Final Battle 2012 in New York City on December 16th, 2012
Opening Match: Michael Elgin vs. Roderick Strong
Truth Martini is nowhere to be found during the entrances. Strong chops Elgin, who responds with a series of punches. They exchange forearms. Strong low-bridges Elgin to the floor. He tries a plancha but Elgin catches him. Strong accidentally chops the ringpost. He dropkicks Elgin as they reenter the ring. Martini appears at ringside and looks pretty grimy. Elgin overhead suplexes Strong to the floor and comes off the apron with a shoulder tackle. Martini is celebrating as though Elgin doesn’t want him dead. Elgin hits a powerslam onto the floor. They battle on the apron. Strong connects with an enzuigiri and hits a back suplex onto the apron. Now Martini celebrates for Strong. Strong comes off the apron with a flying knee strike. They have another strike exchange at ringside. In the ring, Elgin hits a spinning side slam followed by a death valley driver into the turnbuckles. They battle on the middle rope and Strong drops Elgin back-first across the top rope. Strong wins a strike exchange with a knee to the face. Elgin fights off the Stronghold and suplexes Strong from the apron into the ring. Elgin hits a bucklebomb. Strong answers with a flying knee. Backfist by Elgin! Strong hits a gutbuster but runs into a lariat. Both men are down. Martini jumps onto the apron and slides the Book of Truth into the ring. Strong hits Elgin with the book and follows with his orange crush backbreaker for the win at 11:32. This was the perfect opener for Final Battle, as it presented a feud that the fans have a reason to care about yet there’s still more to come from these two. They kept the action predominantly back and forth and clearly established themselves as equals. While the Martini interference led directly to the finish, it was much more tolerable than I expected. I’m curious to see where the storyline goes from here. ***¼
Martini announces Strong as the winner and raises his hand. Strong steals the microphone and tells Martini that he’s done with the House of Truth. Martini then goes to check on Elgin and calls him the main man in the House of Truth. Elgin bucklebombs Martini and sends him out of the ring with a backfist.
Match #2: Jay Lethal vs. Rhino
Lethal is upset because he’s not challenging for the ROH World Title tonight. Steve Corino joins commentary and seems intent on recruiting Rhino into SCUM. There’s a funny moment where Corino wants Lethal disqualified for throwing Rhino over the top rope. Lethal dropkicks Rhino off the apron and connects with a superkick at ringside. He follows with a dive to the floor. In the ring, Lethal connects with a basement dropkick but walks into a spinebuster. Rhino takes control until Lethal connects with a handspring back elbow. Lethal adds a leg lariat and a discus lariat. Rhino hits a belly to belly suplex and gets into Gore position. Lethal blocks it with a superkick and applies a koji clutch. Rhino powers out of the hold with one arm. Lethal hits the Lethal Injection out of nowhere for the victory at 9:32. This match felt like complete filler, as Lethal just needed something to do on the biggest show of the year. While that’s sort of the locus of Lethal’s frustration with management, Rhino was pretty much brushed to the side here. **¼
Corino gets on the microphone after the match and insults Lethal. Jimmy Jacobs runs out and attacks Lethal from behind. They hold Lethal in position for a Gore from Rhino. Corino tells Lethal that he’ll never challenge Kevin Steen for the ROH World Title.
Match #3: RD Evans vs. Prince Nana
QT Marshall accompanies Evans to the ring. Nana tackles Evans to the mat and reigns down punches. Nana hits a hip attack in the corner. Evans sends him to the floor but whiffs on a plancha attempt. Nana takes out Evans and Marshall with a dive. Back in, Evans chokes Nana in the corner and takes control, working over the back. Nana blocks a double axe handle by getting his boot up. He hits a side slam and a senton. Evans attempts a springboard maneuver but Nana catches him with an ace crusher. Marshall pulls Todd Sinclair out of the ring during the pin attempt. Ernie Osiris returns to ROH to fight off Marshall. Evans goes up top but gets crotched on the turnbuckle. Nana hits a superplex for a nearfall. Evans responds with an inverted styles clash for the win at 6:39. An acceptable professional wrestling match that didn’t overstay its welcome and featured a fun return. I doubt this will lead to more in-ring outings for Evans but I don’t think anyone would be opposed. *¾
Tommaso Ciampa enters through the crowd after the match. Staff members are able to stop him from attacking Evans.
