Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.[1][2][3][4]
ROH logo used since 2022 | |
| Ring of Honor | |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Streaming media |
| Founded | February 23, 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Founder | Rob Feinstein |
| Headquarters | 1 EverBank Stadium Drive, |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Tony Khan (President) Cary Silkin (Ambassador) |
| Products | Television Live events Pay-per-view Merchandise Home video Video-on-demand Streaming network service |
| Owner | Tony Khan |
| Parent | RF Video (2002–2004) Sinclair Broadcast Group (2011–2022) |
| Divisions | Honor Club |
| Website | ringofhonor |
Throughout the 2010s, ROH was considered the third largest wrestling promotion in the United States, behind WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, initially operating largely on an internet distribution model.[5][6][7] Under Sinclair's ownership, ROH began talent-sharing deals with wrestling companies outside the U.S., expanded their television visibility through Sinclair's broadcast stations, and eventually established its own streaming service in 2018 called Honor Club.[8][9][10] But 2019 saw the creation and subsequent rise of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which was formed with large financial backing, secured a major U.S. television deal, and had the ability to run major arenas, thus causing ROH's popularity to decrease.[11][12] After a deal was struck in March 2022, ROH was officially sold to AEW founder, co-owner, president and CEO Tony Khan two months later.[13][14][15]
History edit
2002–2011: Formation and early years edit
In April 2001, the pro wrestling video-distribution company RF Video needed a new promotion to lead its video sales when its best-seller – Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) – went out of business and WWE purchased its assets. RF Video also videotaped events held by other, less-popular, regional wrestling promotions; it sold these through its catalog and website. After months of trying to join Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), RF Video's owner, Rob Feinstein, decided to fill the ECW void by starting his own pro wrestling promotion, and distributing its made-for-DVD/VHS productions exclusively through RF Video.[16] The first event, titled The Era of Honor Begins, took place on February 23, 2002, in Philadelphia, the former home area of ECW. It featured nine matches, including a match between Eddy Guerrero and Super Crazy for the IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and a triple threat match between Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson, and Low Ki (who would become known as the "founding fathers of ROH").[citation needed] In its first year of operation, Ring of Honor confined itself to staging live events in a limited number of venues and cities – primarily in the northeastern United States. Ten shows ran in Philadelphia, two in Wakefield, Massachusetts; one in metro Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and, one in Queens, New York.[citation needed] In 2003, ROH expanded to other areas of the United States, including Ohio, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland.[citation needed] In Florida, ROH supported Full Impact Pro, which would serve as a sister promotion until 2009.[17] It also began to build its international identity by co-promoting an event with Frontier Wrestling Alliance in London, England on May 17, 2003.[18]
In 2004, Feinstein was caught in an internet-based sting operation, in which he allegedly tried to solicit sex on the internet from a person that he thought to be an underage boy (but was actually an adult, posing as a minor). After this was publicized by some news outlets, Feinstein resigned from ROH in March 2004.[19][20] In the aftermath of the scandal, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) ended its talent-sharing agreement with Ring of Honor, abruptly withdrawing all of its contracted wrestlers from their prior commitments to perform in ROH shows—including major ROH draws A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels, who each either held or were about to hold ROH championships.[21] Doug Gentry eventually bought Feinstein's stake in ROH, and later sold it to Cary Silkin.[22] ROH then started its own mail-order and online store operations, which sold DVDs of its live events, plus shoot interviews (dubbed The Straight Shootin' Series) with wrestlers and managers, DVDs of SHIMMER (which would serve as a second sister promotion from 2005 to 2010) and even some merchandise from competitors, such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Under Silkin, ROH branched out across the world.[23]
On January 23, 2007, ROH announced plans for a Japanese tour, resulting in a show on July 16 in Tokyo called "Live In Tokyo", co-promoted with Pro Wrestling Noah and a show on July 17 called "Live In Osaka" in Osaka co-promoted with Dragon Gate.[24]
On May 2, 2007, Ring of Honor announced the signing of a PPV and VOD deal with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment to bring ROH into homes with In Demand Networks, TVN, and the Dish Network. The deal called for six taped pay-per-view events to air every 60 days.[25] Because of the move to pay-per-view, TNA Wrestling immediately pulled its contracted stars (Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, and Homicide) from ROH shows.[26] The first pay-per-view, titled "Respect is Earned", taped on May 12, first aired on July 1 on Dish Network.[27]
Ring of Honor continued to expand throughout 2008, debuting in Orlando, Florida on March 28 for Dragon Gate Challenge II, in Manassas, Virginia on May 9 for Southern Navigation and in Toronto, Ontario on July 25 for Northern Navigation. On May 10, 2008, Ring of Honor set an attendance record in its debut show, A New Level, from the Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center in New York City.[28] It had plans for shows in St. Louis, Missouri, Nashville, Tennessee, and Montreal before the end of 2008.[29] On October 26, 2008, the company announced the departure of head booker Gabe Sapolsky, and his replacement by Adam Pearce.[30]
