Released WWE star returns to Tony Khan's promotion; gets his old name back

Former WWE stars often have tight contracts and sometimes lose the right to wrestle under the names they are best known for. According to a recent report, this won't be the case for Máscara Dorada, who will wrestle under his Gran Metalik name in ROH

Tony Khan recently held the first-ever tapings for ROH since his takeover, and the first show featured a ton of talent and numerous surprise appearances. Notably, Metalik made his debut and was introduced under his WWE name, which he held during his run with Lucha House Party.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer’s Daily Update, Dave Meltzer claimed that Gran Metalik obtained the rights to use the name going forward and that the star will likely be known as such in Ring of Honor.

"From now on I become an independent wrestler thanks for everything new Japan #simbita #mexicano #reydelascuerdas," Metalik tweeted.

De ahora en adelante me convierto en luchador independiente gracias por todo new Japan 🙏 #simbita🦁#mexicano🇲🇽😎#reydelascuerdas https://t.co/mbw5oj8r0Z

Gran Metalik was with WWE from 2016 up until 2021, when he was released in November of that year. Notably, he's made a handful of appearances in AEW and Ring of Honor since 2021.

Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.

Legendary WWE announcer Tony Chimel made his debut for ROH as well

While some fans might not immediately recognize the name, Chimel is undoubtedly the voice many will recall from their childhood, as he was WWE's announcer for 38 years before being released in 2020.

It feels weird to hear Tony Chimel introduce @EdgeRatedR without the voice crack. https://t.co/sWcCnsmSax

Tony Chimel's distinctive vocals were also notably heard during the recent ROH tapings, and now some fans are even speculating if he'll become the promotion's permanent announcer going forward.

Either way, it seems that Tony Khan is invested in making Ring of Honor a standalone promotion again, and has not featured it on AEW as it was for most of 2022. Fans of the rich history of ROH will likely have a lot to look forward to, and as such, should stay tuned.