The Golden Age of Independent Wrestling Is Right Now: Don't Be Left Behind

There is an awakening. Can you feel it?

Last weekend, there were four independent wrestling promotions running within 45 minutes of each other in New York City - CHIKARA, SWA, House of Glory and NYWC. All four featured good live crowds and in the case of at least three of the events, they sold out. NYWC and House of Glory had so many fans, there weren't enough chairs with a number of fans choosing to pay to stand and watch the shows. In The Carolinas, there were multiple events with upwards of 1,700-2,000 fans showing up to see The Rock N' Roll Express battle the Powers of Pain in a Steel Cage for Big Time Wrestling while CWF Mid-Atlantic presented a 105 minute bout that everyone is raving about featuring Trevor Lee and Roy Wilkins. Multiple shows in California for promotions APW and Revolution Pro were sold out. Beyond Wrestling sold out two back to back shows in Rhode Island that received great reviews.

This weekend, Northeast Wrestling is expected to have close to 2,000 fans at their Wrestlefest event in Newburgh, NY. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will present their latest big events, All Star Extravaganza in Reseda, CA that will undoubtedly draw raves and a sellout crowd. MCW in Baltimore will have another big house in Joppa, MD. There are countless other promotions running this weekend as well.

Wrestlemania weekend, there will be no less than TEN independent wrestling events with everyone from SHIMMER to EVOLVE to CZW to the NWA to VIP Wrestling to Queens of Combat to Kaiju Big Battel presenting shows. That number, by the way, does not include Ring of Honor. Most of these events, if not all, will be packed and will feature a lot of great in-ring wrestling. The biggest wrestling event of the year and ten events will be there as the alternative for the 100,000 fans in Dallas.

Mind you, none of what I wrote about mentions other promotions that are currently trying to build their foundation and brand name. AAW in Illinois. AIW in Cleveland. FIP in Florida. Tier 1 in NYC. WrestlePro in New Jersey. Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment in Georgia. Wildkat Sports in New Orleans. There are more quality independent wrestling promotions right now, at the same time, in the United States than at any point before this era.

Nor am I talking about promotions that can be seen in some vein, nationally, on cable. Championship Wrestling Hollywood. Paragon Pro Wrestling....or the countless ones that can be found on Youtube. Just this week, On Point Wrestling in New Jersey launched their own series online.

Now, let's open our scope to include Europe. WXW in Germany. OTT in Ireland. IPW-UK, Revolution Pro, PROGRESS in Great Britain. [Note from Mike: Or ICW, which many fans wrote me about after I neglected to list them here. Sorry!] The level of wrestling and the sheer amount of stuff out there is staggering, even for someone like me, who loves to follow as much as he can.

Holy sh**!

Don't say it's a revolution. Don't say it's aberration. There is no doubt about it. We are living in the golden age of independent professional wrestling, and it's pretty awesome.

So, why is it happening now? There's always been an independent, undercurrent to what mainstream professional wrestling is. Independent wrestling used to be a dirty word. Back in the territory era, anyone who didn't run without permission were considered "outlaw" shows and if those shows crossed the wrong promoter, The National Wrestling Alliance members would team up to trounce them.

When the WWF national expansion took place, suddenly the rules had changed. One, the territory rules no longer applied. Two, many of the smaller towns and venues that had previously been home to spot shows from the larger companies or now-defunct promoters were available. The era of the independents had begun.

Independents used to be, for the most part small, fly by night promotions. They ran shows that were pretty much the equivalent of the circus coming to town for a day. There would be a few names that fans recognized - The Jimmy Snukas, The Terry Funks, The Big Bossmans, The Abdullah The Butchers - either former nationally known names or renowned wild men who were their own men - responsible for drawing the house. Underneath would be a litany of locals, some talented, some not. Most of the locals never made it past that level. The promotions would come in, put on a show and be done. The shows might be good, they might be bad but most often, unless it was a specific promoters, it was likely a haphazard show. How haphazard? I once witnessed Terry Funk beat Abdullah the Butcher in a Texas Death Match...by DQ. These were shows designed to get money and get out. There was no foundation.

