Who heads for the Tokyo Dome?

Even with ROH Final Battle on the horizon, Athena, Billie Starkz, Red Velvet & Leyla Hirsch battle to be part of NJPW’s International Women’s Cup! Who will represent ROH at WrestleDynasty?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• WrestleDynasty International Women’s Cup ROH Qualifier Fatal 4 Way: Athena VS Billie Starkz VS Red Velvet VS Leyla Hirsch; Athena wins and advances to WrestleDynasty.
• The Outrunners VS The Premier Athletes w/ Mark Sterling; The Outrunners win.
• Madison Rayne VS Allysin Kay; Rayne wins.
• Toa Liona VS Lee Johnson w/ EJ Nduka; Liona wins.
• NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: Grizzled Young Veterans VS MXM Collection; GYV wins and retains the titles.
• ROH Rewind – Final Battle 2021, Fight Without Honor: Shane Taylor VS Kenny King; Shane wins.
• Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara VS Eric Dillinger & Josh Crane; Dustin & Sammy win.
• ROH Pure Championship: Lee Moriarty VS Matt Taven; Lee wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Billie Starkz gets ready backstage.

She calls to the cameraman to come closer. She has a Fatal 4 Way match tonight for WrestleDynasty! She can set herself up for any title match she wants, meaning it’s another chance to prove herself. As cheesy as that sounds- Athena interrupts by saying, “Hellooooo~ Minions~! This is your Fallen Goddess, your Minion Overlord, the inspiration to every division, the American Joshi, but most importantly, the Forever ROH Women’s Champion, to call a MEM: A Minion Empowerment Meeting.”

Athena turns her attention to Billie and says that she knows for some reason, Billie’s had her issues with Athena. Athena doesn’t get it, she’s done nothing wrong, no idea why Billie’s being this rebellious teenager, but tonight, Billie owes Athena the biggest of apologies. So when all the dust settles from “Lil’ Red” and “Ley-Ley” out there, Billie needs to lay down, stare up at the lights, and let Athena get the 1-2-3 so she can start the Athena World Tour! But Billie wants to go to the Tokyo Dome, too… Athena says no one cares what Billie wants! Billie owes Athena for everything Athena has done for her.

Does Billie not get it? When Billie signed that MIT application, it is a legally binding contract that Billie is Athena’s Minion For Life until Athena terminates the deal. So get it together, and see you out there. And after, maybe Athena lets Billie ride on the plane for the world tour. WrestleDynasty, here she comes! Athena happily marches her way out, Billie sighs, and Billie also seethes. Will Billie finally stand up to the bully and be her own person?

WrestleDynasty International Women’s Cup ROH Qualifier Fatal 4 Way: Athena VS Billie Starkz VS Red Velvet VS Leyla Hirsch!

The Fallen Goddess may be the Forever ROH Women’s World Champion, but everyone in this match has equal odds of winning! Will Athena still be as dominant against three opponents? Will Minion 400,237 & 3/4ths finally stand on her own? Will the ROH Women’s World Television Champion be serving L’s left and right? Or will WrestleDynasty be LEGIT with Leyla Hirsch?

Leyla and Velvet, though opponents at Final Battle next week, keep the Code of Honor here. But they don’t want anything to do with Athena or Billie, and the feeling is mutual. The bell rings and the fans rally for Billie. Athena says Billie sucks, Leyla sucks, and Red sucks! But then they all storm up on Athena! Athena says get back, she’s the baddest! Athena bails out, does jumping jacks, but Billie mockingly asks what happened to “baddest hits first?” What about the Tokyo Dome? Leyla and Velvet tie up, Leyla headlocks, but Velvet powers out. Billie bypasses Leyla and Leyla runs Velvet over! Leyla runs, Velvet drops, so Leyla RAMS Billie!

Billie stays up, Velvet takes a swing but Leyla ducks. Leyla back suplexes, Velvet lands out, but Billie is there to get her! BACKBREAKER! Billie shoves Velvet away to then dodge Leyla, and wrenches to a KNEE SMASH and HEEL KICK! Leyla tumbles away, Velvet crawls, and Billie builds speed. Billie DIVES and takes out Leyla! Not the cleanest hit but Billie still roars! The fans fire up and Billie stands Leyla up. They brawl, but Velvet is up top! SUPER CROSSBODY and down they go! The fans fire up as Velvet stirs it up, but Athena attacks Velvet from behind! Athena sends Velvet into railing! Athena drags Leyla up and throws her intro railing!

Athena cheers herself while the fans are conflicted. Athena puts Velvet in the ring, runs up, but Velvet dodges to fire body shots! The ref counts, Velvet lets off with a roll of the eyes, but Athena BOOTS her down! Athena whips Velvet to a corner, then runs corner to corner, handspring and LARIAT! The fans fire up as Athena runs, springboards, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Velvet is tougher than that and that upsets Athena. Athena storms over to a corner, climbs up, but Velvet stands to ROUNDHOUSE! Velvet climbs up after Athena, goes to the very top, and SUPER CASADORA! Athena tumbles but Leyla is back!

Velvet dodges Leyla to mule kick and snapmare. Velvet KICKS Leyla in the back, then drags her over to join Athena. Velvet hooks all those arms for a DOUBLE MOUSE TRAP! TWO!! Athena and Leyla escape, and now Billie is back to whip. Velvet reverses and CALF KICKS Billie down! The fans fire up and Velvet drops a leg on the arm! Velvet ties up Billie in a short arm scissor! But Leyla steps over, DISARMER! But Athena clamps onto Leyla with a DRAGON SLEEPER! It’s a submission chain! Leyla endures, Velvet endures, but Billie reaches up! Billie grabs Athena’s hair and YANKS her down! The fans fire up and Billie rolls Velvet, TWO!

Billie and Velvet stand, and Billie blocks a kick! “EAT YOUR TEETH!” KNEE! Leyla waistlocks Billie to GERMAN SUPLEX! The fans fire up and Leyla storms up on Athena. Athena shoves Leyla away but Leyla comes back. Athena catches the lariat to wrench and BIG back suplex! Athena kips up, the fans fire up, and Athena whips Leyla to ropes. Leyla ducks ‘n’ dodges to sunset flip, TWO and Athena sits on the cover, only for Velvet to BASEMENT DDT! Velvet covers Athena, TWO! Leyla gut wrenches to SLAM Velvet back onto Athena! But that’s another cover! Leyla breaks that cover, then covers both Athena and Velvet! TWO!!

Billie SWANTON BOMBS them all!! Billie covers Leyla, TWO! Billie covers Velvet, TWO! Billie is frustrated already, but then she spots Athena. The fans rally up as Billie walks over to Athena, but Leyla turns Billie around to DECK her! Leyla eggs Athena on but Athena SUPERKICKS her! The fans rally up, Velvet wheelbarrows Athena, but Athena THROWS her down! Athena hauls Leyla up to GOURD BUSTER her onto Velvet! But that’s a cover! Billie and Athena both hurry over, but Athena uses Leyla as a step to then RANA Billie! The fans fire up as Athena shouts, “This is MY show!” Athena then storms up on Leyla, but Leyla jumps on for a SLEEPER!

Athena stays up, Velvet runs to CROSSBODY, but Athena catches her! The fans fire up as Athena powers up to SWINGING FACEBUSTER BACKPACK SENTON COMBO!! Athena covers Leyla, TWO! Cover on Velvet, TWO! Athena grows frustrated but then she climbs a corner. The fans rally, but Velvet trips Athena up! Velvet fires hands, climbs up, and then Leyla joins in! They mug Athena, but Billie gets under them all! TOWER OF DOOM!! The fans fire up for Billie as she’s the only one standing! Billie storms up on Leyla, tucks her in, STAR 10!! Cover, ATHENA BREAKS IT! The Overlord and the Minion stare down!

Athena says this is NOT what they talked about! Billie says this was supposed to be her time! Athena says who cares about Billie’s time! Now just lie down! But Velvet SHOVES Athena into Billie, and they both end up on ropes! Velvet runs to DOUBLE BLINDSIDE KNEE! Billie and Athena tumble out, Velvet drops back, but Leyla leaps off the steps! DOUBLE SHOTGUN! The fans fire up and Leyla rises up. Leyla storms in and meets Velvet. The fans rally for this preview of Final Battle! The forearms fly back and forth, harder and harder! Leyla gets the edge, but Velvet knees low! Velvet whips, Leyla goes up, but Athena is there, too!

