411’s Instant Access 12.18.10: ROH Final Battle 2010

Hey kids, I’m Scott, and this is 411’s Instant Access: ROH Final Battle 2010. 411’s Instant Access is the companion piece to 411 Live Pay-Per-View Coverage and features immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus in Instant Access is on first thoughts and initial reactions instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two three FOUR writers’ thoughts on the show. Here’s the team for Final Battle:

• Scott Slimmer, author of Don’t Think Twice.
• Benjamin Waller, author of The Wrestling Layer Cake.
• Michael Bauer, editor of 411’s Buy or Sell and The 411 Wrestling Top 5. Bauer is LIVE in the front row at the show and will be texting in his comments throughout the evening.
• Ari Berenstein, author of Column of Honor. Ari is LIVE in the first row of the balcony at the show and will be texting in his comments throughout the evening.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let’s get to the wrestling.

Tag Team Challenge Match
The All Night Express vs. Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole
Match Result: Kenny King defeats Adam Cole with the Powerbomb Blockbuster.
Match Length: N/A
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: It’s impossible for me to critique or rate this match because, like everyone else watching the show on GoFightLive, I literally only saw the last few seconds of the match. The GoFightLive web site was down for the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the show, so we all missed what was evidently a tremendous opening contest. However, if I’m being totally honest, I’m really not all that upset or angry about GoFightLive’s continuing technical difficulties. Those of us who ordered Glory By Honor IX received a $2.00 discount on this show, so I give GoFightLive a ton of credit for admitting their mistakes and proactively taking action to make things right with their customers. In addition, I can’t ignore the fact that we only pay $14.95 (or, in tonight’s case, $12.95) for these great ROH iPPVs. Even after missing the entire first match, I still feel as though I got more than my money’s worth tonight. I would be MUCH more upset if I had paid, I dunno, something like $44.95 for a PPV and wasn’t able to watch the first match. But tonight I refuse to bitch about GoFightLive or ROH, because I’m still incredibly happy that I ordered the show.
Waller: A marvelous way to open up the PPV, with two tag teams with a fair amount of experience in tag team wrestling, but we knew ANX were going over due to their current role as potential ROH Tag Team title contenders. I really think that Cole and O’Reilly have a giant amount of potential coming out of that match, but just not right now.. they need a lot more exposure in the company before they can become anything worth remembering.
Bauer: Great choice of an opener. Some of the action was insane, and they made O’Reilly and Cole 100% credible. The rematch topped the first match.
Berenstein: Marking the heck out right now – haven’t screamed so much in a long while. Cole and O’Reilly are already good and served notice they belong in ROH. A great way to open up the show.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: N/A
Waller: ***½
Bauer: ***½
Berenstein: ***¾
Average Match Rating: ***½

Scientific Showdown
Colt Cabana vs. TJ Perkins
Match Result: Colt Cabana defeats TJ Perkins with a roll-up pin.
Match Length: 7:54
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I understand the notion of having a scientific showdown, and it makes perfect sense when you have two guys as talented as Colt Cabana and TJ Perkins. However, instead of a serious scientific wrestling match, this match devolved into a bizarre combination of comedy and random pseudo-showy spots. The match did serve to demonstrate Cabana and Perkins’ skill and athleticism, but they failed to deliver a coherent, compelling match. Both of these guys have had much better matches in the past and will have much better matches in the future, so I’ll just assume that tonight they tried to implement a concept match that simply didn’t deliver in the way that they had intended.
Waller: Perkins, who I actually found out whilst watching the iPPV itself was Puma in TNA, has a hell load of potential ahead of him in Ring of Honor, but I don’t see him as a TV talent or a regular talent for ROH, that is, unless ROH choose otherwise and use him well. This make Cabana look good because he won, but didn’t hurt Perkins due to the blurry finish. Not much to say about this, but it just needed to get Cabana on the card in a fantastic technical match up.
Bauer: Very odd match. It was boring by ROH standards but quite fun to watch. Colt won out of nowhere, which also hurt a little.
Berenstein: A comedy comedown match – solid but not more than that. Not a fan of Colt making TJ look like a fool, but fans bought into most of it and Perkins had his moments. Abrupt finish.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: *½
Waller: **½
Bauer: *½
Berenstein: **¼
Average Match Rating: **

