Final Battle

Dec 10, 2022 - by Steve Gerweck

Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Coleman are your announce team. Bobby Cruise is the ring announcer.

Zero Hour starts with some clips from previous Final Battles & the announcers explaining how great the event is.

Mascara Dorada vs. Jeff Cobb: Two New Japan Strong regulars going at it here in the curtain-jerker. Uneasy handshake to adhere to the Code of Honor. Headlock by Dorada, a shoulderblock doesn’t get much for Dorada. Dorada & Cobb exchange some rolls. Mexican wristlock takeover sends Cobb outside. Dorada’s crossbody is caught, he gets deposited on the floor. Back in the ring, Cobb chops Dorada down to the mat. Cobb stands on Dorada’s back and hangs ten like he’s back in Hawaii. Dorada with some slaps, but one strike sends him down for two. Cobb loads the elbow before heading into the corner, Dorada moves, ranas Cobb back to the floor. Corkscrew plancha by Dorada takes Cobb down & out. Springboard senton by Dorada gets two. Dorada msises in the corner, then gets suplexed down by Cobb. Standing moonsault by Cobb gets 2.5. Dorada counters the Tour of the Islands for a two count. Kick on the apron, springs into a forearm by Cobb. Dorada gets deadlifted, but slips out of the suplex attempt and hits a bulldog off the second turnbuckle for two. Dorada rolls through a moonsault miss, hits a big strike but gets struck by Cobb. Dorada slips out of the Tour of the Islands one time, but isn’t as lucky the second time. Aloha means Goodbye.

Winner: Jeff Cobb (6:57 via pinfall)

“Cool Hand” Angelo Parker & “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard vs. Cheeseburger & Eli Isom: Cheeseburger wearing a Delirious mask for the occasion. A nice hearty handshake between Parker & Isom, which seems less than sincere from Cool Hand. Menard joins in for some handshaking, and we’re seeing frequent tags early. Big pop for Cheeseburger, who smartly gave up on the World Famous CB gimmick.Some shenanigans between Burger & Parker lead to an inverted atomic drop & a handshake. Burger sent into the corner, and it’s time for some 2.0 doubleteaming. Two knees off a backbreaker get a two count. Menard with ten mounted punches in the corner, and he’s daddy! Snap suplex by Parker gets two. Parker starts up the Garvin stomp and drops an elbow. Chinlock by Daddy Magic. The fans are torn between Daddy & Burger. Drop toe hold leads to an elbowdrop by Parker. A tackle from Cool Hand prevents the tag. Menard & Parker miss, and Isom tags in. Isom spears both men in the corner, back suplexes Parker. Doublestomp by Burger. Parker breaks up the finisher attempt. Menard with a German suplex. Double DDT gets the three count for the JAS boys.

Winners: Angelo Parker & Matt Menard (5:55 via pinfall)

Willow Nightingale vs. Trish Adora: Now I’m gonna have that Willow theme music in my head for the rest of the night. Could be worse. Tieup to start, Willow gets the edge there, Adora works into a headscissors. Some pushups by Adora. Willow reverses the headscissors. Couple of rollup attempts. Both women try a shoulderblock. Willow runs Trish over, then slams her to the mat. Sliding crossbody gets two. Willow with a running charge in the corner, Trish with a chop, then a bridging Northern Lights suplex for two. La Magistral gets 1 for Adora. Running pump kick gets another nearfall for Adora. Willow cartwheels out of a whip attempt, but both women are down after a kick. Willow with a couple of clotheslines and some big chops. Hip attack in the corner, snap mare, shotgun dropkick by Willow for two. Willow goes for the Doctor Bomb, Trish blocks, then lifts Willow up into a backbreaker/submission. Adora gets Willow into a German suplex for two. POOOOUUUUNNNNNCCCCEEEE PERIOD by Willow! Straps are down, and here comes the Doctor Bomb.

