Joe Koff says fans might be able to see what the new Ring Of Honor looks like in the near future.
ROH COO Joe Koff recently appeared on the ROHStrong podcast and discussed the company being a destination for fans, which could potentially change down the line when they return in April 2022. Koff also teased possibly showing everyone what those plans entail in the first week of the new year, but didn’t want to get too far ahead in those plans.
“It’s market-specific, so if you’re in Baltimore, you know it’s Saturday night at 10 o’clock on WNUV and At 12 o’clock noon on channel 24. You have to be a fan to find wrestling, it’s not destination-oriented. We understood that, we were fine with that, we went and created our own destination marketplace but in that time they [AEW] were wrestling, they were growing, they were wrestling in the state of Florida, which certainly had different rules for business, they weren’t dealing with a commission. I laud the Maryland Commission for their safety and all that, they kept it even safer than perhaps I would’ve been. I respect it and we did it and I’m really happy that we did it because it gave our wrestlers and our talent and our staff a greater sense of comfort that we’ve taken the most protection that we possibly could have.”
“But what happened was 2020 passed and 2021 started and we were just not in that position, nor could we see that continuation of the product at that level. [It] forced my business team and my unbelievable brand of ‘Imagineers’ and our core people to think about what should we do next? What can we do next? What would be the next logical step, and that’s where we are in the process right now. So, we’re still basking a little bit, as you said, in that sunlight, and we have some really nice things up our sleeves for around the first of the year, and as we get into the first quarter, we’ll start seeing maybe not only the blueprint, but the actual design of what the next Ring Of Honor will look like.”
Koff would then delve into what could be next for ROH in 2022 and said the company plans on delivering a show that is built around what the fans want.
“It really is too early for me to give much detail. But we do plan on delivering a product that epitomizes who we are. And not only deliver a product but an experience for the fans and I don’t think that exists today in the traditional professional wrestling landscape. I only say that because we’ve always identified with our fans and I’ve always felt that they were really the lifeblood of who we are. I think that’s kind of the few reimagining that we’re moving to. To get fan engagement, that fan collaboration, that fan interest and how do we harness that to build a promotion that’s really built to and for the fans, but that’s about as deep as I’m going to get because we’re really in the early stages and I’m not ready to get into full detail about that.”
Joe Koff also spoke about allowing Jay Lethal out of his Ring Of Honor contract and how it “wasn’t even a question” for him. Read more about Lethal’s departure and their relationship at this link.
Related: Ring Of Honor Will Reportedly Focus On ‘Non-Contracted Indie Talent’ After Return From Hiatus
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