SEScoops

Category: ROH

  • ROH Parent Company Buys Cable Network

    Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc, the parent company of Ring of Honor, announced in a press release that they are in the process of purchasing The Tennis Channel for $350 million. As part of the deal, they’ve been making arrangements with cable companies that would increase the network’s footprint from 30 million homes to 50 million.

    With Sinclair also being behind the American Sports Network (ASN) programming package for broadcast stations, the obvious speciation is that The Tennis Channel could be rebranded as ASN. Since Sinclair also owns ROH, it may or may not be a stretch to think that if that happened, ROH could get a spot on the cable network, even if just as filler programming. That said, since Sinclair has programmed ROH on COMET, their science fiction themed broadcast network for digital subchannels, it wouldn’t even be that strange if ROH ended up on The Tennis Channel in its current form.

    As noted by Mike Johnson at PWInsider, this is the first time since WCW was sold that a wrestling promotion will be under the same umbrella as a cable network. If Sinclair were to want to do something with ROH on the Tennis Channel, it opens up possibilities (like live specials) that aren’t available now with ROH airing at all hours on a slew of different local broadcast stations.

  • Nakamura Officially Pulled From ROH’s 14th Anniversary PPV

    Nakamura Officially Pulled From ROH’s 14th Anniversary PPV

    In what should not come as a surprise after WWE announced Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut last night, the departing New Japan Pro Wrestling star is off their 14th Anniversary Show pay-per-view event on February 26th in Las Vegas. His replacement will be someone else from NJPW, but who exactly that is hasn’t been announced as of yet. Here’s the official announcement:

    NAKAMURA OUT FOR VEGAS

    Thanks to the Best Fans on the Planet, 2015 was Ring of Honor’s BIGGEST year to date! With our sights set on an EVEN BIGGER 2016, ROH heads to Las Vegas to celebrate our 14th ANNIVERSARY for two GIANT events emanating from Sam’s Town Casino!

    Limited tickets still remain for the hard-hitting, fast-paced, Best Wrestling on the Planet when it returns to Sin City with the STARS OF NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View on Friday February 26 and our national television taping on Saturday February 27! Our pay per view main event is set: ROH World Champion JAY LETHAL with TRUTH MARTINI will defend against top challengers ADAM COLE and KYLE O’REILLY in a triple threat match! Keep ROH Wrestling tuned in on your Sinclair Broadcasting affiliates and Comet for more match announcements involving the stars of ROH and NJPW!

    Many Ring of Honor fans were looking forward to “The King of Strong Style” SHINSUKE NAKAMURA appearing throughout Ring of Honor’s 14th Anniversary Weekend. It is with great regret that we must inform our fans that Nakamura will no longer be competing the weekend of ROH’s 14th Anniversary.

    While Nakamura is unable to compete, a New Japan Pro Wrestling star has already signed to take “The King of Strong Style’s” place! Will it be a star making his first journey to the US? Will it be a star returning to ROH? Keep your browsers locked on ROHWrestling.com in the coming days to see which New Japan star will be replacing Nakamura in Sin City!

    Limited tickets still remain for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View extravaganza as well as our GIGANTIC NATIONAL TELEVISION TAPING the following night featuring the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling! Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View and HERE to purchase tickets for our national television taping the following night!

    Here’s an updated preview for the show:

    TRIPLE THREAT ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
    Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini vs Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly

    SIGNED TO APPEAR

    ROH WORLD TV CHAMPION RODERICK STRONG

    ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS WAR MACHINE

    NEW JAPAN STARS

    IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION KAZUCHIKA OKADA W/ GEDO

    HIROSHI TANAHASHI

    IWGP JR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION KUSHIDA

    TOMOHIRO ISHII

  • Jay Lethal & reDRagon Sign New Deals With ROH

    Ring of Honor sent out the following announcement on Thursday:

    ROH World Champion Jay Lethal and reDRagon re-sign with Ring of Honor!

    (BALTIMORE, MD) – Three cornerstones of Ring of Honor have re-signed! After careful deliberation and review of offers from across the globe, ROH World Champion JAY LETHAL and three-time former ROH World Tag Team Champions BOBBY FISH and KYLE O’REILLY, known collectively as reDRagon, will continue to compete in front of the Best Fans on the Planet!

