Ring of Honor star Bateman has been Vincent’s right-hand man for almost two years, and together, they’re trying to show everyone the way of The Righteous.
In a recent interview with WrestleZone, Bateman explained how he immediately bonded with Vincent because they had a rare connection. All this time later, he still aligns with Vincent because they share an understanding of the “greater truths.”
“You ever met someone ,and from the moment you meet them, you feel like you’ve known them your entire life?” said Bateman. “That’s what that is. It’s what keeps us so close. From the moment I met Vincent, it’s like I’ve known him forever. And the things that he says, all the things that he does, it makes so much sense to those who will listen and see the greater truths, who are not afraid of exposing themselves to something beyond what they are. That’s why.”
Bateman isn’t Vincent’s only follower; along with Vita VonStarr and Dutch, The Righteous is an intimidating force in ROH. In the interview, Bateman praised his stablemates and made it clear that fans haven’t seen what they’re fully capable of yet.
“Look at Dutch,” said Bateman. “He’s a monster. He’s a mountain of a human being. We’ve all seen what he’s done. We all know what he’s capable of. And you ain’t seen nothing yet. And Vita? Look, take a look. She held her own with Sumie Sakai, yeah? That was able to get her into the women’s tournament, right? It’s just a matter of time before she ties the world in a knot.”
The Righteous is shifting its focus to the title scene, as winning some gold would help the group gain even more prominence in ROH. Likewise, Bateman noted how Vincent’s quest for the ROH World Championship isn’t just about the championship itself; it’s about the power the title represents.
“That’s always the end goal, isn’t it?” said Bateman. “Something shiny, a bauble? But at the end of the day, what that represents is power. And Vincent’s already a powerful man. But with that, he’s unstoppable. All that good work, all those words finally make sense because then the power would be right there, right in the palm of his hand. And finally the platform to show everyone what the rest of us already know.”
The full interview is available here:
While ROH has several impressive stables these days, The Righteous stands apart. Bateman described exactly how his group differs from The Foundation and Violence Unlimited, as The Righteous isn’t worried about false quests to restore honor.
“We are exactly what we appear to be,” said Bateman. “Tiger don’t change its stripes, Bubba. That’s what makes us different from everyone else. We know exactly what we are, we say what we are, and we go out and do it. We make no bones about it. We don’t hide behind the idea of restoring glory through violence, restoring glory through pure wrestling, we’re not trying to build a family legacy. As a group of like-minded individuals attempting to show the world a better way of living, you just gotta listen, man.”
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