McXal's Reviews

The 'Era Of Honor' began on 23rd February 2002, and tonight - almost twenty years later - that era may now be at an end. This is ROH's final live show before their corporate ownership forces the promotion into a period of hiatus to 're-imagine' the promotion (or negotiate the sale of the tape library/intellectual properties, dependent on who you believe). This show is the last time this roster and this production team will all be together as all are released from their contracts - most by the end of the year. An emotional night will see legacies defined, championships decided and a celebration of how Ring Of Honor has redefined professional wrestling in North America. In truth the company has been on the rocks since the end of 2018 when The Elite led a talent exodus to AEW, with the company lurching from one high profile disaster to the next before the Covid-19 pandemic infinitely exacerbated things by taking away live gates/revenues. To the very last, ROH is having to deal with crises; this time it was World Champion Bandido testing positive for Covid-19 two days before the show - cancelling his scheduled main event. Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling stepped in and loaned back their newest signing; ROH's former 'Franchise' Jay Lethal - returning to ROH for one night only to face his Foundation stable-mate Gresham one more time. Lethal being here feels right, as does the sight of the Briscoe Brothers ending their twenty year run in ROH with yet another challenge for the Tag Titles. They meet defending champions The OGK in what is sure to be another emotionally-charged encounter. We'll also see the Pure Title, TV Title, Women's Title and Six-Man Titles up for grabs, plus Shane Taylor facing Kenny King in a Fight Without Honor. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman stand by to welcome us for one more show - at the announce desk in Baltimore, MD.

On many levels, one of the biggest victims of ROH's sudden announcement of a hiatus is Vincent. He has spent the last two years of his life participating in one of the most layered, detailed feuds Delirious has ever over-seen - eventually winning the spectacular feud decider with Matt Taven at Glory By Honor. It left him as #1 contender, primed for a main event run and set to enter a feud with Jay Lethal going into Final Battle (hence The Righteous took to dressing in white and calling themselves 'Pure'). The hiatus removes ROH as a platform for him; a platform he certainly won't get within any other major promotion...and it also delivered Lethal to AEW, meaning he doesn't even get a major Final Battle singles bout either. Instead he is relegated to the pre-show, but looks to salvage something by ending the Era Of Honor as a four-time Six-Man Tag Champion. Since Taylor himself competes in a singles match later, O'Shay Edwards replaces him on the Shane Taylor Promotions team...

Dutch hits a SATELLITE HEADSCISSORS on Moses to start...which Moses rolls right through and almost breaks his jaw with an elbow strike. All six spill into the ring for a brawl; Kaun and Marseglia violently colliding as they attempt running crossbody blocks. Saito suplex by Vinny gets 2, before Kaun blocks his signature Russian legsweep spot and lands Death By Kaun for 2. Bateman tags and unloads a volley of his trademark stiff strikes, each one rocking Moses' head back. German suplex on him by Edwards, who rolls straight through and spikes him on his head with a sit-out powerbomb as well! Vincent and O'Shay get a little awkward trying to leave the ring...but Marseglia takes control to hit an elbow suicida up the aisle. TOP ROPE SUICIDE DIVE by Bateman! Moses tackles Vita off the apron, then steamrolls into her partners with a cannonball senton! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA BY DUTCH! SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY VITA! Redrum back into the ring from Vincent to Kaun gets 2. Flapjack/DDT from SOS to Bateman, setting up a MOONSAULT by O'Shay for 2! Bossman Slam from Dutch to Moses...who turns into a spinebuster by O'Shay! ACID DROP! Marseglia pins Edwards to win the titles at 10:40

Rating - *** - Exactly the match it needed to be for its spot on the card. Everyone got their moments to shine; Dutch, Moses, Kaun and O'Shay all hitting 'agile big boy' spots, Vinny being a creep, Bateman getting to stiff somebody...even Vita got a deserved moment to hit a high spot as well. The reality is that Shane Taylor (and by association, SOS) are a lot more marketable to rival promotions than The Righteous so I do understand why they took the belts off STP here. As I covered in my intro, it is hard not to feel sorry for Vinny, who's reward for two years of violence with Matt Taven (and perhaps the last 'great' ROH match - at Glory By Honor) isn't a main event push or a marquee PPV bout with Jay Lethal, but instead has to open the pre-show in a filler trios match. He becomes a four-time (and last?) Six-Man Champion - but it is entirely plausible he could be back in 2022 should Sinclair decide to give ROH another shot.

Quinn McKay is backstage with AEW's Jay Lethal. No matter who he works for, he's in ROH tonight and he fights for the honour of becoming the 'three-time and last ROH Champion'...

In the ring Bobby Cruise announces that the Gresham/Lethal main event will be for the 'original' ROH World Championship; the famous belt once held by Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, Nigel McGuinness, Jerry Lynn, CM Punk and more...

Back to the locker room, where Quinn McKay is interviewing Rocky Romero. He is here to represent New Japan and provide guest commentary...but gets interrupted by Violence Unlimited. Brody suggests he show some of his old 'Rottweiler' spirit by agreeing to team with them tonight, and he agrees.

There isn't a particularly strong bond between The Allure and the Lucha Baddie, but they are brought together by a collective of common enemies standing across the ring from them. The Hex and The Allure have fought on Women's Division Wednesday, and the Kay/Belle duo have repeatedly been in a position where they've had to stand up for their friend Chelsea Green as Angelina and Mandy tried to give her an unpleasant 'welcome' to ROH. Alize defeated Chelsea (thanks to The Allure) a few days ago on Women's Division Wednesday to set the stage for this one...

