ROH Final Battle 2023 Preview: Full & Final Card

Tonight marks the 22nd annual ROH Final Battle pay-per-view, and there are a whopping nine matches set to take place throughout the night. With a main event that's been building for months, as well as some high-octane tag and singles bouts on the undercard, fans are sure to be in for a thrilling evening.

The main event will pit ROH Women's World Champion Athena against her former "minion-in-training," Billie Starkz. Athena won the title at last year's Final Battle and has embarked on a dominating run since. Starkz, along with backstage interviewer Lexi Nair, began accompanying Athena months ago, training to become her minions. Last month, Athena announced that both women had "graduated" from their training, but named Nair the "valedictorian," causing Starkz to seek a shot at Athena's title. Nair will serve as the special guest ring announcer for the bout.

Last year's Final Battle also saw the highly acclaimed third match between FTR and the Briscoe Brothers, which would turn out to be Jay's final match before his death earlier this year. ROH owner Tony Khan and the performers involved are looking to pay tribute to Briscoe tonight, with the card including one match specifically meant to honor the late wrestler. Jay's brother Mark will team with FTR to take on Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club.

Over the years, ROH has held numerous Survival of the Fittest tournaments, with previous winners including Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong, and WWE star Seth Rollins back when he was known as Tyler Black. Khan decided to bring Survival of the Fittest back in 2023 with a new format, putting the ROH World Television Championship on the line. After a series of qualifying matches on episodes of ROH's streaming show, a six-way Survival of the Fittest match will take place tonight. The match includes Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Lee Johnson, Kyle Fletcher, Komander, and one mystery competitor.

In a match added to the card over the last few days, El Hijo Del Vikingo will defend the AAA Mega Championship against Black Taurus tonight. The two luchadors have met numerous times over the last five years, most often in AAA. Taurus will look to capture the AAA Mega Championship for the first time.

Keith Lee will be in action on tonight's PPV, facing former tag partner Shane Taylor. The two men had never faced off in a singles match before tonight, and Lee was actually in the process of calling out another unnamed opponent when Taylor challenged Lee to the match, but Lee accepted the match nonetheless.

Another match with plenty of story behind it is Ethan Page vs. Tony Nese. Having occupied a place in AEW's midcard for several years now, Page is a more recent addition to ROH. Upon arriving, Page immediately found himself entangled with "Smart" Mark Sterling and his client, Nese. The two wrestlers will have an I Quit match tonight with Sterling handcuffed to a ring post.

After regaining the ROH Pure Championship with a win over Katsuyori Shibata last month, Wheeler Yuta of the BCC will put the title on the line tonight against "Filthy" Tom Lawlor. Lawlor is a former MMA fighter who currently works with NJPW and MLW, having previously held the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship for more than a year.

Brian Cage and Gates of Agony will be in action tonight as well, defending their ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship against NJPW faction The Mighty Don't Kneel. Shane Haste, Kosei Fujita, and Bad Dude Tito will represent TMDK.

Last but not least, the latest match added to the event will pit Ross and Marshall Von Erich against The Outrunners on the Zero Hour pre-show. With the duo having a match scheduled on tonight's "AEW Rampage" as well, it looks to be a busy night for fans of the Von Erichs.