Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/12/14/roh-final-battle-2018-report-jay-lethal-vs-cody-ladder-war/
Welcome to POST Wrestling’s coverage of ROH Final Battle from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
We will have a Final Battle POST Show on the site later tonight with Mike Murray joining me.
You can post feedback to the show on the POST Wrestling Forum.
KENNY KING VS ELI ISOM
King cut a promo on Isom calling him an advertisement for the ROH Dojo and said he was Biggie Small and Isom was a rainbow-haired rapper with skinny jeans.
Isom had trouble lifting King up for a slam. Isom slipped on the top rope and King landed a springboard blockbuster and held up Isom at two.
King caught him on a leapfrog and hit the Royal Flush to win.
WINNER: KENNY KING
King took his hand away after offering to shake his hand.
This had some awkward spots and wasn’t a strong opener.
JEFF COBB VS HANGMAN PAGE FOR THE ROH TELEVISION TITLE
Page attacked with running boots, went for the shooting star shoulder block and was caught with a belly-to-belly on the floor.
Cobb hit Page with a delayed vertical off the turnbuckle.
Cobb was sent to the floor and Page landed a suicide dive. The audience sounded hot throughout the match.
Page followed with a top rope moonsault to the floor.
Cobb yanked him out of the corner into his arms and turned it into a piledriver.
Page came back with a superkick and hit the Buckshot Lariat. He went for the Rite of Passage, which Cobb countered and spun Page off his shoulders.
Tour of the Islands was countered into a crucifix for a tremendous near fall by Page. Page went for another Buckshot Lariat and Cobb hit two versions of the Tour of the Islands to pin him.
WINNER: JEFF COBB AT 13:31 TO RETAIN THE ROH TELEVISION TITLE
This was a great match and the audience loved it. The audience bit on a few near falls from Page.
SUMIE SAKAI VS MADISON RAYNE VS KAREN Q VS KELLY KLEIN FOR THE WOMEN OF HONOR TITLE
Karen Q was the first one eliminated after Kelly Klein hit K Power.
Rayne hit Klein with a tornado DDT off the top and got a two-count.
Sakai hit Smashmouth to Rayne, but Klein knocked Sakai away and stole the cover, eliminating Rayne.
It was down to Sakai and Klein, who met in the final of the tournament to crown the champion in April at Supercard of Honor.
Sakai hit Smashmouth and Klein kicked out, but didn’t get a big reaction. Sakai kicked out a powerbomb.
Klein hit K Power off the second turnbuckle to win the match and the title.
WINNER: KELLY KLEIN AT 13:42 TO WIN THE WOMEN OF HONOR TITLE
Klein and Sakai hugged after the match. The final fall was good, and I liked the outcome.
JONATHAN GRESHAM VS ZACK SABRE JR.
Zack had Gresham tied up by the legs, Gresham gave him the finger and they traded slaps.
This was all positional control, and each trying to grab hold of a limb and work it over. It escalated as Sabre started nailing Gresham with these massive slaps.
Gresham attacked the left arm with a kick and applied the Octopus stretcher, Sabre broke out and went for a kneebar, Gresham escaped and went for an ankle lock.
It ended with Sabre gaining control and used the European clutch after countering a bridge by Gresham.
WINNER: ZACK SABRE JR. AT 11:51
This was a lot of fun, I felt the match was just getting going and wish they had longer. It was very good for the time they and could be a program they revisit.
DALTON CASTLE VS MATT TAVEN
Taven said that his “real” ROH title was on the line.
Castle was sent to the floor and Taven dove over the top and landed ribs first on the guardrail, this looked horrifying.
They continued to fight on the floor after Taven recovered. He tossed Castle back first onto the steps by the entrance. Taven worked on Castle’s back inside the ring.
TK O’Ryan attacked Castle with Paul Turner’s back turned, The Boys got involved and took out Ryan with dives. Vinny Marseglia appeared from under the ring and hit a double inverted DDT to the Boys. Marseglia dragged the Boys under the ring.
Taven used a belt shot, but Castle kicked out.
On the floor, Castle sent Taven into the post with a Bang-a-rang. Castle hit a Doctor Bomb and the pin was broken up with Ryan launching one of the Boys into the ring onto Castle. Ryan was ejected by Paul Turner. Castle hit Bang-a-rang inside the ring, but Taven grabbed the bottom rope.
Castle hit all these knee strikes in the corner, then went for Bang-a-rang and it was blocked, Taven hit a knee strike that he calls “Just the tip” and the Climax for the win.
WINNER: MATT TAVEN AT 15:43
It was a good match and it seems like Taven is being built up for an eventual match with the ROH champion in 2019.
MARTY SCURLL VS CHRISTOPHER DANIELS
Daniels hit an Arabian moonsault to the floor early in the match.
Daniels caught Scurll with a Blue Thunder Bomb after Scurll had worked his neck. Daniels hit a quebrada for a two-count. Scurll dropped him with a rolling elbow and a Scurll Driver for a two-count.
Scurll went for the chicken wing and Daniels rolled on top for a two-count and then hit Scurll with a Burning Hammer for a two-count.
Scurll caught Daniels and hit with a tombstone and covered him like The Undertaker, but Daniels kicked out. Scurll snapped the fingers. This prevented Daniels from hitting Angel’s Wings, so he did the move without clasping the hands. Scurll got his knees up for the BME.