Now, following on the blueprint that promotions like ECW, IWA Mid-South and Ring of Honor created, we have independent promotions running regularly in the same venues, with the same talents, telling storylines that exist over multiple months. Some of them are still running and promoting the old grass-roots style and having great success with it. Big Time Wrestling and Wildkat Sports routinely draw good crowds without seeking online audiences. There are also companies building their momentum on DVD sales, digital downloads and streaming websites. We are seeing promotions making good money with multiple revenue streams. They aren't anywhere close to destroying WWE's place as the top wrestling company in the world, but they are making money for themselves and in many cases, thanks to t-shirt companies like ProWrestlingTees.com, the wrestlers have regular additional income coming in for themselves.

So, why are things so hot again? A cross-sectional check-in with independent promoters and personalities show that there's a number of different reasons that all seem to be hitting at just the right time.

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Christopher Daniels Says He 'Bummed Out' That WWE Never Hired Him, Talks WWE Signing TNA Stars

Christopher Daniels joined the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Podcast this week. Daniels recently signed a long-term contract with ROH and said, at 45, he expects to finish his career there. He was also asked if he he was bothered at all seeing many of his contemporaries from ROH and TNA now in WWE, while he never got that opportunity.

"I wouldn't be human if I didn't wish that had come my way," Daniels admitted. "I certainly am proud of the guys that have gone on and done that. But that's their hard work . . . I'm not jealous of that part of it. I wish the timing had been different.

"If WWE had softened their perception of the independent scene five years earlier than they did, maybe that would have been me. When I got to TNA in 2010, their attitude seemed to be very set against that idea. At the same time, too, I feel like at the time when I might have been most appealing to the WWE in terms of character and in terms of connection I had made with the fans, I was under contract with TNA. So, to me the bad thing about it was just timing. There's nothing you can do to change that. For me to dwell on that would just be a useless exercise in futility. I'm bummed out about it, but at the same time, I'm content where I'm at."

In the interview, Daniels also discusses working the main event of the very first ROH event, taking on a leadership role in the ROH locker room, age discrimination in wrestling, Daniel Bryan's retirement and more. The Pro Wrestling Illustrated Podcast is available to be streamed at pwi-online.com.

Ring of Honor's Declaration of Independence: How one indie promotion changed the face of today's WWE, and continues to thrive in the face of overwhelming odds

The mid-Nineties were a particularly bad time for WWE. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage defected to WCW, goofy characters like Doink the Clown and Tatanka felt childish and out of touch and freshly minted faces like Diesel and Lex Luger couldn't quite capture the zeitgeist or enthusiasm of the previous decade. The company had become boring, smug, bereft of star-power – and they had nobody to blame but themselves.

Meanwhile, unsatisfied diehards were in search of their pro-wrestling fix, and they found it in the bleak industrial parks of South Philadelphia. Extreme Championship Wrestling never had the funding to cross into popular culture – it was mostly broadcast in the witching hour on microscopic cable channels up and down the East Coast – but its followers were loyal and its reputation was hard-earned. ECW was violent, it was angry, it was vengeful; it was everything mainstream wrestling wasn't in the mid-Nineties. It's where the Dudley Boyz dropped their first 3D, where Rob Van Dam became a star, where Tommy Dreamer and Brian Lee wrestled a terrifying, irresponsible and utterly incredible "Scaffold Match," where Cactus Jack and Terry Funk asked for chairs and watched the ring get buried in a sea of steel. The message was clear: we don't follow the rules in ECW.

Pro wrestling eats its young, and eventually Extreme Championship Wrestling was absorbed by the bigger budgets and higher ceilings of the WWE. First-ballot hall of famers like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio all wrestled fantastic matches in ECW, but they happily signed lucrative contracts with the big show. In 2001, left without a budget or a competitive roster, ECW was forced to close its doors – leaving behind a small pile of ashes in the warehouses and gymnasiums it had conquered.

This was particularly bad news for Rob Feinstein and his company, RF Video. ECW VHS tapes – and, later, DVDs – were their primary export, and all of a sudden he needed something to sell. In 2002 he broke ground on Ring of Honor, a new Philadelphia-based promotion that served as a torchbearer for that gritty, barbed-wire tradition. In the years since, ROH has slowly but surely established itself as worthy successor to ECW, and like its forefather, has started to catch the attention of the elephant in the room.