Winner: Willow Nightingale (6:16 via pinfall)

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (w/Maria Kanellis) vs. Darius & Dante Martin: The fans seem interested in seeing this one. Taven & Bennett heel it up right away with the double teams.The Kingdom isolates Dante for a second before Darius tags in. Darius all over Taven, Bennett tries to hold Darius but that backfires. Top Flight with some double teaming of their own. Some Poetry in Motion sends Bennett to the floor. Taven eats a double dropkick for two. Some evasiveness until Taven knocks Dante off the apron. Bennett smacks the man down. Darius tags in and comes off the top. Maria up on the apron for the distraction, Taven hits the Purple Thunder bomb. Bennett tags in and is all over Darius in the corner. Bennett with a spinebuster, Taven with a Lionsault. Taven misses Just the Tip, Darius with a jawbreaker. Bennett tags in, catapults Darius into a kick. Stomp off the top gets two. Bennett gets backdropped out of the piledriver attempt, but locks in a Kimura. Darius works out of it, but gets punched down. Bennett talking some smack while they exchange strikes. Darius win with repeated slaps like he’s in that Slap League gimmick. Bennett goes to the eye, but Darius answers with a C4. Taven & Dante tag in. Dante with the quick advantage. Standing moonsault gets two. Taven eats kicks from both Martins. Complete Shot gets two. Assisted tornado DDT gets two when Bennett topples the pile over. Enziguri by Taven, Bennett with the DVD, Taven with Just the Tip gets a two count. Bennett gets backdropped over the top, and it’s time for some dives! Dante slips on his, fortunately doesn’t kill himself. Maria with the distraction, but she touches Mike Posey and gets ejected from ringside. Bennett with a kick, the spike piledriver gets broken up. Darius with Bennett in a powerbomb position…Dante with a moonsault onto Bennett on the way down! That’ll get three.

Winners: Top Flight (11:18 via pinfall)

Blake Christian & A.R. Fox vs. Rush & Dralistico (w/Jose the Assistant & Preston Vance): Dralistico with immediate disrespect for his opposition. He & Christian start the match. Christian & Dralistico trade holds and shoulderblocks. They trade armdrags, headscissors, Christian pops out of the headscissor. Christian wants a handshake, Dralistico offers a forearm instead. Fox & Rush tag in. Chops are exchanged. Forearms are exchanged. Rush finally strikes Fox down, which took a little longer than I had wagered. Fox with an enziguri and a tag to Christian. Christian runs into a forearm and Rush takes him outside. Rush introduces Christian to barricades around the ring. Christian gets chopped down, and Rush gets out the extension cord for some whipping and choking. Meanwhile, Dralistico powerbombs Fox onto the stairs. Back in the ring finally, Dralistico works over Christian. Rush with a kick in the corner, a roll back into the Tranquilo pose. Rush spits in Fox’s face ad LFI keeps double teaming Christian. Then they kick an imaginary football instead of double-teaming their opponent. Christian recovered during this and hits a T-Bone suplex and tags Fox in. Slingblade on Dralistico. Rush back in, he eats a springboard dropkick. Fox with a dive onto Rush, then one on Dralistico! Another one for Rush! Up top, a Swanton gets two. Fox goes for a Spanish Fly, but Rush breaks that up. Christian dives into Rush, but Rush slings him into the barricade. Dralistico with a springboard shooting star onto everybody on the floor. Cover on Fox gets two, Christian comes in late with a 450. Fox hits the springboard Spanish Fly, Christian hits a modified Destroyer, Fox comes off the top rope with a 450 and apparently gets three?

Winners: Blake Christian & A.R. Fox (10:35 via pinfall)

Somebody messed up, and LFI is going to get their heat back with some chair shots to the heads of the opposition. That referee might wanna get out of there if he knows what’s good for him.

