McXal's Reviews

I don't think it is unfair to say that, of the three Ring Of Honor pay-per-view events promoted by Tony Khan, Final Battle 2022 feels the least significant. Traditionally the climactic event to a year of ROH storylines and programming, unfortunately the twentieth anniversary of the first ever Final Battle event concludes merely a year where Khan/AEW have kept the ROH brand alive in name only. We have ROH champions, the ROH name appearing regularly on AEW television and there are even some talents who are reportedly signed to 'ROH contracts'...but since the end of 2021 Ring Of Honor has not existed as a standalone product. This show serves largely as an extension of All Elite Wrestling's product in all but name. The vast majority of what storylines there are stem from AEW programming, the overwhelming majority of the talent on display this evening feature regularly on AEW TV...and we enter the show with an ROH Champion in Chris Jericho who a great many people recognise a fundamental pillar and focal point around which the entire AEW promotion has been established and developed. The lack of a clear Ring Of Honor identity and the lack of a standalone medium to deliver the product outside of AEW's flagship broadcasts undeniably contribute to the 2022 edition of Final Battle feeling a little flat, or like an AEW B-show. 

That isn't to say, however, that one shouldn't expect some incredible in-ring competition. For all the faults with how Khan-owned ROH has been booked/operated/presented I do think the one constant has been that across the three major Ring Of Honor events this year the standard of in-ring action has been driven upwards - and in a manner which I think has remained incredibly authentic to what the ROH promotion has always been synonymous with. Never has that been more apparent than the fact that, for a third ROH show in a row we'll be seeing a Tag Title showdown between the Briscoes and FTR. Their first two bouts have been celebrated, critically-acclaimed classics; worthy of their place in the conversation for 'greatest ROH Tag Title match ever'. And since the ROH-stalwart Briscoe Brothers - for whatever reason - do not appear on AEW programming, their trilogy feels distinct and unique to ROH. Although the ROH World Title main event (and ROH Pure Title bout too) are rooted in the long-standing Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club rivalry which has been central to AEW, seeing a beloved 'golden era ROH' figure in Claudio trying to 'restore Honor' to the ROH Title or seeing two extremely gifted young pure wrestlers locking horns over the Pure Title feel incredibly authentic to what long-time fans like myself always loved about ROH. 

The rest of the card is a mixed bag. Shane Taylor was one of the few genuinely outstanding members of the roster in the dying days of Sinclair's ownership so seeing him arrive in AEW/returning to ROH was really exciting to me. But instead of going right into a hugely enticing match with old tag partner, Keith Lee, tonight they are booked into a tag encounter (presumably with the singles outing potentially being saved for AEW). Samoa Joe's return to ROH at Supercard Of Honor remains one of my wrestling highlights of 2022. But on a personal level I've not found his booking/creative direction in AEW particularly interesting at all. It's joyous to see him back in ROH but a TV Title defence against Juice Robinson does not, in my opinion, set the pulses racing. The rest of the card is a collection of semi-intriguing bouts featuring a host of incredibly talented individuals; really intriguing names debuting/coming back to ROH like AR Fox, Top Flight, Athena, The Kingdom, Jeff Cobb, Rush, Dralistico, Mascara Dorada, Trish Adora and more...but without much connective tissue, storyline or anything to make this stand apart from what fans already see on AEW Dynamite, Rampage, Elevation and Dark. Tony Khan's ROH have enough credit in the bank to leave me confident that the in-ring product tonight will offer me value for money. But this will be the third ROH PPV running where I enter crying out for a clear idea precisely what the 'new ROH' looks like, how it will stand apart from Khan's core AEW business (if at all) and what the long-term creative vision for the company truly is. Lets join Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman in Arlington, TX in our hunt for answers...

In all but name this is a match presented by NJPW. Jeff Cobb is a former ROH TV Champion, returning for the first time since 2020 and as a mainstay of the New Japan roster both in Japan and on NJPW Strong, in the United Empire stable. His opponent tonight is an interesting one. Dorada may be more recognisable to you as the former Gran Metalik in WWE. He has appeared largely on the US indies since departing WWE - showing up in the likes of GCW and Impact whilst seemingly making NJPW Strong his home base. He debuted on AEW Dark: Elevation in September too.

Mascara tries to spring off the ropes early, but is of course plucked out of the air by Cobb. A rope-run lucha armdrag brings Dorada back in...but when he tries another dive (this time off the apron) Jeff again catches him, delivering an APRON gourdbuster! Instantly he starts applying pressure to the back and midsection of the luchador - until he gets too confident and sleepwalks into a hurricanrana. CORKSCREW somesault senton to the floor by Mascara! He returns to the ring with a springboard somersault senton as well for 2. Cobb simply shakes that off though, before planting him with the Athletic-Plex and the standing moonsault for 2. Tour Of The Islands blocked, as is Cobb's dead-lift superplex. Dorada runs up the ropes into a swinging bulldog from the second rope! Moonsault misses...and Cobb lariats him in the back of the head! POP-UP TOUR OF THE ISLANDS! Cobb wins at 06:58

Rating - ** - It was nice to hear Ian Riccaboni calling a Jeff Cobb match again. I enjoyed Cobb's ROH run even though he was really poorly booked for the majority of the time he was under exclusive contract, and he immediately looked at home upon returning. The match was fine for the time given and if you've seen Dorada's work on WWE programming you probably have a fair idea of what to expect from him here. Beyond a couple of brief moments he felt like little more than canon-fodder for Cobb tonight however.