On January 26, 2009, Ring of Honor announced that it had signed an agreement with HDNet Fights for a weekly television program.[31][32] The first tapings for Ring of Honor Wrestling took place on February 28 and March 1, 2009, at The Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[33] and series premiered on HDNet on March 21, 2009. After nearly a year of producing weekly television broadcasts, RoH announced on January 20, 2010, that it would commission a new title, the ROH World Television Championship, to be decided in an eight-man tournament beginning February 5, 2010, and ending February 6, 2010, on its Ring of Honor Wrestling program.[34] Due to a blizzard, however, the second half of the tournament did not take place until March 5, 2010, when Eddie Edwards defeated Davey Richards in the finals.[35][36]
On August 15, 2010, Ring of Honor fired head booker Adam Pearce and replaced him with Hunter Johnston, who wrestles for the company under the ring name Delirious.[37] On September 8, 2010, Ring of Honor and Ohio Valley Wrestling announced a working relationship between the two companies.[38]
On January 11, 2011, Ring of Honor announced the ending of Ring of Honor Wrestling, after the completion of the promotion's two-year contract with HDNet. The final tapings of the show would be taking place on January 21 and 22, with the final episode airing on April 4, 2011.[39][40]
2011–2019: Acquisition by Sinclair and expansion edit
On May 21, 2011, Ring of Honor and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that the broadcast carrier had purchased ROH, with former owner Cary Silkin remaining with the company in an executive role. The promotion's programming began airing the weekend of September 24, 2011, with a relaunched Ring of Honor Wrestling airing on several Sinclair owned-or-operated stations; the show airs primarily on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or late nights, or on prime time on some of Sinclair's CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates (as those networks do not run programming on weekend evenings).[13][41]
On June 22, Ring of Honor held their first live pay-per-view event,[42] Best in the World, from the Nashville State Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee. In September, Sinclair began syndicating ROH to other stations; the first deal was reached with WATL, a Gannett-owned Atlanta station, which began airing ROH on September 13, 2014.[43]
On October 27, 2014, ROH announced a toy licensing deal with Figures Toy Company, which would see the distribution of action figures based on the Ring of Honor wrestlers, replica title belts and more.[44]
On May 27, 2015, ROH announced a 26-week television deal with Destination America, beginning on June 3.[45]
On December 13, 2015, ROH announced a partnership with Southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), which would allow ROH contracted wrestlers to continue working for PWG.[46] On August 30, 2016, ROH announced the creation of a new title, the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. The inaugural champions were crowned in December.[47]
On November 9, 2017, ROH COO Joe Koff announced that ROH would be developing an OTT streaming service, similar to WWE Network and Impact Wrestling's Global Wrestling Network.[48] The service, Honor Club, would be unveiled on February 2, 2018, and launch on February 19. At Final Battle 2017, on December 15, 2017, ROH announced the creation of the Women of Honor Championship, adding its fifth championship and the first for its female roster.[49]
On September 1, 2018, ROH wrestlers Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) promoted and wrestled at All In – an event that was produced in collaboration with ROH, featuring wrestlers from numerous promotions that drew over 11,000 fans in suburban Chicago. This was the first U.S. pro wrestling event not promoted by WWE or the defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to reach the 10,000 attendance mark since the 1990s. Also in 2018, ROH and longtime partner New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced a joint event at Madison Square Garden in New York City called G1 Supercard, which was held on April 6, 2019. The event quickly sold out, and became the biggest and most attended event in ROH history.[50]
2019–2021: Departures, effects of COVID-19, and hiatus edit
In early 2019, Rhodes, the Bucks, and several other talents left the company to start their own promotion – All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The departure of Ring of Honor's top talent for AEW was viewed by many wrestling journalists and commenters as the beginning of a decline for the promotion in 2019.[51][52] Much of the criticism focused on the reign of then-ROH World Champion Matt Taven.[51][53] ROH had fewer PPV buys and a reduced live show attendance that year.[54][55] According to Dave Meltzer, ROH's average live show attendance in 2019 was 1,082—lower than its averages in 2018 and 2017.[56] In October 2019, ROH producer/road agent Joey Mercury resigned in protest, criticizing ROH for a lack of creative direction as well as having no concussion protocol for wrestlers. Mercury would reveal that ROH allowed then-Women of Honor champion Kelly Klein to wrestle after suffering a concussion during an October 26, 2019, event.[57] Klein sought medical treatment after suffering post-concussion-syndrome symptoms. She would not be booked for the rest of the year and her contract would expire in December.[58][59]
In January 2020, Ring of Honor re-signed Marty Scurll; the deal was said to be the most lucrative in ROH history. In addition to being a wrestler, Scurll was also made head booker, working with longtime booker Hunter "Delirious" Johnston. Scurll's deal allowed him to continue to make appearances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance, where he began a cross-promotional feud with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis.[60][61][62][63] However, during the Speaking Out Movement, Scurll was accused of taking advantage of a 16-year-old girl who was inebriated. Scurll would release two statements in which he did not deny the allegations, but claimed the encounter was consensual.[64] On June 25, the promotion announced that they launched an investigation concerning the allegations,[65] and Scurll was removed from his position as booker.[66] By January 2021, Ring of Honor announced that Marty Scurll was no longer under contract after the two parties mutually agreed to part ways.[67]