ROH Women’s World Championship Match: Mercedes Martinez (c) vs. Athena: This is one of the places on the map where Mercedes won’t be the favorite, as we’re in Athena’s backyard. Even if Athena’s been a bit cranky lately, the hometown fans still like her. Martinez goes on the early advantage and beats Athena down in the corner. Athena fights back. They trading some leather here. Athena goes to the eye and drops Martinez. Running knee in the corner to Martinez’s dome. Backhand. Mercedes avoids the suplex, then hits the spine on the pine for one. Mercedes locks in the Regal Stretch, but Athena fights out. Athena drop toe holds Mercedes into the ropes, hits a Meteora and goes up top. Martinez follows Athena up, goes for the spider German suplex. Athena keeps blocking, but Mercedes won’t give up on it. Athena slides down, hits a powerbomb on Mercedes. Athena with a front suplex, she tunes up the band and hits a superkick for two. Mercedes with a big forearm, then a half & half suplex. T-Bone, then a brainbustaaaaaaaaaaa gets two. Martinez goes for the reverse cloverleaf, Athena slips out and sends Martinez back into the ropes. Athena with the back suplex on the apron, which people tell me is the hardest part of the ring. Athena sends Martinez into the barricade, but misses a kick and flies into said barricade. Martinez hits the anarchist suplex on the floor. The referee has a count, and he has a long one since ROH does 20 counts. Athena tries to get a quick pin, but Mercedes clotheslines her down. Repeated clotheslines from Martinez, then she goes for the Brass City Sleeper. Athena bites her way out of it! Athena flips out of the suplex attempt, hits a modified Codebreaker but Martinez is in the ropes on the count. Athena tears one of the turnbuckle pads off. Mercedes gets two with a powerbomb. Some corner chicanery leads to Mercedes going back first into the exposed turnbuckle. Time for the O-Face! We have a new champion!

Winner: Athena (13:06 via pinfall)

Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee vs. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey: Swerve ignores Keith’s attempt at a fist bump, which doesn’t seem to bode well for their teamwork today. They still do their poses at the same time in the ring, so maybe there’s a chance. Swerve & JD start. I know as much about JD as you do, seems to be an MMA guy with the shorts, gloves and lack of footwear. Swerve takes him into the corner. Griffey with a snap mare, then rolls Swerve onto the mat into a choke. Swerve tries a snap mare, Griffey turns that into another choke attempt. Swerve tags Keith Lee and lets him try to handle the situation. JD seems one step ahead of Lee, but Lee’s power advantage helps him along. The fans want Shane, and now the two former besties are ready to go at it. Or not, as Swerve decides he wants to tag in. Headscissor takeover by Swerve, some shots in the corner. Uppercut to the back of the head. Shane clotheslines Swerve down. Tag to JD, he slams Swerve and tags in Shane. Shane hits the legdrop on the apron, and that’s a big leg to drive down on the man. Cover gets two. Swerve knocks Griffey off the apron and makes the tag to Lee, and now the fans get to see what they want to see. Six years ago, Keith left Shane behind for developmental, and now they’re trading shots. Lee runs into a boot, Shane gets caught on a crossbody attempt! Shane with the straight punch to Keith. Griffey comes in. Swerve blocks the double team and Griffey gets floored by Lee. Tag to Swerve, Griffey evades several kicks from Swerve, then knees Swerve in the jaw. Griffey toes a tope suicida right into Keith’s arms! Griffey says that Mom would kill him, so Keith doesn’t kill Griffey. Swerve gets dropped by Shane for a two count. Swerve fights out of the Welcome to the Land, Griffey tags in and hits some jabs. Swerve with a backbreaker, but Griffey drops Swerve’s face on his knee for two. Griffey goes for the triangle choke. Shane yanks Keith off the apron while Swerve is trying to go over there. Keith smacks Shane down, then hits a moonsault on Griffey in the ring! Keith & Shane get tags and pick their tag team partners up. Time to exchange some punches! Swerve with a boot, Lee with the Mongolian chop. Shane eats some kicks. Keith & Swerve miscommunicate and Swerve gets decked. Shane hits Welcome to the Land on Keith Lee, and it only gets two! Griffey’s running knee gets a two count. Swerve seems to be backing up the ramp, which I can’t really blame him for at this point. Keith’s done it to him! Shane & JD pick the bones of Keith Lee, but an errant kick from Griffey takes Taylor out! Keith Lee takes Griffey out and gets the three count!

