ROH Final Battle 2010- New York, NY 12/18/10

1. The All Night Express vs. Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole
***3/4
When it comes to opening matches in 2010 this has to be pretty damn high on the list of the best! They cram a fuck load of action into the 10 or so minutes they have. Cole & O'Reilly shine real big in this one with King & Titus being more than complimentary at putting them over. The spike DDT on the ring apron to Kenny King by Kyle O'Reilly is one of the sickest apron bumps I think I've ever seen and both teams show us incredible double team combos. The pickier amongst us would probably complain about the lack of a clear cut legal man and too many guys being in the ring at the same time but honestly, if you weren't completely carried away by the action then matches like this in general are probably not for you.


2. TJ Perkins vs. Colt Cabana
***
Whilst very technically sound and no doubt a fine exhibition of both mans skill this match just didn't get enough time to really get things going. It finally starts to get hot and then bang! Its over! Still for the 10 or so minutes they had they sure as hell made the best of it with hold for hold exchanges that at times were crisp and masterful. With an extra 5 minutes this could have REALLY gone somewhere great.


3. Amazing Kong and Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey and Serena Deeb
***
Credit where credit is due - this was a good match. I'm not really into womens wrestling but they put on a pretty decent match built around the hot tag to Kong. All of them were on their game in this one and there several good false finishes. The crowd was once again hot and into this one.


4. Eddie Edwards vs. Sonjay Dutt
***1/2
As I said in my review of Tag Title Classic II (the show the night before Final Battle 2010) I mentioned how fresh and motivated Sonjay Dutt appeared and in this match he gives us another good performance. Eddie Edwards however is on a serious roll and I mean career high kind of stuff here. The NY crowd pops HUGE for him and he gets the biggest response of anybody or anything from the show so far. As for the match itself, well it was packed with good back and forth action and I have to say I was glued to it throughout. The length was about right for its place on the card and I for one would like to see a rematch with some more time in the future.


A promo video for Haas & Benjamin airs which includes a short interview conducted by Jim Cornette in which Wrestlings Greatest Tag Team announce that they will call ROH home in 2011. This was the usual slick production job by HD NET.


5. Christopher Daniels vs. Homicide
***
Mike Bennett is out with Brutal Bob to observe this one. This will be the second IPPV in a row that Chris Daniels has had the dubious honour of being involved in a "disappointing" match that "didn't meet expectations" (remember his match against an unmotivated Austin Aries from Glory By Honor IX?). Those phrases are in quotes because of course opinions are subjective and therefore for what some find disappointing other may love or may just think is ok. The latter is pretty much what I think of Homicides ROH run at this point. He's still getting over an injury but is quite clearly working to the best of physical limitations out there. It's Daniels though that makes the match more than just average as he continues his incredible run of quality matches in ROH. The action in this one is at a bit of a slower pace which seemed to lose the crowd after the initial buzz from the entrances. The finish I thought was a bit out of nowhere but I guess it suits who went over.

Post match Bennett grabs the TV title and tells Daniels "that was a real impressive win bud". What a nob...


6. The Kings of Wrestling and Shane Hagadorn vs. Jay, Mark, and Mike "Papa" Briscoe
***1/2
I remember watching this live and going in with the presumption that Papa Briscoe would only be a bit player and that it would be a small bit at that. For some reason the NY crowd boo the Briscoes, maybe it's because Papa Briscoe has no record of 5 star classics in his back catalogue or maybe it's because they're expecting a lame and gimmicky match. And then 5 minutes into the match Papa Briscoe hits Claudio with a hurricarana to a massive pop and big "holy shit!" which seems to change the fans opinions (at least vocally anyway). They build well to Papa Briscoe getting his hands on Shane Hagadorn for the hot tag in a very old school way and being as 2/3rds of the participants in this match are The Briscoes & The Kings of Wrestling of course it still a good match. I loved the fact that, because he's a redneck, Papa Briscoe uses the stunner. Fun match and nowhere near as gimmicky as one would expect.


