The 2022 Final Battle was the 21st Final Battle professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 10, 2022 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. It was ROH's second live event under the full ownership of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) president Tony Khan.
Twelve matches were contested at the event, including four on the pre-show. Claudio Castagnoli defeated Chris Jericho by submission to win the ROH World Championship in the main event. In other prominent matches, The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) defeated FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) by referee stoppage in a Double Dog Collar match to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship in what was Jay's final match in ROH, Wheeler Yuta defeated Daniel Garcia in a Pure Wrestling Rules match to win the ROH Pure Championship, and Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez to win the ROH Women's World Championship.
The event received positive reviews with the Double Dog Collar Match earning critical acclaim. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the Double Dog Collar Match a 5.5-star rating. The match also finished first in the Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year poll for 2022.
Production
Background
Final Battle is a professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor. First held in 2002, it is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. It is widely regarded as Ring of Honor's premiere flagship event, similar to WWE's WrestleMania.
On October 18, 2022, ROH announced that Final Battle would be held at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas on December 10. The event will be held on the same day as WWE's NXT Deadline and UFC 282.
Storylines
The event featured several professional wrestling matches, which involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains or heroes as they follow a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite and Rampage, and AEW's supplementary online streaming shows, Dark and Elevation, as well as promotional videos on AEW's YouTube channel (as ROH has not yet secured its own television or streaming deal under Tony Khan).
At AEW Grand Slam, Chris Jericho defeated Claudio Castagnoli to win the ROH World Championship after delivering a low blow to Castagnoli. This would be Jericho's eight overall world championship in professional wrestling, hence his new moniker, "The Ocho," briefly leaving his "The Wizard" moniker. Since precuring the title, Jericho vowed to destroy everything related to Ring of Honor before rebuilding it in his image, dubbing it "Ring of Jericho." Additionally, Jericho would successfully defend the title against former Ring of Honor champions - including Bandido, Bryan Danielson, Dalton Castle, and Colt Cabana - though usually by utilizing some form of cheating. At Full Gear, Jericho would retain the title against Castagnoli, Danielson, and Sammy Guevara, pinning Castagnoli after a Judas Effect. On the November 25 episode of AEW Rampage, Castagnoli confronted the Jericho Appreciation Society, who were cutting a promo in the ring, and challenged Jericho to a rematch. Jericho initially refused, but after some convincing by JAS member Matt Menard, Jericho changed his mind and accepted the challenge for Final Battle on the condition that if Castagnoli loses the match, he would be forced to join the JAS.
At Death Before Dishonor, Wheeler Yuta of the Blackpool Combat Club successfully defended the ROH Pure Championship against Daniel Garcia of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Several weeks later on AEW Dynamite - held in Garcia's hometown of Buffalo, New York - Garcia defeated Yuta in a rematch to win the title. On the November 30 episode of Dynamite, during a sit-down interview with members of the BCC and JAS, Yuta challenged Garcia to a third match at Final Battle, which Garcia accepted.