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PARKS’S ROH FINAL BATTLE 2023 PPV REPORT
DECEMBER 15, 2023
GARLAND, TEX. AT CURTIS CULWELL CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON HONOR CLUB
Announcers: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
(1) BLACK TAURUS vs. EL HIJO DEL VIKINGO – AAA Mega Championship match
Taurus refused the Code of Honor to start. The early back-and-forth told the story of Vikingo’s speed versus Taurus’s size and power. Riccaboni noted these two have only wrestled in one previous singles match against each other. Two minutes in, Taurus caught a Vikingo dive on the outside and powerbombed him onto the ground at ringside. Taurus showed an aggressive side and remained in control for some time. The fans were into Taurus’s dismantling of Vikingo, but otherwise he was the heel. At about 5:30 of the match, Taurus missed a top rove move and Vikingo went on the offensive. Vikingo lost his footing twice on a dive and he had to try again (and again) while Taurus just stood at rinsgide waiting for him.
Vikingo hit a super frankensteiner, but Taurus rolled under the ropes so Vikingo could capitalize. Vikingo followed up with an escalator powerbomb on the apron. A twisting 450 splash at about 10:30 of the match was the first attempted pinfall of the bout. They went back to the top, where Taurus press-slammed Vikingo off and to the mat. A spear by Taurus led to both men being down and a “fight forever” chant taking hold at 13:00. From the top, Vikingo hit a 720 on Taurus to the floor. Taurus brought Vikingo down on the back of his head on a powerbomb/back-breaker combo. A poison rana, meteora, and a 630 splash off the top finished off Taurus.
WINNER: Vikingo at 16:29.
(Parks’s Analysis: An energetic, athletic way to start the show. The degree of difficulty is so high in what Vikingo does, fans have to accept there are going to be one or two moves that go awry in almost every one of his matches, as there was here. The live crowd certainly didn’t penalize him for it, however. In some ways, Taurus was just as impressive, if not maybe more, than Vikingo. Fans of Impact Wrestling who checked out this show may wonder why Taurus is so underutilized on Thursday nights.)
-The announcers previewed the rest of the card.
(2) TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito & Kosei Fujita) vs. GATES OF AGONY (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) & BRIAN CAGE (w/Prince Nana) – ROH World Six-Man Championship match
Fujita and Kaun adhered to the Code of Honor. Kaun and Tito exchange chops in the middle of the ring as TMDK was able to tag in and out, keeping Kaun in the ring during the early going. Cage got a good pop when he tagged in the first time. Fujita suplexed Cage on his head, leading to tags by both teams. Tito got the best of the champions, running wild for a few moments. The match broke down at that point, about six minutes in, with all competitors getting involved. Haste was double-teamed by Gates of Agony for a near-fall. Later, TMDK got the better of Kaun, including Fujita hitting a springboard dropkick. Tito broke up a pin by Cage on Fujita shy of the 11:00 mark. The champions surrounded Fujita after taking out the rest of TMDK. Gates of Agony tossed Fujita into Cage’s arms for a powerbomb and a pin.
WINNERS: Liona & Kaun & Cage at 12:03.
(Parks’s Analysis: A fine match. The announcers did a good job talking up Fujita as someone who graduated himself from the New Japan dojo. I think there’s real potential in Tito down the line as a singles. I’m just not a fan of the tag matches becoming chaos where everybody gets involved at the same time. That was half of this match. I like the basic tag team style and structure, and the psychology it offers, and that’s absent when guys are just coming in and out at will.)
-A video package aired on the next match.
(3) TONY NESE w/”Smart” Mark Sterling vs. “ALL EGO” ETHAN PAGE – “I quit” match
Per the stipulation, Sterling had to be handcuffed to the ring post. As the referee was trying to do just that, Mark Henry made a surprise entrance to help “convince” Sterling to adhere to the stips. Riccaboni name-dropped former NXT wrestler Cezar Bononi as the person who helped get Page into top shape. Nese took the fight to the outside, slamming Page into the barricade. Sterling brought out some protein powder from under the ring. He tried to throw it into the eyes of Page but missed and hit Nese. Page approached Sterling, but Sterling grabbed his leg and Nese took advantage. Nese got the mic and asked Page to quit. Page refused. He was busted open after Nese had driven him into the ring post. The fight continued at ringside. Nese was sent into the railing, and he tumbled over and into the crowd.
