Ring of Honor has always been the "little engine that could" of pro wrestling, but by the time we hit Ring of Honor Final Battle 2024, the vibe had shifted. It wasn’t just a developmental territory for AEW or a nostalgia trip for fans who miss the 2005 indy scene. It was something else entirely. If you watched it live at the Hammerstein Ballroom—or caught it on HonorClub—you know the atmosphere was thick. It was heavy. It was the kind of night where the canvas gets stained early and stays that way.
Honestly, people love to talk about the "Tony Khan era" of ROH with a bit of a sneer. They say it’s lost its soul. But Final Battle 2024 was a loud, violent argument to the contrary.
What Really Happened at Ring of Honor Final Battle 2024
The main event was the one everyone was terrified of. Mark Briscoe defending the ROH World Championship against Eddie Kingston. Look, if you aren't a wrestling nerd, that might just sound like two guys in tank tops. But for the ROH faithful? That’s the lineage. That’s the whole story of the promotion condensed into one ring.
The match wasn't pretty. It shouldn't have been. Briscoe is the heart of the company, the "Reach for the Sky" guy who carried the weight of his brother Jay’s legacy every single time he stepped through the ropes. Kingston is the guy who feels like he’s actually going to punch you in a bar if you look at him wrong.
They went thirty minutes.
It was a grueling, chop-heavy affair that left both men’s chests looking like raw hamburger meat. When Briscoe finally hit the Jay Driller to retain, the Hammerstein didn't just cheer. They exhaled. It felt like a release of tension that had been building since the 2023 transition.
The Mid-Card Theft
While everyone was waiting for the heavyweights, the ROH World Television Championship match between Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita basically set the building on fire. Fletcher has spent most of 2024 proving he’s not just a "tag team specialist" from Aussie Open. He’s a blue-chip prospect.
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Takeshita, though? The man is a machine.
There was a sequence midway through where Fletcher hit a brainbuster on the floor, and you could hear the thud in the back row. No mats. Just hardwood and bone. That’s the ROH signature. It’s that "Pure" style—even when it's not a Pure Rules match—where every strike feels like it has consequences for the athlete's long-term health.
The Identity Crisis is Finally Over
For a long time, ROH felt like it was drifting. Was it a TV show? A streaming exclusive? A feeder system?
By Ring of Honor Final Battle 2024, the identity crystallized. It’s the "Workhorse Promotion." While AEW focuses on the massive spectacles and the "glitz" of being on TBS and TNT, ROH has returned to being the place where 20-minute wrestling clinics are the baseline, not the exception.
Take the Women’s World Championship match. Athena has been the most consistent performer in the entire company for over two years. Her reign isn't just a stat; it’s a standard. When she faced Billie Starkz in their highly anticipated rematch, it wasn't a "divas" match or a "bathroom break." It was a grudge match that utilized every inch of the ringside area.
Athena’s ability to play the bully is unmatched. She makes you hate her, then makes you respect her because she’s simply better than everyone else. Seeing her retain—but barely—showed that the ROH women’s division has more depth than people give it credit for.
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The Survival of the Pure Rules
One thing most people get wrong about ROH is thinking that the "Pure Rules" are just a gimmick. They aren't. They change the psychology of the sport. At Final Battle 2024, the Pure Championship match between Wheeler Yuta and Lee Moriarty was a masterclass in limb work.
If you aren't familiar, Pure Rules mean:
- Only three rope breaks to stop a submission or pin.
- No closed fists to the face.
- If you use all your rope breaks, the ropes are basically legal for your opponent to trap you in.
Moriarty used his third break only ten minutes in. The panic in his eyes was real. You don't see that in modern wrestling often—actual stakes based on the rules of the game rather than just "who can jump off the highest thing."
Why the Venue Choice Mattered
Returning to the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was a power move.
There is a specific smell to that building—stale beer, old wood, and sweat. It’s the spiritual home of "real" wrestling in the Northeast. When the fans started the "ROH" chants during the opening scramble match, it didn't sound like the manufactured chants you hear on Monday nights. It was guttural.
It reminded everyone that despite the corporate ownership, the DNA of the promotion is still rooted in that gritty, independent spirit. You can't fake that.
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The Bottom Line on the 2024 Wrap-up
This event wasn't just a season finale. It was a reset.
A lot of critics—Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez, the usual suspects—had spent the months leading up to December questioning if ROH was even necessary anymore. After the final bell rang at Ring of Honor Final Battle 2024, those questions went quiet.
The wrestling was superior. The stories, while simple, were executed with a level of passion that made you forget about "scripts" and "booking."
It was just two people in a ring trying to prove they were the best.
What to do now if you missed it
If you didn't see the show live, you have a few options to catch up on the fallout. Pro wrestling moves fast, and the landscape after this event is already shifting.
- Watch the Replay: The full four-hour broadcast is available on the HonorClub streaming service. It’s worth it just for the Fletcher/Takeshita match alone.
- Follow the Fallout on ROH TV: The subsequent episodes of Ring of Honor on WatchROH.com will deal with the "New Year's Smash" implications and who is next in line for Mark Briscoe.
- Track the Rankings: Pay close attention to the Pure Division rankings. With the way the 2024 finale ended, there’s a vacuum at the top of the technical wrestling ladder that several newcomers are looking to fill.
- Keep an Eye on the Forbidden Door: Several wrestlers from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) made blink-and-you-miss-it appearances in the crowd or in backstage segments. This suggests that the 2025 calendar will be heavily influenced by international crossovers.
The era of Ring of Honor being "AEW Dark" is over. It’s a destination again. Whether you’re a lifer or a casual viewer who just likes seeing people hit each other really hard, this show proved the brand still has plenty of teeth.