Winners: Swerve In Our Glory (13:43 via pinfall)

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Dalton Castle & The Boys (c) vs. Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona (w/Prince Nana): Cage wearing some Mortisesque entrance attire in honor of his mentor, Chris Kanyon. Castle & Kaun start things off. Kaun offers the clean break, but Dalton still takes a powder outside and pumps himself & the crowd up. Back in the ring with a shoudlerblock. Kaun tags Cage in. Dalton tags Brandon, who dives right into Cage’s arms. Quick kicks from both Boys, tough to keep up with. Toa tags in, and he takes both Boys down with one clothesline. Dalton tosses Toa outside, the Boys dive into the arms of their opponents. Kaun drops Dalton with a uranage while the Boys get dropped on the floor. Cage gets his workout in, tosses Brent over his shoulders. Brandon tags in and gets clotheslined inside out. Kitchen sink knee from Cage, senton by Kaun get two. Toa hits a senton on the apron & Brandon. Cage deadlift suplexes Brandon back into the ring. Kaun tries some pretty stuff and gets DDTed for his efforts. Castle tags in and goes ham on all three Embassy members. Kaun gets suplexed down. And again. Cage gets taken over. Toa goes for the Samoan drop, and Dalton German suplexes him over! Dalton tosses the Boys onto people. A running knee to Cage gets two. Kaun breaks up the double team attempt. Toa tags in, catches Brandon. Can he get both boys up? He kinda does, Samoan Drops them both. Covers them both for two. Kaun kicks the boy down, and they go for a triple team, but Brandon flies out of that and tags in Brent. Kaun has an Alabama Slam for him. Castle suplexes him. Toa suplexes him. Toa gets dropkicked out of the ring. Discus lariat from Cage, then the Screwdriver. Castle with a running bulldog, then he gets ahold of Nana. Toa takes out Brent & Dalton, then Brandon’s isolated! The Gates of Agony toss Brandon into a sitout powerbomb from Cage, and we have new champions!

Winners: The Embassy (10:02 via pinfall)

Lexy Nair is backstage with Top Flight. They picked up a big win tonight, but before they can dive too deep into that they’re interrupted by Cool Hand & Daddy Magic, who also won on Zero Hour. This leads to some fisticuffs. These fisticuffs end up in front of the people. Dante hits a big dive off the stage onto the mass of humanity. Menard & Parker end up in the ring. Parker tells the morons to pipe down since he has a question. Well, it’s more of a statement, really. ROH died because it was full of flippy guys like Top Flight. Only Chris Jericho could save it. Matt Menard presents the Jake Hager hat (which makes his nipples hard), and says that Claudio will be part of a tag team with Hager after tonight called the Hat Trick. Yuta’s gonna get choked out by Garcia, which brings Wheeler Yuta out.

ROH Pure Championship Match: Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta: I enjoy the Pure Rules graphic. Lots of text, but it’s more than we usually got. Christopher Daniels, B.J. Whitmer & Jerry Lynn are at ringside to judge. Garcia & Yuta waste no time exchanging forearms. Garcia & Yuta both use their closed fists for warnings. Yuta shoots Garcia into the steps. Garcia back suplexes Yuta on the floor. Referee being very liberal with the count here. Garcia’s removing padding from the steel turnbuckles and introducing Yuta to it. Yuta with a headbutt, Garcia knocks Yuta down to the floor, with Yuta hitting his throat on the way down. Trent Seven is in the front row watching. Yuta uses his first rope break when Garcia gets him in a sleeper in the ropes. Now Garcia gets Yuta in the ropes with a surfboard, and that’s rope break number two. Cravate by Garcia, snap mare & a kick. Yuta is mad and they exchange shots. Garcia hits a shot to the throat, and hits a Super Dragon curb stomp. Yuta fights back, hits a sliding clotheline in the corner but dives into a stomp. Garcia with a Dragon Sleeper, and Yuta has to use his final rope break seven & a half minutes into the match. That doesn’t bode well. Garcia misses in the corner, Yuta with a forearm off the top. Garcia locks in the Scorpion Deathlock, bridges back, but Yuta turns that into a crossface. Yuta with a couple of nearfalls off of cradles. They exchange slaps. Chop in the corner by Yuta, Garcia runs into a boot. Yuta with a vertical suplex. Both men slow to get up after that volley, they exchange headbutts & slaps. Yuta slingshots back into the ring a couple of times when Garcia tries to toss him. Yuta with a German, then an Angle Slam for two. Yuta splashes Garcia’s knees, and Garcia hits a piledriver for two. Back to the Scorpion, Yuta grabs the ropes but that doesn’t matter at this point. Yuta manages to get him in a chinlock and both men fall to the floor. Shots are exchanged on the apron. Garcia goes for a piledriver, Yuta backdrops Garcia out of it. Back in the ring, Garcia with some sign language before Yuta hits him with a modified Tombstone for two. Yuta with the hammer elbows, then a rollup for two. More elbows, and Garcia’s been knocked out! Another new champion has been crowned!