The Allure follow the Code Of Honor, just like Mandy did with Willow after their match on TV recently. The Hex join forces to dominate Alize from the bell, causing her to flee. Leon (who looks very emotional) walks straight into a sunset flip from Green for 2. Angelina trips Chelsea from the floor, setting Mandy up for a snap suplex. Miranda wants another piece of the Hot Mess - and NAILS her with a running knee to the face! Jumping flatliner from Love gets 2. DOUBLE missile dropkick by Green to counter an attempted double superplex by The Allure. Kay and Belle fly in, dropping Leon with 'Hex Marks The Spot' for 2. NASTY spinebuster on Alize! Botox Injection from Angelina to Marti! THROUGH THE TURNBUCKLES TOPE SUICIDA by Miranda! TOP ROPE DIVE by Chelsea! Astral Projection on Marti - and Mandy wins at 06:52

Rating - ** - Mandy is the woman who has been part of ROH's women's division (in its various guises) for the longest. She was part of the class along with Deonna Purrazzo, Kelly Klein, Jenny Rose, Veda Scott and others who helped bring Women Of Honor back to ROH in 2014/2015. On a night where we'll see lots of performers get token victories as a display of gratitude for their hard work over a number of years in ROH, I really didn't have much of a problem with Mandy winning. The match was pretty good considering that it didn't even go seven minutes too. The Hex looked like a bad ass tag team, Chelsea and Alize were awesome together, The Allure were still villains but in a more 'honourable' manner after Mandy's match with Willow. As a brief trios spot-fest to symbolise the remarkable achievements of Maria Kanellis, Bobby Cruise and everyone in ROH who has contributed to an incredible turn-around in ROH's women's division in 2021 I thought this was solid.

All six women shake hands and hug after the bell...

EC3 gears up for another rambling interview, but is interrupted by Tracy Williams, Eli Isom and Taylor Rust. They need a partner for their match, and Eli challenges him to prove that 'honor is real' by teaming with them tonight. EC3 accepts, but quietly mutters a warning to them under his breath before leaving...

This is the token 'get everyone on the card' match and acts as the pre-show main event. It is disappointing, but not entirely surprising that ROH have opted to reward loyal performers like Sledge, Ferrara, LSG and The Bouncers with a spot, but it is a shame they couldn't have ditched some of those guys (that nobody was paying to see) and book a few names from ROH's past to work this instead. Max gets a big pop for their entrance, whilst the only real 'angle' going into this is Flip Gordon's amnesia. He thinks this is Final Battle 2018 and is under the care of his 'doctor' PJ Black. Danhausen is on commentary, making something of a surprise appearance as he'd been in Chicago at a convention earlier the same day.

CB is rocking his old Cheeseburger gear. He starts with his old friend/partner/rival Ferrara, whilst the announcers struggle to thank Delirious whilst staying in kayfabe. Flip and Flamita are in next, countering back and forth with spectacular speed and precision. Demonic evades the Doomsday Destroyer and tags out to LSG, who dumps Black with the Rocket Bye Baby. Max tags and calls out Milonas! Bruiser jumps them from behind (which gets serious heat!) and beats Max back to the corner. The pace drastically slows as PJ and Sledge try to work a few spots (they really should have done in before Flip and Flamita)! Shotei from CB to Ferrara...but he walks into a Tiger Driver by Flamita. SAMOAN DROP from Max to Bruiser, now finally getting their showdown with Milonas. The Impaler mauls Milonas in the corner then drops him with a Spear. Crossbody block off the apron from Brian to Sledge! Flip piles out after them with a somersault plancha! TOP ROPE MOONSAULT BY SLEDGE! He almost killed himself on that! Cheeseburger wants to dive too but finds his path blocked by Max. DEAD-LIFT SUPERPLEX OFF THE APRON from Max to CB! Demonic Flamita refuses to hit a dive to piss the crowd off...but then does one anyway, leaping off the top into a corkscrew plancha to the floor! Ace Crusher by Flip, lifting LSG for the BLACK FLIP DESTROYER! PJ wins at 10:21

Rating - *** - This match didn't really need to be booked. In truth none of the matches on Hour One have felt essential, but like the other two before it I do think this was undeniably fun for what it was. The pace over the ten minute run-time was relentless, it was laid out well to maximise contributions from all involved and ended at just the right moment. PJ winning felt slightly undeserving though. In recent weeks we've seen veterans like PCO and Chelsea Green put 'lesser' talents over to ensure they enter the independent scene looking for bookings, with as much momentum as possible; Black should have been doing the same thing.

Everyone breaks character, shakes hands and hugs in the ring; emotional scenes as the pre-show ends. Ian and Caprice shill the card one more time and outright implore viewers to purchase the PPV. 

The main show begins with an exhibition match between two world class luchadors. Lee and Horus have called ROH their full-time home since late 2019 and have contested some memorable bouts in that time. 2021 began with them colliding over the TV Title, and now the Era Of Honor-ending PPV kicks off with them going at it once more. Horus is friends and partners with Bandido, who dethroned Dragon Lee's brother (and LFI stable-mate) Rush for the World Title. Neither of those two make the card tonight due to injury and illness, so these two represent their partners, their families and their factions with pride for one last time in an ROH ring.