Although it is the first time they've appeared in ROH in their current 'Jericho Appreciation Society' gimmick, Parker and Menard did previously work for ROH (I believe when they were 3.0) so this is something of a return for them. As the live audience here will be a largely AEW crowd they will be more familiar with the JAS team than the Shinobi Shadow Squad, despite the fact that Isom and CB have worked considerably more ROH events. Isom and Burger were being given expanded profiles during the last months of Sinclair's ownership; Eli receiving a push and making it to the Survival Of The Fittest final, whilst Burger was rebranded 'World Famous CB' and treated as more than just a skinny comedic lower-card guy. Khan's buy-out curtailed all of that and they've largely been relegated right back to enhancement talent status; which is what 3S started as.

Riccaboni and Coleman accredit Menard and Parker's presence to the influence of Chris Jericho as ROH Champion, since they don't care about Ring Of Honor at all. Eli tries to pin an overly-confident Angelo Parker in the opening seconds and receives an enormously sarcastic handshake from Menard for his trouble. CB plays some games and makes Parker look momentarily rather foolish...until the JAS hit a couple of combo moves to exert their dominance. Their power and tag team fluidity leave Burger increasingly isolated for a couple of minutes...but inevitably the illusiveness of CB sees him weave his way into a hot tag to Eli. Parker hauls CB out of the ring as Menard drops Isom with a German suplex though. Double DDT gives JAS the win at 05:55

Rating - * - Essentially the same squash that the Shinobi Shadow Squad have worked at every Khan-owned ROH event. This felt like an easy payday for Menard and Parker, who gave their opponents almost nothing in the way of meaningful offence and won in what appeared to be an emphatic and relatively effortless manner. 

Adora was a big part of the well-received Women's division relaunch (spearheaded by Maria Kanellis and Bobby Cruise in 2021) with her hard-hitting, technically savvy performances making her one of the break-out stars of the ROH Women's Title Tournament. Willow was also part of that Women Of Honor revival and is now signed to AEW where her likeable personality and tough in-ring skills have seen her develop a cult following. She will be looking to come back to ROH and score a big win to further boost her momentum over in All Elite Wrestling...

Willow gets a considerably bigger pop than anyone else on the show so far. Trish tries to negate her power by taking her to the mat, but finds Nightingale more than capable of hanging with her there. A big tackle from Willow puts her down, only for Adora to show her toughness and retaliate with a throat thrust. Clotheslines by Willow, setting up a missile dropkick for 2. Dangerous Babe Bomb COUNTERED to a kryptonite neckbreaker by Trish! On someone who once broke her neck that is a devastating move, and Adora quickly follows with a bridging German for 2. POOOOOUUUUUNCE by Willow! Dangerous Babe Bomb wins it 06:18

Rating - *** - I think both of these women are extremely talented, and I thought that of the three compact and succinct pre-show matches we've seen thus far this was by far the most enjoyable. It helps that Willow was really over of course, but fans were open-minded enough to give Adora a chance too. She rewarded them with a clever performance; using her striking, street-smarts and technical ability to put up as much of a fight as she could before finally getting steamrollered by Nightingale (who is on a roll in AEW too). Trish's work on Willow's old neck injury was an almost-unnecessarily deep touch of detail for a pre-show sprint but I very much appreciated it. I'm delighted Willow is being given a real opportunity to shine in AEW (it is much deserved). Adora deserves a similar opportunity, be that in AEW or in the 'new' ROH somewhere down the line.

One year ago, at Final Battle 2021, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven entered as ROH Tag Champions but were dethroned by the Briscoes in arguably their finest performance in Ring Of Honor. Since that time they've worked in a lot of promotions and even won other titles...but they feel they have unfinished business in ROH and they make their return this evening. Top Flight make their debut and are exactly the kind of act you feel fans in the 'golden era' of ROH would gravitate towards. They feel a comfortable and natural fit for Ring Of Honor and are dangerous opponents for the returning Kingdom.

Bennett and Dante start, only for Taven to jump Martin from behind and hand OGK an immediate advantage. Darius makes a much-needed tag, and he is too quick for The Kingdom; causing Taven to inadvertently boot his own partner to the floor! Top Flight hit fast-paced combo strikes to keep the former ROH Tag Champions separate...until Taven lands a springboard enzi to knock Dante to the floor! REBOUND ELBOW from the apron to the floor by Bennett! Proton Pack blocked, setting up a flying crossbody by Darius. Maria successfully distracts him though and Matt hits the Purple Thunder Bomb. Spinebuster/Lionsault combo by OGK, but Darius dodges Just The Tip to stay in the fight. Piledriver blocked...so Bennett ensnares Darius in a kimura submission instead. SLAP FLURRY by Darius! STANDING C-4! Tags all round; Dante arriving first and quickly hitting a standing moonsault on Taven. Darius then steps off his own brother to hit a tornado DDT...bringing in Bennett to break the pin. DVD/Just The Tip combo by The OGK. HEAT SEEKING MISSILE by Darius. AIR TAVEN NAILED! DIVE TO THE FLOOR BY DANTE! He botched that but it still looked totally wild! Maria Kanellis tries to distract the Martins again but this time is gets ejected by referee Mike Posey...as The OGK line-up Hail Mary. Dante saves his brother...BACKFLIP POWERBOMB/SHIRANUI COMBO! Top Flight win at 11:19

Rating - *** - I strongly suspect there will be matches on the main show which are considerably worse than this. A really strong match to close out the 'Zero Hour' pre-show and exactly the kind of product which should make up the backbone of the 'new ROH' if Tony does ever formally separate the brand from AEW. Top Flight were exciting of course, but it was the older and more experienced heels who held the match together. They may not have won (in truth Sinclair-era ROH talents don't often win when they wrestle Khan-contracted AEW talent) but they gave a creditable job in putting them over here; demonstrating the genuine value they will add to a separate Ring Of Honor brand if Tony is so inclined to utilise them in such a way.

