We’re getting ready for Final Battle! We got a few matches announced, but with the show a week away, a lot of the card is still a mystery. It’s a choice!
Anyway, we open up with Sammy Guevara backstage! He announces that Rush has sustained an injury, and as such, the ROH World Tag Team Titles have been held up again. Therefore, he is taking on The Beast Mortos as his tag team partner, and they are challenging anyone to meet them at Final Battle. Also, even though Sammy doesn’t mention it here, it was mentioned last night on Collision that Rush was originally scheduled to challenge Bandido at Final Battle, but the injury has taken him out and in place of that match, we’re booking a SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST match for the ROH World Title, as Bandido defends against Sammy Guevara, The Beast Mortos, Blake Christian, Hechicero, and Komander. But back to Sammy, he says the titles are going nowhere, as we head to the opening sequence!
After that, Ian and Caprice run down the card for tonight! We’ve got a ton of action, including another quarterfinal match in the Women’s Pure Title tournament, and hopefully we’ll clarify the Final Battle card a bit!
MATCH 1 – Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty & Anthony Ogogo) vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Evil Uno)
Code of Honor is followed as Moriarty and Silver start. Silver gets the better of Moriarty briefly, but Ogogo comes in, gets hit with a drop toe hold, hand stomp, and triple low dropkick, but then Shane Taylor comes in, and it’s time for some proper violence. He takes over on Taylor, and Ogogo comes in proper. STP exchanges some quick tags keeping Reynolds down. Shane Taylor comes in and starts unloading on Reynolds, and Caprice gets a great moment, describing what being hit by Taylor is like: “You don’t feel it. Your body just reacts and when you wake up, THEN you feel it.” Love it. Reynolds is able to escape for a tag to Uno who goes wild, until he meets a Shane Taylor knee. Reynolds and Silver get Taylor down and out of the ring, and Dark Order tries to isolate Moriarty, but Taylor stops their Triple Team, Ogogo takes out Reynolds, and Moriarty makes Uno tap to the Border City Stretch.
Shane Taylor Promotions def. Dark Order (Moriarty sub. Uno) via Border City Stretch in 7:23.
Blake Christian is backstage, and laments that he’s in the ROH World Title Survival of the Fittest match on a technicality–the match is only happening because of an injury to Rush–but that it’s funny how luck works out sometimes. He promises that after making a name for himself in a Survival of the Fittest match at Final Battle last year, this year he’s going to win the whole thing.
MATCH 2 – The Von Erichs vs. Zack Mason and Warren Johnson
For those unaware, Warren Johnson has the longer trunks. Code of Honor ignored by Johnson, Marshall fires off a great looking dropkick, but tags in Ross, and Johnson is able to take over, bringing in Mason. Couple of tags in and out, but Ross is able to dodge a charge and get in Marshall again who take out both opponents in a hurry. They send out Mason, catch Johnson in an Iron Claw, Mason comes off the top to support his partner but gets caught in an Iron Claw of his own! And that is enough to get the win.
The Von Erichs def. Zack Mason & Warren Johnson (Ross def. Johnson) with the Iron Claw in 3:57.
Backstage, Jay Lethal wants to issue an apology to Adam Priest for accidentally hitting the Lethal Injection on Priest in their match with the Death Riders. After a little pushback, Priest accepts, and says they have to move on, find Tommy, and they have a match to get ready for.
MATCH 3 – The Frat House (Griff Garrison, Cole Karter & Jacked Jameson) vs. Jay Lethal, Adam Priest & Tommy Billington
Frat House jumps Lethal and the rookies before the bell. Priest is able to take over, but a quick ankle pick by Preston Vance on the outside lets Garrison take over. Cole Karter comes in and delivers a nice dropkick on Priest. Garrison and Karter tag in and out, isolating Priest. Jameson tags in with his red solo cup, gets up on the second rope to point out that they, in fact, BOOZE, and promptly misses a back senton. But before Priest can tag, Garrison and Karter pull Lethal and Billington down. Priest fights out of the Frat House corner anyway, and gets Billington in. Tommy scores with some Ricky Steamboat arm drags and then some Dynamite Kid (VINTAGE) charging clotheslines and back elbows, before adding a missile dropkick off the top. Vance stops him from delivering another, hits the Lethal Injection on Karter. Priest follows with a splash, and Billington finishes with the Diving Headbutt.
Jay Lethal, Adam Priest and Tommy Billington def. The Frat House (Billington pins Karter) following a Diving Headbutt in 6:37.
Post-match, we announce that Priest and Billington will take on the LFI tandem of Sammy Guevara and The Beast Mortos at Final Battle next week for the ROH World Tag Team Titles!
MATCH 4 – Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki – Women’s Pure Tournament Quarterfinals
As we get underway, Ian announces that NEXT Thursday, we will have the semifinals next week. Nice to see they’re able to get it in under the wire. Some chain wrestling off the jump, but Serena scores with a shoulder tackle, but Yuka adds a couple quick arm drags. Serena appears to be the more powerful, but Yuka appears quicker. Your judges for this match are Chris Hero, Dean Malenko and Jerry Lynn, per Ian. Serena uses her first rope break to escape an ankle lock at the two-minute mark. Serena takes back over with a takedown and a twisting hammerlock, before adding a neckbreaker over the middle rope. Yuka reverses out of a submission into a sort of surfboard lock of her own, forcing Serena to use her second rope break. After the break she quickly rolls back into her own surfboard lock forcing Yuka to use her first. Serena looks to go for a Romero Special, and gouges the eyes, before just stomping the knees. Serena misses a charge into the ropes, and Yuka scores with a pendulum kick and a springboard dropkick. Stalling vertical suplex gets two for Yuka. Yuka goes to an STF, and Serena uses her final rope break at roughly 6:30 into the match. Yuka goes for a scoop slam but Deeb shifts her weight into a sort of guillotine choke and adds a neckbreaker. She whips Yuka into the corner and hits a dragon screw. Serena goes up to the second turnbuckle on the inside, but Yuka fights back on the ropes and hits a superplex. Both women up, and we start getting a slugfest briefly, before Serena hits a rebound German suplex. Yuka ducks a hammerlock lariat and hits a Northern lights bomb, but the Magical Girl Splash eats knees, and Serena gets two. Yuka rolls through a backslide, but Serena tries Deebtox, but Yuka counters out of it into her spinning hammerlock facebuster. Serena gets her foot on the ropes but she’s out of rope breaks and that’s a 3-count.
