ROH Honor Club #133 Review – 09.18.25

Welcome to another episode of ROH Honor Club. Last week was the Action Dean 3 special, which didn’t focus much on pushing existing storylines, but just a card thrown together in memory of Dean Rasmussen. We’re back with ROH canon, and it’s more content taped from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, with Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman calling the action.

Mistico (w/ Alex Abrahantes) vs. Mansoor (w/ MXM TV):
Mistico is set for a Title vs Mask match against MJF at CMLL Anniversario. No effort in adhering to the code of honor from Mansoor. Extended running of the ropes sequence until Mansoor puts Mistico down with a shoulder block. He’s too busy spamming the taunt button, and Mistico isn’t going to let him disrespect him THAT much. Whip to the ropes and Mistico with a handspring elbow, followed by a flying head-scissors. Mansoor tricks the referee into thinking he was struck by Abrahantes, opening the door for some dirty, sneaky heel tactics. Mistico gets dumped and stomped out like a flaming bag of dog doo before being sent back in the ring. Suddenly, Jon Cruz (unmasked Serpentico) starts to wander to ringside, apparently taking notes on the action. Mansoor misses a moonsault from the top rope, giving Mistico the chance to mount his comeback. Mistico with a snap powerslam for two. Mansoor knocks Mistico into the ropes, where MxM TV attempts to get their SEED all over him, but the referee catches the shenanigans. Mistico wipes them all out with a plancha and finishes Mansoor shortly after with La Mistica at 5:25. Cruz gets Mistico’s attention and says the mask is coming off… I have no clue what is going on with Cruz. MxM Collection deserves better than being stuck in ROH or the meaningless punt episodes of Collision.

Hype package for the Women’s Pure Tournament, which has only featured one match since being announced back in MAY, and that was thrown on ROH Death Before Dishonor as a last-minute addition. Queen Aminata defeated Taya Valkyrie to advance, but we’re still waiting on Deonna vs Trish Adora, Billie Starkz vs Olympia, and Serena Deeb vs Yuka Sakazaki.

Pure Rules Match: Olympia vs. Viva Van:
OK, so we’re throwing Olympia on here, but can’t get it over with that she’s jobbing to Billie? Don’t give me the “build her up” excuse, either when we rush through tournaments all the time. Both women jockey for control, with Olympia getting the first big shot with a lariat and basement dropkick. Van uses the ropes to take Olympia over with an arm drag, followed up with a spinning head-scissors. Olympia chases Viva Van into the corner with a clothesline. They meet in the middle with a double clothesline and Van quickly goes for a leg lock. Olympia with an escape, transitioning to the Muta Lock, forcing Van to spend a rope break. Olympia with a head-stand off the buckle into a Bronco Buster for two. Momentum goes back in Viva Van’s favor, surprising Olympia with a spinning heel kick. Olympia with another cut off, hitting a samoan drop (with a few squat reps) for a near-fall. Van avoids a charging-nothing and catches Olympia under the chin with a mule kick. A cross body is caught and Olympia finishes with a swinging slam at 4:49. Fine, but a little clunky at times with them making sure they’re in position for certain spots.

NEXT WEEK: La Faccion Ingobernable defends against The Von Erichs!

Alan Angels vs. The Beast Mortos:
ARE YOU KIDDING? THEY BROUGHT ALAN ANGELS BACK? THE WORST OF DARK ORDER. Angels gets a little smart with the offer of a handshake and Mortos runs straight through him. Crisscross and Angels with a jumping heel kick. Mortos ends up on the floor and Angels follows him out with a tope suicida. Back inside, Mortos catches Angels coming off the top rope but Angels recovers and lands a spinning heel kick. Angels’ luck runs out, getting caught with a back breaker and lariat. Whip to the ropes and Mortos with the pop-up Samoan drop for three at 1:53. HAHAHAHA. Welcome back, 5 (no, he’s not part of Dark Order, officially, but he’ll always be 5).

