RING OF HONOR Announces sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group & New TV Deal

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

BRISTOL, PA. (MAY 21, 2011)–Ring of Honor Wrestling owner, Cary Silkin, announced today the sale of the promotion to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest television broadcasters in the country and which owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 58 television stations in 35 markets across the United States.

ROH, currently the third largest wrestling promotion in the country, just celebrated its ninth anniversary, and Mr. Silkin is excited about taking the next step towards increasing the company’s visibility and expanding its operations.

“We have been waiting for and working for this opportunity for quite some time”, he said, “and of our 9 years in business, there has been no better roster of wrestlers than this one to expose the ROH product to the masses. With Sinclair’s resources and many avenues of distribution, we believe many new fans around the world will be as captivated as those who have followed Ring of Honor over the years.”

The month of September will see the debut of the new Ring of Honor television program which will be syndicated across the Sinclair network of stations, and with it, ROH will become the only wrestling promotion in the United States with a major, multi-market presence on broadcast TV. But if you don’t live in a market with a Sinclair station, fear not, says Mr. Silkin. “Through our revamped website we will be able to make the TV show available to anyone in the world with internet access.”

Sinclair officials are enthused about the project as well.

“We are very excited about this acquisition,” commented Steve Marks, COO of Sinclair’s Television Group. “Television and professional wrestling have a long history of successful partnerships and driving viewership. Unfortunately, the broadcast networks have not protected that relationship, allowing professional wrestling to migrate to cable network distribution. We believe that the powerful promotional platform that our TV stations provide, coupled with our 22% share of the U.S. TV households, will allow ROH to achieve name brand recognition and grow its share of the wrestling market. When you consider the makeup of our station mix and the number of CW, MYTV and FOX affiliates we operate, this is a perfect fit for our viewer demographics.” Mr. Marks also noted, “Longer-term, we can envision syndicating ROH wrestling to broadcasters in markets where Sinclair does not have a presence, and even internationally.”

Mr. Silkin assures the ROH fans worldwide that they will be seeing the same exciting, hard-hitting style of pro wrestling that they have become accustomed to. “We have established the name Ring of Honor as synonymous with the best in-ring action in the sport. The only thing that will change is that it will now be easier for fans around the world to follow. Our visibility will increase greatly–our production will be upgraded–but the work ethic of our incredible talent roster and our athletic style of wrestling will remain the same. This is what our fans have told us they want, and we will continue to give it to them.”

The current front office staff, including Cary Silkin, Syd Eick, and Ross Abrams, will remain with ROH going forward. Hunter Johnston, a favorite of ROH fans for years as the masked grappler Delirious, will still handle matchmaking, Jim Cornette will remain as executive producer, and other familiar faces like ring announcer Bobby Cruise and senior referee Todd Sinclair will be in place.”

Additionally, longtime wrestling broadcaster Kevin Kelly, already the voice of ROH internet pay-per-views, will assume the TV play-by-play chair this fall. Veteran NWA and WCW promoter Gary Juster will come aboard to be in charge of live event operations, which are planned to continue in current ROH markets as well as expanding into new locations concurrent with the increased TV exposure.

Mr. Cornette, who along with Mr. Johnston, will be in charge of talent and matchmaking, sees this as a new beginning for pro wrestling. “This is not old-school wrestling, and it’s not sports entertainment,” said Mr. Cornette. “This is wrestling for the 21st century, a new style developed by fresh, young stars that incorporates wrestling, mixed martial arts and high-flying, high-risk action with unique personalities, and it’s showcased by a sports-based presentation completely different from any other product out there. In my 30 years in the sport, it’s the most exciting live-event wrestling experience I’ve seen, and I’m thrilled to help bring it to broadcast TV.”

A major press conference, open to wrestling press and mainstream media alike, is being planned for Baltimore on Friday, June 24th. This event will feature a number of the ROH staff and wrestlers both announcing news about ROH’s future and answering questions. The media event will be presided over by new ROH COO, Joe Koff. Mr. Koff, a longtime Sinclair executive with an extensive background in TV sales and management, also has experience in pro wrestling television production and syndication. Most visible of his projects may have been the first-ever live, prime time syndicated pro wrestling events, the Battle of the Belts, which aired from 1985 to 1987. These Championship Wrestling from Florida-based cards were broadcast live to a syndicated network of stations and may be best-remembered for the classic Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham NWA World Title contest from St. Petersburg.

