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And now we come to the long awaited final showdown between Kevin Steen and El Generico, as the former partners turned hated enemies face off for the ROH World Title in the match they made famous: Ladder War. Though we didn't know it at the time (which is good since it probably would have taken some of the drama away), Generico was very close to signing a contract with WWE, and I can't think of a more appropriate match to end the feud with. In an interesting bit of trivia, this is the only match to ever main event Final Battle twice, the first time being two years earlier when Generico defeated Steen in a Fight Without Honor to drive him out of the company for a full year. The fact that he was the last man to defeat Steen made him the ideal person for Jim Cornette, desperate to get the title out of Steen's hands by any means necessary, to award a title shot to at the biggest show of the year.
It turned out that Cornette wouldn't be around to see this match when it happened, but that didn't stop Steen and Generico from tearing each other to pieces in a match that rivaled the brutality of that Fight Without Honor two years earlier. They started brawling the instant the bell rang, trading punches until Generico hits a tornado DDT and then drills Steen with a Yakuza kick in the corner. Steen rolls out to the floor to try and catch a break, but Generico doesn't give him a moment to breathe, wiping him out with a somersault dive to to the floor. Generico tosses Steen back into the ring and brings a ladder in, using it to ram Steen in the face twice, then just chucks the ladder at Steen as the champion staggers into the corner. Steen tries to go to the eyes, but Generico bites Steen's fingers Governor style (okay, maybe not QUITE like the Governor did to Merle) and then throws the ladder on top of him again. Kevin Kelly points out that there is a brand new ROH World Title belt hanging over the ring as Generico continues to hammer Steen with the ladder, but Steen is successful in his second attack on the eyes, giving Generico a good, deep gouge before taking a moment to balance the ladder on the ropes at a 45 degree angle. Generico nails Steen and tries to slam him onto the ladder, but Steen shoves Generico off into the ropes and backdrops him onto the ladder, literally bending it in half.
Generico is in trouble for the first time in the match, and Steen stalks Generico and shouts stuff at him to try and get in his head, then picks up the broken ladder and throws it right on top of Generico. Generico backs into the corner and gets the broken ladder thrown at him again, then as Generico collapses to the mat, Steen puts the ladder over his chest and crushes him with a cannonball into the corner. The ladder is now snapped into two pieces, so Steen picks one piece up and bashes Generico over the back with it as if it were a steel chair. Steen goes out to the floor and shouts things at the broadcast team before slowly picking up a second ladder, folding it closed, and skee balling it into Generico. Steen brings a third ladder in and nails Generico with it as well, then yells at Generico some more before drilling him with a hard crossface and a boot to the skull. Steen whips Generico into the barricade so hard he actually drives Generico through it, and Generico tries to slip into the ring and climb the ladder when Steen stops to argue with a fan wearing a Generico mask, but Steen sees Generico climbing the ladder, goes into the ring and nails his former partner. Steen sets a ladder up in the corner and whips Generico into it so hard that he nearly flips over the ladder and out to the floor, then Steen goes back outside and gets the super huge ladder from the aisle. He brings it back to the ring and nails Generico in the head with it, and Generico is so rattled that he scurries across the ring and tumbles out under the bottom rope. Steen sets the giant ladder up and starts to climb, but Generico is in, grabs Steen's ankle, and forces him to come back down so he can suplex him onto the ladder that was set up in the corner.
The crowd starts doing the Ole chant as Generico tries to climb the ladder, but Steen pulls him back down. Generico goes behind Steen and hits a half and half suplex onto a ladder that's laying on the mat, then Generico starts to climb. Steen tips the ladder over and drops Generico face first onto the top turnbuckle, and both men are down again. Steen slowly stirs and makes it to his feet first, he sets the ladder up but sees Generico getting up, so he turns his attention back to his opponent. Generico goes for the tornado DDT again, but Steen catches him this time and counters to a backbreaker, then dumps Generico out to the floor. Steen tries climbing again, but Generico rolls back inside and pulls Steen back down, Steen dumps Generico out the floor, causing him to hit his head on the barricade as he lands. Generico pops right back up and Steen has to dump him back out to the floor a third time, and this time he goes out after him and rams him through the barricade again. Steen bridges a ladder between the ring and barricade and sets up to powerbomb Generico through it, but changes his mind and rams him into the barricade instead, then goes under the ring and pulls out a table. He bashes the table into Generico's head, then sets the table up on top of his ladder bridge, and we're looking at a pretty grim fate here for Mr. Generico. The crowd chants "please don't die" as Steen picks Generico up for a powerbomb inside the ring, but Generico slips out of Steen's grasp and backdrops him over the top rope, through the table and the ladder.
Generico is in a lot of pain, but is with it enough to ask the ring crew to bring a super gigantic huge ladder from the back of the building and out to the ring. I bet something really ugly is about to happen to somebody. Generico sets the ladder up, but he's too far off center and doesn't have time to move it before Steen will get back in, so he gives that up and goes after Steen as he climbs the corner. They fight on the top rope, but Steen gets the upper hand and hits an F5 off the apron and through a ringside table. Generico somehow makes it to his feet and uses the medium ladder to knock Steen off the huge ladder, then sets them up side by side and brings a small ladder into the ring. Steen kicks Generico in the midsection and takes the ladder, nails Generico with it, then bridges it between the medium and huge ladders. Steen powerbombs Generico onto his ladder table, then he starts to climb again. Generico pulls him back down, Steen goes for the package piledriver, but Generico blocks and counters to a package piledriver of his own. Generico has his seventh wind, and he's heading back up the ladder. Steen stops Generico again, drags him down to the ladder table, and punches Generico until his falls backward and lands on his head. Steen brings yet another ladder into the ring, rams it into Generico's face, then slides it into the contraption in the ring to form a second ladder platform over the first one. Steen tries to climb it and grab the ladder, but he's too far down and he has to climb the huge ladder instead. Generico follows him up and the crowd again begs them not to die as they fight on hte upper ladder platform. Steen blocks a brainbuster, then kicks Generico low, hits a package piledriver onto the ladder platform, and Generico's carcass rolls off the side and hits the mat. The crowd starts a holy S chant as Steen climbs the ladder and grabs the belt to retain.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen wins Ladder War IV and defeats Generico once and for all in the process. This was a suitably violent way for their long story to finally come to an end, and the sight of Generico's lifeless form laying on the mat as Steen tears the ladder setup apart with the ROH World Title belt in hand is a great visual to sum up the bleak ending of the Steen-Generico saga.
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Other than a disappointing tag title match, this was a great show with a little something for everyone. Ladder War was the best match on the show, Wolves vs O'Reilly & Fish comes in second, and almost everything else was good to great. Easy thumbs up, and you can find ordering information at www.rohwrestling.com.
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