"The major company in our business is of course the WWE – I'm not going to Voldemort them and say, 'He who has no name,' because we very much respect their organization," says Joe Koff, Ring of Honor COO. "But what's interesting is that over the last two years all their champions and key people have been Ring of Honor people. They have a developmental program, which is a fine, fine program, but where were their champions coming from?"...More?

source: rollingstone.com

AJ Styles Working Final ROH Event Saturday, ROH Issues Statement

Ring of Honor announced that they will hold a send off for AJ Styles at their Saturday event in Duluth, GA. You can check out the announcement below:

"The best wrestling on the planet, Ring of Honor, will bring another great night of action to the Atlanta area on Saturday, January 23rd, 2016. We will be making our debut at the Infinite Energy Center (Formerly the Gwinnett Center) with a 7:30PM bell time!

In addition to the hard-hitting, fast-paced professional wrestling that only ROH showcases, fans in Duluth with have an opportunity to send off ROH Legend and hometown star "The Phenomenal One" AJ STYLES!

Styles will be appearing live in Duluth to sign autographs and take photos with the BEST FANS ON THE PLANET! A cornerstone of ROH since its inception in 2002, Gainesville, GA's Styles has become one of the most accomplished stars in professional wrestling, capturing a litany of major titles including, most recently, the IWGP World Championship! Don't miss your chance to meet and greet this ROH Legend at his LAST ROH APPEARANCE – you just don't know where you may see him next!"

ROH Announces Agreement With Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

Ring of Honor Wrestling announced today that they've entered into a strategic agreement with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that enables exclusively contracted stars to compete on a select number of PWG shows per year in California.

ROH and NJPW have been developing a significant global relationship for the past two years and now ROH will work with PWG on the west coast of the United States.

"PWG is a fantastic company in California that both our fans and stars have always been passionate about," said Joe Koff. "As we continue to grow the ROH brand and enter into exclusive agreements with our talent, we want all fans to continue enjoying the performance of the ROH stars in PWG. This alliance is great for both of our companies, the talent, and most importantly – The FANS."

With this agreement, wrestling fans can look forward to seeing stars such as Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, The Young Bucks, etc. compete at PWG shows, demonstrating to the West Coast why Ring of Honor is the best wrestling on the planet.

WWE Contacting More Contracted ROH And LUG Wrestlers, Plans For NXT Expansion In 2016

WWE officials are becoming more aggressive when it comes to contacting wrestlers that are currently signed to Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground.

WWE is preparing to do extensive touring with NXT in 2016 and they are trying to add a lot of top indie wrestlers to the roster, talents that previously may not have been signed due to restrictions on size and look.

The plan was described to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter as a show with the WWE branding and WWE production but with ROH-level main event matches.

ROH Leaving Destination America, New Home Revealed

Ring of Honor announced today that they will be leaving Destination America at the end of this month and debuting on COMET beginning December 2nd. They will still air on all Sinclair Broadcast affiliates and other markets.

Ring of Honor to air nationally on COMET starting December 2nd

#WatchROH every Wednesday at MIDNIGHT EST/11pm CST on COMET

(BALTIMORE, MD) – Ring of Honor ("ROH") is proud to announce that beginning December 2nd, ROH will air its weekly television program nationally on the COMET television channel. Fans will be able to #WatchROH every Wednesday night at midnight for the latest Ring of Honor action.

"Ring of Honor has been enjoying tremendous growth and expansion across the broadcast space, including new local TV deals in strategic markets, and even internationally with L'Equipe 21 in France," said Ring of Honor COO, Joe Koff. "As we continue to push for greater domestic and international distribution, Ring of Honor truly showcases itself as world-class wrestling. Having Ring of Honor on COMET, in addition to the availability in Sinclair markets and independent agreements, means fans across the United States can continue to enjoy ROH television weekly."

