Various: ROH Library Update, Jon Moxley on Not Knowing About AEW After Leaving WWE, Moose on Impact Title Win

Nov 6, 2021

Update on Status of ROH Tape Library

As noted before, Ring of Honor announced that they will be going on a hiatus after the end of their Final Battle 2021 event this December in order to make major changes to their business operations and strategy for the company’s future. Rumors and reports of the company selling off their tape library was recently denied by the ROH COO Joe Koff.

In regards to the current status of ROH’s tape library, Fightful Select reported that rumors of the library being under divided ownership are not true. It was reported that based on a recent conversation with former ROH owner Cary Silkin, ROH’s parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group currently owns the entire library, including everything from his tenure as ROH owner from 2004 to 2011. It was also reported that other sources spoken to stated that “nothing was off the table” in regards to the idea of Sinclair potentially selling off the library in the future.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the source of the confusion and rumors over the status of ROH’s library was from several ROH officials who had believed Sinclair only owned the part of the library from 2012 to the present, which is when they took over as owners. Meltzer also reported that his sources within AEW and Impact stated that if the library was actually up for sale, the top people in their companies and WWE would have already known about it due to them being the ones who would have been the first to put up an offer.

Jon Moxley Comments on Thinking AEW was Just Another Indie Promotion at First

A recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio had Jon Moxley as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Moxley revealing that he did not know of AEW existence as a major company at first when he left WWE in April of 2019.

“I didn’t know AEW existed. I was already out the door. It was timing. I think what people don’t understand is that it wasn’t a super easy decision to go to AEW. It wasn’t easy at all. It was actually very scary to go to AEW. The timing was so crazy. It was almost like, I didn’t choose this, the Universe chose me. Like, I would be like a pussy if I didn’t take this opportunity. Of all people, at this exact moment in time and this crazy crossroads of pro wrestling with all this shit going down, there’s this chance for one person to step in and do this, and you were the guy the universe picked. It wasn’t an easy decision to sign with AEW. A lot of people think, ‘You left WWE and just worked for another company. It wasn’t a risk.’ It was down to wire before that original Double or Nothing. I was trying to figure out who I was as a pro wrestler still. The AEW thing was scary. I didn’t know who these people are, I didn’t want it to be another WWE and just sign some contract. I just got out of a divorce and jump right into another marriage when I don’t know this person? I didn’t know Tony. I met Tony a couple of weeks before Double or Nothing. Jericho was a big help. He was the first guy I talked to about it. AEW, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I thought it was an Indie. Just another place I could work on the weekend. I didn’t know where they ran. It didn’t hit my radar like at all. That’s when I talked to Jericho and he was, ‘No, this is a real thing. I signed here. They have real money.’ I had no idea. I was in such a bad state and I was just trying to get through the contract. I was not in a good mental space. I had no clue what was going on in the outside world.”

Moxley also stated that he was also unaware of Game Changer Wrestling’s existence when he left WWE as well.

“I didn’t know what GCW was, now I’m the GCW World Champ. I went to Bloodsport during WrestleMania weekend, I wasn’t booked on WrestleMania but I had to be there anyway, and Brett Lauderdale, who was like a ref for CZW, comes up to me and is running shit. I started checking out GCW and GCW fucking rules. I had grown to hate wrestling so much that I wasn’t paying attention to the outside world. I didn’t even watch the shows I was on. I walked in, did what I needed to do, and got out of there. It was a wild time when I left WWE, to catch up with what was going on. It wasn’t a sure thing I would sign with AEW. I’m fucking glad I did, obviously. It was all fate.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Moose Comments on His Impact World Championship Victory

A recent episode of the Juice Pro Wrestling podcast had Moose as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Moose’s thoughts on winning the Impact World Championship at Impact’s Bound for Glory 2021 event last month.

“I’m kind of indifferent about it. It feels good for a company to put the championship on you and be like, ‘Hey, you’re our guy.’ At the end of the day, it is just a prop. It is just a prop. One thing I have noticed with this prop is that it makes you busier. When I didn’t have the championship, I didn’t have to do all these interviews and I didn’t have to pre-tapes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not downplaying being IMPACT World Champion, obviously you don’t become a wrestler without one day wanting to be World Champion. At the end of the day, I can’t take it to heart and be like, ‘I’m the world champion, I’m the best in the world.’ This is Quinn talking, not Moose, because obviously Moose feels different. At the end of the day, I’m still going to work hard and work as hard as I’ve been working. It doesn’t mean I’m going to look at wrestling different because I know as Quinn that this title is just a prop and for storytelling and it doesn’t make me any better or any less than before I had it. I still have to put the work in and do exactly what I’ve been doing before I got it. It’s just another day in the office. I get that from Bill Belichick. It doesn’t matter how many games you win or go to the playoffs, you have to look at it as just another day in the office. That’s one thing I took from Bill. Winning the title is just another day in the office. I’m still going to do the same things I’ve been doing and nothing is going to change.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com