It has been a torrid time for the Blackpool Combat Club in recent weeks but Claudio Castagnoli gave the group a reason to smile again as he reclaimed the ROH World Championship from Chris Jericho at Final Battle.
Problems began in earnest for the group at AEW Full Gear when William Regal seemingly turned his back on the group when he helped MJF defeat Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. Regal was then viciously attacked by MJF using the same brass knucks the English star had equipped MJF with to defeat Moxley.
All of that came amid rumours regarding Regal’s AEW status with Tony Khan since confirming that William Regal will be leaving the company at the end of 2022 to return to WWE – the company that released Regal in January 2022.
On Dynamite, William Regal said his betrayal of Moxley was the final lesson for the group that no longer needed him and added that he was “Blackpool Combat Club until the day I die.”
Claudio Castagnoli is now a 2-time ROH World Champion
At Final Battle, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta both had the opportunity to put the past few nightmarish weeks behind them as they battled Jericho Appreciation Society opposition with championship gold on the line.
Wheeler Yuta got the ball rolling for the BCC when he defeated Daniel Garcia to become a two-time ROH Pure Champion but even better was to come in the main event when Claudio Castagnoli went one-on-one with The Ocho Chris Jericho. Not only was the ROH Title on the line but if Castagnoli lost he would be forced to join sports entertainment enthusiasts, The JAS.
Thankfully for the Blackpool Combat Club, their foursome remains intact as Castagnoli picked up the victory over Jericho in a unique fashion. Castagnoli trapped Jericho in his giant swing and the Swiss star kept spinning and spinning until shockingly Jericho tapped out.
Wheeler Yuta came out afterwards to celebrate Castagnoli’s victory as did former ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn as the honor was put back into ROH.