Ring of Honor returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom this Friday night for ROH Final Battle, live on pay-per-view and IPPV at 9:00 p.m. EST.
ROH World Championship
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
The main event will see Ring of Honor Champion Adam Cole put his title on the line against the man that is unarguably his biggest rival, and one of the best wrestlers on the planet today, Kyle O’Reilly. Cole regained the ROH title back in August becoming only the third two-time champion in the promotion’s 14 year history of the belt. He has since defended it around the world against all-star class talents like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Will Ospreay, Michael Elgin, Chris Sabin, and Jay Lethal. While Cole has used his recent title win and alliance with the Bullet Club to launch himself up the stacked New Japan singles roster for the first time, his opponent O’Reilly has been a mainstay in the juniors division for the last two years, winning tag team gold twice while gaining respect and merit across the entire worldwide independent wrestling scene. The two have met in the ring on dozens of occasions; this may be the biggest match yet, as O’Reilly locks his eyes on the one title that has alluded him, that just happens to be in the hands of his greatest rival.
ROH World TV Championship
Marty Scurll (c) vs. Will Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bobby Fish
This has the potential to be one hell of a showcase. If you haven’t followed along with the changing ROH landscape over the last few weeks, Fish’s 194-day title reign was ended by the UK’s aerial assassin Will Ospreay just days after the announcement that ROH had signed both Scurrl and Ospreay, two of England’s best stars. Just two days later it was Scurll who upset Ospreay to take the title at York Hall in London. Enter Dragon Lee, the 21-year-old Mexican sensation who earned a title match against then-champion Bobby Fish. As all three men are now owed (re)matches for the championship, it will be a four corners match at Final Battle.
ROH Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Briscoes
Many thought when the Young Bucks challenged The Briscoes to a match for the IWGP Tag Team titles in September, it was the beginning of a long-needed merger between the weight classes in New Japan. But two months later, The Briscoes have dropped the IWGP belts back to the Bullet Club’s Guerrillas of Destiny, while the Bucks have become the tag team champions of ROH, PWG and the New Japan juniors division simultaneously. They’re probably holding a half dozen indie titles you’ve never heard of as well… To say they’ve been busy is one of the biggest understatements of the year. The Bucks will put the titles on the line against arguably the greatest tag team in ROH history at Final Battle; a team that hasn’t held the belts in almost four years, the EIGHT-TIME champions, Mark and Jay Briscoe.
ROH Six-Man Team Championship
Lio Rush, Jay White & Kushida vs. The Kingdom
Once upon a time, there was a Kingdom. And then Matt Taven got injured, Mike Bennett and Maria signed deals with TNA…and then there wasn’t a Kingdom anymore. Except that two months ago Matt Taven decided he needed a group to compete in a tournament to crown new ROH trios champions (because every other company is doing it, so…) and thus a new Kingdom was born. To me the unlikely trio facing them at Final Battle is an intriguing combination of guys. You have the newest sensation in ROH and 2016 Top Prospects winner Lio Rush, the long-time New Japan juniors veteran and current IWGP champ Kushida, and Jay White, who left New Japan as a Young Lion graduate to hone his craft in ROH, and has so much potential that many of us are keeping a very close eye on his future.
Cody Rhodes vs. Jay Lethal
This is somewhat of a big deal, as the relationship between TNA and Ring of Honor has long-since been dead and buried. For years TNA has seen itself as above virtually any other promotion, and hasn’t allowed any of their stars to appear on PPV or video for a competition company, while ROH as the consistently superior product and a TV deal of their own, really hasn’t had a reason to mend those fences. Enter Cody Rhodes, who left WWE earlier this year and declared that he would work for both companies, despite their usually strict policies not to cross streams – people laughed at the idea months ago, but here we are.
Politically this might be interesting. You would think TNA would go nuts if one of their top stars lost on PPV for a competitor, but I’m not sure ROH has any obligation to care what they want. Years ago when TNA lent Ric Flair to WWE for the Hall of Fame and got Christian in return for one night only, there was mutual gain and a conversation that took place. Here Cody Rhodes is just walking into ROH as a contracted TNA talent for their biggest PPV of the year, just because he wants to, and it would seem like TNA has zero leverage to say no. Imagine that, an actual independent contractor in professional wrestling.
Also on the card…
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Silas Young
Colt Cabana vs. Dalton Castle
Also confirmed to appear…
– Motor City Machine Guns
– Donovan Dijak
