship Pain, and Komander successfully lands Cielito Lindo for the pin at 9:29. It was a blast watching two very smooth wrestlers with interesting offense do their thing. The near flubs they had they recovered from quickly. The story of TV having his eye slightly off the prize as he was trying to impress MxM was also an interesting wrinkle. ***

ROH Women’s World Television Title Match
Red Velvet vs. HANAKO
ROH on HonorClub #97 – New York, NY – 1.2.2025

Red Velvet has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is her fourth defense. HANAKO made her ROH debut two weeks earlier, defeating Harley Cameron on the Final Battle Zero Hour. Velvet’s taunting of her much larger opponent led to HANAKO giving the champion chase around the ring. Velvet shut HANAKO down with a chop block as she came back into the ring. She continues attacking HANAKO’s left knee until HANAKO reverses a supplex attempt into one of her own. HANAKO uses the ropes for leverage to kick Velvet away as she recovers in the corner. After another boot, HANAKO Samoan drops Velvet and gives her two Stinger splashes. Velvet escapes a torture rack and drop toe holds HANAKO into double knees to the back against the ropes. A tornado enzuigiri gets the champion a two count. HANAKO elbows her way out of the standing Diamond Dust and muscles Velvet back into the torture rack. This time, Velvet claws at her eyes to escape, and then puts HANAKO away with the standing Diamond Dust at 8:37. This was your typical big wrestler versus little wrestler match but with the roles reversed, with the smaller wrestler as the bully. That made for a more interesting dynamic. HANAKO has the size but is still finding the presence to go with it. Velvet’s charisma more than made up for it. **¼

ROH World Television Championship Proving Ground Match
Komander vs. QT Marshall
ROH on HonorClub #97 – New York, NY – 1.2.2025

If Marshall wins this match or lasts the ten minute time limit, he will earn a future World Television Championship match. Alex Abrahantes is in Komander’s corner. Marshall dictates the pace by staying outside of the ring, stating he won’t get into the ring until Komander stops “doing gymnastics.” While this works in Marshall’s favor for a little while, Komander is able to pick up the pace after he traps Marshall in an Octopus stretch. He springboard headscissors Marshall to the floor and follows him out with tope suicida. Back in the ring, Marshall shuts down Komander with a pop-up forearm smash and gets a two count with a suplex into a powerbomb. Marshall’s super Diamond Cutter goes awry, ending with Komander instead bringing him down with an avalanche Frankensteiner. Marshall superkicks Komander after evading a moonsault to the floor, and then also forearms Abrahantes from behind for no reason. Komander checks on Abrahantes after wiping him out with springboard moonsault. Komander takes down Marshall back in the ring with a Mexican Destroyer. Marshall rolls to the floor after Komander lands Cielito Lindo, and the 10:00 time limit expires as Komander rolls out after him. Obtaining a title shot by simply outlasting the time limit is befitting of Marshall’s character. Attacking Abrahantes for the heck of it was also classic. They had a very exciting final few minutes, and it actually has me looking forward to the rematch. **¾

ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Sons of Texas (Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara) vs. House of Torture (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
NJPW Wrestle Dynasty – Tokyo, Japan – 1.5.2025

The Sons of Texas have been champions since 8.16.2024 and this is their third defense. They’re wearing the same Deadpool and Wolverine attire that they did at All In last Summer. HOT challenged the Sons via video after they successfully defended the titles at Final Battle. This is Rhodes’ first appearance in the Tokyo Dome since the 1993 January 4th NJPW event. Guevara wipes out Kanemaru on the floor with a springboard moonsault. SHO grabs him by the hair and tosses him out to Kanemaru, who then sends Guevara ribs first into the barricades. SHO then removes one of the turnbuckle corners and sends Guevara chest into the exposed buckles. Rhodes interjects when SHO antagonizes him with a forearm smash, but he then gets sent back first into the exposed buckles. SHO steps and spits on an ROH tag team title, and when he peels Guevara off the mat, Guevara cracks him with an enzuigiri. Guevara low bridges SHO to the floor and enzuigiri’s Kanemaru to finally get an opening to tag in Rhodes. Rhodes snap slams both HOT members to the delight of the Dome attendees. Rhodes also completely resists a spear from SHO, though a kick from Kanemaru allows a second spear to take down the Natural. Kanemaru attacks Rhodes’ left leg. He also spits whiskey into his eyes, but that isn’t enough to earn him the pin. Neither is a moonsault onto the knees. Guevara takes down Kanemaru with a cutter and superkicks SHO, which Rhodes capitalizes on with a Destroyer to SHO. Rhodes gives Kanemaru a taste of his own medicine with a face full of whiskey. Guevara then superkicks Kanemaru into the Final Reckoning from Rhodes. Guevara lands a huge Swanton on Kanemaru, and Rhodes pins him at 9:27. If anybody knows how to work with the House Of Torture, it’s Dustin Rhodes, and the comeuppance he got in the end was sweet. It was a fun, classic tag boutm and they did a good job making this return to the Tokyo Dome for Dustin feel like a triumph. **½

