IPPV Report: Final Battle 2013

ROH doesn't do live internet pay per view anymore so this is really a report of Final Battle on video on demand. So when you purchase it you’ll be able to watch it as many times as you want whenever you want for a full year.

So anyway I was excited for this show. I think ROH did a great job of building the World title match. Some of the matches don’t have much build or heat but I still think it worth checking out. I’m a huge ROH fans as most of you would know so I was going to anyway so here’s your report of Final Battle 2013!

Adam Page vs. Matt Hardy

We get some fun spots from Page and some good entertaining moments. I don’t know if there was an audio issue but you can barely hear the crowd. Hardy gets a lot of heat before the match and even gets the John Cena treatment from The Hammerstein Ballroom but it’s not there when he’s doing his goofy WWE stuff. It’s alright. Wish they would have used a fast pace match to open the show. Hardy was able to win after a twist of fate.

**

Strap Match

Silas Young vs. Mark Briscoe

This is one of the best strap matches I ever seen, though admittedly I haven’t seen too many. A lot of things a never seen in a strap match and unlike WWE’s strap match from Extreme Rules this one wasn’t built around comedy. A very solid match and this proved ROH was right to sign Young. Young won after he was able to touch all 4 corners of the ring.

***

Adrenaline Rush vs. The Young Bucks

This was a real stellar spot fest. Not only was it a super kick party but we even saw The Bucks work a body part and TD sold it throughout the match! This was fast paced and fun to watch. The Young Bucks won after More Bang For Your Buck.

****

Stretcher Match

Mike Bennett vs. Kevin Steen

What a fun brawl this was. The fan totally reacted the right way when Mike was going to give Steen a piledriver onto the apron. Steen destroyed the stretcher when Maria blocked Bennett from being stretched out. This was really fun to watch. Steen won after knocking out Bennett after giving him a Package Piledriver onto steel chairs. Post-match Kevin Steen gave Maria a Package Piledriver.

****

ROH World Tag Team Championship

reDRagon vs. Outlaw Inc.

This whole thing was WTF. It was cool to see Prince Nana but the set up to this match was really weird. Bobby Fish ran away and was gone for the first few minutes of the match. Homicide looked lost at some points of the match and he botched several moves. These two teams didn’t mesh at all and the crowd was demanding the match end. Highlight was Kyle O’Reilly doing gang signs. Match ended when a referee bump happened and reDRagon did Chasing The Dragon on Homicide, but instead of kicking him Fish used a steel chair. Post-match Outlaw Inc. attempted to start a riot.

*

ROH World Television Championship

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Matt Taven

I seen people complain that this match was too short but I think it was nearly perfect. The House of Turth only had a little offense on Ciampa but the majority of the match was Ciampa beating up The HoT. ROH did a good job of making him look like a badass. Taven splashed Ciampa but he counted with The Rings of Saturn and Taven submitted giving us a new World Television Champion!

***

Roderick Strong & Jay Lethal vs. Eddie Edwards & BJ Whitmer

Well I didn’t see Hillbilly Jesus coming out retirement to be in this match at all. Eddie Edwards did a great job of carrying his team. BJ got to have a lot of offence outside the ring as well. It was a good match. Too bad Davey had to blow it so we don’t get to have The American Wolfs at Final Battle. Eddie won the match when he rolled up Rodrick Strong.

***

Post-match Lethal leaves so that Edwards can make a goodbye speech. After he’s done BJ and Strong attack him and Jacobs comes out. They’re a stable now I guess and it’s a heel turn. Jacobs is pissed off since Edwards is leaving but the fans are giving him respect while they have been there for 10 years and are getting nothing. Jacobs ends up by giving Edwards a spike.

I don’t like how Jacobs and Strong are heel again after turning babyface this year. But I do like the fact that ROH is going to do something with them now. Strong has been doing nothing as a babyface. So perhaps it’s best that they do this. Plus I laughed when Corino called BJ a scum.

ROH World Championship

Michael Elgin vs. Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Cole

This was a great main event. Matt Hardy was revealed as Cole’s mentor and Mark Briscoe made the save for his brother. People were complaining on the ROH forum that Elgin is no longer a contender for The ROH World Championship. I disagree. He was made to look super strong as always. Anyway this match was really fun to watch plays a heel greatly. He won the match after Briscoe gave him two Jay Drillers and Cole superkicked Elgin in the back of the head before rolling him up.

****

After Cole and Hardy began laying out everyone. Music began playing and Chris Hero made a surprise return to attack Hardy and Cole. Hero is chasing after the ROH World Championship in 2014!

Other than The World Tag Team match there wasn’t a bad match on the show. We got three great matches and this show really makes excited about The World Title picture in 2014. Just so that we don’t get Elgin or Briscoe getting another World Title shot right away ROH has brought back Chris Hero, who I think shouldn’t have been let go from WWE in the first place.

We got a new stable. We’ll see hot that goes. At least now Rodrick Strong isn’t stuck in limbo. Tommaso Ciampa has finally won The World Television Title and that puts a big question mark of The HoT. Silas Young is gaining momentum. This was a good show to build 2014.

I can definitely recommend buying this show. There are worse things you can do with 15 dollars. Plus you can watch it whenever you want. That’s the best deal I seen for IPPVs.