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Report: Madison Rayne Receives Release From ROH

By Kevin Parvizi

LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 25: TNA Wrestlers AJ Styles, Madison Rayne, and Tara attends the 48th Annual Carl Casper's Custom and Louisville auto show at the Kentucky Exposition Center on February 25, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 25: TNA Wrestlers AJ Styles, Madison Rayne, and Tara attends the 48th Annual Carl Casper's Custom and Louisville auto show at the Kentucky Exposition Center on February 25, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images) /
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When Madison Rayne signed with Ring of Honor last September, there was plenty of optimism in the air about her ability to help Women of Honor become a more important part of the promotion. Just five months later, however, Rayne has been granted her release from ROH.

Madison Rayne had an incredibly busy summer in 2018, fighting Su Yung for Impact Wrestling’s Knockouts Championship at the acclaimed Slammiversary Pay Per View, appearing at WWE’s Mae Young Classic 2, and taking on Sumie Sakai for ROH‘s Women of Honor Championship.

Though it seemed like WWE and Impact could be options for Rayne, the accomplished grappler chose to sign a one-year deal with ROH. She, unsurprisingly, had interest from WWE, but she decided to pick ROH since she was unwilling to relocate from Columbus. 

Per a report from PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson, Rayne’s time with ROH will only span a few months, as she has been granted her release from the company. While the parting of ways is said to be amicable, Rayne was reportedly unhappy with the “creative direction” – whether that’s of her own character or WOH as a whole remains unclear. Note that Rayne told Fightful.com that she aimed to become a champion and help elevate the talented division as a whole.

Wrestling fans were optimistic that Rayne could help change the Women of Honor Division for the better, and while Mayu Iwatani’s recent championship win in Miami could boost WOH’s profile further, it’s always seemed like ROH doesn’t do enough to promote their talented women’s wrestlers.

Under that lens, Rayne’s departure from Ring of Honor isn’t a surprise, even if the news came through suddenly, given that she only signed a one-year contract in September. A five-time Knockouts Champion and three-time tag team champion across TNA and SHIMMER, Rayne is one of the most accomplished and experienced wrestlers in the world. She stands out as a seller and technical wrestler in her matches, so she’ll undoubtedly find a spot in whatever capacity she wants to wrestle.

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Beyond Rayne, hopefully this situation is a wake-up call for ROH to take its Women of Honor Division more seriously, because they still have plenty of great wrestlers in the division who need some spotlight, beyond just the exciting Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein rivalry for the title.

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