Rush and La Faccion Ingobernable are no strangers to Ring Of Honor. He is a former World Champion and now a regular on AEW television. For the first time his other brother - Dralistico - partners him in ROH, rather than Dragon Lee. Dralistico has appeared in ROH before during his time working the 'Mistico' gimmick but this marks his first show in several years and first since his post-CMLL rebrand. Christian is now a familiar face on these Khan-era ROH live events, but he has a new partner tonight in the form of AR Fox. Fox is a well-travelled veteran of the independent scene, a talented athlete, a respected trainer and had an extremely successful run with WWNLive when that family of promotions was going head-to-head with Sinclair's ROH. He was a smart pick-up for AEW and exactly the kind of talent you feel would be perfect for a 'stand-alone' ROH sister promotion to All Elite Wrestling. Preston Vance and Jose are both in the LFI corner. If you're keeping score I much preferred Rush's ROH theme versus his AEW entrance music.

Dralistico tosses his shirt at Fox in bad-tempered scenes to get us underway. He and Christian contest an evenly-matched opening couple of minutes where neither gains a real advantage. Fox and Rush tag and waste little time before chopping lumps out of each other. Rush appears to have more strike-power than AR, and he then launches into familiar destructive territory as he starts dragging Blake around ringside launching him into multiple guardrails and flogging him with electrical cables. POWERBOMB ON THE RING STEPS from Dralistico to Fox! LFI isolate and beat down Christian whilst Fox struggles to recover from that devastating blow. He does eventually return however; sliding off Rush into a big boot to Dralistico on the outside! ROLLING SUICIDE DIVES on opposing sides of the ring by Fox! He puts the exclamation point on that with a somersault senton on Dralistico for 2. Rush saves his brother from Lo Mein Pain, then DUMPS Blake into the guardrails when he tries to help! SPRINGBOARD SSP TO THE FLOOR by Dralistico! SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH by Christian to break the ensuing pin though. LO MEIN PAIN! 450 SPLASH! Fox pins Dralistico at 10:35 as Blake dives into Rush on the floor! 

Rating - *** - The finish was definitely strange. The commentary team didn't appear to know what happened, Dralistico appeared to kick out on or just after three and given how LFI have been promoted on AEW television it would seem an odd choice to put over a newcomer like Fox and a lower-ranked talent like Christian over them. But the match was a fun, exciting PPV opener where they did an excellent job of blending Rush's usual routine with some of the signature high-flying antics of the other three men. The odd finish doesn't detract from my enjoyment of it all that much in truth.

The fans think the finish was messed up too and boo as LFI assault Christian and Fox after the bell with steel chairs.

At the last ROH PPV undisputed ROH Women's Champion Martinez produced an outstanding performance as she defended her title against Serena Deeb. But she's only wrestled a single, brief AEW Dark squash match since then as she has battled injuries. In her absence, Athena has carved out a niche for herself as a hard-hitting, no-nonsense bad-ass. She claims it is simply her rediscovering the tough and edgy personality that defined her time on the independents before WWE, but many have taken exception to her antics (including assaulting popular AEW referee Aubrey Edwards) - and Mercedes is one of those who have been left thoroughly unimpressed. These two have plenty of history too. AEW/ROH have worked out a deal with ROH's old 'sister promotion' SHIMMER and the pre-match video includes extensive footage of their mini-rivalry in Dave Prazak's influential all-female company a decade earlier. Then it was a young, brash Athena trying to make a name for herself at the expense of the Latina Sensation; one of the 'SHIMMER Originals' around which the company was built. And no matter how much Martinez tried, she couldn't put Athena down. It was the Wrestling Goddess who got the better of their rivalry then - and tonight she has even bigger plans. She returns to ROH (she worked a few shows during Sinclair's ownership) looking not only for the title, but also to end Mercedes' long and storied career.

Dallas is Athena's hometown so she gets a considerable babyface reaction during her entrance. She tries to lay in a stiff elbow early, but the savvy veteran champion easily dodges it and slaps the taste out of her mouth. The crowd jeer Mercedes' every move and roar with delight as Athena tears into her with forearms and kicks; sending her retreating to the corner. HANDSPRING FACE CHOP nailed! But Martinez rallies with her trademark emphatic spinebuster; shaking off the disdain of Athena's hometown support to follow that with an STF. Spider German superplex blocked by the Fallen Goddess, who fights hard and SPLATTERS Mercedes into the canvas with a running powerbomb. Superkick into side of Mercedes' head too, with her brain presumably still scrambled by that emphatic powerbomb. HALF NELSON SUPLEX by Martinez! Exploder suplex as well...but Athena keeps getting up! BRAINBUSTER! Athena kicks out! Kondo Clutch applied by Martinez, trying to exploit Athena's lengthy history of leg injuries...but this time the challenger escapes and hits a BACK SUPLEX ON THE APRON! She tries to follow with a running dropkick into to the guardrails only for the champ to move! ANARCHIST SUPLEX FROM THE GUARDRAIL TO THE FLOOR by Mercedes! The champion tries to pummel the challenger into the mat before positioning her for the Brass City Sleeper...but Athena bites her to block it! DOMINATOR LUNGBLOWER by Athena! She furiously rips the turnbuckle cover off and tries to intimidate referee Mike Posey too. SHOTGUN DROPKICK INTO THE EXPOSED TURNBUCKLE! O-FACE NAILED! Athena is the new champion at 13:08

Rating - **** - As a long-time SHIMMER fan, and someone who has only recently finished reviewing the run of shows featuring the Martinez/Athena rivalry from that promotion, I really enjoyed this. It was a great progression or companion piece to their SHIMMER work; where before Athena was the young lion stepping up to the dominant 'OG Badass', times are now different and we witnessed the changing of the guard as Athena took some of Martinez's best shots but was simply too powerful, too hard-hitting and too relentless to be stopped. The finish was a little clumsy (and took the crowd totally out of the match), but I thought the combination of explosive, hard-hitting action, references to previous injuries and the way in which this immediately reinvigorated a decade-old rivalry from another promotion made this incredibly likeable. If you haven't seen their SHIMMER work you may not get quite as much out of it, but for a second ROH PPV running the Women's Title Match has been delivered an under-rated little cracker in my estimation. I'd love to see a rematch...

