The Jacksonville factory line
Walking into Daily’s Place for an ROH taping in 2026 feels less like attending a wrestling show and more like watching a high-speed assembly line. The latest set of tapings from Jacksonville, as reported by PWInsider, suggests a promotion that has mastered the art of the four-minute squash but forgotten how to build a main event. While the wrestling remains technically proficient, the narrative weight of HonorClub is starting to feel dangerously light.
The May 18 tapings featured a staggering number of matches against local competitors. From Zak Knight to Marina Shafir to The Righteous, the pattern was identical: entrance, two minutes of offense, finisher, exit. It is a formula that serves to pad win-loss records for a rankings system that barely seems to matter, and it is doing no favors for the live crowd that has to sit through it before the real stars of Dynamite take the stage.
The Infantry finally find their footing
If there is a bright spot in the current tag team shuffle, it is the continued elevation of The Infantry. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo have spent the last year grinding through the mid-card, but their victory over the Iron Savages in Jacksonville feels like the start of something tangible. They are moving with a crispness that was missing six months ago, particularly in their double-team transitions. They are no longer just a high-energy act; they are starting to look like a tactical unit.
The real test remains the Undisputed Kingdom. Mike Taven and Matt Bennett are currently the gatekeepers of the ROH tag division, and the looming collision between these two teams is the only long-term story with any momentum. As detailed in the Maryland spoilers, the Undisputed Kingdom is still operating with a numbers advantage that makes every Infantry match feel like an uphill battle. It is the classic struggle of the hungry underdogs versus the entrenched corporate heels, and it is the one thing ROH is getting right.
The Athena and Billie Starkz problem
We need to talk about the fact that the ROH Women’s World Championship and the TV Title are effectively being held hostage by the same storyline. Athena and Billie Starkz are the most entertaining thing on the show, but their dominance has created a vacuum. In Jacksonville, both champions made short work of local talent. While it reinforces their status as the alphas of the locker room, it leaves the rest of the division looking like afterthoughts.
Red Velvet and Queen Aminata are doing their best to provide a counter-narrative, but the booking keeps circling back to the Athena-Starkz mentorship-turned-rivalry. It is a brilliant piece of character work, yet it’s stalling the growth of the other twenty women on the roster. When every challenger is treated as a speed bump on the way to the next chapter of the 'Minion' saga, the matches themselves start to lose their stakes. The Maryland tapings showed Aminata taking on Diamante, which is a step in the right direction, but we need more than just one-off competitive matches to build a division.
The workhorse fatigue of Kyle Fletcher
Kyle Fletcher is wrestling like a man who wants to prove he is the best in the world every single night. His ROH TV Title reign has been defined by high-intensity sprints, but there is a growing sense of diminishing returns. In Jacksonville, he faced another local competitor. In Maryland, it was the same story. Fletcher is currently in the 210th day of his reign, and he needs a program that forces him to change gears.
The talent is undeniable. Fletcher’s snap dragon suplex and his timing on the grimstone are world-class. However, by putting him in constant squash matches, ROH is wasting his prime years as a champion. He should be the center of a 'fighting champion' open challenge that actually features rostered talent, not just regional imports. If ROH wants us to care about the TV Title, they need to stop treating it like a developmental trophy and start treating it like the workhorse belt it was under Samoa Joe or Jay Lethal.
The Beast Mortos rebranding
One of the most intriguing developments from the recent loop is the presentation of Beast Mortos. Formerly known as Black Taurus, the name change hasn't slowed down his offensive output. He is a freak of nature in the ring—a 250-pound powerhouse who moves with the agility of a featherweight. The Maryland and Jacksonville tapings both saw him destroying opponents with a frightening level of efficiency.
The concern here is the ceiling. Mortos is the perfect 'final boss' for a mid-card babyface like Lee Johnson or Action Andretti, but ROH has a habit of letting these monsters languish in aimless winning streaks. He needs a mouthpiece or a faction that gives him a reason to exist beyond just being a scary man in a mask. Without a clear path toward Mark Briscoe and the ROH World Title, Mortos risks becoming just another cool act that fans eventually stop cheering for because he never does anything that matters.
Final prediction for Double or Nothing
With Double or Nothing just 5 days away, the ROH presence on the card is still murky. Expect the promotion to announce a multi-man scramble for the TV Title on the Buy-In. My money is on Kyle Fletcher retaining in a chaotic 10-minute opener that reminds everyone why he’s a future main eventer. However, don't be surprised if The Infantry finally get their hands on Taven and Bennett in a match that actually has some heat. ROH is at its best when it stops pretending to be a farm system and starts acting like a destination. Jacksonville was a factory; Las Vegas needs to be a fight.
