ROH FINAL BATTLE

New York City

ELI ISOM vs. KENNY KING (8:55): Good opener. It certainly wasn't anything special, but this loud, awesome NYC crowd was on fire (and still awake) early so it made the match better. Fast, action packed. **1/2

ADAM PAGE vs. JEFF COBB (13:35): This was probably the best Ring of Honor match of the year. That isn't really saying a lot since ROH hasn't been all that great this year, but still, this was a fucking great match. The crowd helped, as they roared with approval as if this was Omega/Okada or something. Cobb is great, a big, swift, beast of a man. Page is always a crowd favorite. One particular memorable moment had Page doing his Shooting Star Press from the apron to the floor and Cobb catching him and giving him a belly to belly suplex out on the floor. This was fast and brutal and all big moves. Really, this should've been the main event for the title when you think about it. Cobb retained his TV title or whatever the hell it's called. ***1/2

KELLY KLEIN vs. MADISON RAYNE vs. KAREN Q vs. SUMIE SAKAI (13:40): The women's division is fairly new in ROH, and thus it's still finding it's sea legs. The crowd didn't really want to see this, even though it certainly wasn't terrible or anything. Just forgettable. *

ZACK SABRE, JR. vs. JONATHAN GRESHAM (11:50): Good match, albeit too short to turn into anything great. This was Zack Sabre's ROH debut and the crowd loved him, although they got a little quiet once it hit the mat. **1/2

MATT TAVEN vs. DALTON CASTLE (15:50): Good match. This was pretty much a typical WWE main event style match where every possible outside interference occurs and it's a little ridiculous but entertaining at the same time. Taven did a top rope leap to the floor, which is his patented maneuver, but crashed ribs first right onto the steel guard rail. I thought he'd be out for a year with that injury, yet he continued and I guess is fine. The best moment came when one of Taven's Kingdom goons tossed a boy into the ring onto Castle who was about to pin Taven to win. That was unique. Fun match. ***

MARTY SCURLL vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS (17:30): Another good match. Daniel's is probably leaving ROH to join All Elite Wrestling, the mysterious new company that The Young Bucks and Cody are starting in 2019, so this was his farewell match. The stipulation was that if he lost he was fired. So he lost. And then when he was being cheered post-match by the crowd, Bully Ray came in and beat him up. **1/2

FLIP GORDON vs. BULLY RAY "I QUIT MATCH" (14:25): This was a kitchen sink match. It had everything. Flip's girlfriend, the president of ROH, The Sandman, blood, Singapore canes, tables, chairs, and an American flag. Am I missing anything? Bully Ray eventually quit when Flip was hitting him with two Singapore canes at once. Earlier, Bully tried to get Flip to quit by grabbing Flip's girlfriend out of the crowd and attempting to power bomb her through a table. The Sandman showed up after the lights went out for no reason. Flip gushed blood but still kissed his girlfriend mid-match, getting blood on her. Silas Young came out and poured lighter fluid on a table but it was never lit. This was wild and stupid but entertaining. **1/2

JAY LETHAL vs. CODY (23:45): Cody is gone. He's leaving ROH for AEW. He won't be missed. I think he's a good character but he's never in good matches. This was pretty boring stuff. Lethal retained the title. *1/2

THE BRISCOE'S vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS vs. FRANKIE KAZARIAN & SCORPIO SKY "LADDER WAR IX" (22:40): The problem with this match was that it was too fast-paced to even see or contemplate everything going on. The camera men missed a bunch of big spots, too, which didn't help. The Briscoe's are brutal, so most of this was just sickening bumps and chairs being thrown at people's heads. Nobody stood atop a ladder and waited to build anticipation then jumped...everything just happened super fast like a car crash and a lot of it was missed and you only saw out of the corner of your eye. In that sense, this was a disappointment. It was mildly entertaining, though it was too sloppy and all over the place. This whole show was the end of an era, as The Young Bucks have been the face of ROH for the last two years and they're leaving. They've always been the most exciting on every show and the crowd favorites, so it'll be weird to see them gone. ROH has signed a few new people, the best being Bandido, the masked Luchador that wrestled in Dragon Gate, AAA, and in the main event of All In this year. Will ROH survive without The Young Bucks, Cody, Adam Page, and So-Cal Uncensored? I suppose time will tell. Though it's a sad day for Ring of Honor. **