Yuka Sakazaki def. Serena Deeb via spinning hammerlock facebuster in 10:31.
Now we head to a video package hyping up Athena vs. Persephone at Final Battle.
MATCH 5 – Premier Athletes (Tony Nese, Arya Daivari & Story Denali) vs. Charity King, Gino Medina and Exodus Prime
Mark Sterling decides that he and the Premier Athletes have a new term for ROH fans: NARPs. Non-Athletic Regular People. Hope they didn’t stay up all night thinking up that one. They decide to let all these non-athletic people join in with their cheer. “It’s gonna work this time!” Caprice declares. It does not. Denali and King start. Full on squash time here. No matter the combination, the Premier Athletes dominate. Denali hits a chokeslam on Exodus Prime, Daivari follows with the Magic Carpet Splash, and that’s that.
The Premier Athletes def. Charity King, Gino Medina & Exodus Prime (Daivari pins Prime) with the Magic Carpet Splash in 3:00.
MATCH 6 – BEEF and “Main Man” Oro vs. The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson)
Bobby Cruise finding a little extra bass in his voice for BEEF’s introduction is fantastic and I love it. During The Swirl’s entrance, Ian points out how Blake Christian is upset that he isn’t getting a singles shot for the World Title on Friday. Even though they’ve been running as a tag team, I said on social media this past week that I would have done the same. Johnson and Oro start off, with Christian quickly tagging in. Oro scores with a flipping kick out of a counter, and tags in BEEF, who cleans house on Blake Christian until missing a crossbody and rolling to the outside. Blake taunts in the ring while Johnson sends BEEF into the barricade. Miscommunication by The Swirl lets BEEF tag in Oro, who takes on both including a gorgeous step up backflip kick on Johnson. But Johnson low bridges Oro, and Christian follows with a lowpe dive. BEEF goes to try to help his partner, but The Swirl takes both down and lays them out over the barricade. Christian comes off the adjoining barricade with a splash onto both. Back in the ring the Swirl Stomp (top rope double stomp into a death valley driver) finishes.
The Swirl def. BEEF & “Main Man” Oro (Christian pins Oro) with Swirl Stomp in 6:15.
We cut to a video package with Ricochet winning the AEW National Championship at Full Gear. He will make his first defense next Friday at Final Battle! But before the main event, we run down the Final Battle card as it sits right now!
- Ricochet defends the AEW National Championship
- Winner of Deonna Purrazzo vs. Queen Aminata vs. Winner of Billie Starkz vs. Yuka Sakazaki – Women’s Pure Title Tournament Finals
- Athena(c) vs. Persephone – ROH Women’s World Title
- Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Infantry) vs. Skyflight (Scorpio Sky & Top Flight) – ROH World Six Man Titles
- Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Red Velvet – ROH Women’s World TV Title
- LFI (Sammy Guevara & The Beast Mortos) vs. Tommy Billington & Adam Priest – ROH World Tag Team Titles
- Bandido(c) vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Komander vs. Blake Christian vs. Hechicero vs. The Beast Mortos – ROH World Title, Survival of the Fittest Match
We then cut backstage, where Nigel McGuinness has requested time to address Lee Moriarty? As a former ROH Pure Champion, Nigel knows how hard it is to hold onto that title. He says Lee beat him at Final Battle last year, but earlier this summer, Nigel won in the Technical Spectacle. That makes them one and one. So Nigel wants a rubber match…a thirty-minute Iron Man match! Challenge sent.
NOTE: This was not confirmed during the broadcast, but WAS confirmed on social media in the aftermath of the show. So it’s not on my list above, but it IS official. And the Pure Championship is NOT on the line.
MATCH 7 – Mansoor vs. Komander
Komander accepts the tip touch for the Code of Honor, and we’re underway! After some quick shenanigans, Komander nearly gets the win off a crucifix pin. Komander’s speed keeps him in control, and he sends Mansoor outside and fakes him out with a handspring in lieu of the dive. Back in, Komander calls for a tip touch but Mansoor goes for a kick to the midsection, BUT WAIT, Komander saw it coming and catches it! Mansoor takes back over with a triangle kick but instead of a dive, POSES. Komander takes back over off the distraction, but Taya stops him in his tracks allowing Mansoor to take back over. In a unique attack, Johnny powerbombs Taya onto Komander against the barricade. They kiss as Mansoor sends Komander back outside into a leaping side kick from Mason Madden. Mansoor continues to press the advantage with mounted punches in the corner and a nice spinebuster. Mansoor charges into a couple kicks out of the corner, but catches a flying headscissors. He tries to turn it into a power bomb, but Komander counters that into a hurricanrana. Komander is in and out of the ring taking out each member of MXM one by one. We head back into the ring where the ropewalk shooting star press finishes.
Komander def. Mansoor via ropewalk shooting star press in 9:08.
Post-match, Komander celebrates as Ian wishes us HAPPY WRESTLING, EVERYBODY!
THE NUMBERS
Total Episode Time: 1:14:07
Total Match Time: 46:51 (63.2%)
Average Match Time: 6:42
