After a busy weekend where Bandido successfully defended his ROH World Title against 1 Called Manders in Germany, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly successfully defended their AEW World Trios Titles against The Lethal Twist in Las Vegas and Nigel McGuinness beat Katsuyori Shibata in the first round of the Continental Challenge Cup it was time for Death Before Dishonor week!
Ring of Honor
ROH YouTube Special Episode #13
August 18, 2026
The Broadmoor World Arena
Colorado Springs, CO
Watch: YouTube
Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Coleman were on commentary.
Komander def. Ariya Daivari (w/ Mark Sterling & BEEF)
This one started hot as “Smart” Mark was running down those in attendance, Komander dove to the outside and took out Daivari. Moments later when Daivari held Komander and told BEEF to hit him, BEEF refused. The upset Daivari then told BEEF to head to the back as the story of BEEF’s crisis of conscience continues. Daivari had control for a while, getting heat on Komander, almost getting the win after a sleeper hold, but Komander managed to raise his arm up before it dropped for a third time. I haven’t seen that in a while! When Komander made the comeback, Sterling got on the apron only to be knocked off to the delight of the crowd but not to the delight of Sterling’s head and neck because he took a gnarly bump to the floor that looked brutal. Daivari & Komander went back and forth in this well worked, 205 Live-esque match until Komander got the win after a “Cielito Lindo.” Good Stuff
Next up was a nice little video package going over the Lio Rush and Action Andretti feud before their Fight Without Honor at Death Before Dishonor for Lio’s ROH World TV Title.
AR Fox & Lio Rush def. Action Andretti & Hook by DQ
Fox & Andretti started this one by feeling each other out and trying to show each other up. Andretti’s new heel character is developing nicely, and I hope they give it the time it needs. Jericho believed in “The Sight to See” and so do I. Then it was time for a nothing if not interesting exchange between Hook and “The Blackheart,” who Andretti wanted no part of in this match, which was a nice touch. The match then broke down as all four men were in the ring for a bit. Rush managed to get Andretti in his new submission finisher which has yet to be named, when Hook broke it up by hitting Rush with his own title belt causing the DQ. After the match, Fox ended up catching a belt shot from Andretti as well. Hey, you don’t see a lot of this in ROH, so I’m more than ok with a DQ finish here. Okay
Next up was another hype package, this time for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Title Match at Death Before Dishonor between Dalton Castle & The Outrunners and The Lethal Twist.
SkyFlight (Dante Martin, Darius Martin & Scorpio Sky) (w/ Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal) def. Dave Cole, Manny Lemons & Tommy 2 Scoops
Ok, Cole, Lemons & 2 Scoops got a full entrance, which was a weird thing to witness. And I have to say that after seeing them in action, please don’t give them another entrance. Scorpio got the pin after a “TKO” to Cole. Skippable
Next up were comments from Nigel McGuinness who said that he would still be competing at Death Before Dishonor even with a banged-up ankle from his match with Katsuyori Shibata over the weekend. It will be Nigel taking on Lee Moriarty for the ROH Pure Title and if Nigel loses his Ring of Honor career is over.
Anthony Ogogo def. Aaron Solo
Solo has really found his spot in ROH as the plucky babyface. I have seen Solo in the opening match of Collision tapings more than once and he really is great in that role. As the first babyface through the curtain, he always seems to get the crowd behind him. Ogogo, I’m not so sure about. It really seems like they are just spinning their wheels here, as he gets the knockout win with a big right hand. He looks great wearing a suit and standing next to Shane Taylor, looking tough but other than that, I’m not sure where he still fits on the roster. Skippable
Mina Shirakawa & Queen Aminata def. The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle)
The match started with everyone having a bit of fun in there and treating this as a house show special. One thought I had watching this match was that maybe Tony Khan should make punching strictly forbidden except for a select few because punching is a lost art in wrestling. Shirakawa got the submission win with something resembling a figure four on Belle. Not Great
Next up was a video package hyping Deonna Purrazzo’s Women’s Pure Title defense against Steph De Lander at Death Before Dishonor and that was followed by a hype video for Athena’s Women’s World Title defense against Stardom’s Hazuki at the PPV.