    Jay Lethal used Ring of Honor’s biggest year yet, 2015, to assert himself as the top professional wrestler on the planet. Determined to make the ROH World Championship a truly world title after winning it in June in New York, Lethal has defended his championship in ROH, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and in Europe, including a recent 10-day stretch where he wrestled on three continents! Lethal, who made his ROH debut in 2004, has become one of the most decorated stars in ROH history, entering his 21st consecutive month holding championship gold!

    “As the Ring of Honor World Champion, there is no place I would rather be,” said Lethal. “The Best Professional Wrestling on the Planet isn’t a clever marketing moniker – I have re-signed with ROH to prove that I am the best professional wrestler in the world as I defend the Ring of Honor World Championship across the globe.”

    Since forming a tag team in 2012, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, known collectively as reDRagon, have set a worldwide standard for tag team wrestling. The three-time ROH World Tag Team Champions nicknamed the “Two Man Smash Machine” and “Best Team on God’s Green”, have had unparalleled success in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling as both tag team competitors and singles stars. With their contract renewal, fans of Fish and O’Reilly will be ecstatic to know that reDRagon will continue to compete in New Japan, where they are winners of the Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament and two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions!

    “When you talk about tag team wrestling, War Machine, the Young Bucks, Briscoes, All Night Express, all of the top teams in the world are in or are coming to Ring of Honor,” said Fish. O’Reilly added, “We have our sights set on it all in 2016 – singles and tag team gold. 2016 will be the Year of the Dragon in ROH.”

    With three key stars re-signed to the ROH ranks, their sights undoubtedly turn from contract negotiations to Ring of Honor’s 14th Anniversary Pay Per View on Friday February 25, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST! Lethal and O’Reilly have already been signed as part of a huge three-way ROH World Title Defense where Lethal will defend against O’Reilly and Adam Cole!

    More information about Jay Lethal, reDRagon, and Ring of Honor’s 14th Anniversary Pay Per View, including upcoming appearances and featured products, can be found on http://www.rohwrestling.com.

  • The Bullet Club Says Farewell To Ring Of Honor (Video)

    The Bullet Club Says Farewell To Ring Of Honor (Video)

    Saturday marked AJ Styles’ send off from Ring Of Honor wrestling. At their live event in Duluth, GA, Styles cut a promo about his time in ROH before the show actually started.

    https://twitter.com/craighermit/status/691095005696540672

    Later after the main event, Styles, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and The Young Bucks all hit the ring for a special moment. The five stars met in the middle of the ring and embraced, as you can see in the below video from Matt Jackson.

    https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/691124641105100800

    Styles will be backstage at the Royal Rumble tonight. We’ll have live play-by-play coverage of the 2016 Royal Rumble right here on SEScoops.com tonight.

    Related: Final Card For The 2016 WWE Royal Rumble

  • AJ Styles Making “Final Appearance” For ROH The Night Before The Royal Rumble

    AJ Styles Making “Final Appearance” For ROH The Night Before The Royal Rumble

    Ring of Honor has announced that AJ Styles will be having his “send off” from the company at this weekend’sWinter Warriors live event in Duluth, GA. The event takes place January 23rd, the night before WWE’s Royal Rumble.

    “The best wrestling on the planet, Ring of Honor, will bring another great night of action to the Atlanta area on Saturday, January 23rd, 2016. We will be making our debut at the Infinite Energy Center (Formerly the Gwinnett Center) with a 7:30PM bell time!

    In addition to the hard-hitting, fast-paced professional wrestling that only ROH showcases, fans in Duluth with have an opportunity to send off ROH Legend and hometown star “The Phenomenal One” AJ STYLES!

    Styles will be appearing live in Duluth to sign autographs and take photos with the BEST FANS ON THE PLANET! A cornerstone of ROH since its inception in 2002, Gainesville, GA’s Styles has become one of the most accomplished stars in professional wrestling, capturing a litany of major titles including, most recently, the IWGP World Championship! Don’t miss your chance to meet and greet this ROH Legend at his LAST ROH APPEARANCE – you just don’t know where you may see him next!”

    The show will feature talent from New Japan Pro Wrestling, including Matt Jackson challenging Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship, Nick Jackson challenging Roderick Strong for the ROH TV championship and the Bullet Club challenging ROH Tag Team champs War Machine. For more information, visit ROHWrestling.com.