Jon Cruz is backstage to cut a promo on Mistico, claiming MJF will defeat Mistico and force him to remove his mask. I appreciate Cruz cutting half of the promo in Spanish, but maybe we get someone less Jobber for this spot?

Pure Rules Match: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Matt Mako:
The Guy Who Had His Brain Removed is stuck slumming it on ROH too? He’s still co-holder of the AEW Trios Championship, but seriously, who cares about that worthless title? For the first time tonight, we adhere to the code of honor! Pure Rules means “feeling out process to fill the first 30-60 seconds.” Shibata gets Mako on the ground for a cross arm bar, but Mako scrambles free instead of relying on a rope break. Shibata gets Mako on the canvas again, still targeting the arm. Mako counters with a head-scissors, forcing Shibata to move to the legs. Mako turns over the pressure with a Figure-Four, but Shibata fights through to regain control of the hold. They go back and forth with it until Mako finally cashes in his first rope break. Shibata lights Mako up with a flurry of chops and a basement dropkick. Mako survives a triangle choke and punishes the left elbow. Shibata figures 8-seconds is enough before he goes back to gobbling Mako up. Mako gives Shibata a taste of his own medicine, going from a pin attempt into a cross arm bar. Shibata hooks the ankle, forcing Mako to give up a rear choke, and that’s rope break number two. Shibata goes back to the knee bar and Mako uses his final break. Shibata pops up from a German suplex, puts Mako to sleep, and the PK finishes at 7:28. Well wrestled, though Shibata took a ton of the offense. The shine Mako got was decent, but can we throw the man a tomato can to beat on and get a win?

Hype package for the Premier Athletes, set to compete in Mixed Six-Person Action NEXT WEEK on ROH HONOR CLUB. If Stori Denali works more than 30-seconds of that match, I swear to God…

Wheeler Yuta & Marina Shafir vs. Aleah James & Man Like Dereiss:
Interesting name there, “Man Like Dereiss.” Wheeler and Shafir bring the fight before the bell, so if you need to be told, no, there’s no code of honor here. Wheeler with a snap suplex and Dereiss kicks out at one. Huh. Dereiss stuns Yuta and gets some shine in the corner, and he’s getting all his schtick in, so good for him. Unfortunately, it’s at the expense of a guy in the #1 heel stable, so feels like the wrong place to try and get that in. Shafir in, making Aleah wish she chose a different profession. James surprises Shafir with a spinning head-scissors then immediately runs into a straight kick. Shafir rag dolls Aleah with Judo throws and traps her in a full body crunch submission, all while flipping off Dereiss. Aleah survives and tags in Dereiss, who gets to run wild again. Dereiss pops Yuta with the 6-1-9 (or whatever Philly’s area code is). Yuta takes advantage of Marina’s distraction, but Dereiss is too hot to handle, ducking under a sliding clothesline and nipping up to hit a Diamond Cutter. James inexplicably tags back in and gets a little shine before Shafir throws her down and finishes with Mother’s Milk at 5:23. Someone must be buddies with Dereiss, because he got way too much offense for a random scrub appearance. Also, Marina is excellent in the role of destroying jobbers.

Lance Archer is backstage beating the crap out of some geek while Rocky Romero is counting cash. More geeks show up to get manhandled, including BEEF. Dude, Archer beat you TWICE in the last month. Go away.

Frat House hype video from the world’s saddest frat party. Alan Angels AND Preston Vance are slumming around ROH in 2025, for those keeping track.

Satnam Singh vs. CPA:
NO POP FOR SINGH. I guess Philly doesn’t love Double J’s “My World” Remix. CPA is dressed like… uh… a CPA. Singh offers a handshake and CPA unsuccessfully goes for the leg. Singh won’t budge on a slam and instead gives CPA a trip to the canvas. Singh grabs CPA by the tie, but SWERVE, it was a clip on! CPA rips off the shirt to reveal another tie and the same shirt! Luck runs out and Singh hits the Chokeslam for three at 1:16. Alright, this was amusing, probably the best part of the show other than the opener.

