Final Battle 2009
Encyclopedia
Final Battle 2009 was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
event produced by Ring of Honor
(ROH), which was only available online. It took place on December 19, 2009 from the Manhattan Center
in New York City
. Nine matches were aired live from the show, and a bonus match aired during the intermission.
It was the seventh annual event in the Final Battle
chronology, with the first taking place in 2002. It was the first ROH event to be shown as an online pay-per-view, and the first to be aired live
.
and storylines
. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
or heroes
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match.
On November 19, 2009, ROH announced that Tyler Black
would receive a ROH World Championship
match at Final Battle 2009 as a result of winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament.
The feud between the Briscoe Brothers
(Jay and Mark) and The American Wolves
of Eddie Edwards
and Davey Richards
began at Final Battle 2008 in December 2008. At the event, The American Wolves attacked the Briscoe Brothers and injured Mark's knee. As a result of the legitimate injury, Mark was sidelined for several months to recover. Upon his return, the Briscoes won a tag team battle royal
on the October 5 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling to earn a World Tag Team Championship match against The American Wolves. They received the title match on September 19 at Final Countdown Tour: Chicago, but won by disqualification after Richards attacked the referee
. As a result, they did not win the championship. At the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings in early November, the Briscoes became the number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Kevin Steen and El Generico
, and the championship match was announced for Final Battle.
On November 10, ROH announced that two Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
(AAA) wrestlers, former ROH World Tag Team Champion, Rocky Romero
, and former ROH wrestler Alex Koslov
, would both be returning to ROH for a series of shows. The following day, they announced that two more AAA wrestlers, former ROH competitors Jack Evans
and Teddy Hart
, would also be appearing for two shows, including Final Battle 2009. On November 23, ROH announced that the match for the AAA competitors would be a tag team match, with Hart and Koslov wrestling the duo of Evans and Romero.
deal with Go Fight Live (GFL) to air live events over the Internet
. The first event to be aired as part of this deal was Final Battle 2009.
On December 15, 2009, ROH announced the formation of its video on demand
service through GFL to complement the live broadcast
of Final Battle 2009. Beginning on December 15, five taped ROH events were broadcast leading up to Final Battle 2009. The events aired were Glory By Honor IV, Death Before Dishonor IV, Final Battle 2006, Glory By Honor V: Night 2, and Glory By Honor VI: Night Two.
Due to a blizzard
, Necro Butcher
was unable to attend the event, and Teddy Hart and Jack Evans arrived late, forcing their scheduled match to be changed.
between Austin Aries
and Tyler Black
, and the three commentators, Dave Prazak
, Eric Santamaria, and Larry Sweeney
were introduced.
The first match that aired was a Pick 6 Contenders Series four-corner survival match, which featured Claudio Castagnoli
, Rhett Titus
, Kenny Omega, and Colt Cabana. The Pick 6 Contenders Series is a ranking system in ROH, which determines the challengers for the ROH World Championship
. Prior to the match both Castagnoli and Omega were in the Pick 6, Castagnoli as number one and Omega as number six. Cabana and Omega worked together throughout the match, teaming up on Castagnoli and Titus, until Omega performed a Ura–nage slam on Cabana. Castagnoli won the match by pinning Titus after a German suplex. Immediately following this match, a video promo of Tyler Black was aired.
The second match was originally scheduled to be Erick Stevens
and Bison Smith
versus Delirious
and Necro Butcher
, however, due to the blizzard in the United States
, Necro Butcher was unable to be at the show. As a result Prince Nana
, Stevens' and Smith's manager
, insulted Butcher prior to the match, before Delirious interrupted. Delirious began the match on his own, but Pelle Primeau came out to help shortly afterwards. Smith press slammed Primeau to the outside, eliminating him from the match, and causing Bobby Dempsey to come to Delirious' aid instead. A notable spot in the match involved Smith performing a backbreaker
on Dempsey across Stevens' knee. Stevens and Smith won the match by pinfall, after Smith performed a powerbomb
on Dempsey.
The third match that aired was a Fight without Honor between Eddie Kingston
and Chris Hero
. The match began with both men brawling, until Hero got the upper hand by using a steel chain
on Kingston, making him bleed. In the middle of the match, Hero removed a section of the barricade and placed it in the ring, balancing it on the ring ropes to form a platform. Hero then ganso powerbombed Kingston from the top rope onto the barricade for a near-fall. Kingston took the advantage by using the steel chain, and performed a capture suplex on Sara Del Rey
, Hero's manager, when she interfered in the match. Kingston won the match by pinfall after performing Hero's own finishing move, the Rolling Elbow, on Hero while wearing Hero's loaded elbow pad
.