    Related: Plans For AJ Styles WWE Debut & His Status For The Royal Rumble

  • ROH Stars Reportedly Sign With TNA, Rumored To Debut On First Impact Wrestling On POP TV

    https://youtu.be/CjOlMG1swP0

    Former Ring Of Honor Tag-Team Champion Michael Bennett and his real-life wife, former WWE Diva and ROH performer Maria Kanellis, have both reportedly signed deals with TNA Wrestling, according to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    According to the weekly newsletter, Bennett and Kanellis likely received a big deal, one that is financially guaranteed in nature.

    Bennett and Kanellis, along with the third member of their on-air team, Matt Taven, finished up with Ring Of Honor last month when they dropped the ROH Tag-Team Titles to War Machine at the ROH “Final Battle” event. Bennett and Kanellis officially wrapped up business with ROH at the television tapings the day after the Final Battle event, as it was the final date on their contracts.

    In related news, TNA has also wanted to “shore up” their roster by making sure their key players are under official contracts and that they acquire whatever talent that they can, as long as it makes financial sense.

    TNA handled their last cable television move the same way, as just prior to and immediately following their debut on Destination America, they re-signed those that had deals that were about to expire and pursued outside free-agents in an attempt to freshen the brand.

    It’s also worth mentioning that TNA has been airing mysterious vignettes promoting “The Miracle” for their debut episode of Impact Wrestling on POP TV, their new cable home now that the company no longer has a deal with Destination America. There are those who feel this could be the build to the TNA debuts of the former ROH stars, however that is strictly speculation at this point.

    The premiere of Impact Wrestling on POP TV is scheduled to air live for two-hours this coming Tuesday, January 5th, beginning at 9pm EST.

  • Young Bucks Finish Up Independent Dates Ahead Of New ROH Deal

    The Young Bucks recently wrapped up their final indie dates before working primarily for Ring of Honor. The decorated tag team recently revealed the details of their unique 1-year deal with ROH, which allows them to still work for PWG in California and NJPW overseas.

    Matt Jackson tweeted last week:

    https://twitter.com/mattjackson13/status/678825160804290561

  • Caprice Coleman On Training With The Hardy Boys, Writing His Own Theme Music

    ROH star Caprice Coleman recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast and spoke about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On training with Matt and Jeff Hardy:

    “Some guys were wrestling outside on a ring that was in a yard and this was like actually the first time I had ever been in a wrestling ring and was excited. It was Matt and Jeff Hardy who were the trainers but it was way before they were famous and so they were trying to have their own little wrestling promotion and this way even way before OMEGA and I was their referee. I refereed their matches because they would travel a lot of places and back then Matt and Jeff were pretty much just wrestling each other or Matt vs. Joey so we had a handful of people and wrestled a different kind of style. I would go on the road and referee the match because a lot of refs couldn’t keep up with the matches going on. Shannon Moore was the other small guy and it’s funny because when he started out he was a lot bigger than I was and when I hit my growth spurt I was bigger than him.”

    On the crop of talent that came out of Omega:

    “At the beginning I had no idea because I was just somebody that wanted to train to wrestle. I just happened to fall into a place where I was among greatness. I slowly began to realize it because refereeing when you travel from place to place with Matt and Jeff when it was not a show that we put on, the way they treated them was kind of different. A lot of people wanted to work with them and then didn’t want to work with them. I would notice when somebody from OMEGA worked somebody from OMEGA we would steal the show. When we worked with other people they had a hard time working with us and we caught a lot of flack because people would say we worked spotty or we are just a high flyer. A lot of times we were the spotty guys and everyone that we wrestled were trained the old school wrestling way. We were way ahead of our time.”

    On wrestlers not being able to keep up with the OMEGA crew:

    “It was a Catch 22 because for the most part some of them couldn’t keep up but as time went on we just had to slow down a little bit. It made a lot of our careers last a lot longer. That’s why I’ve been here for twenty years and am in phenomenal condition because we’ve been able to adjust and find a happy medium where we can still be who we are but still last as long as some of us have.”

    On writing his own theme music:

    “I was given a new theme song when they broke up C&C Wrestle Factory and it didn’t have any words to it. The producer said this is your song and the first time I heard the song it was playing during a match I was supposed to be in and I was actually just waiting for the C&C Wrestle Factory music and they said that’s your song now go out and I was like okay but it didn’t have words to it. I said I liked the beat but if you want to put words to it let me know. A good friend of mine raps and I do hype man type stuff and he wrote the rap and I wrote the chorus and we put it down. Then we were kidding around about making a music video and laughed it off but we then we ended up having the ability to do it and we did and it came out pretty good.”