Women of Honor – Tag Team Challenge Match
Daizee Haze & Awesome Kong vs. Sara Del Rey & Serena Deeb
Match Result: Sara Del Rey defeats Daizee Haze with a Piledriver.
Match Length: 8:18
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: “Fuck the Divas!” It’s wasn’t just a chant from the crowd, it was the entire philosopher behind this match. I can really only give this match **½, but I want to clarify what that rating represents. That’s not **½ “by Diva standards” or **½ “for a women’s wrestling match.” That’s **½ as a wrestling match, period. And so while there may have been a few problems with the match (too little Kong, etc.), the absolutely incredible thing about this match is that was a fun, enjoyable wrestling match that felt completely natural on a high-quality professional wrestling pay-per-view. The fact that the combatants were all women doesn’t need to serve as a caveat or disclaimer in this case. This may not come as a shock to those of you who watch SHIMMER with any degree of regularity, but it’s a complete revelation to someone like me who predominantly watches WWE. The bottom line is that this was a fine showing by all four ladies, and ROH would definitely benefit from bringing Kong and Serena back again in the future.
Waller: It was great to see Serena in an environment where she was comfortable and blended in well from her recent WWE release in which she hardly wrestled. Fantastic to see Kong in action along with Daizee, as they seem like a great fit tag team of the giant one and the short one. The result was a good decision on behalf of ROH, because del Rey needs to look like THE woman to beat in ROH and in the US indies in general. We can then ultimately have Daizee beating del Rey in February at the 9th Anniversary show and proving she can beat del Rey who is the best in world in female competition. The match though was stunning as expected from the SHIMMER faithful who have worked each other over and over again.
Bauer: Nice little match, but it needed more Kong in the ring. Some good spots, but it was pretty bland.
Berenstein: The crowd really only cared about Kong, and when they got her they popped huge. Okay match with great high spots at the end. Serena Spear!
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **½
Waller: ***¼
Bauer: *½
Berenstein: **¼
Average Match Rating: **½

Special Attraction
Eddie Edwards vs. Sonjay Dutt
Match Result: Eddie Edwards defeats Sonjay Dutt with the 2K1.
Match Length: 10:42
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: This match felt a bit haphazard and disjointed, but that’s most likely due primarily to the fact that Dutt was inserted into the match with no build after Kenny Omega’s injury. This was definitely a fun exhibition of professional wrestling, but I think it was hard for the crowd and the fans at home to connect with the match. However, I have to give credit to Sonjay Dutt for going toe-to-toe with an established ROH star like Edwards. Dutt looked good in there tonight, and I’d love to see what he could do if he was brought back to ROH and given the chance to properly build to a match.
Waller: My first thoughts on seeing Sonjay were.. Why is this guy not used more and not on TV more as a full time member of the roster? He has so much potential and talent to bring to Ring of Honor in the fact that he can work as a clean cut heel and knows what he’s doing in all aspects of his job. Entertaining, high flying and can wrestle like a beast. A truly talented man. Now that Edwards has lost the ROH TV Championship, it feels like he’s missing something.. and that’s a belt. I honestly think he deserves to be in the ROH World Championship picture, proving himself in defeating all comers for the TV Championship (bar Daniels), being the first TV champion and winning Survival of the Fittest 2010 tournament whilst being TV Champion, further showing his dominance. I was expecting a lot from this match. To be entertained by two spectacular wrestlers who should be at higher levels than they actually are. Sonjay looked sick throughout the whole match, but Edwards ended up with the win hitting the 2k1 bomb in an incredibly solid match on this amazing card.
Bauer: No Omega hurt this match as the crowd as just not that into it. Still, it wasn’t a bad match, but it could have been much better. The ending was pretty good, and I will grade it higher based on the switch.
Berenstein: Baldo Sonjay. Edwards is so over he can mess up a hurricanrana and the fans don’t chant “You fucked up.” Fast-paced and fun, but the crowd was tired – Cole and O’Reilly have stolen the show thus far.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **¾
Waller: ***½
Bauer: **½
Berenstein: ***
Average Match Rating: ***