Ring of Honor's weekly episodes recently enjoyed great success on Destination America, peaking at 227,000 viewers on a single television airing. ROH's 26-week deal signed in May 2015 with Destination America is set to expire, which will see ROH's final episode air on the channel on November 25th, 2015.

Steve Corino Talks ECW and NXT Comparisons, NXT vs ROH on Wednesday Nights, Triple H’s NXT Vision, More

On last week’s episode former ECW World Heavyweight Champion and current Ring of Honor commentator Steve Corino was the featured special guest. Steve spoke candidly with the hosts about his thoughts on NXT, the current WWE developmental system, all the independent pro wrestling options currently available to pro wrestling fans and more.

You can listen to Steve’s appearance starting at the 3:11 minute mark by clicking here. Some of his quotes have been transcribed below it:

On Ring of Honor and WWE NXT both airing on Wednesday nights:

SC: It’s such a nervous feeling because you always know that the NXT show is going to be so great. I think it puts the pressure on Ring of Honor to produce a great show because you know at 8 o’clock on the WWE Network you are going to get a wonderful, wonderful show every week from NXT. I think it just raises the bar for everybody and I think that’s what makes wrestling so much fun.

On WWE branching out and creating relationships with independent promotions:

SC: It just shows the genius of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The trusted people in the inner circle that know that the future of sports entertainment or pro wrestling, whatever you want to call it, is at NXT. Triple H at that having his finger on the pulse, and Stephanie too, of what’s going on. What going to be the future? They’re not afraid to ask an EVOLVE or a PWG or scouting Ring of Honor to see who is the future. There’s no such thing as too many guys that are going to make the WWE machine billionaires. You know what I mean? So, once again, it’s a great time for wrestling.

On if the comparisons between ECW and NXT are fair to make:

SC: I think on the surface, yes. It’s a different world now. When ECW was around it was an alternative. It was an alternative world. To where companies like NXT or Ring of Honor or PWG or EVOLVE or even CZW… it’s such a hybrid of what goes on today. Everybody that’s involved isn’t afraid to admit that, you know, wrestling’s changed. The world has changed and we have to change with the times. Where as ECW was kind of a trend setter for it. I just think that it’s a good comparison but I think the originality of what NXT and EVOLVE and Ring of Honor and all these great companies are doing is just setting the stage for a real break through.

NXT, WWE, and the Battle Between Indy Spirit and Big Wrestling Business

NXT, WWE's developmental circuit, puts on really good wrestling shows. So good, in fact, that main roster wrestlers are rumored to be in a state of near perpetual annoyance about being shown up by the less experienced NXT workers. These rumors are believable primarily because NXT wrestlers routinely do outshine the promotion's big names. NXT gives wrestlers a lot more creative freedom, something that might understandably rankle those higher up the food chain, mired as they are in heavily scripted promos and tepid storylines. When the men and women on the main roster wanted to become wrestlers—when most anyone wants to become a wrestler—they wanted the type of freedom NXT provides.

For all that, it's important to understand that NXT is not just, or even primarily, a wrestling show. NXT is, first and foremost, a factory with a street-facing window that's dedicated to smoothing the rough edges of the best indie wrestling talent out there. It then feeds the more-finished product into the sports entertainment machine that has left WWE's main roster—which now includes a good number of NXT graduates—feeling so chewed-up.

To efficiently manufacture these wrestlers for WWE, NXT (and its prior branding as FCW) needs a steady supply of raw material, sourced from independent and local wrestling groups around the world. Dean Ambrose came through after a career of working death matches. Seth Rollins worked his ass off in Ring of Honor before going to Florida. And on it goes: Luke Harper, Cesaro, Sara Del Rey, Samoa Joe. There is a mile-long list of former indie legends and erstwhile hotshots who've signed up to work in NXT and then moved up to the biggest of the big leagues when the higher-ups in Stamford decided they were ready.

WWE's appetite for talent is seemingly limitless. Legendary women's wrestler Kana (now Asuka) and the unbelievably talented Uhaa Nation (now Apollo Crews) are the latest to join NXT. They will not be the last. The whispers are already stirring around wrestlers like Ring of Honor champ Jay Lethal and Chuck Taylor.

