6 Ups & 2 Downs From ROH Supercard Of Honor 2024

3. Athena Is Great, Card Placement Isn't

Athena defeated Hikaru Shida in a very, very good match that built slowly but peaked during a blistering finishing sequence. It may have been built too slowly for those in the arena.

By the time the bell rang on the semi-main, a sense of fatigue cloaked the arena. This show didn't need to go as long as it did and the first half of this match suffered as a direct consequence. The work was actually really good - Athena's limb work was beautifully nasty, and she has the wince-inducing ability to target the most vulnerable parts of the leg - but it was a patient story told in front of a crowd growing impatient at the overall run-time. The crowd woke up when Shida and Athena took turns using the entrance ramp as an attempted murder weapon. Athena's body language was great.

The basic premise of the match was that Shida holds a victory over Athena, years ago, at SHIMMER 66. Athena, undefeated in ROH, has nonetheless allowed that result to peck at her psyche. She variously looked panicked and upset, in a childish "not fair!" way, to build the drama. That drama was only really felt during the closing stretch, sadly, but the closing stretch was fantastic: the crowd was firmly convinced that Athena's epic reign was over and could not reconcile those superb 2.9 kick-outs.

Athena won with an incredible version of her already astonishing O-Face finish. The height she managed was outrageous.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!