The final contest before the intermission
was a tag team match
in which The Young Bucks
(Nick and Matt Jackson) faced Kevin Steen and El Generico
. The story of the match saw The Young Bucks attempt to exploit Steen's knee injury. The Young Bucks won the match following a series of superkicks to Steen to pin him. After the match, Steen then thanked several wrestlers in what appeared to be a retirement speech, and embraced Generico, before performing a low blow on him. He then hit Generico with a steel chair
, before being stopped by Colt Cabana. During the intermission, a match between CM Punk
and Spanky
from the Third Anniversary Celebration: Part 1 aired.
The first match after the intermission was a Pick 6 Contenders Series match between Kenny King
and Roderick Strong
, who was number four in the rankings prior to the match. The match was a back and forth contest, with a notable spot occurring when Strong performed a backbreaker on King on the ring apron
. King eventually won the match by utilizing a roll-up while holding onto Strong's ring gear. As a result of the win, King gained the number four ranking in the Pick 6 Contenders Series.
The next match was originally scheduled to be a tag team match between the teams of Rocky Romero
and Jack Evans
, and Alex Koslov
and Teddy Hart
, however, due to the blizzard, Evans and Hart were late to the event. As a result, Romero and Koslov competed in singles competition against each other instead, but during the match the fans in attendance chanted "we want Teddy" and "Jack". The ending to the match was botched
, as the bell rang before Koslov submitted to Romero's armbar hold, however, Romero was still credited with the submission victory.
match of the show followed, as The American Wolves (Davey Richards
and Eddie Edwards
) defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship
against the Briscoe Brothers
(Jay and Mark). The Briscoes took the advantage early on, but this ended when Edwards faked an arm injury, based on the broken elbow from which he had just returned, and the Wolves began double-teaming Jay. After about 20 minutes, the Wolves applied simultaneous submission holds
, but the Briscoes were able to counter them. The Briscoes won the match by pinfall shortly afterwards by performing a doomsday device on Edwards. This win made the Briscoe Brothers a record six-time tag team champions.
Immediately following the tag team match, Claudio Castagnoli walked down to ringside, and was quickly joined by Chris Hero, who came from the crowd. Castagnoli and Hero attacked the Briscoes and posed with the ROH World Tag Team Championship in an apparent reunion of their former tag team, the Kings of Wrestling. Teddy Hart and Jack Evans, accompanied by Julius Smokes
, then made an appearance and, after cutting a promo, they had an impromptu unsanctioned match, with Smokes as the referee
. Evans won the match after performing a 630° senton on Hart.
The main event of the show was for the ROH World Championship
, between the defending champion, Austin Aries, and the challenger, Tyler Black. The match was based around Aries constantly trying to escape from Black, and lose by countout, which would have meant that Aries retained the championship. When Black refused to let him leave and brought him back to the ring on multiple occasions, Aries attempted to get disqualified by performing a low blow on Black and threatening to hit the referee. The match ended in a 60 minute time-limit draw. Afterwards the two men continued to fight, until they were interrupted by a brawl between the Kings of Wrestling and The Briscoe Brothers, which began in the crowd, and ended in the ring. After Aries, Castagnoli and Hero fled the ringside area, Black and the Briscoes posed in the ring to end the show.
Overall, the pay-per-view was well-received. Writing for the Pro Wrestling Torch
, Sean Radican praised the main event between Aries and Black, awarding it four and a half stars out of five. He awarded the ROH World Tag Team Championship match four and a quarter stars out of five, calling it an "awesome match". He also praised the Steen and Generico-Young Bucks match, awarding it four and a half stars as well, and singled out Steen for praise, saying he was "great here selling the story of his knee injury". In his review, Michael Campbell of the Wrestling Observer also praised Steen's contribution to the show, saying he "put in an outstanding shift" and said the match was a "really superb tag" team match. He touted Sweeney's return, saying it gave the show a "real feel-good factor", and praised the "crisp, at times cutting edge duos sequences" on show in the American Wolves-Briscoes match.
Campbell, however, criticized the live crowd at the show, saying it was the "worst NYC crowd" he could remember seeing at an ROH show. Campbell felt the botched ending of the Koslov-Romero match detracted from the event, calling it "ridiculously amateurish". All the reviewers criticized the sound production for the event. Radican claimed it was hard to hear the video packages on the internet feed due to the noise of the live crowd, and also experienced sound difficulties with the intermission match. Campbell agreed, saying the sound for the Black video promo was "abysmal", and remarking that the audio issues made the show seem "very unprofessional". ROH later said that the sound problems were due to GFL's equipment not functioning as it had during run-throughs earlier in the day.