They hug before the bell, telling you that this won't be the 'Ingobernable' version of Dragon Lee tonight. They opening minute features a brilliant near-miss/counter sequence - ending when Horus tries to leave the ring and Lee DESTROYS him with a torpedo suicida to the floor! He tosses Horus into the crowd, injuring his back in the process. Back inside the ring he stays on the injury with a half crab. Rey blocks Dragon's Fire though; landing a flying bodyscissors takedown. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA scores! And to his credit he's still selling his back! HEAD DROP turnbuckle to belly suplex scores! Rey's back prevents him from hitting a brainbuster though, giving Dragon the opportunity to hit rolling satellite backbreakers. Half crab applied again. Lee is pissed off when that doesn't force a submission and rips into Horus with the Incinerator. NO SOLD! STANDING C4 BY HORUS! Dragon tries to escape on the top rope...leaving himself in prime position for the Roll Of The King. He kicks out at 2! Rey's back causes him to stumble going to the top himself, and when he finally leaps into a twisting frog splash he sails straight into Dragon's knees. Ripcord Incinerator COUNTERED TO THE SATELLITE DDT! Still Lee kicks out! DESNUCADORA gets 2! BARE KNEE INCINERATOR! Horus kicks out! Ripcord Incinerator...INCINERATOR TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! Lee wins at 11:12

Rating - **** - It took the crowd a little while to get into it, which isn't ideal for an opening match, but I really liked this. I'm glad they ditched most of Lee's LFI character and decided to deliver an all-out lucha spot-fest. It was spectacular, exciting, featured some surprisingly decent selling from Horus and generally provided a platform for both men to demonstrate just how good they are. Horus in particular has been the under-rated third member of MexiSquad for his entire run, so it was really nice to see him get the chance to shine on pay-per-view (when neither Bandido nor Flamita are on the main card).

Throughout the night we'll see special video messages from stars of ROH's past who now work elsewhere. It begins with Impact Wrestling's Eddie Edwards. He is grateful for the chance ROH gave him when nobody else would, and left the company a Triple Crown Champion...

The return of Hendry was announced as a last-minute surprise on Week By Week leading into Final Battle. He has spent the pandemic stuck in the UK packing on a LOT of muscle, and makes a shock comeback looking for his 'moment' in this company, having been deprived of his chance to perform for so long thanks to Covid-19. His friend and former partner is the defending champion though, putting Castle in quite a difficult position. Dalton has lots of history with Silas too of course. Titus is perhaps the outsider, representing The Foundation and looking for a singles championship to put the exclamation point on a career which has seen him spend more than fifteen years in Ring Of Honor. Dak Draper joins commentary in support of the defending champion.

Castle is so fired up he starts the match standing on the guardrails whipping the crowd into a frenzy. It means he is out of the action as Joe begins with a ONE-ARM spinebuster to dismiss Silas! Young gets his own back by tossing The Prestigious One out...but in turn walks into a suplex from Dalton (who leaves the ring for another round of outrageous celebrations). Killer Combo from Silas to Dalton gets 2. Belly To Belly from Titus to Hendry, followed by a northern lights on the Last Real Man as well. He tries a flying crossbody but is CAUGHT and press slammed by Hendry! DOUBLE FREAK OF NATURE! But behind Joe's back Dalton sneaks in and tries to steal his pin! The former partners stay on the same page in an effort to double-team Rhett...Joe landing a vicious pop-up powerbomb for 2. Castle breaks the pin, and as they argue Joe falls out of the ring taking the referee with him! Bang-A-Rang on Silas! Hendry KO's Dalton with the belt! Dak Draper runs in and lays Hendry out with a big boot. Hydraulic Dropkick from Titus to Dak. Silas dodges the same move...only for Titus to evade The Plunge and land the Hydraulic Dropkick again. Titus pins Silas to win at 08:13

Rating - ** - Another match more concerned with ensuring guys got spots on the card than it was producing a good match. That isn't a bad thing, in particular it was terrific to see Hendry as he was one of ROH's international talents (along with Mark Haskins, Session Moth Martina, Kellyanne, Adam Brooks and Slex) who had their entire ROH career taken from them by the pandemic. Silas, Dalton and Rhett too have, of course, bled and sweat buckets for Ring Of Honor. Dalton quite literally carried the company with a broken back, Silas has been perhaps the most under-rated and consistent talent of the entire Sinclair era, and Rhett is someone who loves ROH so much he dropped back to working ring crew after previously being Tag Champion just so he could stick around. In truth I'd have had this match go even shorter. It only really needed a couple of Hendry power spots, the dissension between Joe and Dalton, a passing reference to the Castle/Silas feud, then the feel-good moment of Rhett winning - and all of that could have been done with a few minutes shaved off the time limit. But when it did come, Rhett's moment genuinely is one of the most heart-warming moments of the whole show.

AEW Champion 'Hangman' Adam Page is the next talking head interview. He thanks ROH for being his first full-time job in wrestling...albeit his segment is probably more memorable for Ian calling him an 'Impact Wrestling star'!

The Pure Division is perhaps the biggest Ring Of Honor success story since the end of 2018 when The Elite left. When they started up 'ROH Bubble' tapings in September 2020 and restarted TV with the Pure Tournament, those episodes were some of the best 'empty arena' content taped anywhere, by any promotion during the pandemic. Josh Woods is now aligned with The Foundation and is looking to carry forward the example set by Jonathan Gresham (the man he defeated for the belt at Death Before Dishonor). Brian Johnson is a wholly different athlete. He is a man who has scraped from the absolute bottom of the card, someone who had to fight for a spot, someone who has struggled to be taken seriously, but now enters as a credible challenger for the belt almost through his iron will alone. The Mecca is heavily inspired by the stars of ROH's glorious past, and wants his legacy to stand alongside theirs by becoming the last Pure Champion.

