WWE Block ROH Plans
Last week Sinclair Broadcasting CEO Chris Ripley announced that Ring of Honor were going to be running its big show ever from the legendary Madison Square Garden next year – rumored to be over WrestleMania weekend. Although the venue runs a lot of different types of shows, the only wrestling promotion to ever run there in the last century is WWE due to their close relationship. In 1994 WCW tried to run a show with Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair on the card, but two weeks after it was announced Madison Square Garden cancelled the booking and WWF ran a show on the date instead.
Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week after Ripley’s announcement that WWE were working hard behind the scenes to prevent ROH from doing the show from Madison Square Garden – despite the fact they won’t be using the building over ‘Mania weekend – with the Hall of Fame, NXT, Raw and SmackDown being held at the Barclays Centre. AAA also announced they were planning on running Madison Square Garden at some point in 2019, but it seems that neither is likely to happen.
Ring of Honor’s COO Joe Koff has revealed that the Madison Square Garden date has been cancelled because – you guessed it – WWE got their own way. Koff explained further to Mike Johnson of PWInsider,
“We had a deal with [Madison Square] Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE. We are not able to get any other dates in any kind of discussion.”
Meltzer writes in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“One source said it only took one call from a high ranking WWE official, and not from Vince McMahon, and Madison Square Garden contacted ROH and pulled the date. We were told last week by sources close to the situation that it could and probably would turn into an ugly legal fight.”
He adds that although MSG agreed to the date, a contract had not been signed. According to Meltzer’s sources:
“Sinclair was furious and legal proceedings could take place and were being explored.”
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