McXal's Reviews

This week on ROH television we continue our look back at Final Battle 2021. As I said last week, this feels incredibly lazy given that ROH has twenty years of content they could dip into to fill these broadcasts, so simply airing the best bits of a show they were asking their genuine fans to pay money for barely a month earlier for free on television feels somewhat unpalatable. The feature bout this week is the Final Battle main event as Jonathan Gresham battled AEW's Jay Lethal to determine a new ROH World Champion after incumbent title holder Bandido was forced to miss the show due to Covid-19. That is somewhat apt, as it comes a week after ROH announced that Gresham vs Bandido to determine an undisputed ROH Champion would take place at the Supercard Of Honor relaunch show...

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. But her title win was only the beginning of her journey. Immediately on TV she had contenders lining up to face her and Willow eventually emerged from a mini-tournament to crown a #1 contender and gets her shot tonight. This feels a little redundant given that Rok-C's championship loss had already aired on Impact television..

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. 

Willow and Rok-C hug after the bell, but are interrupted by Deonna Purrazzo's music playing; and the Impact star is in Baltimore! 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...

Colt Cabana's 'thank you ROH' message, which was deemed too long for the Final Battle PPV, is now broadcast for television. He speaks eloquently and reflects on some of his favourite memories/moments

Bryan Danielson's earnest Final Battle video message is replayed.

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, then 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. 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'. 

Tape Rating - N/A - As I said during my introductory paragraph and my review last week, this is an exceptionally lazy episode. It is nothing more than a cheap, hastily cobbled together rehash of the most recent content ROH had available - which is disappointing. I understand ROH is in a holding pattern right now and is a notional husk of a wrestling company that exists only as a footage archive for Sinclair to fill their syndicated station schedules with...but the bar was set SO high with the excellent Women's Title Tournament documentary that everything since has felt like a colossal let-down.