Joe Koff recently spoke with ESPN.com‘s Tim Fiorvanti; you can read a few excerpts below:
Joe Koff comments on reaching a deal with The Hardys after they became free agents:
“It’s time-based. It’s something that they wanted, it’s something that we wanted, and it just worked out perfectly. We’re very excited to have them. Obviously, as you can see by the reaction, I think the fans are reacting to that very favorably. … I think timing had a lot to do with this, as far as last night and being part of Ring of Honor for the next set of weeks or months, whatever it ends up being.”
Koff reveals how close Matt Hardy’s video was to not getting cleared in December at Final Battle:
“The Bucks came up to me and said, ‘We want to run this video of Matt Hardy challenging us,’ and they were really excited about it. I asked, ‘Do we have permission?’ and they said, ‘Well, we had permission from the Hardys.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine, but that’s not going to do it.’ This is at 7 or 8 o’clock that night. The show is starting in another hour — it has to be cleared by our legal. I have to have a clearance from [TNA] and somehow, in that span of time, we were able to pull it off.
“If we hadn’t gotten the permissions, which I normally [would have done way ahead of time], I will tell you that I think the wrestling world — and definitely every fan that was watching that pay-per view, and every fan in the Hammerstein Ball Room — would have missed one of the most amazing moments in professional wrestling. When those lights dimmed, that second of darkness, and then all of a sudden on the screen pops Matt Hardy’s face up close, people didn’t know how to react. That moment of spontaneity was palpable — you could feel what was going on at that moment.”
Koff comments on the state of Ring of Honor:
“We’re very deliberate and focused in on what we do. As I look back at the year that’s passed, I think about all of the things that we have done, and what I’m most proud of. When Sinclair [Broadcast Group] bought Ring of Honor back in 2011, the one thing we knew is we were buying an unbelievable brand with a very solid core — the core being the talent who wrestles for it, the veracity and the passion of the fans, and the style of wrestling. It’s always been my goal from day one of ownership to preserve that core.
“We have taken this brand, in the eyes of the fans, from an independent promotion to part of the wrestling narrative, and I can’t think of anything more complimentary than that. I think it’s a compliment to all the hard work that’s been done by all of the constituents of Ring of Honor. We’re healthy, and it’s because we continue to expand our brand, we continue to grow our brand, and we continue to enhance our brand.”
Koff says recent talent departures aren’t an issue for him:
“The talent departures in our business, I think it’s pretty normal. First of all, I’m so proud of anyone who wrestles for Ring of Honor that is able to go on to a different platform that’s better for themselves and their families; if I can’t offer it to them, and that’s what they seek, then they should be able to do that.
“It’s never been a problem for me, and I’ll tell you why it shouldn’t really be a problem for the fan. Because Ring of Honor has always had people that have left and gone on, perhaps, to bigger and better [places]. But we are in the best [place] the company’s ever been in.”
