At Ring of Honor Final Battle: End of an Era, Jonathan Gresham was scheduled to challenge Bandido for the ROH World Championship. When Bandido tested positive for COVID-19, the company brought back former world champion Jay Lethal, who signed with AEW the previous month,to face Gresham instead.
During the first hour of the pay-per-view, the promotion announced that the original ROH World Championship.
?BREAKING?
Gresham vs Lethal will be for the original @ringofhonor World Championship!?#FinalBattle | #RingOfHonor pic.twitter.com/otAK88OaVZ
— ?????? (@WrestlingCovers) December 12, 2021
After a hard-fought main event bout, Gresham emerged victorious. Here’s how the match played out, courtesy of our play-by-play coverage:
ROH World Championship*: Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham
*The original ROH World Championship is on the line; the current champion, Bandido was unable to compete because he tested positive for COVID-19.
Gresham and Lethal feel each other out with technical holds while fans chant “ROH” and “This is wrestling.” Lethal hits his signature cartwheel dropkick and sends Gresham to the outside with a kick. He dives onto “The Octopus” outside the ring. Lethal continues to control the bout. Gresham rallies with a pin attempt and a kick to Lethal’s arm. He targets Lethal’s arm, and they trade stiff chops. Lethal plants Gresham with a powerslam. “The Octopus” counters the Figure-Four. Lethal catches Gresham and locks in a Torture Rack. “The Franchise” hits Hail To The King.
Gresham hits a springboard moonsault and locks in a chokehold. Lethal plants Gresham with a cutter, and both men are down. The locker room comes to the ring to cheer the wrestlers on. “The Octopus” drills Lethal with a forearm, but Lethal nails him with a superkick. Gresham counters the Lethal Injection and locks in the Octopus Lock. Lethal taps out, so Gresham wins the title.
Winner and new ROH World Champion: Jonathan Gresham
. @JordynneGrace and @rohcary celebrating with the new @ringofhonor @TheJonGresham!!! What a moment. History on many levels. #FinalBattle #ROH pic.twitter.com/1Gd8RXddwK
— Scott Fishman (@smFISHMAN) December 12, 2021
Gresham celebrates with Jordynne Grace and Baron Black, along with the rest of the roster and Cary Silkin.
The show ended with a vignette that hyped up the new era of ROH, which will begin in April 2022. It’s unclear what this future will look like, but WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.
