AEW Collision is slated to debut on June 17, 2023 on TNT and while there is concern coming from the locker room about the house shows and schedule changes, AEW President Tony Khan has only shown enthusiasm about the program. While speaking to POST x Wrestlenomics’ John Pollock and Brandon Thurston—respectively—Khan touched on where ROH would’ve fit in with the new TV make up.
AEW President Tony Khan Says ROH on TNT Was Never in the Plans
He was asked about Ring of Honor taking that Saturday slot on TNT. During the Sinclair Broadcasting years, ROH typically aired on Saturdays with replays on Sunday. Khan would explain that while AEW Dark and Dark Elevation were “great shows”, two hours on Saturday during prime time meant the Dark project was done.
However, ROH taking that time was never in the cards. He maintains that ROH will take the role of Dark and Dark Elevation as a development platform. When you think of how WWE and—early in its run—TNA drew their many of their hot young talents during the late 2000s and early 2010s from Ring of Honor, it’s pretty much holding its role.
Mind you, it was a role ROH grew into even though it was meant to be a sustainable company with its own talents, history, and product and not a talent nursery. “I think in the future Ring of Honor is going to be very important for the development of AEW,” the AEW president said. Khan also expressed interest in having young talent go on learning excursions to partners such as AAA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
On the learning excursion front, it’s expected that it will be a two-way agreement so youngsters from AAA and New Japan could ply their craft in AEW before returning with some American wrestling seasoning.
Tony Khan scooped up ROH in March 2022, a month after the company’s 20th anniversary. The promotion was able to return and produce more shows before announcing a weekly show—Ring of Honor Wrestling—to be aired on the company’s Honor Club streaming service. Currently, AEW star and Blackpool Combat Club member Claudio Castagnoli is the ROH World Champion in his second reign.
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