The thing to remember here is that WWE is not just another wrestling company. It's the wrestling company, regardless of current or future quality. WWE doesn't just want to sign everyone; it can sign everyone. Take a long look at NXT, and you get a sense that this all may be exactly the McMahon family's plan...More?

source: vice sports

ROH Bringing Back “Women Of Honor”

Ring of Honor announced they will be bringing back a new generation of the Women of Honor. The women will be brought back for the Reloaded tour starting this weekend. Below is the official announcement:

For over thirteen years, Ring of Honor has proudly showcased the best professional wrestling on the planet – period. Now the next generation of the Women of Honor is coming to the ROH RELOADED TOUR to show the world what they can do in an ROH ring! Following a precedent for excellence set by world caliber athletes like Sara Del Rey, Daizee Haze, McChif, and many more, these women are proud to represent the Women of Honor on September 25th in California, PA and September 26th in Lockport, NY.

On Friday the 25th right outside Pittsburgh, Mandy Leon and Taeler Hendrix are set to clash in an ROH ring! Leon has gained prominence among ROH fans for her work in the Inside ROH recaps you can catch every week during ROH TV, or watch any time on YouTube. Now Mandy Leon steps out of the studio and between the ropes to show what she learned at the ROH Dojo! Leon’s first Women of Honor match against the crafty Deonna Purrazzo has garnered views and attention from fans all over the planet, but she is no doubt prepared to follow it up with another Leonsault – and perhaps another win! Thanks to her place of prominence on every ROH broadcast, Mandy Leon is used to the pressures that come from standing in the spotlight. So while she may be relatively young in her professional wrestling career, this multi-talented broadcaster/athlete is far from intimidated by the huge challenge she faces on September 25th!

That challenge comes in the form of a woman who has very recently captured the attention of not just every single ROH fan, but also managerial sensation Truth Martini! Martini knows talent when he sees it. For him to place the HOT stamp of approval on Taeler Hendrix, he must be 110% confident in her talent and potential! Hendrix is a deceivingly cunning and powerful athlete, whose retro-inspired aesthetic lulls her opponents into a false sense of confidence! Hendrix’s unquestionable beauty and poise very often provoke her own opponents, and the opponents of her ringside charges, to be ensnared by her web. Once Hendrix follows up with one of her devastating kicks to the head, it’s over!

And on September 26th, Veda Scott was scheduled to square off against Cherry Bomb. Unfortunately, while competing recently, Cherry Bomb fractured her collarbone and will be out of action for the near future. Veda might count herself lucky for dodging Cherry THIS time, but ROH officials have confirmed that the in-demand star will be back in an ROH ring as soon as she’s healthy! Meanwhile, Veda Scott is an all-too-familiar face for ROH fans, who for the past 2 years have watched her “creative” disregard for the rules while advising her clients from ringside. But just like Hendrix, Scott is just as dangerous inside the ring as she is outside. She has developed a reputation for taking on both men and women, regardless of their size or experience advantage. But while Scott loudly insists she can bring the fight to absolutely anyone in the world, many have questioned if this brash overconfidence is going too far.

We’ll find out in Lockport when Veda Scott competes against SUMIE SAKAI! Sakai is a tenured veteran of professional wrestling who has competed around the world against some of the biggest stars of Japan and North America. Known for her quickness and agility, Sakai has been adding more grappling and submission-based fighting to her style, giving her an even more well rounded strategy. She is a familiar face to longtime ROH fans and a welcome addition to the WOMEN OF HONOR!

To get your tickets for the ROH RELOADED TOUR in California, PA on September 25th or Lockport on September 26th

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Triple H NXT TakeOver: Brookyln Conference Call Recap: NXT Show In England, Divas, ROH, EVOLVE, More

Triple H held a conference call this morning in promotion of this Saturday's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn show. You can check out the highlights below:

* He calls this event "incredibly historic" for NXT as a brand.

* Triple H didn't originally want to use the Barclays Center. He thought the venue was way too big for NXT, but started at 6,000 seats, which quickly sold out. He says if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.

* He made sure to specify that both the NXT Title and NXT Women's Title matches are both main events.

