ROH: Honoring the Franchise or Just a WWE Minor League?

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ROH: Honoring the Franchise or Just a WWE Minor League?

When it comes to Wrestling in the present day, the WWE owns the industry in North America.  Many people might argue but like Eric Bishoff once said in an interview: "A companies status is based on TV ratings, PPV buyrates, national and international licencing". 

These concentration in details helped him lift WCW from a territorial entity in the South, to the mega-company it became in 1997 (along with the help of Hogan of course). 

Ring of Honor, an independent company that is now holding PPVs, has a busy house show schedule all over the US and the world.  I have been watching ROH since its first summer PPV in 2007, and although the mat wrestling and overall ring psychology is really good, the company has yet to "break through" to the next level.

When you read the ROH website, their house show schedule is similar to WWE.  They have 2-3 shows per weekend, with there top stars competing at all of them. 

TNA, on the other hand, runs limited house shows with most of there "wrestling backbone" (Motor City Machine Guns and Black Machismo, for example) working local independent shows around the country and japan.

So good mat wrestling, and many shows to showcase their talent- it seems like ROH has the winning formula.

Then its like Million dollar Man's theme starts playing: MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!

WWE is a multi-million dollar company, with worldwide recognition and a fan base that will pay top dollar to see Raw or Smackdown.

ROH is honoring the tradition of wrestling, but to make it big, you need star power, champions with legacy.  Wrestling by itself, won't bake the cake.

ROH has done a good job in landing PPV deals and now a TV show on HDnet, but due to the money and star-making power WWE possess, I dont think ROH will make it past that: a breeding ground. 

There is just not enough money in ROH to go around to keep a superstar from jumping ship to Monday or Friday nights.

WWE and TNA both showed this by acquiring CM Punk, Matt Sydal, Samoa Joe and even Kid Kash. 

ROH also leaves the strap on Nigel McGuinness: WTF?!?! I mean he might be an okay personality for the company, but his in-ring moves are too repetitive, he never sells his oppenent's moves correctly and that jaw breaking clothesline is almost a fifth-rate clotheline from hell (and if a real bar fight ever broke out between McGinness and JBL, you know I will have two shots, a beer and 50 bucks bet on Bradshaw, haha)

ROH is doing awesome for what it is: a independent company with stars ready to move on to the WWE.

I think ROH has the potential to rise up and be better than TNA.

With talents like the Briscoes, Bryan Danielson, Gunner Scott, and those crazy Japanese guys they bring in- they put on a good show (unless it's a garbage match with Nigel McGuiness, the worst choice for those bookers)

I hope to see ROH become what ECW did the late 90s....

They have all the ingredients to resonate ROH chants at WWE live events and television!

They just gotta capture one thing: the crowd!

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