Velvet runs up, Leyla jumps aside, Athena and Velvet CLOBBER each other! Athena falls, Leyla hits a JUMPING NECKBREAKER on Velvet! Leyla sits Velvet up for the LEGIT KNEE!! And then a pump handle and RIGHT ANGLE SLAM!! Cover, BILLIE BREAKS IT! Billie TOSSES Leyla, but Leyla drags her out with her! Athena snipes the cover!! ATHENA WINS!!

Winner: Athena, by pinfall (advances to WrestleDynasty)

Billie is stunned and Athena is all smiles, because the world tour is beginning! Will the Fallen Goddess go to the Tokyo Dome to bring the International Women’s Cup back to ROH? But what about her opponent for Final Battle?

As for Velvet and Leyla, they just have to brush this off and now prepare for each other in the Hammerstein Ballroom. Will The Chef stir it up in the Manhattan Center? Or will Leyla make Final Battle LEGIT?

Dustin Rhodes speaks.

“The Righteous like to jump people from behind, and play their so-called mind games. You can jump me from behind. But one thing you don’t understand that after 37 years, no matter how many times I have fallen on my back, I always get back up. There’s no quit in any Rhodes in my family. We are passionate about what we do. So play your little mind games. Yeah, you may have rattled me a little bit and I am kinda pissed off… And Dutch. You specifically have crossed the line, mentioning my father’s name and that bull rope that he gave you. I understand you trained with him, and I understand that he took you under his ring. He saw something in you.

‘But what you don’t understand is the kind of man that Dusty was outside of the ring. He would give his shirt off his back for you, and anybody else that was passionate about our sport, because he loved it. he loved the kids, he loved teaching. And you crossed the line! You don’t understand just how far you’ve gone. Because you’re a sick son of a b*tch for using my dad’s kindness against me. I have been through Hell and walked all through it! Kicked the Devil in his teeth and survived, and survived, and survived. And now it’s on. Final Battle. Historic first-time-ever DOUBLE Bullrope Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships.”

Dustin picks up his own cowbell and bull rope, and he wants Dutch to know that Sammy Guevara has always had Dustin’s back. And The Sons of Texas are about to deliver The Righteous straight to Hell and leave them to rot forever! Dutch, Vincent, at Final Battle, in Hammerstein, in the city that never sleeps, don’t you EVER mention Dustin’s dad again! Because it will be the last words that you speak! “See you soon, boys.”

The Dark Order speaks.

“We are the Gri-gri-gri, Grizzled Young Veterans!” Well, no, it’s Alex Reynolds & John Silver cosplaying as Zack Gibson & James Drake to make fun of them. But this is also GalaxyCon so cosplaying fits in here. Evil Uno walks over to see this and asks what they’re doing. They’re better than this! No we’re not, mate! They gotta teach the boys a lesson! Uno lets the gag go on as Reynolds continues to be Gibson, and he tells the prospects to take notes. First: Zack Gibson is NOT as handsome as Alex Reynolds! Make sure to write that down! Second: GYV are just Wish.com Dark Order, mates!

But then GYV storm in and Gibson asks if they’re having a laugh! Uno tries to keep the peace but Drake shoves Reynolds! Reynolds storms up but Uno stands in his way! Silver asks what the hell, but Uno takes the GYV towels off Reynolds & Silver to give back to Gibson & Drake. Gibson says they’ll let this go, for Uno’s sake. Uno is better than this. Silver again asks what Uno is doing, but will Uno get his team to take things seriously?

NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: Grizzled Young Veterans VS MXM Collection!

ROH has always been about that crossover, so how’s this: Zack Gibson & James Drake went to Lowell, Massachusetts and won these belts at Fighting Spirit Unleashed. But Mansoor & Mason Madden have been strutting their stuff back and forth between ROH and AEW, hoping to get their hands on any fashionable title belt. Will the Iron Chic & Mahogany Hunk start wearing a lot more blue to go with these titles? Or will they simply learn to #GritYourTeeth?

Well here’s a surprise! MXM still has Johnny TV accompanying them, but he’s apparently agreed to a makeover! And doesn’t seem that into it… Is it the strange bobbles on his necklace? Or that strange looking pinky ring? Johnny lets MXM go to the ring without him, he’ll just lend moral support this time.

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who is NJPW Strong!

The teams sort out and Gibson is already not amused. But Mansoor demands that GYV touch their tips! The fans chant, “Touch Their Tips! Touch Their Tips!” Gibson & Drake are beside themselves, but they reach out, only to leave MXM hanging! The fans boo but Mansoor steps up to Liverpool’s Number One. The bell rings, they tie up, and Gibson waistlocks then arm-drags to wristlock. Mansoor fights up, Gibson wrenches, but Mansoor rolls, kips up, and cartwheels! Mansoor handsprings, wrenches, but Gibson throws him down by his hair! Tag to Drake and GYV double suplex, but Mansoor lands on his feet! And swivels his hips! DOUBLE RUDE AWAKENING!

Mansoor winks at the camera and blows a kiss, then he goes for Drake. Mansoor ROCKS Drake, tags Mason, and MXM mugs Drake. Mason fires body shots over and over, then DOUBLE CHOPS Drake down! The fans fire up and says he’ll make Drake touch tips! Mason steps over Drake’s arm, drags him towards the corner, but Drake resists! The fans fire up as Mason gets closer and closer, but Drake pulls hair! Mason frowns and UPPERCUTS Drake! Mason TOSSES Drake to the corner, tags Mansoor, and he sends Mansoor in for a SPLASH! Mansoor moves aside so Mason can ELBOW Drake! Feed to the atomic drop!

Mansoor dropkicks the legs out, and Mason pulls up to HIP ATTACK! Then MXM touch tips! Cover, ONE!! Drake is tough but Mansoor headlocks. Drake powers up and out, Gibson tags in, and then Drake drops so Gibson can trip Mansoor! Gibson drags Mansoor out but Mansoor DECKS Gibson! Mansoor looms over Gibson, but Drake DIVES onto Mansoor! The fans boo but Gibson says they reeled in a big one. Gibson puts Mansoor on the apron and SLAMS his chest! Gibson stomps Mansoor, stays between him and Mason, then ROCKS him! Gibson storms up but Mansoor BOOTS from the corner! Mansoor fires shots on both Drake & Gibson!

Gibson scoops,  Mansoor slips free, but Gibson keeps Mansoor from Mason! Mansoor fires hands, reaches out, but Gibson KNEES low! Gibson sucker punches Mason, but Mansoor inside cradles! TWO!! Gibson headlocks, Mansoor powers out, but Drake tags in! Gibson reverses the whip, Drake dropkicks legs and Gibson basement dropkicks Mansoor! Gibson then steps up and Drake runs in, MAYHEM IN MOTION! Down goes Mason and GYV stalk Mansoor. Gibson hauls Mansoor up, Drake climbs, Gibson hits a SAIDO! Drake is up top for the DIVING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO!! Mansoor survives and the fans fire up!

GYV argue the count but the ref defends it. The fans rally for Mansoor but Drake brings him up. Drake DECKS Mansoor, tags Gibson, and GYV mugs Mansoor. Gibson asks if Mansoor wants to touch now! Gibson pie faces Mansoor and says jokes don’t win titles. Gibson ROCKS Mansoor, but Mansoor asks, “Is that all you got, you bald bastard?!” Gibson fires more shots, but Mansoor hits back! The fans rally as Mansoor CHOPS, but then Gibson throws another forearm! The shots keep going, but then Gibson fireman’s carries! Mansoor slips free, shoves, and atomic drops to a SPINEBUSTER!

The fans fire up while both men are down! Mason rises up! Mansoor and Gibson crawl, hot tag to Drake, hot tip to Mason! Mason runs up, breaks the clothesline, and DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLES GYV! Then ELBOW in a corner for Gibson! NICO NICO KNEE for Drake! LEG LARIAT for Gibson! Ripcord and SWINGING URENAGE for Drake!! The fans are thunderous and Mason tags in Mansoor! Mason clamps onto Drake, Mansoor sets up, CHOKE SLAM SAIDO!! Cover, Gibson breaks it! Mason TOSSES Gibson, but Gibson drags Mason out with him! Mason shoves Gibson away, runs up, but is sent into steel steps!

Mansoor grabs Gibson, Drake grabs Mansoor! Mansoor steps over the cover to cover, TWO!! BOOT and ENZIGIRI! Mansoor hurries to fireman’s carry, but Drake fights free! Drake shoves, Mansoor grabs ropes and BOOTS back! Drake distracts the ref, Gibson uses the scarf/towel to CHOKE Mansoor and then YANK him down! The fans boo but Gibson gets away with it. Tag to Gibson, GRIT YOUR TEETH!! Cover off the high-low, GYV wins!

