The ROH World Championship is set to hit peak wrestling melodrama as AEW’s Chris Jericho, a man who can’t decide if he’s Canadian or New Yorker, defends his title against former WWE star Matt Cardona at Final Battle. The legendary Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City will host this December 20 clash, marking the venue’s first Final Battle since 2018. And let’s face it, it’s the most theatrical thing to happen there since someone spilled overpriced craft beer on a velvet chair.
Jericho’s “King of New York” Campaign
Jericho, known for his charisma, his rock band, and apparently his lack of geographic loyalty, declared he would defend the ROH World Championship against a fellow New Yorker. He mused about beating Tony Soprano (fictional), Frank Sinatra (very deceased), or Johnny Rodz (somewhat retired), before being interrupted by a very real and very annoyed Matt Cardona.
Cardona, the artist formerly known as Zack Ryder, didn’t just accept Jericho’s challenge—he punctuated it by smacking Jericho’s hat clean off his head. Folks, if wrestling has a Geneva Convention, that hat-swat was a war crime.
The feud between these two has been simmering ever since Jericho christened himself “The King of New York” online. Cardona, a proud Long Islander, was not amused, especially since Jericho is famously Canadian. Cardona fired back on social media, and now their internet beef will hit the ring, where hashtags and hot takes turn into headlocks and haymakers.
Cardona’s Wild Card Appearance
While Cardona’s ROH challenge caught fans by surprise, it shouldn’t have. Despite his work with GCW—a promotion that’s had its share of beef with AEW—Cardona has wrestled for AEW before, most recently in a TNT Championship Open Challenge against Adam Copeland in March 2024. So his return, while dramatic, is as on-brand as his ever-growing collection of action figures.
Final Battle Card So Far
This championship bout joins the ROH Women’s World Television Championship match, where Red Velvet faces Leyla Hirsch, on what’s shaping up to be a night of classic ROH chaos. With only two weeks left until the event, expect more matches—and possibly more hat-smacking—before the bell rings.
Will Jericho’s self-proclaimed King of New York title crumble under the weight of Cardona’s grudge? Or will Cardona find out that being a Long Islander doesn’t carry much weight in Manhattan? December 20 at the Hammerstein Ballroom is where it all goes down.