As I said during my introduction to the review (and as I posted on Twitter), I was pleased to see Shane Taylor make his long-overdue arrival into AEW. I was even more pleased to see he went right after his former partner in ROH, Keith Lee. As Lee and his current partner Swerve Strickland have issues, an unwelcome face from Lee's past has returned to haunt him at the worst possible time. Former ROH TV and Six-Man Champion Taylor has brought his 'Shane Taylor Promotions' brand back with him, has recruited 'long-time friend'/promising up and comer JD Griffey to the brand (after a handful of unsuccessful squash losses on Dark/Elevation) and is ready to make Keith pay for abandoning the Pretty Boy Killers years ago. What will the in-ring exchanges between Taylor and Lee look like? Can Keith and Swerve coexist given the question marks over their own team? Given that Strickland completely blanks Lee during their entrance, that seems unlikely.

Griffey starts with Swerve, using his MMA skills to get the better of Strickland early on. Eventually Swerve aggressively tags out to Lee (whether his partner wanted to tag or not). Keith's size makes it considerably more difficult for Griffey to grapple or strike, so in comes Taylor to come face-to-face with his former partner for the first time. Strickland blind-tags Lee out before they can lock-up though. Swerve is quick and illusive and lands a few strikes...but a single lariat from Shane T is enough to floor him. Griffey helps out as well; draping Strickland on the apon so Taylor can decimate him with a big leg drop. Lee tags again...and this time the former Pretty Boy Killers are able to tee off on each other. Taylor tries a flying crossbody BUT LEE CATCHES HIM! Taylor escapes and FLOORS Keith with a big punch! Swerve hauls Taylor to the floor, leaving JD alone with both opponents. Griffey counters SIOG's signature combo moves; tricking Swerve into accidentally booting Lee, before landing a rana which launches the big man through the ropes. Tope suicida by Griffey...CAUGHT by Lee. Griffey convinces Keith not to do anything ('mom would kill you' - Griffey to Lee), much to Swerve's annoyance. Strickland is even more irked moments later as Taylor hits him with a SLINGSHOT TOWER OF LONDON! Welcome To The Land blocked, so Griffey uses his MMA strikes to rock Swerve. Fisherman neckbreaker gets 2! Triangle choke applied - with Keith choosing to brawl with Taylor on the floor rather than help his partner! Eventually he does help Swerve - walking across the ring to break up the hold with a MOONSAULT! Taylor and Lee tagged in again, but all four are in the ring trading blows at this point. Lee inadvertently KO'S Strickland with an elbow! WELCOME TO THE LAND FROM TAYLOR TO KEITH! HE KICKS OUT! Swerve walks out on the match, leaving Lee taking a beating from Shane Taylor Promotions...until Griffey inadvertently knocks Taylor to the floor with a superkick! Big Bang Catastrophe on Griffey! Lee wins at 13:43

Rating - *** - The money here was in Taylor and Lee. Even though Taylor has had relatively little exposure to an AEW audience, they were loudly biting on every interaction between the former Pretty Boy Killers. For its position on the card, this was generally quite a lively and exciting affair. I don't think the way they chose to play out the Swerve In Our Glory dissension angle made much sense, and it didn't really fit comfortably alongside the Lee/Taylor narrative - even though Ian Riccaboni tried valiantly to push that. In all honesty for the most part it felt like the 'split' angle for Lee and Strickland largely got on the way and prevented them from having an even better match. I'd much rather have had Taylor/Lee in this spot, and if you need to use these guys to further the split angle then run a condensed version of this on Dynamite or Rampage. Fun as this was, it felt like another example of ROH very much not being a separate brand and just being an extension of AEW programming. It's noticeable that once again tonight all of AEW's talents (Menard and Parker, Willow, Top Flight, Christian and Fox and now Swerve In Our Glory) have gone over the 'old' ROH talent like 3S, OGK, Rush, Trish Adora and now Shane Taylor. 

The Ring Of Honor Six-Man Championship never meant a great deal whilst the company was still in business, beyond a short period when it was in the orbit of the Young Bucks/Elite. So by 2022, when ROH exists largely in name only, the Six-Man Titles are now the most pointless of prop championships. The current holders are Dalton & The Boys, in their second reign with the belts having taken them from The Righteous at Death Before Dishonor. Dalton has entirely regressed back to the same character he was playing in ROH half a decade ago - but if you think he and The Boys are rank outsiders here then one should remember that they earned their first ROH Trios Title with a victory over the Briscoes and Bully Ray. This team is capable of upsets...and they'll very much need to pull out another upset tonight. Prince Nana and his new Embassy were unveiled at Death Before Dishonor with mixed success. Benching Tully Blanchard and the fallout from the Jon Gresham situation was ugly; but Nana back in ROH's sphere feels right and you can make the argument that the Cage/Gates Of Agony trio are the most imposing Embassy line-up he has ever put together. Can he lead them to gold tonight? Kaun has already held the Six-Man belts once as part of Shane Taylor Promotions too...

