evanknight

AR Fox has been hanging around just being awesome in random matches, I think now's the time though to pull the trigger. He should take the TV title from Wayne in a random 4-way match with no foreshadowing at the Philly show.

Initial reaction is that Supercard was maybe the most "ROH" an ROH show has been since Sinclair bought it. This show highlights why ROH should exist as a separate entity. You will never get that main event from wrestlers like that on a main card AEW or WWE show. Athena wouldn't be able to be who she's become without ROH. I was honestly on the fence about continuing the subscription but this show has got me hooked until the next major show at the least. I never thought I would suggest a wrestling show needs a GM type figure, but I think ROH would benefit from someone running it as their own and drawing a line of separation between them and AEW. I don't understanding the $50K stipulation, but other than that the only "negative" is that Supercard is piggybacking on the AEW top show weekend and not the WWE, and so some of the greatness of this show is going to be overshadowed over the course of the weekend.

I fell off watching regularly, because...well, because they really don't give any reason to, but figured I'd jump back in and see the build for Supercard (and if it's finally time to stop subscribing). Gates of Agony are really good and I'm hoping for a PPV match with them vs Sons of Texas. They teased Athena vs Thunder Rosa, which now I want to see. And Jon Cruz is such an underrated guy.

They really do need to give ROH some standalone identity, and having the champs at the very least be part of a defined roster would be a huge start. Try as I might to try and accept ROH as something like an old territory under the NWA umbrella, it still just detracts from the show, the Kingdom tag match being the perfect example. The territory model worked because people were going to their local show and the thought of seeing something that aired on another show was a bonus, it isn't a good reason to pay $10 a month. Reynolds/Silver are an interesting thought. They are unarguably underutilized and seemingly dragged down by a Dark Order that doesn't bring much to the table at this point; however, if they were a standalone there's a good chance they would have faded into obscurity and been lost in the shuffle by now.

I'd second nearly all of this. The pure title was really good and who ever laid out that match should be commended. There were a lot of matches on the show that were really well put together. The pro of Dustin offsets the con of the Von Erichs. Aminata I am not really feeling yet, so I am glad Athena got the win; it will be interesting to see what's next for her and how she eventually drops the title (Billie?) Mark Briscoe is really great as this weird hybrid underdog/Hogan character that I am really loving the title reign. Other than the Fletcher oddness, there was not really any negatives to the show. (my shared distaste for Taylors elimination and personal confusion on why we never got the Outrunners/Infantry match they built up aside).

A dedicated taping would really do wonders for them. The biggest issue is that the continued cross over and after-thought tapings don't allow for real investment in it, which is a disservice to the wrestlers.

What a long strange year it has been. The tv shows started out strong, with a unique feel, then it became a glorified Dark, currently it's an above average show focusing on some good characters and having good matches, mostly where it should be. I think there were maybe two more phases in there honestly, but it has settled into something that is enjoyable viewing, but not must see. They really need to draw a harder line between AEW and ROH to not drag down both. It'll be interesting to see how long they carry on like this though, because there doesn't seem to be much upside to it. I still believe that a few minor tweaks could turn it though and make it worth a subscription. All that said, I hope the blow off for the Infantry and Outrunners is saved for the PPV. You have that, the women's TV title finals, Dalton & Johnny, then mix in the champs and you should have a solid Supercard.

Athena/Billie has been real good pro wrestling, build the build for everything else is lacking. That said Final Battle is shaping up to be a good show. Pairing Taylor and Lee 1 year after the tag match which was out of the blue then is just weird. With a little separation and some attention I still do think ROH could be a benefit, but really the entirety of the presentation now is just weird. AEW seems to love the tournaments that don’t seem to go over well (with some even saying this round robin is confusing?), that’s where they should double down with ROH. Anyone actually paying for HonorClub would probably be down with a long drawn out points driven over arching story and gives a reason to stay subscribed. Go all out for a season long.

Trent getting the crowd that into a Peter Avalon match shows how underrated he is. I really want to see the Outrunners vs Iron Savages at Final Battle.

I could not disagree with that more. You have to keep some reasons for people to pay for the product

Tonight’s episode of ROH is the first one I’ve been looking forward to in a long time. First time it feels like ROH is getting its own attention.

This highlights the perception (reality?) problem with current ROH. Every time something is good, there is the call that it should have been in AEW instead. A good amount of the “best of ROH” under Tony has already been under an AEW banner

They have so much talent and so many titles under the umbrella they just need to keep putting everyone on every show.

The weird thing to me isn't just the lack of build to the PPV, but how the things they have build don't play out there. Seems like the Athena/Hogan street fight could have been on the PPV; Willow deserves a proper program with her, especially given how good the little they had on twitter was. Embassy would have gotten way more out of a PPV match with the Daniels/Sydal/Martin trio after they one a few tv matches then they did as is and with this odd PPV match, IMO. Then guys like the Infantry, Neese & Davari, etc have been getting tv time and then nothing on the big show day. Looks like it will be a solid show, just not one I am dropping money for and going out of my way to see. Anyway, does the Kingdom get the win here? Were their losses to the Infantry and Martin/Andretti, and then the competitive match with the Boys "division builders"? Shae Taylor needs something to go along with his forearm for it to be a finisher. I don't imagine him doing a full spin or anything, but it seems off as is.

This has to be the worst build to a PPV by any major company in history no? I can’t think of any other that felt like the company putting out the show could not care less if people bought it. In my head a got a flash of some WWE December PPV like 20 something years ago, but I’m not going to go looking. Seriously though, this has really just been crazy. I guess the real question is if their numbers look dramatically different? Maybe it’s some crazy experiment to try and gauge the audience?