On January 31, 2020, Ring of Honor announced the return of the ROH Pure Championship, with a tournament to crown the first Pure champion since 2006. The following month, the promotion announced another tournament to crown a new ROH Women's World Championship, following the deactivation of the Women of Honor World Championship title.[68][69] However, in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Ring of Honor would postpone live events beginning in March.[70][71]
Television tapings for Ring of Honor Wrestling would resume in August at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (formerly known as the UMBC Event Center) from the promotion's homebase in Maryland but without fans in attendance.[72][73] New episodes would begin syndication on September 12, with a revamped format, and the beginning of the Pure title tournament.[74][75] Ten days prior, Ring of Honor launched a Free ad-supported television (FAST) channel on the Sinclair-owned streaming service Stirr called "ROH Best On The Planet".[73][76] Final Battle would be the promotion's sole pay-per-view event in 2020, while live audiences would return on July 11, 2021, at Best in the World.[73]
On October 27, 2021, Ring of Honor announced that it would go on a hiatus after Final Battle in December, with a return tentatively scheduled for April 2022. All personnel would also be released from their contracts as part of plans to "reimagine" the company as a "fan-focused product".[77][78][79][80] In the interim, the men's and woman's championships were defended at events held by various other promotions, including Impact Wrestling and Jonathan Gresham's new Terminus promotion.[81][82][83]
2022–present: Relaunch and Tony Khan's ownership edit
On January 10, 2022, ROH announced that Supercard of Honor XV would take place at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, on April 1.[84][85][86] These matches will also be seen on Ring of Honor Wrestling. In addition, its been said that Ring of Honor would operate "like an indie", using non-contracted talent.[87]
On the March 2 episode of All Elite Wrestling's live weekly series Dynamite, president and co-founder Tony Khan announced that he had purchased Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group, including its brand assets, intellectual property, and video library.[88] Khan also announced that he intends to make the ROH library available to the public in its entirety. It was clarified through a press release issued that night that the acquisition was made through an entity separate from AEW and wholly-owned by Khan.[14][89] In a media scrum following AEW's Revolution PPV on March 6, Khan revealed that he eventually planned to run ROH separately from AEW, and also indicated that ROH could be used as a developmental brand for AEW.[90]
On April 1 at Supercard of Honor XV, the first ROH event after the hiatus, Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido in the main event to unify the ROH World Championship, and numerous other ROH titles changed hands.[91] The event also saw the return of former ROH champion, and recently inducted ROH Hall of Famer, Samoa Joe.[92]
On May 4, the sale of ROH to Tony Khan was officially completed.[93] ROH matches began appearing on AEW programs, and Death Before Dishonor was the first ROH PPV under the new ownership. On December 10, after Final Battle, Khan announced that ROH's weekly televised program will be aired on the relaunched Honor Club streaming platform, starting in 2023.[94]
On January 18, 2023, a special episode was taped for Honor Club which served as a tribute show to ROH mainstay Jay Briscoe, who had been killed in a car accident the day before.[95][96]
On February 25 and 26, new episodes of the relaunched Ring of Honor Wrestling program were taped at Soundstage 21 in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. On March 2, the weekly series began to air exclusively through Honor Club.[97][98][99]
On December 16, 2023 of Ring of Honor's tapings Tony Khan debuted the ROH Women's World Television Championship.[100]
Features edit
Code of Honor edit
ROH distinguishes its image from other wrestling promotions through the "Code of Honor", a set of rules dictating how wrestlers should conduct themselves during matches. The Code of Honor aimed to infuse Ring of Honor's matches with a feel similar to Japanese professional wrestling.[101]
When the promotion began, the Code of Honor included five "Laws" mentioned at some point during each ROH production. ROH considered it a moral requirement to follow these rules, which usually appeared in the following order:
- You must shake hands before and after every match
- No outside interference
- No sneak attacks
- No harming the officials
- Any action resulting in a disqualification violates the Code of Honor
This initial Code of Honor (COH) (especially its first three rules) helped heels get over more quickly than in other promotions. The first rule applied especially to Christopher Daniels, whom the promotion pushed as its first major heel. Daniels and his faction, The Prophecy, rejected the Code of Honor and refused to shake anyone's hand. The fourth and fifth rules emphasized the finishes of ROH matches – the vast majority of which ended decisively (with clean pinfalls, submissions, or knockouts) – unlike what most rival promotions at the time did. On the rare occasion that a match did end with outside interference, with a "ref bump", or with some other traditional heel scenario, the live audiences reacted much more negatively than rival promotions' live audiences. In ROH's early days, on-air commentators even suggested (within kayfabe) that getting disqualified in a match may result in that wrestler never appearing in ROH again.