Nese retrieved a weight-lifting plate from under the ring and tried to use it on Page, but was unsuccessful. A workout jump rope was introduced but Page took it from Nese and used it against him. Nese teased saying “I quit” but in drawing Page in, used the mic as a weapon. Just over 10:00 in, Nese pulled two tables out from under the ring. At 12:20, Page gave Nese a cutter through the two tables sitting side-by-side. From Page’s point of view, you have to imagine there was a more effective way to put Nese through the tables while doing less damage to yourself. Nese gave Page a hurricanrana off the top with two chairs set up side-by-side in the ring. Page just barely grazed the chairs as he ended up overshooting them.
Nese got the handcuff keys from ring announcer Bobby Cruise. He unhooked Sterling. Because of the no-DQ inherent in “I Quit” matches, nothing could be done about Sterling’s involvement. Sterling got the mic and talked about all that they were going to do to Page. Before any of that could happen, Scorpio Sky came out. He laid out Sterling. Page DDT’d Nese into the weightlifting plate. He then bashed Sterling in the head with it. Sky walked Sterling to the back. Nese used a chair on Page then handcuffed his hands behind his back. Nese offered Page the opportunity to quit, but Page cursed at him in reply. Page fought back and the ref un-cuffed him. Page whacked Nese in the face with the chair. He used the chain of the handcuffs to choke Nese, who said “I quit.”
WINNER: Page at 20:05.
(Parks’s Analysis: A strong babyface performance from Page. A lot of people had him pegged as a future singles star while he was in Impact, but it could be argued his former tag partner Josh Alexander has outshone him in that regard. Page got lost in the shuffle in AEW, but perhaps ROH is the right place for him to be a top guy. Reshaping has body certainly proves his dedication to that end. As a babyface, I’m not sure the “All Ego” nickname fits him anymore, though.)
(4) NYLA ROSE vs. VERTVIXEN
There was an aggressive handshake from Rose to start the contest. Rose was ready to finish it less than a minute in, but Vertvixen was able to counter a powerbomb attempt. She got some offense in, but fell victim to a chokeslam. Rose pulled her up after getting a two-count. After some more offense, Rose delivered a Beast Bomb for the victory.
WINNER: Rose at 2:41.
(Parks’s Analysis: Just an enhancement match for Rose, who was presented as being new to ROH and fitting into the mix for the women’s title. Seems like she’d be an asset there. It was hard to get a read on Vertvixen’s potential other than she has good size.)
-A video package previewed the upcoming Survival of the Fittest match.
(5) – DALTON CASTLE w/The Boys vs. LEE MORIARTY vs. KYLE FLETCHER vs. LEE JOHNSON vs. “BOUNTY HUNTER” BRYAN KEITH vs. KOMANDER w/Alex Abrahantes – Survival of the Fittest elimination match for the ROH World Television Championship
Only two men were legal at a time. Notable that Don Callis did not accompany Fletcher. Castle was tagged out hard by Fletcher. He kept trying to get back into the match, only to be thrown right out. All six were in at some point in the first three-and-a-half minutes. Komander and Keith had a strong exchange mid-ring. After being tossed over the top several times, Castle got a big pop from the crowd when he threw Fletcher over the top. Komander walked the ropes and dove onto several of the competitors at ringside. The tags were already out the window by this point. Wrestlers traded off going one-on-one inside the ring. Moriarity submitted Johnson as the first elimination.
ELIMINATED: Johnson at 8:47.
Castle fought off several opponents. As he did this, Johnny TV showed up on the outside to take out The Boys. Johnny distracted Castle, allowing Moriarity to hit a front face-lock into a DDT to send Castle out. The crowd was not happy about that.
