"What have they done to my child?" - WWE veteran blasts Tony Khan's utilization of ROH at AEW Full Gear
AEW has been incorporating ROH matches on its roster for quite some time, but WWE veteran Jim Cornette seems appalled by just how Tony Khan has sidelined his promotion for Ring of Honor.
Tony Khan purchased the once-defunct ROH earlier this year and made his announcement during an episode of Dynamite. While the move was initially met with positivity from fans, it's since been met with a ton of criticism as Khan has failed to secure a TV deal for the promotion.
During a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the WWE veteran lamented the state of Ring of Honor due to his long history with the promotion.
"Oh, what have they done to my child? Ring of Honor! I saved them from the clutches of death only to see it become a prostituted world championship on another company’s television programming!" (02:44:27 onward).
The Midnight Express in ROH October 2, 2004.
Bobby Eaton, Dennis Condrey, Stan Lane & @TheJimCornette https://t.co/yXDASkcYiq
Continuing, the veteran expressed genuine praise for certain stars within the Promotion but questioned whether the AEW could maintain Fatal Four-Way matches.
"Again, Bryan Danielson is the best in-ring modern-style worker that there is. And we’ve seen him in these wonderful matches. And Claudio? Loved his work almost all the time! And even Jericho, he knows what he should do, whether he will or not. And Sammy can be led. But does this prove you cannot have a good four-way match, especially not in AEW? Because they’re not gonna have a f**king match, they’re gonna have a display of staged fighting(02:45:32 onward).
Despite Cornette's gripes with the Fatal Four-Way matchup and the continued utilization of ROH in AEW, fans seem to have a contrasting opinion compared to the wrestling veteran.
Catch up with this year's AEW Full Gear results here.
Jim Cornette very vocal about AEW's utilization of ROH, calling it an "infestation"
ROH might never have reached the heights of WWE, but many of the biggest stars in wrestling once called it home. CM Punk, Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, and many more all began their now illustrious careers at the once 'humble' promotion.
Samoa Joe gives CM Punk a FIRST CLASS TICKET to the SHADOW REALM - ROH (06.12.2004)https://t.co/BSGFCvssE9
During an earlier episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the former wrestling manager gave a startling description of ROH's role in AEW.
"Infestation is appropriate, not because any of the Ring of Honor guys are cockroaches, but because by the time you see one or two, there’s a bunch more lurking around the corner! And belts everywhere!" (03:04 onward).
Ring of Honor still currently remains without a television deal, but could Chris Jericho's reign with the belt draw the investors the promotion so badly needs? Or will ROH simply be one more bad business decision from Tony Khan?
Please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.