ROH Pure Championship
Lee Moriarty vs. Josh Woods
ACTIONxROH DEAN~!!! 3 – Philadelphia, PA – 9.11.2025

Moriarty has been champion since 7.26.2024 and this is his tenth defense. Woods earned this title match by defeating JD Drake at DEAN~!!! 2. Woods himself is a former Pure Champion, winning the title in this same building almost four years ago to the day. He also defeated Matt Mako in a Pure Rules match six days prior as a warm-up.

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.
*The title can change hands on a count out and disqualification in addition to a pinfall.
*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.
*The judges for this match are not acknowledged, aside from noting that they are watching in the back.

Moriarty’s trajectory becomes clear once he punts Woods in the left shoulder. When Moriarty follows up with a Border City Stretch, Woods quickly rolls them into the ropes, using his first rope break to escape. Woods counters a hip toss and rolls Moriarty into a modified Gorilla Lock. Moriarty quickly uses his first rope break to escape. Woods is able to stop Moriarty’s up and over and drop him stomach first onto the top rope. Woods then pulls Moriarty off into a gutwrench slam for two. Woods attacks Moriarty’s mid-section while also nursing his own shoulder. Woods stretches Moriarty’s body out in the ropes, which referee Mike Posey counts as Moriarty’s second rope break, and makes Woods release the hold. Moriarty counters a gutwrench with a headscissors, sending Woods to the floor. When Woods comes back into the ring and grabs Moriarty, Moriarty fallaway kicks Woods’ shoulder. Moriarty wraps Woods’ arm around his leg and snaps back on it thrice. He then puts Woods in an abdominal stretch in the ropes, which Posey counts as Woods’ second rope break, with Moriarty’s mannerisms showing he was getting payback for what Woods did to him. Moriarty also kicks away at Woods’ arm from the apron and comes in with a springboard forearm strike. Woods interlocks his hands to avoid a cross armbreaker. Moriarty rolls a couple times before converting into a triangle choke. Woods ends up muscling Moriarty into a powerbomb and then a knee strike to the face. Woods muscles Moriarty into a turnbuckle suplex. Woods gets a three count, however, Moriarty’s foot is under the ropes. This exhausts Moriarty of his rope breaks. Woods stomps on the back of Moriarty’s knee before applying an ankle lock. Moriarty grabs the ropes to no avail. Moriarty does however counter a waistlock into a victory roll. Woods counters that, but Moriarty then counters into a European Clutch for the pin at 10:13. This felt like a unique defense for Moriarty. He’s often paired with people who can perhaps match Moriarty on the mat or try to outpace him, but not often with somebody who can overpower him like Woods can and did. It’s the first match in awhile where Moriarty felt like an underdog. The way they utilized the rope breaks helped to tell that story, and I especially liked the false finish at the end. Moriarty using Woods’ own strength against him to get him in a clutch was also very clever. I don’t understand why Woods isn’t utilized at all in either AEW or ROH. ***½

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship Match
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) vs. AR Fox & The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett)
ROH on HonorClub #133 – Philadelphia, PA – 9.18.2025

Shane Taylor Promotions have been champions since 8.29.2025 and this is their first defense. Trish Adora and Anthony Ogogo are in their corner. Fox and The Kingdom answered a challenge from STP earlier in the week. They previously defeated The Frat House on an ROH YouTube special. Taven was also one of their inaugural Six Man Tag Team champions, a three-time champion overall. STP jump the opposition before the bell and beat down Bennett in their corner. Taylor takes a verbal shot at the absent Maria Kanellis, resulting in Bennett firing up and knocking down Taylor with a clothesline. Taven cleans house on the Kingdom, scoring a nearfall on Bravo with a rolling neckbreaker. Fox takes out Dean with a brainbuster. He double stomps Taylor in the corner and rolls back into an Ace Crusher on Bravo. Taven passes Bravo off to Bennett after Taven wipes out him and Dean with the Flight of the Conqueror. Bennett’s Death Valley Driver, Just The Tip from Taven, and Air Fox from Fox only get the team a two count on Bravo. The Kingdom then give Bravo Rockstar Supernova. Fox lands a 450 Splash after, and Dean saves him from being pinned. Dean pitches Bennett to the floor where Taylor knocks him out with a haymaker. Taven misses the Kick of the King and gets DDT’d by Dean. Bravo jabs Fox in the throat and delivers a backdrop/neckbreaker on him with Dean. A haymaker from Taylor and a double curb stomp from the Infantry get STP the pin on Fox at 6:38. They made the best of the time allotted, and for a second time teaming, Fox has really good chemistry with the Kingdom. No complaints over a dominant first defense even if a little more time could have helped make things sink in a little more. **½

