Wow. Most of the show seemed great, but the ending just seemed way below expectations.
Sweeney back is awesome.
Eddie Kingston is a piece of shit. IDK why, the way he is just looks like a slob.
Steen singles run could be great. It's about time, IMO.
Maybe the Briscoes are getting one last run before they finally leave?
Kings Of Wrestling are back. IDK if that's a good thing or a bad thing, because it could kill Hero's push.
Teddy Hart and Jack Evans are sick, no matter how late they are. The results made it look like the fans really wanted to see them.
Aries/Black probably would've been horrible for the fans to just not care and lose interest about it. I kind of hate the 60 Minute Draw thing. It's FINAL BATTLE, I don't want to see a cliffhanger for another feud that gets Black and Aries nowhere fast. If it was Chicago, that would be fine. But they dropped the ball by putting a 60 Minute bore on the biggest show of the year.
This show was probably great, but I think the whole Main Event ruined it. I want to see this show, the rest of the card looked fantastic. I guess it's a good way to end the year off.
And when the hell are my ROH DVD's coming to my front door? sent that in about 3 weeks ago.
Bobby Cruise welcomes everyone to Final Battle 2009. Dave Prazak is introduced. LARRY SWEENEY’S MUSIC PLAYS!?!?!? Oh my god. Huge pop for his return. Sweeney will be doing commentary tonight.
Opening Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega vs. Colt Cabana vs. Rhett Titus
-Claudio hits Titus with a dead-lift german suplex for the win at 7:00. Fun opener with some impressive spots from all four men. Titus especially picked up his game here.
Promo from Tyler Black backstage. It’s barely audible with the noise from the crowd. Black has lost a little bit of his love for wrestling lately. He puts over Ring of Honor and says that Final Battle will change everything. He will capture the ROH World Title and lead the business into the next decade. Things are going to change…mark his words.
Match #2: Erick Stevens and Bison Smith vs. Delirious and Pelle Primeau
-Bison lays out Dempsey with a powerbomb for the victory at 10:00. The match obviously had to be changed due to Necro’s absence. While it was nothing special, the crowd was into the surprise appearances of Primeau and Dempsey. They did the best with what they had.
Match #3: Fight Without Honor: Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero
-Kingston puts on the loaded elbow pad and hits a roaring elbow for the win at 15:00. Very good brawl without much reliance on weapons. The crowd was in love with Kingston and made some of the nearfalls down the stretch that much better. This was what I expected from these two…stiff, violent, and brutal.
We see highlights of Steenerico and the Young Bucks’ past matches together.
Match #4: Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Matt and Nick Jackson
-The Young Bucks connect with about seven superkicks on Steen for the victory at 18:00. As usual with the Young Bucks, there was some solid action in the beginning portions leading to a red hot finishing stretch. I like how they used Steen’s injury to tease a possible finish. My only gripe is that these two teams have wrestled so much lately, I feel like I had seen some of the exchanges before. Still, this was a great tag team match that had the crowd rocking by the end of it.
Steen gets on the microphone and calls out a fan. He rips the fan apart and Generico tries to make peace. Steen says that he’s always tried to give the fans the best show possible. He is not the same man that he used to be. He thanks any fan who has ever invested any emotion into him. He mentions PWG and thanks ROH. He thanks all of the wrestlers that he’s worked with, especially the Briscoes and Nigel McGuinness. He hugs Generico. Steen then says that “I hate your f**cking guts†and low blows him. Steen lays out Generico with a chair shot. Colt Cabana is out to stop Steen. Steen kisses Cabana and leaves with a big smile on his face.
It’s intermission time. They’re showing a classic ROH match: CM Punk vs. Spanky. Speaking of Brian Kendrick, Bobby Cruise announces his return to ROH at the 8th Anniversary Show.
Peter Rosenberg will be joining commentary for the next match. He’s taking Sweeney’s place.
Match #5: Kenny King vs. Roderick Strong
-King hits the Royal Flush for a two count. Strong avoids shotgun knees and connects with a backbreaker. King rolls up Strong while holding the tights for the win at 11:00. King is now in the Pick 6 at #4. This would have to be considered the first disappointment of the night. The crowd was not into the match at all and the finish was weak. I think everyone wanted more out of this match. There were some nice back and forth exchanges but just nothing too memorable.
Match #6: Alex Koslov vs. Rocky Romero
-Rocky Romero gets the victory at 11:00. The crowd was never going to be fully into the match with the absences of Evans and Hart lingering. They tried their best and the match featured some decent action. It never really kicked into a higher gear though and the finish was plainly botched.
Video Package for the American Wolves vs. Briscoes match.
Match #7: ROH World Tag Team Titles: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards © vs. Jay and Mark Briscoe
-The Briscoes hit the doomsday device on Edwards to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions at 23:00. I’m going to have to give this a re-watch, but upon first viewing I absolutely loved it. They put little twists on the usual tag team formula and kept the match back and forth while still letting you get involved. The finishing stretch was absolutely fantastic as well. Great match and a fitting way to end the reign of the American Wolves.
Claudio Castagnoli comes to the ring after the match. He points at the titles. Hero attacks from behind. HOLY SHIT!!! THEY HIT THE KRS-1 ON JAY!! THE KINGS OF WRESTLING HAVE REUNITED!!!!
The lights go out…JACK EVANS AND TEDDY HART ARE IN THE RING!?!? Evans says it’s good to be home and it looks like we’re going to get…
Match #8: Jack Evans vs. Teddy Hart
Evans lands the 630 for the win at 6:00. You’ll either love or hate this match.
Evans gets on the microphone and puts over Hart. He teases a possible rematch in the future. Hart accepts the offer and tries to makeup with the fans. The crowd seems to buy it.
Match #9: ROH World Title: Austin Aries © vs. Tyler Black
-60 Minute Draw. Chants of "Boring" and "This Is Bullshit." Black used the MMA Elbows and Cattle Mutilation. Disappointing.
