Ring of Honor

Get ready to be fuckin’ shineboxed~!

2007 was a year of change. Gaining an exclusive PPV deal, losing talent, and major changes afoot, the company had to adjust, and adjust it did. Although the company was still producing stuff that was making it a fast growing phenomenon, it was thought by two men in particular that it was time for the company to take the next step and launch themselves as it were. These thoughts came from Gary Silkin and Gabe Sapolsky.

These two men were the forefront figures of Ring of Honor behind the scenes. These two men was where the buck stopped. However, as the chimes rang and 2008 was seen in and they waved goodbye to 2007, these two ROH Icons were deliberating and putting the final touches to a history-making change to the ROH landscape, a change that could either make the company, or break it…once and for all.

Just days after the chime rang out, Gabe Sapolsky – on behalf of ROH Management – announced the new landscape that Ring of Honor was introducing. In addition to the PPV deal, which was due to be held bi-monthly, Silkin and Sapolsky had jointly decided to take ROH to the big-time. The FX Network had shown faith and had signed Ring of Honor to their network! Ring of Honor had gained television recognition. The FX Network had given the promotion a slot of 90 minutes on a Tuesday night. However, Ring of Honor would only hold the broadcasts on a bi-weekly basis, meaning 2 shows would be held a month in this format. After 4 ‘Television Specials’ as they were being touted, the company would then hold a 3 hour Pay Per View spectacular. That first Pay Per View would be going back to basics and would be entitled Respect Is Earned, the first Pay Per View event the company held, back in mid-2007.

Not only this, but Gabe declared that the company was almost starting afresh. After the trials and tribulations, the company would undergo a transformation. Not only had the format been redefined and recreated, but the titles have also been VACATED! The FIP Championship had been removed as an active title, rumoured to be making way for the possible return of the ROH Pure Title. The ROH Championship, along with the ROH World Tag Team Titles had also been made vacant. Sapolsky promised that in the first Newswire of 2008, the details of how the ROH World Title would be decided would be published to the world.

The world was watching, and waiting. The critics were ready to jump on any critical mistake or missing component. With a Television deal in place, it truly was make or break for Gabe Sapolsky, Gary Silkin and Ring of Honor as an entire entity. With passion and pride in their hearts, Ring of Honor would step up to the plate and take on the demising WWE and TNA and well and truly staple their mark on the professional wrestling circuit.

We don’t imitate, we innovate…