The press event will kick off a weekend which includes ROH’s next internet pay-per-view event, “Best In The World 2011,” live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Sunday, June 26th at 4PM EST. In addition to all the top stars on the ROH roster, this event will feature the return of some favorite stars from Ring of Honor’s past, and can be ordered by anyone in the world with internet access through Gofightlive.tv for only $14.95. More information about Ring of Honor can be obtained through their website, www.rohwrestling.com.

Thoughts on this Huge News and what it means for the Future of ROH

 

[a0161613]

This is absolute huge and I am delighted for ROH. They deserve to have a place within the wrestling TV schedule. They have enough talent within their roster to keep up and it seems like they are developing a more TV friendly product while still adhering to their values.

I'd be delighted to see someone take them up on TV over here .

 

[X]

Some of the best news I've read in weeks. This not only helps them out financially, but it gets them back on television and from the looks of it they'll be in more markets than their show on HDNet ever was. This is just the step that the company needed to try and advance to the next level, and if all goes well, TNA's spot as the number two organization in the US may just be in trouble.

Great news all around, which is something the industry needed after Savage's passing yesterday.

 

[Thriller Ant]

This is awesome. This should lead to ROH getting the bigger TV deal everyone had hoped for when the HDNet deal expired a couple months back. ROH will be getting into a ton of homes and the article says that production values will be upped as well, which was pretty much my only gripe with ROH. I am so excited right now about this news, and I can't wait to celebrate at Supercard of Honor tonight

 

[Slyfox696]

TNA's spot as the number two organization in the US may just be in trouble.

Yeah...I doubt it. Remember Hogan's comments about TNA on Spike? According to some source listed in the that thread, Spike has over 85% intrusion into American homes. This broadcasting company is proudly claiming 22%. I seriously doubt TNA is in any real trouble. Here's a list of their stations.

http://www.sbgi.net/business/television.shtml

They only own 50+ stations, and many of those are not in "big market" locations. They only have three locations west of Missouri, and almost all of these stations are network television affiliates (like Fox and MyNetworkTV, etc.) which means the possibilities for local programming are limited, unless people are willing to watch graveyard television. As I said, I highly doubt TNA is too worried about this.

As far as this deal goes, I think this may be the beginning of the end for ROH. I could be mistaken, but I think ROH will have less exposure than they did on HDNet, and to be honest, I see this as a last gasp attempt to be able to make money.

Obviously, I've been pretty critical of ROH over the years, but that was in regards to the product, not the business side. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, but I really see ROH in big trouble.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Yeah...I doubt it. Remember Hogan's comments about TNA on Spike? According to some source listed in the that thread, Spike has over 85% intrusion into American homes. This broadcasting company is proudly claiming 22%. I seriously doubt TNA is in any real trouble. Here's a list of their stations.

http://www.sbgi.net/business/television.shtml

They only own 50+ stations, and many of those are not in "big market" locations. They only have three locations west of Missouri, and almost all of these stations are network television affiliates (like Fox and MyNetworkTV, etc.) which means the possibilities for local programming are limited, unless people are willing to watch graveyard television. As I said, I highly doubt TNA is too worried about this.

As far as this deal goes, I think this may be the beginning of the end for ROH. I could be mistaken, but I think ROH will have less exposure than they did on HDNet, and to be honest, I see this as a last gasp attempt to be able to make money.

Obviously, I've been pretty critical of ROH over the years, but that was in regards to the product, not the business side. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, but I really see ROH in big trouble.

The TV show isn't really that big of a deal as far as profit goes. The HDNet show was the same way, in that its only real objective is to increase exposure to the product. Since HDNet was such a hard to find channel, the Sinclair deal may get ROH into more homes than before, since these are broadcast channels.

What it seems that ROH wants to do with the TV deals is to increase awareness of the product and push the TV audience to live events and/or the online DVD and merchandise store. An ROH TV show isn't the end all, be all of the company, rather, it is just another platform to advertise the product. Plus, with the added production quality that the release seems to talk about, there is nothing this deal can do but help ROH.

 

[Slyfox696]

The TV show isn't really that big of a deal as far as profit goes. The HDNet show was the same way, in that its only real objective is to increase exposure to the product. Since HDNet was such a hard to find channel, the Sinclair deal may get ROH into more homes than before, since these are broadcast channels.

