Joe Koff on ROH talent: “They take this sport very seriously “

ROH COO Joe Koff spoke with Newsweek about Ring of Honor growing as a company, ROH being called an “alternative” promotion and more. Here are some of the highlights:

ROH growing as a company:

“We wrestle a style and brand. We don’t wrestle specific people, because since I’ve been here we’ve had many stars who were major ROH personalities move on to other promotions yet ROH has never been bigger or better. We’re growing out of our teenage years and heading into young adulthood, so there’s a bit of rambunctiousness and a little bit of disruptor in that. But at the same time we’re getting older, getting more responsibility, more disciplines and we’re seeing that right now with ROH.”

Calling promotions outside of WWE an alternate/alternative choice for fans:

“When I hear the word alternate or alternative, it means it’s not your first choice. And I don’t feel that way about Ring of Honor at all and that’s proven by the MSG sell out that ROH is their first choice. These are our fans who pay to have our product and early-access to tickets. I don’t think they’d like to be considered to an alternate to another fan, they are real fans.”

Ring of Honor not being “sports entertainment”:

“Why is Ring of Honor so exciting right now? It’s because of the quality, the artistry, the integrity and the athleticism of our wrestlers both men and women. They take this sport very seriously and as such we are an entertaining sport we don’t consider ourselves sports entertainment, which is an opposite to some of the other wrestling promotions.”