In Ring of Honors effort to grow and stay relevant in a pro wrestling world dominated by WWE, it has been a battle every step of the way ever since the company opened its doors in 2002.In its early years, as ROH grew in recognition and stature, the company began to make stars who gained worldwide notoriety through DVDs and word of mouth alone. As much as the wrestling itself spoke to fans longing for something different from what WWE had to offer in a post-Extreme Championship Wrestling world, a similar contingent of fans from New York and Philadelphia helped shape the presentation in a way thats served as the bedrock of its foundation.Fourteen years after ROHs debut, The Manhattan Center continues to be one of ?the most important venues in the companys history.Just a few steps away from the mecca that is Madison Square Garden, in the heart of New York City, the two venues inside The Manhattan Center building have seen their fair share of history. On Jan. 11, 1993, the first episode of WWEs Monday Night Raw emanated from The Grand Ballroom, and it later hosted ECW pay-per-views, CM Punks WWE debut and both editions of WWEs ECW One Night Stand.ROH has held more than 20 events between The Grand Ballroom and Hammerstein Ballroom over the years, with the levels of production slowly evolving to a point where the company can take full advantage of the sight lines and production values of the venues. But even as the company grew, cost concerns eventually resulted in the use of other New York venues that ultimately didnt sit well with fans. After several years absence, ROH returned to the Hammerstein Ballroom for its annual Final Battle?show on Friday -- a fitting setting for a show that could ultimately define the next few years for the company.?The 2016 edition of ROHs year-end spectacular was a much-hyped pay-per-view card, and it more than lived up to its high expectations in terms of execution. Over the course of three hours, ROH showcased its two biggest strengths over and over again -- an ability to attract new, up-and-coming stars, and an ability to utilize them in a way that accentuates their strengths, rather than trying to shoehorn them into something theyre less-equipped for.The first half of the show was highlighted by the ROH debut of Cody (sans the Rhodes surname for copyright reasons) against former longtime world champion Jay Lethal. In an omen of things to follow, including an announcement that Cody is the newest member of the Bullet Club, Cody went the opposite way of the feel-good story that he has told for most of his post-WWE run and nailed Lethal with a pair of low blows on his way to victory. Considering his run as Dashing Cody Rhodes represented his peak in terms of creativity and success in the WWE, Codys turning to the dark side is a potentially brilliant development for all parties involved.There was also a nice cross-section of everything a wrestling fan would want from an independent wrestling supershow, including a great (and stunningly serious) match from two of the best comedy wrestlers in the world today, Dalton Castle and Colt Cabana, and an appearance from legendary Japanese star Jushin Thunder Liger.The latter stages of Final Battle were dedicated to four championship matches that spoke volumes of the direction ROH seems to be headed as the calendar turns to 2017. The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia and TK ORyan) -- which is succeeding despite the lofty expectations that accompany a group that used to include Taven, Adam Cole and Mike Bennett?-- became the first ROH six-man tag team champions against a trio of young high flyers in Lio Rush, Jay White and Kushida.One of the show-stealers, to be sure, was an 11-minute three-way match for the ROH world television championship. Englishmen Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay had an incredible showing against Dragon Lee, the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre star. Scurll retained his newly won TV title. Ospreay, just 23, lived up to?every bit of the hype surrounding him.In the penultimate contest of the night, The Young Bucks and The Briscoes had another in a long line of quality showdowns, with The Bucks -- freshly signed to new contracts -- taking it to the eight-time ROH tag team champions on the way to retaining. The match concluded with a fitting send-off to commentator Steve Corino, whos heading down to the WWEs Performance Center as a trainer, and his patented superkick call, as The Young Bucks hit a series of about 20 to win the match.The show wrapped with a much-anticipated main event, as Kyle OReilly finally broke through and beat Cole for the ROH world championship. In a no-disqualification match that included some ridiculous table spots, thumbtacks in the ring, and a submission with a metal chain (to say nothing of the various callbacks to their previous showdowns), OReilly got the star-making moment he has seemed close to in ROH for some time. We wont have to wait long for the rematch, either, as the longtime rivals will square off as part of New Japan Pro