ROH Legends Collide
ROH World TV Champion “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. “The Notorious 187” Homicide w/ J-Train
Match Result: Homicide defeats Christopher Daniels with the Ace Crusher.
Match Length: 10:32
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I should probably begin by admitting that I came into this match a bit biased. I really did not care for Homicide’s performance at DGUSA’s Bushido: Code of the Warrior iPPV, and as such I was not looking forward to this match. Maybe my bias is clouding my judgment, but Homicide once again disappointed me tonight. I remember LOVING his work back in TNA’s tag team division, but his work on these last two indy iPPVs has just seemed sloppy and lazy. On the other hand, Christopher Daniels continues to display the same talent and athleticism that have been his trademark for years, and I can only hope that he’s able to move on to a feud with someone more motivated than Homicide. Unfortunately, the bottom line tonight is that this match suffered greatly from the clash of styles and ultimately didn’t do any favors for either competitor.
Waller: A classic veteran matchup between these two ROH icons and forefathers. They’ve worked with each other enough to know each other like the back of each other’s hands. Shockingly Homicide pinned Daniels after Daniels came off a big wave of momentum in winning the TV title just over a week ago. It was a dodgy finish yes, but Mike Bennett who was ringside sent a message to the champ pretty much claiming he wants to TV belt. Bennett vs. Daniels feud and they will more than likely face off against one another at the 9th Anniversary Show in February. I’m counting on it. Homicide picking up the win makes him looks strong for ROH World Title contention and will contend with the winner of Strong vs. Richards in the coming months. The match was somewhat flat with the odd ending, but it was better than an average match from, say, WWE or TNA.
Bauer: Kinda tame compared to what I was expecting. The crowd was pretty hot though, but I felt like they could have done so much more with it.
Berenstein: Another abrupt finish, but this one was clever and it worked. The usual clean and competent technical wrestling from Daniels, and it was fun to see Cide do his thing. They could have done a lot better though. Seemed to be holding back. J-Train was entertaining and crazy.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **½
Waller: **½
Bauer: **¾
Berenstein: **½
Average Match Rating: **½

Six Man Tag Team Grudge Match
Jay, Mark, & Mike “Papa” Briscoe vs. The Kings of Wrestling & Shane Hagadorn w/ Sara Del Rey
Match Result: Jay Briscoe defeats Shane Hagadorn after a Doomsday Device from Mike “Papa” Briscoe.
Match Length: 15:49
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I always look forward to a match between the Briscoe Brothers and the Kings of Wrestling, but I was quite worried that this match would focus too heavily on the involvement of Papa Briscoe and Shane Hagadorn. Over use of Papa and Hagadorn would have made the match seem silly and nonsensical, but instead they were both used perfectly. Their involvement was limited, but they each played their role wonderfully when necessary. Hagadorn was the epitome of a chicken-shit heel, and Papa was every bit the crazy old tough bastard. However, what impressed me most about Papa was that every move he hit looked good. There weren’t many of them, but nothing looking sloppy or amateurish. And honestly, he hit that Doomsday Device as well as any pro could have. This wasn’t the kind of balls-to-the-wall classic that we’ve seen from the Briscoe Brothers and the Kings of Wrestling in the past, but it was a fun addition to their ongoing fued.
Waller: The kiss between Papa Briscoe and Sara del Rey was pretty seedy. I mean, Mike Briscoe must be at least 50 or 60 years old, and kissing a 30 year old? Sweet brother~! But the match was entertaining, Hagadorn getting in some stuff and this match ended the personal near year long feud between the Kings and the Briscoes, with Papa Briscoe helping hit the Doomsday Device on Hagadorn. This leads me to think.. why would think Kings of Wrestling keep Hagadorn when the American Wolves kicked him out as their manager for pretty much the exact same reasons as Hagadorn just played out? Getting involved too much and what not. Just makes the champs look a little stupid from my point of view, but at least the Kings didn’t get pinned themselves and lose the match up. I have feelings that Hagadorn should be kicked out of the KOW camp for his actions. The brothers may be given another chance at the titles because they won their match at Final Battle? Just a thought, as the All Night Express probably will be the next contenders, and they will need a face team to be up against. Apart from all this, the match was a little silly with the involvement of Papa Briscoe but that element made the match entertaining yet didn’t mean much to the title picture at the same time.
Bauer: Solid match that played well off Papa and Shane. The ending was great and the hot crowd made up for some of the deficiencies.
Berenstein: Surprising mixed reaction for the Briscoes and Papa Mike, though they popped huge for his big moments. The kiss was hilarious. Hero spin kick was nuts. The right finish to the match, and bless Papa Mike for getting up there and going through with it.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Waller: **½
Bauer: ***
Berenstein: ***½
Average Match Rating: ***¼

