What do you like about ROH?

[felkerpat]

Yes this is very corny but I thought it could be a fun discussion. What is it that makes you watch ROH over other promotions, notably Impact and WWE?

[McXal]

I may not always like the booking, I may disagree with who is getting pushed, I may want them to sign certain talents that they never do, I wish Sinclair would put a little more money in sometimes, and the whole concept of independent contracts does my head in (how this WWN vs ROH hostility benefits anyone other than PWG is beyond me) - but for me, what I enjoy most about ROH is the desire to portray wrestling as a serious, credible athletic spectacle

It doesn't always get it right (Cornette went miles too far towards 'serious' to the point where the whole promotion became hokey and stupid), and at times there is a serious lack of 'fun'. But generally the mission statement that started in 2002 to present professional wrestling as a serious, credible athletic spectacle remains, and I like that

It's not 'sports entertainment' like WWE, it doesn't try to be (like TNA). It's not too gimmicky, it's not a comedy promotion, yet it retains enough of its North American pro-wrestling influence that its distinctly different from puro.

In short, most of the time (i.e. when I haven't convicted friends to order an ippv only to be left horribly embarrassed when ROH cock it up), it caters to my taste, doesnt treat me (the fan) like an idiot and doesn't make me feel silly for still being a wrestling fan at 29 years of age

[Northwoods_Nightmare]

the wrestling

[AmericanDolphin_3]

I absolutely love the history of the product. As of right now, the promotion may not be at its best. Sure, I wish Kyle O'Reilly would get a singles push and Mike Bennett wouldn't be pushed so hard, but hey, it's better than WWE and TNA for the most part.

[DirtyDave]

the wrestling

yes for sure. so hard to get a good match out of WWE

[DirtyDave]

that ROH Title tourney was very well done. probably not a bad match all tournament.

big time props to ROH for the tournament.

the guys bust their ass in ring too, can't question that.

the Ciampa/Cole match in the Semis was probably my favorite match during the tournament. Such a hard hitting affair, very physical, intense and the crowd was hot for it.

[The Dragon Saga]

I enjoy the intimacy of it, I've always viewed ROH as my promotion in sorts, unlike with WWE you could stop watching tomorrow and they won't care but especially years ago when I first started watching you knew that buying the DVD's and attending the shows you were making a difference, you were helping the company grow and that is a pretty cool feeling.

The wrestling and style of wrestling which I prefer to a majority of WWE. The style Bryan exhibits in WWE right now is exciting but the ones who show a similar one are mostly guys off the indies or from ROH such as Punk and Cesaro. They bring something different there but it isn't all that different to us because we've seen it before. I also like the mesh of styles when foreign talent come over and the endless possibilities that come with that.

I guess I do gain some satisfaction from supporting the underdog. TNA isn't an underdog. They had the money to invest in proper talent and instead they invested it in crap and well known names who'd no passion for their company and just wanted a pay cheque while they took extended hiatuses from WWE (Booker T and RVD to name a couple). Panda Energy has invested millions into that company and gained nothing back. ROH might have a corporate owner but their business strategy is to let the company naturally grow instead of losing money by pumping millions into it at the risk of not gaining results. ROH is the little company from Philly that homed guys who are stars in pro-wrestling and before they were recognized and believed in ROH gave them a chance off their talents, e.g. Bryan, Punk, Aries, Joe, etc.

I have always loved watching these guys grow. I've had the pleasure of watching CM Punk go from a Steel Cage match in '04 against Raven in-front of 800 odd people to having a marquee match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania in-front of 78,000. I've been front row to cheer Bryan Danielson in Liverpool as he unified the World and Pure titles and been able to watch him win the WWE Championship years later from the top guy in WWE, John Cena. And someday, I'll get to see guys like Adam Cole rise through the ranks of wrestling and be able to say "I remember when he won the ROH World title."

And just the talent. I'd take a Davey Richards, Michael Elgin, Eddie Edwards, Kevin Steen, reDRagon match over a majority of the guys in the WWE and TNA. I respect a lot of them more too, because all these guys work hard as hell to make the money they do and those of them who have stuck with the company such as the Richards and Steen's through a lot of bullshit show a lot of dedication.

[Northwoods_Nightmare]

The live events.

I just went to Smackdown a couple weeks ago. I hadn't been to a WWE event in a couple years, but go to local indies all the time and ROH when they're around. I realized that indy shows are way more fun to go to because of the intimacy, the crowds, the close proximity to the ring, the interaction between the crowd and the wrestlers, and the willingness of the wrestlers to converse with fans at intermission or after. WWE events are fun, but nothing like being at an indy show. And ROH definitely has the best shows I've ever been to.

[JigsawVs.Jason]

I enjoy the intimacy of it, I've always viewed ROH as my promotion in sorts, unlike with WWE you could stop watching tomorrow and they won't care but especially years ago when I first started watching you knew that buying the DVD's and attending the shows you were making a difference, you were helping the company grow and that is a pretty cool feeling.

The wrestling and style of wrestling which I prefer to a majority of WWE. The style Bryan exhibits in WWE right now is exciting but the ones who show a similar one are mostly guys off the indies or from ROH such as Punk and Cesaro. They bring something different there but it isn't all that different to us because we've seen it before. I also like the mesh of styles when foreign talent come over and the endless possibilities that come with that.

I guess I do gain some satisfaction from supporting the underdog. TNA isn't an underdog. They had the money to invest in proper talent and instead they invested it in crap and well known names who'd no passion for their company and just wanted a pay cheque while they took extended hiatuses from WWE (Booker T and RVD to name a couple). Panda Energy has invested millions into that company and gained nothing back. ROH might have a corporate owner but their business strategy is to let the company naturally grow instead of losing money by pumping millions into it at the risk of not gaining results. ROH is the little company from Philly that homed guys who are stars in pro-wrestling and before they were recognized and believed in ROH gave them a chance off their talents, e.g. Bryan, Punk, Aries, Joe, etc.

I have always loved watching these guys grow. I've had the pleasure of watching CM Punk go from a Steel Cage match in '04 against Raven in-front of 800 odd people to having a marquee match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania in-front of 78,000. I've been front row to cheer Bryan Danielson in Liverpool as he unified the World and Pure titles and been able to watch him win the WWE Championship years later from the top guy in WWE, John Cena. And someday, I'll get to see guys like Adam Cole rise through the ranks of wrestling and be able to say "I remember when he won the ROH World title."

And just the talent. I'd take a Davey Richards, Michael Elgin, Eddie Edwards, Kevin Steen, reDRagon match over a majority of the guys in the WWE and TNA. I respect a lot of them more too, because all these guys work hard as hell to make the money they do and those of them who have stuck with the company such as the Richards and Steen's through a lot of bullshit show a lot of dedication.

Amazing post and truely reflects how I feel about ROH as a promtion. ROH should put up that post on their website or on their facebook.

[Mr. Small Package]

Current ROH? Nothing.

ROH in the past? The wrestling, the story-lines, the comradery.

Nowadays I'd much, much, much rather watch a PWG show than anything that ROH puts out. The weekly TV show is painful to watch and the iPPVs are nothing but a disappointment every time. I'm honestly not sure how ROH in its current state manages to hold a fanbase.

[BlackLesnar]