Winners: Grizzled Young Veterans, by pinfall (still NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions)

Gibson & Drake snatch this one away from MXM, and then they get outta there before Mason can run up on them. GYV mock the tip touch, but will MXM still find a way to be wrestling’s next top tag team?

Paul Wight speaks.

“ROH fans, Paul Wight here with some exciting news! Former ROH World Champion returning to competition, the one, the only, Jay Lethal!” Lethal has his macho handshake ready and says put ‘er there, Paul! They shake hands and Lethal says it is an honor to be returning to ROH. And at Final Battle of all places! That show is set to be incredible. But if they could get that conversation from earlier today… Oh, he wants to have that conversation on air? Lethal says why not, cameras are here. Wight says okay, and Lethal says it is his number one priority to get back to the top of the ROH marquee. He is telling us right now, it is 100% doable.

Wight agrees, and Lethal is also wondering, who is he facing at Final Battle? Hopefully whoever it is, it gets Lethal back in the title picture. Because Wight knows, Lethal loves gold. But in steps QT Marshall & Aaron Solo, and QT wants everyone to hold on. Title picture? Is that what ROH is doing now? Just handing out title matches? QT apologizes to “Mr. Wight” and sits down at the table. QT wants to talk with Wight. There’s no heat from Full Gear. QT gets that Wight was just standing up for The Rizzler. But QT has heat with Lethal! Lethal wants to talk about the top of the marquee, but QT couldn’t have laid it out any easier! QT VS Lethal at Final Battle!

Uh, no, Lethal doesn’t want to do that. Oh, he doesn’t wanna do that? Does Lethal have bigger fish to fry? What has Lethal been doing? All QT remembers about Lethal is going “0 for the century” in the Continental Classic. How about this? Lethal isn’t even in this year’s C2! And Lethal’s shirt (a Macho Man tribute) shows he is just fixated on rekindling an old flame that was never that hot to begin with. Lethal gets heated and QT says hold on, hold on. QT read the room wrong. But QT will never ask for another match against Lethal.  QT is sure Wight has some great ideas for Lethal to rekindle that flame.

So after all that and it doesn’t work out, Lethal can rest assured knowing he’ll always have a spot carrying QT’s bags like he does for Jeff Jarrett. Lethal grabs QT from across the table! Sonjay Dutt, Solo and Wight break it up! This does not happen in his office. Wight tells Lethal has business to handle with QT, so it will be Lethal VS QT at Final Battle. After that, they can talk about Lethal’s bright future in ROH. QT thanks Wight, high-fives with Solo and says, “It worked!” as he and Solo get out of there. QT goaded Lethal and Wight into this fight, but will it be QT who faces his DOOOOM~?

ROH Rewind – Final Battle 2021, Fight Without Honor: Shane Taylor VS Kenny King!

If we’re talking about handling business, this match was about that and about staying afloat during some dire times. Desperation turned friends into enemies, was Big Bad Shaney T able to trump the K I N G KING~?

The bell rings and Shane is already egging on King, daring him to hit first. King shrugs, and SPITS WATER in Shane’s face! The fans fire up, Shane takes a swing, but King dodges to JAB, JAB, and swing. Shane dodges, UPPERCUTS, then runs, but King ROCKS Shane! King takes another swing but Shane dodges! Shane LARIATS King up and out and the fans fire up more! Shane storms out after King, and he whips King hard into barriers! King even clips the chair that sits in the corner! Shane drags King up and he whips King hard into more barriers! The barriers move back and the fans fire up!

Shane storms around while King crawls away. Shane grabs one of those chairs, takes aim, but King ducks! Chair hits post and Shane’s hands jam up! King runs up but Shane BACKDROPS him away! Shane moves things aside so he can bring a table over! Then he brings another table over! Fans rally up as Shane has both tables together, but King eggs Shane on from the ring. King throws his jacket, Shane storms in, and King fires off! Shane shoves King but King kicks and fires forearms! King kicks, Shane blocks, but the DRAGON WHIP comes around! King runs up but Shane puts him on the apron!

Shane ROCKS King, fires more forearms, then looks to those tables. Shane goes to the other side of the corner, and the fans are freaking out already! “PLEASE DON’T DIE! PLEASE DON’T DIE!” King CLUBS away on Shane, but he just adjusts position! SUPER BLOCKBUSTER down through the tables!! The fans lose their minds, and King has a bit of a grin as he sits up from the wreckage. King gets the fans to say his name, “The K I N G KIIING~!” King still has to hobble and crawl his way over to other items, but then he and Shane both get in the ring with kendo sticks! Shane swings, King dodges! Shane dodges, but then King gets him in the gut!

The fans fire up as King SMACKS Shane on the back! King KICKS Shane in the side, SMACKS him on the back, then uses the kendo stick to CHOKE Shane! Shane can only suffer, but King lets Shane off. King says time to put his ass in the trash! King gets a trash can, pushes that into the ring, then storms up on Shane in a corner. King fires hands but Shane returns fire with body shots! King CLAWS Shane’s face! The fans are torn but King has the can! SMACK right to the head! Shane sputters while he sits down in the corner and the ref checks him. King tells the ref to back off, and then he runs up, but Shane catches him! URENAGE onto the trash can!

King writhes after the can dents from his body! The fans cheer on “S T P! S T P!” Shane storms up on King with a kendo stick now! King asks for mercy, but Shane just SMACKS him instead! Shane SMACKS King again, and again, and again! It is all payback for earlier, with interest! The fans fire up as Shane goes out and fetches a new table! Shane brings that over to the ramp side, then fetches King. King fires hands but Shane CLUBS him on the back. Shane brings King over, and DECKS him onto the table! King sputters while Shane goes up to the apron. Fans fire up again as Shane runs up, SPLASH DOWN through the table!!

The fans are thunderous as Shane gets himself free of the wreckage. Shane rises up, goes to the other side of the ring, and he brings out a FOURTH table! It’s covered in streamers but Shane clears those off as best he can before putting the table in the ring. The table is propped up in the corner, and Shane hauls King up for a scoop! Shane runs up, but King slips free! EDDY GORDO KICK! Fireman’s carry! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY into the table!! The fans are thunderous again as King covers, TWO!! Shane survives and King is beside himself! The fans rally for STP again, but King goes out to look at what’s left.

King goes with the ladder! And it’s a tall one! King manages to make a bridge between ring and barrier, and the fans already anticipate something painful. But then King gets a second ladder, puts it in the ring, but Shane grabs the other tall ladder! King hurries to SMACK Shane with a kendo stick first! And then SMACKS him again! King takes ownership of the ladder, and does his best to position that in the corner. The ladder stands tall, but Shane is back with a kendo stick! Shane SMACKS King in the gut! More payback with another SMACK to the back! King pushes wreckage out of the way before he goes out again.

Shane fetches one more ladder and puts it in the ring. Shane stands that fourth ladder up near a corner, opposite of the tall one. Then Shane takes the odd ladder out and makes a bridge between everything. King just lets him do it, then he SMACKS Shane on the back! King CHOKES Shane with the kendo stick, pushes Shane onto that bridge, and then CLUBS him down! King climbs up and the fans are already freaking out! King goes up, and up, and up! SUPER SPLASH on the ladder bridge!! Both men writhe and the fans are thunderous! Cover, TWO!!! Shane survives again and King is facing despair at this point!

King huffs ‘n’ puffs, shoves ladders over, dumps ladders out, and just wants “this bullsh*t outta here!” King folds up the tallest ladder, puts it in a corner, and then runs at Shane. Shane blocks the boot, pushes King back, but King somersaults in return! Shane ROCKS King! Then ROCKS him!! Then KNEES him!! Then he hauls King up, WELCOME TO THE LAND!! Cover, TWO!?!? Shane can’t believe King survived, but the fans are loving this! King goes back to his original ladder bridge, makes sure it’s back in place, and the fans rally up. Shane goes outside but King goes to the apron.

King SPITS at Shane just to egg him on! Shane gets up onto the barrier?! And then Shane joins King on his ladder bridge?! The fans are going nuts already, and Shane asks ring crew and ROH prospects to prop this up for him, he knows he’s a big man. Both men walk out to the center, they’re doing this like Robin Hood and Little John! They brawl while teetering on the edge, and King gets the edge! King says Shane “will always be my b*tch!” But Shane HEADBUTTS King!! Shane tucks King in, MARCUS GARVEY PILEDRIVER through the ladder!!! The fans are losing their minds over the destruction!

