7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (March 24)
1. WWE Might Be Buying Ring Of Honor
In a late-breaking shocker, WWE is in talks to purchase Ring Of Honor - the very same promotion Daniel Bryan was buried for working in, and the very same promotion CM Punk learned how not to work, at least according to Shawn Michaels and Triple H, the latter of whom is presumably behind the deal.
It's not likely that Vince McMahon knows what a Ring Of Honor is when he scripts his cutting edge babyface performers to mimic the proclamations of a cartoon character from the 1940s.
It is a development which, if realised, has massive ramifications on the worldwide wrestling industry. ROH has a strong association with New Japan Pro Wrestling, one which, if not crucial, is at least very important to their planned expansion into the United States. WWE is intent on shaping the wider wrestling landscape into its own image. The timing of these negotiations might not be a coincidence.
Looking at matters less cynically - what else does WWE get out of this? Many of its top stars - the ones who bother to turn up every week, anyway - cut their teeth there. The video library alone would lend itself to feature DVDs on the likes of Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles. Dispatching the plethora of development talent to ROH - if indeed WWE intends to maintain it as its own entity - makes sense too. But the fanbase is hardly going to receive Riddick Moss as anything other than an insult. An inter-promotional feud is less likely. WWE cannot for the sake of their own perception acknowledge how much the wrestling world has shrunk by ackknowledging ROH stars as equal to their own Superstars.
There are interesting times ahead, to be sure.