Specifically, WrestleZone asked Lagana what he thought of "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, and how he responds to some claims that Danielson is currently one of the best wrestlers in the business. "The one thing I really like about Bryan is his passion for the business," commented Lagana. "As far as Bryan goes, he’s definitely one of the standout personalities and talents." Lagana noted that one thing Ring of Honor is trying to present uniquely is the way wrestlers communicate to the audience. Sit-down interviews and a more realistic approach to promos are being infused into the TV shows as opposed to cookie cutter, standard, in-your-face promos that are seen in other wrestling promotions.
Lagana stressed the importance of shifting with the times and evolving a wrestling product the way people’s tastes evolve. ROH Owner Cary Silken and HDNet’s Andrew Simon and Adam Swift really responded to the idea of taking advantage of trendy forms of communication like Twitter; it helps keep the product fresh and gives the pro wrestling fans a new and exciting way to interact. Lagana joked, "I don’t know if Vince McMahon knows what Twitter is or not, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who would want to read a Vince McMahon tweet." He compared the way AOL was a fad back in 1995 to the newer concepts of web communication like Facebook, and cited Ring of Honor’s desire to reach out to the fans using all the latest technology available.
But ultimately, Lagana (working hand in hand with ROH booker Adam Pearce and the folks at HDNet) seems to be big picture oriented and concerned with creating an overall product that is both entertaining and sports minded. "Our goal is to put on a wrestling strong show with characters that you’re hopefully interested in and growing it." We have, hands down, the best tag team division in US pro wrestling right now." While most might agree that’s true, from a talent standpoint, one issue that Ring of Honor might encounter is network pressure demanding star power that the company does not yet have. TNA found itself in a difficult situation when it moved to Spike TV in that they had an incredibly talented roster, but little star power to draw a more mainstream audience to their product. "There’s no pressure," Lagana remarked about ROH’s situation, "HDNet is committed because they love the program and it works for them; ROH is a great compliment to all the great MMA they produce."
As Ring of Honor begins its Monday night journey this evening, David Lagana is looking forward to what the future holds for Ring of Honor and its ascend to Monday night’s as an entertaining alternative to sports entertainment. "It’s about new. And it’s really interesting. Check it out."
So take Lagana’s advice; check it out. And then be sure to check back to WrestleZone over the course of the next few days as we post part two and three of our exclusive interview series with David Lagana where he discusses other topics including his time in WWE and his eventual departure from the company, his thoughts on the current wrestling product outside of Ring of Honor, and much more!
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