Winner: Wheeler Yuta (14:52 via referee stoppage)

ROH World Tag Team Championship Double Dog Collar Match: Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe: Dax & Jay are connected, as are Cash & Mark. Dax & Jay roll outside while Cash & Mark end up on an apron. Wheeler uses the chain first, whipping Mark in the chest with it. We get a split screen for a few seconds, might need one longer than that. Harwood throws a chair at Jay, and they go into the crowd. Mark’s bleeding from the eye and getting tossed into barricades. Dax with a drink to the face of Jay. Mark & Cash battle up to the stage. Cash with a camel clutch for a second before Mark resorts to the redneck kung fu. Mark dives off the stage onto Cash. Jay uses a chair on Dax and both teams are back at ringside. Jay & Dax into the ring. Dax with a back suplex, then a German. Cash is strangling Mark with the chain around the ringpost, Mark with some thrusts. Mark enters the ring and goes after Dax, who has apparently lost a tooth. Might have lost another one after Jay punches him with the chain. Dax is down in the corner, Cash is stirring on the floor. Jay gets sent into a chair in the corner. Cash yanks Mark down with the chain and FTR combines to whip Mark with the chain. Jay gets introduced to the ringpost and he may have sliced one of his arteries open. FTR hits the Doomsday Device on Mark, but that only gets two. Cash gets Mark up in the Gory Special and chokes him with the chain. AAA Tag Team Champion right there. Cash hangs Mark with assistance from the ring ropes. Jay whips Dax into the chain, breaking that up. Neckbreaker on Cash, Mark comes off the top with the Froggybow for two. Mark & Cash go outside, and Mark starts gathering chairs from under the ring while Jay & Dax exchange shots in the ring. Mark finds a table at ringside, but Cash keeps him from doing more at the moment. Mark suplexes Cash on the floor. Meanwhile, Jay & Dax climb up the turnbuckle. Dax knocks Jay off the top rope, tries to wrap the chain across his head, he eventually gives up and just drops the headbutt. Dax keeps punching away on Jay until Jay manages to pull referee Mike Posey in the way. Whoops! Posey is now busted open. Paul Turner will take over as the main official here. Jay hits a back suplex on Dax. Cash & Mark are on the apron , until Cash drops Mark with a back suplex there. Mark gets placed on the table, Cash heads up to the middle turnbuckle, but Mark joins him there. Mark knocks Cash to the floor with a dropkick through the ropes, then places Cash on the table. Jay lifts Dax up for the Doomsday, the momentary distraction allows Cash to toss Mark off the top rope onto the stack of chairs! Jay with a Jaydriller on the chain! Only two! Jay gets a chair and smacks it off of Dax’s back a couple of times. Cash rolls in and gets a chairshot of his own. Jay goes for the Driller on the chair, Dax blocks, piledrives Jay on the chair and gets a two count! Cash suggests that they murder Jay, with another word I couldn’t make out added, and they add more chaird in the middle of the ring. Dax takes Jay up top, goes for a piledriver but Jay escapes and splits Dax’s legs with the chain. Cash gets knocked off the apron. Jay goes back up…superplex onto the chairs! Mark is keeping Cash from getting back into the ring, and Jay gets a two count on the cover. Jay strangles Dax with the chain in the mouth! Cash can’t get there, and we have new 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champions!

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe (22:20 via referee stoppage)

FTR is left alone in the ring to soak in the cheers, and here come the Ass Boys! Austin & Colton Gunn attack Dax & Cash from behind. They won’t stop until FTR’s legacy is dead. Jay & Mark come back down to chase them off. Dax gets the microphone and says that FTR’s mission from here on out is to beat the Ass Boys’ asses. Arms are raised.

