ROH Final Battle 2011 Review

Match 1: TJ Perkins vs. Michael Elgin
The future of the company open up the last show of the year and they put on quite the match. I’ve definitely been improved by the agility of Perkins and the strength of Elgin. Those attributes were displayed at their finest here and the crowd ate it up. An awesome opening contest that puts Elgin more over as he challenges for the big one down the line.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***

Match 2: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jimmy Rave
Former Embassy member Jimmy Rave returns to the company after a two year absence to take on Ciampa and the rest of the new Embassy. As I’ve stated before, Ciampa looks like a star and with the right booking, he could easily become a main player. A pretty good match with Ciampa picking up the win with a few distractions from the Embassy.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Rating: **¾

Match 3: ROH World Television Championship - Jay Lethal © vs. El Generico vs. Mike Bennett
Very unpredictable contest for the belt as Lethal defends against two guys gunning for him. While I’ll admit that the match overstayed its welcome, the action was great and very enjoyable throughout. Bennett got huge heat from the crowd and Maria added more flame to the fire. I enjoy his work and look for him to become a big player in the company. He eliminates Generico but walks into Jay Lethal who plants him for the win.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***¼

Match 4: No Disqualification - Kevin Steen vs. Steve Corino
This is a match that is over two years in the making. Steen taking on his former partner and mentor, Steve Corino. If Steen wins, he is reinstated into the company. However, if Corino wins, Steen must leave the company for good again. I love these guys but this match was just a train wreck and I didn’t find the action fun to watch at all. As I watch this, I couldn’t help but think of the brutal fights these two guys waged with Generico & Cabana in 2010. But those were different, they were full of meaning, excitement, and wonder. This match just seemed forced and full of mindless spots. Listening to Nigel on commentary really had me wondering why both men were taking shots to the head in the year 2012. The lack of reason behind some of these spots was a complete turn off. I understand that this is pro wrestling but sometimes, logic needs to be taken into account. Steen eventually gets the win by landing a Package Piledriver on steel chairs. Steen then lands another one through a table on Generico. I understand the heat I’ll be getting for this, considering how I scored Steen’s Final Battle 2010 match a perfect five stars and how I rank the 2010 Chicago Street Fight as one my favorite matches. But those made sense and had perfect flow, this match consisted of one spot to another stupid spot. Perhaps the bar was set too high in 2010.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: n/a

Match 5: Gauntlet - The Bravado Brothers vs. Future Shock vs. The All Night Express vs. The Young Bucks vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander
I’m not the biggest fan of these matches. They go by slowly if not executed correctly and this match didn’t exactly have the best pacing ever. While I thought that the eliminations were done correctly, the drama was certainly killed after each one due to the new team running in and running rampant. This happened every single time and it got so repetitive. After over twenty minutes, The Young Bucks stand tall over The All Night Express as they pick up an opportunity for the gold in 2012.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Rating: ***

Match 6: Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero
The man who accepts Strong’s open invitational challenge is Chris Hero! The crowd pops big for him and it is just awesome to see him again in the ring! It doesn’t look as if he is in the best shape ever but he has not lost a step in his work. We got the same awesome kicks and the same awesome kicks. The exchanges were fun to watch and the memories of that awesome 2010 run he had with Claudio kept rising. Strong wins in a fairly short contest but that was a pretty cool moment. We’ll see what happens to Hero down the line from here.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***

Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team © vs. The Briscoes
Before the match begins, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team put down a huge beating upon The Briscoes with unprotected chair shots and all. Even still, the match begins as The Briscoes fall to a big disadvantage. The match was extremely sluggish at times and the crowd wasn’t much into the action at all. The chemistry between these two teams just isn’t really there and all the tag matches of this company are beginning to feel repetitive and canned. The focus on Shelton’s injured ribs and the help of the crowd led The Briscoes to win and capture gold once again.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: ***

Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Eddie Edwards
This is the rubber match between two former partners, The American Wolves. It’s no secret, my love for their first two matches is very much near and dear to my heart. This match, however, felt out of place from the first two and the feud really waters down the actual substance. The match, while exciting and fun at certain moments, was virtually a rehash of the previous match. Nothing new or innovative was exactly implemented and having guys in the corner watching the champion and challenger did nothing. The interference did nothing. The crowd wasn’t much of any help either. Maybe I’m just being a negative Nancy but I was really passionate about both men facing each other so my opinions are definitely going to be stronger. The match went way too long, had way too many false finishes, and was an unnecessary cluster. Richards got the win and his title reign continues. However, Steen interrupts Davey’s speech after the match and closes out the night.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ***½

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A very underwhelming show to say the least. The main matches didn’t deliver on their promises and the reemergence of Kevin Steen wasn’t anything too special. It all felt predictable and because of that, Final Battle 2011 closes out the year on a very low note.
Rating: 6.5/10