Matt Taven Remembers Winning ROH World Title Last Year

In a piece he wrote for ROHWrestling.com, Matt Taven spoke about winning the ROH World title last year at G1 Supercard, defeating Jay Lethal and Marty Scurll. Here are highlights:

On learning he would be in the match: “On the day of my 60-minute draw with then-ROH World Champion Jay Lethal at the 17th Anniversary Show in Vegas, I found out that I would be in the ROH World Title Match at G1 Supercard, turning what was already a pressure-filled show into what may be the most stressful day of my entire life. I had been training intensely for months leading up to the title match with Lethal, but wrestling for an hour on pay-per-view with one of the greatest performers of our generation is a daunting task.”

On the match itself: “That night, magic happened. In what is undoubtedly my favorite match of my career, I felt like I proved to any naysayers that Matt Taven is a World Champion, and if they still didn’t believe, well screw them, I proved it to myself. Watching it back, I’m still not happy with the promo I cut before the match. I can tell my mind is racing and I’m anxious, but as far as the match itself, I wouldn’t change a thing. Going into that night feeling the weight on the world on my shoulders and coming out the other end feeling like I had accomplished something special gave me more confidence than I have ever had in my career. MSG couldn’t come soon enough.”

On Jay Lethal congratulating him: “In that moment, Jay looked at me and smiled. He stuck his hand out for a handshake and said, “Congratulations.” I could tell by his smile that he was happy for me, but more importantly I could tell he was proud of me and felt that I deserved it. I have made my share of mistakes in my life and have had more setbacks than I can count, but earning the respect of a person like Jay Lethal made me feel like I had made it more than any previous accomplishment.”