ROH Final Battle 2017 Review
12/15/17
Hammerstein Ballroom
NYC, New York
The following review is from a live perspective, so there will be not be any discussion about commentary, production, or the feed.
Pre-show
CheeseBurger & Mystery Partner vs. The Dawgs (Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara)
Delirious was introduced as Cheeseburger’s partner. I was just sitting down mid-match, but the Dawgs did much of their comedy tagging routine to great success, as they win a short match via pinfall.
Winners:The Dawgs
Jonathan Gresham vs. Josh Woods
Technical battle between the two for the beginning of this match. Woods was able to match Gresham well here and Gresham continued to show that he knows how to work with opponents of any size.
Winner: Jonathan Gresham
Matt Taven vs. Will Ospreay
Ospreay doce outside straight off and took out The Kingdom and then Taven dive out right after him. Ospreay used his quickness to send Taven outside and hitbhis signature backhandspring pose. O’Ryan distracted Ospreay and gave Taven on opening. A springboard Enzo gurú sentbOsoresy outside and as Taven distracted Todd Sinclair, Marsella and O’Ryan did their worst. Taven locked in a mean looking Lion Tamer, but he was too close to the ropes and was forced to relent. His Climax attempt was countered into a roll up, with a super kick shortly thereafter. Ospreay hit a shooting star press to the outside, but Taven scored with a drop kick through the ropes. After a furious exchange at the end, Ospreay went for an Oscutter, only to have Taven block hit and hit Climax for the win. Crowd was really into this first match and the place really filled in right as this started. Taven continued to work well as as a heel and is believable in this role. Good opener, but it could have been a little longer.
Winner: Taven
War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) vs. The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
The teo teams brawled to start se Rowe flew to the outside, allowing Daniels and Kazarian to work over Hanson, even hitting the repeated corner spots, mocking him. Rowe recovered and was able to gain advantage, but with Hanson now out of the ring, the Addiction took control again as the match settled into a normal tag match. Rowe blocked shots with head before tagging out to a fresh Hanson. War Machine scored a two count after a second rope clothesline German suplex combo. Eventually, Hanson kept Kazarian at bay with a tope suicida before sliding back into the ring to hit Daniels with a leg drop side suplex combo to pick up the win via pinfall.
Winners: War Machine
Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll
Crowd seemed to really get up for this match as the Two made their way to the ring and it felt like a big match. Lock ups early saw both men stand equal, both posturing. SlLerhsl took it to Scurll, hitting a cartwheels drop kick and chopping around the ring. Scurll was able to use Sinclair to gain the advantage imon Lethal, stepping on his hands before hitting an apron superkick. A nice shot for shot battle ended with A Lethal Combination. Scurll tried to win with a quick roll up, but Sinclair caught him using his feet on the ropes for leverage. The te brawled in the apron, with Lethal getting the best of Scurll and hitting a cutter to the outside. Back inside Lethal went for a Lethal Injection, but Scull countered with a chicken wing. In the scuffle Sinclair was knocked down and Scurll grabbed a chair, tossing into Lethal’s hands. Lethal dropped and out the chair on himself. Sinclair got up and don’t know what to do, to a huge pop from the crowd. Scurll grabbed one umbrella that Lethal commandeered, only to grab a second and catch Lethal in the head. Despite this, he could get the three count, allowing Lethal to turn the tables and low blow him behind Sinclair’s back before hitting a Lethal Injection for the win. Surprise win here, but the match really seemed to kick the show into a new gear here and the two worked very well together.
Winner: Jay Lethal
ROH World Tag Team Championship
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley) (c) vs. Best Friends (Trent Baretta & Sexy Chuckie T)
Best Friend has control early, hitting the most dangerous face stomp ever and the equally dangerous senton but as they went to hug, Shelley intercede. After some hip gyrations, MCMG hit stereo super kicks and then flying knees. MCMG realized early that there went being supported in NYC and embraced it, going full heel, and even hitting a hug spot. The fFiends worked as a well oiled team here, but Shelley tossed Chuckie, allowing MCMG the to hit a Skulll and cross bones that Trent managed to kicked out of. Taylor went for a pole driver and tossed him to Trent, but Sabin reversed into a pin to retain the titles. Weird match with a team that is a face team being booed mercilessly. Shelley and Sabin really adapted well and weathered the odd crowd reaction.
