2019 was not a great year for Ring of Honor. After most of their top stars left to create a new pro wrestling company, ROH disappointed fans with their showing at Madison Square Garden and was frequently plagued by low attendance. More recently, former producer Joey Mercury leaked a ton of information about issues behind the scenes, including the company’s lack of concussion protocol, which led to the company firing Women of Honor Champion Kelly Klein while she was injured.
At this point, Ring of Honor clearly needs to improve its reputation, which is probably why it uploaded the entirety of Final Battle 2019 on YouTube for free. Amidst all this drama, the actual wrestling in ROH has been overshadowed, though it has put on some quality matches this year. Making Final Battle free until January 3 could bring valuable exposure to matches like Alex Shelley vs. Colt Cabana, Jeff Cobb vs. Dan Maff, Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs. The Briscoe Brothers, and PCO vs. Rush for the ROH World Championship.
You can watch the full event below.
Does this fix any backstage or creative problems in Ring of Honor? No, but it’s definitely one of the most accessible things the company can do to get more eyes on its current product and it could inspire some new or lapsed fans to keep up with ROH in 2020.
