The attempt by Tony Khan to resurrect the ROH brand hasn’t really provided what many fans were hoping for.
Maybe it’s time for Tony Khan to just throw in the towel on Ring of Honor. While the All Elite Wrestling owner may have a place in his heart for the company that helped put wrestling back on the map, it’s just not working out the way he thought it would.
ROH, in its heyday, rose from a grassroots movement in 2002 to the second-largest promotion in North America, before the launch of AEW. It served as a precursor to the things that Tony Khan envisioned in his new company. The skill of the wrestlers there (as well as in New Japan) delighted the billionaire. The events that took place at the original All In then led Tony Khan to pull the trigger on his own endeavor.
After initially trying to purchase Ring of Honor, Tony Khan would eventually get his wish in 2022 when Sinclair Broadcasting sold the property. There was reason to be excited if you were a long-time fan of ROH. It was a chance for the tradition to continue.
And… it was exciting to think of a billionaire with two separate entities working together. The idea of cross-promotional events and dream matches went dancing through the fans’ heads.
Except, it hasn’t quite turned out that way. Unfortunately, the initial excitement has died down, and what’s been left behind has been an absolute cluster of errors. Too many names and too many titles all trying to be jammed together have convoluted the presentation. Add in the fact that ROH doesn’t technically have its own television show, and the situation gets even cloudier.
At this point, TK owns two mismatched pieces of a puzzle that he’s trying to smash together. And no matter how much he turns and twists them, the picture hasn’t been very pretty.
Sadly, the grit, grind, and grime of Ring of Honor no longer exist within the big and bloated AEW Universe.
What’s been left behind are a whole lot of fans and friends trying to grasp memories that faded a long time ago. And as much as it’s hard for any of us who loved Ring of Honor to admit? It’s just not working. Not in this incarnation, and not in this environment.
Tony Khan Working Over 80 Hours Per Week
The average wrestling fan who may have watched the product years ago has long since moved on. You can only have so many alternatives in life. As of now, the only alternative to WWE that we really need is a unified All Elite Wrestling. Many of the fans are starting to realize that.
That’s why it would probably make more sense for Tony Khan to consolidate his companies and run under one brand. Otherwise, this will continue more confusing to the masses and even more complicated for him.
This is not a total indictment of Khan or the way he operates his business. but it’s been glaringly obvious to everyone that the roster is bloated they have too many titles and that Ring of Honor is quite frankly just the poor sick cousin to the big dog.
So Mr. Khan can be given credit for what he tried to do. But it’s time to admit defeat. It’s time for him to realize that his dream of resurrecting ROH just isn’t going to happen.
We can commend him for trying to do the honorable thing.
But in the end? it’s okay to admit your failures. There’s no shame in it.
Ryan Boman is the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays about Embracing Life with Laughter & Love, and has covered pro sports and wrestling for 30 years. Follow him on social media @RyanKBoman