I doubt it. I know a couple of years ago, HDNet was in nearly 30% of homes, compared to 22% for this company. I think HDNet's been dropped by a couple of providers, but I'm pretty sure DirectTV and Dish Network still have it. Furthermore, at least on HDNet, ROH could be shown before 2 a.m. in the morning, which I don't see happening here.

What it seems that ROH wants to do with the TV deals is to increase awareness of the product and push the TV audience to live events and/or the online DVD and merchandise store. An ROH TV show isn't the end all, be all of the company, rather, it is just another platform to advertise the product. Plus, with the added production quality that the release seems to talk about, there is nothing this deal can do but help ROH.

Added production quality means added production expenses, which is normally not something the provider takes on. It's been said many times by people in the business that TV deals are usually the death of a wrestling company, not the birth.

I'm glad ROH fans have hope, I'm just saying don't get too excited, and CERTAINLY don't try claiming TNA may lose their spot as #2 promotion in the country.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's obviously a good thing for them business wise. However, it won't be too long before someone starts to complain about how ROH might wind up changing from the company that they've loved for so long.

There's always the possibility of that but that's not a bad thing in my eyes. If ROH wants to make waves then it can't stay King of the Indys forever. Exactly how much of a change is anyone's guess but I think there's a good possibility of some significant shake ups in the product.

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

Damn. I was excited about maybe getting to see some new wrestling shows but it's not going to be in New Mexico.

Anyways, I'm very happy for ROH and I hope that they don't end up like TNA and become very hard to watch for the usual fans. I hope that they will end up branching out to a bigger station like USA or even SpikeTV. I will have to check them out on youtube or something. Anyone want to recommened a match for me to watch?

 

[Thriller Ant]

I doubt it. I know a couple of years ago, HDNet was in nearly 30% of homes, compared to 22% for this company. I think HDNet's been dropped by a couple of providers, but I'm pretty sure DirectTV and Dish Network still have it. Furthermore, at least on HDNet, ROH could be shown before 2 a.m. in the morning, which I don't see happening here.

I really think the timeslot will depend on each individual station, and we need to wait until the show actually starts airing before any assumptions are made about it.

I really think this new deal will give the company more exposure, despite what the percentages say. Sure, 8% more homes may get HDNet, but I would wager a majority of that 8% just has it as a part of their 4,000 channel TV package and never watch it. With these broadcast stations, every single person in that market the station is in gets the channel. For example, everyone with a TV in St. Louis will get the St. Louis Sinclair channel and the ROH TV show on a channel that is more watched than channel number 332 on a huge cable package.

Added production quality means added production expenses, which is normally not something the provider takes on. It's been said many times by people in the business that TV deals are usually the death of a wrestling company, not the birth.

I'm glad ROH fans have hope, I'm just saying don't get too excited, and CERTAINLY don't try claiming TNA may lose their spot as #2 promotion in the country.

And that is where the risk comes in. The HDNet show definitely had higher production values than anything else from ROH, but the company is actually in a better place now as far as exposure, and presumably financially, than it was before the show debuted. I really can't see how a new broadcast TV deal can hurt the company.

I am very excited, but I'm definitely going to wait until I see the show before I start proclaiming ROH taking the #2 spot in the country from TNA.

 

[jobesukulele]

Never mind the future of ROH. Today's announcement has potentially saved the future of professional wrestling.

All we know is September so we don't know what day it will air yet but what is a fairly safe bet is that TNA and ROH will be in direct competition as wrestling brands with each wrestling out of the north and south respectively.

Almost certainly with ROH having a new budget and national TV exposure guys who previously were stuck in TNA will now have the option of defecting and although I'm sure there'll be at least a few, guys like; let's say, Samoa Joe, will most likely find his way back to ROH.

This is a Massive day for professional wrestling, I can't say it enough, Massive!

Come September we'll have two Professional Wrestling companies at WAR again just like the good old days. Except this time there'll be a circus operating away from where the action is at.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

I really think the timeslot will depend on each individual station, and we need to wait until the show actually starts airing before any assumptions are made about it.

I really think this new deal will give the company more exposure, despite what the percentages say. Sure, 8% more homes may get HDNet, but I would wager a majority of that 8% just has it as a part of their 4,000 channel TV package and never watch it. With these broadcast stations, every single person in that market the station is in gets the channel. For example, everyone with a TV in St. Louis will get the St. Louis Sinclair channel and the ROH TV show on a channel that is more watched than channel number 332 on a huge cable package.



