Former ROH Owner Clarifies Comments Criticizing Tony Khan’s Handling of ROH

Tony Khan is dedicated to enhancing the prominence of Ring of Honor, striving to increase its visibility and strengthen its connection with AEW. Recently, a former ROH owner has clarified his previously critical comments regarding Khan’s management of ROH.

Khan has talked about his dedication to ROH talent, saying it’s different from how WWE treated WCW talent in the past. Tony Khan is also working to keep ROH exciting and new.

While speaking during John Arezzi’s Mat Memories from Madison Square Garden podcast, former ROH owner Cary Silkin talked about the company’s current state and called Tony Khan about how badly it has been treated.

“Ring of Honor of that era tried to show some respect to professional wrestling. Sure we had some wacky stuff. Sure we had the flippy dippy do was coming into fashion. The flippy dippy do was going on with Édouard Carpentier too…Ring of Honor, there was some good pro wrestling going on in that segment of it. Right now, Ring of Honor it’s like no one cares at all. I don’t care how much money Tony Khan has. It’s not being treated very well.”

Advertising

Advertising

While speaking on Irish Wrestling Podcast, Silkin addressed his previous comments on the Mat Memories podcast regarding the current management of ROH under Tony Khan. He expressed his thoughts on what he hopes for the brand’s future and mentioned that he was not familiar with the lineup for the Death Before Dishonor event.

Silkin was surprised by how his comments were interpreted. He explained that while he had praised Tony Khan’s efforts and expressed confidence in Khan’s ability to eventually get Ring of Honor on television, he also noted that the brand’s current visibility might be limited. Silkin acknowledged Khan’s challenging role in managing multiple responsibilities and emphasized that Khan’s intentions for Ring of Honor are positive. He expressed concern about how much Khan can realistically handle.

Silkin shared his opinion on the use of legacy talent in Ring of Honor, citing names like Jay Lethal, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Dalton Castle, Mark Briscoe, and Shane Taylor. He suggested that these veterans should be featured more prominently, reflecting on how their presence could enhance the brand’s appeal. Silkin noted that while he wasn’t a booker, he believed using these familiar names could benefit the brand.

”It’s unbelievable how that quote got picked up. What they left out, if you listen to the show, I do the podcast Mat Memories with John Arezzi. I’ll plug it again at the end. But I also said, ‘Hey, I’m happy everyone’s got a place to work and I’m sure Tony Khan will get Ring of Honor on television. He’s a busy man.’ But me saying, ‘Well, nobody really cares about it.’ How can they!? It’s not in a position — listen, I’ve met Tony Khan. He’s an awesome guy. My friends all work for him. Yes, he gets criticized by all these f*cking podcasts and this and that. Deep down, he’s a good guy and I know damn well his intentions for Ring of Honor will be as best as possible. How can he manage everything? I mean, it’s insanity.

Listen, once again, Tony Khan is a good guy and he’s got a lot of stuff on his plate. But what I would like to see is you got Jay Lethal, you got (Matt) Taven, (Mike) Bennett, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Dalton Castle… Mark Briscoe of course… Shane Taylor, and a number of other names that I’m leaving off the list. These are guys that were all associated with Ring of Honor and they should — I never was a booker but, these names I see on the card, alright, I get it. Years have gone by but if you have these names of legacy, use ‘em. I would feel better as opposed to Gravity (he laughed). Whoever. It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s a different thing. My friend Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are still the announcers. Bobby Cruise, who I’ve known for too long, God bless him, he’s still there and he’s doing really well with AEW and yeah, I mean, I couldn’t even tell you one match that’s coming up for this Ring of Honor show but I’ll watch it… But real quick, we left off Samoa Joe, and Bryan Danielson. So if there’s a Ring of Honor pay-per-view, use ‘em. It’s like, it’s so obvious. But, they’re in other programs. But whatever. That’s my selfish thinking.”

Tony Khan is also eyeing rebranding ROH as an AEW show in the future. Regardless, ROH will likely continue to undergo more changes in the coming months, and that’s how Tony Khan will conduct business in the end.

What do you think of what Cary Silkin had to say? Do you feel Tony Khan will be able to book ROH well? Sound off in the comments section below!