In early 2004, ROH's booker at the time, Gabe Sapolsky, began to feel that the Code of Honor had run its course.[102] As a result, wrestlers no longer had to follow it.
The Code of Honor eventually re-appeared – revamped – as the following three rules:
- Shake hands before and after the match if you respect your opponent
- Keep the playing-field level
- Respect the officials
Future of Honor edit
Future of Honor (FOH) is a series of events featuring the promotion's young wrestlers and trainees from the ROH Dojo.[104][103][105] The term "Future of Honor" is additionally used by the promotion to refer to their young wrestlers and graduates from the dojo system (regardless of gender).
Women of Honor edit
The ROH Women of Honor (WOH) division began in 2002, with women's wrestlers sporadically appearing on ROH events until the division was reformed into a permanent feature of the promotion in 2015. The term "Women of Honor" is additionally used by the promotion to refer to their female wrestlers and other female talent. The current top championship in the Women of Honor division is the ROH Women's World Championship. Previous women's championships used by ROH include the Women of Honor World Championship, the Shimmer Championship, and the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.[106][107][108]
ROH Dojo edit
ROH also runs a professional wrestling school. Originally named the "ROH Wrestling Academy", and based in Bristol, Pennsylvania, ROH announced in July 2016 that the following month it was re-opening the school as the "ROH Dojo" in Baltimore, Maryland.[109] Delirious operates as the head trainer of the school with Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara as his assistants.[109] Previous head trainers of the academy include former ROH World Champions CM Punk, Austin Aries, and Bryan Danielson. From 2005 to 2008, ROH used a "Top of the Class" trophy to promote the students on the main show; while wrestlers win and lose the Trophy in matches, the School's head trainer chooses the winners.
ROH Hall of Fame edit
On January 26, 2022, the ROH Hall of Fame was introduced inducting the company's first four Hall of Famers plus one due to one induction being a ROH tag team.[110]
"Proving Ground" matches edit
As part of ROH's re-launch the promotion added a new contest: the "Proving Ground" match. The match features an up-and-coming star against a seasoned professional who is a title-holder. If the up-and-coming star can defeat, or at least last 10 minutes with, the seasoned professional, the newcomer would earn a future title shot. To date, no newcomer has managed to do so.[111]
International partnerships edit
Throughout its history, Ring of Honor has had working agreements with various domestic and international wrestling promotions at different times. ROH shows have had outside championships defended on them and on some occasions, wrestlers have held both ROH and outside championships simultaneously.
In February 2014, ROH and NJPW announced a working relationship which would see talent exchanges and dual events between the two promotions. The first co-promoted shows Global Wars and War of the Worlds, took place in May 2014, in Toronto and New York City respectively,[112] with the two companies again co-promoting these events in May 2015 – with the War of the Worlds '15 taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on May 12 and 13, and the Global Wars '15 event in Toronto on May 15 and 16.[113] As part of the relationship with NJPW, ROH announced it would promote two shows, entitled Honor Rising: Japan 2016, in Tokyo in February 2016.[114]
On August 10, 2016, Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) officially announced a working relationship with ROH. The two promotions were linked through their separate partnerships with NJPW.[115] Their alliance ended on April 27, 2021.[116]
In February 2017, ROH began a partnership with Japanese women's promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom.[117]
In August 2017, ROH partnered with United Kingdom promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW), producing joint events such as War of the Worlds UK.[118]
In 2018, ROH entered into a partnership with the independent promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).
