Not there live, but I got the PPV on the Go Fight Live stream. I was highly impressed with the PPV myself, but I wasnt there live. Very little problem with the feed here in Pittsburgh, so I was happy. Here are my thoughts on each match.
1.The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) d. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly- I didnt know who Cole and O'Reilly were coming into this match, and the match really fell flat to me. The announcers did a nice job focusing on King and Titus and their desire to become tag team champions, but the outcome of this match never felt in doubt. Cole and Reilly made a nice flashy comeback, but were cut off by King and Titus' double powerbomb for the win. Good energy, but the match fell flat as it never seemed in doubt. **.5/5
2. Colt Cabana d. TJ Perkins- A battle of two WWE castoffs. This match far exceeded my expectations as Cabana worked his typical silly style but still showed why he is a technical marvel at times. Perkins impressed me, especially when he flipped out of an armbar and hit a dropkick and then connected with headscissors. Two short to be anything more then filler but it served its purpose well. **.25/5.
3. Sara Del Ray and Serena Deeb d Daisee Haze and Awesome Kong- Good Lord, what a woman's match. How noone has signed Haze yet is beyond me as she's far better then anything WWE has to offer within their women's division. The sick neckbreaker to Serena was sweet, and the ending with Serena hitting the spear on Daisee followed by the double piledrivers for the pin was awesome . It was good to see Kong wrestle again and she was terrific as a monster again, especially with the Implant buster she nailed on Del Ray. All four women were extremely impressive and blew away anything I expected coming in from women's wrestling. ***/5.
4. Eddie Edwards d. Sonjay Dutt. This was probably the match with the most predictable outcome on the card, but I still enjoyed it more then I had any right to. This was a great showcase for Eddie Edwards as a potential future singles main-eventer in ROH. This match started out fast and never slowed down. Dutt was also impressive with the offensive display he brought to the table reminiscent of his X Division days.I loved the ending with Edwards connecting on a double stomp to Dutt's back before hitting a fisherman suplex/powerbomb for the win. The card keeps getting better as it goes along. The only thing that hurt this match was the lack of selling by either man. **.75/5.
I marked out big time for the announcement of Benjamin and Haas coming to ROH in 2011. If they can put on matches the way they did with the KOR at the last PPV, Ill be a happy man.
5. Homicide d Christopher Daniels: I didnt care for the finishing sequence with the referee bump off the Best Moonsault Ever as it allowed Homicide to pick up a somewhat tainted win in his first PPV match since returning to ROH, but Homicide continues his march to an ROH World Title shot. But a smooth, competitive match before the odd finish. Both men look reborn since their return to ROH. ***/5.
6.The Briscos and Papa Brisco d The Kings of Wrestling and Shane Hagadorn.: Holy hell, what a great match. I was shocked when Papa Brisco pulled off the headscissors on Hagadorn at the beginning of the match, and it only got better from there. The only issue I had with the match was when Hero hit the roaring elbow on Papa Briscoe which should have knocked him out not being a "wrestler.", The ending was fitting with the brothers Briscoe setting up the Doomsday Device on Shane and Papa jumping off the top to nail Hagadorn with a clothesline. A great conclusion to an awesome feud. ***.5/5.
7. Roderick Strong d defeated Davey Richards to retain the ROH World Heavyweight Championship: Davey's my favorite wrestler, so getting to see him wrestle for 30 minutes, win or lose, is well worth the price of the PPV itself. This match delivered as well, as Strong kicking out of the SSP was impressive, as was the counters and reversals with various submission holds at the end. Davey being KO'd by referee decision to the modified Lion Tamer(?) at the end was an odd finish, as was the announcement that Richards had a concussion. Richards sold the shock that he had lost well, but this was a good way to put Strong over without making Richards look weak. I generally am not a fan of this type of finish, but it was passable, and otherwise an excellent match. ****/5.
8. El Generico d Kevin Steen in a match without honor to force Steen out of Ring of Honor: This should be a feud of the year nominee, without a doubt. I expected a bloodbath from this match, and it certainly delivered that. Steen's powerbomb to Generico on the edge of the stage was sick, and really set the tone for the match. Steen plays the role of the sick bastard better then anyone Ive seen, especially when he smiled as he licked his own blood. The "without honor" stipulation was certainly in full effect, including interference by Cabana on Generico's part, and Steve Corino doing the same for Steen. They knocked two refs out in breaking up pins, and Cabana and Generico each delivered a chair shot apiece to Steen's head, the second of which lead to the decisive pinfall. Unprotected chairshots to the head just shouldnt happen in 2010, even within the context of this match. Still an awesome match storytelling wise, and a fitting main event. ****.5/5.
Final Thoughts: None of these matches were bad, and this may have been the best women's match Ive seen in a long time. Several feuds were definitively put to rest(Briscoes vs KOR, Generico vs Steen), so it should be interesting to see where each party goes from here. Im not a fan of the lack of selling that happens often in ROH, but the big matches really delivered. Richards gets an out and another possible title opportunity due to his "concussion", but several other challengers possibly await Roderick Strong in the form of Eddie Edwards and Homicide. The Generico/Steen match was brutal as expected, and not for the faint of sight, but definitely the match of the night. The chair shots to the head bothered me, but it was a fitting main event. The PPV really delivered for me on most levels, and definitively worth the $14.99 and a high recommendation to watch the replay when available.
Overall ROH Final Battle gets a solid 7.5/10 from me.
