On March 15th, Ring of Honor will hold its 17th Anniversary Show from Las Vegas, NV, highlighted by current RoH World Champion Jay Lethal defending the title against Matt Taven, a current co-holder of the RoH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship and leader of The Kingdom stable.
Ring of Honor’s Anniversary Show, one of the promotion’s annual landmark events, serves as a showcase to the company’s endurance and the legacy of its select performers. On the eve of a historic G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on April 6th, Ring of Honor is about to enter a new chapter in its revered workhorse narrative. All the while, Jay Lethal and Matt Taven are on the brink of leading of RoH into the new era.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2xHo8k3HAo]
RoH World Champion Jay Lethal has been associated with Ring of Honor since 2003, signifying him as one of the promotion’s few remaining strongholds. In his time, Lethal has added the RoH World, Television, and Pure Championships to his accomplishments – earning him the nickname of “The Franchise” within Ring of Honor.
On RoH’s evolution over the years:
Jay Lethal: “Literally, the only difference I see are the names – the names on the roster. Guys like Samoa Joe, Nigel, just think about all the guys we had and their work ethic and what they brought to the table. Fast forward now, to Ring of Honor’s current day – same work ethic. Except some of them are bringing a lot more than what was offered before and the names are different. That’s the biggest change. Also, the Ring of Honor of old had a little trouble getting their product out to the masses. We really focused on DVD sales and that was how we got our product out there but now we’re on television, backed by Sinclair Broadcasting. What they see, instantly, is the new names and that’s the biggest takeaway. New names, same work ethic.”
Matt Taven began working with Ring of Honor in 2010 and has amassed a respectable list of accolades as a 3-time RoH World Six-Man Tag Team champion, World Tag Team champion, and World Television champion. The RoH World Championship would round out Taven’s resume – an achievement The Kingdom’s stable leader has a keen interest in acquiring for his tenure.
On his legacy within RoH:
Matt Taven: “I think you can go back to my very first night under contract at Ring of Honor, on the 11th Anniversary, when I defeated Adam Cole for the Television Title. In the years since, I’ve done nothing but add more and more to my resumé. Whether it’s been in CMLL, New Japan, and obviously, here in Ring of Honor. This 17th Anniversary, six years deep into my Ring of Honor career, is going to be the time. I already know I’m the Ring of Honor World Champion. But now, if I’ve gotta go through Jay Lethal to make it official for the dorks in the office, or the guys with fantastic media names; if I have to prove that to those types of people, then I will make sure everyone sits down and gets their popcorn ready for Friday night.
I love Vegas. I love the Anniversary Show – I’ve always done very well at it. I’ll make sure my dominance of this company for the last six years comes to a pinnacle. And finally gets to the point where the doubters and critics have nothing to do but eat crow and shut up.”
RoH 17th Anniversary Show airs live from Las Vegas, NV on March 15th at 9 PM EST/6 PM PT (1 AM GMT) through traditional pay-per-view providers, including Fite TV. The show is free to Honor Club VIP Members and 50% off to Honor Club Standard Members. More info at rohwrestling.com and through the RoH app.
Read our preview of the RoH 17th Anniversary Show card.
Watch the RoH 17th Anniversary press conference and contract signing below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFXm1VmIbbY]
All pics and videos courtesy of Ring of Honor