Johnson uses his first break in the first few seconds of the match to escape Woods' very first grapple. His second break is gone before the first minute expires as well, grabbing them again to escape a sleeper hold. A jawbreaker over the ropes knocks the champion to the floor though - and Johnson is on him instantly, landing a tope suicida against the guardrails. Josh returns to the ring and goes to another rear choke, but this time having weakened the champ on the floor, Brian is able to escape. He hits a springboard tackle and the Mecca Locomotive clothesline for 2. Tower Of London off the apron nailed! Woods looks to retaliate by running up the ropes, slips...and then still finds enough power in his legs to muscle The Mecca over into some kind of superplex. Woods has a significant size advantage over the challenger and demonstrates it with a flurry of emphatic suplexes...ending when he suplexes Johnson clean over the top rope to the floor. Tempers flare now, with both emerging from the arena floor hockey-fighting at close range. Johnson is forced into using his final rope-break as Josh almost breaks his neck with a head an arm sleeper...but as Todd turns to inform the timekeeper, The Mecca pokes Woods in the eyes and drops him with The Process. Woods kicks out at 2, causing Johnson to lose his temper and take a swing at him with the belt. Todd Sinclair stops that, and when Brian rips the turnbuckle pad off the champ ambushes him from behind with a Chaos Theory. Brass Knuck shot by Johnson...gets 2! Josh blocks another Process - and applies a hanging front choke in the ropes! Johnson has no rope-breaks left and fades to unconsciousness...Woods retains by referee stoppage at 12:58

Rating - ** - Something that is often thrown at Delirious-booked/Sinclair-owned ROH is that they fail to create new stars. Whilst that may be true in terms of legitimate main event, drawing talent, it is hard to deny that in these two athletes we were watching two men brought to relevance and prominence solely because ROH have invested in their growth as performers. Both have been 'projects' to varying degrees; Woods signed in 2017 as a raw, unpolished, rough diamond thanks to his strong look, NXT training and extensive MMA/amateur credentials and Johnson constantly evolving to be given higher profile roles because he is fantastic on the microphone. The match itself wasn't great...it was a pretty major drop-off in quality from the Pure Championship under Gresham in fact. But at a time when we are celebrating and saying goodbye to Sinclair's current 'era', it is right that these two are given a prominent match on the card as they stand as a beacon for what is possible when this version of ROH properly developed and cultivated raw talent. 

Jimmy Jacobs, now working in Impact Wrestling, is the next ROH alum to send in a talking head video. He is proud that so many 'kids following their dreams' in ROH, and ultimately would go on to fulfil them thanks to the platform Ring Of Honor provided.

These two go back a long way. It was King who ensured Shane Taylor didn't fall into obscurity when his 'Pretty Boy Killers' partner Keith Lee opted to sign with WWNLive rather than ROH; bringing Taylor into The Rebellion. The two remained friends even after their faction was forcibly disbanded, and even when they would occasionally cross paths as opponents. In early 2021 Taylor seemed destined for greatness. He defeated Kenny King, and he went on to challenge King's LFI stable-mate Rush for the World Title. Forced to pick a side, Kenny aligned with Rush - and screwed his friend out of the title. Taylor was furious and has come for revenge (albeit after a couple of months where he didn't seem as bothered). The issue has become white-hot over recent shows; and both arrive at Final Battle with a desperate need to close this chapter of their lives before their careers head in potentially different directions.

King spits water in Shane's face to get us started...so Shane swiftly walks him to the floor and tosses him into the guardrails much in the same way we've seen Rush (Kenny's LFI partner) utilise them. He positions a couple of tables on the arena floor and takes too long about it. King scales the ropes for a SUPER ONE NIGHT STAND OFF THE APRON THROUGH THE TABLES! Both guys have to absorb a dire landing on that...and since neither succumbs to defeat after that they go back to the ring where Kenny starts flogging Shane T with a kendo stick. ST-JOE THROUGH A TRASH CAN by Taylor! Next he seizes the kendo stick and hammers his rival into the ground. King is reeling - so Taylor drapes him over a table and hits a RUNNING SPLASH OFF THE APRON through it! Not content with that, he sets up another table in the corner of the ring...but fails with his attempt to dart Kenny through it. RUNNING DVD THROUGH THE TABLE by King! He balances a ladder between the apron and the barricade, whilst on the other side of the ring Shane has pulled out a ladder of his own. He goes back to caning King with the kendo stick, giving himself the time he needs to erect a ladder platform in the middle of the ring; held in the rungs of two other open ladders. Kenny attacks before he can use it though - climbing the rungs to hit a BIG SPLASH off the ladder for 2! He tries to follow with Shotgun Knees...but Taylor blocks with a forearm smash. Welcome To The Land gets 2! The fight spills to the outside; both men now standing atop the ladder platform King created between the apron and the railing! They throw strikes, until Taylor headbutts King and grabs him for a PACKAGE PILEDRIVER THROUGH THE LADDER TO THE F*CKING FLOOR! They wearily return to the ring, each now struggling to stand. Taylor stands over his former friend with a steel chair - and King screams at him to 'f*cking do it'! CHAIR SHOT! PACKAGE PILEDRIVER ON THE CHAIR! TAYLOR WINS! It's over at 17:57

Rating - **** - In the wasteland that has been post-Elite Ring Of Honor, two men who have stood up and absolutely knocked it out of their park to become two of the most reliable performers on the roster are Shane Taylor and Kenny King. They are hugely under-rated as talkers and as performers. As ROH's 'era' ends, tonight they were given twenty minutes to beat the sh*t out of each other and they delivered. It wasn't a flawless, all-time great grudge match...but it was intense, it felt heated, some of the bumps they took were uncomfortable just to watch and it built to a very emotive finish. That ladder bump to the floor was absolutely spectacular in its violence. Shane Taylor has been ready to be a main event level player in ROH for quite some time - and this match merely typified how good he is.

Powerful post-match scenes as first the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions, then the majority of the black performers on the ROH roster enter the ring. Caprice Coleman (a former stable-mate of both Kenny and Shane) leaves the announce table to join them too. He instigates a handshake between the combatants as they seemingly bury the hatchet to end their feud. The performers in the ring all embrace in a show of unity and solidarity...even with Todd Sinclair visible at the bottom of the shot trying to shoo them out of the ring. 

The reason ROH were so desperate to get the last group of performers out of the ring was because the show is running behind, and also they needed the audience focused on the screen - because CM Punk is next to give his thoughts on ROH's 'final' show. He is VERY diplomatic in how he avoids talking about modern-day ROH and instead delivers a poignant eulogy to the Ring Of Honor product that he was a part of.