Shane stirs, and he drags King up and into the ring! “This is Awesome!” as Shane brings in a chair. Shane shovels King to a cover, TWO!?!?! King defies human limitations, but Shane says this is the end. Shane waits on King to rise up, and King stares him down. Shane is conflicted, but King asks, “What’re you waiting for?! EFFIN’ DO IT!!” Shane HEADSHOTS King with the chair!!! And then he sets the chair up, for a FULL METAL MARCUS GARVEY!!!! Cover, SHANE WINS!!

Winner: Shane Taylor, by pinfall

The fans give a standing ovation while the members of STP 2021 hurry out to celebrate with their fearless leader. But speaking of Big Bad Shaney T…

Shane Taylor speaks.

“‘Someone like you isn’t meant to be champion. Your job is to sing, dance, and entertain. There’s nothing that you can do to change this game. People like you need to know your place.’ I heard it all before. Shane Taylor Promotions, we know our place in the game. It’s just not where you want. We’re coming for everything. And there’s nothing, nothing, you can do about it. Rumble, bad man, rumble.” Will 2025 be the Year of STP?

Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara VS Eric Dillinger & Josh Crane!

We heard from The Natural, but now he and the Spanish God are looking to warm up before their battle with The Righteous. Will everyone learn why you don’t mess with The Sons of Texas?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and Crane takes the first shot! Dillinger follows suit but Dustin hits back and Sammy shoves Dillinger! Dustin TOSSES Crane, Sammy ROCKS Dillinger! Sammy keeps on Dillinger inside while Dustin DECKS Crane! Sammy winds up and he CHOPS Dillinger in the corner! Dillinger goes to another corner, Sammy winds up, and runs up to CHOP! Tag to Dustin and the fans fire up. Dustin CHOPS, CHOPS, and then he tags Sammy. Dustin says one more and the fans cheer. The Sons DOUBLE CHOP! Crane runs up but into a DOUBLE CHOP for himself!

Dustin & Sammy DOUBLE SUPLEX Dillinger, then Dustin runs to SHINING WIZARD! Sammy HIP TOSSES Crane onto Dillinger! Then Sammy sets up, STANDING MOONSAULT on them both! The fans fire up with Sammy and he tags Dustin. Dustin brings Dillinger up, wrenches him, but Dillinger fires hands! Dillinger whips and Crane gets a shot in! Dillinger BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Tag to Crane and fans boo but Crane & Dillinger double whip. They DOUBLE ELBOW, then do some RISKY BUSINESS! Crane covers, ONE!! Dustin is tougher than that, but Crane whips him to the corner. Dustin BLASTS Dillinger!

Dustin BOOTS Crane, the fans rally up, but Crane kicks low. Crane whips but Dustin reverses, and Dustin SNAP POWERSLAMS! The fans rally, Dustin crawls, hot tags to Sammy and Dillinger! Sammy climbs up and leaps, DOUBLE CROSSBODY on Dillinger & Crane! Sammy LARIATS Crane up and out, then he baits Dillinger in. SUPERKICK, to FLYING CUTTER! Dustin hops in to DESTROYER!! Sammy says this is it! Torture rack, but Crane runs up! Sammy SMACKS Crane with Dillinger! GO TO HOSPITAL, into Dustin’s dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cover, Sons of Texas win!

Winners: Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara, by pinfall

Public Enemy take down, and The Luckiest Man Alive isn’t feeling so lucky! But will Dustin & Sammy be naturals in the Bullrope Tornado Tag with- Oh, speaking of, The Righteous are here! And Dutch is storming down to the ring with the Dusty Rhodes cowbell! But Vincent has a mic to tell Dutch to wait. Dutch grins at Dustin, and Vincent says, “Hello, gentlemen. So… You wanna fight tonight?” The fans wanna see it! Vincent chuckles and says, “Since I’m such a nice guy… I’ll let everybody here decide.” The fans like that! Vincent asks Columbus, Ohio if they wanna see it tonight. The fans say yes, they do!

Vincent says, “Well, that’s just too bad. Because you don’t deserve it. And you two don’t decide when it happens. And in time, we will ring your bell with daddy’s bell.” The fans boo and Sammy keeps Dustin calm. Vincent says they’ll see nothing but polka dots after. Dustin’s had it! He goes out to grab a chair but Sammy wants him to stand down. Dutch & Vincent laugh as they leave, but Sammy says this is what they want. They want Dustin tilted with his anger. The Sons of Texas stand down, but soon enough, they will have their Final Battle with The Righteous. Will Dustin & Sammy make sure Dutch & Vincent are never ROH World Tag Team Champions?

ROH Pure Championship: Lee Moriarty VS Matt Taven!

Shane Taylor Promotions is looking to take over, but the ROH Grand Slam Champion is looking to become a FIVE-STAR Champion! Will THE Matt Taven be able to complete ROH bingo? Or is #TAIGASTYLE just too wild?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is truly Pure!

For this title match, we have a ONE HOUR time limit! And should this somehow go to that time limit, our judges for tonight are Christopher Daniels, Jerry Lynn & Nigel McGuinness. The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans fire up for Taven. That might be in part because Lee is from Pittsburgh and this is Ohio, but Taven is a long standing staple of ROH. The two circle, feel things out, then tie up. Lee waistlocks, spins and wrenches Taven to a wristlock, but Taven wrenches back. Lee spins, slips through, wrenches, and then spins and wrangles Taven to the mat! Taven endures the top wristlock while fans applaud the technical exchange.

Lee talks trash that Taven will never beat him, but Taven fights up. Lee wrangles Taven again, eggs him on, so Taven fights up. The fans rally but Lee again wrangles Taven with the wristlock. Taven headscissors! Lee kips free, Taven arm-drags, and now Taven gives back the trash talk and the wristlock. Lee fights up, arm-drags, but Taven drags Lee back down! Taven keeps on the arm, but Lee fights up to reach back for a headlock. They end up in a corner, the ref calls the neutral break, and both men let go. But Taven avoids the cheap shot! Taven whips, Lee reverses, but Taven goes up and over. Taven slides under, then he DROPKICKS!

The fans cheer and we’re just past 2 minutes as Taven says he’s got something for ya. “IIIII’M Matt Taven!” But Lee cradles him! TWO, and Lee ducks the heel kick! Lee kicks out a leg, and then shouts, “IIIII’M Lee Moriarty!” The fans are torn but Taven ELBOWS Lee away. Taven whips, Lee reverses, but Taven reverses back! Taven suplexes, Lee slips free but Taven spins around to suplex after all! Cover, TWO! Taven is a little frustrated but he drags Lee up. Taven headlocks but Lee throws body shots. Fans rally as Lee powers up and out. Taven ends up in a corner, Lee runs up and SOBATS! Taven sputters, was that a liver shot?

The ref checks Taven and we’re only past 3:30. Taven grits his teeth, stands up, and he catches his breath. Lee uses the opening to LARIAT in the corner! Lee RAMS Taven again and again, then pie faces him. Lee claps at Taven at 4 minutes, then KICKS him in the back. Taven is in the corner, and Lee CLAWS Taven’s back! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Lee brings Taven up in a clinch. Lee fires knees, then whips Taven to ropes, kitchen sink knee! Cover, TWO! Taven stays in this but Lee stays on him with a rear bearhug! The fans rally, Taven fights up, and Taven pries at the hold. Lee shifts for a COBRA TWIST!

Taven endures as Lee adds an arm to the hold! Taven fights and falls, ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Lee steps back, and that is Taven’s first of three. Lee nods and likes how this is going. Lee hauls Taven up, snapmares him, then KICKS him in the back! Lee claps, the fans are torn, but Lee soaks up both cheers and jeers. Lee then KICKS Taven in the chest! Taven sputters but he toughs it out. Lee says Taven is not on his level, but then Taven snapmares to a ghost pin! TWO, but Taven floats to go for a crossface! Lee slips out, he goes for the same! BORDER CITY STRETCH! Taven fights around fast but he’s still far from ropes!

Lee stomps away on Taven’s free arm! Taven kicks around and uses his legs for the ROPEBREAK! We’re at 6:30 but Taven’s already used up his second! Lee grins, he has Taven right where he wants him! Taven wrenches and whips for a kitchen sink knee! And then another! But Taven rolls Lee! Lee slips free, HEEL KICK from Taven! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Taven pounds the mat, the fans rally behind him, and both men rise. Lee puts his dukes up, but Taven bobs ‘n’ weaves. Taven ROCKS Lee with a forearm, then hits an atomic drop! Taven runs to LARIAT! The fans rally up, Lee takes as swing, but Taven ducks!

