12 Biggest Stories From Ring Of Honor's Final Battle - And What They Mean For 2019

12. Zack Sabre Jr. Debuts And Beats Jonathan Gresham

Zack Sabre Jr’s noteworthy 2018 wrapped up in Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom with an impressive win. Come 4 January, the British superstar will challenge for the RevPro title against Tomohiro Ishii, but Friday night saw his Ring Of Honor debut. It was no easy night for the technical wizard however, as he met the equally skilled Jonathan Gresham who has scored impressive victories this year -- even challenging for Jay Lethal’s World title in April.

When the bell rang, the two immediately began countering each other -- neither man able to gain a strong advantage. The World of Sport-style classic of traditional catch wrestling eventually devolved into hard-hitting strikes. Repeated slaps led to a trickle of blood from Gresham’s mouth. In the final moments, he looked to defeat Sabre with his own signature bridging pin, but was blocked before Sabre executed one of his own.

While Jonathan Gresham has a high ceiling in Ring Of Honor, Final Battle saw him held down by the debuting ZSJ. Sabre's breakout year saw him capture the New Japan Cup among other highlights, and perhaps now he will also ascend through Ring of Honor's ranks toward championship gold.