  • Adam Cole Speaks On New Partnership Between ROH & PWG

    https://youtu.be/mZBvo7Wkiy4

    As announced last week, Ring Of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla announced a partnership that will see ROH contracted stars appearing on a select number of PWG shows in California.

    Earlier this week, ROH star Adam Cole spoke with the folks at Busted Open Nation about the ROH-PWG working relationship. Below are Cole’s comments on the subject.

    “I think really what it is as far as just us getting started, Ring of Honor is a very cool company and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a very, very cool company. I think a lot of our guys in our locker room enjoy working there, enjoy the prospect of working there. Guys in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla would love to entertain the thought of coming to work for Ring of Honor. The fact that guys in the Ring of Honor locker room are so passionate, guys in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla locker room are so passionate, of course, some relationships had been created and relationships have been made so in turn there’s a lot that Ring of Honor knows about PWG and PWG knows a lot about Ring of Honor.

    “Long story short, I really feel like the company realizes how much it can benefit from each other. PWG has a very strong West Coast presence. Ring of Honor is pretty much in control as far as independently goes in the United States and we’re on television so we’re not even an independent anymore, even though some people view us that way. Again, the potential growth with the two of us coming together is stronger than doing this by our self. It’s kind of like a strength-in-numbers thing. With NXT being around, I think a company like Ring of Honor and PWG being together is just going to help our cause. It certainly won’t hurt us.”

  • Roderick Strong Talks About ROH’s Move To Comet TV

    ROH World Television champion Roderick Strong called into Busted Open Radio last week and spoke with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca about Final Battle, ROH TV’s move to Comet and more. Here are some highlights:

    ROH moving from Destination America to Comet:

    “It is obviously something that’s a little upsetting, the fact that we lost Destination America, just based off that exposure. But it’s a thing with their channel that they’re trying to get away from wrestling and I feel, honestly, it’s their loss. With this Comet TV opportunity, it gives us the chance to be a focal point and also try to help the network itself which is kind of something we did with HDNet before, where it was not very well known and we were kind of trying to help each other out like a buddy system. I think that’s the same situation we’re in now with Comet TV and I think obviously with the more exposure that we’ve had, this is just a bigger opportunity for Comet TV and us. I hope it just continues to add to the exposure and we just make the best of it.”

    Paranormal programming on Destination America:

    “The fact that people watch shows like that is ridiculous. I’ve sat on that channel and I’ve watched some of it and I’m like, ‘There is no way people are thoroughly entertained by this kind of thing.’ But I guess they had some special and it did really well in ratings and it’s something they want to go more towards, which is fine with me because I know what Ring of Honor brings to the table and I really think they’re missing out.”

    Tune into Busted Open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2-4pm ET on SiriusXM Rush 93 and on the SiriusXM App on your smartphone.

  • Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis Finish Up With ROH, Bound For TNA?

    Ring of Honor stars Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis finished up with the company at Saturday night’s ROH TV tapings in Philadelphia.

    Their departure was not a real surprise to people close to the situation, as the two sides had been unable to come to terms after weeks of negotiations. Bennett’s tag team partner Matt Taven is signed with ROH for 3-4 more months.

    Kanellis and Bennett have reportedly been telling people that they’ll be starting with TNA in January. This likely means they are done with New Japan Pro Wrestling as well. With TNA working on some surprise debuts for the January 5th Impact Wrestling premiere on Pop TV, Bennett and Kanellis would certainly fit the bill.

    (H/T: PWInsider.com)

  • ROH Final Battle 2015 PPV Results: New ROH Tag Champions

    The team of Hansen and Ray Rowe defeated Michael Bennett and Matt Taven at the Ring Of Honor: “Final Battle 2015” event on Friday night to become the new ROH World Tag-Team Champions.

    As noted, WWE has expressed interest in Bennett and Taven, both of whom have been working without a contract in ROH as of late.