Taven ripcords Lee, and hits the FLATLINER! Taven still wants his crossface but Lee slips free! Lee waistlocks, Taven switches, but Lee switches back! Lee goes for the schoolboy but Taven steps over, rolls away, and then comes back with JUST THE TIP of the knee! Cover, TWO! Lee stays in this as we pass 8 minutes. Taven stays focused and the fans rally up. Taven stands Lee up but Lee wrenches and has the wristlock! Lee wrangles Taven and SNAPS fingers! The fans fire up as Lee acts like a Villain! Then DISCUS LARIAT! But Lee isn’t done, he hauls Taven up to wrench, crisscross, and STRAITJACKET FACEBUSTER!

Lee then clamps on the BORDER CITY STRETCH!! Taven flails, reaches out, ROPEBREAK!! That’s Taven’s last one and we’re only at 9 minutes! Lee lets go and is all the more confident. Lee goes back to Taven but Taven DUMPS him out! Taven aims and TORNILLO PLANCHAS! The fans fire up and Taven brings Lee up. Taven puts Lee in, climbs a corner, and FROG SPLASHES!! But the pain in his ribs and chest keep him from holding the cover! Taven has to crawl back for Lee, covers, TWO! But into Taven’s HEAD ‘N’ ARM CROSSFACE! Lee fights, pulls hair, then has the ROPEBREAK! Taven lets go, Lee uses his first.

The fans fire up but Taven protests about the hair. Taven drags Lee up but Lee ROCKS him! Closed fist!! That’s Lee’s free shot, if he does it again he is disqualified and loses the title! Lee runs up, but into a SUPERKICK! Lee staggers around, flops against ropes, but Taven runs up. Lee BOOTS Taven! Taven comes back, but Lee goes up and over, ROPE OCTOPUS!! The ref asks Taven because there are no ropebreaks anymore! Taven TAPS, Lee wins!

Winner: Lee Moriarty, by submission (still ROH Pure Champion)

At 11 minutes, 18 seconds, Lee Moriarty puts away the ROH Grand Slam Champion! Shane Taylor Promotions appear to celebrate with “The BEST Technical Wrestler on the Planet!” Bring anyone you’ve got, he’ll beat them, too! Who will step up and test themselves against #TAIGASTYLE?

Athena speaks.

The Fallen Goddess is backstage again, thanks “Not Lexy” Ian Riccaboni for the cue, and says speaking of Bestie, Athena hopes Lexy’s all-expenses-paid vacation in the Bahamas, courtesy of your Overlord, and also Tony Khan’s black card. Charge whatever you want, girl! Only the best for Lexy. But now, let’s talk Final Battle. Athena, the Forever ROH Women’s World Champion, the Minion Overlord, the inspiration to every division, the American Josh, and countless other nicknames, has every porcelain hussy scared to face her! So Athena will just have to skip Final Battle and go on her WORLD~ TOUR~!

Athena is ready for WrestleDynasty and its Fatal 4 Way International Women’s Cup “against three other porcelain hussies from around the world.” But we all know the Minion Overlord will win and finally get back to AEW! But then Billie Starkz storms in and asks, “Are you kidding me?! The hell was that?!” Athena asks Billie if she’s insistent on interrupting her? Billie says yes, and Athena asks why. WHY!? Billie wants to know what was that out in the ring? She wants Billie to just lie down?! Athena says they talked about this! Billie owes Athena an apology. Athena has done nothing but help Billie time and time again.

Billie says Athena’s done NOTHING for her! Nothing?! Has Athena not taken Billie under her wing, told her how to win the ROH Women’s TV Championship? And Billie’s the one who goes and messes it up doing it her way to LOSE Athena’s title! Athena is still here trying to make things work with Billie, and Athena just doesn’t understand what to do. Oh, well, since this is all Billie’s fault, and Athena wants to get an apology out of her… How about they fight instead? At Final Battle! Athena laughs that off. An apology at Final Battle? Y’know what? Athena gets it. They’ll put on a great show, Billie will throw it for Athena, it’ll be great.

So yes! Billie! Fake anger! Athena “hates” Billie so much for how she “disgraced” MIT! At Final Battle, December 20th, it will be Athena VS Billie Round 2 as Athena makes history headlining the Hammerstein Ballroom! And Billie will be the one that stares the light when they face off for the ROH Women’s World Championship! And then, once Athena wins and gets another historic victory, she’ll go on her WORLD~ TOUR~! Billie doesn’t understand Athena, but at least she gets her title match! Will Billie finally put Athena in her place? Or is that ego just going to grow and grow on its way to WrestleDynasty?

Tony Schiavone is here!

He’s in the ring and notes that one week ago, ROH World Champion Chris Jericho put out a challenge to any New York wrestler to face him for the title. That challenge was answered, and this is now the official contract signing for Final Battle’s main event, the ROH World Championship! First of all, the champion, The Learning Tree, Chris Jericho! The fans are a bit torn as The Nueve makes his way out here. And instead of wearing his goofy Nueve cowboy hat, he wears a New York Yankees hat as the self-proclaimed “King of New York.” Jericho waves to the fans, but Schiavone welcomes out the challenger, #AlwayZReady, Matt Cardona!

The fans fire up as the King of the Deathmatch makes his way out! Cardona joins Schiavone and Jericho in the ring and the fans chant “Always Ready!” Schiavone says in just over a week, ROH returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom for Final Battle, and he doesn’t have to tell them how big of a moment this is for ROH. Jericho says first of all… He waves to the fans and the fans boo, so then Jericho flips them off! That’s what they get for cheering Cardona when Jericho is here. The fans continue to chant “Always Ready!” to spite Jericho. Jericho says typical Kansas City, always a step behind.

And typical Schiavone in demeaning Jericho’s legacy. He isn’t just ROH World Champion, he’s the Nueve! NINE-TIME World Champion! Nine times! That’s more than the Chiefs and the Royals combined! The fans boo but Jericho says it’s true. Not only that, Jericho is the Learning Tree, teaching lessons to people every day of his life. And on top of that, he is the King of New York! Cardona speaks up but Jericho talks over him to say he wasn’t done, don’t be rude. The fans chant “You’re From Canada! You’re From Canada!” Jericho says he can’t understand their KC accent.

But Jericho tells Cardona just how lucky he is to be granted this chance at the ROH World Championship. Cardona’s accomplished so much in his career, but just being in the ring with Jericho puts Cardona on a different level, “amirite?” So Jericho will congratulate Cardona for having the biggest match of his career at Final Battle in the Hammerstein ballroom. But Jericho also wants to warn Cardona. There is no way Cardona takes the world title from Jericho. There is no way that Cardona can beat Jericho. There is no way Cardona conquers the King of New York! Cardona says in New York City-

Jericho again interrupts by saying, “And on top of that…” The fans keep reminding Jericho he is Canadian, but Jericho changes it to, “You’re From New York!” Cardona tells Chris to just shut up! The fans cheer as Cardona says he is sick of Jericho running his mouth! Cardona knows Schiavone’s sick of it, and he knows the fans are sick of it! The fans cheer that, too! Cardona says everything that comes out of Jericho’s mouth is just 100% BS! He doesn’t fool Cardona! Jericho is a fake, a phony, a fraud! Everything about Jericho is fake! That smile is fake! This “King of New York” stuff is fake, and his love of ROH is fake!

Jericho doesn’t give a damn about ROH! Jericho is LEECHING off ROH! Jericho is using ROH like he’s used everyone and everything else. Cardona assures Schiavone he has this. Cardona tells Jericho that Final Battle isn’t just the biggest opportunity of his career, it is the biggest opportunity of his LIFE! And he will not let this slip through his fingers. Final Battle isn’t about shutting Jericho up, it isn’t about seeing who’s the King of New York, and it isn’t about proving the doubters wrong. It is about proving himself right! Cardona does that by beating Jericho to become the NEW ROH World Champion!

The fans cheer and Cardona writes his name down on the contract! Then he lets Jericho have his turn. Jericho borrows Schiavone’s pen and asks Schiavone to exit the ring. Schiavone hops outside, and Jericho picks up the contract. The fans tell him to sign it, and Jericho… hesitates? Cardona asks what’s going on here, but Jericho still stalls. Jericho pushes himself to do this, and he writes his name down! The contract is signed, the match is official, and Jericho asks for a handshake. Cardona is now the hesitant one, but he still takes it! To then whip Jericho into Bryan Keith! Cardona heard the footsteps and hits the Bad Apple first!

Jericho staggers, into a RADIO SILENCE LEG LARIAT! Keith gets up but Cardona DECKS him! Then Cardona picks Jericho up, SPINEBUSTER through the table! The fans fire up for The Complete Cardona, and he snatches that belt up! He’s #AlwayZReady, but will Cardona stand tall at the end of Final Battle? Or will the Learning Tree have something up his sleeve?