No handshake from Kaun, who chops Castle so hard that the former World Champion immediately needs to leave the ring. Brandon Tate tries a crossbody on Cage, which is of course unsuccessful. Instead The Boys use their twin routine to confuse The Machine...right before Toa mauls them both. Urinage backbreaker from Kaun to Dalton, whilst on the floor Cage and Liona simultaneously dump The Boys! The Embassy isolate Brandon, with my personal highlight being Cage seemingly shouting 'Embassy Forever' as if he's been watching his Gabe-era ROH DVD's! Hot tag to Castle who comes in throwing suplexes to all three challengers. He tosses Boys around as weapons too but can't find a way to force a victory. Liona tagged to (eventually) muscle both Tate Twins into a double Samoan drop! Alabamaslam from Kaun to Brent! Belly to belly suplex from Toa to Dalton! DRILL CLAW by Cage! Prince Nana tries to create a distraction and is grabbed by Castle...only for Toa to steamroll through everyone. Gates Of Agony LAUNCH Brent into a Ligerbomb from Cage. The Embassy win the belts at 10:02

Rating - ** - This was fine, and whilst I'm not overly interested in the direction of the 'new Embassy' just yet (they don't get enough airtime on AEW), nor am I a particular fan of ROH's Six-Man belts - I do think Cage and GOA are preferable champions to Dalton and The Boys rehashing a championship reign which wasn't very good in 2017 and is really unappealing five years later. I would have preferred this was a lot shorter and presented as a more emphatic squash since I don't think it did anyone on The Embassy team any favours having to bump or sell for The Boys. I'd also have rather they got rid of the JAS/Shinobi Shadow Squad tag altogether and put this on the pre-show so other matches on the PPV got more time. As is becoming a common theme for ROH PPV's in 2022, this felt like little more than Tony Khan shuffling championships onto talent in readiness for something else (i.e. a prop for them to carry on AEW programming).

Lexy Nair interviews Top Flight, but is interrupted by Matt Menard and Angelo Parker. The four men quickly come to blows...in a brawl which spills through the curtain and out onto the stage. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA OFF THE STAGE by Dante! Parker gets on a microphone and says ROH died because it has 'always been full of garbage flippy floppy wrestlers like Top Flight'. They say that only Chris Jericho can save ROH, and reveal that they are going to force Claudio Castagnoli into a reunion with Jake Hager when he loses in the main event...

At Death Before Dishonor we saw Yuta successfully retain the Pure Title in a hell of a wrestling match against Garcia. But as the JAS vs BCC war raged, in September we'd see Garcia defeat Wheeler on an episode of Dynamite. The rivalry between these two is lengthy; an intriguing sub-plot in the larger Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club narrative. Both men are vocal in pre-match interviews about wanting a definitive end to this chapter of their lives. The ringside judge line-up for this one is a star-studded affair; former World Champions Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels (who also held the TV, Tag and Six-Man Titles) alongside multi-time former Tag Champion BJ Whitmer.

Both men fly out of the traps throwing wild forearms. Garcia is given a warning inside thirty seconds for punching Yuta, who retaliates and gets a warning as well. BACK DROP DRIVER ON THE FLOOR by the champion! He tears the protective coverings from the turnbuckle fastenings and grinds Wheeler's face against it, only for Yuta to headbutt him and do the same right back! Red Death jerks him throat-first over the turnbuckles, leaving the challenger gasping for air as the camera pans to former NXT UK competitor Trent Seven in the audience. Wheeler is struggling and is almost tricked into using his first rope-break as the champ works him over right against them. MEXICAN SURFBOARD IN THE ROPES! Referee Mike Posey has no choice but to deduct Yuta's second rope-break it seems. Ace Crusher nailed, with Yuta now visibly nursing his neck and throat. THROAT CHOP by Garcia to shut down an attempted fightback from his opponent! That is followed by a curb stomp; the boot buried deep in Yuta's neck. Dragon Sleeper locked in, forcing Wheeler to utilise his final rope-break to escape. He realises he is getting picked apart by Garcia, so Wheeler tries to quicken the pace. Garcia rides the storm and rolls the challenger into a Sharpshooter! COUNTERED to a crossface by Yuta! Daniel escapes (seemingly by grabbing the ropes, but missed by the referee and announcers alike), and they start slapping the sh*t out of each other. Northern Lights Bomb by Yuta...and both men are down! German by Yuta, into a wrist-clutch Olympic Slam for 2. Flying Body Press blocked with the knees by Garcia...into a PILEDRIVER for 2! SHARPSHOOTER IN THE ROPES! Wheeler is out of rope-breaks...so instead he DRAGS his whole body to the apron and throttles Garcia in the ropes. I'm not entirely clear how that isn't a rope-break for Garcia by the way! Piledriver on the apron blocked! CLOVERLEAF PILEDRIVER BY WHEELER! MMA ELBOWS TO THE HEAD! Garcia is out! The ref stops it at 14:55 - Wheeler is the first ever two-time Pure Champ!

Rating - **** - I love watching these two wrestle. I said it during my Death Before Dishonor review as well, but there really is something that feels so authentically 'ROH' about watching these two immensely talented young man go to war in a wrestling match like this. Again I didn't necessarily agree with some of the creative choices in how they worked the Pure Rules into the match, and some of the officiating felt questionable...but they were only minor distractions from what was a thrilling technical clinic. I loved the savagery with which Garcia attacked Wheeler's neck, and on the flip side Yuta is such a likeable babyface presence that you couldn't help but get behind him. I still think they have a much better match within them (the Pure Rules increasingly feel like they are getting in the way) but this was great. I preferred it to Death Before Dishonor and the Dynamite title switch if you're keeping score.