A four way match took place during the Wrestle Dynasty pre-show pitting Athena (representing ROH) against Willow Nightingale (representing AEW), Persephone (representing CMLL), and Momo Watanabe (representing STARDOM), with the winner earning a future title shot of their choosing. Athena had the match won after hitting the O-Face on Willow, but Watanabe’s faction mate Thekla dragged the referee out of the leg. Athena had just teamed with Thekla two days prior in STARDOM, winning the match, which made the betrayal all the more surprising. Watanabe then cracked Athena with a baseball bat and pinned her with the Peach Sunrise, making Watanabe the first person to defeat Athena in two years. Eight days later, Athena would get a chance for revenge against Thekla, putting her ROH title on the line as well.

ROH Women’s World Championship
Athena vs. Thekla
STARDOM New Year Stars 2025 In Korakuen Hall – Tokyo, Japan – 1.13.2025

Athena has been the champion since 12.10.2022 and this is her twenty-sixth defense. Thekla dominates the champion early on by baiting her to the outside and throwing her into the ring post. Thekla also digs her fingers into Athena’s eyes while she has her in a back bridge leg lock. Thekla also traps Athena in a headscissors in the corner, leaning over the top rope for leverage. Athena is able to stop her on the top rope and bring her down with a super fallaway slam. Athena keeps her momentum on offense until Thekla counters a double stomp in a tree of woe into a spider superplex. Athena rolls to the floor but Thekla crossbodys after her. In the ring, Athena uses the momentum of taking a boot to the side of the head to swing into a German suplex. They both then knock each other down with stereo forearm strikes. As they fight to their feet, Thekla spits in Athena’s face. Athena pummels her with forearms and punches before pulling her up into a quartet of powerbombs. A cross-armed sit-out powerbomb had Thekla down for three, but Thekla’s HATE stablemates dragged the referee out of the ring. Athena fought of Momo Watanabe and Natsuko Tora. Thekla scored a nearfall with a bridging O’Connor roll, and then again with a tilt-a-whirl DDT and curb stomp. Thekla had Athena in a double underhook, but Athena freed herself and blasted Thekla with a forearm smash. Athena then climbed to the top turnbuckle as Thekla was recovering, nailing Thekla with the O-Face when she stood up for the win at 14:56. This was a well built match that just wasn’t all that exciting. It was a bit too one-sided for too long and the crowd didn’t really get into Athena’s comeback. That perhaps isn’t too surprising – Athena’s a wrestler from a company they probably don’t watch, holding a title they don’t care about. It wasn’t bad but it also didn’t meet expectations. After the match, they discuss doing a rematch in the U.S., which I’d be into. **¾

ROH World Television Championship
Komander vs. QT Marshall
ROH on HonorClub #100 – Cincinnati, OH – 1.23.2025