The teenage Prodigy Rok-C made history at Death Before Dishonor, defeating Miranda Alize in the final of the 'Quest For Gold Tournament' to become the new ROH Women's Champion. She began the tournament as something of an outsider, but grew in confidence with each round and played her part in one of the best women's matches in ROH history. But her title win was only the beginning of her journey. Immediately on TV she had contenders lining up to face her; Trish Adora, Alize, The Allure, The Hex, Chelsea Green and her opponent tonight have all indicated they want opportunities. Willow eventually emerged from a mini-tournament to crown a #1 contender and gets her shot tonight, after feeling disappointed by her failure to make it past the first round in the Quest For Gold tournament. She is bigger, stronger and more experienced than the champion - will that be enough to see her take the belt? Even the winner here is not guaranteed to be 'the last' ROH Women's Champion, because that person is scheduled to defend against Holidead on the Christmas episode of ROH TV...

Rok-C goes for her signature cartwheel counter early...only for Willow to sweep her arms and cause her to fall on her face. Willow relentlessly counters all of the champion's trademark moveset - grabbing the Rok-Knees and converting that to a catapult into the turnbuckles. Rok-C is pissed, but the challenger continues with that approach; blocking the rope run lucha armdrag and decking Rok in the corner with a cannonball senton. Small package countered into an Olympic Slam as well. After five minutes of getting dominated Rok-C realises she needs to try something different - so she rocks Willow with some big strikes and then runs the ropes into a flying headscissors! Next she sets up the Rok-Knees, only to this time swap it to hit a twisting elbow drop instead. Rok Lock (Crossface) quickly escaped by Nightingale...INTO THE POOOUUUUNCE! Both women are feeling it now - and as the crowd roars them on they start chopping each other to pieces. Code Rok COUNTERED to an inverted Tombstone for 2! The champion desperately blocks Willow's moonsault; clipping the knee and charging up the ropes...even biting her to block it. LIGERBOMB by Rok-C! Superplex by Willow! MOONSAULT SCORES! FOR 2! Dangerous Babe Bomb blocked...then Rok blocks a Superkick. CODE ROK! She retains at 09:40!

Rating - *** - For the time they were given this was fantastic. It was a smart, compact story which played into the strengths of both performers, taking a crowd that were almost silent at the start and whipping them into a frenzy by the end. Willow is more experienced than Rok-C, and showed it by scouting all the teenager's moves and using them against her. But after getting her ass kicked Rok-C showed how tough she is, and why she is called The Prodigy. She took some of Nightingale's best shots, survived them and devised a way to change up her move-set and overcome a bigger, stronger and more experienced opponent. I can't praise the turnaround of ROH's Women's Division in 2021 highly enough. A super-talented, extremely diverse roster of athletes like Rok-C, Willow, Chelsea Green, Trish Adora, Miranda Alize, Allysin Kay, Marti Belle, Nicole Savoy, Max The Impaler, Alex Gracia, Ashley Vox, Holidead and more have driven up standards incredibly; supplementing the likes of Angelina Love, Mandy Leon and Sumie Sakai who were already on the roster. It truly has been the most concentrated period of consistently strong women's wrestling ROH has EVER produced (even when Lacey, Sara Del Rey, Daizee Haze, Allison Danger - plus occasional guest spots from other SHIMMER staples - were featured performers). Sinclair pulling the plug on ROH's operations, even temporarily, kills the momentum this group of performers have been able to build. 

Willow and Rok-C hug after the bell, but are interrupted by Deonna Purrazzo's music playing; and the Impact star is in Baltimore tonight! The Virtuosa played her own part in the renaissance of women's wrestling in ROH, and she comes to the ring to call the ROH Women's Title a prize which 'should truly be [hers]'. Deonna plans to get her Knockouts Title back from Mickie James, then she challenges Rok-C to come to Impact and put her ROH Title on the line. The Virtuosa will put up her Knockouts Title and AAA Reina de Reinas Title - winner take all. Rok-C immediately accepts...

Three-time former ROH Champion Adam Cole gives his thoughts on his time in ROH; crediting them with broadening his horizons as a young fan and helping him discover 'other' promotions to WWE.

For one more time, we get to see 'VLNCE vs PURE' tonight. The Foundation's 'Hot Sauce' Tracy Williams has recruited a couple of Foundation-sympathisers in the form of Rust and Isom...then convinced EC3 to demonstrate how much he has learned about honour from his time in ROH by joining them tonight. This comes hot on the heels of EC3 beating Isom on television, and then offering him a slightly sinister consolation after the bell. Violence Unlimited have been seeking to prove that there is honour in violence all year and will want to end their reign of terror in ROH with another win. Chris Dickinson is on crutches after suffering a devastating dislocated hip injury, but Brody wanted an 8-man anyway so opportunistically recruited Homicide's old lieutenant in the Rottweilers faction - Rocky Romero. 

