The Ring of Honor influence: How one small wrestling company impacted WWE

[justinsayne]

ROH is technically not an indy anymore, it's backed by a major financial supporter, to be indy they would have to be financially independent. They may still have that indy spirit & feel to them, but technically I don't think they've qualified as an indy since Sinclair bought them.

There is no working agreement between WWE & ROH, it's just one business giving a little nod to the another whom has provided them with tons of talent over the past few years (like 10 or so), I think some people are reading a little too much into this thing. Silverback clearly doesn't know what he's talking about once again, much like with the AJ Styles situation which he was also wrong about.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I don't like how he worded or expressed it but ROH is still technically an indy, isn't it?

What Justin said. And to add, having a national TV deal would also quantify as a promotion no longer being indie, because they would be receiving funding from the broadcaster - such as WWE receiving rights fees from USA Network. ROH not only receives those fees, they get it from their principle owner, so technically an argument can be made that it hasn't been indie since 2008 because Mark Cuban's HDNet/AXS TV funded it while they were on that station. And while they don't broadcast nationally through America, they are a nationally syndicated company. People in Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas, West Virginia, several different locations are able to watch it on their TV. It's an area that has never really been clarified, but most recognize it as a regional company. Too big to be independent, not big enough to be national.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

It's still an indy. ROH does not have national exposure and the exposure they have, it's most of the times after 10 p.m. Like I said in that post above it's ridiculous to even compare ROH to major promotions in every aspect of the business. They are owned by a large company, which is beautiful, yet they are not even mentioned in annual financial reports. It's not a coincidence that Mark Kuban simply sold the company as it wasn't making any money. Does ROH really get "tv feeds"? I mean, the money is going exactly from where it came..

Also I'm not wrong about AJ Styles contract. An open contract does not oblige AJ to fullfil his dates. If WWE goes after him he can resign from ROH without any consequence, because it's an "open contract" and because WWE is a huge company and usually gets some grip on this things. The same can be said about any independent wrestler in the whole world.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Dear Dragon and Justin,

You guys are right, I've no clue what I'm talking about, just continuing in an attempt to save face because I was wrong initially but just wanted to drum up an argument to seem like I have a clue, I actually don't, and for that I apologize. I was going to write a 6,540 word apology detailing how I'd repent my silliness, but instead I'll just post this and acknowledge that not only you, but just about everyone else on this forum is ten times out of time correct, whereas I, am not.

Thanks again,
that guy who attempted to correct you but was clueless.

Thanks dude, brave of you, you got potential to be correct SOMEDAY (not any day soon mind you). Who knows? Maybe we'll get John Cena to visit you as apart of the Make-A-Wish Foundation

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Somebody said something that could be concieved as slightly deterimental about ROH. You had to know the butthurt was going to be strong.

It was, but they are fairly delusional. They are really comparing ROH to major promotions that have a live audience of above 10.000 people in their biggest shows. The biggest indy in the US, isn't even bigger than Rikishi's indy promotion ran across Europe. But hey, the group that broadcasts them also owns them, so they are big as fuck.

 

[ABMorales787]

Again I have to point out the fact that die-hard ROH fans are stupid dumbfucks.

Watch your mouth, boy.

 

[a0161613]

Yeah I think ROH would be a bigger and better product with the support of the Carter's millions rather than the backing of Sinclair, who need to pull their finger out. ROH could and should be doing much better.

Which is a shame because the industry would benefit from a big third company.

 

[BaconBits]

Which is a shame because the industry would benefit from a big third company.

I don't know if that's true. I don't think that there's a big enough fanbase to support three major organizations in America.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Yeah I think ROH would be a bigger and better product with the support of the Carter's millions rather than the backing of Sinclair, who need to pull their finger out. ROH could and should be doing much better.

Which is a shame because the industry would benefit from a big third company.

Honestly, I'll take Sinclair over the Carters.

Dixie has created WWE-lite. I don't want WWE-lite. I want something different to WWE. I want something that doesn't look like WWE, feel like WWE, that isn't a replica of WWE. I don't want the same style of wrestling as WWE, I don't want to constantly see the same characters as WWE, and that's why I always find it so laughable when some see The Wolves debut in TNA and go, "these guys are cool", cause all people seem to want are new and fresh guys - new and fresh guys is what ROH is about. Don't believe me? Ask CM Punk, Bryan, Cesaro, Rollins, Hero, Aries, Richards, Edwards, Joe and on and on and on. And in a few years ask Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Tommaso Ciampa, Michael Elgin, Michael Bennett, Andrew Everett, Matt Taven and on and on. They are cool, but they've been cool a lot longer than before TNA and WWE.

Sinclair's only issue is it doesn't want to invest mass amounts of money in ROH. And like Jim Cornette (I hate using him as a reference, but he has been on the inside) said - in his time in ROH, it was making profit, through iPPV difficulties and delays on production equipment and all that, when he left, due to the tightness of the financial analyst it was making profit.

If 2014 thus far has shown anything it doesn't seem like their out for making sure the balance sheet shows no minuses next to the figure or anything in brackets, cause Chris Hero isn't cheap, AJ Styles isn't cheap, if their in discussions with NJPW to bring in a number of guys, it isn't cheap.

I'd much rather have Sinclair who doesn't really interfere than Dixie, who has not only been the major cause for TNA's downfall from the once shining alternative of the WWE, to the WWE on a Thursday night and with a different cast of characters. And if the guy who founded the company pulling out and the guy who the company was built around leaving to join the "minor league" isn't proof of me not being the only one who thinks that, nothing is, so enjoy whatever you get out of it.