In April 2010, ROH reported that Final Battle 2009 received 1,200 buys and earned US$
18,000, not counting live event ticket or merchandise sales. ROH split the revenue with GoFightLive, and so received approximately $9,000. ROH reported that the pay-per-view cost approximately $1,500 to air, and so they earned approximately $7,500 profit for the event.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event produced by Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH), which was only available online. It took place on December 19, 2009 from the Manhattan Center
Manhattan Center
The Manhattan Center building, built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, houses Manhattan Center Studios , its Grand Ballroom, and the Hammerstein Ballroom, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Nine matches were aired live from the show, and a bonus match aired during the intermission.
It was the seventh annual event in the Final Battle
ROH Final Battle
Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first live pay-per-view, broadcast on the internet...
chronology, with the first taking place in 2002. It was the first ROH event to be shown as an online pay-per-view, and the first to be aired live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
.
Background
Final Battle featured nine professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feudsFeud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
and storylines
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or heroes
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match.
On November 19, 2009, ROH announced that Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
would receive a ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
match at Final Battle 2009 as a result of winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament.
The feud between the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
(Jay and Mark) and The American Wolves
The American Wolves
The American Wolves are the professional wrestling tag team of Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor and Squared Circle Wrestling , where they have won the Tag Team Championships of both companies.The two started out as members of...
of Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards (wrestler)
Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World...
and Davey Richards
Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...
began at Final Battle 2008 in December 2008. At the event, The American Wolves attacked the Briscoe Brothers and injured Mark's knee. As a result of the legitimate injury, Mark was sidelined for several months to recover. Upon his return, the Briscoes won a tag team battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
on the October 5 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling to earn a World Tag Team Championship match against The American Wolves. They received the title match on September 19 at Final Countdown Tour: Chicago, but won by disqualification after Richards attacked the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
. As a result, they did not win the championship. At the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings in early November, the Briscoes became the number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico are a professional wrestling tag team performing on the independent circuit.-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time...
, and the championship match was announced for Final Battle.
On November 10, ROH announced that two Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
Asistencia Asesoría y Administración is a lucha libre professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico...
(AAA) wrestlers, former ROH World Tag Team Champion, Rocky Romero
Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls , along with Ricky Reyes...
, and former ROH wrestler Alex Koslov
Alex Koslov
Alex Sherman is a Moldovan-born professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Koslov. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Peter Orlov...
, would both be returning to ROH for a series of shows. The following day, they announced that two more AAA wrestlers, former ROH competitors Jack Evans
Jack Evans
Jack Edward Miller is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jack Evans. He currently performs for the Mexican-based promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he is the current World Cruiserweight Champion and a former World Tag Team Champion. He is the cousin...
and Teddy Hart
Teddy Hart
Teddy Annis , is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He is currently working on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA...
, would also be appearing for two shows, including Final Battle 2009. On November 23, ROH announced that the match for the AAA competitors would be a tag team match, with Hart and Koslov wrestling the duo of Evans and Romero.
Production
On November 23, 2009, ROH announced that they had signed a pay-per-viewPay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
deal with Go Fight Live (GFL) to air live events over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The first event to be aired as part of this deal was Final Battle 2009.
On December 15, 2009, ROH announced the formation of its video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service through GFL to complement the live broadcast
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
of Final Battle 2009. Beginning on December 15, five taped ROH events were broadcast leading up to Final Battle 2009. The events aired were Glory By Honor IV, Death Before Dishonor IV, Final Battle 2006, Glory By Honor V: Night 2, and Glory By Honor VI: Night Two.
Due to a blizzard
North American blizzard of 2009
The North American blizzard of 2009 was a Category 2 nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 and became a major snowstorm for the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces...
, Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
was unable to attend the event, and Teddy Hart and Jack Evans arrived late, forcing their scheduled match to be changed.
Event
Before the event, there was an untelevised match for the live crowd in attendance, in which Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne.Preliminary matches
The event began with a video promo package of the scripted feudFeud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
between Austin Aries
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
and Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
, and the three commentators, Dave Prazak
Dave Prazak
Dave Prazak is a professional wrestling manager and commentator. He works for many independent wrestling promotions in America. He is the founder of the all female wrestling promotion Shimmer Women Athletes.-Managing:...