The match is less than a minute old before Romero is looking to unleash some Forever Clotheslines. Rust and Deppen in next, blasting through a really intricate sequence at 100mph because the show is already well behind. Tony hits a double rana on Tracy and Taylor...then unleashes Homicide, ensuring the Notorious 187 sees action at both the first and (possibly) last ROH show! EC3 decides he wants a part of the former World Champion, but Cide strikes him in the throat and levels him with an exploder suplex. Eli and EC3 join forces to momentarily control King...but Brody quickly retaliates and crushes Isom with a senton splash across the back. Carter is tagged back, and catches Deppen for a belly to belly on the floor. TOPE CON HILO by Homicide! Isom dives out with his springboard moonsault off the second rope, whilst in the ring his partners lay out Brody with Total Elimination. King no-sells it and lays out everyone with an elbow suicida! Rust and Romero have plenty of history in SoCal, and they fly at each other with strikes...until Taylor blocks a Romero rana and POWERBOMBS HIM THROUGH CHAIRS ON THE FLOOR (which Dickinson had set up)! Inside the ring Homicide has pulled out the ghetto fork AND STABS EC3 IN THE MOUTH! EC3 seems to like it too?! Eli comes to Carter's aid...MUSCLEBUSTER by Brody! Piledriver by EC3! Pepsi Twist by Homicide! LARIAT BY RUST! SHIRANUI by Romero! WILLIAMS HITS A JAWBREAKER LARIAT! CATTLE MUTILATION! DOUBLE STOMP by Deppen to break it! YAKUZA KICK BY ELI! TURNBUCKLE BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! COP KILLAAAAAAAA! ELI KICKS OUT! He screams defiantly but is given the GONZO BOMB! Brody wins at 14:44

Rating - **** - This felt like what would happen if PWG decided to run a 'tribute to ROH match'. And that isn't a bad thing. Had they done this on any other show it would have felt goofy, but in the context of what may be ROH's last event ever, it was a rousing tribute to the history of the promotion. The sequence of call-out spots to wrestlers from ROH's past was outrageously fun. The pacing of that sequence was awesome too, wrestlers moving through the ring in waves, getting progressively bigger reactions as more and more fans twigged what they were doing. The match before it was deceptively smart as well, especially when watched in hindsight knowing what EC3 was about to do. After they wrestled on TV right before the PPV, Carter implied that Isom was lost and without purpose when ROH closes, and seemed to offer a sinister olive branch to the youngster. That continued throughout this match with EC3 and Eli always subtly working together or helping each other out. If I were to sum this one up in a single word though, it would simply be 'fun'. On a night that calls for sentiment, they slapped the nostalgia-riddled fan-service on thick - and I lapped it up. Homicide winning with the Cop Killa should have been the finish though. 

Despite the fact that we have barely an hour of PPV time left and the two highest profile matches still haven't started, apparently there is still time for EC3 to mooch around the ring then grab a microphone. He helps Isom up from the canvas, then decries ROH as 'corporate wrestling' and another 'three letter brand' entirely devoid of honour. He calls out Brian Johnson and Dak Draper as well; listing them as men who have poured everything into ROH - and saying they will 'lose everything' when it closes. EC3 says they need to 'control [their] narrative' - as two hooded EC3 disciples step into the aisle. One of them is ex-WWE wrestler Wesley Blake apparently, I missed that on the live show. He tells Eli, Dak and Brian that they need to stand with him and 'suffer physically' before he can help them though - then tells the hooded goons to 'bring the Titan'. The Titan in question is Adam Scherr (aka Braun Strowman), who marches down the aisle and flattens everyone - almost breaking Isom in half with a one-arm powerbomb. Strowman and the hooded guys carry Eli, Dak and Johnson away...

The Young Bucks get a brief video segment and express their gratitude to ROH for helping them become the men they are today. It's very brief, but credit to them for contributing it as it was totally against the characters they were portraying on AEW TV at the same time. 

Jay Briscoe wrestled in the first ever official ROH match, at Era Of Honor Begins. He and his brother are eleven-time Tag Champions and have spent their entire adult lives working for this company. Other than being in the main event, there is no more fitting a spot for the Briscoes on (perhaps) the last ROH show ever than competing for the ROH Tag Team Championship. They are in the role of challengers this evening though, once again doing battle with a team with whom they've shared a heated rivalry over the years. It is an emotional night for Matt Taven and Mike Bennett too. They are desperate to leave this show with the belts. At Honor For All, Taven looked distraught at ROH's hiatus; emotionally exhausted by his two-year war with Vincent and carrying the emotional baggage of his career highlight (the MSG win and subsequent World Title reign) become synonymous with ROH's downfall into obscurity. He wept as he said he wants to be the last Tag Champion, so he can put the belt in his house as reassurance that the blood he shed and beatings he took meant something. For the first time since their return, Maria Kanellis-Bennett accompanies her husband and his partner to the ring (with The Kingdom's old spliced 'Something For You/Suffer Unto Me' theme playing).

The OGK come out in their old black leather 'Kingdom' jackets, whilst the whole Briscoe family (including Jay and Mark's kids) occupy an entire corner of the guardrail area. Jay and Taven start; former World Champions racing through a series of strike attempts without being able to lay a glove on each other. The Kingdom double up on Mark to take an early advantage - but that's a game the Briscoes have seen countless times and easily fight back by taking it to the floor for a brawl. Taven hits an elbow suicida...and takes another run up for AIR TAVEN! But the Briscoes move causing him to lay out Bennett in error! Mark hits the step-up somersault plancha off a chair too. Purple Thunder Driver by Matt, sensibly hauling the match back into the ring to thwart Jay and Mark's momentum. Urinage flurry by Mark! Redneck Boogie nailed - as the camera pans to Jay's face to reveal that his eyebrow has been split wide open. The Briscoes think about a Spike Jay Driller as well, only for Bennett to throw Mark off the top rope into the apron! He hangs Jay off the apron too, then send Matt upstairs. HANGING AURORA BOREALIS TO THE FLOOR! Sick Kick by Mark to save! CLIMAX ON JAY! All four men are down! The OGK are sent to the floor, where Jay hits a completely crazy tope suicida into the guardrail. Blockbuster off the apron from Mark to Bennett! Froggy Bow on Taven...but Maria breaks the pin! Mark is pissed off and confronts her on the apron...but then dives as Bennett ACCIDENTALLY SPEARS HIS WIFE ON THE APRON! PILEDRIVER ON THE FLOOR to Jay! Mike puts Mark on his shoulders. AIR TAVEN DOOMSDAY DEVICE TO THE F*CKING FLOOR! The Kingdom drag Mark back in for the Proton Pack...but it only gets 2. HAIL MARY! JAY BREAKS THE PIN! JAY DRILLER on Bennett! Just The Tip on Mark! Aurora Borealis gets knees though! JAY DRILLER! TAVEN KICKS OUT! The crowd is going absolutely apesh*t now! DOOMSDAY DEVICE! TAVEN KICKS OUT AGAIN! He screams that the Briscoes will have to kill him! JAY DRILLER! FROGGY BOW! BRISCOES WIN! They are 12-time champions at 15:35