ROH World Title Match
Roderick Strong (Champion) w/ Truth Martini vs. Davey Richards
Match Result: Roderick Strong defeats Davey Richards with the Strong Hold.
Match Length: 30:33
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: This match worked for me on just about every level. Davey Richards is always an absolute monster in the ring, and I thought that he was a much better opponent for Roderick Strong than Tyler Black was back at Glory by Honor IX. I’ll always mark for balls-to-the-wall one-on-one action, and this match delivered for thirty straight minutes. The bizarre finish / concussion angle certainly may have been a work designed to protect Richards, but it looked incredibly legitimate to me. Richards had that classic glassy-eyed look for the last few minutes of the match, and so either he was truly concussed or he deserves an Academy Award for that performance. However, my one criticism of the match was that Strong repeatedly displayed a tendency to hit big move after big move after big move far too rapidly and with far too little time in between to make any of the moves actually seem significant. I love an insane work rate as much as the next fanboy, but Strong was working so quickly that he actually began to diminish the quality of the match. This isn’t a major criticism but rather an observation that an extra four or five seconds here and there would have been time well spent. I would love to see a rematch between Strong and Richards, but for the sake of the match itself and for the potential of finally letting Richards win the big one.
Waller: An intense match with catch-as-catch-can wrestling holds, with Richards dominating in the start which made me think that Roddy would retain here. If this match was the main event, I would’ve presumed that Richards picking up the win would be logical, but this was not the case. The whole feud has made Richards look like a million bucks and make him a man worthy of any spot in the wrestling world. In addition, Strong would’ve looked like the worst ROH Champion in history if he lost the match, so Strong has at least beaten a worthy competitor in Richards. Homicide up next for Roddy Strong, but I still think that Strong feels like that champion where it’s ‘his time’ for a run with it. No doubt in my mind that he is an exceptional wrestler but it feels a little forced as previous champion Tyler Black had to leave anyway and kind of felt like he didn’t fully deserve it or quest for it. This match was seriously intense, I was near shaking for the finish to come after Roddy hit the 2 backbreakers and I wanted Richards to make a comeback but after the second backbreaker, I knew Roddy was taking it back. ROH at some point needs to give the fans what they want: and that’s Davey Richards are ROH World Heavyweight Champion in 2011. I legitimately wanted Richards to win, but putting over Strong as a defiant champion is what needed to be done at this point in his reign.
Bauer: Great match. It is a shame it had to be cut a little short with Davey getting what looked like a concussion.
Berenstein: Slow to start but turned into the epic Davey-Roddy match we all expected. Fans lived and died by Davey peaking with the SSP but dying every time Strong got stronger. The finish keeps Davey over in defeat, but it was the wrong call not to switch. Not sure if the concussion post-match was legit or not, but it could have happened at the top rope Half-Nelson Slam.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****¼
Waller: ****
Bauer: ****½
Berenstein: ****¼
Average Match Rating: ****¼

