ROH: A Beginner’s Guide Before Final Battle 2018

Flip Gordon

Flip Gordon is one the stars of Being the Elite and has seen his popularity skyrocket as he took on Nick Aldis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship earlier this year, and won the Over Budge Battle Royal at All In to go on and face Jay Lethal later in the night. Flip has drawn the ire of Bully Ray, and Flip, being a former member of the army, has decided to stand up to the Bully.

Gordon is an exceptional talent in the ring, constantly looking to improve. He has now gone on tours of Japan and Mexico, looking to learn more about the fundamentals of wrestling, and it’s clearly showing in his matches. He has improved dramatically over the last year, and it’s only a matter of time until he wins some ROH gold. The question is more “When?” not “If?” Gordon is set to be a major player going forward in ROH, and you can expect that we haven’t come close to seeing the best he has to offer.

Jonathan Gresham

Jonathan Gresham is a man that has slowly been making a name for himself in the lower card of Ring of Honor for quite some time now. Showing outstanding technique, fast paced offence, and a slick submission game, it seems that he could be the next break out star that ROH is looking for.

Having recently wrestled in a 30-minute Iron Man match with Jay Lethal, and submitting Shane Taylor via rear naked choke, it seems that Gresham is poised to take it to the next level. The young man has a major challenge coming at ROH Final Battle, however, as he is scheduled to take on Zack Sabre Jr. Sabre is one of the best technical wrestlers alive today, and either way, I expect this to be a match that sees Gresham breaking out.

Kelly Klein

Another woman that helped lay the foundation for what the Women of Honor are today is Kelly Klein. Before the tournament to crown the first WOH World Champion, it could be argued that Klein and Deonna Purrazzo, in their feud, helped set the stage for more to come. Klein seemed destined to win the Women of Honor title, making it all the way to the finals to face Sumie Sakai, but Sakai managed to prevail against her.

Klein is tough, hard hitting, and brings an element to the WOH division that is very different from what the other women offer. While she didn’t win the title in the tournament, you can bet that she is still going to be a major player. It’s only a matter of time before someone has to deal with the Gatekeeper.

Tenille Dashwood

Tenille Dashwood might be a name you aren’t familiar with at first glance, but when you see her, you’ll immediately recognize her as WWE’s Emma. While working hard to bring attention to women’s wrestling with Paige in NXT (including a fantastic match on the very first NXT live special), Dashwood was underutilized on the main roster quite dramatically.

Debuting at Honor Reigns Supreme, Dashwood made her mark quickly on ROH. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before Dashwood wins the Women of Honor title, and cements herself as one of the top women’s wrestlers in the world.

Closing Thoughts

So, thank you for reading! I hope this introduction to Ring of Honor has properly prepared you for Final Battle 2018, as ROH gears up to end their year in style. While there is more to talk about concerning ROH, this should at least help you wade in with all the major storylines and groups so you don’t feel lost when you turn on the show on December 14th! As always, ROH Final Battle can be watched on HonorClub (free for all HonorClub VIP members, 50% off for all standard members), Fite TV, and your standard Pay-Per-View provider.

ROH’s weekly television show, ROH Wrestling, can be seen on your local Sinclair affiliate, HonorClub, and Fite TV for free every week. It’s a one-hour TV show that usually features some good matches, and good promos! Don’t hesitate to give ROH a shot if you are looking for an alternative to WWE, especially as they serve as a good introduction to other promotions as well, due to their partnerships with NJPW, CMLL, and Rev Pro.