ROH: A Beginner’s Guide Before Final Battle 2018

Ring of Honor has played host to many of the best matches ever seen in a North American wrestling ring over the years. The likes of Bryan Danielson (WWE’s Daniel Bryan), AJ Styles, CM Punk, and Samoa Joe have all spent time there, honing their craft. Some, to this day, still consider ROH their home.

Before tearing it up in a WWE ring, Samoa Joe was the longest reigning ROH World Champion, holding the title for nearly two years (645 days) before losing it to Austin Aries at ROH Final Battle 2004. 14 years later, ROH will be holding Final Battle again this December. For ROH, this show often acts as their “season finale” with many storylines being tied up and things being setup for the next 3-4 months.

With the combined ROH/NJPW show being held in April at Madison Square Garden, right now is the right time to jump into ROH and see what the second biggest promotion in North America might be able to offer you. If you are dissatisfied with the product from other promotions, I encourage you to give Ring of Honor a try. All their live events and Pay-Per-Views can be viewed on HonorClub and the Fite TV app, and standard PPV providers, while their weekly TV show can also be seen free for everyone. It can also be watched on your local Sinclair affiliate in the United States and on the Fight Network in Canada.

ROH’s Philosophy of Wrestling

First, before getting into current stories, it might be helpful if some things are explained about ROH as a company. Ring of Honor was founded in 2002 and designed specifically to provide a place for younger wrestlers to learn their craft and make a name for themselves. After the downfall of WCW in 2001, a large gap was left in the wrestling scene where WWE was the only major place to work. While TNA provided a nice place to work, and, for a brief time, were the consistent #2 promotion in North America, ROH was slowly but surely building up their fanbase with fantastic shows and consistent booking.

The company provided a spotlight for the early careers of Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens), Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro), Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno), Austin Aries, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Nigel McGuinness and so many more that have made their way to WWE over the years. Others have joined TNA, NJPW, NOAH, and various other promotions around the world.

ROH boasts a current talent roster that is great from top to bottom and has a long history of developing quality wrestlers. While the original vision of ROH being a super-indy promotion has long since disappeared – as they are no doubt a national promotion now – the formula of creating stars is still something seen clearly in the way they design their shows.