From multiple wrongly placed matches, to multiple production errors, including wrong camera cuts. The crowd brought the big show feel to Final Battle. The FTR and Briscoes Match knocked expectations out of the park with the match being brutal. With Claudio and The Briscoes winning there is a new direction for ROH. Outside of Swerve leaving Keith Lee, there was a slight lack of advancement of storylines because of it being a ROH product. Other than that, this was a solid show.
The third ROH PPV event under Tony Khan’s ownership is the yearly Finale, Final Battle. Headlined with the double main event of FTR Vs The Briscoes 3 in a Double Dog Collar Match. And Chris Jericho Vs Claudio Castagnoli. Also featuring Samoa Joe Vs Juice Robinson. Former partners Keith Lee and Shane Taylor look to lead separate teams to victory. Wheeler Yuta Vs Daniel Garcia in their personal tiebreaker. And much more.
Zero Hour:
Results and Ratings will be provided for the Zero Hour. Ratings for the Zero Hour will not affect the overall rating of the event.
GOOD Jeff Cobb Vs Mascara Dorada :
Ben Loughran Gave This a 9/10 for the Mascara Entrance.
Results: Jeff Cobb by Pinfall via Catching Tour Of The Islands
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.00 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Cheeseburger and Eli Isom Vs Matt Menard and Angelo Parker:
Results: JAS by Pinfall via Double DDT.
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 2.50 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Trish Adora Vs Willow Nightingale:
Results: Willow by Pinfall via Powerbomb
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 2.75 Star
GOOD Top Flight Vs The Kingdom with Maria Kanellis:
Results: Top Flight by Pinfall via Doomsday Sliced Bread
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Main Show:
GOOD Blake Christian and AR Fox Vs Dralistico and RUSH:
RUSH and his brother enter first before AR Fox and Blake Christian come out. Crowd serenades Blake with All Heart chants. Dralistico and Blake trade shoulder blocks as they trade arm drags. Christian offers his hand in respect before getting hit with a forearm. AR and RUSH are tagged in as they quickly engage in trading chops. RUSH forearms AR before Fox hits RUSH with an enziguri. Fox tries to tag Blake but RUSH quickly knocks down Blake. Dralistico and RUSH attack both men as they use the outside environment to take control of the match.
Blake Christian is dominated in the ring as La Faccion Ingorbernable stays in control. RUSH punt kicks a phantom football. AR fox is having his chest marked up before getting his second win hitting consecutive dives to the outside on both RUSH and Dralistico. AR Fox gets a nearfall off of a swanton before trying for the springboard spanish fly. RUSH stops the Spanish fly before Dralistico hits a springboarding shooting star. After a springboard spanish fly, front flipping ddt and a 450 splash, the ref mistakenly called the match to stop from the pin. RUSH and Dralistico attack and take their opponents out. The match ended abruptly based on the reactions of AR Fox. RUSH was visibly pi**ed off based on the botched finish.
Quotes:
“Anyone watching this match knows what I will say. This was a solid and athletic match that ended abruptly. I can just say thankfully this match didn’t set the tone for the show. Nothing looked bad except the botched finish. RUSH and his brother attacking them after the match was the right call assuming this was an audible.” – Coby Galenzoski
“The finish was a truly unfortunate way to end what was a very entertaining match” – Clark Taylor
Results: AR Fox by Pinfall via 450 Splash on Dralistico.
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
GOOD Athena Vs Mercedes Martinez – ROH Women’s World Championship:
Athena and Martinez have their history and both get big pops for their entrances. The match starts with a striking exchange and Athena actually gets the best of Martinez. Mercedes is able to fight back briefly but this appears to be Athena’s match in the early going.
Martinez is able to gain control of the momentum with a huge brain buster but Athena kicks out at 2. Athena is then caught in an inverted cloverleaf but she rolls through sending Martinez into the ropes. She follows with a side slam on the apron. Athena then sends Martinez into the barricade.
The crowd is cheering for Athena throughout the match which is interesting because this is the culmination of Athena’s heel turn. Despite that the crowd continues to chant for her, even when she hits Mercedes in the back of the head. The O Face connects off the top rope, and Athena is the new Ring Of Honor Women’s World Champion! This was a very solid, technical pro wrestling match. While Athena has shown heelish tendencies of late, this match was in her hometown and the crowd was behind her throughout. All around this was an incredible match, and it makes you question the placement on the card, given both the physicality of the match, as well as the implications.