My Thoughts:

A good episode of ROH, but just over two hours is a lot. Especially when you give the ROH Pure Championship match a 60 minute time limit but don’t even go past 15. I know the idea is Taven is newer to Pure Rules, there still could’ve been more. But with Shane’s very good (but apparently out of sync) promo vignette, and that ROH Rewind of that awesome Fight Without Honor, maybe STP does start making moves on all the titles in ROH. We’re getting good stories in all the other divisions, STP could probably be a faction that actually hits all divisions better than Death Riders are doing that in AEW.

Athena’s story as Women’s World Champion is going just as I’ve been saying. She won that great Fatal 4 Way to now head for WrestleDynasty, but they also bring this story with Billie into it where this is Billie’s last straw. I did like the promo after the Fatal 4 where Athena thinks Billie wants to pretend to fight, and I would love that once the bell rings, Billie hits Athena full force and Athena realizes she’s in for a real fight. As I’ve been saying, Billie should win, it’s the only thing that makes sense. And then as Athena implied tonight, she’ll move up to AEW after this. Whether or not it’s with the International Women’s Cup, that really depends on who from CMLL and Stardom shows up, but either way, Athena heads for an AEW title in 2025.

Really good stuff from Outrunners with Premier Athletes, great stuff with Liona and Lee Johnson, and even a good stare down of Liona and EJ Nduka. Madison Rayne VS Allysin Kay was good but I still feel like Madison moves a little slower than she should. Still nice for her to win in front of Columbus, Ohio, her hometown, but that was about it. Funny bit with Dark Order mocking GYV, though ironically, it should’ve been Silver as Gibson and Reynolds as Drake because of bald and hair and such. Great match from GYV VS MXM but of course GYV win with the titles on the line. I am pretty sure Dark Order will get a shot, too, but GYV will still win.

Very good promo from Dustin, and of course he and Sammy get a win, but also good appearance from The Righteous. We’ll get an awesome Double Bull Rope Tag Team match for the ROH titles, and I still see it as Righteous potentially winning the titles but Dustin getting a moral victory by taking Dusty Rhodes’ cowbell back. Or if Infantry is going after the titles on behalf of STP, I could see The Sons of Texas having it all, the titles and the cowbell, so they have a lot of momentum going into 2025 to face Dean & Bravo.

And a good contract signing segment to close the show, which went about how we’d all expect. Jericho was obnoxious, Cardona told him to shut up, Cardona vowed to win, and then Cardona thwarted the sneak attack so he could stand tall. That is because, under go-home math, Cardona is going to lose at Final Battle. He’ll beat Keith tomorrow on Rampage, but he’ll lose to Jericho in New York, perhaps by Jericho cheating.

My Score: 8.7/10

It’s ROH TV Time with The Learning Tree!

For the first time ever, the ROH World Champion, Chris Jericho, is here for some TV Time! And he promises to reveal his Final Battle opponent!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Katsuyori Shibata VS Alex Reynolds w/ The Dark Order; Shibata wins.
• JD Drake & BEEF VS Waves & Curls; JD & Beef win.
• Rachael Ellering VS Trish Adora; Adora wins.
• The Gates of Agony VS Griff Garrison & Preston Vance; The Gates of Agony win.
• Billie Starkz VS Lady Frost; Billie wins.
• ROH Rewind – Final Battle 2008, ROH World Championship: Nigel McGuinness VS Naomichi Marufuji; Nigel wins and retains the title.
• Six Man Tag: Shane Taylor Promotions VS Top Flight w/ Leila Grey; Top Flight wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Grizzled Young Veterans speak.

Zack Gibson says, “We are Grizzled Young Veterans, and we’ve been very vocal recently about the disrespect that is rampant in this job. Here’s another forgotten rule: When food is being served backstage, the veterans and the talent eat before the extras! YOU! YOU, YA FAT PIG! Are ya enjoying those snacks, eh!?” Gibson & Drake storm up on some randos, and Gibson asks if cakes and muffins and biscuits are gonna make them champions around the globe. Is this how they think they’re gonna secure a job? Is this how they think they’re gonna make a mark in this industry? Go on then! Eat the cake! Eat up, mate! Is this what he came to do?!

Drake takes the cake, and he force feeds it to the guy! Gibson says this is them taking food off of GYV’s table! From their plates! They wanna leave GYV hungry when he has to go out there work and perform!? Do not DARE disrespect them like this or it will be HIS head on the chopping block! Think before you act! GYV leave, but do they need to learn about showing respect before getting it?

Katsuyori Shibata VS Alex Reynolds w/ The Dark Order!

The Wrestler wants to get back in the running for ROH titles, but for Number 3, he is avenging Evil Uno! Will Reynolds prove Dark Order is good enough for opportunities? Or will Shibata start on the road to the top of ROH?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the two circle. They feel things out, clinch, and Shibata waistlocks. Shibata floats around but Reynolds keeps moving. Shibata keeps after Reynolds, waistlocks, but Reynolds spins to facelock. Shibata pushes Reynolds down, has the legs, then pushes through to rear mount. Reynolds rolls, Shibata gets him in a headscissors! Reynolds fights around, he’s almost in a Triangle Hold! Reynolds still finds his way to the ROPEBREAK! The fans rally as Shibata lets off cleanly. Reynolds and Shibata reset, feel things out, and knuckle lock. Shibata crosses the arms to then roll and wrangle Reynolds!

Reynolds fights around, fights to his feet, but Shibata uses a double wristlock takeover! ARMBAR! Reynolds clasps hands, shifts around, but Shibata stops the stack! Reynolds scrambles, ROPEBREAK! Shibata lets go and waits on Reynolds. Uno coaches Reynolds to just start beating the crap outta Shibata! Reynolds storms up but Shibata knees low! Shibata whips Reynolds into a corner, then fires forearms! The ref counts, Shibata lets off at 4, to then sit Reynolds down. Shibata goes corner to corner, but Uno anchors him! The fans boo but Uno scurries away. Reynolds BOOTS Shibata down! Reynolds cravats to fire knee after knee!

Reynolds hits a CRAVAT PLEX! Cover, TWO! Reynolds brings Shibata up and he turns Shibata, but Shibata fights to a fireman’s carry! Reynolds fights that off with elbows, then he reels Shibata in, DDT! Shibata flops over, Reynolds covers, TWO! Shibata is still in this but Reynolds is right on him with a neck wrench! Shibata endures and the fans rally up. Reynolds stands over Shibata as he leans on the hold, but Shibata still fights. Reynolds pushes Shibata down to drop a KNEE! Cover, ONE!! Shibata is much tougher than that, but Reynolds eggs him on. Shibata stands, he fights off the cobra clutch! So Reynolds KNEES low!

Reynolds CHOPS, but Shibata just scowls. The fans fire up for Shibata, but Reynolds CHOPS! And CHOPS! Shibata eggs Reynolds on, so the elbow pad comes off! Reynolds CHOPS, Shibata CHOPS, and then Shibata CHOPS again! And again! And again! Shibata MACHINE GUN CHOPS in the corner! The fans fire up and Shibata DOUBLE CHOPS for good measure! Then an UPPERCUT! Reynolds sits down, Shibata runs corner to corner! HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! And then HALF HATCH into the cover! TWO! Reynolds toughs it out and Uno applauds, but Shibata stomps the taped up lower back!

Shibata drags Reynolds up for a SLEEPER, but Reynolds slips out the back! COBRA CLUTCH! Shibata flails and fights while fans rally up! Shibata throws elbows into those bad ribs! Then Shibata fireman’s carries, DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Shibata hauls Reynolds up and reels him in, IRON OCTOPUS!! Reynolds endures, but he TAPS! Shibata wins!

Winner: Katsuyori Shibata, by submission

The Wrestler uses that Strong Style to win another one! Will Shibata be unstoppable, even as the year comes to a close?

Chris Jericho narrates.

“New York City’s historic Hammerstein Ballroom. It’s not just a building, it’s a time capsule filled with incredible ROH moments. Moments that captivated us. Moments that inspired us. And moments that made us believe. But the greatest ROH moment in the Hammerstein Ballroom is yet to come. Thanks, guys~!” Clearly we know who The Nueve is rooting for, and we’ll hear more from him when it’s TV Time with The Learning Tree.

Team Triple J speaks.

Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt & Satnam Singh are all here, and Sonjay says they all know about the holiday season. Jeff says it’s here! Sonjay says it’s all about friends and family. But hey, does Jeff have any ideas for a stocking stuffer? Lethal points to the Black Machismo action figure he has right in front of his face, but Jeff says he certainly has an idea. Have you seen the brand new Ringside Collectibles’ JEFF JARRETT figure? Lethal says what?! Karen says no, not everything has to revolve around Jeff. Lethal agrees, and points out the new Ringside Collectibles’ Black Machismo figure!

Just look at the detail. Get in close, check the resemblance. Freeze frame it! Sonjay even adds the macho glasses! OOOOH YEEAH~! Cream o’ the crop, and it won’t stop! Get yours for the holidays, at RingsideCollectibles.com! OOOOH YEEAH~!

And cut! Finally, a good take! Karen’s already ordered one for all the kids. And now, they can go out to eat! Lethal asks Sonjay if he got all his shopping done. Yep, preordered himself one of those Machismos. But hey, Lethal’s gotta sign one. Oh, of course! A special custom message for Sonjay’s family, too. Wait, QT Marshall walks in and announces himself, “The Doom has arrived, my friends! It is 4 o’clock, I had travel change my flight, so let’s get this over with.” But then QT spots Lethal and says his people were supposed to contact Lethal. Wait, what is this? QT takes the action figure and Lethal says that’s the new Ringside Collectibles figure.

Yeah, nice. QT would’ve given this a DOOM just for being a Lethal figure, but hey, Black Machismo, that’s cool. But hey, QT isn’t sure if Lethal saw or not, but uh, QT kinda sold out The Prudential Center all himself. See what he did with Big Boom AJ? Spoilers: Jazwares called, Doom QT action figure is on the way. Oh, okay, cool… But QT says the real reason he wants to talk with Lethal is that after everything QT’s done in the wrestling world, he is on top of the wrestling world. And it is time Lethal jumps on the QT Train. So how about this: Mr. ROH, The Franchise, greatest first-generation wrestler in ROH history against the man who was God’s Gift to Wrestling, Mr. Doom himself!

Think about all the attention and buzz they’ll get! QT was everywhere! Jimmy Fallon, Sportscenter, everything! That could be Lethal now! Lethal says he did see that, and he would love a way back into ROH. What’s Sonjay think? Sonjay has an answer. Go ahead, let him know. Lethal says he and Sonjay were talking, Lethal’s ROH return has been a long time coming. But uh, Lethal had his eyes on “bigger fish.” No offense, QT, but no thanks. Lethal heads out and QT says, “What do you mean a bigger fish?” Will QT have to give Lethal better bait than Fallon and ESPN?

It’s TV Time with The Learning Tree!

The fans are torn as the ROH World Champion, Chris Jericho, is here in person, and he has Bryan Keith with him. Jericho has a “I <3 NY” shirt to pile on that he’s the King of New York or something. Jericho waves and says, “Hi, guys~! I told you, welcome to a very special edition of TV Time. The first-time-ever on ROH, and the first time ever here in Minneap-” Jericho stops himself and fans boo. Jericho corrects himself, Indianapolis. But as we can see, Big Bill is conspicuous by his absence, for he is on a pilgrimage in the mountains of Nepal, all to study the teachings of The Learning Tree.

But do not fear, Bryan Keith is here! The fans are torn about The Bad Apple, but he shouts, “You damn right I’m here! RESPECT Chris Jericho!” Jericho reminds us that the breaking news is he has information on who he faces at Final Battle, December 20th, in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City! And as the King of New York, as The Nueve, as the greatest ROH World Champion, Jericho loves giving the people something special. For example, here in Indy, you get to see Jericho and that’s pretty special. But as a great ROH champion like himself or Jay Briscoe, the champ always wants to keep himself on his toes.

And so, at Final Battle, Jericho has something special. Jericho will face someone from New York! Someone who has the warrior mentality and the attitude of a fighter that people from the Windy City have! Another wrong nickname… Jericho says he doesn’t know who it’ll be. Who will step up to face the King of New York? Rudy Giuliani? Tony Soprano? Johnny Rodz? Frank Sinatra? Keith says Jericho would kick Sinatra’s skinny ass! Well, Sinatra’s deceased, so… But Jericho still says he’s gonna to this “my way.” BUT WAIT! Who is this coming out here? It’s MATT CARDONA!! The Complete, the King of Deathmatches, is headed to the ring!

Cardona smirks while fans are losing their minds! Cardona steps into the ring and Jericho is stunned! Jericho shoves a cardboard tree over, but that just makes Cardona grin. The fans chant, “FIX THE TREE! FIX THE TREE!” Jericho stares down with Cardona and the fans chant, “Always Ready!” Cardona nods, but Jericho tells Cardona, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Zack-” Cardona snatches the mic! Cardona corrects Jericho: Zack is dead! And you know my name. But if you wanna pretend you don’t, that’s fine, but Jericho better learn it fast.

Because the name of the man who faces Jericho at Final Battle in the Hammerstein Ballroom, the man who beats Jericho to become ROH World Champion, is ROH World Champion! The fans cheer for that! And by the way, Jericho, nice hat. Cardona FLIPS the Nueve hat away and Keith is furious on Jericho’s behalf! But who will be the true King of New York when these two have their Final Battle?

The Dark Order speaks.

Alex Reynolds says, “Tonight, Shibata proved that he’s as much of a legend and badass as everyone says he is.” Evil Uno says maybe Reynolds would’ve won if they were just on the same page. Reynolds says either way, there’s no shame in losing to one of the best ever in The Wrestler, Katsuyori Shibata. But then John Silver steps in and the others asks where he went. Well see, Silver saw GYV being a couple of tools to some extras, so uh, he stole their gear! Reynolds laughs and uses a bad British accent, “You naug’y, naug’y boy~!” Uno shakes his head, not as into the sophomoric prank. Can Uno get Reynolds & Silver to grow up and take this seriously?

Backstage interview with Rachael Ellering.

Lexy Nair is with the Queen of Strong Smile, and brings up her hard fought yet tough loss to Trish Adora. What is next for Rachael? Well apparently it’s Harley Cameron interrupting again. Harley tells “Rah” that she knows what Rachael is thinking. Harley’s just coming in here to tell “Rah” that she lost, what a loser she is today and every day, BUT! Harley isn’t here for that at all. Rachael did a great job tonight. Harley was rooting for Rachael. To prove it, Harley got her something. Reveal, a golden thumbs up! Oh, sorry, that’s for Orange Cassidy. THIS is what is for Rachael! A banana trophy? No, sorry, that’s for… her unmentionables.

Here it is now! A golden dog trophy for the “Top Dog!” Because Harley remembered, Rachael’s got that “dog in her!” Harley just wanted Rachael to understand this is a genuine token of appreciation and friendship. Wow, that’s really thoughtful. Harley has a hard time letting go of it, though. She claims it is some glue on her hand. Harley will go home, dissolve the glue, then return to give this to Rachael properly. Okay, well, Rachael says Harley is really growing on her. Like a little wart. Harley says she and Rachael do a hug! Bring it in! Lexy, too! They all hug and Harley says it feels so good! Oh hey look, doggo’s getting in on it.

The hug ends and Harley says this has been great. Harley heads out, Rachael and Lexy say wow. That is a lot. But y’know what? Harley might not be a bad kid after all. Will the Outcast soon have someone she can truly rely on?

Billie Starkz VS Lady Frost!

The International Women’s Cup is on the horizon, as is the ROH qualifier for that match. Minion 400,237 & 3/4ths wants to prove anything Athena can do, she can do better, so will that included beating Lady Frost? Or will the Coolest Wrestler You Know actually get hot this close to Final Battle?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the two stare down. Billie calls for a knuckle lock but then uses that to poke fun at Frost being shorter than her. Frost slips around to waistlock, but Billie switches. Frost pries free to wrench and wristlock, then knuckle lock! Billie fights up, and she steps forward, only for Frost to trip her up! But Billie lifts Frost, pops her around, and body scissors! Billie slaps Frost around, rolls her to a GEDO CLUTCH, TWO! Frost and Billie roll and roll, and Billie has a REAR NAKED CHOKE! Frost fights free, rolls Billie to a cover, TWO! The two reset and the fans rally up.

Billie and Frost tie up, Frost waistlocks again, but Billie bucks the O’Conner! Frost runs up, Billie sidesteps then drops down, but Frost ducks the kick! Frost leaps over the monkey flip, then rolls under to handspring back! RANA! The fans fire up and Frost runs in at the corner. Billie puts her on the apron, but Frost is right up! HANDSPRING RANA into buckles! Not the cleanest but Frost waits on Billie. Billie rises, eggs Frost on, so Frost runs up. Frost LARIATS, then CHOPS! The fans “WOO~” and Billie sputters. Frost storms back up, but Billie drop toeholds Frost into ropes! Then HEEL KICK! The fans fire up as Billie now stands tall.

