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On the last night of 2006, Ring Of Honor presents "Final Battle."
Tonight's show will be commentated by Jimmy Bauer and the incomparable Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, making his last-ever wrestling show appearance before retiring on January 1. All three ROH titles will be defended, and four of the top new stars in the promotion will battle it out in a tag team main event you won't want to miss.
Opening Match - Adam Pearce vs. Matt Sydal
The evening starts with a battle between two fan-favorite youngsters, trying to climb their way up the ladder (an increasingly difficult feat with the recent signings). Frustrated over being unable to gain an opening, Pearce removes a turnbuckle cover. The referee never notices. However, Sydal reverses the irish whip and Pearce gets knocked out by the exposed ring. Sydal rolls him up for a three-count. But a second official comes out to reverse the decision, pointing out the exposed buckle. Pearce wins by disqualification! Sydal is enraged and brutalizes the referee with a DDT, walking off to a chorus of boos.
Overall Rating: 52%
Crowd Reaction: 34%
Match Quality: 71%
Road Agent Notes: Matt Sydal gained overness from his heel turn.
Davey Richards vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Things continue to not go well for the fan-favorites, as Jacobs defeats Richards with the Contra Code.
Overall Rating: 56%
Crowd Reaction: 39%
Match Quality: 74%
Delirious vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Double C has had moderate success over the last few months, but Delirious is hoping to make a name for himself after being left off the last few cards. He does so by picking up a submission victory via the Cobra Clutch Crossface.
Overall Rating: 57%
Crowd Reaction: 44%
Match Quality: 71%
Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Rave
Aries has had some issues with The Embassy over the last couple of months, capped by Rave costing him a match against Alex Shelley. The feud won't end tonight, though, as interference from a chair-wielding Shelley allows Rave to pick up the victory. Shelley and Rave continue to pummel Aries until Roderick Strong runs in for the save.
Overall Rating: 70%
Crowd Reaction: 53%
Match Quality: 88%
Road Agent Notes: Jimmy Rave gained overness from this match.
ROH Tag Team Title - Fourway Elimination Match
The top four teams in Ring Of Honor collide, with the Second City Saints (Ace Steel & Colt Cabana) defending the titles they recently won from the Briscoe Brothers. Cabana gets the first elimination of the match, pinning Generation Next's Jack Evans with a jumping powerbomb. The Briscoes then pin Ricky Reyes of the Havana Pitbulls following a double backdrop. And once again it's down to the Saints against the Briscoes. For the second month in a row, the Saints defeat their rivals, this time with Steel hitting the Steel Spike on Jay.
Overall Rating: 75%
Crowd Reaction: 59%
Match Quality: 91%
Road Agent Notes: The ROH Tag Team Titles have gained in image.
Chad Collyer vs. Jody Fleisch
Fleisch has made an immediate impact upon his ROH debut, and looked to continue his momentum toward a title match against Chad Collyer. After a solid match, he does so by pinfall following a superkick.
Overall Rating: 67%
Crowd Reaction: 55%
Match Quality: 79%
ROH World Title - Bryan Danielson vs. Mikey Whipwreck
Former ECW Triple Crown champion Whipwreck came to ROH looking to add the American Dragon's title to his resume. These two put on a wrestling clinic, with several near-falls going both ways. In the end, though, Danielson managed to gain some momentum and, following a top rope DDT, got a submission victory with Cattle Mutilation to retain the title.
Overall Rating: 78%
Crowd Reaction: 65%
Match Quality: 92%
Road Agent Notes: The ROH World Title has gained in image.
ROH Pure Title - Alex Shelley vs. El Hijo Del Santo
Alex Shelley was rewarded for his loyalty to Ring Of Honor by earning a title shot against Nigel McGuinness in October. He won the match, but quickly resorted to his rulebreaking ways. As punishment, Shelley was booked into this match against the Mexican legend looking for mainstream U.S. success. In a night of spectacular matches, this topped them all. In the end, Shelley managed to land Sliced Bread #2 to retain his title. As a show of sportsmanship, Hijo extended a hand afterwards, but Shelley ignored him and continued to show off.
Overall Rating: 84%
Crowd Reaction: 71%
Match Quality: 98%
Road Agent Notes: Alex Shelley gained and El Hijo Del Santo lost overness from this match. The ROH Pure Title has gained in image.
Sean Waltman & Vampiro vs. Johnny Jeter & L.A. Par-K
Four of the top newcomers to ROH (in the recent class of signees including El Hijo Del Santo, Donovan Morgan, Jody Fleisch, and Mikey Whipwreck) converge in tonight's main event. The winning team will go a long way toward solidifying their spots as top contenders in Ring Of Honor. After a solid contest, Vampiro pins the former La Parka following the Nail In The Coffin, sending the fans home happy.
Overall Rating: 74%
Crowd Reaction: 73%
Match Quality: 75%
Road Agent Notes: Sean Waltman's new gimmick got a positive response.
Overall Show Rating: 71%
Match Of The Night: Alex Shelley over El Hijo Del Santo
Worst Match: Adam Pearce over Matt Sydal
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