A promo video for Davey Richards path to the title airs. Damn good stuff right there!


7. ROH World Title Match: Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards
****1/2
There is no doubting that this is as hard hitting and technically sound as any ROH World Title match in history however in my opinion it's just that little bit away from being a true classic. Why you might ask? Well it is largely to do with the matches structure - there's just too many false finishes. I don't normally get bothered by this kind of thing as I'm more than happy to look past it and be swept away and wowed by it all however even I was beginning to think it was silly how much of a superman Davey Richards was turning out to be. It could be though that the half dozen or so false finishes in the second third of the match weren't supposed to be edge of your seat near falls and it's merely the crowds reactions by being so sucked in that added more emphasis to them. If that's the case then fair enough, it wasn't overkill after all.
As for the action itself, well it’s the standard Davey vs. Strong affair but this time round it's more about the submission holds and less about the strikes. I don't know about you but I loved how strike orientated their match from Pick Your Poison was and I was little disappointed they didn't go too much down that route again but hey I'm sure people would complain if they put on the same match again so that's fine. Davey works over Strongs arm enabling the cross armbreaker & kimura to be potential finishers. Half way through the match though Davey abandons that tactic and they basically knock the crap out of each other with stiff strikes and power impact moves. The last 5 minutes were so absolutely classic with Davey being suplexed through the ringside table then Gibson driven (or drivered?) on the floor before being tossed right on the laps of some people on the front row in order to gain Strong the count out victory. That was a great scene! The Davey having the concussion thing was either unfortunate or a really convincing work as he just gives up the ankle lock he has on Strong and collapses. Post match Davey had blood coming out his right ear and it's really hard to tell if it's a work or a shoot. Sign of a good angle I guess! Anyways, regardless of all my criticisms earlier this is still a great match and well worthy of your hard earned cash. If the following didn't sell the DVD for you then this match will!


8. Unsanctioned Fight Without Honor: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
****3/4
When it comes to wrestlings top feuds in 2010, at the very top of that list has to be this one - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico. Whether its promos, matches or angles this feud, which also encompassed Steve Corino and Colt Cabana respectively, just built and built and built to this point. As with all the important ROH matches, it really could have gone either way despite Steens vow to leave ROH if he lost as he was arguably the most must see part of ROH in 2010. This match was very brutal including blood, ladders, tables and of course chair shots. I do think that this probably wasn't as violent as the Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 tag match or maybe even the Double Dog Collar Match from Glory By Honor IX however this was ALL about the story. They used the ladder because it represented their participation as a team in both Ladder Wars, they both went for each other’s finishers and they even pulled out the chair from Glory By Honor. There's some extremely good false finishes in this one because, unlike the previous match where moves had been kicked out of before in many matches, these moves had been very protected in ROH. Of course the real story telling is in the actual finish itself. An undoubted ROH classic match that should be seen by all!

Post match Steen tells the fans to fuck off before leaving the ring despite them chanting "THANK YOU STEEN".

Roderick Strong is arguing backstage with Truth Martini because he finally realised Truth was interfering in his matches. "Now I look like a fuckin' idiot" - Roderick Strong 2010.


*SUPER DUPER BONUS CONTENT*

Kenny King Raps - Really he does! About ANX and stuff too!
Final Battle Teaser - This is from HDNET and a nice little 30 second snippet


Final Battle 2010 will be remembered for many reasons. The conclusion to the Kevin Steen vs. El Generico feud, the brutal ROH World Title match where the question was asked if Davey Richards would finally step up to the next level and fulfil his dream, The NY crowd actually turning on The Briscoes - a team notoriously well supported. But it doesn't end there, Final Battle 2010 is right up there with the very best shows of the year. It's just solid top to bottom with nothing getting less than a "good" rating from me. The main events are phenomenal and are worth going out of your way to watch but those aside, every match has its own strong merits. Highly recommended!

9.5/10