Quotes:
“The hottest the crowd got was for the person who caught the turnbuckle that Athena took off the corner to kick it back. Athena was able to get the hometown rub. Athena winning was the right call here. The finish was nice, the shotgun dropkick looked good with the O Face always being impressive.” – Coby Galenzoski
“Athena had the hometown crowd behind her but her heelish turn is still definitely complete” – Clark Taylor
Results: Athena by Pinfall via O Face
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.00 Stars
GOOD Swerve In Our Glory Vs Shane Taylor and JD Griffey:
Swerve starts the match for his side, and I have never in my life seen JD Griffey. He isn’t wearing shoes and one of his ankles is taped. Griffey also has mma gloves that look like the ones designed by Trevor Whitman that protect your fingers JD Griffey is really making a name for himself in this one but then he’s caught by Keith Lee on a dive attempt.
JD looks Lee in the eyes and tells him, “Mom would kill you,” at which point Keith Lee sets him down. Swerve is then caught in a Triangle Choke and Keith Lee lays out Shane Taylor outside the ring.
He comes back in the ring and hits a moonsault to break up the Triangle. Taylor and Lee are both tagged in, and the two teams trade punches in the center of the ring. Shane hits a sit out tombstone piledriver on Lee and it is not enough to put him away. He tags in Griffey, and Swerve leaves Lee in the ring alone. With the numbers advantage Lee is in huge trouble. Taylor and Griffey try a kick combination but Griffey hits Shane Taylor by accident. Keith Lee hits Griffey with the Ground Zero and pick up the win.
Quotes:
“The crowd being deprived of a Keith Lee and Shane Taylor in the early portion of the match was easily a great spot in this match. Overall the match might have gone a little too long with Keith and Shane looking slightly exhausted. There were some good things in the match, but I still don’t know what the direction of Keith and Swerve is.” – Coby Galenzoski
“Keith Lee and Swerve aren’t getting along but they won, also JD Griffey impressed me, I’ve never seen him before but he was good in this match for sure” – Clark Taylor
Results: Keith Lee by Pinfall via Ground Zero, Fireman’s Carry Jackhammer.
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.00 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Brian Cage and The Gates Of Agony Vs Dalton Castle and The Boys – ROH Six Man Tag Championship:
Dalton and Bishop start the match off with Dalton requiring the hype up by the Boys. Dalton gets a shoulder block before Brian Cage is tagged in. Toa is tagged in and attacks both of the Boys. Kaun gets a backbreaker on Dalton in the ring. Cage starts curling Brandon as the Embassy controls him. Kaun gets countered by Brandon with a DDT as Dalton gets the hot tag. Castle gets a great german. Dalton tosses the boys for their dives before getting a nearfall on Cage. Liona gets a double samoan drop on the boys for a nearfall. After the six person spot of everyone getting their shots. One of the boys gets caught with the slingshot powerbomb with the Embassy getting the win.
Quotes:
“Probably should have put this match as the semi main since this was that simple match that you don’t need to care too much about. Nothing that was wrong with this match but it was fine.” – Coby Galenzoski
“Cage needs to ditch the cape, but The Gates of Agony are a force to be reckoned with” – Clark Taylor
Results: Embassy by Pinfall via Slingshot Powerbomb
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 2.50 Stars
AMAZING Daniel Garcia Vs Wheeler Yuta – ROH Pure Rules, Pure Championship:
Matt Menard and Angelo Parker engage in a brawl with Top Flight as they go to the ring. Yuta interrupts them as he enters before Garcia enters with Menard and Parker. Daniel Garcia received an immediate warning for using a closed fist in the opening moments of the match. Very early in the match however Garcia is able to force Yuta to use two of his rope breaks. Then almost 8 minutes into the match Yuta uses his last one and Garcia is firmly in control. It becomes a war about halfway through and Garcia flips the bird to Yuta. Wheeler hits a tombstone piledriver with a Gotch Style grip for a near fall. As they continue to grapple Wheeler locks up Garcia’s arms and drives in 12-6 elbows to win via knockout. It doesn’t get a heck of a lot more technical than this one.
Quotes:
“A technical match. To me the finish was a little early. I found it interesting with Yuta burning through his rope breaks. One of the better matches of the show.” – Coby Galenzoski
“Yuta getting the finish with the elbows was excellent, and fit the match perfectly” – Clark Taylor
Results: Wheeler Yuta by Referee Stoppage via Elbows to the Jaw.