, Eric Santamaria, and Larry Sweeney
Larry Sweeney
Alexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney...
were introduced.
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...
, Rhett Titus
Rhett Titus
Everett Lawrence Titus is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rhett Titus. A student of the ROH Wrestling Academy, Titus has been competing for Ring of Honor , as well as various independent promotions, since 2006.-Career:Titus began training at the ROH Wrestling...
, Kenny Omega, and Colt Cabana. The Pick 6 Contenders Series is a ranking system in ROH, which determines the challengers for the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
. Prior to the match both Castagnoli and Omega were in the Pick 6, Castagnoli as number one and Omega as number six. Cabana and Omega worked together throughout the match, teaming up on Castagnoli and Titus, until Omega performed a Ura–nage slam on Cabana. Castagnoli won the match by pinning Titus after a German suplex. Immediately following this match, a video promo of Tyler Black was aired.
The second match was originally scheduled to be Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens
Erick Stevens is an American professional wrestler. Stevens wrestles for many independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro where he is a former 2 time World Heavyweight Champion.-NWA Florida:...
and Bison Smith
Bison Smith
Mark Smith was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico...
versus Delirious
Delirious (wrestler)
Hunter Johnston is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Delirious. He is currently wrestling for Ring of Honor, International Wrestling Cartel, Chikara, Pro Wrestling Noah, and Jersey All Pro Wrestling...
and Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
, however, due to the blizzard in the United States
North American blizzard of 2009
The North American blizzard of 2009 was a Category 2 nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 and became a major snowstorm for the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces...
, Necro Butcher was unable to be at the show. As a result Prince Nana
Prince Nana
Prince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Stevens' and Smith's manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
, insulted Butcher prior to the match, before Delirious interrupted. Delirious began the match on his own, but Pelle Primeau came out to help shortly afterwards. Smith press slammed Primeau to the outside, eliminating him from the match, and causing Bobby Dempsey to come to Delirious' aid instead. A notable spot in the match involved Smith performing a backbreaker
Backbreaker
A backbreaker refers to professional wrestling moves which see a wrestler dropping an opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee...
on Dempsey across Stevens' knee. Stevens and Smith won the match by pinfall, after Smith performed a powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
on Dempsey.
The third match that aired was a Fight without Honor between Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston
Edward "Eddie" Moore is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston. He is best known for competing in Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Ring of Honor...
and Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
. The match began with both men brawling, until Hero got the upper hand by using a steel chain
Chain
A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...
on Kingston, making him bleed. In the middle of the match, Hero removed a section of the barricade and placed it in the ring, balancing it on the ring ropes to form a platform. Hero then ganso powerbombed Kingston from the top rope onto the barricade for a near-fall. Kingston took the advantage by using the steel chain, and performed a capture suplex on Sara Del Rey
Sara Del Rey
Sara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as...
, Hero's manager, when she interfered in the match. Kingston won the match by pinfall after performing Hero's own finishing move, the Rolling Elbow, on Hero while wearing Hero's loaded elbow pad
Elbow pad
thumb|left|200px|Rollerblader wearing elbow padsElbow pads are protective padded gear worn on the elbows to protect them against injury during a fall or a strike....
.
The final contest before the intermission
Intermission
An intermission or interval is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening....
was a tag team match
Professional wrestling tag team match types
Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace...
in which The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California...
(Nick and Matt Jackson) faced Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico are a professional wrestling tag team performing on the independent circuit.-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time...
. The story of the match saw The Young Bucks attempt to exploit Steen's knee injury. The Young Bucks won the match following a series of superkicks to Steen to pin him. After the match, Steen then thanked several wrestlers in what appeared to be a retirement speech, and embraced Generico, before performing a low blow on him. He then hit Generico with a steel chair
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
, before being stopped by Colt Cabana. During the intermission, a match between CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
and Spanky
Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under his real name. Before joining TNA he spent several years wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled under his name, as Spanky, and finally as "The" Brian Kendrick...
from the Third Anniversary Celebration: Part 1 aired.
The first match after the intermission was a Pick 6 Contenders Series match between Kenny King
Kenny Layne
Kenny Layne is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kenny King. King currently wrestles for Ring of Honor. He was a contestant in the second season of WWF Tough Enough.-Early life:...
and Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
, who was number four in the rankings prior to the match. The match was a back and forth contest, with a notable spot occurring when Strong performed a backbreaker on King on the ring apron
Wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...
