Final Battle (2023)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Final Battle (2023) — Short recap

Final Battle 2023 was Ring of Honor’s year-end pay-per-view, held December 15, 2023 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. It aired exclusively on Honor Club and featured 14 matches, including four on the Zero-Hour pre-show. Attendance was 1,964.

Key results and highlights
- Main event: Athena defeated Billie Starkz to retain the ROH Women's World Championship.
- Jay Briscoe Memorial Fight Without Honor: Dem Top Guys (FTR and Mark Briscoe) defeated Blackpool Combat Club ( Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli).
- Survival of the Fittest (finals) for the vacant ROH World Television Championship: Kyle Fletcher defeated Komander to win the title.
- ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta defeated Tom Lawlor to retain.
- I Quit match: Ethan Page defeated Tony Nese after intense back-and-forth and interference; Mark Sterling was at ringside.
- AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Black Taurus to retain the title.
- ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship: The Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Brian Cage) defeated TMDK; Cage pinned Kosei Fujita.
- Proving Ground: Eddie Kingston defeated Anthony Henry; Henry did not last 10 minutes, so Kingston retained.
- Keith Lee vs. Shane Taylor: Keith Lee won.
- Dem Top Guys vs Blackpool Combat Club (revisited as a Fight Without Honor): The match ended in a brutal, chaotic sequence and the six-man clash was restarted as a Fight Without Honor, culminating in a decisive finale with FTR and Mark Briscoe showing solidarity.
- Zero-Hour matches: Taya Valkyrie defeated Jazmin Allure; The Von Erichs defeated The Outrunners; Bryan Keith defeated Jack Cartwheel in a Survival of the Fittest qualifier; Daniel Garcia defeated Blake Christian (Zero Hour main).
- Final stretch: The show closed with the big women’s title bout (Athena vs. Starkz) delivering high drama and a clear title retention for Athena.

Reception
- Critics praised the show for delivering solid wrestling across a diverse lineup, with particular note given to the balance of high-flying action, technical bouts, and hard-hitting moments. Ratings highlighted the standout performances in the Survival of the Fittest final, the I Quit match, and the main event for the women’s title.

Final Battle 2023 offered a mix of title defenses, new champions, and memorable moments, reinforcing ROH’s flagship feel as a year-end flagship event.