QTV. Nope. I did the “10 second skip” trick, landed on Harley saying QT “fisted” P.W. Hauser at Death Before Dishonor, and quit. No. Go away QT. Don’t come back.

Pure Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Janai Kai:
BOTH?! THEY DID TWO AND NEITHER WERE TOURNAMENT MATCHES?!?!?! Kai did not impress me the last time she appeared on Honor Club, but I won’t hold one match against someone. They adhere to the code of honor and fight for control of a waist-lock. Yuka with a drop toe hole and they trade off on the arm until we end up in a neutral stance. Triple reversal and Yuka with an arm drag, followed by a dropkick. Kai powders, but Yuka pops her with a baseball slide and dives off the top rope to the floor. Back inside, Yuka with a rolling sunset flip for two. Janai with the cut off, landing a series of kicks to the face and back. Modified Dragon Sleeper sends Yuka to the ropes for her first break. Kai with a straight kick across the face and an encore to the back of the head for two. Yuka catches Kai in the corner in a hanging head-scissors. How is THAT a rope break for Kai?! Poor judgment from the official. Kai keeps going to what brought her to the dance, but eventually it’s easily scouted and Yuka drops her like a bad habit with a rope-assisted German suplex. Yuka with the hammer-lock slam and Kai is done at 4:42. OK, Janai Kai’s style definitely worked better here with Yuka, who is always a treat to watch.

STP are putting the locker room on notice. Actually, Carlie Bravo talks about breaking and entering and shooting the residents of the home, but I feel like that seems unnecessary for such a random promo.

ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match:
Shane Taylor Promotions (w/ Trish Adora & Anthony Ogogo) vs. AR Fox & The Kingdom:
We recap last week on Action Dean where AR Fox answered Shane Taylor’s open challenge and jobbed clean, so of course he gets a title match this week. STP gets the jump before the bell, leaving Taven as the legal man by default. It’s a 3-on-1 assault, and it looks like Trish got some shots in from the floor. Anthony Ogogo continues to collect a paycheck to do NOTHING. Captain Dean with the Bronco Buster for a two-count. Taylor comes in to do what he does best; make perfect sounding impact with his strikes. Bennett doesn’t appreciate Taylor’s threats to “spank Maria’s ass next” and throws a series of forearms, finally taking Taylor off his feet with a lariat. Taven runs wild, hitting Bravo with a rolling neck breaker for two. The springboard moonsaults hits an empty pool, but Taven has enough in him to get to his corner. Fox with the tag, hitting Taylor with a cannonball and planting Bravo with a twisting suplex. Double stomp to Taylor into a cutter on Dean to clear the ring. Taven hits a dive on the Infantry while Fox takes out Taylor. Spicolli Driver-Shining Wizard-Swanton combo for a near-fall. Carlie Bravo kicked out WITHOUT a friendly break. Rockstar Supernova and 450 Splash and this time Shawn Dean makes the save. More heck breaks loose, leaving Fox alone in the ring as the Infantry wipe him out. Taylor with the KO Punch and a double stomp finishes the poor bastard at 6:42. Another solid match, and once again, AR Fox gets dirt shoveled on him despite being one of the best performers regularly appearing on ROH Honor Club.

Final Thoughts: Some reasonably entertaining matches, but man, you can tell “just good matches”, even in the lower-tier of stars under AEW/ROH contract, only goes so far. This lineup on paper did nothing for me. We desperately need storylines to keep shows interesting, and then tape matches before Dynamite to compliment those storylines, so it’s not random junk thrown together. Mistico/Mansoor and Yuka/Janai Kai are solid matches for those looking for a quick fix, but honestly, I’m still laughing about CPA. That was great stuff, pal.