ROH loses MSG date after ‘communications from WWE’
While Ring of Honor planned to run a show at Madison Square Garden next year, it looks like that won’t be happening.
ROH COO Joe Koff did an interview with PWInsider today where he noted that Madison Square Garden said they were backing out of the show after “communications from WWE.” Dave Meltzer reported last Thursday that WWE was doing everything they could to stop the event from happening and that it was possible they would succeed in doing so.
“I’m not going to discuss beyond this statement because I am not going to litigate this in the press,” Koff told PWInsider. “We had a deal with [Madison Square] Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE. We are not able to get any other dates in any kind of discussion.
“I’m expecting that our lawyers will be contacting all the parties involved and the best we can hope is that we can find a resolution, so we can bring the kind of energy and excitement that ROH and our partner New Japan to a bigger audience and to bigger arenas and to the fans of New York City.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley first mentioned the show while speaking with the Baltimore Business Journal. It was planned to take place during the Saturday of next year’s WrestleMania weekend, with WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT TakeOver special, and post-Mania Raw and SmackDown scheduled for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
AAA has also been planning to run Madison Square Garden. It’s been several decades since anyone other than the McMahon family has promoted a pro wrestling show at the venue.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.