And that is where the risk comes in. The HDNet show definitely had higher production values than anything else from ROH, but the company is actually in a better place now as far as exposure, and presumably financially, than it was before the show debuted. I really can't see how a new broadcast TV deal can hurt the company.

I am very excited, but I'm definitely going to wait until I see the show before I start proclaiming ROH taking the #2 spot in the country from TNA.

no entirely true, for example I live in southern KY, about 45 minutes out of Nashville, but I don't get any of the channels that it might be broadcast on.

oh and btw, HDNet is 307 on DirecTV...


About the so called competing against TNA just because they are owned by this media group, I woluldn't expect it... at least not for a pretty long while. TNA still reaches a much larger potential audience, and most likely a much larger budget.

 

[shattered dreams]

Silly X. Anyway, I should get their broadcast now and I didn't before so that is somewhat interesting. I doubt this is a great business situation but it may not be necessarily bad either. It sounds like they are going to have a better setup for seeing their TV show online which is something that actually will likely be helpful. They probably took a step back in the short-term as far as tv goes though but if this company grows that could trickle down a nice boost. All this likely means is that they can actually stay in business now which I guess you could call a positive. Whatever the case I wish them good luck going forward.

Anyone else get a chuckle out of the COO being named S Marks?

 

[X]

Yeah...I doubt it. Remember Hogan's comments about TNA on Spike? According to some source listed in the that thread, Spike has over 85% intrusion into American homes. This broadcasting company is proudly claiming 22%. I seriously doubt TNA is in any real trouble. Here's a list of their stations.

http://www.sbgi.net/business/television.shtml

They only own 50+ stations, and many of those are not in "big market" locations. They only have three locations west of Missouri, and almost all of these stations are network television affiliates (like Fox and MyNetworkTV, etc.) which means the possibilities for local programming are limited, unless people are willing to watch graveyard television. As I said, I highly doubt TNA is too worried about this.

You're forgetting the part in this article where they say that they plan on expanding their markets past just what they have currently under the SBG umbrella. This is virtually the same exact TV deal that ECW had back in the day before and after the TNN deal, which was a major factor in ECW getting national exposure and expanding before they went bankrupt. So in the long run the odds are they're going to get syndication in several more markets than just the ones SBG currently has.

The TNA comment was just a joke. Obviously this isn't going to supplant them as the number two promotion in the United States, but it is a major step in eventually competing for that spot.

 

[The Bearded One]

This is a pretty big deal. I'm not jumping up and down with excitement over the news, but I will say I'm cautiously optimistic. From what I've read, the Sinclair people plan to have the show air from either 9-10 pm or 10-11 pm on Saturday nights, which is a decent enough time slot. They may not have the most reach, but from the list of stations that are expected to run the show there are some pretty good wrestling towns. The broadcast company could always expand to cover more markets. This will help them get new fans. The stations are in a lot of markets that ROH either doesn't run in or hasn't run a show in in a long time, so there could potentially be new markets to hold shows in. I think TV is a pretty big deal no matter how much it's reaching. I know more each would be better, but a little reach is better than none at all. I know I probably wouldn't have become a fan of ROH if it wasn't for the HDNEt show.

The show will also be broadcast on the internet as well. I think it will be on ROH's website, but I could be wrong since I don't feel like reading that release again. That's good for people like me who don't get a Sinclair channel. I'm not a huge fan of watching stuff on the computer, but it's better than what I have now.

What I'm worried about, though, is that Cary Silkin sold ROH over 100 percent. Sinclair completely runs the company now if I understand it correctly. That means if they don't like what's happening with the show, then they can either completely change it, or at a worse case scenario, shut it down. I'm also cautious about how the show would be. ROH on HDNet was decent enough, but it had a lot of flaws that needed to be fixed. Hopefully they improve from thr HDNet show.

Like I said, 'm cautiously optimistic about this. I like the news, but I'm going to wait and see how it plays out.

 

[Slyfox696]

I really think the timeslot will depend on each individual station, and we need to wait until the show actually starts airing before any assumptions are made about it.

Not really. Do you think any Fox affiliate is going to kick the MLB Playoffs for ROH Wrestling and their .4 TV share? Of course not.

ROH will get the local programming time slots, which will be late late late night. If they get something earlier than 1 am EST, I'll be surprised. MAYBE if it's on Saturday night, they get get a 12 midnight time slot. That would probably be the best possible scenario.

And that is where the risk comes in. The HDNet show definitely had higher production values than anything else from ROH, but the company is actually in a better place now as far as exposure, and presumably financially, than it was before the show debuted. I really can't see how a new broadcast TV deal can hurt the company.