. King eventually won the match by utilizing a roll-up while holding onto Strong's ring gear. As a result of the win, King gained the number four ranking in the Pick 6 Contenders Series.
The next match was originally scheduled to be a tag team match between the teams of Rocky Romero
Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls , along with Ricky Reyes...
and Jack Evans
Jack Evans
Jack Edward Miller is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jack Evans. He currently performs for the Mexican-based promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he is the current World Cruiserweight Champion and a former World Tag Team Champion. He is the cousin...
, and Alex Koslov
Alex Koslov
Alex Sherman is a Moldovan-born professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Koslov. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Peter Orlov...
and Teddy Hart
Teddy Hart
Teddy Annis , is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He is currently working on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA...
, however, due to the blizzard, Evans and Hart were late to the event. As a result, Romero and Koslov competed in singles competition against each other instead, but during the match the fans in attendance chanted "we want Teddy" and "Jack". The ending to the match was botched
Botch (professional wrestling)
To botch in professional wrestling means to attempt a scripted move that does not come out as it was originally planned due to a mistake, miscalculation, or a slip-up. Most botches are harmless but embarrassing, such as a wrestler simply flubbing a line or missing a cue, or falling before his...
, as the bell rang before Koslov submitted to Romero's armbar hold, however, Romero was still credited with the submission victory.
Main event matches
The first championshipChampionship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
match of the show followed, as The American Wolves (Davey Richards
Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...
and Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards (wrestler)
Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World...
) defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
against the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
(Jay and Mark). The Briscoes took the advantage early on, but this ended when Edwards faked an arm injury, based on the broken elbow from which he had just returned, and the Wolves began double-teaming Jay. After about 20 minutes, the Wolves applied simultaneous submission holds
Professional wrestling holds
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring...
, but the Briscoes were able to counter them. The Briscoes won the match by pinfall shortly afterwards by performing a doomsday device on Edwards. This win made the Briscoe Brothers a record six-time tag team champions.
Immediately following the tag team match, Claudio Castagnoli walked down to ringside, and was quickly joined by Chris Hero, who came from the crowd. Castagnoli and Hero attacked the Briscoes and posed with the ROH World Tag Team Championship in an apparent reunion of their former tag team, the Kings of Wrestling. Teddy Hart and Jack Evans, accompanied by Julius Smokes
Julius Smokes
Julius Smokes is an American professional wrestling manager, known most notably from his work in Ring of Honor. He has also appeared in Major League Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling, among others...
, then made an appearance and, after cutting a promo, they had an impromptu unsanctioned match, with Smokes as the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
. Evans won the match after performing a 630° senton on Hart.
The main event of the show was for the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
, between the defending champion, Austin Aries, and the challenger, Tyler Black. The match was based around Aries constantly trying to escape from Black, and lose by countout, which would have meant that Aries retained the championship. When Black refused to let him leave and brought him back to the ring on multiple occasions, Aries attempted to get disqualified by performing a low blow on Black and threatening to hit the referee. The match ended in a 60 minute time-limit draw. Afterwards the two men continued to fight, until they were interrupted by a brawl between the Kings of Wrestling and The Briscoe Brothers, which began in the crowd, and ended in the ring. After Aries, Castagnoli and Hero fled the ringside area, Black and the Briscoes posed in the ring to end the show.
Reception
Wade Keller
Wade Keller is a wrestling columnist. He runs the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter, which is regarded as one of the most influential newsletters in professional wrestling....
, Sean Radican praised the main event between Aries and Black, awarding it four and a half stars out of five. He awarded the ROH World Tag Team Championship match four and a quarter stars out of five, calling it an "awesome match". He also praised the Steen and Generico-Young Bucks match, awarding it four and a half stars as well, and singled out Steen for praise, saying he was "great here selling the story of his knee injury". In his review, Michael Campbell of the Wrestling Observer also praised Steen's contribution to the show, saying he "put in an outstanding shift" and said the match was a "really superb tag" team match. He touted Sweeney's return, saying it gave the show a "real feel-good factor", and praised the "crisp, at times cutting edge duos sequences" on show in the American Wolves-Briscoes match.
Campbell, however, criticized the live crowd at the show, saying it was the "worst NYC crowd" he could remember seeing at an ROH show. Campbell felt the botched ending of the Koslov-Romero match detracted from the event, calling it "ridiculously amateurish". All the reviewers criticized the sound production for the event. Radican claimed it was hard to hear the video packages on the internet feed due to the noise of the live crowd, and also experienced sound difficulties with the intermission match. Campbell agreed, saying the sound for the Black video promo was "abysmal", and remarking that the audio issues made the show seem "very unprofessional". ROH later said that the sound problems were due to GFL's equipment not functioning as it had during run-throughs earlier in the day.
