Tony Khan Addresses ROH Final Battle's Afternoon Start Time
Ring of Honor is set to air their next pay-per-view, Final Battle, on December 10, and Tony Khan is using the unique sports and entertainment schedule that day to do a bit of market research. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Khan noted that December 10 is a busy day, featuring a UFC pay-per-view and "WWE NXT" Deadline in the evening, and a college football match-up between the teams from Army and Navy.
"The college football landscape changes on that day, so it's a unique opportunity for us to run in the afternoon and see if there is a market for us," Khan said of the decision to air the pay-per-view in the afternoon against the Army/Navy game. "It's not a typical big-conference college football Saturday. It's a great opportunity for us." ROH Final Battle is set to air at 4 PM ET, with a pre-show starting at 3.
"It will be different for us in the afternoon, but we're excited for it," Khan continued. "We're going to deliver a great show for wrestling fans." No matches have been announced for Final Battle yet, as AEW and ROH are both still building towards their November supershow, Full Gear. It will likely be centered around the fallout from the upcoming four-way ROH World Championship Match at that event. ROH World Champion Chris Jericho is set to defend the title against Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Sammy Guevara. Khan has been running ROH since his deal to acquire it officially closed in May, though Khan announced the purchase in March and even booked ROH's Supercard of Honor pay-per-view in April.