ELIMINATED: Castle at 11:18.
The four remaining were all in at the same time, taking shots at each other. Riccaboni mentioned this was Keith’s ROH debut. There was a tower of doom spot at the 14:00 mark. Keith delivered an ushigoroshi to Moriarty, who kicked out at one. A tiger driver planted Moriarty and Keith eliminated him.
ELIMINATED: Moriarity at 15:37.
Keith next took the fight to Fletcher. Fletcher, though, ended his night with a jumping tombstone.
ELIMINATED: Keith at 16:52.
The final two were Fletcher and Komander. The crowd was firmly behind Komander. Fletcher invited Komander’s strikes, which didn’t have much behind them. A springboard poison rana by Komander led to Fletcher rolling out of the ring. Fletcher caught Komander and gave him a jumping tombstone on the apron. The crowd was silenced by that move. Komander struggled to beat the 20-count back in, but did at 19. Fletcher capitalized by hitting a brainbuster on Komander for a convincing near-fall. Komander connected on a springboard destroyer for a two-count. That was impressive and led to a “this is awesome” chant. Two 450 splashes by Komander couldn’t put Fletcher away. Komander went to the top again, but Fletcher knocked him down. Fletcher got onto the second rope and delivered a brainbuster, with Komander’s head hitting the top turnbuckle. Another two-count. Fletcher stayed on the offense with a jumping tombstone for the title.
WINNER: Fletcher at 25:55.
(Parks’s Analysis: The last 10 minutes with just Fletcher and Komander were terrific. I thought they went to great lengths to help Keith stand out in his debut. Castle’s act felt out of place in this match, though there’s no denying the fans were into him. Getting a title on Fletcher at this stage seems like a good idea, but it’s now yet another AEW wrestler who will be carrying around an ROH title on AEW TV.)
(6) “FILTHY” TOM LAWLOR vs. WHEELER YUTA – ROH Pure Wrestling Championship match
The judges were Christopher Daniels, Jimmy Jacobs and Jerry Lynn. The Code of Honor was adhered to at the start. They jockeyed for position on the mat in the first minute, though neither could hold the advantage. Lawlor locked in a cross arm-breaker, forcing Yuta to use one of his rope breaks. While the ref was distracted, Yuta used a closed fist. The ref turned around to see Lawlor use one in response, resulting in a warning being issued. Dueling chants for and against Yuta rang out. Lawlor used his first rope break 4:24 into the bout. The two exchanged stiff chops mid-ring. Lawlor surprised Yuta with a spear as both tried to catch their breath. Yuta managed to stretch Lawlor for a bit. A half-crab by Yuta put Lawlor in peril. Lawlor flipped Yuta out of it. Hammerlock piledriver by Lawlor garnered him a two-count. At 10:26, Yuta used his second rope break. Lawler took Yuta off the top rope with a keylock suplex. The keylock stayed on and Yuta had to use his final rope break. The two continued to counter each other on the mat until Yuta rolled Lawlor over for a trap pin. The announcers mentioned that Lawlor’s foot may have touched the ropes during the pin.
WINNER: Yuta at 13:10.
(Parks’s Analysis: A really good match for this style. Yuta has come such a long way since beginning his association with the Blackpool Combat Club, both in the ring and as a character. With his amateur wrestling and MMA background, Lawlor is the perfect fit for this division. Here’s hoping we see more of him.)
After the match, Yuta feigned a handshake only to kick Lawlor low. As he was about to hit Lawlor again, Hook came out. Yuta left the ring. When Hook went to check on Lawlor, Yuta attacked him from behind, hitting him with a DDT.
-A video package aired on the Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee match.