    The following are complete quick-match results of the ROH Final Battle 2015 show:

    ROH Final Battle 2015 Results

    – ANX def. The Young Bucks and The Briscoes
    – Silas Young def. Dalton Castle
    – Michael Elgin def. Moose
    – Adam Cole def. Kyle O’Reilly
    – Alex Shelley, ACH & Matt Sydal def. Addiction & Chris Sabin
    – Roderick Strong def. Bobby Fish to retain the ROH World TV Championship
    – Hansen & Ray Rowe def. Michael Bennett & Matt Taven to become the new ROH World Tag-Team Champions
    – Jay Lethal def. AJ Styles to retain the ROH World Championship

  • Final Card For Tonight’s Ring Of Honor: Final Battle 2015 PPV

    Here’s the final card for tonight’s Ring of Honor Final Battle 2015 pay-per-view, which takes place live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA:

    ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
    Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

    ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
    War Machine vs. The Kingdom w/ Maria Kanellis

    ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
    Bobby Fish vs Roderick Strong

    GRUDGE MATCH
    Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly

    SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
    Alex Shelley, ACH & #Reborn Matt Sydal vs The Addiction & Chris Sabin

    Dalton Castle vs Silas Young w/ The Boys

    “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway

    #1 CONTENDERS TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH
    The Young Bucks vs All Night Express vs The Briscoes

    YouTube Exclusive
    Cheeseburger vs Brutal Bob

  • Jay Lethal Q&A Highlights: If He’s Ever Been Offered A WWE Contract, Favorite Matches & More

    ROH World Champion Jay Lethal took part in an ‘Ask Me Anything’ Q&A session on Reddit earlier today. Here are some highlights:

    Why he is the best wrestler in the world:

    “Because i believe it to be true. If i don’t believe it, how can i get you to believe it?”

    Working with Low Ki:

    “I learned so much from being in the ring with him… also learned how to take a good old fashion butt kicking! lol”

    Has WWE ever offered him a contract?

    “No”

    Working With CM Punk, Samoa Joe & Christopher Daniels in ROH:

    “It was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life”

    His favorite matches:

    “Me vs Chris Sabin on a TNA house show was a really good one… Also Bret vs Piper at mania is my fav to watch.”

    Jay Lethal puts his ROH title on the line against AJ Styles at ROH’s next PPV, Final Battle 2015 live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 18th. Follow him on Twitter @TheLethalJay.

  • WWE Reportedly Interested In ROH Champion Jay Lethal

    WWE is reportedly interested in signing ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Lethal’s ROH contract expires soon and he would be brought in to enhance the NXT roster.

    With WWE expanding NXT’s touring schedule heading into 2016, Lethal would be a tremendous addition to the already-deep NXT roster, which features many competitors Lethal has worked for other promotions across the world. Last week, Lethal tweeted:

  • Note On WWE’s Interest In Bringing Back Rey Mysterio & Maria Kanellis

    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that the fact that the official WWE website recently ran articles on Rey Mysterio and Maria Kanellis is a notable sign of their interest in both talents.

    In the case of Mysterio, it’s well known that WWE would like to get him back under contract both because they’re looking for top Hispanic stars and to prevent him from going to Lucha Underground.

    As far as Kanellis is concerned, her Ring Of Honor contract, along with the ROH contracts of Michael Bennett and Matt Taven have expired. The Observer notes that it’s an interesting situation with these three, based on the fact that you have to factor in interest from New Japan Pro Wrestling, ROH and WWE, and which of the three talents those promotions would be interested in.

  • Update On The Severity Of AJ Styles’ Injury, Styles Misses Another Booking

    Former IWGP Champion AJ Styles missed yet another New Japan World Tag League tournament match today in Fukuoka, Japan. His team with Yujiro Takahashi forfeited their second match, this time to the team of Michael Bennett and Matt Taven.

    Styles has been on the sidelines since last working on November 24th due to a bulging disc in his lower back. According to those in Japan, his injury appears to be very serious, with the description being that he seems to be in great pain with any movement.

    AJ Styles went into the current tour injured after missing ROH bookings to rest up for the tour. The 38-year-old star has yet to return home, as he has major matches scheduled over the next several weeks. After the current NJPW tournament wraps up on December 9th, he has an ROH Title match against Jay Lethal booked for ROH Final Battle in Philadelphia, as well as an Intercontinental Title match against Shinsuke Nakamura at the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom event at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.

    According to F4WOnline.com, Styles is resting and rehabbing as best as he can right now, and New Japan is being patient and not pressuring him to come back early.