ROH World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Juice Robinson: On one hand, good luck following that last match! On the other hand, if these guys have a stinker it’s ok because nobody will notice, and there’s the built-in excuse. Some limb work to start, then Joe just forearms Juice. Juice is trying, hits a few punches. Joe hits some punches of his own, Juice goes to the eyes and hits a back suplex. Juice goes for a senton, ends up in the Coquina Clutch but is right next to the ropes. Tony Deppen looks on from the front row. Joe lifts up one of the ringside mats and goes for a suplex, but Juice slips out and they exchange chokes. Juice drives Joe into the barricade. Back in the ring, Juice eats an STJoe after some back & forth. Joe with the tope suicida! Now it’s time for some real old school Joe, an Olay kick! Back in the ring, a cover gets two. Joe applies the ol’ head vice, but Juice fights out and runs into an elbow from Joe. Big chop from Joe, a kick sends Juice down on the mat. Juice fighting back during a punch exchange. Inverted atomic frop from Joe and a kick down to the mat. Senton splash on Juice gets two. Spine on the pine by the Juicester. Chops and punches by Juice in the corner. Cannonball by Juice, then a cross-body off the top gets two. Joe hits a powerbomb for two, turns that into the STF. Juice manages to get to the ropes. Joe goes for the musclebuster, Juice turns that into a sunset flip for two. Juice with a sidekick. Juice goes up top, takes too much time and gets crotched. Joe gets the Musclebuster! We have a champion that’s retained their title!

Winner: Samoa Joe (13:37 via pinfall)

ROH World Championship Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli: If Claudio loses, he will be forced to join the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jericho will have none of this Code of Honor stuff, then he chases the announcers away from their desk. Claudio breaks that up, and introduces Jericho to the ringside table, barricade & steps before rolling him back into the ring. Crossbody by Claudio followed by some repeated elbows. Uppercuts in various corners, Jericho raises a boot, Claudio fights out of the Walls. Avoids the Judas Effect too, then hits the Neutralizer for two. Claudio hits a gutwrench suplex off the second turnbuckle. Gorilla press, Jericho gets deposited on the top rope, then booted to the floor. Claudio misses the cannonball off the apron, then Jericho sends him back first into the ringpost. Snap mare and a kick. Back suplex by Jericho. COME ON BABY! Claudio with some uppercuts, Jericho with chops. Big ol’ uppercut gets two for Claudio. He goes back to the hammer elbows for a second. Claudio’s back prevents the Riccola Bomb. Clotheslines in the corner by Jericho. Up top, Jericho with more punches. Goes for the rana, Claudio blocks and hits some punches of his own. Jericho ends up hitting that rana anyway and gets two. Jericho’s attempt at an uppercut wakes Claudio up. Claudio blocks a Codebreaker attempt, but Jericho punches out of a Sharpshooter attempt & clotheslines Claudio to the floor. Jericho springboards into an uppercut. After some fighting on the apron, Jericho vertical suplexes Claudio off onto the floor. Both men make it back in on the nine count. Claudio hits a big boot then an uppercut. Jericho with a big boot, then both men clothesline each other down. Fans love counting OCHO at 8. Jericho & Claudio exchange shots. Jericho goes to the eyes, which might be the move of the night. Claudio goes for the Swing, but Jericho flips out and gets Claudio into the Walls of Jericho. Claudio eventually finds the ropes. Jericho spends too much time arguing with Paul Turner and gets uppercutted down. Cool Hand & Daddy Magic come down! They hand Jericho the bat while the referee is distracted, and Claudio gets clobbered! It only gets two, however. Angelo Parker keeps talking to the referee, which gets him & Matt Menard ejected. Claudio with an insdie cradle for two, but Jericho responds with a Codebreaker. He sets up for the Judas Effect. Claudio evades, takes Jericho down and hits the Swing! It’s a long one…hold on, the referee’s saying Jericho tapped? He tapped the mat while in the Swing, and that’s a submission!

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli (17:05 via submission)

Wheeler Yuta comes in to celebrate, as does Jerry Lynn! Streamers fly, there’s confetti, and everybody lives happily ever after.

source: 411mania.com/wrestling

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