Garcia doesn't shake Wheeler's hand after the match, but he does present the Pure Title to him in a begrudging show of respect.

The first two matches between these two teams are beloved classics. Regardless of Ring Of Honor 'era', they are two of the finest ROH Tag Title Matches of all time. And whatever the reasoning behind it, the Briscoes not appearing on AEW television does make the rivalry feel unique and special to Ring Of Honor. Tonight we complete the trilogy as the 'Top Guys', champions of multiple promotions and victors in both previous encounters with the Briscoes, look to complete the sweep. At Final Battle 2021, when ROH appeared to be doomed, FTR created a buzz by invading the 'final show' with an apparent challenge to Jay and Mark. They first met at Supercard Of Honor 14, and it was FTR who ended the Briscoes' twelfth ROH Tag Title reign. The rematch was (in my opinion) even better; a 2/3 Falls classic with FTR beating the Briscoes in what is historically 'their match' to retain. But this one is different; it won't be a wrestling match, instead we'll see them chained together in a fight. As the Briscoes framed it in their pre-match interview; Bret Hart is a great wrestler, but you wouldn't back him to beat Terry Funk in a hardcore fight. Jay and Mark have one final chance to beat FTR, to regain their belts and their spot atop ROH's tag division...and they'll be more dangerous than ever before in a no rules environment. Is this the night FTR's hold over the Briscoes ends? Or is it the scene of one of the greatest triumphs of their career?

The crowd are pumped for this, chanting 'holy sh*t' before they've even laid a hand on each other. Immediately the fight spills to the floor with Wheeler busting Mark open in less than a minute! Dax launches a chair into Jay's face then hops into the crowd to brawl with him out there! Split-screen captures the action now as they are brawling all over the arena; Harwood and Jay in the crowd whilst Mark takes to the stage for a SOMERSAULT SENTON! Harwood and Jay are back in the ring; Dax throwing his foe around with suplexes but seemingly losing a tooth in the process as a result of the dog collar chain flying through the air. Mark rescues his brother, who wraps the chain around his fist and REPEATEDLY punches Harwood! Small lacerations inevitably appear on Dax's face...but don't stop him from using the chain to LAUNCH Jay head-first through another chair in the corner! Meanwhile Wheeler grabs his collar chain and uses it to repeatedly flog Mark in the ribs. Outside Harwood jerks Jay face-first into the ringpost...and not for the first time Jay Briscoe is bleeding everywhere. CHAIN-WRAPPED DOOMSDAY DEVICE by FTR...but the bloody Jay breaks the pin! Gory Special with the chain around the throat from Cash to Mark, before he simply tosses the younger Briscoe over the top and HANGS HIM with the dog collar! Jay breaks that as well - this time with a creative Irish whip to Dax, straight into the chain! Day One Neckbreaker! FROGGY BOW WRAPPED IN A CHAIN! Wheeler kicks out! He and Mark brawl on the outside surrounded by chair and an open table...but it's Mark who suplexes his foe into the unforgiving arena floor. CHAIN-WRAPPED DIVING HEADBUTT from Harwood to Jay! That leaves him busted open, and a camera cut-away reveals that Mark has busted Cash open on the floor too. Dax has the chain around his fist and repeatedly punches at Jay...until Briscoe DRAGS referee Mike Posey in the way! Posey is busted open too! BACK SUPLEX ON THE APRON from Cash to Mark! Mark tries to climb the ropes...BUT WHEELER USES THE CHAIN TO DRAG HIM OFF THE TOP INTO A STACK OF CHAIRS ON THE FLOOR! Harwood goes for a Piledriver...COUNTERED TO A JAY DRILLER ON THE CHAIN! DAX KICKS OUT! Jay stares in momentary disbelief before stalking Harwood and repeatedly blasting him with a chair. Low blow by Harwood! PILEDRIVER ON A CHAIR! JAY KICKS OUT! Wheeler saw the whole thing, and feeds his partner multiple chairs along with an instruction to 'f*cking murder' Jay! Dax takes him to the top, looking to repeat the super Piledriver finish from Death Before Dishonor (this time into a heap of chairs). But Jay slithers away and uses the chain to nut-shot Dax! SUPERPLEX INTO THE F*CKING PILE OF CHAIRS! Mark uses his dog collar to restrain Cash from intervening...and yet still Harwood kicks out! CROSSFACE WITH THE CHAIN ACROSS THE MOUTH! MARK CHOKES CASH! THE REFEREE STOPS IT! BRISCOES WIN! They are 13-time champions at 22:20!

Rating - ****1/2 - Undoubtedly the greatest trilogy of Tag Title Matches in ROH history. I'd be lying if I said this was my favourite (I thought the Death Before Dishonor match was damn near perfect), but I have so much respect for the way they incorporated several of the key themes of this rivalry, and put their bodies on the line in a match which delivered a completely fresh tonal shift on what had come before. We still had tag teams striving for superiority. Dax and Jay were still the agitators and the most blood-thirsty. There were multiple references to their previous encounters. But rather than repeat what worked for them before, they delivered an absolutely scintillating, wild, bloody brawl. This felt distinctly old-school in many ways and certainly won't be to everyone's taste. But it caps an incredibly special trio of bouts that we've been incredibly privileged to witness. And perhaps most rewardingly, after seeing the AEW crowd staunchly behind FTR at Supercard and Death Before Dishonor - the two previous classics have seen the Briscoes earn the respect of a whole new (and far greater) audience. They've given their lives, their bodies and their health to the Ring Of Honor brand...and now (whilst still under the ROH umbrella) Jay and Mark had won over the AEW crowd and were raucously cheered in victory. It was an incredibly special moment to cap a superb bout. A brief word of commendation for the production crew as well, who did a really impressive job (with frequent use of split-screen) to capture as much of the action as possible.