In 2019, Maryland based independent promotion MCW Pro Wrestling was made an affiliate of ROH, serving as an additional training ground for ROH recruits.[119]
Championships and accomplishments edit
As of December 19, 2023
Current champions edit
- Men's division
Singles
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROH World Championship | Eddie Kingston | 1 | September 20, 2023 | 90 | New York, New York | Defeated Claudio Castagnoli at Dynamite: Grand Slam in a Winner Takes All match with Kingston's NJPW Strong Openweight Championship also at stake. | [120] | |
| ROH World Television Championship | Kyle Fletcher | 1 | December 15, 2023 | 4 | Garland, Texas | Defeated Bryan Keith, Dalton Castle, Komander, Lee Johnson, and Lee Moriarty in a six-way elimination match at Final Battle to win the vacant title. | [121] | |
| ROH Pure Championship | Wheeler Yuta | 3 | November 25, 2023 | 24 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Defeated Katsuyori Shibata at Rampage. | [122] | |
Tag Team
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROH World Tag Team Championship | | Better Than You Bay Bay (MJF and Adam Cole) | 1 | August 27, 2023 | 114 | London, England | Defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) at All In: Zero Hour. | |
| ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | | Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona) | 2 (2, 3, 2) | November 1, 2023 | 48 | Louisville, Kentucky | Defeated The Elite ("Hangman" Adam Page and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)) at Dynamite. | [120] |
- Women's division
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROH Women's World Championship | Athena | 1 | December 10, 2022 | 374 | Arlington, Texas | Defeated Mercedes Martinez at Final Battle. | [120] | |
| ROH Women's World Television Championship | TBD | On December 16, 2023 Tony Khan unveiled a new ROH TV Women's title. | [100] | |||||
Retired championships edit
Other accomplishments edit
| Accomplishment | Current winner(s) | Date won | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survival of the Fittest | Bandido | N/A | Baltimore, Maryland | Ring of Honor Wrestling The episode aired on June 26, 2021, but the exact date the episode took place is unknown, as ROH held empty arena tapings in the first half of 2021 after coming back from a five month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Honor Rumble | Alex Zayne | September 12, 2021 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Death Before Dishonor XVIII (Preshow) |
Marquee events edit
Current edit
Former edit
- All Star Extravaganza
- Best in the World
- Bound By Honor
- Glory By Honor
- Honor Reigns Supreme
- Honor United
- ROH Anniversary Show
Supershows with NJPW edit
Supershows with CMLL edit
Tournaments edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Welcome". Sinclair Broadcast Group. from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Former ROH Owner Cary Silkin Alleges CM Punk Offered To Buy Company". Bodyslam.net. December 23, 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 23, 2020). "Cary Silkin Claims CM Punk Texted Him About Purchasing ROH In 2010". Fightful. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Dominguez, Noah (October 28, 2020). "Ring of Honor Going on Hiatus After December PPV". CBR.com. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (April 2, 2010). "Wrestling's ROH leans toward Internet PPV". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
In 2007, the third-largest U.S. wrestling promotion (behind market leader World Wrestling Entertainment and TNA)
- ^ Korderas, Jimmy (2013). The Three Count: My Life in Stripes As a WWE Referee. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1770410848. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
Ring of Honor is considered the number three wrestling promotion in the United States
- ^ McNeill, Pat (June 22, 2014). "Feels Like The First Time: McNEILL previews ROH Best In The World 2014 on pay-per-view!". pwtorch.com. from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
Before Ring of Honor the "number three promotion" in North America was the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (June 19, 2017). "June 19, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather on, Okada/Omega classic, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 6. ISSN 1083-9593.
Okada's next title defense will be on 7/1 in Long Beach against Cody ... There is a very good chance that Cody will be winning the ROH title from Christopher Daniels ... If he does ... that creates the unique situation of the world champion of Japan's No. 1 organization against the world champion of the (very distant) No. 2 organization in the U.S.
- ^ "Ring Of Honor Plans Streaming Service, Possible Tour Expansion". November 9, 2017. from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
Ring of Honor is undeniably WWE's chief competitor.
- ^ "ROH announces streaming service similar to WWE Network with live events, archives, and live PPV access". pwtorch.com. February 2, 2018. from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
Although there aren't comparable metrics, at some point since TNA Impact Wrestling left Spike TV and ROH continued to stabilize itself with the Sinclair partnership and New Japan relationship, ROH easily became the no. 2 pro wrestling company based in North America, behind only WWE – although by a big distance.