Rating - ****1/2 - I love this match. I adored it live, and watching it back to review it totally held up. Of course it helps that they were given carte blanche to go absolutely nuts; packing in as many spots and false finishes as they possibly could. There was a point in the last couple of minutes where it genuinely felt like the old days - bodies flying everywhere, impossible nearfalls, fans going absolutely mental in disbelief. Of course it's a shame that what used to be 'the norm' for this company felt so extreme and unfamiliar now...but these guys really did tear it up. It certainly wasn't a perfect tag match, but it was pretty much perfect for the setting within which it took place. The Briscoes are the ROH loyalists, the stalwart custodians of the tag team wrestling in this company - at the forefront of the division whilst all manner of great, iconic, legendary teams came through and couldn't keep them down (the Young Bucks, The Addiction, Motor City Machine Guns, Kings Of Wrestling, reDRagon, War Machine, Aries and Strong, Age Of The Fall, American Wolves, Steen & Generico, All Night Express - the list goes on). The OGK are the perfect foils for them; opposites in every way. Whilst the Briscoes have been fan favourites for almost all of their twenty year run in ROH - fans were notoriously slow to take to Bennett or Taven. Fans would routinely sh*t on Mike Bennett when he first debuted for instance. And for all his success, the image of Taven standing at the top of the ladder in Madison Square Garden is essentially synonymous with the downfall of the entire company. In truth, though, nobody was the heel here. It was four guys (and Maria) who all undeniably love Ring Of Honor, are proud of their contributions to the company and wanted to play their part in protecting and preserving its legacy the best way they could - by beating their bodies into the ground in a stunning match. This is my favourite ROH match of 2021...and 2020 too for the record.  

Everyone hugs after the match (even Todd Sinclair) and Maria is visibly in tears as The OGK leave. The Briscoes stay in the ring, Jay with a big chunk of his eyebrow ripped and flapping about in his eye. He says that the end of ROH doesn't mean its the end of the Briscoes, and dares any team on the planet to fight them. The lights go out...and come on again with FTR standing on the apron! Wheeler and Harwood step into the ring and into a pull-apart brawl with the 12-time ROH Tag Champions! 

As security struggles to separate those teams, we go to one last video message. Fittingly saved to last, it is from 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson; one of the greatest ROH World Champions. Apparently nobody fact-checked his message to remind him that Morishima detached his retina at Manhattan Mayhem II rather than Final Battle...although now I think about it I imagine you'd struggle to remember something that took place more than fourteen years ago if it involved a huge Japanese guy bludgeoning you in the head so hard that your retina detaches too. He is sad at the prospect of a wrestling landscape without ROH, and remains grateful for the opportunities he was given thanks to his time there.

A video montage of every ROH World Champion plays next. It's a stirring piece of footage and captures everyone (even including those who didn't part on the best terms like Low Ki, Davey Richards or Michael Elgin). 

It isn't entirely clear whether this match is simply for the 'Original' ROH Championship belt, or if Bandido has actually been stripped of the title to put it on the line here. Since every subsequent piece of press I've seen has referred to the winner as the 'new ROH World Champion' I am working under the assumption that it is the latter. Gresham had been preparing for Bandido, but after the Most Wanted Champion was heartbreakingly forced to miss out after a second (known) bout of Covid-19, AEW stepped in to provide The Octopus with an opponent. In truth, Lethal/Gresham feels like a far more fitting Final Battle main event. They have been partners, friends and opponents for years...cohorts, colleagues and co-creators of The Foundation; a movement to restore the honour and integrity of 'Pure professional wrestling' to ROH. Gresham believes he fulfilled his purpose with the Pure Title after winning the Pure Tournament and leading that belt back to prominence. But even with ROH ending, he still wants to end as World Champion - his name etched alongside the 'originals' whose spirit he possesses. But to get there he has to go through Jay Lethal. Before ROH announced its hiatus the foundations of The Foundation were starting to crumble. The Righteous had footage of Lethal saying he 'didn't even like The Foundation'. Unable to get back into the World Title picture, spending 2021 sustaining repeated losses then tormented by The Righteous - the tainted and fallen 'Franchise' abandoned The Foundation and left for pastures new, signing with AEW. He is back for one night only; one of the most celebrated ROH Champions of all time - and the final mountain for Gresham to overcome. Will Gresham complete his mission to restore honour to ROH? Or will The Franchise step into immortality as the three-time and last Ring Of Honor Champion?