Komander has been champion since 12.20.2024 and this is his second defense. Alex Abrahantes is in his corner. Marshall earned this match three weeks prior by outlasting the time limit in a Proving Ground match. Marshall shuts down Komander with a backbreaker into a Complete Shot. He also teases ripping Komander’s mask to the crowds dismay. Komander sits up to avoid a tackle into the corner from Marshall, sending Marshall to the floor. Komander runs up the ropes and moonsaults onto Marshall on the floor. Although Komander is able to score with a facebuster, Marshall busts his face back by getting his feet up to block a moonsault in the ring. Marshall also cuts off a springboard in mid-air with an Ace Crusher for two. Abrahantes prevents Marshall from using the TV title as a weapon, leading to Marshall being surprised by a Code Red from Komander. Marshall dodges a dive onto the entrance ramp way and pump kicks Komander. Abrhantes and Mike Posey make Marshall put Komander down to prevent a Razor’s Edge to the floor. Marshall strikes Abrahantes in the stomach, but as Abrahantes is hunched over, Komander uses him as a step stool to pull off a Mexican Destroyer on the ramp! Komander lands a springboard twisting Destroyer in the ring, and then finally lands Cielito Lindo for the pin at 9:41. They played off the first match with Komander getting retribution for Marshall’s attacks on Abrahantes, and Abrahantes making sure he capitalized right away on Marshall after he hit the Destroyer. I appreciated it, and the crowd was quite into the bout too. Marshall is sort of like the Kingdom, in that they catch a lot of flack from online fans, but always deliver when it matters. ***¼

After the match, Lee Johnson applaudes Komander from the entrance ramp, making it known he wanted to be next up. He would only have to wait seven days before getting an opportunity.

ROH World Television Championship Proving Ground Match
Komander vs. Lee Johnson
ROH on HonorClub #101 – Cincinnati, OH – 1.30.2025

If Johnson wins this match or lasts the ten minute time limit, he will earn a future World Television Championship match. Alex Abrahantes is in Komander’s corner, and EJ Nduka is in Johnson’s corner. Nduka swiped Komander’s legs on the apron to give Johnson the chance to strike Komander undetected. Up until that point, Komander had enjoyed full control of the bout due to his speed advantage. Johnson sends Komander into the barricades to injure his midsection, which also takes some of Komander’s speed away. Komander evaded a superplex form Johnson, but unwisely chose a springboard crossbody to follow. Komander landed a facebuster and a springboard Frankensteiner, each good for a two count. Johnson scoops Komander into a rolling death valley driver and punts him into a standing moonsault for two. Komander comes back with a sunset bomb but has to nurse his ribs as soon as he lands. Komander uses the ropes to pull himself up to his feet. Bobby Cruise issues a one minute warning right before Komander lands a somersault senton. Komander lands Cielito Lindo but is too injured to go for a pin. Nduka pulls Johnson to the floor, as Komander purses Johnson, the 10:00 time limit expires. The wrestling was better than the QT Proving Ground match, but the ending was identical. At least wait a full month before repeating finishes. Injuring Komander’s ribs at least adds something to their future title match, or at least it should. **¾

ROH Women’s World Television Title Match
Red Velvet vs. Leila Grey
ROH on HonorClub #101 – Cincinnati, OH – 1.30.2025

Red Velvet has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is her fifth defense. Leila made a challenge for this match after defeating Marti Belle last week. A Proving Ground match would’ve made more sense given Grey’s win-loss record but nobody asked me. Velvet gets Grey to the floor to turn the match in her favor, driving Grey’s back against the ring frame multiple times. To add insult to injury, she covers Grey with the ring skirt and uses her as a step stool to get back into the ring. Velvet dishes out some more shots on the floor. Grey gets in a flurry of overhand chops, but Velvet throws strikes to Grey’s stomach and digs her foot into Grey’s neck back in the ring. Velvet drives her knees into Grey’s shoulders and neck against the middle rope. Grey escapes a chinlock with a belly-to-back suplex. Velvet sends Grey to the ropes to turn the momentum, only for Grey to take her down with a clothesline. Grey transitions from a bulldog into a Dragon Sleeper. Velvet gets her foot on the rope to break the hold. She also turns the tide with a modified Iconoclasm. Grey comes back with a Blockbuster for two. Velvet slides out of a slam attempt and knocks Grey onto her knees. The standing Diamond Dust gets Velvet the pin at 8:37. That was a lot more competitive than I anticipated. Neither one of them let the other stay in control for too long and it felt like either one of them could take the bout. It’s probably the most I’ve seen Grey wrestle and I thought she looked good. That bulldog into a Dragon Sleeper combo rules. ***

A solid month defense wise but nothing terribly noteworthy or worth seeking out.