ROH: Original Plans for Women of Honor, More Talent Issues, & Joe Koff on Kelly Klein Situation

As noted before, Ring of Honor informed ROH Women of Honor Champion Kelly Klein that her contract will not be renewed when it expires on December 31 after she spoke out against what she called unsafe working conditions in ROH.

Original Plans for Women of Honor Championship

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that Ring of Honor’s original plans for the Women of Honor Championship last year were for Klein to feud with Deonna Purrazzo over the title, but Purrazzo signed with WWE.

Britt Baker was also booked for several dates last year, but ROH COO Joe Koff demanded that all plans for her be dropped due to her signing with All Elite Wrestling, despite her still being available for the company for several more dates.

More Talent Issues Within ROH’s Women’s Division

Sapp also reported that several other women in the division also had been vocal about their low pay in the company, which was stated to be $12,000 per year at the start of 2018 and later bumped up to $20,000 per year. The lack of screen time despite the rising popularity of the division on the company’s digital platforms was another issue female talent had with the company’s management.

Prior to the company breaking all talks with Kelly Klein, her very low base pay was a big issue that she wanted resolved before signing any potential new contract with the company. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that ROH had offered her a deal worth $50,000 for 2020 but it included terms that would have prevented her from continuing working in the indies for extra money.

ROH’s COO Joe Koff and Kelly Klein Comments on ROH’s Disputed Concussion Policy

Sports Illustrated held a recent interview with ROH’s COO Joe Koff and Kelly Klein and some of the topics discussed included the on-going dispute regarding Klein’s issues with the company’s concussion policy.

On the topic of the company’s concussion policy and Klein’s claims of the lack of medical personnel at ringside when she suffered a concussion, Koff stated the following:

“The protocol is just this: We recognize the dangers that are inherent in professional wrestling. More specifically, the possibility exists of a wrestler suffering a concussion during a match, and we take all injuries very, very seriously. When we are alerted or when we feel there is an injury, we immediately defer to the medical professional on staff. I wasn’t there, but I was made aware that Kelly did not realize she was concussed until sometime after the match. That hour could very well be a true lapse of time. But as soon as she reported she was concussed, she received immediate attention. Kelly declined the option to go to the hospital at that point. Ring of Honor had management present at the event, including the hired operating agent for the tour. I will tell you that as soon I learned about it, I texted her and she told me she appreciated my text and told me she was fine.”

On the topic of her issues with ROH’s handling of her concussion and her meeting with Koff last month, Klein stated the following:

“I suggested that we could develop independent contractor standards, similar to an employee handbook, but it would apply to independent contractors, and Joe Koff told me that my contract was my handbook. I said that the contract did not have any information on how we handle these situations or who I talk to. Joe said, ‘If I was there, I’d always tell you to seek medical help.’ But Joe wasn’t there. Our general manager did not see me. No one from management [at the venue] told me to go to the hospital.”

On the topic of ROH blocking Klein on Twitter due to her going public with her issues with the company’s medical treatment, Koff stated the following:

“That was not a company decision. It was a lapse of judgment from one of our administrators who emotionally wanted to prevent our company from further attack [from people on social media supporting Klein]. We never would condone this, and we apologized immediately privately to Kelly and remedied the situation as soon as I found out about it.”

Koff also stated at the end of the interview that he is currently unsure if the company’s relationship with Klein will improve or be repaired prior to her contract expiring at the end of this month.