It’s fair to argue that Sledge is looking forward to ROH Best in the World more than anyone else, given the way the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his proper debut for the promotion..
Ahead of the pay-per-view, “The Metalhead Maniac” spoke with Spencer Love and shared his excitement for the event, which will mark ROH’s first show with live fans since the beginning of the pandemic. In a more general sense, Sledge explained why he considers ROH to be the “best company in the world” and credited the promotion’s talented roster. (Transcription credit of Spencer Love of Love Wrestling.)
“It’s been great with Ring of Honor, I still have to smack myself sometimes to believe that I’m actually working for [what] I call the best company in the world, because there’s no other company right now that is doing what we’re doing. On top of that, [that] has the talent that we have, on top of that, that has the most hard hitting professional wrestling out there like we do.”
Sledge also explained how training in the ROH Dojo introduced him to several of the promotion’s young stars and allowed him to push himself to new heights in order to match the ROH standard. He then emphasized his belief that ROH is on a “whole other level.”
“What was so great about it is I was in there with – I was in there with contracted talent in the dojo, like Khan, Moses, Dak Draper. Who else was – Brian Johnson,” said Sledge. “On top of that, you know, you got Joe Keys, you got Ken Dixon, Dante Cavallaro, Amy Rose, Quinn McKay.
“…I knew it gave me an opportunity to train with the competition. It gave me an opportunity to roll with these guys, see how good they are, [and] know where my weaknesses are so I can help elevate myself to these guys’s level, because Ring of Honor’s a whole other level above anybody.”
Now, as the wrestling world returns to some semblance of normalcy, Sledge is more than ready for his breakout moment heading into what’s sure to be an eventful summer for ROH.
In a recent interview with WrestleZone, Sledge explained how the COVID-19 pandemic was beneficial for his career, as it allowed him to refocus and prepare to present ROH with the best version of himself:
“Personally, for me, it was probably the best thing that’s happened. It was time for me to, after I signed and then the world crashed, it gave me a chance to hit the pause button for a second. And reset mentally, physically, [and] emotionally. So I can give Ring of Honor the best version of “The Metalhead Maniac” [rather] than just being thrown in the mix and just hoping for the best.”
“Because I believe that if Ring of Honor didn’t make the changes they did during the pandemic, it would have been a sink or swim scenario. And I would have swam, but I would have treaded water. I wouldn’t have swam the way that I’m swimming now. I would have treaded water….It was the best thing for me, and for me to be in the mix right now is, I believe, was the best thing for my career so far.”
