Tony Khan Ready To Take The ‘Training Wheels’ Off ROH

Tony Khan, the president of AEW, genuinely likes professional wrestling, which is why he chose to buy Ring Of Honor earlier this year. This move saved the company from going under. Khan recently shared some insights on the HonorClub’s comeback and gave a future outlook for Ring of Honor.

In March, Khan made his acquisition of ROH public. Khan conducted three pay-per-view events throughout the course of the year, and during the next few months, ROH belts were frequently defended on AEW television.

Following the Final Battle pay-per-view on December 10, Khan revealed that the business will be relaunching HonorClub, which will serve as the home for its television show once it returns. Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, Khan was asked what fans can expect from ROH with the launch of Honor Club. 

Khan stressed that ROH has several options, and he brought up the connection between ROH and NJPW that he noted in the initial announcement. He said he wanted to rekindle the relationship. Khan also said it’s the ideal time to remove the training wheels in a more general sense.

“As I understand it the numbers we already reached in a very short time are strong in membership and customer base. More than ever before. It’s a great value to join HonorClub right now. We’re going to be following up soon to talk about when the weekly Ring of Honor TV will launch and stream on HonorClub for sure. There are a lot of interesting partnerships and possibilities with great wrestling companies. Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling had a great working relationship we are rekindling. We are looking to rekindle that long relationship. Ring of Honor may be in the strongest position they’ve ever been in its 20 years. It’s the perfect time to take the training wheels off,” 

Khan then emphasised how the brand is now more well-known in this new era of ROH as a result of its appearance on AEW programming and the profitable pay-per-view events throughout 2022. Khan also stated that Claudio Castagnoli’s debut at Forbidden Door helped boost his career with both companies significantly, as he recalled having expected for him to be a top star in the new ROH.

“We’ve created a lot of familiarity with the brand. It’s also beneficial to both brands. For example, I had earmarked Claudio [Castagnoli] to be a top star for Ring of Honor, but when we had this mess of injuries back in June before Forbidden Door, he came to AEW. It really helped us and came in to debut with Ring of Honor. He ended up coming out a month earlier and cutting his vacation short. An example having the two companies benefited us,”

Meanwhile, Athena will defend the ROH Women’s World Championship at a Prestige Wrestling even in January. Stay tuned to Ringside News for more.

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