  • AJ Styles’ Injury Revealed, Styles Says He’s Suffering From “Overworking Himself”

    It appears that the injury that has sidelined former IWGP and TNA Champion AJ Styles from the recent New Japan Pro Wrestling shows is the same one that kept him off of the recent set of Ring Of Honor television tapings.

    Styles is reportedly dealing with a lower back issue, one that limited him to a non-wrestling appearance at last month’s ROH TV tapings. He took some time off to heal up for the NJPW Tag League, but has been held out of several days worth of shows. Styles continues to travel to the shows, however, as he has been spotted arriving at the venues by fans.

    Styles told New Japan’s bi-monthly magazine that the injury he is dealing with was caused by overworking himself on the independent scene in 2015.

  • Jay Lethal Talks About ROH Giving Their Performers Much More Creative Freedom Than WWE

    ROH World Champion Jay Lethal was recently interviewed by the Ultimate Torrior for the Bear Hug It Out podcast. Lethal spoke about a number of topics, including Ring of Honor allowing their performers to be creative, drinking with Ric Flair, what he learned from Booker T, Marvel vs DC and more. Here are some highlights:

    – Lethal agreed that we are in somewhat of a ‘boom period’ for non-conventional looking wrestlers who have a  strong work rate. He says Ring of Honor has always been about that, with guys like Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan, but the movement probably went mainstream with CM Punk’s rise in WWE. He likes to think he’s been a part of that movement as well.

    – ROH’s partnership with NJPW just ‘makes sense.’ He’s been a huge fan of NJPW’s top stars for a long time and getting to work with them has been a dream come true.

    – A big part of ROH’s success is the freedom they allow their performers. With shows like WWE and TNA, most of what you see wrestlers doing on TV is what they’ve been scripted to do.

    “In Ring of Honor, they really let you have a lot, and I mean a lot, of creative freedom. I feel like that’s what really brings the best out of a professional wrestler. When it’s an idea that he is currently involved in that was something sparked from his brainchild, he’ll really put his all into it and you can really begin to see what that wrestler can do. But if it’s something that he almost doesn’t agree with, or he’s just kind of ok with and you’re forcing him to do it, that’s when you really see a professional at work. But, sometimes it doesn’t yield the best result.”

    Jay Lethal defends the ROH World title against AJ Styles at Final Battle 2015 on December 18th from Philadelphia, PA.

     

  • AJ Styles Injured, Pulled From NJPW Show

    Former IWGP Champion AJ Styles was pulled from his scheduled booking at the New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League event on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury. The severity of the injury is also unknown at this time.

    For what it’s worth, Styles also missed some time last month, including a set of Ring Of Honor television tapings, due to a back injury.

    Styles did, however, inform fans that he would be ready to go for the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view in December, where he is scheduled to go one-on-one with Jay Lethal.

  • ROH TV Title Match Announced For Final Battle 2015 (12/18)

    Ring of Honor sent out a press release on Thursday announcing that new ROH TV Champion Roderick Strong will be putting his gold on the line against Bobby Fish at next month’s Final Battle 2015 PPV. With that match set, here’s the updated card:

    ROH World Championship
    Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini vs “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

    ROH World Tag Team Championship
    The Kingdom (c) w/ Maria vs War Machine

    ROH TV Championship
    Roderick Strong (c) vs. Bobby Fish

    ROH Final Battle ’15 airs live Pay Per View on Friday, December 18th from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

  • WWE Stars Trying To Recruit ROH Tag-Team Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly To NXT

    Contract negotiations for a new deal between Ring Of Honor and the tag-team of Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have reportedly stalled as the two sides are still far apart.

    According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there have been a few WWE wrestlers who have tried to recruit Fish and O’Reilly, particularly because WWE is looking to load up the NXT roster with talented in-ring performers for a more extensive schedule of big shows around the country.

    As noted, WWE is looking to take NXT on the road more in 2016, with their aim to be to draw a similar type of audience that Ring Of Honor draws when they take shows on the road.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • ROH Announces First Of Many NJPW Stars Scheduled For Their 14th Anniversary Weekend

    Ring Of Honor is advertising “the next chapter in the partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling” for their television tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 26th and 27th.

    ROH announced the first of many NJPW stars who will be working the TV tapings immediately after their 14th anniversary show, which will air live on pay-per-view on February 26th.