Daniels kicked out of Graduation. Scurll repeatedly stomped the neck and applied the chicken wing, forcing Daniels to tap.
WINNER: MARTY SCURLL AT 17:34
The announcers did a great job calling the match and rooting for Daniels to win the match and extend his career with Ring of Honor.
This was another strong match, but the story added a lot to this one with Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana providing a great call after the match.
The audience chanted for Daniels after the match. As Daniels was thanking the fans, Bully Ray showed up and hit Daniels with a low blow.
Bully Ray summoned Flip Gordon, who came out through the crowd holding an American flag.
BULLY RAY VS FLIP GORDON IN AN I QUIT MATCH
Riccaboni apologized explaining they are biased because Bully Ray is “human filth” and they want Gordon to kick his ass.
Bully attacked Gordon with a chain on the floor and then started yelling at Cary Silkin and called him a bastard, who belongs in the graveyard. Bobby Cruise stood up to him and was shoved down. Then, Todd Sinclair stood up to Bully and was shoved down, too.
Bully went to attack Silkin with a kendo stick and Christopher Daniels appeared ringside and used himself as a shield to protect Silkin.
Gordon returned and was all bloody from the chain shot.
Bully grabbed Gordon’s girlfriend from the front row and went to powerbomb her through the table, Silkin hit Bully with a kendo stick from behind. Bully turned and was hit low by the girlfriend.
Gordon fought back and hit Bully with the U.S. flag from the top and applied a crossface, but Bully was saved by Silas Young.
Young poured lighter fluid onto the table when Cheeseburger ran in to attack Young but was hit with Misery. Colt Cabana left the announcer’s area and ran in with a chair. He was hit with a low blow and sent to the floor.
The lights went out and The Sandman showed up. He chugged a beer and then Gordon hit Bully with the Star-Spangled stunner. Bully finally quit after multiple kendo stick shots.
WINNER: FLIP GORDON AT 14:25
All the run-ins made sense being part of the lead up to this match and it was clear this was designed for Gordon to get the rub with the stars. Gordon drank a beer with The Sandman and Cabana joined the celebration.
Caprice Coleman replaced Cabana with Ian Riccaboni.
JAY LETHAL VS CODY FOR THE ROH TITLE
Cody got on the microphone, he said he thinks he loves the people, but it was a ruse and said if he loved them, he would be working Madison Square Garden in April and they can all kiss his ass. Lethal responded stating this was his company and said the shiny new toy in the company will be “dull and gone”.
Cody teased injuring his bad knee but was playing possum.
Cody got into it with the fans ringside and tossed a drink onto one.
Lethal attacked the injured left knee and wrapped it around the post and hit the knee with a running dropkick from the floor.
Lethal almost nailed Todd Sinclair by mistake, he was distracted, and Brandi speared Lethal with her BIONIC SHOULDER. Riccaboni explained that she has a surgically repaired clavicle and I guess it has superpowers. Cody hit Cross Rhodes and the audience bit on the near fall.
Brandi came in again, missed Lethal and speared Cody. Lethal hit her with the Lethal Injection and then Cody hit a second Cross Rhodes, which Lethal kicked out from again.
Cody applied a figure-four and Hangman Page showed up ringside and rang the bell, but the match continued.
Lethal hit Cross Rhodes and Cody kicked out.
Lethal hit six suicide dives in a row, then Cody spit water into his face and hit Din’s Fire for a two-count.
Lethal gave him the middle finger, a Lethal Injection, two superkicks, and applied the figure-four and Cody did the double tap.
WINNER: JAY LETHAL AT 23:45 TO RETAIN THE ROH TITLE
This was very overbooked and felt like too much for your ROH title match. There was a big story with Lethal ending the feud with the deciding win and the apparent send off for Cody. All said it was still a very good match, I just could have done without a lot of the run-ins from Brandi and the Hangman Page spot was too silly for the title match.
After the match, Marty Scurll came in to confront Jay Lethal followed by Nick Aldis coming out with the NWA title.
FRANKIE KAZARIAN AND SCORPIO SKY VS THE YOUNG BUCKS VS THE BRISCOES IN A LADDER WAR FOR THE ROH TAG TITLES
Colt Cabana returned to commentary.
The Young Bucks were wearing ring gear inspired by The Rockers.
The Briscoes were destroying the other four from the start, this included Kazarian being busted open early.
The Bucks made their comeback and did the too sweet sign. This led to SCU and the Bucks fighting in the ring for a few minutes until The Briscoes returned with chairs.
Nick Jackson hit a double springboard into a twisting splash to the floor, Jay Briscoe back body dropped Matt through a table on the floor. Jay Briscoe was bleeding, too.
SCU hit a slingshot cutter onto Mark Briscoe over the top and to the floor through a table as Kazarian dove off the apron with the cutter.
Matt returned wit a sledgehammer as Jay was on his knees, Matt threw the sledgehammer away and superkicked him.
Mark stopped a Meltzer Driver but hitting a flying cutter to Nick in mid-air, Jay hit Nick with the Jay Driller.
Kazarian caught Jay Briscoe and hit a Styles Clash onto the chair. Kazarian and Mark climbed the ladders, Mark was sent off and landed onto a horizontal ladder. Then, Nick climbed and was sent off the ladder and through a table on the floor.
Jay was left on the ladder with Kazarian with Kazarian falling through a table and Jay grabbed the titles.
WINNERS: THE BRISCOES AT 22:39 TO WIN THE ROH TAG TITLES