- ^ Silverstein, Adam (May 15, 2019). "AEW TV deal: Weekly show to air live on TNT with Turner also streaming pay-per-views". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Fiorvanti, Tim (May 31, 2019). "June 3, 2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Double or Nothing Review". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (May 21, 2011). "ROH Breaking News: Ring of Honor sold – ROH announces official sale of the promotion; new television distribution". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Raimondi, Marc (March 2, 2022). "Tony Khan, AEW CEO and son of Jaguars owner, acquires wrestling promotion Ring of Honor". ESPN. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Rueter, Sean (March 2, 2022). "Tony Khan's HUGE announcement is... he bought ROH!". Cageside Seats.
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Ring Of Honor". WhatCulture. April 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "5 things you did not know about Daniel Bryan". Sportskeeda. January 6, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Ring of Honor Wrestling Results Ring of Honor/Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontiers of Honor". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Crisis rocks RoH". March 4, 2004. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
Robert Feinstein announced today that he is leaving Ring of Honor Inc.
- ^ "Rob Feinstein: Five Years Later". March 7, 2009. from the original on December 16, 2010.
- ^ "2004 a year of triumph for Ring of Honor". SLAM! Sports. February 16, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
The company took another setback when TNA pulled their contracted talent off of all RoH shows.
- ^ "2004 a year of triumph for Ring of Honor". February 16, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
"Fortunately, Cary Silkin, who is now the 100% owner of ROH, was saving us at that point," Sapolsky said.
- ^ . Rohwrestling.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "Newswire for the week of January 21". January 23, 2007. from the original on May 15, 2012.
Ring of Honor will be headed to Japan in July for two shows
- ^ "ROHwrestling.com". May 3, 2007. from the original on September 28, 2011.
International Wrestling Phenomenon Ring of Honor Inks Stateside Television Deals
- ^ "Wrestling Observer". May 3, 2007. from the original on May 5, 2007.
TNA has pulled all talent from both RoH and PWG
- ^ "International Wrestling Phenomenon Ring of Honor Inks Stateside Television Deals". May 2, 2007. from the original on May 4, 2007.
- ^ Goozie, John (July 5, 2008). "Death by Midwest: Ring of Honor". 411mania. from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ^ "Nigel McGuinness is Genuine". November 7, 2008. from the original on January 24, 2009.
- ^ "Ring of Honor Announcement: October 26, 2008". October 26, 2008. from the original on April 18, 2012.
Ring of Honor is announcing that Gabe Sapolsky will be leaving the company effective immediately. Everybody at RoH would like to thank him for his contributions and wish him well in all future endeavors.
- ^ Clevett, Jason (January 26, 2009). "Ring of Honor signs deal with HDNET". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "HDNet Fights Announces Partnership with Ring of Honor". January 26, 2009. from the original on March 4, 2012.
- ^ "Recent News". ROH Wrestling. from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ . Ring of Honor. January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ . Ring of Honor. February 10, 2010. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
Night two of the taping wasn't as fortunate, as nearly 29 inches of snow in an 18-hour period and power outages shut us down, but we will return to the Arena on March 5 and 6 to tape once again.
- ^ Caldwell, James (March 5, 2010). "ROH News: Ring of Honor determines first RoH TV champion tonight, A look at the new title belt". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ Caldwell, James (August 16, 2010). "ROH News: Ring of Honor removes head booker, replaces with head trainer at wrestling school". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ^ Caldwell, James (September 9, 2010). "ROH/OVW News: Jim Cornette announced as new OVW matchmaker; "working relationship" announced between RoH & OVW". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
- ^ Martin, Adam (January 11, 2011). . WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Caldwell, James (January 12, 2011). "ROH News: ROH losing weekly TV show on HDNet, ROH producer blogs on the news & ROH's TV future". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Caldwell, James (June 14, 2011). "ROH News: Full ROH press conference Friday – start date for new TV show, Internet PPV news & notes (w/Video)". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 17, 2014). "Ring of Honor announces the move to traditional PPV". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Sinclair Sets First Syndie Deal For Ring of Honor," September 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine from TVNewsCheck, September 9, 2014
- ^ "New ROH Action Figures Coming From Figures Toy Company | ROH Wrestling". April 16, 2019.
- ^ Mirabella, Lorraine (August 5, 2015). "Sinclair Broadcast exceeds second-quarter profit forecasts". Baltimore Sun. from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James (December 13, 2015). "ROH announces agreement with PWG; New Japan included?". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (August 30, 2016). "ROH adding six man tag team championship, tournament kicks off at October PPV". Pro Wrestling Insider. from the original on September 3, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ "Ring Of Honor Plans Streaming Service, Possible Tour Expansion". November 9, 2017. from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "Ring of Honor announces a Women of Honor championship". Cageside Seats. from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "ROH/NJPW Present "G1 Supercard" – LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!". www.rohwrestling.com. July 12, 2018.
