Now that 2022 has come to an end wrestling fans look towards 2023 with tons of exciting things on the horizon. One of those is the debut of the brand new Ring of Honor television series with Tony Khan in charge. Khan bought the company in March 2022 and has had three pay-per-views, but in the new year, he has the ROH TV show debuting on Honor Club. With all these exciting things for the most honorable wrestling company in the country, here are my top five things Tony Khan should do with the new Ring of Honor.
5. A Yearly Tag Team Tournament in Remembrance of Jay Briscoe: Last week the wrestling world was stunned by the loss of one-half of the greatest Ring of Honor Tag Team of all time Jay Briscoe. After the January 18th edition of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan and the AEW crew filmed a tribute show which premiered last night on Honor Club (ROH’s streaming service). Jay was a 13-time Tag Team Champion, so the best way to remember the legacy of“Dem Boyz” is to do a tag team tournament.
Gather older tag teams as well as newer teams so everyone can get an opportunity. The winner of the tournament gets their name engraved on a trophy and a future ROH Tag Team Championship match and this tournament will be called “Reaching for the Sky.”
4. Get Rid of the Six-Man Tag Team Championships: Speaking of tag teams, the six-man tag titles were only introduced in 2016, but they need to go. Currently in ROH there does not seem to be a lot of factions roaming around the locker room. Things can obviously change between now and when the TV show debuts, but one of the problems ROH has always had is having too many titles. Since the ROH roster is not that big, getting rid of these titles would not affect any major plans going forward for ROH.
3. Bring Back the Top Prospect Tournament: As someone who loves when younger talent gets opportunities, the Top Prospect Tournament is a great way to show that.
For those who are not aware, this tournament started in 2011 and gives independent wrestlers the opportunity to compete in an eight-person tournament with the winner getting an ROH contract. Previous winners include: Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, Josh Woods, and Lio Rush.
This is a great way for independent wrestlers to showcase their talent on a main stage while also getting the chance to get a contract. Some examples of talent that can be used.
Men’s Tournament: Alex Zayne, Kevin Blackwood, Blake Christian, Darius Carter, KC Navaro, Willie Mack, Vinny Pacifico, and Facade.
Women’s Tournament: Billie Starkz, Trish Adora, Miranda Alize, Vita VonStarr, Jani Kai, Allysin Kay, Max the Impaler, and Madi Wrenkowski.
With so many independent wrestlers out there how can this possibly go wrong?
2. Keep the Quarterly Pay-Per-View Schedule: One of the great things about AEW owning ROH is the similar pay-per-view schedule both companies will have. Four pay-per-views a year means more time to build storylines and the booking team have more time to plan out matches they want to feature on the shows.
Only having Supercard of Honor, Death Before Dishonor, Final Battle, and Best in the World (ROH’s four biggest pay-per-views) is the perfect schedule to have. When they travel for the pay-per-views they can even film TV like they used to. The schedule should essentially look like this;
- Supercard of Honor: March
- Death Before Dishonor: June
- Best In the World: September
- Final Battle: December
1. Maria Kanellis-Bennett Running the Women’s Division: Before ROH closed its doors in 2021, Maria was in charge of the women’s division. She ran a women’s tournament to crown an ROH Women’s champion all summer. There is no secret that Maria has a great eye for talent. She was the first one to put current NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez on television before Impact or WWE. Now, as the CEO of the Women’s Wrestling Army promotion she’s giving opportunities to so many unsigned talent. Her running women’s division would allow her to continue her vision from 2021. Maria in charge will not only be the right step in the continuous evolution of the ROH Women’s Division, but it also has the potential to be the best women’s wrestling roster in the world.
Honorable Mention: Bring Back the Streamers: My first ROH show in 2011 I was obsessed with the idea of throwing streamers in the ring during the wrestler’s entrances. I remember going to Party City with my dad right before the show stacking up on streamers, it is one of my favorite memories. So this one is a little biased, but I feel like streamers are synonymous with ROH entrances and top moments, so #bringbackthestreamers.