Billie seethes, snarls, and she bumps Frost off buckles. Billie BACK ELBOWS, KNEE LIFTS and LARIATS! Billie snapmares Frost, pushes her down, TWO! Frost stays in this but Billie’s mind is working on what else to do. Frost rises and the fans rally again. Billie brings Frost up to fire forearms! Billie whips, but Frost tilt-o-whirls to sunset flip, TWO! Billie is up but Frost BUZZSAWS then HEEL KCIKS! But Billie is right up to ROUNDHOUSE! Both women are down and the fans rally up! Both women rise slowly, and then Frost spins, but Billie ducks that kick! Roll up, high stack, BILLIE WINS!

Winner: Billie Starkz, by pinfall

Billie bails out fast, she toughs it out to take this win! Will she do it all again when a spot on the inaugural WrestleDynasty’s card is on the line?

BREAKING NEWS for Final Battle!

After weeks of the back and forth, the blindsides and the mind games, it is official! Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara will defend the ROH World Tag Team Championships against The Righteous… IN A TEXAS BULL ROPE MATCH! Will the Sons of Texas tear down good ol’ Dutch & Vincent? Or will the gold finally dig what Dutch & Vincent are saying?

Matt Taven speaks.

“Lee Moriarty. We’re playing a little bit of cat ‘n’ mouse here, aren’t we? I’m chasing you, you’re coming out after my matches, trying to play mind games with me. But I think you have the wrong person. I spent a year in this very place, taking orders from The Devil, making everyone’s life a living Hell. I could be Master of Mind Games Matt Taven now that I think about it. There is one thing that I’ve never learned in my career, and that’s patience. That’s a virtue that’s alluded me all this time. So I went to the powers that be, it looks like I have a tiny bit of stroke around this place because it’s finally gonna happen.

“Next week, right here on the Honor Club, Lee Moriarty, Matt Taven, for the Pure title, the one title I’ve never won. Next week, I’m gonna go from Master of Mind Games Matt Taven to History-Making Matt Taven! Be the ONLY man in history to win every single ROH title! Why? Because he is I and I am him, and IIII’M… Matt Taven.” Is Taven just seven days away from becoming the ROH Five Star Champion?

Six Man Tag: Shane Taylor Promotions VS Top Flight w/ Leila Grey!

Ever since seeing things Shane’s way, The Infantry has been marching up the ranks. They now battle together against Action Andretti & The Martin Brothers to settle some scores, who will rise up in the ROH Six Man Division?

The trios sort out and Action starts against Shawn Dean. The bell rings, no Code of Honor from these tense rivals, and the two tie up. Dean puts Action in a corner, but the ref counts. Dean lets off slowly, but Action pushes him back. Dean pie faces, Action pie faces, then Action blocks a pie face to CHOP! Action goes up and up and jumps around to then FLYING ARM-DRAG! Not the cleanest, but Action DROPKICKS Dean for emphasis! Tag to Darius and they double snapmare to then KICK and basement DROPKICK! Darius covers, ONE! Darius drags Dean up, wrenches, but Dean kicks low. Dean wrenches, tag to Carlie Bravo.

Dean brings Darius around but Darius kicks Carlie and goes up and over! Darius DROPKICKS Dean, then dodges Carlie to DROPKICK! Darius tags Dante then whips Carlie. Carlie reverses but Darius CLOBBERS him! Carlie gets up, Dante springboard LARIATS! Dean and Shane get back, but Dante flips up and over Carlie! JUMP KNEE, then Dante brings Carlie to the corner. Action tags in, he and Dante double whip to DOUBLE HIP TOSS into a DOUBLE BACKBREAKER! Cover, ONE!! Carlie survives but Action brings him up. Carlie breaks free to ROCK Action! Carlie whips Action to the STP corner, but Action ELBOWS back!

Action ROCKS Dean, then ducks Shane to HOTSHOT! Action BOOTS Carlie but Carlie staggers into the ref. Dean uses that distraction to trip Action! Dean spins Action around to SMACK him off the apron! Carlie goes up and out to GUILLOTINE ELBOW! Shane tags in and adds a GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! Action sputters as Shane pushes him in to cover, TWO! Shane stands Action up in the corner to CHOP! The Infantry taunt Action, and Shane brings Action up. Action SLAPS Shane, CHOPS him, but Shane eggs him on. Acdtion kicks, Shane blocks and he KNEES Action down! Tag to Carlie and Carlie digs his boots in.

Carlie stands Action up, tags Dean, but the fans rally as Dean sends Carlie in, forearm SMASH! Carlie and Dean dosido and Carlie forearm SMASHES again! Dean SPLASHES, then covers, ONE!! Action is tough but Dean stays between him and Top Flight. Dean stomps away, then drags Action up. Tag to Carlie, and Carlie runs up, but Action BOOTS him! Action ROCKS Dean and ROCKS Shane, but Dean grabs a leg! Carlie CLUBS Action down, then whips him, only for Action to handspring BACK ELBOW! Both men are down and the fans rally up! Action crawls while Carlie staggers, hot tags to Darius and Dean!

Carlie runs up but Darius RAMS into him! Darius slingshots up and over, SLAPS Dean, then ENZIGIRIS Carlie! ENZIGIRI for Dean, LARIAT for Carlie! Darius BOOTS Dean, builds speed and he CLOBBERS the captain! But in comes Shane! Darius dodges to ENZIGIRI! But Shane stays up to SHOVE Darius out of the ring! Dante SUPERKICKS! Action BOOTS! Darius is back with the STEP-IN FLATLINER! Action & Dante DIVE but into UPPERCUTS! The Infantry dump those two out to get Darius! Dean clinches, Carlie lifts the legs, BOOSTED URENAGE!! Cover, TWO?!? Darius survives and Adora is frustrated for STP!

Adora says stay on Darius, and Dean clinches again. Carlie runs, but into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Dante & Action then DOUBLE SUPERKICK Dean! Darius scoops, POWERSLAM! Action DIVES to take out Shane! Dante tags in and goes up, MAMBA SPLASH!! Cover, TOP FLIGHT WINS!

Winners: Top Flight, by pinfall

This was certainly a battle of top units, but it was the air force that took down The Infantry! Will Action, Darius & Dante be the ones going for the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championships?

My Thoughts:

A good episode here at just over an hour and 20 that I just did not have enough time in my schedule for, though I wish I did with that great match of Nigel VS Marufuji. Maybe I’ll go back to really give that one a proper watch one day. But for now, the stuff that happened in the present was good, but still a bit on the filler side with how busy everything is for AEW, meaning that is where Tony Khan’s attention is focused. I still really like the official announcement of Dustin & Sammy VS The Righteous, and just as I was hoping, we’re getting a Bull Rope match to settle things. With that, I feel like it’s almost a given that The Righteous win, but with Dustin getting a moral victory of taking the cowbell and bull rope away from Dutch.

Clearly we’re building a Grizzled Young Veterans VS Dark Order feud, but that is going to be GYV’s to win because they are NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, and for whatever reason we’re getting another instance of The Dark Order needing to remember their tougher, meaner side to help them get ahead. Solid stuff out of JD & Beef VS Waves & Curls as well as Rachael VS Adora. Very good promo from Rachael and Harley to set up what will probably be a swerve. It’ll look like Rachael and Harley become buddies, but then Harley will beat up Rachael and we get a match out of them to perhaps propel the winner towards a title.

Billie VS Frost was good but something about it felt like it had to be wrapped up quickly. Maybe Billie was a bit woozy from hitting buckles out of the tilt-o-whirl, and they just wanted to give her the win ASAP. They really need to keep Billie in good health. Between next week’s Fatal 4 to send someone (probably Athena) to WrestleDynasty, I still think they need to make Athena VS Billie for the ROH Women’s World Championship for Final Battle so that it brings things full circle in the one year we’ve seen this story play out. And Billie can’t do that if she’s concussed or has some other injury bothering her.

And even with Athena VS Billie being a likely move, it sadly does not seem like it’ll main event Final Battle now that we have Jericho VS Cardona on the card. Very good TV Time segment with them to set that up, I didn’t even think of Cardona after I considered Eddie Kingston’s return as a possibility. This is great stuff for Cardona, but I feel like he’s not winning because of how Jericho is trying to build ROH’s brand (more kayfabe than reality), and that story has to play out before Jericho ever comes close to losing the belt.

My Score: 8.6/10