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Mike Johnson: Well, before you start again, Ring of Honor still has a pay-per-view, it almost seems weird to talk about this now, on December 11th and-
Joe Koff: Why don't we do another call? [to discuss Final Battle.]
Mike Johnson: Oh, I was just going to say, should fans expect any changes to Final Battle in terms of talent and things of that nature? I mean, I know matches haven't been announced yet, but-
Joe Koff: Exactly.
Mike Johnson: ... should we still expect the same rosters?
Joe Koff: I do. I expect storylines to continue, arcs to be closed. I think it's going to be a really special show. It's going to have a lot of special meaning. It's going to mean a lot.
Mike Johnson: I would say so.
Joe Koff: I mean, it's going to mean a lot and it will be as good as any Final Battle, but this one will probably have just a little bit more specialness to it. And I think we'll see it from every sign. I think we should discuss this further down the road.
Mike Johnson: Okay. Well, as we get closer, you have an open invite to come back and talk Final Battle and any other developments that have come up since this fall.
Joe Koff: Maybe we'll be able to update it that point, but I want to say something to you and I've said this, but I always want to say publicly, you have been an exemplar of good solid journalism and this is why I wanted to give you this opportunity. You will treat it with the respect, the empathy, and the gratitude that I know it deserves. So I want to thank you for that. I apologize for not being my usual upbeat self, but I'm asking for a bye from you today, Mike.
Mike Johnson: Well, I mean, I can't imagine any other reason that would give you a bye on this one, Joe. I guess, just to close this off, I know I asked you had a message to the audience, but when you look back on the last couple of years as we head to what will be an end point for this chapter of Ring of Honor, what are you most proud of in terms of the accomplishments of Ring of Honor over the last couple of years?
Joe Koff: Well, the last couple of years is the care and responsibility we took for our talent. There's no question about that. As you said it, you said it, I didn't have to say it, everybody was taken care of, watched, made sure that they were whole through this whole process. That's the last two years. If we want to go beyond the last two years and talk like I said, in my retrospective, look, what other promotion has been in Madison Square Garden other than the WWE?
Mike Johnson: That would be none.
Joe Koff: For Jay Lethal and for Matt Taven, The Briscoes, do you know what else? For me, it was the gift that I think will give forever because A - we sold out the building as you know, but they got a chance to be in the greatest spotlight of sports in wrestling history and we did that. We had stars, we had our people touring Japan and the UK. We saw the most amazing people grow out of Ring of Honor. If I start naming them, I will forget too many of them, but if you look at what's going on in other promotions, not only AEW or WWE or even Impact, the Ring of Honor legacy and brand will always be there because these guys whether they wrestle for what other name or umbrella title they are, they're always going to be Ring of Honor wrestlers. They know it, the fans know it, we know it.
What more can somebody ask for from a pride standpoint or from contribution than that? I couldn't be prouder than that. The people that work with us, that work for Ring of Honor, that wrestle for Ring of Honor, they are the finest people that you could ever have assembled to do this. Again, I don't want to get too emotional because we're at the end of the call. So thank you for that, but I feel I've been privileged to be able to work with these people, to see those wrestlers excel the way they did, to watch people just grow in their own skin and grow in their own character and allowing them the collaborative efforts that we have from day one to develop their own personalities inside of our organization and for us to open and be open to every door that was open to us with them. Mike, I will say this and just because I can, I'm hoping that they realize in time, because today obviously they have to process, that this was the greatest time of their lives, and for me, and it will continue to be, it's the greatest time of my life.
Mike Johnson: Well, Joe, I thank you for your time and your candor as always. I know this is not an easy day for anyone who has worked or who cares about Ring of Honor as a promotion or as a place of business, or as their home. I wish everybody the best as you try to navigate what has obviously been some rocky waters and you have an open invite as does anybody from Ring of Honor to come back and sit with us and discuss this as it continues to evolve, as we see what this new pivot for Ring of Honor may be as we head towards April 2022, but also Final Battle 2021, which I think is going to end up being a pretty important moment in not just Ring of Honor history, but professional wrestling history. Joe, I thank you for your time.
Joe Koff: Thank you, Mike.
Mike Johnson: All right, everybody. Until next time here on PWInsiderelite.com, I'm Mike Johnson. We will be covering this story as it continues to unfold. We thank Joe Koff for his time today, and we wish the best to everybody who works and is involved with Ring of Honor. Take care.
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