- ^ a b "IMPACT'S STUDIO SHOW, ROH'S FUTURE, GOLDBERG & GOLDBERGS, HOW A COMMENT MADE ON THE RECORD WORKS AND MORE | PWInsider.com".
- ^ "9/27 Powell's ROH Death Before Dishonor review: Matt Taven vs. Rush for the ROH World Championship, The Briscoes vs. Mark Haskins and Bandido for the ROH Tag Titles, Kelly Klein vs. Angelina Love for the WOH Title, Shane Taylor vs. Tracy Williams vs. Flip Gordon for the ROH TV Title - Pro Wrestling Dot Net". Prowrestling.net. September 27, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ "9/27 Powell's ROH Death Before Dishonor review: Matt Taven vs. Rush for the ROH World Championship, the Briscoes vs. Mark Haskins and Bandido for the ROH Tag Titles, Kelly Klein vs. Angelina Love for the WOH Title, Shane Taylor vs. Tracy Williams vs. Flip Gordon for the ROH TV Title". September 27, 2019.
- ^ "Buyrate Said To Be Low For ROH Death Before Dishonor | 411MANIA".
- ^ "Csonka's ROH Death Before Dishonor 2019 Preview | 411MANIA".
- ^ "Average 2019 Attendances: AEW Tops Out (With Caveat), MLW Has Biggest Year Yet | 411MANIA".
- ^ "Joey Mercury carga contra el Mánager General de ROH tras su salida de la empresa | Solowrestling".
- ^ "ROH decide no renovar el contrato de Kelly Klein | Solowrestling".
- ^ Tufayel Ahmed, "Ring of Honor Wrestling Champion Kelly Klein Spoke Out About Wrestlers' Safety—Then She Lost Her Job", Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- ^ MARTY SCURLL RE-SIGNS WITH ROH, JOINS BOOKING TEAM
- ^ UPDATED: Marty Scurll Confirmed to Take Over Booking With New ROH Contract
- ^ Andy H. Murray, "Marty Scurll Signs ROH Contract To Become Head Booker", WhatCulture, Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- ^ MacDonald, Josiah (December 14, 2019). "NWA Into the Fire Live results: Nick Aldis vs. James Storm". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
- ^ Nason, Josh (June 24, 2020). "Marty Scurll releases new statement on sexual allegations". Figure Four Online. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (June 25, 2020). "ROH launches investigation into accusations made against talent". Figure Four Online. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Two names removed from ring of honor website roster and more roh notes | PWInsider.com".
- ^ Marty Scurll Departs from Ring of Honor
- ^ "ROH bringing back Pure title, tournament to begin in April". Figure Four Online. January 31, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH holding tournament to crown new Women's Champion.html". Figure Four Online. February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH cancels all shows through end of May". Figure Four Online. March 17, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH cancels all shows scheduled for June". Figure Four Online. May 1, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH returning to television production this month". Figure Four Online. August 11, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c "ROH Best In The World to be held in front of fans". Figure Four Online. May 17, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH Pure title tournament to begin airing weekend of September 12". Figure Four Online. August 28, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "9/11 ROH TV REPORT_ Back with first new content since pandemic hiatus, Pure Title Tournament begins with Lethal vs. Castle, Gresham vs. Yuta". Pro Wrestling Torch. September 18, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "ROH launches 24_7 digital network on STIRR, future distribution planned". Figure Four Online. September 2, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ @davemeltzerWON (October 27, 2021). "ROH released everyone from contracts, more to come" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (October 27, 2021). "ROH not renewing talent contracts following hiatus announcement". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 27, 2021). "ROH Halting Live Events For First Quarter Of 2022 To 'Reimagine' The Promotion". Fightful. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 27, 2021). "ROH Talent Contracts Won't Be Renewed At The End Of 2021, Contracted Talent Will Still Be Paid". Fightful. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Jonathan Gresham-Josh Alexander ROH title match set for Terminus, F4WON, December 29, 2021
- ^ IMPACT Wrestling Staff (December 23, 2021). "ROH World Title to be Defended in IMPACT for First-Time Ever as Jonathan Gresham Takes On Chris Sabin at Hard To Kill". Impact Wrestling. from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (December 31, 2021). "Purrazzo set for January Impact matches against Martinez, Rok-C". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "ROH Presents Supercard Of Honor On April 1 In Dallas-Fort Worth". ROHWrestling.com. Sinclair Broadcasting. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Jeremy Lambert (January 10, 2022). "ROH Announces Date And Venue For Supercard Of Honor". Fightful. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ ROH Staff (January 10, 2022). "ROH PRESENTS SUPERCARD OF HONOR ON APRIL 1 IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH". ROH Wrestling. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Ring of Honor to focus on three titles as part of relaunch". F4WON. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Konuwa, Alfred (March 2, 2022). "Tony Khan Announces Purchase Of Ring Of Honor". Forbes. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Gunier, Robert (March 2, 2022). "AEW And Tony Khan Release Official Statement On ROH Purchase". Forbes. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Sean Reuter (March 7, 2022). "Tony Khan talks ROH plans, William Regal's role in AEW". Cageside Seats. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Faria, Colby (April 1, 2022). "ROH Supercard of Honor XV Results: Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido For The Undisputed ROH World Title + More!". Fightful. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Taylor Sanchez (April 1, 2022). "SAMOA JOE RETURNS TO ROH AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR". WrestleTalk TV. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "Tony Khan Reveals the Sale of ROH Has Officially Closed". May 5, 2022.