Winners: Motor City Machine Guns
ROH World Television Championship
Kenny King vs. Silas Young vs. Punishment Martinez vs Shane Taylor
King and Young started the match, with King chasing Young out quickly. Martinez was next in with King, overpowering him at fist. King finally got equal footing, but Taylor tagged himself in and quickly clotheslined Martine to the outside. He went for a drive that Martinez countered with a hard right and things broke down a bit, with all four ending up on the arena floor. Back in the inside the four had a fun shot for shot contest, with Ling coming out standing, hitting a top rope block buster on Martinez. Taylor blocked an Eddie Gordo kick and that left Taylor and Martinez standing toe to toe. Taylor flung Martinez into the corner and went for his Splash from the second, but it wasn’t enough for the three count. King hit an impressive Royal Flush on Taylor and Martinez following with a springboard corkscrew, eliminating Taylor via pinfall. Young and King teamed together to hit a nice powerbomb blockbuster on the outside. The friendship was short lived and Taylor hit King with a beer bottle, eliminating him via pinfall. Martinez quickly seemed poised to win, but BCB got the place behind him by stopping the pinfall. The two got violent outside and Young tossed Martinez inside, hitting Misery for the win! Great Match here, albeit odd to see Martinez and Young as the final two. Good to see Young win the title and it was a special moment.
Winner: Silas Young
New York Street Fight
Bully Ray & Tommy Dreamer vs. The Briscoes
Crazy brawling to start between these four as was to be expected. After a brief Dreamer/Ray die it off Mae: the. Rushes quickly took over and tossed chairs into the ring, slowly picking Ray and Dreamer apart. The ECW alum both reversed corner splashed and then all four men grabbed chairs, with the NYC vets winning the skirmish. The Briscoes went to the outside and grabbed Kendo sticks, which sent Dreamer and Ray looking for lightsabers! Ray grabbed a chair as Dreamer grabbed a kitchen sink, which seemed like much more effective weapons. Tables, ladders and a cheese grater made an appearance. A bloody Bully fought back but Jay cracked him with a chair in what seemed like a brutal shot. Despite that, Ray was able to hit a splash into Jay through a table , the. Setting up another table and setting trying to set it on fire. The Briscoes stopped him and hit a 3D, but the table didn’t break, so Mark hit a Froggy bow for good measure. This was a brawl and had some exciting moments- the crowd seemed deflated by the lack of fire, but chanted Thank you Bully nonetheless.
Winners: The Briscoes
ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Championship
The Hung Bucks (Adam Page,Matt & Nick Jackson) (c) vs. Flip Gordon, Dragon Lee & Titan
Nick started off against Dragon Lee and the really went move for here to start before Titan and Oage were in next. Titan showed off he flipping ability, dodging Martin style and connecting with a head scissors before Matt and Gordon tagged in. I’m at the show- too crazy to type. The Hung Bucks retain after hitting an Indytaker/Rite of Passage on Lee and Gordon to win via pinfall. The Addiction and Scorpio Sky attacked afterwards and held the titles, clearly sending a message. Good match showcasing the kills everyone has here. Wish this would have had more time, as it felt like Titan and Dragon Lee were a bit of an afterthought here, with Gordon getting the most time here. The attack afterwards was unexpected here and definitely sparks interest.
Winners: The Hung Bucks
Ian Riccaboni came to the stage with the Women of Honor roster to announce that there will be a Women fo Honor Championship in 2018.
ROH World Championship Match
Dalton Castle vs. Cody Rhodes
Cody came out with blonde hair and seemed immediately to get more over with the crowd early. Castle overpowered Cody at firs and then blocked Cody’s offense with a peacock pose. Castle chased Cody to the outside, but a grab of the leg by Brandi gave Cody an advantage. The two brawled on the outside, with Vody actually hitting a powerbomb through a table. Brandi and the Boys were sent to the back after too much involvement outside, taking the advantage away from both men. Cody got busted open,contrasting with his new blonde hair. Cody countered a Bang-a-Rang and the Castled countered the Cross Rhodes, with poor Todd Sinclair getting knocked out again. Castle had a submission locked in, but of course there was no referee to count. Cody hit CrossRhodes, but it wasn’t enough. Castle was then able to hit Bang-A-Rang for the win.
Winner: Dalton Castle
Castle wins!! #FinalBattle pic.twitter.com/hUMi3EB9zu
— Cuban Rich (@RichLobezno) December 16, 2017
Final (Battle) Reaction: B/B+
At first, everything seemed to click, but the live aspect defintely added to the enjoyment. Looking back on the show after a few hours of sleep, there was some matches that did not really do it for me. The show really was well structured for the most part and Castle winning seemed to surprise the crowd by they quickly embraced it. There is intrigue moving forward with two new champions and much more. Definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen this. Taven/Ospreay and Lethal/Scurll stand out as the best matches on the night. As a whole package the show was solid and not knowing what comes next feels like a good blank slate.