Wrestlings Wrestle Kingdom supershow at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Jan. 4.In all, it was a tremendous send-off to a tremendous year for the company, but it left a number of lingering questions hanging in the air.With WWEs recent talent influx, including yet another wave of independent talent (which includes Corino as a trainer), there has been heavy speculation about whether some big-name ROH talent with expiring contracts will make a similar move to the WWE. Its not a new problem for ROH, with almost all of its world champions having eventually moved on, but with the expansion of WWEs cruiserweight division and NXT needing as many capable talents as possible, the next few months could drastically change the look of both companies.Unlike in previous years, however, this season of change for ROH feels different.Re-signing The Young Bucks was a huge step, and there are plenty of positive signs that ROH intends to retain as much of its talent as possible. An agreement with The Manhattan Center, which will see more events returning to Hammerstein Ballroom as soon as March, proves that the resources are there to prevent a complete mass exodus.One thing is clear from watching the company evolve into the Sinclair Broadcasting-helmed entity that it is today: Ring of Honor is not only producing great matches, its telling great stories and building upon its reputation at a sustainable pace. ROH will always face a certain amount of adversity and competition operating in the shadow of the behemoth that is WWE, but by picking its spots and believing completely in its approach, ROH continues to grow and stay relevant.All images courtesy of Ring of Honor Cheap Jerseys . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. China Jerseys . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. https://www.chinasjerseys.com/ . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. China Jerseys 2021 . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. China Jerseys Wholesale . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings.Following a passionate wave of online voting, Canadians across the country have chosen Bridgewater, N.S. as the third winning community in this years Kraft Celebration Tour. As part of the Kraft Celebration Tour, Bridgewater receives $25,000 to put towards upgrading Kinsmen Fields drainage system. Bridgewater will also host a special edition of SPORTSCENTRE featuring anchors Kate Beirness and Rod Smith when they broadcast live from the Nova Scotia community on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. ET on TSN. "Kinsmen Field is vital to keeping the youth of Bridgewater active," said Jack Hewitt, Vice-President, Marketing Insights and Services, Kraft Canada. "Were very pleased to support the town in ensuring that the sports field is well maintained and a hub for the community well into the future." About Bridgewater, N.S.Located just southwest of Halifax, Bridgewater is a thriving town nestled in the heart of the LaHave River Valley. Known as the "Mainstreet of the South Shore", Bridgewater offers a variety of outdoor activities on and off the water. Bridgewater has a population of 8,000 and is the hometown of Olympic runner Jenna Martin and former NHL All-Star Glen Murray. The Kinsmen Field hosts a number of sporting events in Bridgewater, including football, track and field, soccer, rugby, and more. The $25,000 prize money from the Kraft Celebration Tour will go towards installing a proper drainage system at Kinsmen Field. Bridgewater was named to the Kraft Celebration Touur after winning a national, head-to-head online vote over Windsor, N.ddddddddddddS. Bridgewater brought home the victory with 223,430 votes, while Windsor amassed a total of 104,191 votes in support of its nomination. Voting Canadians can decide the other winning communities for the Kraft Celebration Tour over the next two weeks. One pair of communities is featured each weekday through July 19, and Canadians can visit KraftCelebrationTour.ca or Tourneedecelebrationkraft.ca to vote for their favourite communities (see below for match-ups and scheduled voting dates). Voting is unlimited and runs from 12 noon ET each day for a 24-hour period. During the voting period, SPORTSCENTRE on TSN and SPORTS 30 LE MAGAZINE on RDS profile each match-up with a look at the duelling communities and their proposed community projects. Results of each vote will be announced the following weekday on SPORTSCENTRE and SPORTS 30 LE MAGAZINE. The other communities selected as finalists for the Kraft Celebration Tour, along with their match-ups and scheduled voting dates, are as follows:Thursday, July 11 - Invermere, B.C. vs. Pemberton, B.C.Friday, July 12 - Salisbury, N.B. vs. Fredericton, N.B.Monday, July 15 - Vulcan, Alta. vs. Raymond, Alta.Tuesday, July 16 - Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, Que. vs. LAssomption, Que.Wednesday, July 17 - Rocanville, Sask. vs. Esterhazy, Sask.Thursday, July 18 - St. James Town (Toronto) vs. Wilmot, Ont.Friday, July 19 - Dryden, Ont. vs. Fort Frances, Ont. ' ' '