Ring of Honor has put on their biggest show of the year Final Battle. Despite lower than expected ticket sales, they delivered a fantastic show. There was some fantastic matches like MexiBloods vs. Villian Enterprises & Alex Shelley vs. Colt Cabana, but the three title matches that made up the final section of the show is where the biggest impacts were made.
Dragon/Ryu Lee Becomes Ring of Honor Television Champion
It has been a great month for Dragon Lee (or as known in Japan, Ryu Lee). He signed a one year deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling, is going to be one of Jushin Ligers final opponents at Wrestle Kingdom, and he defeated Shane Taylor to win his first singles championship for Ring of Honor. With Shane Taylor on the way out of the company, this matches outcome was fairly obvious, but they still put on a fantastic performance. With his involvement in NJPW increased, we might see the ROH TV title appear in Japan over the next year or so, as champions will usually bring all their gold to the promotion.
Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham Defeat The Briscoes
Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham recently realized that playing nice isn’t getting them as far as it should in Ring of Honor. They recently turned heel and set their eyes on gold, specifically the ROH Tag Team Championships held by the best team in company history, The Briscoes. They clashed in one of the best matches of the evening, and they were able to secure the victory. The Briscoes will not take this loss lightly, and will look to reclaim their championships over the coming year, and if the upcoming matches are as good as the one at Final Battle, we’re in for a helluva feud.
PCO Becomes World Champion
The French Canadian Frankenstein PCO, has finally won the World Championship accolade that has alluded him over his 32 year career. He defeated the undefeated champion Rush to claim the Ring of Honor Championship in an absolutely wild brawl. The 51 year old won despite being thrown off the stage and having a door smashed over his head, and win a moonsault through a table no less. Rush was a dominant champion, but I don’t know what will have to be done to take out PCO after his performance on this show. He is now the oldest man to hold a widely recognized world championship, edging out fellow Canadian Chris Jericho by a few years, but he doesn’t wrestle like a 51 year old. With PCO at the helm going into 2020, Ring of Honor will be an interesting company to keep your eyes on.
What was your favorite match of Final Battle? Let us know down below and stay tuned for more Ring of Honor news as they try and redeem their awful 2019.