Then in 2021, it was announced that the company was going on hiatus, with a tentative return schedules for April - though many believed the operation would cease all together. As it stood, ROH still had amazing wrestlers putting on incredible matches, but years of top talent draining out of the company, paired with an inability to fill their roles, put ROH on life support. There’s no one party to blame in all this. Now we can see a proud return of a wrestling company with a legacy, and history that deserves celebration. It’s a rising tide that will continue to lift all ships, and as a fan of professional wrestling, it was sad to see ROH decay into a husk of its former glory. Regardless of whether you’re an AEW fan, a WWE fan, or watch both companies equally, there’s no doubt that the wrestling industry as a whole is better for having more well-run organizations for wrestlers to work. Looking at the tea leaves, we can imagine a scenario where ROH becomes, I don’t want to say developmental, but more of a minor league brand to return to its roots as a showcase of incredible wrestlers who need more seasoning. There’s a huge swath of wrestlers on AEW’s roster who have the potential to be future cornerstones of the industry, but who aren’t yet ready to main event a major show. More importantly, it would offer a home for those younger talents to get matches. It coincides with rumors the wrestling company could be finalizing a streaming deal with HBO Max, which would make ROH intriguing original programming for the platform, along with the tape libraries of ROH and AEW. It should be noted that we don’t really know what the plans for the company are, but there’s a potential path here that’s fascinating: Rebooting ROH, providing a showcase for AEW’s young talent, adding programming as a result. The acquisition of ROH potentially changes all of that. It’s led to speculation whether the company would need to cut some of its own talent, out of fairness to the wrestlers as much as anything else, especially if they can’t get matches on a regular basis. ![]() Even with its talent-friendly scheduling, which allows wrestlers to take time off away from TV, the sheer number of performers has exceeded the three hours of programming AEW currently has. It’s unquestionably been the biggest challenge for AEW as it continues to grow. As a result, AEW’s roster has swelled in the last year, signing dozens of independent, and former WWE wrestlers, bumping some of its young, up-and-coming talent down the card, and even off TV as a result. ![]() It’s resulted in the release of brilliant wrestlers, huge names, all in service of saving money. The rapid expansion of AEW has come at a time where industry leader WWE has tried to reduce costs and run a leaner operation. This is where things get exciting, and where the landscape of professional wrestling has the opportunity to change.
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