Cary Silkin on What the Energy Was Like in the Building for ROH Final Battle

– Former ROH owner Cary Silkin joined Busted Open Radio yesterday to discuss the experience of ROH Final Battle 2021 last Saturday. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):

Silkin on Final Battle: “When things happened recently, like this past Saturday, it’s fresher in your mind. How much bigger, more emotional, and a pinnacle can there be than Maidson Square Garden? I don’t know if there can be, but it almost felt that way on Saturday. it was a different feeling. The range of emotions that was going on at that place…some people process with sadness, anger, joyful memories. It was all there. At that show on Saturday, of course Madison Square Garden was the pinnacle of Ring of Honor. The Garden, the chance of me sitting ringside and presenting the belt to Matt Taven and getting to walk out, it was like hitting the Powerball.”

On what the energy was like in the building: “Yet, this past Saturday almost equaled it, just in a different way. It was very special. The energy in the building was much better than it was on TV, although it wasn’t bad on TV. In the building, it had that old Ring of Honor, Hammerstein, Manhattan Center. I’m not talking about back of the stage, I’m talking about the front. ‘We’re all in this together.’ It was very overwhelming. Since I sold the company to Sinclair, Baltimore has been our home base. A lot of the fans have been regulars. Some of the old school fans, not a lot of them, but some, it was cool. It was such an outpouring of love and appreciation that it was super hard for me to process. The guys in the back, the guys that thanked me, like Josh Woods. He’s only been around four or five years and I’m like, ‘What do you mean thank me?’ “If it wasn’t for you…’ It was super emotional. As a wrestling show, it delivered.”

ROH Final Battle marked the end of an era for Ring of Honor. The company is now on hiatus as officials look to pivot and find a new business strategy to move forward.