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 4.00 Star
PERFECT Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, FTR Vs Jay and Mark Briscoe, The Briscoes – Double Dog Collar Match, ROH World Tag Team Championships:
Reach for the Sky Boy. The Supercard of Honor effect repeats itself with the crowd chanting “Holy S**T” with the bell starting. Brawling through the crowd as Dax/Jay fighting each other up the stairs. Mark and Cash brawling to the stage as Jay and Dax are back into the ring. Mark and Jay get the opportunity to target Dax in the ring as Dax and Mark are busted open. Jay joins the bleeding club before FTR gets a doomsday device. Mark is being choked with the chain by Cash as Jay tossed Dax into the chain. Mark grabs some chairs and a table as this is becoming a bloody affair.
Dax attempts to wrap the chain around his forehead for a diving headbutt. The ref takes a shot from the chain as the ref blades as well. Mark and Cash brawl on the apron as Mark is planted with a back breaker on the apron. Wheeler gets pulled off the top rope by Mark. Cash whips Mark off of the top rope onto a pile of chairs. Dax Harwood kicks out of a Jay Driller. Dax gets a low blow and a piledriver onto a chair for another nearfall. Jay hits a superplex on the pile of chairs to Harwood. Harwood kicks out of the superplex. Jay Briscoe uses the chain to choke Dax successfully with Mark stopping Cash from breaking it up due to the chain.
Quotes:
“Woof, this match was brutal and the best way to cap off a trilogy of matches.” – Coby Galenzoski
“Instant classic… it’s really that simple” – Clark Taylor
Results: The Briscoes by Submission via Chain Assisted Crossface.
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 5.00 Stars
GOOD Juice Robinson Vs Samoa Joe – ROH World Television Championship:
Juice Robinson gets a nice pop for his entrance and takes some control in the early action. Joe fights his way back into the match and the crowd is very into this one. Joe and Juice go back and forth for a good amount of time, but Joe is now very much in control of this one. Samoa Joe looks as vicious as he ever has, but Juice is a fighter in his own right. He gives himself an opportunity to win the belt with a beautiful cross body of the top rope but it is not to be as Joe kicks at 2. Joe traps him in an STF and then transitions into a Lebell Lock. Juice makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Eventually Joe is able to hit a Muscle Buster and he retains his title.
Quotes:
“Match was in the wrong place in the show. This was actually a solid match between Juice and Joe.” – Coby Galenzoski
“While the Juice was loose for a little, Joe’s reign continues” – Clark Taylor
Results: Samoa Joe by Pinfall via Muscle Buster
Coby Galenzoski and Clark Taylor’s WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
GREAT Chris Jericho Vs Claudio Castagnoli – ROH World Championship, If Jericho Retains, Claudio Has To Join The JAS:
This is it the ROH World Title and the history that comes with it. Jericho is the biggest name on the card, and he’s positioned as such. Chris is all over the crowd flipping them off and he even does his signature standing on the chest while flexing pin attempt. Claudio regains some wind and fights back using his grappling acumen to outsmart Chris. Castagnoli blocks a codebreaker and he nearly locks in a sharpshooter. Jericho reverses and sends him out of the ring. This is both classic Jericho, and classic Claudio Castagnoli, and the match speaks for itself it is outstanding. Claudio Swings Jericho around and around and he taps out and Castagnoli is now a 2 time ROH World Champion.
Quotes:
“Match was placed in the wrong spot, Briscoes and FTR should have been the main event. This was a fun match, not sure if I would say it was better than their first match. Very unique ending though. ” – Coby Galenzoski
“Claudio winning the title back was fun, and by Giant Swing made it even cooler` ` ” – Clark Taylor
Results: Claudio Castagnoli by Submission via Giant SWING???
Coby Galenzoski WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Overall:
From multiple wrongly placed matches, to multiple production errors, including wrong camera cuts. The crowd brought the big show feel to Final Battle. The FTR and Briscoes Match knocked expectations out of the park with the match being brutal. With Claudio and The Briscoes winning there is a new direction for ROH. Outside of Swerve leaving Keith Lee, there was a slight lack of advancement of storylines because of it being a ROH product. Other than that, this was a solid show.
Matches: 0.75/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.50/1 Stars
Atmosphere…: 1/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.50/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.50/5 Stars
Photo Credit: (ROH) For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
