It has never been a better time to get into Ring Of Honor
Ring Of Honor is my favorite wrestling promotion. It might not be that forever, but for the moment there are few companies putting on wrestling, particularly in the COVID-Era, that have my attention. And even fewer that so consistently put a smile on my face from the fare of wrestling they showcase on a weekly basis.
But, Ring Of Honor has had something of a shaky history. As mentioned in my article about their most recent Final Battle Pay-Per-View, they struggled to retain a sense of identity throughout their 19-year run. From beginning as the “pinnacle of indies”, their purchase of ownership by Sinclair Broadcasting that some would say led to a period of decay within quality to their oddly responsible actions during the Lockdown that many other promotions could take cues from, Ring Of Honor has had its decent hand of ups & downs.
Right now, however, ROH is on one of it’s biggest ups. Regrasping its sense of identity and individuality instead of simply trying to replicate other promotions in the hopes of achieving their success, Ring Of Honor now seems more deserving of any fortune that comes its way.
And I hope that by reading this article and listening to a recent and fervent convert to the promotions fanbase, you give them a chance. Give them the “honor” of watching.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
How Ring Of Honor emphasizes sports over entertainment in their product
Viewing any part of Ring Of Honor’s regular showings and PPVs, from promos to in-ring, gives an impression upon the viewer that the company has long sought to achieve: That pro wrestling is a sport and that Ring Of Honor is the gold-standard of that sport.
And like most sports within the world, Ring Of Honor values rules. They value and enforce them. But when they are broken, consequences are given out in full hands. While you usually only see storyline consequences on TV (The real life instances would likely be far less entertaining to watch) these consequences create the idea that within the scripted world of professional wrestling, reality still reigns supreme. An example of this can be found in Flip Gordon, who’s lack of respect and obedience to the Pure Rules Division results in him being ousted nearly as quickly as he came.
Speaking of such an instance, the bringing of this idea of sportsmanship and reality to ROH can be tracked very clearly to their resurrection of the Pure Rules Division, and the Pure Championship alongside it. The matches this division highlights are entirely centered around strategy, skill and planning as opposed to the dramatics that pro wrestling is reputed for. And like any paradigm shift to a segment of an ecosystem, it spills over into the other sections. From how the outright barbaric rivalry of Vincente & Matt Taven results in them being temporarily suspended to quell the violence, to how the Pure Rules makes no bones about the result of violating their regulations, this brings one thing to mind purely:
Honor, for the first time in who knows how long, is real in ROH. And I welcome this alternative wrestling atmosphere.
How Ring Of Honor emphasizes a more grey morality than conventional face/heel dynamics
The binary morality of pro wrestling storytelling is known to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the genre. There are good guys & bad guys. There is a “right” way and a “wrong” way to do things in the world of its stories. There’s the Faces, the people you should cheer, and the Heels, the people you should boo.
I don’t need to tell any wrestling fan of the last 12 years that the ending example of the above writing fell apart as soon as Kayfabe became a thing of the past. Now that finding out how the stories are put together and the people behind the personas is as easy as putting a word into Google, people now cheer/boo on a multitude of reasons. Preference of style, in-ring ability, mic performances, whether they’re a horrible person in the real world etc.
Ring Of Honor tries to combat this. And while it’s definitely not the one-hit kill to find the solution of an easy fix, it has more of an effect than most attempts in recent memory. In ROH, there are very few clean cut “good & bad guys”. Instead, each performer in the promotion is composed of vices and virtues that add up to an individual, three-dimensional character. Much like real life.
There is a litenue of times this has been proven throughout their resurrection from a temporary, quarantine-induced hiatus. But two that stand out to me the most are Shane Taylor Promotions and Brian Johnson’s characters. Both of which were exemplified during the Final Battle PPV.
Shane Taylor Promotions, having been booked in a Six-Man-Title match with the champions of Mexa-Squad. However, the defending title holders were unable to defend due to two of their members, Bandido and Flamita, being constrained by travel regulations. This led to Shane Taylor Promotions being offered a forfeit win of the titles. It takes the trio of Shane Taylor, Moses and Khan less than a second to shoot it down, deeming that while they are brutal and are upfront as can be about doing whatever actions to win gold, they are “not a charity”, in Taylor’s own words.
Meanwhile, Brian Johnson is as loathsome a figure as can be in ROH. When your info-card in your entrance is literally composed of thinly veiled insults towards you, it’s easy for the audience to get the impression of the man Johnson is. This is furthered by Johnson’s insult against his Final Battle opponent, Danhausen, which cross into needlessly transphobic at one point. However, as his constant angered rambling in the match continues, you get a clear picture that Brian is someone stricken with an inferiority complex. This is highlighted to its peak by a pained declaration of how he had been working with ROH for years and was only at his first Final Battle now, where Danhausen debuted the same show. While not understanding in his rage at any point, you can’t help but feel a pang of pity and empathy for the man.
There have been far more performers living up to this realistic style of characters in Ring Of Honor alongside those described. And it shows an ability to evolve in the thinking of the promotions writers. If people are used to and done with the style of binary morality, why don’t we turn it into a spectrum?
How Ring Of Honor’s excellent stables make for phenomenal storytelling
Many wrestling promotions try to recapture the success of WCW and older WWE. Particularly, they attempt to bring forth the age of blockbuster success wrestling stables such as NWO, Degeneration X and the Nation of Domination. But, attempting and succeeding are two very different things. Just need to look at Impact’s attempts at this during the era of Immortal and EV 2.0 to see how a lack of ability to nail it can lead to failure.