Austin and Colten Gunn run in and attack the bloody FTR from behind, proclaiming that they are going to 'kill' FTR's legacy. The Briscoes chase the Gunns away and help FTR to their feet. All four shake hands and embrace...

Even Joe will find it hard to follow the absolute insanity of FTR/Briscoes III. He now calls himself the 'King Of Television' having won both the ROH TV and AEW TNT Championships. Juice Robinson is his challenger tonight, having reportedly officially signed with AEW. It is his highest profile American contract to date, and in his pre-match interview he bemoans the fact that American audiences might not be familiar with his work in New Japan and just how dangerous he is. He points out he has gone toe-to-toe with some of AEW's biggest names; Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley...so has no fear of facing Joe tonight. This is his first appearance in an ROH ring since G1 Supercard back in 2019.

A new ring canvas has been quickly set up for this match thankfully. The fans encourage Joe to 'kill' Juice, but the opening minute is notable for how Robinson is able to absorb the champ's biggest shots and keep going. He even lands a back suplex and mounts Joe for a flurry of close-range strikes. Senton splash briefly countered to the Choke...but Juice instantly goes to the outside to escape. Former ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen is in the crowd and watches as Joe tries to suplex the challenger on the exposed concrete floor. Choke attempt again...BLOCKED by Juice throwing both of their bodies into the guardrail. Given Joe has some history with concussions, an unprotected back-of-the-head-first projectile bump into the guardrails is brutal! He returns to the ring and flattens Robinson with the ST-Joe, but stumbles around holding his neck and head. ELBOW SUICIDAAAAA! Ole Kick nailed too. By dipping into his signature playbook Joe has asserted control and now has Robinson firmly on the ground where he can make his size advantage count. Juice tries to trade jabs with the champion but is emphatically booted to the mat. He will not quit though and drops Joe on his head and neck again with a spinebuster. HIGH cannonball senton across the same body parts too! He lands a flying crossbody block (significant because it's exactly the kind of spot a dominant Samoa Joe usually walks away from) for 2 and now visibly has the ROH legend reeling. Powerbomb/STF/Crossface sequence from Joe, once again dipping into his back catalogue of signature combos to assert himself. Riccaboni reminds us that Juice has a history of shoulder injuries too. Musclebuster blocked, with Robinson landing the Taste axe kick to snap the head back again. Joe crotches Robinson trying to come off the top again and this time does plant him with the MUSCLEBUSTER! Joe retains at 13:37

Rating - *** - I've not seen too much praise for this match, which is a little strange as I felt like it was one of Joe's best matches since his AEW/ROH return earlier this year. Having to come out after the Tag Title bloodbath clearly didn't help them, but I liked the direction they took this in. Juice came into the match playing himself up as an under-rated, tough competitor who is capable with hanging with the biggest and baddest names in AEW. He absolutely backed that up by repeatedly surviving some of Joe's hardest strikes and going after the head and neck of the champion in an effort to force victory. And with an opponent intent on using his weaknesses against him, the 2022 version of Samoa Joe had his usual match formula challenged. He wasn't just 'playing the hits' here. He broke out signature moves/combos at strategic intervals, almost running on auto-pilot to fight back when Robinson had potentially inflicted critical damage. Being honest I've been really disappointed with how AEW have booked/presented Samoa Joe since his arrival in the company - but I enjoyed this match considerably more than I'd expected to. 

At Death Before Dishonor there were emotional scenes as Claudio Castagnoli returned to ROH and defeated Jonathan Gresham to capture the World Title; something which eluded him during his previous run in the company. But over in AEW he and his Blackpool Combat Club allies were still very much embroiled in a bitter rivalry with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jericho would defeat Claudio for the belt at Dynamite Grand Slam to become an 8-time World Champion across multiple promotions. He dubbed himself 'The Ocho' and set about 'desecrating the legacy' of the championship with controversial wins over former ROH championship holders like Bandido, Bryan Danielson, Dalton Castle, Colt Cabana and Tomohiro Ishii. He also emerged victorious from a compelling four-way also featuring Danielson, Claudio and Sammy Guevara at Full Gear 2022, and has developed a penchant for attacking legacy members of ROH staff like Ian Riccaboni, Bobby Cruise and even Cary Silkin. Claudio has one final shot tonight to prove that he can 'win the big one' against a top star like Jericho, to preserve ROH's legacy, and to get his World Title back. But the stakes are high; if he loses he will be forced to join the JAS (and, as revealed earlier, reform his former WWE tag team with Jake Hager).