The Final Battle at Final Battle – Fight Without Honor
Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
Match Result: El Generico defeats Kevin Steen with a chair shot to the head.
Match Length: 31:13
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I have to begin by giving a TON of credit to Kevin Steen, El Generico, and ROH for building a ONE YEAR FEUD that never seemed boring, tired, or redundant. In a day and age where many feuds last only one month, I simply cannot overstate the significance of what this feud has accomplished. However, the one drawback of actually building an epic one year feud is that there is virtually no way to have the final blow-off match actually live up to expectations. Was this a good match? Yes. Was this a great match? Absolutely. But was this the blow-off match to a one year feud? I’m just not sure. However, I will say that this match beautifully encapsulated the entire feud. Steen was as sick and perverse as any heel we’ve seen in years, and I was glad that Cabana and Corino were able to make an appearance without stealing the spotlight. There were sick bumps all over the place, and the visual of Generico gushing from under his torn mask was incredible. I did feel as though the match began to drag at points, but maybe that’s inevitable in this style of match. Ultimately, it seems as though the best way to view this match is not in isolation but rather as the capstone of a truly memorable feud. Kevin Steen and El Generico captured lightning in a bottle and held on to it for one whole year. With Steen seemingly gone from ROH (at least for the foreseeable future), I can only hope that Generico’s effort and dedication in this feud are rewarded by continued success in ROH.
Waller: Wow. Just wow. Symbolic match, ending, and it was all brutal as hell. ROH official went as far as to even warn viewers and live attendants that the match would be graphic and ROH was not liable for anything that happened physically to either man. ROH have hyped Steen to be one sick fuck, and I’ve no idea what is next for Steen now that he’s forced to ‘leave’ Ring of Honor. We can expect a return from him in the near future, or at least a year’s absence from ROH to slip back in. Generico on the other hand was reborn after the match, and was given back his signature mask that he always used to wear before Steen stole it at Glory by Honor IX. Spectacular year long feud with practically a perfect sendoff for the end of the epic feud. This match was a great instance of when ref bumps and run-ins are acceptable, because they are totally relevant to the angle and have been involved since the inception of the story. The bumps and run-ins came at perfect timings, though when Cabana was holding the chair I thought we were going to get another huge swerve at a Final Battle against Generico with Cabana smashing Generico and aligning with Steen and Corino.. but that wasn’t the case as Cabana killed Steen with a shot, and Generico finally won the match after whopping Steen with the chair in a symbolic ending that was exactly the same as the end of their tag team at last year’s Final Battle. All in all, just awesome.
Berenstein: FIVE STARS. That is all.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****¼
Waller: ****
Berenstein: *****
Average Match Rating: ****½

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards (****¼)
Both of the two main events were great, but I have to give the edge to the more traditional, less gimmicky match between Strong and Richards. They may not have had the back story that Steen and Generico did, but they busted their asses for thirty straight minutes. I’m also giving them the benefit of the doubt, because I tend to believe that the original plan was for the match to go even longer and build to an even more exciting finish.
Waller: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (****)
The double main event matches were just as good as each other to be honest.. both endings were intense as one another.. but I’m going to have to say… El Generico vs. Kevin Steen. This blood feud has been going for a whole year (well, 364 days), and the payoff was superb. The ending being a carbon copy of Steen’s turn on Generico last Final Battle and in symbolic fashion, Steen handing back Generico his original mask that was stolen from him and the Generic Luchadore showing he has no remorse and killing Steen was just the epic moment of the night. So sick!
Berenstein: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (*****)
The perfect mix of blood feud emotion and physical violence. They took it to the absolute limit of danger. Perfectly fitting end that recalled last year’s beginning.

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: Homicide
I won’t call the entire Homicide / Christopher Daniels match “trash,” because I did enjoy Daniels’ performance. Maybe I just don’t appreciate Homicide’s style, or maybe I don’t understand the story that he’s trying to convey. Either way, the bottom line is that I don’t enjoy watching him wrestle anymore.
Waller: Papa Briscoe
Papa Briscoe’s involvement. The crowd hated it, and so did I. I know this was an excuse to make the feud personal and make it a feud not with the tag titles on the line, but someone who has no place in wrestling coming in and trying to take the spotlight… just not over with me. At least, in this instance. Bah!
Berenstein: Mike Bennett
Mike Bennett involved in any way with the Homicide-Daniels match.

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: I just paid $12.95 for three and a half hours of great professional wrestling. What more needs to be said? Spending money on a ROH iPPV is always a good idea. This show may not have completely lived up to the absolutely insane standard set by Death Before Dishonor VIII back in June, but it was still a great show.
Waller: The main events truly paid off and were worth the whole iPPV price alone. Once again I am interested as to the direction of certain wrestlers after this event and these feud ending matches. Mike Bennett is going for the TV title to gain experience from Christopher Daniels, Homicide is a potential ROH title prospect, Generico will be entered into a new feud as will Strong (maybe…) and we shall see what happens in the coming weeks on HDNet and at live shows. The 9th Anniversary Show is the next big iPPV and bouncing off Final Battle will be the reaction matches that have the availability to be hyped for 2 months. In conclusion.. the 15 bucks was so worth it.
Berenstein: The undercard was a bit underwhelming for a major ROH event, but I think that is owed to Cole and O’Reilly stealing the show and no one could catch them until Briscoes-KOW. The two main events were everything they were hyped to be and more.

Verdict:
Slimmer: ***¾
Waller: ****
Berenstein: ****
Average Verdict: ****