Interim ROH Women’s World Television Title Match
Mina Shirakawa vs. Lacey Lane
ROH on HonorClub #134 – Philadelphia, PA – 9.25.2025

Shirakawa has been Interim champion since 7.11.2025 and this is her first defense. Lane is the former Kayden Carter. The fun and games between the combatants ends with Shirakawa stomping Lane’s knees into the mat Danielson style. Lane kicks out Shirakawa’s legs in the corner, setting her up in an Unnatural Kick position, and then dropkicks Shirakawa in the stomach for two. Lane peppers Shirakawa in the chest with strikes while antagonizing a fan who was jeering her. Shirakawa comes back with a running knee strike. Shirakawa trips Lane into a cloverleaf, and then snaps her knee as she gives Lane a back cracker. Lane crawls to the ropes to escape a figure four leg lock. Lane drop toe holds Shirakawa into the bottom rope and boots her in the back of the head. A bottom rope springboard leg rope gets Lane a two count. Lane plants Shirakawa with a divorce court DDT for another two count. Shirakawa puls Lane off of the middle rope with a dragonscrew leg whip. A flying Slingblade gets Mina a very close nearfall. Lane cradles Shirakawa when she goes for a figure four again. Shirakawa throws two rolling elbows and a backfist before going for the figure four leg lock again. Lane taps out at 6:33. I really dig that it all came back to the damage Shirakawa did to Lane’s knees from start to end. It was fine filler, but nothing that makes me think that this title sorely needed an Interim champ, or that made me hope to see Lane come back. **½

ROH World Tag Team Championship
La Facción Ingobernable (Sammy Guevara & RUSH) vs. The Von Erichs (Marshall von Erich & Ross von Erich)
ROH on HonorClub #134 – Philadelphia, PA – 9.25.2025

LFI have been champions since 8.29.2025 and this is their first defense. Dralistico is in their corner. They won the titles at “Death Before Dishonor”, and the same night, Guevara turned on the Von Erichs, who he had been teaming with for many months alongside Dustin Rhodes, and joined LFI. LFI beat down the Von Erichs around ringside to start the match. When Marshall is able to tag in Ross, he unloads his anger on Guevara, kicking him low enough to be suspect, and then planting him with a Falcon Arrow for two. He kicks RUSH to halt his attack on the apron, but that moment of stalling allows for Guevara to cut off Ross in mid-air with a hip attack. Dralistico gets in some licks on Ross while RUSH and Guevara wear him down. Guevara also steals one of their cowboy hats. Ross clobbers RUSH with a rolling clothesline and tags in Marshall, who unloads with clotheslines on both of LFI and gets his hat back from Guevara. He puts the Iron Claw on RUSH, turning into a back suplex/claw slam combo. Guevara pulls the referee out of the ring to stop the count. Guevara keeps the referee distracted so Dralistico can tornado kick Marshall. RUSH blasts him with the Bull’s Horns. He lets Guevara score the victory with a Swanton Bomb at 8:30. A good match for LFI to further establish dominance and put the Von Erich’s in their rearview. Guevara is such a good fit in LFI. ***

ROH World Championship
Bandido vs. Hechicero
CMLL Viernes Espectacular – Mexico City, Mexico – 10.3.2025
ROH on HonorClub #136 – 10.9.2025