Match #4: Street Fight: BJ Whitmer and Rhett Titus vs. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team are jumped during their entrance. Titus slams Shelton onto the floor. Whitmer and Titus find glass candy canes under the ring and break them over Shelton and Haas’ backs. Titus throws a Christmas tree into the ring. He charges at Shelton, but Shelton hits him with the pole of the tree. Whitmer attempts a piledriver on Haas, but Shelton saves his partner with a superkick. Haas whips Titus with his belt and chokes him with a crutch. Shelton introduces a kendo stick into the match as well. Whitmer saves Titus from a double team powerbomb with some kendo stick shots. He hits a northern lights suplex on Haas, who answers with an olympic slam. WGTT take over once again. Haas drops Whitmer back-first across the edge of a guardrail. Titus clotheslines Haas to the outside and bulldogs Shelton into a propped chair. Haas charges at Titus but gets hip tossed onto the guardrail. Shelton connects with a superkick on Titus and sets up a table at ringside. Titus and Shelton trade punches on the apron. Shelton hits Pay Dirt, sending Titus and himself through the table. Haas tries a quick rollup on Whitmer for a nearfall. They have their usual exchange of expletives and Whitmer hits an exploder. Whitmer sets up a table in the ring. He battles on the top rope with Haas. Haas throws Whitmer off the top rope and through the table. Whitmer legitimately went head-first through the table. Haas covers for the victory at 15:24. This was a decent brawl that will most likely be remembered for the final spot. Fortunately, Whitmer did not suffer any sustaining injuries. I liked the psychology of two table spots ending the match, as it showed that these two teams were willing to risk their own bodies to come out on top. At the end of the day, this was a fine end to the feud and the match worked well because there will be nothing else like it on the card. ***
Match #5: Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Bennett
This will be Lynn’s last match in Ring of Honor. Do you remember where you were when you read that he defeated Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Title? Did you yell at your computer? Lynn holds onto a side headlock as Kevin Kelly tries to explain why he is retiring. Kelly does a terrible job at this. They tease finishers and Bennett has a meeting with Brutal Bob to talk things over. The crowd gets on his case with CM Punk chants. Lynn snaps off a headscissors and lands a plancha to the floor. Brutal Bob interjects himself, allowing Bennett to take control. Lynn comes back with some veteran tactics. He connects with corner punches and hits a DDT. Lynn hits a Tower of London to the floor and I am marking out. In the ring, Bennett hits a spinebuster and brings a chair into the ring. It backfires on him, as Lynn hits a TKO onto the chair. Maria snaps Lynn’s throat off the top rope and Bennett hits the Box Office Smash for the win at 10:06. This match played out exactly how I expected. Say what you want about Lynn’s title reign in 2009, but he had some genuinely great defenses (Roderick Strong at A Cut Above comes to mind). Lynn using the Tower of London was a cool moment as well. I’m just not sure how much this win will help Bennett. **½
Lynn gets some revenge after the match with a Cradle Piledriver on Bennett. The crowd gives Lynn a standing ovation. He gets on the microphone and talks about how his run in ROH rejuvenated his career. Lynn thanks the locker room for welcoming him with open arms. The locker room surrounds the ring and Nigel McGuinness takes the microphone. Nigel tells a few stories about wrestling Lynn throughout his career and presents him with a plaque. Lynn leaves the ring and Jay Lethal comes out. Lethal complains to Nigel about not getting a title shot and says that he’ll just insert himself into the main event. Nigel says that Lethal will be first in line if Generico wins tonight. Lethal replies that he wants to defend his family’s honor. Nigel continues to reject the offer and Lethal spits at him. Staff members run out to separate them.