(7) SHANE TAYLOR vs. KEITH LEE
Predictably, no Code of Honor for this one. The match between former friends started out slowly. The two went shoulder-to-shoulder numerous times, with Lee eventually getting the best of it. Lee hit Taylor with a slingshot cross-body, to show off his athleticism. Taylor took over control with a Tower of London cutter. Taylor shocked Lee with a couple of strikes. A headbutt to the chest of Lee led to a uranage. A middle-rope splash by Taylor got a near-fall at 9:32 of the match. Though it seemed Lee was struggling to get his bearings, he managed to lift Taylor up and slam him down. Lee tried to go to the top when Lee Moriarty appeared on Taylor’s behalf. Moriarty got a powerbomb for his troubles. The distraction allowed Taylor to take back over. With Lee on the second rope and Taylor perched on the top, Taylor connected on a destroyer. It only got a two-count. After partially blocking Taylor’s knockout punch, Lee put Taylor up for the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pinfall. The men shook hands after the match.
WINNER: Lee at 14:40.
(Parks’s Analysis: Fans definitely have an appetite these days for two talented wrestlers the size of Lee and Taylor squaring off against one another. I’m not sure where this fell on the “big meaty men slapping meat” scale, but it had to be up there. Lee winning never really felt in doubt.)
-Tony Schiavone interviewed Bryan Keith backstage. He said he wanted to prove he was championship material. Orange Cassidy showed up and laid down a challenge for Keith at AEW Collision. Well, that explains why Keith had such a good showing in the earlier match.
-A video package aired on the upcoming six-man match.
(8) FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) & MARK BRISCOE vs. BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli & Bryan Danielson) – Six-Man tag match to honor Jay Briscoe
FTR and Briscoe were wearing “Dem Top Guys” t-shirts. The opposing sides slapped hands before the bell. It was before the match when Harwood briefly confronted a woman sitting at ringside who was on her phone in a moment that has gone viral on social media. Moxley offered Harwood to hit him to begin. Harwood’s chops seemed to take Moxley by surprise. Riccaboni said Danielson’s last Final Battle match was back in 2008. Wheeler and Danielson traded European uppercuts. Wheeler did the same once Castagnoli tagged in. At 5:18, Harwood missed a shoulder charge in the corner, instead hitting the steel ring post. The BCC spent the next few minutes working over Harwood’s shoulder.
Briscoe finally tagged in and fought off all three of the BCC. FTR did the PowerPlex to Danielson, followed closely behind by the Froggy-bow by Briscoe. Harwood had a cut above his eye that was bloodied. The babyfaces were looking for the Doomsday Device, but Castagnoli interrupted. At 13:00, everybody got involved and everybody went down for a mid-match reset. Once recovered, the six had a standoff mid-ring before attacking each other. Moxley appeared to have a cut on his head as well. A Neutralizer by Castagnoli on Briscoe only got two. A three-person Shatter Machine put Castagnoli down for two. Moxley and Danielson got heat for interrupting a Jay Driller and putting the boots to Briscoe.
At 18:00, the battle spilled over to ringside and up the ramp. The bell rang at 18:51, presumably a count-out. Referees, security, and wrestlers came out to try to break everyone up. As Bobby Cruise tried to announce the finish, Briscoe interrupted on a separate mic and wanted to restart it, with anything goes. They restarted it at 20:21 of the match. Riccaboni credited Tony Khan for giving the go-ahead for the Fight Without Honor. Briscoe was busted open and Castagnoli bounced his head off the turnbuckle. From under the ring, the babyfaces retrieved a table, barbed wire, and tacks. The tacks were placed all over the table. Moxley used a fork on Harwood while a ladder intertwined with barbed wire was also introduced.
In the carnage, Danielson’s eye patch got torn off. Moxley stabbed Wheeler in the forehead repeatedly with the fork. Everyone made their way back into the ring. Moxley used the barbed wire across Wheeler’s eyes while Danielson held him in a submission. All three BCC members held members of the babyface team in sleeper holds. More chairs were thrown into the ring. Castagnoli set up another table on the outside. Wheeler speared Castagnoli threw it. Harwood piledrove Moxley through the table with the tacks on it. Danielson delivered kicks to the chest of Briscoe. After dodging a busaiku knee, Briscoe delivered a Jay Driller to Danielson into the pile of chairs. That was enough to get the win.
WINNERS: Briscoe & FTR at 31:09 total.