    “The King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura was officially announced for the taping, with ROH promising to reveal additional NJPW talent scheduled for the shows in the near future.

    ROH issued the following on Monday:

    The Stars Of NJPW Are Coming To Las Vegas

    On February 26th and 27th 2016, the best wrestling on the planet returns to at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas! Ring of Honor is celebrating our 14th Anniversary LIVE on pay-per-view on February 26th. But the very next night, all of your favorite ROH stars will be back again for a massive television taping! This is a can’t miss event in one of the most exciting cities in the world – and only ROH can deliver this kind of action.

    In the coming weeks, matches for both the 14th Anniversary pay-per-view event as well as the television taping the following night will be announced but we can confirm that the next chapter in the partnership between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) will be written in Las Vegas on February 26th and 27th.

    The stars of ROH and NJPW will share the stage in the Entertainment Capital of the World for the 14th Anniversary weekend and we are proud to announce the first star from New Japan Pro Wrestling who will be competing in Las Vegas at the 14th Anniversary event and the TV Taping the following night.

    “The King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura

    The King of Strong Style returns to Ring of Honor to dazzle Las Vegas with an enigmatic presence like no other. The “Boma Ye” is just one weapon in Nakamura’s arsenal and the five-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion looks to add more victims to his list on both February 26th and 27th.

    Returning to Ring of Honor for the 14th Anniversary weekend in Las Vegas on February 26th and 27th is Shinsuke Nakamura and coming soon, you’ll learn the names of more stars from NJPW and Ring of Honor as well as matches to take place in “Sin City”!

    Ticket demand for both the 14th Anniversary event and the TV Taping have been extremely high and both events are anticipated to sell out quickly. Get your tickets now if you want to experience the stars of Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling together on February 26th and 27th in Las Vegas for ROH’s 14th Anniversary weekend.

    We will see you there live as Ring of Honor celebrates 14 years of the best wrestling on the planet!

  • Spoiler Photos: Former TNA Star Returns At ROH TV Tapings On Friday Night

    https://youtu.be/r1xZkWXnF2Y

    Former TNA, Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling star Alex Shelley made his ROH return at the promotion’s television tapings on Friday night in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Shelley shot an angle during the taping with former Motor City Machine Gun partner Chris Sabin. Aside from an appearance at ROH’s “Final Battle 2014,” Shelley’s only appearance dating back to 2010 was at the Field Of Honor event this summer.

    Below are photos of Alex Shelley’s return at the taping. For complete ROH TV taping results, click here.

    https://twitter.com/MattJHenson/status/667957953304117248

  • *Spoilers* ROH “Road To Final Battle” TV Taping Results From Nashville

    Thanks to Gary Hernandez and WrestlingINC.com for the following Ring Of Honor “Road To Final Battle” television taping results from Friday evening in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Taping One:

    * Veda Scott defeated Heidi Lovelace in a dark match

    * reDRagon defeated Beer City Bruiser and Silas Young

    * Chris Sabin called out the masked KRD member, who turned out to be Alex Shelley

    * Roderick Strong defeated Samson Walker. Bobby Fish was on commentary and got up to take the ROH TV Title and taunt Strong with it before they got into it

    * The Young Bucks defeated The Briscoes. A big brawl with Kenny King and Rhett Titus happened after the match

    Taping Two:

    * Keith Lee and Shane Taylor defeated Dylan Bostic and Brutal Bob Evans in a dark match

    * Adam Cole defeated Corey Hollis

    * Dalton Castle defeated Mike Posey and got attacked by Silas Young after

    * ROH World Champion Jay Lethal interrupted Kevin Kelly interviewing Jerry Lynn in the ring

    * Matt Sydal and ACH defeated RPG Vice in the main event. Alex Shelley was on commentary

    Taping Three:

    * ODB defeated Taeler Hendrix in a dark match

    * Caprice Coleman and Will Ferrara fought to a No Contest when they brought steel chairs into the mix

    * Rhett Titus and Kenny King defeated Dijak and Ken Phoenix. Dijak beat Phoenix down after the match

    * Kevin Kelly interviewed Steve Corino

    * Mark Briscoe, Matt Jackson, Roderick Strong, Cedric Alexander and Moose defeated Jay Lethal, Jay Briscoe, Cliff Compton, Adam Page and Cheeseburger in a crazy main event