Various: Joe Koff on Idea for ROH Hall of Fame, Eric Young on Violent By Design Formation, Indies

ROH COO Joe Koff Comments on Idea for Ring Of Honor Hall of Fame

A recent episode of the ROHStrong podcast had Ring of Honor’s C.O.O. Joe Koff as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Koff’s thoughts on the idea of the company launching their own Hall of Fame in the future.

“Absolutely. We talk about it. It’s not a new thought. It’s a matter of how, who, when. But most importantly, why? And I think we’re getting that part answered. I like the thought of 20. 20’s a good number. Maybe that’s a place to begin. I definitely think we should have that and be proud of that. I would tell you that I would have to defer to other people other than myself because I’m only familiar with the talent that I’ve worked with. Like I said, I was not a regular Ring of Honor watcher because I was not that technically savvy and I don’t ever remember seeing it on HDTV. I’m not even sure I got HDTV so, there are wrestlers that were in Ring of Honor at the time that I know had some historical perspective but I never really saw their work until I saw it in the archive material. So, I think one of the important things in that Hall Of Fame is who we bring in as our first nominating group. Not only the people who are nominated but those who are nominating. I think that’s equally as important as to who gets nominated. So, we’ll take care with that but like everything we do, we put a lot of thought behind it and however it will be presented when it will be presented, it’ll be fabulous.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com

---

Eric Young Comments on Formation of Violent By Design Stable in Impact Wrestling

A recent episode of the Wrestling Perspective podcast had Eric Young as the guest and one of the topics discussed included the formation of his Violent By Design group in Impact Wrestling.

“I was definitely involved. Cody is a guy I’ve been friends with for 20 years. The truth is, it’s really cool to see him getting a shot in this different light. Part of the storytelling of the group is, even in real life, Cody was in the same kind of position 10 or 15 years ago where I was the comedy part of the show. I wouldn’t change that, I love that part of my career. I ended up getting my own television show because I was the funny guy on the show. The reality is, I’m 41 and I saved my body throughout those years because I didn’t have to wrestle a lot. He’s in the same spot because he was typecast as the funny guy, but I know he’s really talented and now he’s getting to show a different side. Joe Doering is a huge part of it. The hardcore fans know he was a massive star in Japan. Our paths crossed a bunch but we never really worked together. He got sick, got cancer, beat that, and now he’s back. He’s a big part of what we’re doing and he’s so awesome and different. He cares about what we’re doing and that’s important. Rhino gives us legitimacy. He’s been one of the most popular wrestlers for over 20 years. I’ve said — it’s not an insult to him or ‘Hacksaw’ — he’s this eras ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan. He’s just over everywhere he goes. They approached me about ‘who do you want in the group? Here are some guys.’ I was allowed to pick and I knew me and Joe were the cornerstones and we would go from there. I had pitched Cody because it was a surprise and I believe in him.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

---

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

Two children’s books written by John Cena are currently scheduled to be released on April 6th. The books are titled Do Your Best Every Day to Do Your Best Every Day and Be A Work in Progress and are based on inspirational tweets made by Cena.

A court in Tokyo, Japan reportedly recently issued a 9,000 yen ($80) fine to a Japanese man charged over cyberbullying Hana Kimura prior to her death, according to Nippon News.

Kyoko Kimura, mother of the late Hana Kimura, recently launched an anti-bullying non-profit organization called “Remember Hana.”

Ring of Honor announced that they have recently signed Dalton Castle to a new contract with the company.

Impact Wrestling announced two new matches for their Hardcore Justice event on April 10th:

• Career vs. Title Impact Knockouts Championship – Jazz vs. Deonna Purrazzo (c)
• #1 Contender for Knockouts Championship Weapons match – Alisha vs. Rosemary vs. Havok vs. Tenille Dashwood vs. Susan vs. Jordynne Grace

Josh Barnett announced a new match for the card of Game Changer Wrestling’s Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 6 event on April 8th in Ybor City, Florida:

• Chris Dickinson vs. Shane Mercer