* Several matches will be taped for future television, and the actual special event will air at 9 pm.

* Triple H boasts about being able to sell out the Barclays Center three nights in a row.

* He stresses that he doesn't want NXT to be like Raw or Smackdown. He wants NXT to build their own identity and serve their own fans.

* He says NXT stars leaving for the main roster is a strength, not a weakness. He's happy or the talent and thinks it helps magnify NXT. Talent moving on to the main roster creates new opportunities for other guys.

* He feels like a proud father when the new WWE Divas revolution is showing what they can do.

* Triple H says that he's not trying to cause Ring Of Honor any harm by running NXT on Saturday. It was the best decision for WWE as a company.

See Also: ROH Star Talks NXT Being 'A Goal,' If Kevin Owens Is A WrestleMania Main Eventer

* WWE is running a Performance Center all-access pass promotion.

* Triple H speaks about EVOLVE, and says they're looking for any opportunity to support business as a whole. Independent promotions are important to the health of the business, but he has to do what's right for WWE.

* The WWE is getting increasingly more confident in NXT as a brand with every accomplishment they achieve.

* NXT is looking to run a show in England.

* He leaves open the possibility of doing more NXT TakeOver events prior to big WWE shows.

* He put over Apollo Crews, the former Uhaa Nation, and thanked us for joining the call.

DISH Network No Longer Airing ROH On Sinclair Stations, ROH Asks Fans To Contact DISH

ROH announced the following:

DISH Network Discontinues Ring of Honor/Sinclair Programming

Call DISH now to get us back!

As a result of an expired agreement between DISH Network and our parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Dish will no longer carry Sinclair stations or programming, including Ring of Honor. At this time, we do not know if or when Dish will resume carrying our content.

We regret the inconvenience this is causing to Dish Network subscribers who want to continue to watch Ring of Honor on Sinclair stations.

We wish to remind these subscribers that numerous other means exist for receiving Ring of Honor programming, including DirecTV and at least one cable television company, for free over-the air, and on rohwrestling.com. You can also catch Ring of Honor every Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET on the Destination America channel.

If you are affected by this situation, we suggest that you contact Dish Network by calling them at (855)-318-0572, or through their website at dish.com/contact, Facebook at facebook.com/DISH, or on Twitter at twitter.com/dish, and let them know you want them to carry these local stations and receive their popular programming, including Ring of Honor.

Rumors On WWE Meeting With Destination America

There have been a lot of rumors lately about WWE meeting with executives at Destination America, which currently airs Ring of Honor and TNA programming.

One WWE source noted to us that details weren't available but it was believed WWE met with Destination America to shop their Superstars and Main Event programs. WWE has apparently been trying to shop those two shows to whichever network will buy them in the United States.

For now, WWE meeting with Destination America should be taken as a rumor but it definitely is making the rounds within the industry. Another source noted to us that they heard WWE floated the idea of airing NXT to Destination America but that's also not confirmed and we're not sure how far any talks went. We will keep you updated on any information that become available.

Backstage News On Destination America Dropping The First Wednesday Showing For ROH

Destination America has dropped the 8pm EST airing for Ring of Honor TV on Wednesday nights. They still have the 11pm EST airing but the first is no longer scheduled. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Destination America is trying out new programs in the 8pm time slot but this is not a good sign for ROH. This Wednesday an episode of "Bigfoot In America" is scheduled while "Mountain Monsters" is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5th.

Meltzer noted that unlike the TNA roster, ROH talents were informed of the 8pm EST showing being dropped before the news broke. They were given the excuse that Destination America is trying out new programming in the time slot.

Backstage News On WWE - ROH And NJPW, The 'Major Double-Cross' With Jushin Liger, NXT Takeover

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE announcing international legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger for the August 22nd NXT Takeover event in Brooklyn has opened up a "political hornets nest" due to Liger being a New Japan Pro Wrestling talent and NJPW being a partner of Ring of Honor, which runs head-to-head with NXT in the same city that night, with a show also features NJPW stars.

