I learned of the news from noticing the stream that Ring of Honor personality Brian Zane had been answering certain questions he could answer and just discussing ROH as a whole. A while back I closed the ROH section of the website as it had become difficult to keep up with the promotions events and news around the company considering their status. Instead of fixating on certain subject and not giving an announcement of this magnitude a fair amount time I will be expanding my opinion to include various parts as opposed to just one. Below is the tweet taken from the official Ring of Honor Twitter account. 

Prior to the launch of All Elite Wrestling in 2019 there was few that doubted Ring of Honor's position as one of the top three wrestling promotions in the United States. Not on the level of WWE, but certainly more stable then Impact Wrestling at the time it was clear ROH was a stable promotion to work for and knew where they belonged in the wrestling landscape. Initially, ROH called HDNET home which is now AXS TV or the home of a few different wrestling programs namely Impact Wrestling. In 2011, ROH was purchased by Sinclair Broadcasting which was a surprise to most in the wrestling world, but this move gave a struggling company more stability and a chance to expand it's presence in the world of wrestling. Sinclair was more widely accessible at the time compared to AXS which allowed ROH to be available in more homes across the country. 

The background is all well and good, but somewhere along the way the train got derailed and for the first time in twenty years the questions weren't around money for the promotion. Working agreements are excessively difficult, because both parties want to make sure their companies best interests are being met. Working agreements are especially tough when it comes to promotions in different parts of the world. 

Quote taken from cagesideseat.com article: "Word’s long been that Sinclair valued Ring of Honor as cheap content for their syndicated channels. That, and this statement’s promise that the company will return, certainly make it seem like they’ll be back next spring."

It is unclear what the plan is for Ring of Honor, but what we do know is Final Battle this year will take place and will be the last event until Supercard of Honor in April 2022. I don't believe that going on a hiatus is bad thing for any company! It allows for a chance to scout new and undiscovered talent, redefine a direction, and come up with a long term plan. I remember a few years ago when CZW did something similar and I even thought that WWE should've went on a hiatus for a few months last year to refine a direction. 

Ring of Honor does deserve praise for running the safest shows of any promotion in the United States during the pandemic. The presentation of the Pure and Women of Honor tournaments that have both taken place in the last year. I wish that the Women of Honor had more of an opportunity to continue to build the foundation of the division that had only laid the ground for before this announcement. I would expect that in April they'll pick right where they left off. On that note I will leave a link below to a letter written by Maria Kanellis Bennett who worked for the promotion and very closely with the restart of the ROH's women's division. Click here for the full letter!! 

As mentioned above will likely be reopening the ROH section of the site to give this story it's proper coverage and allow it to be housed were it should be in the proper section. I will continue to follow this story and share my opinion on the situation. All we know for sure is that another set of TV tapings and Final Battle are all that is left for 2021 before the company will go on a hiatus. I hope the best for Ring of Honor and all those amazingly gifted athletes that call ROH home. 

This is the part that is hard to put into words, Joanie wanted to return to WWE, she wanted to be a reclamation project. I will not comment on much that was talked about during the documentary, but if you can go out of your way to watch it, then make a point to do so. Vice has done it again!! They have been producing the best wrestling documentaries around which really make us think about well the dark side of wrestling. Conversations with her former employer could've been done differently and in an attempt to slowly rebuild the bridge by taking it slow. I don't know how bad the bridge was burned, but I do wish Joanie would've been able to reclaim her place in WWE history. 

This is the part that is tough to talk about, "Vice Versa" hit a home run and made you think about how things could've been different. In my opinion, WWE put Chyna in the same category as Chris Benoit which is horrible and that is an understatement. Chyna helped Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero find their place in WWE and without her who knows where these two legends would've ended up. Had Chyna stuck around a little longer, she could've helped Trish and Lita find their place a bit sooner within the company. Lita was one of Chyna's final feuds within WWE in 2001. 

Mental health is the hardest thing to assist someone with, because you have to know where to start, and they have to accept your help. Trying to help someone who isn't ready won't work! They will push you away, and 99% of the time it will leave those around you confused why nobody asked for help or offered to help. Chyna needed help, Chyna wanted to be accepted, Chyna wanted to find someone who loved her for her. She had that, but someone needed to step in and give her the knowledge again, she never lost those things. It is hard to speak on this subject, because not every person has the same battle so making a generalization makes it even harder. 

The right way to talk about this, is remembering that even when the chips are down, someone is out there that will listen. People have tools nowadays that weren't around ten or fifteen years ago, and even though talking about this is more accepted, that doesn't make it easier. Mental health is a hard subject to speak on without having expectations about the conversation before the conversation happens. Meaning you think that someone will have a negative reaction or a one-sided reaction sorta like pitying you for your issues instead of just listening or actually talking to you. Please know that if you need help know that there are people that are there to help even if you just need someone to listen to you so you can vent. 

Honestly, it is hard to put into words what last night I watched the Vice documentary centered around Joanie Lauer aka Chyna. It is impossible to explain the amount of times I was at a loss for words watching the documentary. I remember watching the final episode of Dark Side of the Ring in this part of season 3 when I saw the promo for the upcoming documentary on Chyna. Unfortunately, for various nobody has been able to tell the story of Joanie in the world of wrestling even though she more the deserved her story being told. 

Joanie made her debut in WWE in 1995 attacking Terri Runnels aka Marlena who at the time was Goldust's valet. Upon her arrival, it took a little while for her to get her feet under her in WWE, but once she did, the rest became history. Chyna became one of the biggest stars during the "Attitude Era" through her part in D-Generation X. Once the faction ran its course Chyna joined Triple H jumping ship to the Corporation joining the faction that was the opposite of what DX had been. 

The Corporation didn't last as a faction and within a year of turning heel and joining The Corporation the faction had split, merging together with the Ministry of Darkness. By the middle of 1999, Chyna had become one of the biggest stars in all wrestling. In October 1999, Chyna became the first women's wrestler to win the Intercontinental Championship. From there a feud with Chris Jericho proceed becoming the reason Jericho found his footing in the WWE. Chyna would move on to help another future legend find his footing in a new company as his "Mamacita." Eddie struggled from his debut due to sustaining injury very early in his run and didn't get comfortable until he was able to stand alone and develop his chemistry with Chyna. 

Suddenly, Chyna would make the move back to the Women's division after spending the better part of the last two years competing with men. According to reports, it was Vince that wanted her to go back to fighting Women instead of staying in the ring with her male counterparts. Without Chyna who knows the career that Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero would've had in WWE. 

Chyna would depart WWE in the middle of 2001 after seven years under the WWE banner and becoming one of the biggest stars the company had made. It is unquestionable to say that Chyna was a major piece of the "Attitude Era" and stood out as someone the company was able to build from the ground up. I will not discuss the relationship with Hunter or anything about that, because it is a very personal subject and a touchy one to discuss. I could continue talking about this documentary for hours, but we will split this discussion into two parts. 

​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​​​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.

​As always wrestling gives us both great memories and memories we try and forget, but with the amount of moments worth remembering that have happened we are bound to forget some. The same could be said about some talent that were very much underrated during their career or never at the top of a company during a run this unfortunately makes it easier for fans to forget certain talent. These two are very different talent and had two very different careers while they worked in this great business. Sometimes we encounter those that deserve to be remembered and acknowledged. I would like to wish a very big Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their special day today and especially to the one featured below.