Lethal comes out to his old 'Scorched Ops' theme which I'm delighted to see (his AEW theme is terrible). He also isn't introduced as part of The Foundation. They spend the first minute frantically trading wrist locks, whilst the crowd chant 'ROH' - which feels surprisingly emotional. Jay tries to use his power advantage, but Gresham kicks out at the arm - then grabs it again to counter the hiptoss/dropkick sequence. In return Jay escapes Gresham's advances and plants him with the Lethal Combination. Running dropkick rattles Jay's shoulder again though and he comes up off the arena floor visibly nursing the arm. He still hits the hiptoss/dropkick sequence from the other side, using the other arm though! A flurry of kicks drive Gresham to the floor, where of course Jay winds up to deliver a big tope suicida (although again comes up selling the arm). It jars the neck and back of The Octopus though, and it's obvious that Gresham too is struggling to stand afterwards. PALM STRIKE by Lethal almost turns his former partner's lights out! Gresh is too injured to deliver a suplex at this point, gets reckless and misses with a missile dropkick...and almost gets captured in the Figure 4 as punishment. He escapes with a stomp on the arm though - and keeps using the injured arm to set up pinning combinations! Gresham literally refuses to let go of Jay's injured arm, even as The Franchise batters him with chops. Jay whips him over with a powerslam to escape, but his arm now hangs limp by his side. Gresh rolls all the way across the ring to ensure Jay can't hit the Macho Elbow...except his bad back means he can't get Lethal over for a superplex either. Figure 4 blocked, and they start countering the sh*t out of each other on pinning attempts. Gresham quebrada COUNTERED TO A TORTURE RACK! HAIL TO THE KING - right across the midsection too! Lethal Injection attempted, but Jay's arm gives way and he collapses! Chickenwing by Gresham! This is how Bryan Danielson won the World Title! COUNTERED TO AN ACE CRUSHER! Both men collapse, as The Foundation lead the entire locker room down the aisle. The whole roster circles the ring and encourages them back to their feet (Gresham's wife, Jordynne Grace, is also at ringside). BAYONET! Lethal kicks out! Superkick! Jay's arm gives way again though. BAYONET AGAIN! Still two! Lethal Injection - COUNTERED by grabbing the bad arm into a backslide for 2. OCTOPUS STRETCH! LETHAL TAPS! Gresham is the World Champion at 15:35!

Rating - **** - This was predictably fantastic. These guys are so good in the ring together, and always deliver as opponents. It wasn't their best match, almost entirely because they were visibly being hurried for time. In the days that followed, media coverage of Final Battle suggested that the original plan was for these guys to get 25-minutes - which would have been far better. In truth, though, the only significance of that is that what could have been an MOTYC was instead merely a really f*cking good match. You almost know what to expect out of these guys - they worked body parts in unique and detailed fashion, they were wonderful in how they sold their respective injuries and almost impeccable in how they laid out some really intricate technical wrestling sequences. The locker room emptying for the last couple of minutes did feel somewhat corny, but I completely understand why they did that in the context of it being the 'final show'. The unabashed elation of Jordynne Grace and Baron Black as they dived into the ring to celebrate with Gresham felt like a really genuine, touching moment too. Of course I'm disappointed they didn't get more time to send ROH out with an absolute classic - and I've hammered Delirious for YEARS about how f*cking appalling ROH are at overloading their PPV's and screwing their main events for time - but ultimately I don't think it really matters. Lethal and Gresh have had lengthy MOTYC's in the past. This was about the moment, the crowning of Gresham, the realisation of The Foundation's mission to 'purify' Ring Of Honor (even on its deathbed). And on that front it absolutely delivered.

The final sentence spoken on commentary is Caprice Coleman saying 'see you in April', leading to a brief graphic which reads 'When One Era Ends...Another Begins - April 2022'.

Tape Rating - **** - I've probably complained enough about ROH loading too many matches onto this PPV, but it's so frustrating. Had they just cut the filler 10-person tag and the decent but unnecessary Women's Division trios tag from Hour One then they would have been able to comfortably fit in an extra ten minutes for the main event, time for the EC3/Strowman angle AND time for Kenny King and Shane Taylor's post-match moment too. But having said that, it really was a great show. And like all the best ROH shows it was ambitious enough in scope to cover a lot of styles of wrestling - hardcore, lucha, tag team, multi-man tag, women's - whilst also providing a few legitimate surprises and even some genuine sports-entertainment style angles/teases for future clashes (albeit most of them likely in other promotions). Of course it would have been nice for Lethal and Gresham to get half an hour to deliver the masterpiece we know they are capable of. Obviously I'd have preferred that we hadn't had to rush away from Shane Taylor and Kenny King's very real post-match moment because the show was running long and we had to get to a CM Punk video. And when time was of the essence on the show, it was heartbreaking to see people that I personally don't particularly enjoy (EC3 and Braun Strowman) sucking time away from the matches that I cared the most about. But the sad fact is that these aren't new mistakes. I've been criticising ROH and Sinclair for basic errors like this for years. The reality of the situation is that there has been a disconnect between ROH's core product and the fanbase for a long time. That WAY pre-dates The Elite leaving, or the NJPW relationship going south. The Elite and NJPW may have delivered ROH's biggest box offices ever, but they were papering over the chasm-like cracks in Sinclair and Delirious' flawed vision of what Ring Of Honor is/was/should be. Ultimately fans like me - the ones that have been moaning for years about poor time management, inability to book long-term storylines with any kind of consistency of quality, or complete abject failure to properly elevate wrestlers from the midcard to the main event, and pointing out ad nauseam that the talent of the roster or the drawing power of The Elite/NJPW are covering up for how bad things really were - we've been proven correct. ROH wouldn't need to go on a 'hiatus' if things were going well. The pandemic clearly exacerbated things, and turned ROH from relatively cheap content to an extremely costly financial drain at a time when Sinclair Broadcasting's business found itself severely challenged in a much wider context than just Ring Of Honor. But wrestling is HOT right now. Even in the midst of a pandemic, it is a decent time to be in the business - there is money to be made and an audience to be found with the right product. The fact that ROH remained stone cold tells you that their fanbase was completely and utterly eroded; driven away by decisions that completely pre-date the pandemic. Having said all that, the goal here was to celebrate Ring Of Honor and go out with a big, bold, kick-ass wrestling show. Few would deny that they achieved their goal. Thank you for the last twenty years ROH. I truly hope against hope that we reconvene in 2022 for more Ring Of Honor in some fashion... 

3) Shane Taylor vs Kenny King (****)

2) Jonathan Gresham vs Jay Lethal (****)

1) The OGK vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe (****1/2)