Because promoters sell themselves out, poor money into a bottomless pit, and basically lose their identity in an attempt to keep their TV deal. It's a scene that has played out many times over the years.

Never mind the future of ROH. Today's announcement has potentially saved the future of professional wrestling.

All we know is September so we don't know what day it will air yet but what is a fairly safe bet is that TNA and ROH will be in direct competition as wrestling brands with each wrestling out of the north and south respectively.

Almost certainly with ROH having a new budget and national TV exposure guys who previously were stuck in TNA will now have the option of defecting and although I'm sure there'll be at least a few, guys like; let's say, Samoa Joe, will most likely find his way back to ROH.

This is a Massive day for professional wrestling, I can't say it enough, Massive!

Come September we'll have two Professional Wrestling companies at WAR again just like the good old days. Except this time there'll be a circus operating away from where the action is at.

If this is not sarcasm, then I feel sorry for you.

You're forgetting the part in this article where they say that they plan on expanding their markets past just what they have currently under the SBG umbrella.

Even if they expand their market by 1/3rd, they still don't have half the exposure of SpikeTV. And expanding markets SOUNDS good, but is much more difficult than it sounds.

This is virtually the same exact TV deal that ECW had back in the day before and after the TNN deal, which was a major factor in ECW getting national exposure and expanding before they went bankrupt.

The bolded really does say everything.

The TNA comment was just a joke.

Okay, good. I was worried you really meant that.

 

[X]

Even if they expand their market by 1/3rd, they still don't have half the exposure of SpikeTV. And expanding markets SOUNDS good, but is much more difficult than it sounds.

Two things.

1) What does SpikeTV have anything to do with this topic? We're talking about ROH here, not TNA. TNA's business and TV deal has zero impact on ROH's.

2) It's really not that difficult to expand your market and get your show picked up in syndication in more markets Sly. Countless wrestling promotions have done it through out the years from the WWE to the NWA, the AWA, ECW, and TNA. It's not going to be as easy as snapping your fingers or anything, but it's completely feasible.

The bolded really does say everything.

If you want to take things totally out of context, sure. ECW's TV deal had absolutely zero to do with their eventual downfall and bankruptcy though Sly, so "the bolded" really doesn't say anything here at all. Paul Heyman drove his business into the ground on his own, it had nothing to do with their television deal. Their TV deal in fact is what led to them becoming a larger and more popular company in the first place. Without it they would have been dead years earlier.

 

[The Bearded One]

From F4W's website:

The plan is to air shows, depending on the market, on Saturday nights from 9-10 p.m. or 10-11 p.m. They will be tapings in a similar fashion to what was done for HDNet, with one taping per month, but with improved production

If that's true, then it's a pretty good timeslot. They go on to list about 20 markets that the new ROH show is expected to run in. The lists include a lot of towns that have a lot of wrestling history. And even if you don't get a Sinclair channel, you can watch the show on your computer. Anything that can help a wrestling product that I enjoy grow is a good thing, but I remain cautiously optimistic about this for the reasons posted above.

 

[Slyfox696]

Two things.

1) What does SpikeTV have anything to do with this topic? We're talking about ROH here, not TNA. TNA's business and TV deal has zero impact on ROH's.

When I reply, I just go down the post and reply. Thought you were still talking about ROH vs. TNA.

2) It's really not that difficult to expand your market and get your show picked up in syndication in more markets Sly. Countless wrestling promotions have done it through out the years from the WWE to the NWA, the AWA, ECW, and TNA. It's not going to be as easy as snapping your fingers or anything, but it's completely feasible.

But Sinclair owns TV stations as well as the wrestling promotion. As such, they're not going to want to syndicate out brand new shows to other companies, so other companies can make money off that which they own.

So Sinclair has to expand the stations THEY own, which is difficult. Of course, they can get other providers to pay for the show, but who is going to pay for a show that got booted from HDNet for pulling low ratings?

If you want to take things totally out of context, sure. ECW's TV deal had absolutely zero to do with their eventual downfall and bankruptcy though Sly, so "the bolded" really doesn't say anything here at all. Paul Heyman drove his business into the ground on his own, it had nothing to do with their television deal. Their TV deal in fact is what led to them becoming a larger and more popular company in the first place. Without it they would have been dead years earlier.

