What’s the Story?
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that WWE has been talking with Sinclair Broadcast Group, the company that owns Ring of Honor (ROH) about possibly buying out the promotion. Multiple sources directly involved have claimed that both companies have been in communication about a potential buyout since January and have been progressing towards a deal ever since.
In case you didn’t know....
ROH was started in 2002 when Rob Feinstein, the owner of the pro-wrestling video-distribution company RF Video, started a promotion to fill the void left by ECW. ROH was acquired by Sinclair Broadcasting in 2011 and would begin airing weekly programming for the promotion. The acquisition of ROH by Sinclair allowed for ROH to be seen by thousands of people through various local affiliates like North Carolina and South Carolina.
Many WWE Superstars rose to fame while wrestling in ROH such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Cesaro.
The heart of the matter
While the buyout is a possibility, it’s being reported as nothing more than just a discussion for the time being. The likeliness of this deal going through is uncertain due to the WWE previously considering a buyout of Impact Wrestling that never came to fruition.
However, Impact Wrestling’s debt may have been the main reason why the WWE backed out. ROH has no known debt issues, so this may have been a long-term WWE plan in some way.
Impact
What this means for the future of ROH is unclear because the report by Pro Wrestling Sheet also indicated the possibility of ROH being aired on the WWE Network. This could mean that ROH would operate under the WWE umbrella and leave it relatively autonomous.
Author’s take
This is some major news that could legitimately change the WWE, ROH, and the indies in general. If this acquisition occurs, then there is an endless amount of possibilities that could occur.
WWE could end the promotion completely and bring certain wrestlers to NXT or the main roster or they can choose to leave it autonomous. This acquisition would more than likely mean the end of ROH’s working relationships with promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerilla.
Many fans and wrestlers have alleged that the WWE is attempting to kill the indies by bringing everything under the WWE umbrella and this may be seen as an extension of that idea. Whether through talent acquisition or acquiring the entire promotion, the WWE could be making plans to extend their monopoly of professional wrestling in the United States.