Adam Priest def. El Phantasmo
“EL-P, Yeah You Know Me,” were the words of Ian, not me, but I will say that it’s great to have El Phantasmo on ROH TV. This is what I believe ROH should be, for the most part, two athletes having a match to see who the better man is. You can get sports entertainment literally everywhere else. Priest was leaning heel against the charismatic babyface from New Japan as he took it to him with a few cheap shots along the way, controlling much of the match’s first half. EL-P made a nice comeback which included a moonsault from the top to the outside, which resulted in a weakened left leg for El Phantasmo. The intensity then built as these two went back and forth, until Priest focused on EL-P’s weakened left leg and got the submission win with a half crab! I have to admit that I did not see that coming and it was a welcomed surprise as Priest picked up his biggest singles victory in ROH. Match of the Night
Next up was a video package hyping Bandido’s ROH World Title defense against Nick Wayne at Death Before Dishonor, where Wayne could become the youngest ROH World Champion in history!
Red Velvet & Zayda Steel (w/ Christopher Daniels) def. Marina Shafir & Skye Blue
The match started with ROH Women’s World Television Champion Red Velvet and Shafir who looked great, bringing that sense of “realism” with her MMA style, and Velvet “took it like a champ,” literally. I have been impressed with Velvet’s in ring improvement as of late. To be honest, I was impressed with all four wrestlers in this match. Zayda got whipped around like a rag doll, and Skye Blue showed off her mean streak as Shafir’s partner. Velvet & Steel got the win after “The Real Deal” hit Skye Blue with a beautiful looking “I’m Prettier,” no pun intended, in a fun main event that I really enjoyed. Good Stuff
Final Thoughts
There were a couple of skippable matches but for the most part this was a fun show and the wrestlers showed out. One lesson that Tony Khan has not learned yet is that sometimes less is more, but this was a fun, free show that I would recommend if you’re looking for an easy watch.
Ring of Honor
ROH on HonorClub #180 – Duel to the Death Before Dishonor
August 20, 2026
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
Baltimore, Maryland
Watch: WatchROH.com
Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Coleman were on commentary.
The show opened backstage with Dark Order members Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds & Preston Vance. Evil Uno announced that he has forgiven Vance for his past transgressions but was soon interrupted by John Silver who clearly is not ready to forgive.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground
Athena (c) def. Gia Scott
Scott is the current Maryland Championship Wrestling & Dynamite Championship Wrestling Women’s Champion who wrestled a few matches in the previous incarnation of ROH. The crowd seemed firmly behind Athena rather than the Baltimore native, Scott, who went down quickly in this glorified squash match to Athena’s curb stomp variation. Glorified Squash
After the match Athena continued to beat on Scott and stomped her again but this time on the title belt, calling out Hazuki throughout the assault.
Preston Vance def. Danny Grandview
Grandview also wrestles for MCW in Baltimore and is known as “The Long Beach Bad Boy.” Vance did not come out in the Ten mask, but I hope that comes soon. Then I hope he turns on The Dark Order again but this time he finishes the job. Enough is enough and it’s time for a change. Thank you, Owen. There was nothing glorified about this one, it was a straight up squash as Vance puts Grandview down quickly after a discus lariat. Squash
Hook & Action Andretti def. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds)
The more I see of this Andretti & Hook tag team the more I like it. They complement each other well and have a look and swagger about them that is working. In my opinion The Opps has run its course as a faction anyway, so this could be a path worth traveling for Hook. Andretti & Hook’s game plan was to cut the ring in half, isolating Reynolds and keeping him from making the tag. Someone has been watching their Minnesota Wrecking Crew tapes. Reynold ended up making the “hot” tag and they tried to mount a comeback, but it was cut short and Andretti got the pin on Reynolds after a springboard 450 splash. Okay
It was then announced that Mistico & Mascara Dorada would be defending their ROH World Tag Team Titles against Top Flight, Guevara & The Beast Mortos + The Kingdom at Death Before Dishonor in a 4-Way. Ugh.
Daniel Garcia def. Alec Price
Like Tuesday’s match between EL-P & Adam Priest, this is the type of match I want to see on ROH. Garcia was showing his more aggressive, Death Rider influenced side, which I much prefer to the gyrating side we had to endure for far too long. Price showed his incredible speed and athleticism as per usual as Garcia tried to get more aggression out of his opponent, like the mid-card version of his faction’s leader. Garcia got the pin after a nice looking piledriver. Not Bad
Backstage we got a Jordan Oliver promo as he seemed upset with his former tag partner and opponent tonight, Nick Wayne because Wayne “left him on the indies” to join AEW. Well, duh?
ROH World Television Title Proving Ground
Lio Rush (c) def. Joe Keys
Lio Rush was the clear favorite in this one against the Baltimore native, and absolutely jacked, Joe Keys. Of course, Rush is from nearby Lanham, MD, so nobody had the homefield advantage. Rush made very quick work of Keys and got the submission victory. Squash
Action Andretti attacked Rush after the match but took a powder when Rush got a chair wrapped in barbed wire from under the ring. This has been a well-built feud, and it will be interesting to see how they handle a “Fight Without Honor” at the PPV.
