Kevin Kelly interview Highlights from “Ring of Honor On the Road” (w/Kevin Kelly), courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:
The similarities & differences between the recent TNA product & that of Ring of Honor: “The only similarities between Ring of Honor & TNA is the fact that there are a few similar letters between Dayton (the site of ROH’s live event this Friday night) & Daytona (where TNA held this past Sunday night’s Bound For Glory Pay-Per-View) Otherwise, the two products are completely 180 degrees polar opposites, with that show being produced & written by a complete lunatic and Ring of Honor trying to present something wrestling fans can enjoy.”
What it will mean to the fans of Ring of Honor to have the chance to see “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels team up with Davey Richards this Friday night in Dayton (with a chance to capture the ROH World Tag Team Titles from The Kings of Wrestling), along with Daniels & Richards going one-on-one the next night in the Chicago area in a match six months in the making: “To me, it’s an all-star event in Dayton. If there’s four guys that move the needle and I think can push a ticket buy within Ring of Honor, I think three of them are Davey Richards & The Kings of Wrestling. I think Daniels has that as well, and I think Roderick Strong is just a cut beneath that. What I consistently hear from fans (be it on Twitter or be it on Facebook) is that they want to see The Kings of Wrestling, they want to see Davey Richards, and they also want to see Christopher Daniels & the rest of the Ring of Honor stars. So they are going to get the chance to see all four of them in the same ring at the same time 24 hours before Richards & Daniels face each other in the match that’s six months in the making in Chicago Ridge. It’s going to be a very entertaining night, with I’m sure some interesting sub-plots interwoven throughout.”
With two matches officially announced & confirmed thus far for Final Battle 2010 (“The Final Battle At Final Battle”: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico & the Six-Man Tag Team Grudge Match between Jay, Mark, & Mike “Papa” Briscoe vs. The Kings of Wrestling & Shane Hagadorn) and with these feuds being successful for a lengthy period of time, what this says for the company’s ability to create & sustain long-term programs/feuds: “Sometimes the best meals are slow-cooked, and the idea that you get to enjoy savory tastes that have been given the opportunity to come together and marinate together as one, that’s really where the satisfaction come from. I was telling somebody that the biggest difference between Ring of Honor & anybody else is that you will see long-lasting, long-running feuds & rivalries, because they allow the stories to play out, as opposed to ‘we must keep our foot on the throttle and on the throat of the viewer at all time and never give anybody the chance to breathe or digest anything, because they might consider it crap and dare even consider changing the channel.’ Instead of seeing six months of storylines burned through in two weeks, you’re going to see six months of storylines take six months and sometimes even longer. Every story has its ebbs & its flows, but to see two great stories with The Kings of Wrestling & the Briscoes and Steen & El Generico will have played out over 12 months is a testament to the talent and also to the patience of the matchmakers, as they set the path out for 2010 & beyond.”
The recent departures of some talent within Ring of Honor (led by Austin Aries), what this will mean for the short-term & long-term future of the company, & if he believes we will see any of the rumored names return to ROH in 2011: “If Ring of Honor had a Hall of Fame, he’d be a first ballot lock, the only two-time ROH World Champion, but everyone must come & go. In order to be new, you must leave. In order to be fresh, you must take some time off. You cannot continue, and I don’t care who it is, and that’s one of the reasons why you burn through storylines so fast. If you see the same talent all the time, then they get stale, and sometimes the best thing you could do for somebody is give them a break. You’re giving the fans a break, but you’re also giving them a break as well. A little bit of time off & time away can be the best thing. Will we see Aries, Necro Butcher, The Dark City Fight Club, & Erick Stevens back in Ring of Honor? I’ll be shocked if we didn’t see all of them back at some point. There is no door being closed, but I think this is a great thing for everyone involved, because it will the fans an opportunity & the talent the opportunity as well to be seen in a new light when the time is right for their return.”
Much more is included in the return of “Ring of Honor On the Road,” including Kevin’s in-depth look at the Special Challenge Match between Homicide & Kevin Steen this Saturday night in Chicago Ridge, “Mr. Wrestling” himself being placed in a straightjacket at ringside for “The Final Showdown”/”I Quit” Match between Colt Cabana & Steve Corino in “The Windy City,” plus so much more! Follow the voice of ROH’s Internet Pay-Per-Views right now on Twitter (at www.Twitter.com/ROHKKelly). For the latest breaking news & announcements in the world of Ring of Honor and to get the up-to-the-minute results of this weekend’s events in Dayton & Chicago Ridge, be sure to follow Ring of Honor on Facebook (at www.Facebook.com/RingofHonor), on Twitter (at www.Twitter.com/ROHOnHDNet), or head on over to www.ROHWrestling.com.