ROH reportedly sold 1,100 tickets for their Field of Honor show that night, a number they were happy with. They were expecting 2,000 tickets sold but The Observer notes that ticket sales stalled once WWE announced Takeover. Ticket sales also reportedly stalled for Jim Ross' "Ringside" one-man show, which takes place in nearby Manhattan. It was noted that any talks there would have been about moving shows to the afternoon to avoid head-to-head competition were decided against, but it wasn't specified which company decided against making a move. WWE actually canceled a live event in White Plains, NY that night to avoid splitting their audience.

We've noted how there are moves being made behind-the-scenes in WWE that relate to ROH. WWE has reportedly contacted at least one venue that ROH uses with the idea that WWE will run them if they no longer book ROH.

WWE booking Liger could be the start of a relationship between NJPW and WWE, who hasn't officially worked with any groups in Japan for years. ROH was not aware of Liger being booked for Takeover until the news broke and The Observer notes that even by pro wrestling standards, the booking is a major double-cross. It should be noted that Liger is able to book himself anywhere but NJPW is promoting the NXT appearance.

WWE NXT Going Head-To-Head With ROH Again

WWE NXT will once again be going head-to-head with Ring of Honor on September 19th in San Antonio, Texas. This is during Night of Champions weekend, which takes place on September 20th in Houston. ROH has their All-Star Extravaganza Night 2 that night at the Shrine Auditorium and NXT has announced a show for the Aztec Theater. The venues are 17 miles apart.

Ring Of Honor Issues Global Force Wrestling With A Cease And Desist Letter

Ring of Honor has reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to Global Force Wrestling due to infringement upon ROH’s brand in radio and television ads that promote Friday’s GFW Television taping in Las Vegas, NV at The Orleans casino according to a source at PWInsider.com.

The ad is said to promote the appearance of ROH talent at GFW’s show on 7/24, which also happens to be the same day as Ring of Honor’s “Death Before Dishonor” iPPV in Baltimore, MD. So it's unlikely any ROH talent will be appearing.

PWInsider, also notes that Chris Sabin has not been booked for the GFW show.

Backstage News on WWE and Ring of Honor

As noted, WWE has announced that wrestling legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger will be wrestling Tyler Breeze at the "Takeover: Brooklyn" event. This caused controversy as Liger and New Japan Pro Wrestling have ties to ROH and several top NJPW stars will also be wrestling in New York City that night at ROH's Field of Honor event. F4Wonline.com notes that other significant moves are being made behind-the-scenes regarding NXT and ROH, ones that apparently do not involve NJPW. The moves should be made public soon.

More Exclusive Details On WWE Possibly Working With WNW / EVOLVE

As noted earlier, WWE is close to an agreement to work with WWN, the parent company of EVOLVE, Full Impact Pro and the now-defunct Dragon Gate USA. According to a source, the deal is that WWE will pay WWN a certain fee like they did for ECW in the 1990s. They will pay WWN to develop talent and keep them away from ROH and TNA so that NXT can get a look.

We noted earlier that The Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that top WWE officials not happy with ROH recently releasing a Kevin Steen action figure. This deal with WWN is said to be partially due to ROH releasing that item.

WWE Officials Unhappy with ROH's Kevin Steen Figure, Plans to Prevent Future Similar Incidents

There were some top WWE officials very unhappy about Ring of Honor and Figure Toy Company releasing a Kevin Steen action figure because it's a non-WWE company being the first to enter the marketplace with an action figure of WWE's hottest new star. They were also upset because the look and character of ROH's Kevin Steen and WWE's Kevin Owens are essentially the same.

Officials are now trying to prevent this from happening again so there is pressure on Triple H and that department to get non-WWE talents with potential signed to NXT with merchandising deals before they make it a company like ROH or TNA that has their own merchandise and cable TV deals. They are also looking to create a pipeline to find the talents with potential before ROH and TNA finds them. The idea is to not sign talent from ROH or TNA now for the main roster and get the word out to younger talents that if they have WWE aspirations, they shouldn't sign with TNA or ROH. There will always be exceptions to the rule.

Many indie talents have signed 5 year deals with Figure Toy Company, meaning they have the right to market Kevin Steen merchandise for almost 5 more years while WWE pushes him as one of their top new stars.