- ^ Conway, Tyler (December 11, 2022). "AEW's Tony Khan Announces Ring of Honor Weekly TV Shows Will Stream on HonorClub". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Tessler, Colin (January 18, 2023). "ROH Jay Briscoe Celebration Of Life Spoilers (Taped On 1/18)". Fightful.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (January 18, 2023). "AEW to tape ROH Jay Briscoe tribute show following Dynamite". Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Rumsey, Connel (February 26, 2023). "First Look at ROH Television Set Ahead of Tapings". WrestleTalk. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (February 25, 2023). "Ring Of Honor Spoilers From Orlando, Florida (Taped On 2/25)". Fightful. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (February 26, 2023). "Ring Of Honor Spoilers From Orlando, Florida (Taped On 2/26)". Fightful. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Wilkinson, Nick. "Tony Khan Unveils New ROH Women's TV Title". Www.diva-dirt.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Ring Of Honor". WhatCulture. April 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "2004 a year of triumph for Ring of Honor". February 16, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
At the time I was really hating the 'Code of Honor'.
- ^ a b "Future of Honor: The Boys vs The Dawgs". ROH Wrestling / YouTube.com. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "Future of Honor: The Rebellion vs Cheeseburger, Will Ferrara, and Gedo". ROH Wrestling/ YouTube.com. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
- ^ "Future of Honor: Elijah King vs Andy Dalton". ROH Wrestling / YouTube.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ^ "The First Women's Match in ROH History! Sumie Sakai vs Simply Luscious: FULL MATCH". ROH Wrestling / YouTube.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Sara Del Rey - On Divas, Models, and Wrestling". ROH Wrestling/ YouTube.com. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ "WOH Wednesday: Sara Del Rey & Serena Deeb vs Ayumi Kurihara & Matsumoto". ROH Wrestling / YouTube.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (July 14, 2016). "ROH re-opening wrestling school as "ROH Dojo"". Pro Wrestling Torch. from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "ROH announces their new Hall of Fame, with four mystery entrants". January 26, 2022.
- ^ Atkins, Jake. "Proving Ground Matches Set For ROH TV". Cultaholic.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "ROH AND NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING TO PRESENT 2 SUPER SHOWS THIS MAY". ROH Wrestling. from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ . www.rohwrestling.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015.
- ^ "ROH, New Japan to extend relationship in 2016 with more shows, more talent". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. August 21, 2015. from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (August 10, 2016). "ROH-CMLL update, new name for November UK tour and more news". Pro Wrestling Insider. from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ @CMLL_OFICIAL (April 27, 2021). "📢 📄 COMUNICADO OFICIAL El Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre informa que a partir del día de hoy, la alianzaestratégica…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ring of Honor Conducting the First Ever Women of Honor Tryout Camp". Ring of Honor. February 16, 2017. from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ "Ring of Honor Conducting the First Ever Women of Honor Tryout Camp". Ring of Honor. February 16, 2017. from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ "ROH Launches Developmental System, Announces First Signees". www.rohwrestling.com. April 2, 2019.
- ^ a b c Powell, Jason (December 10, 2022). "ROH Final Battle results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a Double Dog Collar match for the ROH Tag Team Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena for the ROH Women's Title, Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Berman IV, Ross W (November 8, 2023). "Samoa Joe Vacates ROH TV Title On AEW Dynamite In Preparation For World Title Pursuit". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Don, Murphy (November 25, 2023). "AEW Rampage results (11/25): Murphy's review of Katsuyori Shibata vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Title, Kris Statlander vs. Diamante, Hook vs. Rocky Romero". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
External links edit
Media related to Ring of Honor at Wikimedia Commons
- Official ROH website
- Official ROH Roster website