Will ROH ever be a legitimate number 3?

[Manute Bol]

For a four year period between 2004 and 2007, I was a huge ROH mark. I was front row for almost every New York and New Jersey show, I bought tons of shows on DVD and I really believed in the product. As guys like CM Punk and Samoa Joe started to leave for the "big leagues" my interest in the company started to wane. Once Gabe was outed as booker, I was more or less done.

I did however watch the streams of Glory By Honor on 9/11 and Final Battle last night and I must say, the company is as alive as ever. Despite parting with tons of top notch talent....Punk, Joe, Low Ki, Matt Sydal, Alex Shelley, Tyler Black, Nigel McGuinness, Jay Lethal, Jack Evans, Austin Aries, Necro Butcher, AJ Styles, KENTA, Marafuji, Adam Pearce, Jimmy Jacobs, BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Rave, Morishima and probably tons of others I'm forgetting, they still have a tremendously talented roster from top to bottom who all know how to put on one hell of a show.

My question is, will ROH ever be a true Number 3 behind WWE and TNA? Even ECW was in a distant third back in the day, but they were at least recognized on a national level. ROH has already lasted longer than ECW, but with no mainstream accolades such as video games, accessible TV programming, legitimate PPVs or merchandising ECW was able to produce such as magazines, CDs and action figures. Do they have what it takes to grow or are their best years behind them? Who will outlast the other, ROH or TNA?

Also, are any of the current ROH wrestlers on WWE's radar? I know they flirted with hiring Claudio a few years back, but what about Chris Hero, The Briscos or Davey Richards? Will Claudio or, better yet, Colt Cabana ever get another shot in the big leagues?

[Steveweiser]

They would need a far better TV deal in order to become a closer #3.

[smokey1980]

Sometimes I wonder if there is room for a # 3 in today's market. Probably their best hope is to outlast TNA, convince a major network to give them a deal, and become # 2 instead.

[Oak: Certified Jade Hater]

As for being on WWE's radar, they did hire Tyler Black while he was still ROH Champion. Not to mention getting Punk, Sydal, Cabana and Claudio for a while, and Danielson from ROH, and the argument could be made for Low-Ki as well.

They're definitely being looked at by WWE. I'd make the suggestion of hiring the KoW and Richards right now, and maybe The Briscoes as well. Hero and Claudio could go in the tag division or singles, Richards would do feasibly well, and The Briscoes could help with the tag division if they ever decide to get serious about it.

[Steveweiser]

Low Ki hasn't wrestled in ROH since 2006, guess it was more like his TNA work and other work that brought him to WWE.

[Manute Bol]

Dec 19, 2010 17:34:49 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

Low Ki hasn't wrestled in ROH since 2006, guess it was more like his TNA work and other work that brought him to WWE.

True, but I'm sure his ROH experience and exposure helped him get on/stay on their radar.

[sweatpants]

There needs to be a legit number two before there's a legit number 3.

[i.Sarita.com]

Dec 19, 2010 17:56:49 GMT -5 sweatpants said:

There needs to be a legit number two before there's a legit number 3.

How is TNA not the obvious number 2?

[Djm Doesn't Find You Funny]

The market for wrestling now is not, and never will be, what it was at the time of ECW being nationally recognized as #3.

It's just not possible.

[slasher911]

They're the biggest indy in the country in terms of scale, that's good enough for me.

[Raging_Demons]

Dec 19, 2010 17:05:52 GMT -5 smokey1980 said:

Sometimes I wonder if there is room for a # 3 in today's market. Probably their best hope is to outlast TNA, convince a major network to give them a deal, and become # 2 instead.

There are a lot more national wrestling promotions today besides Ring of Honor. Wrestlicios, WFX, & Lucha Libre USA to name a few...okay that's it.

Most fans consider ROH as number 3 because it's on a legit network & has more recognizable names while 2 of them are on syndication deals & the other is MTV.

Ring Of Honor can be big enough to be the number 3 based on the hires they picked up (adding that "The World's Greatest Tag Team" are now full-time). All they need is more exposure.

[Deleted]

That's odd. I began last year April to watch ROH because they scored a TV deal and that was the breaking point for me as far as the current *3 goes.

I mean, they do shows nationally, they have a TV deal, they do PPVs (albeit Internet, of course), their talent is brought up from time to time to the current big two, they have a rabid fanbase. What more do they need to be considered the current No. 3 promotion?

My current train of thought is that now WWE, TNA and ROH are to the late 2000s what WWF, WCW and ECW were in the late 90s. But I would be interested if someone could explain to me why that is not so. I mean, was the original ECW really that much bigger in the late 90s than ROH is now?

[the5thhorseman]

Dec 19, 2010 18:17:53 GMT -5 i.Sarita.com said:

Dec 19, 2010 17:56:49 GMT -5 sweatpants said:

There needs to be a legit number two before there's a legit number 3.

How is TNA not the obvious number 2?

They are obviously number 2 but not legit. They are basically a glorified indy promotion that runs one small arena. They are nowhere near WWE in just about anything except wrestling talent. The gap between TNA and ROH is much smaller than WWE and TNA. If ROH was on a cable network people actually got they would probably surpass TNA.

[percymania]

I already consider them the #3 wrestling promotion. I wish they would take TNA's spot as the #2.

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2010 20:26:20 GMT -5 Raging_Demons said:

There are a lot more national wrestling promotions today besides Ring of Honor. Wrestlicios, WFX, & Lucha Libre USA to name a few...okay that's it.

None of those companies run as consistently, or in as many markets around North America as ROH does. Filming a TV show doesn't make a company a "national wrestling promotion."

Besides WWE and TNA, no other promotion tours as much with live events as ROH does in combination with having a television deal.

[johnnyk9]

I feel they need better business ethics and a stronger following

[sweatpants]

Dec 19, 2010 18:17:53 GMT -5 i.Sarita.com said:

Dec 19, 2010 17:56:49 GMT -5 sweatpants said:

There needs to be a legit number two before there's a legit number 3.

How is TNA not the obvious number 2?

Key word: "legit"

TNA is so far in second place, I'd go as far as to say that New Japan is more of a threat to WWE than TNA.

[ICBM]

Dec 20, 2010 1:26:50 GMT -5 the5thhorseman said:

Dec 19, 2010 18:17:53 GMT -5 i.Sarita.com said:

If ROH was on a cable network people actually got they would probably surpass TNA.

I do not agree with that at all. ROH would need some serious increase in production to look better on TV than TNA. No disrespect to ROH but they are as far from TNA as TNA is from WWE.

As far as TNA being a large indy promotion, NO. You do not have a national TV deal, run PPV every month, have merch, a huge tape library and DVD production run as an Indy Fed. So NO TNA is nowhere near Indy status.

[Ian Austin]

I do not agree with that at all. ROH would need some serious increase in production to look better on TV than TNA. No disrespect to ROH but they are as far from TNA as TNA is from WWE.

Damn straight. ROH, up to 2009, turned a profit each year.

[The Scuba Guy]

Dec 20, 2010 13:23:15 GMT -5 Ian Austin said:

I do not agree with that at all. ROH would need some serious increase in production to look better on TV than TNA. No disrespect to ROH but they are as far from TNA as TNA is from WWE.

Damn straight. ROH, up to 2009, turned a profit each year.

You could argue that w/ the iPPV's, they've turned profits all this year as well.