Bandido has been champion since 4.6.2025 and this is his sixth defense. This is a rematch from “Death Before Dishonor.” Hechicero obeys the Code of Honor, which he didn’t do in their DBD match, presumably due to Don Callis’ presence. Commentary notes that Bandido’s shoulder has been injured recently in AEW. Hechicero had done significant damage to the shoulder in their first encounter, and ultimately decided to utilize the same tactic in this match as well. After a suicide dive, Hechicero dropped Bandido stomach first onto the barricades and then smashed a barricade door onto his shoulder. He closes the door onto his shoulder before bringing him back into the ring just before the twenty count was rendered. Hechicero brings Bandido back to the floor and does more damage, but he crashes and burns on a dropkick attempt, hyperextending his knee in the process. Bandido took notice and landed a shooting star press from the apron onto Hechicero’s injured knee. Hechicero ends up doing damage to himself by stopping Bandido’s momentum with a Boss Man Slam onto his knee. Hechicero misses a running knee strike in the corner, and Bandido capitalizes on that with a one-armed slam and a 450 Splash for two. Hechicero cuts off Bandido with an uppercut out of the corner. He sunset flips Bandido into a kimura and snaps his arm in a regulation wristlock. The CMLL trainer comes out to check on Bandido’s shoulder, but Bandido refuses to give up or let the referee call the match. He pops his shoulder back into its socket, gets taped up by the trainer, and the match continues. Bandido nurses his shoulder as he delivers a dropkick. He also side steps a knee attack on the ropes and pulls off a no hands reverse Frankensteiner. Bandido is able to escape an armbar on the apron and also kick out of a headscissor driver. Hechicero rolls him into a handlebar stretch, which Bandido only escapes by getting his foot on the bottom rope. Bandido’s arm fails mid 21 Plex. Hechicero elbows him away and goes for a clothesline. Bandido catches him and rolls him into a modified Ranhei for the pin at 22:50. This was more focused and compact than their first match, and to that I end I appreciated it more overall. I think the highs in the first match are higher, but that match also lost steam while this did not. The Arena Mexico crowd was also electric. I’d say this is an eyelash away from being as good as their first effort. ****

Ever since winning the AEW TBS Title a year and a half ago, Mercedes Moné has been on a mission to win as many titles as possible. With 10 titles held concurrently, she was looking to find an 11th title to win so she could set the record for most title held at one time. To do so, she made an open challenge to any current title holder to a title vs. title bout – her AEW TBS Title against their title. Mina Shirakawa, the current Interim ROH Women’s World Television Title holder, answered the challenge. This is a rematch from Wrestle Dynasty, which was also a double title match, but with two different titles on the line in that bout. I wonder if that’s a first – two individuals having two title vs. title bouts with four distinct championships.

Interim ROH Women’s World Television Title & AEW TBS Title Match
Mina Shirakawa vs. Mercedes Moné
AEW WrestleDream – St. Louis, MO – 10.18.2025

Shirakawa has been Interim champion since 7.11.2025 and this is her second defense. Mercedes Moné has been TBS champion since 5.26.2024 and this is her twenty-third defense. Shirakawa mocks Moné’s dance right before stomping her knees into the mat. Moné puts Shirakawa in her place with a back cracker and the Tenchi Crash. She further damages Shirakawa’s mid-section with a double knees to the stomach as Shirakawa lay across the middle rope in the corner. Moné gets jeered as she literally steps on Shirakawa. She looks to mock her with her own figure four, but when Shirakawa kicks her away, Moné comes back with running double knees. Shirakawa gets her knees up to block a frog splash and then suplexes Moné. Shirakawa snaps Moné’s knee in a cloverleaf. Moné also gives her a dragonscrew leg whip in the ropes. Moné survives a slingshot spinning splash and a flying Slingblade. Moné then counters the Glamorous Driver with a back cracker. Shirakawa escapes the Moné Maker and pulls off the Glamorous Driver for two. They go to the apron where Moné delivers a running Meteora. Moné misses running knees in the corner. Shirakawa gives her two rolling forearm strikes and a roundhouse kick. Shirakawa knocks Moné down with a backfist before applying a figure four leg lock. Moné escapes and also gets caught using the ropes for leverage to get a pin. Moné maneuvers referee Stephon Smith in such a way that he doesn’t see her poke Shirakawa in the eyes. Moné schoolgirls Moné into a crossface. Shirakawa rolls Moné onto her shoulders to escape. Moné also cradles Shirakawa to avoid another figure four and pulls her up into the Moné Maker. Shirakawa grabs the bottom rope to stop the pin count. Shirakawa fights out of a backslide by driving Moné into the corner Shirakawa comes charging at her in the corner. Moné ducks and backslides Shirakawa, and also places her left foot on the bottom rope for leverage to get the pin and the ROH title 16:10. Well, duh. This hovered around a story and some consistent limb work but didn’t stick to it. Like most AEW PPV matches, it also went on a little too long and had a few too many kickouts. Both the pre-match and post-match were all about the two AEW Women champions going against each other, so once again, an ROH title is an afterthought in an AEW angle. ***

I’m impressed that all titles but the Women’s were defended after an ROH PPV in about a six week stretch (Men’s TV gets a pass as Nick Wayne is out injured.) Some really good stuff here too.