Ring Of Honor is no stranger to factions in its history, with groups like Age Of The Fall and Special K being prominent and stretching back far as most can remember. But recent groups to emerge within the promotion are nothing to be scoffed at, each one having a standout identity that makes them distinguishable from their fellows with ease.
The Foundation, led by Jonathan Gresham, is a group born out of the resurrection of Pure Rules. They are doing all they can to “bring honor back to this company” and being comprised of members such as Jay Lethal, Tracy Willaims and Rhett Titus, the core of their identity is defined by history and veteranship of wrestling.
Contrasted to this is Shane Taylor Promotions, made up of Shane Taylor, O’Shay Edwards and the tag team of S.O.S-Soldier Of Savagery-Moses & Khan. Being of much fresher talent, this quartet of men is based on the idea that winning and attaining glory is what matters in their career. They are not immoral fighters, however, often respecting the Code Of Honor and wanting to win by their own ability and skill above all. But the end goal of success is what matters most to them.
Something they share with the final faction I will mention, La Facción Ingobernables. Headed by the current ROH World Champion, Rush, and filled with his father and brother, Bestia del Ring and Dragon Lee respectively, alongside Kenny King is a group built on one thing: They are on top of the mountain that is Ring Of Honor. And they will throw down anyone who tries to climb up. Easily the most clean-cut bad guys of ROH, the headlining group puts on show stopping bouts that leave you wondering who exactly can be the one to finally dethrone them.
Ring Of Honor has shown they know the winning formula to faction warfare in wrestling. And it is identity.
How Ring Of Honor’s roster is some of the best in the world today
One thing that earned my regular enjoyment of Ring Of Honor is the fact there is very little time when I would see a match being advertised and think I didn’t want to see it. And even less that these matches do not deliver.
While credit is deserved to the booking staff of course, I personally believe even more should go to the competitors themselves. From across the world, ROH’s roster is put together of the literal best of the best that there is in this sport. Low card to the main event, every performer brings something unique and interesting to the shows they put on, adding ingredients to its winning recipe. I mean, let’s have a look at some of their lineup to even get an inkling of the talent they have on tap.
Heading as the Ring Of Honor World Champion, Rush is easily the sport’s current top 5 of most charismatic performers. Everything he does inside a ring or on a mic drips charm, attitude and a cockiness that never comes off as undeserved to the world champ. Rush is everything you need in a world champion and him being the man to currently co-headline ROH is yet another feather in their cap.
Rush’s brother, the current Ring Of Honor Television World Champion, Dragon Lee is certainly not one to be overlooked either. Bearing easily the most aesthetically pleasing ring gear in the game today, Dragon Lee shows an amazing luchadore style that is paired with a confidence in personality that rivals his brother. While I do think Rush is more fit for the world title, I would be very remiss to say I don’t look forward to any and all of Dragon Lee’s matches.
Going for newer talent, Josh Woods is a rare case of a powerhouse with technical ability that is even more surpassed by his very lovable charm he brings with him. Standing at 6 foot and dwarfing most others on the roster in build, Woods rarely comes off as a dominating brute. Instead, he emits a character of an endearingly awkward rookie which often entertainingly bounces off his mentor, Silas Young’s, more hard nosed and gruff persona. Josh Woods said he hopes 2021 is the year he wins gold and he’s honestly got me hoping it too.
To cap off this display of talent, I would not be doing my job if I didn’t mention the star attraction of Ring Of Honor which is the Foundation’s mastermind, Jonathan Gresham. While being much shorter than most performers at 5’4, literally nothing about Gresham is diminutive. With a technical style that would make the likes of Daniel Bryan and Zack Sabre Jr take notes, Jonathan Gresham co-headlines Ring of Honor as the Pure Rules Champion. A headline position because he made the Pure Rules Title matter that much through persona ability and skill.
I have only named four performers within Ring Of Honor. And all of them would be fit to be an attraction and fixture within any promotion. The fact that ROH has all of them and so much more on equal level is possibly the strongest reason for why this promotion should have your attention.
BUT, we still have one more reason for why you should give Ring Of Honor a chance.
How Ring Of Honor has easily one of the most quality video libraries on demand
I mentioned at the beginning of this piece that Ring Of Honor was once considered the pinnacle of the independent scene. This is easy to see by simply checking out the free matches on their Youtube channel or even spending a bit of money to get their on-demand service in Honor Club.
While I have been singing the praises of modern ROH, a strong lead needs a foundation to stand on. And when you have history including the World Title reign that made Daniel Bryan-then Bryan Danielson-a household name. The countless “Fights Without Honor” that created a testimony of the beautiful brutality wrestling can hold. And the many figures known today, such as Cesaro, Adam Cole and Seth Rollins who got their rise to prominence through their matches within Ring Of Honor
Of course, when you think Ring Of Honor, one thing that will always jump to the front of people’s mind is the beyond classic bout of Kenta Kobashi Vs Samoa Joe that is still held by many as the single greatest independent wrestling match in America’s history. If you don’t believe the hype, just check it out yourself in the above video. I’d be very surprised if you regretted watching it.
Yes, Ring Of Honor’s present is easily some of the best evidence that wrestling will always have more to offer no matter how much time passes. But it’s history is something special to take a trip back in time with. Honestly, I implore you to have a viewing of their backlog as often you keep up with their current product.
Word to the wise from me personally, Takeshi Morishima is an absolute machine of wrestling who I wish I knew the work of sooner. Don’t make my mistake and put on one of his matches as soon as you can.