6 Ups & 2 Downs From ROH Supercard Of Honor 2024
3. Athena Is Great, Card Placement Isn't
Shida doing everything she can to keep Athena down!
Watch #ROHSupercard LIVE on #HonorClub▶️ https://t.co/8dcdtxqvDf@athenapalmer_fg | @shidahikaru pic.twitter.com/nQxqdIPgRs
— ROH - Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 6, 2024
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.