(Parks’s Analysis: A fitting tribute to Jay Briscoe that involved both high-level tag-team action as well as a significant level of violence. Both were hallmarks of Jay’s career. A fantastic effort by all involved and a no-brainer finish to have Mark go over.)
-The announcers talked about the AEW Continental Classic while the ring was cleaned up.
(9) ANTHONY HENRY vs. EDDIE KINGSTON – ROH World Championship Proving Ground match
We did get the Code of Honor here. Kingston caught Henry on the jaw, which rocked Henry a bit. The two continued exchanging strikes, and this time Henry was felled by a body shot. Henry turned the tide and hurled his body at Kingston, who found himself seated in a chair at ringside. Kingston invited Henry’s kicks. Kingston fired back with chops. A deadlift German suplex with a bridge got him a two-count. Eventually, Kingston trapped Henry in the stretch plumb for the submission.
WINNER: Kingston at 5:46.
After the match, Daniel Garcia came out and confronted Kingston as Kingston walked up the ramp. Those two battle in the Continental Classic on Collision.
(Parks’s Analysis: Good while it lasted. The right length to follow the previous match.)
-A video package aired on the Athena vs. Billie Starkz feud.
(10) BILLIE STARKZ vs. ATHENA – ROH Women’s World Championship match
The Code of Honor was waived off. Starkz hit Athena with a hard forearm right away. A “women’s wrestling” chant broke out less than a minute into the match. Athena dodged a Starkz dive to the outside. Athena drove Starkz’s face into the barricade several times. Starkz bled early in the match. Athena worked over her face as payback for the broken nose Athena previously suffered. Back in the ring, Athena continued the onslaught. Athena worked the crowd as a heel and at 7:00, knocked Starkz to the outside. Starkz tried to fight back on the apron with forearms, but Athena slammed her down.
Starkz turned the tide with a dragon suplex. A headbutt by Athena – with a protective mask on – stopped Starkz’s momentum. After a spear by Starkz, she pulled off Athena’s mask. Athena covered up as Starkz pummeled her face. Starkz hit a swanton off the top for two. She continued working over Athena outside the ring. Again the barricade was used as a weapon. A shotgun dropkick by Athena allowed her time to prep the announce table. With both women standing on the table, Starkz suplexed Athena onto the ringside floor. Starkz sent Athena over the barricade and into the crowd. The announcers mentioned the referee relaxing the rules for this one.
Starkz and Athena were perched atop the barricade, and Athena brought her down, face-first onto the floor. Athena had Starkz in an electric chair position. She climbed to the middle rope and dropped Starkz to the mat with a German suplex. Starkz kicked out at two. At 20:25, a “fight forever” chant began. The ref got bumped and couldn’t count an Athena pinfall. Athena demanded Lexy Nair, the guest ring announcer, bring the belt into the ring. Athena finally got it from her but the wait allowed Starkz to recover. Starkz got a very near-fall on her finishing move.
Fighting on the apron, Starkz dropped Athena with an electric chair driver. Starkz missed a second swanton and Athena nailed her with a right. Both women were down at 25:00. They traded blows with Athena hitting a Despicable Knee for a one-count. The women countered each other for a few minutes. Athena knotted Starkz up in a submisison, and Starkz was forced to give up.
WINNER: Athena at 28:30.
After the match, Nair comforted Starkz. Starkz confronted Athena and bumped her shoulder while walking by her. Athena grabbed her and the two argued. “Hug it out” chants were offered by the fans. “What do you want from me?” Starkz screamed at Athena. Athena told her she wanted Starkz to be her minion. Starkz then hugged her with a big smile on her face. Athena raised Starkz’s hand. All three women, Nair included, raised each other’s hands and hugged it out.
(Parks’s Analysis: Definitely a star-making performance from Starkz, who passed a big test very early in her career. This storyline had gotten a lot of positive feedback from fans online who follow ROH’s weekly product. That said, I’m not sure the ending of Starkz losing, then returning to the fold with Athena, is going to satisfy everyone. Perhaps it’s simply another chapter in the story of Starkz’s eventual breakout.)
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