Mike Mondo comes out for an interview with Kevin Kelly. It’s revealed that Mondo’s supposed year-long injury will only last five weeks. Mondo throws his crutches away and puts the locker room on notice. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish interrupt. Fish says that he heard Eddie Edwards’ health is at risk and that Mondo should replace him in the upcoming tag team match. Fish and O’Reilly attack Mondo until Davey Richards makes the save. Edwards runs out. Fish and O’Reilly act as though Edwards will join them but he superkicks Fish. The American Wolves stand in the middle of the ring and land stereo dives to the floor. Todd Sinclair rings the bell, leading to…
Match #6: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards vs. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly
The Wolves start with some of their old double team sequences on Fish in the ring. They punish O’Reilly with chops and kicks. Richards puts Fish in a cloverleaf and dares O’Reilly to try to break up the hold. Fish blocks a punt from Richards and O’Reilly kicks him in the back of the head. O’Reilly follows with a missile dropkick from the apron on Edwards. Fish and O’Reilly isolate Edwards until he catches Fish with a superkick out of nowhere. Richards connects with the Alarm Clock on O’Reilly along with a knockout kick and a german suplex. Fish hits a falcon arrow on Richards. Edwards superkicks Fish and delivers one to O’Reilly as well. The Wolves hit stereo suplexes to the floor. Richards and O’Reilly reenter the ring and stare each other down. They exchange slaps and kicks. O’Reilly applies a dragon sleeper but Richards counters with an ankle lock mid-hold. Edwards comes off the top with a codebreaker on O’Reilly. Richards follows with a tombstone for a nearfall. O’Reilly responds with a tornado DDT and a brainbuster on Edwards. He locks in a guillotine choke. Edwards escapes and hits a german suplex but Fish catches him with a moonsault. The crowd starts to come alive. Richards levels O’Reilly with a lariat. The Wolves follow with their double team backcracker. Richards punts Fish and connects with a flying double stomp on O’Reilly. Edwards stomps O’Reilly’s head and Sinclair calls for the bell, giving the Wolves the victory at 13:36. The fans took extremely well to the reuniting of the Wolves while both Richards and Edwards looked like they were having a blast teaming again. This was my first time seeing Fish and O’Reilly in an extended tag team match and I think they could do some great things with the tag titles. Fish in a heel role particularly seems interesting. This was pretty clearly the match of the show thus far. ***½
Match #7: Adam Cole vs. Matt Hardy
This is a non-title match. Still, Cole coming out second is a nice surprise. Hardy backs Cole into the corner and teases a cheap shot. Cole connects with a dropkick but Hardy retreats to the floor to avoid a superkick. Cole takes him out with a dive and the cameraman goes down in the process. Hardy tries to create some space but gets caught by a plancha as well. Hardy hits a Side Effect onto the apron and the ring makes some noise signaling that Cole is in a lot of pain. Cole blocks a Twist of Fate and applies a figure four. Hardy is able to reverse the pressure and maintain control. Cole is able to survive four more Side Effects. He fires back with a superkick for a close two count. Cole counters the Twist of Fate with a backslide for a nearfall. Cole hits a Twist of Fate of his own for a two count. Hardy snaps his neck across the top rope but eats a shining wizard. They go to the floor and Cole hits the Florida Key. In the ring, Hardy hits a Twist of Fate for a nearfall. Cole sweeps him off the middle rope and goes back to the figure four. Hardy is able to reach the bottom rope. Cole attempts another Florida Key but Hardy low blows him behind the referee’s back. Hardy sneaks in a small package for the win at 11:47. Apparently there was some air of suspense regarding Hardy’s true colors and this match just served to reveal them. Unfortunately, the finish took away considerably from the action that came before it. Hardy seemed motivated, but the crowd is going to need a very good reason not to show their apathy for his matches in Ring of Honor. **¾
Match #8: ROH World Tag Team Titles: Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs © vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander vs. Jay and Mark Briscoe
