Wrestling sabotage? MSG pulls out of Ring of Honor planned event

The pro wrestling scene can be described as a cutthroat business. While there are times when a rise of a promotion is celebrated, others try to diminish the flame that burns so bright. That might be the case here, as Ring of Honor’s planned event at Madison Square Garden has been cancelled.

To keep you up to speed here:

Ring of Honor was set to make its debut inside Madison Square Garden sometime in 2019. This came after Mexican promotion AAA announced it would be taking over MSG as well. ROH’s potential date for the show would be around WrestleMania 35, taking place at MetLife Stadium. For the past few years, WWE has held more events at the Barclays Center compared to their original home in Madison Square Garden.

Why is that last sentence important? There have been rumors flying around that Vince McMahon was upset that other promotions were holding events at MSG. Besides WWE, no major wrestling promotion ever made MSG their home. ROH COO Joe Koff believes this is a WWE-related issue. Speaking to PWInsider, Koff stated the following:

“I’m not going to discuss beyond this statement because I am not going to litigate this in the press.  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.  I’m expecting that our lawyers will be contacting all the parties involved and the best we can hope is that we can find a resolution, so we can bring the kind of energy and excitement that ROH and our partner New Japan to a bigger audience and to bigger arenas and to the fans of New York City.”

It is an interesting situation to be in, especially if true. Years after WCW folded, WWE never had any true competition. Over the past few years, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling have emerged as top brands that can rival the former WWF.

It is unknown whether AAA’s planned event will be cancelled or not.

With All In a success before the event even started (ROH might have a small hand in it), one can assume ROH will find a way to get a big New York-related venue again. Whether they win a potential court battle is up in the air. For the first time in a number of years, we may have a promotional rivalry on our hands, one that is too big for a wrestling ring.