Claudio wants to follow the Code Of Honor, which comes off as incredibly naive. Jericho simply cheap-shots him then leaves attempt an attack on Ian and Caprice. They scramble to safety and the challenger is able to jump Jericho whilst he gives chase. Codebreaker blocked...Walls Of Jericho blocked too! Judas Effect COUNTERED to the Neutralizer for 2! Lasartesse superplex nailed as Double C continues a dominant start. He press slams Jericho over the ropes, but then tries a wild diving uppercut off the apron only to miss and badly wipe out on the floor. After mugging Claudio against the ringpost the champ returns to the ring and cockily works him over (whilst riling up the ROH fans too). Swiss Death Uppercut in response gets 2! Riccola Bomb blocked though and Y2J delivers a vicious flurry of strikes in the corner. Frankensteiner blocked...avalanche Riccola Bomb COUNTERED TO A SUPER RANA! Codebreaker blocked again, but Jericho is very much in the ascendancy now and clobbers the challenger over the top rope. Jericho's signature springboard dropkick is blocked with another uppercut however to leave both men momentarily incapacitated. Claudio's back is bothering him, which Jericho is clearly aware of and he attacks it again with a SUPERPLEX FROM THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Somehow he isn't dead after that and defiantly starts shaking off Jericho's strikes until both men collide in the middle of the ring and collapse. Giant Swing by Castagnoli...COUNTERED TO THE WALLS OF JERICHO! Despite his back injury Double C powers his way to the ropes, and as Jericho remonstrates with Paul Turner he rises to his feet and levels the champ with an uppercut. Parker and Menard are out, creating a distraction and feeding Jericho his baseball bat. He smacks Castagnoli in the face with the bat and crawls over in a cover...but Claudio kicks out! Paul Turner ejects Daddy Magic and Cool Hand from ringside in the aftermath of that, as The Ocho lands the Codebreaker! Judas Effect blocked...GIANT SWING! And Claudio WON'T LET GO! He just keeps swinging and swinging until Jericho taps! Claudio regains the title at 17:05

Rating - **** - I've really enjoyed Jericho's run as ROH Champion. It has been a little silly and his body of work won't leave him remembered as one of the great 'workrate champions' (even though most of his matches have been thoroughly decent), but I think it added something to the JAS/BCC feud (even as it threatened to go stale) and I actually felt there was more fun to be had with Jericho facing champions from ROH's past. So, after giving you some transparent context that I came into this match already a fan of the angle on AEW TV - I had a blast with this match. Again it wasn't a technical classic, but it was a good, fun wrestling match. It contained some really enjoyable counter-wrestling sequences, Jericho working the midsection to set up for the Walls was a nice touch - and even the Menard/Parker run-in made complete sense given both the story that led us here and the fact that Jericho is a 'sports entertainer' as ROH Champion so would have no issue using such tactics. Honestly my preference would have been Claudio losing here, giving us some fun skits with him in the JAS (including the Hager reunion) and eventually have Bryan Danielson in the spot of dethroning Jericho to become a 2-time ROH Champion. But with Bryan seemingly needed at the top of AEW's card (and given he only has a limited amount of mileage left on his body) I completely understand Castagnoli as ROH Champion and Tony prioritising Bryan's commitments elsewhere. The critical reception I've seen to this match elsewhere appears to have been lukewarm, but I had a great time with this and thought it was an appropriate and enjoyable conclusion to Jericho's brief and fun cameo with the ROH World Title.

Wheeler Yuta and Jerry Lynn come out to celebrate with Claudio as streamers and confetti fly and the commentary team celebrate that the 'dark cloud' over ROH has 'lifted'... 

Tape Rating - *** - As my pre-show thoughts speculated, this probably wasn't the strongest Ring Of Honor pay-per-view of 2022. Enjoyable as it was, more than any other ROH event so far, Final Battle 2022 felt distinctly less like a classic Ring Of Honor show and more like an AEW B-show. The wrestling was generally very good; outside of Zero Hour there was barely a bad match to be found, the main event exceeded my expectations, Yuta & Garcia were as impressive as they always are and I thought the Mercedes/Athena match was really under-rated. However there really was only one thing on the show which felt any different to what you'll usually see on Dynamite or Rampage - and that was Briscoes/FTR III. For a third consecutive PPV they delivered a genuine, top-tier, must-see MOTYC. Once again they were the reason to buy the show if you've not seen it already, and truly the only thing that really made this feel like a 'unique' ROH experience. And therefore we circle back to the same point I've been making at every one of these Khan-owned ROH show reviews. We are STILL waiting for any kind of indication of what the 'new' ROH actually looks like. 

Progress was made in the post-show press conference as Tony revealed that a re-tooled Honor Club was finally ready for launch (if you're interested it's an improvement, but far from perfect) and that a new ROH TV show would debut 'in 2023' on the platform. It is fair to say that the response to the announcement was mixed. Firstly, that ROH's PPV events weren't included and would only be added to the platform after several months (yet at a comparable cost-price to the WWE Network which includes them, and with a far bigger back catalogue). Secondly, that after seemingly shopping ROH around for a TV deal in public for most of the year, Khan has now decided to put 'new ROH content' behind a pay-wall. And thirdly that we still don't know any more about what Ring Of Honor will actually 'be'. Aside from vague hints that there would now be a greater separation between ROH and AEW, we still don't truly know what Ring Of Honor looks like in 2023. Do they tape separately or pre-tape around Dynamite/Rampage (like Dark/Elevation)? Will the roster be shared with AEW or will there be some exclusivity? The reason I'm stating this isn't to criticise Tony Khan or criticise what progress has been made...it is to highlight that these are largely the exact same questions I was asking at Supercard Of Honor. And with each ROH PPV that passes it feels like there is less fan investment in ROH as a standalone entity and the lines increasingly blur with AEW - begging the question why ROH even needs to exist at all. There is only so many times you can throw the Briscoes and FTR out there to kill each other before fans start noticing that it's pretty much just another All Elite Wrestling event with red and black banners on the guardrails instead. From a wrestling perspective Final Battle 2022 was an entirely enjoyable show. But if the plan is to run Ring Of Honor as a separate brand moving forward, this felt like the last time the goodwill towards Khan's liberation of the company from Sinclair and the generally improved in-ring product can mask the stasis and lack of unique identifiers that make this different from AEW. When we reconvene in 2023 we absolutely must have more concrete answers to the questions ROH fans have been asking all year...

3) Chris Jericho vs Claudio Castagnoli (****)

2) Daniel Garcia vs Wheeler Yuta (****)

1) FTR vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe (****1/2)