Everyone teams up on SCUM at the opening bell. Coleman clotheslines Jacobs on the floor. Of course, there’s an argument over who should pin SCUM so the Briscoes come to blows with Coleman and Alexander. Mark connects with a froggy elbow on Jacobs. SCUM tries to walk out but the Briscoes stop them with a series of strikes. Alexander lands a dive to the floor. Coleman lands a unique springboard splash onto Corino. Jacobs hits a springboard ace crusher on Mark. Alexander catches Jacobs with a springboard lariat and hits a gourdbuster. Jay connects with a roaring elbow on Alexander. Coleman plants Jay with a snapmare driver. Corino distracts Coleman so Jacobs can spear him. Corino follows with a saito suplex. SCUM follows with more offense but can’t keep Coleman down. He hurricanranas Jacobs off the middle rope. Alexander missile dropkicks Mark but Corino hits him with a roll of quarters for a nearfall. The Briscoes hit the doomsday device on Jacobs to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions at 7:05. I’m scratching my head that the semi main event for the tag team titles on the biggest show of the year only received seven minutes. This felt just as rushed as it looked on paper. The chain of moves down the stretch came off as overkill and the Briscoes winning the titles again wasn’t the most exciting thing to happen to the division. I really felt as though this was Coleman and Alexander’s night. **
The Briscoes grant Coleman and Alexander the first shot at their titles. They also establish an open invitation for any team to come in and challenge.
Match #9: ROH World Title: Ladder War: Kevin Steen © vs. El Generico
They trade punches at the opening bell. Generico hits a tornado DDT and connects with a corner yakuza kick. He lands a dive to the floor and brings a ladder into the ring. Steen gets hit in the face with the end of the ladder. He tries to rake Generico’s eyes but Generico bites his hand. Steen back drops Generico through a propped ladder and then hits a ladder-assisted cannonball with the wreckage. Kevin Kelly mentions on commentary how if Jim Cornette was still matchmaker, Generico would not be getting this opportunity. Well, that’s interesting. Steen sends Generico into the barricade and irish whips him into a propped ladder. The champion continues to dominate until Generico hits an exploder into a ladder. Generico follows with a half nelson suplex onto a ladder. He tries to climb but Steen pushes him into the top turnbuckle. Steen counters a tornado DDT into a backbreaker. He regains control and sets up some contraptions around ringside. He sets up a ladder in between the apron and the barricade and puts a table on top, for instance. Generico avoids a powerbomb and back drops Steen through the table. A huge utility ladder enters the ring. Steen F-Cinqs Generico through the ringside table. The champion begins climbing but Generico stops him. Two huge ladders are setup in the ring and a smaller ladder is lodged between them. Steen hits a powerbomb onto the smaller ladder. He starts to climb but Generico brings him down and hits a package piledriver! Generico climbs but gets knocked down the canvas with a hard thud. They eventually battle in between the two big ladders. Steen hits a package piledriver through a smaller ladder and retrieves the ROH World Title at 27:57. This felt like a fitting way to end their rivalry in ROH due to them being in the first ever Ladder War as a team. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Generico would soon be leaving independent wrestling and I’m glad that they were able to have this one final match. As usual, these two were able to effectively showcase their hatred for each other and there were a fair share of cringe-worthy spots. They went for a more spot-heavy ladder match, separating this from their previous ladder match in PWG which was more focused around brawling with only a few weapon spots. While I prefer the latter approach, this Ladder War still delivered and gave Final Battle 2012 the standout main event that the show needed. ****
Overall: I was looking forward to Final Battle 2012 because I thought a lot of the storylines heading into the show were built well on the television program. Every match on the card had a logical reason for happening and there were some unique encounters booked. After watching the show, I cannot help but be let down a bit by the booking. Nothing particularly interesting happened with Lethal, Bennett and Hardy picked up what should have been big victories that instead felt underwhelming, and the tag team title match was disappointing. Despite those criticisms, there was some solid professional wrestling to be found with a hot opener, the American Wolves reuniting in an awesome match, and a stellar main event. You really have to weigh how highly you value each pro and con. For me, the American Wolves reuniting and the blow-off to the Steen/Generico feud created enough important moments to make this a recommendable show.
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