“The primary Velvet Underground report offered solely 30,000 copies in its first 5 years. But, that was an enormously vital report for therefore many individuals. I believe everybody who purchased a kind of 30,000 copies began a band!”
-Brian Eno/Lou Reed/Apocryphal
It’s that point of 12 months once more. Wrestling Observer E-newsletter Corridor of Fame (WON HOF) season, probably the most fantastic time of the 12 months for the choose group of us wrestling nerds that spend approach an excessive amount of time fascinated by these items and discussing it on Discord and different locations.
My focus this 12 months for the WON HOF will likely be on wrestlers, and possibly even non-wrestlers, who had a serious impression whereas working for Ring of Honor. I’ll have a look at everything of those careers, each inside and outdoors of ROH, and the way they contribute to an HOF-worthy case, however to me, the significance of ROH can’t be understated.
That brings me to the crux of my argument for a lot of of those performers. My thesis assertion runs all through the entire articles I plan on writing for this “ROHOF” collection. That thesis is that the Ring of Honor as a promotion is, no doubt, traditionally vital in a optimistic method. These wrestlers who had been important to the success and peaks of the Ring of Honor are, due to this fact, additionally traditionally vital in a optimistic method and fulfill that criterion for WON HOF induction.
The historic significance of Ring of Honor could be seen in some ways.
The obvious is the unbelievable crop of expertise that first made their names in ROH earlier than shifting on to greater levels, resembling WWE, NJPW, or AEW. This consists of wrestlers which are already within the Corridor of Fame, resembling Bryan Danielson and AJ Types, in addition to many nonetheless in outstanding positions, like Samoa Joe, The Younger Bucks, Kevin Steen (Owens), El Generico (Sami Zayn), Mark Briscoe, Claudio Castagnoli, Nigel McGuinness, Prince Nana, and Adam Cole.
Latter-day ROH was additionally important to Cody Rhodes, who constructed himself into stardom.
Nonetheless, the most important optimistic in favor of ROH is a little bit more durable to outline and rather more private. To me, ROH’s significance is that it saved the flame of hardcore wrestling fandom alive in america through the down interval of post-monopoly WWE. The greatness of ROH, particularly within the 2002-2008 “Gabe period,” made me, and I’d guess many others, into a lot greater wrestling followers.
It was my gateway into wrestling outdoors of the WWE, whether or not Professional Wrestling NOAH, Dragongate, different US independents, or quite a few Japanese promotions. It was a formative promotion for a lot of followers, who at the moment are the precise type of folks voting for the WON HOF.
That brings me again to the quote that I opened the article with.
It’s turn out to be an apocryphal quote through the years. Its first point out was by legendary producer Brian Eno, who recalled a remark from the lead singer of the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed. Nonetheless, the quote has typically been reused, modified, and repurposed. The sentiment stays, although – although the Velvet Underground could not have had many (or any) high 40 hits or Billboard charting albums – that their impression was deep on the small numbers that appreciated them. And that appreciation was amplified by those that grew to become concerned within the music trade, and a large ripple impact was created.
In a lot the identical approach, the Ring of Honor wasn’t an enormous draw, however its cumulative affect on the wrestling trade and wrestling fandom is exponential. Whereas these Ring of Honor DVDs could have solely offered 30,000 copies – each single one that purchased one began a wrestling profession, or web site, or podcast.
That’s the significance I wish to mirror on when discussing the wrestlers who constructed ROH, like Samoa Joe or the Briscoes. The “historic significance in a optimistic method” portion of the WON HOF standards ought to honor the trade’s trailblazers, pioneers, and the vanguard of the trade. Those that possibly didn’t make as a lot cash or promote as many tickets – however of their work they finally made the professional wrestling trade into a greater place. And I consider that the work of ROH, particularly throughout its peak in 2002-2007, general is a gigantic optimistic for the historical past of wrestling and what it did for the game going ahead.
ROH created the mannequin and actually the perfect model of the critically acclaimed impartial wrestling firm within the trendy period. It was born out of the ashes of ECW and crammed a much-needed area of interest within the new world of full WWE monopoly. It clearly had direct lineage into comparable “tremendous indies” resembling FIP, Dragon Gate USA, and Evolve by means of Gabe Sapolsky. However it’s additionally onerous to see firms resembling CHIKARA or PWG succeeding for so long as they did with out ROH paving the best way.
It is dependent upon your definition of “impartial,” however ROH’s impression may also be seen within the Wrestling Observer E-newsletter yearly awards. It’s one of many few smaller firms that has gained a number of classes.
Examples embrace Bryan Danielson successful most excellent in 2006-2009, the Briscoes (2007), American Wolves (2009), and Kings of Wrestling (2010) successful tag workforce of the 12 months. ROH additionally gained match of the 12 months in 2005 (Joe vs. Kobashi), 2006 (Dragon Gate 6 man), and 2007 (Danielson vs. Morishima). Steen vs. Generico gained Feud of the Yr in 2010, Larry Sweeney gained greatest non-wrestler for his ROH work in 2007-2008 (relaxation in energy 12 giant), and Sapolsky even gained Booker of the Yr from 2004-2007.
Lastly, greatest main present winners had been Glory By Honor V Night time 2 in 2006 and Man Up in 2007.
ROH isn’t the one smaller firm that has gained awards for equity. ECW Hardcore TV gained greatest weekly TV present from 94-96, and ECW gained greatest main present for Heatwave 98 and Anarchy Rulz 99. Paul Heyman additionally gained Greatest Booker from 94-97. Folks like Rey Mysterio gained Most Excellent by means of their work in ECW, although work in WCW additionally performed a big half.
Whereas ROH’s not the primary to win a few of these awards could downgrade their significance to some, to me, it actually emphasizes the significance that ECW has and the way we have to think about folks like Sabu for the HOF. However that’s an article for one more time and one other author.
The final huge query that a lot of you might have is, “However is that this large enough of a historic significance to make it WON HOF-worthy?” Or possibly it’s, “OK, I can inform that is vital to you personally, however objectively, is it sufficient for the Corridor of Fame?” I’ve the same reply to each of these questions. It makes me consider folks discussing placing Tomohiro Ishii into the WON HOF on a pure workrate case. With workrate being extra subjective, is that this making a slippery slope the place we vote for folks we like, and this turns into a “Corridor of Favorites”? Among the finest arguments in opposition to that I heard was the thought that – if 60% or extra of voters do suppose he’s a WON HOF-worthy employee, then objectively, he’s! In the same vein, if a wrestler’s work in ROH is traditionally vital to >60% of the voting base, then, that does make it vital sufficient for the HOF.
It’s just like the argument that occurs generally in politics, particularly primaries, the place “electability” turns into an element. One could vote for somebody or not vote for another person to be their occasion’s candidate primarily based on the belief of how they’ll do in a normal election. Slightly than choosing the candidate who they suppose is the perfect and letting the chips fall as they might basically, they go together with the candidate with what they suppose is the broadest attraction.
On this case, I wish to vote with my coronary heart.
I really like peak Ring of Honor and the wrestling that made it superb. I wish to acknowledge these wrestlers. So be it in the event that they don’t get sufficient votes from different voters. However I wish to give them an opportunity. I wish to put them on the market and see if sufficient different voters really feel just like me. Possibly everybody who purchased a Ring of Honor DVD grew to become a WON HOF voter.