Final Battle: The Importance Of A Handshake
Ring of Honor made me respect professional wrestling.
I’m typing this article the week leading into the most significant event in the history of Ring of Honor. Final Battle 2021 will be the nearly 20-year-old company’s final event for the foreseeable future. The name couldn’t be more apt, considering the circumstances.
As many of you who’ve read my work know, I’m a lifelong fan of Ring of Honor. Heck, my first pitched piece to The Wrestling Estate was ROH-focused, earning me the moniker of “ROH Expert” by our amazing editor-in-chief John Corrigan, something I’m proud of to this day.
I never toot my own horn. But, if you ask me questions about ROH, I’ll be able to give you a reasonably informed response. Some might call it an obsession, and I’m fine with that. I myself call it a passion.
Ring of Honor has been my passion for two decades. For years, professional wrestling had been seen as a form of entertainment. Not a combat sport or a respected martial art, as it had been decades prior, but a unique form of entertainment shadowed by ‘fakeness’ and ‘melodrama’, removing any form of legitimacy from the action.
The professional wrestling industry is and always has been built on respect. Before ROH, companies were looking to rebel against the said “respect.” Gimmick matches, short title-reigns and over-dramatized action became the norm. But, thanks to disgruntled fans and wrestlers, a void was filled. With the demise of ECW and WCW, niche tastes could be satisfied once again, something ROH was able to latch onto in 2002.
Read more: Tony Khan Should Buy Ring of Honor
When Ring of Honor came on the scene, my view of professional wrestling instantly changed. There was no extravagant pyrotechnics. No expensive production values. No outlandish match stipulations. Instead, it was pure wrestling. Trained athletes, elite in their discipline, facing one another in violent combat. I was blown away.
I wasn’t just impressed by the phenomenal in-ring product and incredible roster – I was fascinated by a simple, yet significant addition: the Code of Honor. For those who don’t know, the Code of Honor is ROH’s set of rules intended to promote sportsmanship.
After a decade of wrestling’s rules being thrown out the window, especially during the Attitude Era, Ring of Honor’s reinforcement was a stroke of genius. Actions had consequences, and respect went above everything else. That one small gesture opened my eyes to what wrestling could and should be. The Code of Honor represented the respect hungry, young wrestlers had on their way to superstardom.
Case in point, the late, great Eddie Guerrero wrestled for ROH before returning full-time to WWE, and spoke passionately about the era Ring of Honor was ushering in.
As a lifelong fan of #RingofHonor I feel honoured (no pun intended) to have followed you since Day One.
— Steven R. Jackson (@SteJay215) October 27, 2021
Thank you for keeping your employees & their families safe 🙏
That’s the most important thing of all 🙏#HonorIsReal
From that moment on, I was hooked. Men like Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe won the ROH World Championship, and again, their respect for the Code of Honor reinforced their status at the top of the wrestling world. They may have disregarded their opponents outside of the ring, during backstage interviews or segments, but once they we’re inside those ropes, their respect for the rules, but most of all, their opponents, never went away. And while the Code of Honor has relaxed over the years from its original rigid form, it remains the foundation of the promotion.
Which leads us to Final Battle 2021. Upon hearing the news Ring of Honor was going on a hiatus/possibly out of business, I was understandably very upset. ROH has been my promotion since its inception, so to imagine it not being around is very hard to grasp.
There was one saving grace to this sad news, a dream match I’ve been waiting to see for over five years was supposed to be the main event of Final Battle 2021. My two favorite wrestlers of the current era were squaring off for the coveted ROH World Championship: reigning and defending champion Bandido vs. “The Foundation” (the best technical wrestler in the world today) Jonathan Gresham.
Unfortunately, ROH announced that Bandido had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be replaced in the match. As of this writing, the new participant hasn’t been declared.
Whoever it happens to be, I hope the match at Final Battle hearkens back to the vision Ring of Honor was built upon in 2002. Two young, hungry and talented wrestlers, the best in their craft, fighting it out over the most prestigious championship. And with it, an honorable code of sportsmanship and respect will be adhered to.
I’ve witnessed all the triumphant highs and tragic lows in ROH. I’ve seen wrestlers grow and move on to new adventures. I’ve seen wrestlers get a new lease on life once their shackles were removed. And I’ve seen the greatest wrestling matches, involving the greatest wrestlers from all over the world, take place in a Ring of Honor ring.
Thank you, ROH, for making me respect the world of professional wrestling and realize “Honor is Real.”
About Author