In April 2010, ROH reported that Final Battle 2009 received 1,200 buys and earned US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
18,000, not counting live event ticket or merchandise sales. ROH split the revenue with GoFightLive, and so received approximately $9,000. ROH reported that the pay-per-view cost approximately $1,500 to air, and so they earned approximately $7,500 profit for the event.
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne | Singles match | 02:48 |
| 1 | Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro... (with Prince Nana and Mr. Ernesto Osiris) defeated Rhett Titus Rhett Titus Everett Lawrence Titus is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rhett Titus. A student of the ROH Wrestling Academy, Titus has been competing for Ring of Honor , as well as various independent promotions, since 2006.-Career:Titus began training at the ROH Wrestling... , Colt Cabana, and Kenny Omega |
Pick 6 Contenders Series four-corner survival match | 06:10 |
| 2 | Erick Stevens Erick Stevens Erick Stevens is an American professional wrestler. Stevens wrestles for many independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro where he is a former 2 time World Heavyweight Champion.-NWA Florida:... and Bison Smith Bison Smith Mark Smith was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bison Smith. He best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and International Wrestling Association in Puerto Rico... (with Prince Nana and Mr. Ernesto Osiris) defeated Delirious Delirious (wrestler) Hunter Johnston is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Delirious. He is currently wrestling for Ring of Honor, International Wrestling Cartel, Chikara, Pro Wrestling Noah, and Jersey All Pro Wrestling... (with Daizee Haze Daizee Haze Daizee Haze is an American professional wrestler. Whilst wrestling for many companies Daizee Haze is also the head trainer for the Shimmer Women Athletes promotion.-Training and Gateway Championship Wrestling:... ) and Bobby Dempsey |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
10:12 |
| 3 | Eddie Kingston Eddie Kingston Edward "Eddie" Moore is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston. He is best known for competing in Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South and Ring of Honor... defeated Chris Hero Chris Hero Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan... (with Sara Del Rey Sara Del Rey Sara Amato is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Sara Del Rey. She is a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared for many other independent promotions in the United States, including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South, All Pro Wrestling, as... and Shane Hagadorn) |
Fight without Honor | 15:00 |
| 4 | The Young Bucks The Young Bucks The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California... (Matt and Nick Jackson) defeated Kevin Steen and El Generico Kevin Steen and El Generico Kevin Steen and El Generico are a professional wrestling tag team performing on the independent circuit.-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time... |
Tag team match | 17:11 |
| 5 | Kenny King Kenny Layne Kenny Layne is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kenny King. King currently wrestles for Ring of Honor. He was a contestant in the second season of WWF Tough Enough.-Early life:... defeated Roderick Strong Roderick Strong Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian... |
Pick 6 Contenders Series singles match | 10:33 |
| 6 | Rocky Romero Rocky Romero John R. Rivera is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls , along with Ricky Reyes... defeated Alex Koslov Alex Koslov Alex Sherman is a Moldovan-born professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Koslov. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Peter Orlov... |
Singles match | 11:24 |
| 7 | The Briscoe Brothers Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have... defeated The American Wolves The American Wolves The American Wolves are the professional wrestling tag team of Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor and Squared Circle Wrestling , where they have won the Tag Team Championships of both companies.The two started out as members of... (Eddie Edwards Eddie Edwards (wrestler) Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World... and Davey Richards Davey Richards Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling... ) (c) (with Shane Hagadorn) |
Tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship ROH World Tag Team Championship The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute... |
22:50 |
| 8 | Jack Evans Jack Evans Jack Edward Miller is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jack Evans. He currently performs for the Mexican-based promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he is the current World Cruiserweight Champion and a former World Tag Team Champion. He is the cousin... defeated Teddy Hart Teddy Hart Teddy Annis , is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He is currently working on the American independent circuit for promotions such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA... |
Unsanctioned match with Julius Smokes Julius Smokes Julius Smokes is an American professional wrestling manager, known most notably from his work in Ring of Honor. He has also appeared in Major League Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling, among others... as the special referee |
05:31 |
| 9 | Austin Aries Austin Aries Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion... (c) fought Tyler Black Tyler Black Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with... to a time-limit draw |
Singles match for the ROH World Championship ROH World Championship The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling... |
60:00 |