Backstage, Lexi Nair interviewed the ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champions, The Outrunners & Dalton Castle and that was followed by a Lethal Twist promo from the parking lot. I preferred the latter.
Mina Shirakawa & Queen Aminata def. Brittany Blake & Erica Leigh
This match resembled Mina & The Queen’s match from Tuesday as they are trying to establish Aminata & Shirakawa as a tag team. ROH does not have women’s tag team titles and the last thing they need are more titles so now I am working myself into a shoot. Okay, if they are going to introduce new titles, please just unify the Pure & TV Titles on both the men and women’s side of things first. There, problem solved. Aminata got the win after a “Off With Her Head,” to Leigh in a match where Blake & Leigh got too much in. Not Great
Backstage the ROH Women’s Pure Champion, Deonna Purrazzo cut a promo on her opponent at the PPV, Steph De Lander. The champ was upset that Steph has been disrespecting the pure division rules as of late.
Nick Wayne def. Jordan Oliver
It was then time for the former East West Express to collide. They are both young and have a lot of potential, so this is another step in the right direction for ROH when it comes to booking intriguing matches. Ian pointed out that Nick Wayne is younger than Ring of Honor itself, which is wild. These two know each other well and they weren’t afraid to lay things in, so this match was a fun watch. Wayne got the win after a ‘Prodigy Plex” as he heads to Philadelphia to hopefully become the new ROH World Champion. I say that because it is time for a change in ROH, things are stagnant, and some things need to happen to get people talking. Match of the Night
After the match Wayne attacked his former tag team partner and then grabbed a pair of chairs as he was poised to nail Oliver with a “Con-chair-to.” ROH World Champion Bandido then ran down to make the save.
Backstage, Nigel McGuinness announced that he was not cleared for Death Before Dishonor after his victory over Hechicero on Wednesday in the Continental Challenge Cup. So, it looks like Katsuyori Shibata will be facing Wheeler Yuta tonight to decide the challenger for Lee Moriarty at Death Before Dishonor. This whole situation stinks. Just Tuesday, Nigel said he was willing to face Moriarty at less than 100%. Was this the plan all along? If it was, it doesn’t make a lot of sense and Tony has just made the PPV less intriguing, which is never good.
ROH Pure Title #1 Contendership Match
Katsuyori Shibata def. Wheeler Yuta
The match began with some good old mat wrestling while a “Let’s Go Yuta, Yuta Sucks” chant was coming from the Baltimoreans in attendance. These are two former ROH Pure Champions, so they are accustomed to the rules and know what they are doing but the fact that there is no chance of crowning a new champion in Philly makes this match up a bit uninspired. Shibata got the submission win with “The Cobra Twist” in 7 minutes and 11 seconds. Fine
Backstage Nick Wayne cut a nice promo on Bandido which was followed by a recap of Red Velvet & Zayda Steel’s win over Marina Shafir & Skye Blue on Tuesday.
Tornado Tag Team Match
Marina Shafir & Skye Blue def. Red Velvet & Zayda Steel (w/ Christopher Daniels)
Velvet & Steel charged the ring before the opening bell as this match started a brawl and it wasn’t long before Skye Blue introduced a kendo stick to the match. Shafir & Blue then set up a table outside which Daniels proceeded to flip over. Blue responded with a side kick to “The Fallen Angel” as Daniels was then taken to the ground by Shafir with her “Mothers Milk.” Soon there were chairs, a frying pan, and the muddled disarray that comes with a match like this. Shafir put herself and Velvet through the table on the outside and Blue soon followed with a “Code Blue” to Zayda for the 1-2-3. I very much preferred their match from Tuesday. Meh
Blue continued the assault on Steel after the match because that is the theme of this show. Blue then tried to pick up Velvet’s TV Title belt when Shafir stopped her and there was a bit of a tug of war with the strap. Ian then very quickly announced that these four women would face each other in a 4-way match at the PPV for the TV title.
Final Thoughts
Another easy watch with a lot of last-minute matches made and heat put on the already announced matches for the PPV. There is no buzz for Death Before Dishonor, so these wrestlers are going to have to really show out in order to salvage this event. I will be there for my first show at the 2300 Arena, and I have to say that I am disappointed that Nigel will not be competing. Since I will be traveling and watching the show live, I will not be reviewing it, but I will have notes from the event on next week’s ROH on HonorClub review. Happy Wrestling and so long.