The TV deals, especially with TNN, had a big part to do with ECW going under, but I agree the TV deal was only an example, not the reason. But the TV deals, especially with TNN, played a major part in ECW's demise, given how much money has to be poured into a television product. In the end, Heyman is to blame, for overreaching while running on credit, but TV sucked up a lot of monetary resources.

TV killing wrestling promotions is not my opinino, but the opinion of many guys who have been in wrestling. I'd give you some sources, but am too lazy right now to do it. But I've read it several times in several places about how TV is really a coffin for a promotion, not the beginning.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe "Drawing Heat the Hard Way" book mentioned it, so there's a source without me having to work.

 

[SecondCitySaint]

I am sorry in advance. I have to bring up another side of this. What does this mean for say, CM Punk? If, and since I don't know him and cannot speak for him, if he is truly not going to budge with contract negotiations with the E, and they won't either, this could be a good thing. I would love to see him go back to ROH, the company he helped build and legitimize. Samoa Joe doesn't get pushed for much at all in Impact/TNA wrestling. I'd love to see him return. This is ROH's time and chance. I truly hope they make the most of it.

 

[Guardian of Takhisis]

I think you could actually make a pretty good comparison of this to TNA. A topic discussed earlier this week involving Hogan talking about Spike TV and how they don't have much exposure through them. (I'm paraphrasing. I know the article said more but I don't want to go more in depth.) If the TV deal for ROH is not that big not to many new people are going to see their product. Most of the people that are going to see it are people that know of ROH and have been waiting for the TV deal and people who are tired of WWE and TNA. That's not many new people watching your product. To improve they would have to advertise their move and that's something else that costs money. Depending on if they person running the network they are on is willing to sink money into that they could possibly be airing on TV with no advertising at all. That's not the way you get ratings. If the ratings are bad then there's always the possibility of the them killing the TV deal. Maybe the guy that bought the rights to air them sees something more and is willing to take that risk. We'll have to see. This is one of those it looks good at first but we'll have to wait and see in the long run if it really pays off. Plus like someone said, "what type of product are they going to put out there?" If they keep it at their current format that will make the fans of ROH happy but it might not translate well to ratings. If the ratings drop they might be forced to change their product. If the product changes to drastically that will piss off a lot of ROH fans. Once again, only time will tell with this. Guess it's just a waiting game.

 

[multiverseman.com]

People are forgetting that the SBG stations are the ones they're guaranteed to be on. ROH will still be syndicated for the rest of the country I'm sure. Not to mention, free on their website and hopefully available on Hulu and OnDemand.

 

[Thriller Ant]

A couple notes announced to the live audience about this at the show tonight:

1. The first TV tapings will be in Chicago on August 13, and all the championships will be defended.
2. Sinclair has plans to expand beyond the markets it is currently in, potentially making the deal more valuable to ROH down the line.
3. All the TV shows and bonus unaired content will be available on ROH's website for markets that don't have a Sinclair network.

The third point is the most important (besides the fact that I will be at the TV tapings ) because it further cements that ROH doesn't want to use the TV show to get into any kind of ratings war or anything near that. Rather, they want to use it as another outlet for national exposure. The top people that are staying around are smart enough to know that they can't put all of their eggs in this basket, so the TV show will be important, but not the end all, be all of the company.

 

[Post]

This is great news.

I am really missing ROH since they left HDnet. Honestly, the quality of matches is so superior to the alternatives. I love TNA and really enjoy the WWE, but ROH blows them out of the water a good amount of the time when it comes to the actual product.

It is very cool that they are going to make broadcasts available via internet as well. Hopefully, this is for free. I hate having to spend money for internet broadcasts of shows.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I've read this topic and I've yet to see anyone mention that this is not only big for ROH but it's also big for all of professional wrestling. ROH is now one of the power players in the wrestling world that can bring you the excitement you need and it can also bring you more terrific wrestling from WWE and TNA. In the 90s, what made the Monday night wars so terrific was that there was at least one other promotion that they were also competing with in ECW.

Like ECW, ROH is now the different style of wrestling that fans want to see. It's not about the promos in ROH, but about the wrestling. And with ROH now going to be aired on either Fox, CW, MyNetwork, CBS, or even NBC subsidiaries this will undoubtedly bring up WWE's and TNA's attention to them. And if they're smart, and star to see ratings head towards ROH, we may end up seeing more and more classic wrestling stuff in WWE and TNA.

Though I love ROH, I love wrestling as a whole even more. And that's why I'm excited about this.