Matt Taven Discusses How ROH Is Handling Contracts During the Coronavirus Shutdown, His Thoughts on Wrestlers Competing in Empty Arenas

– The Wrestling Inc. Daily recently spoke to former ROH World champion Matt Taven, who discussed ROH shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic and more. Below are some highlights from WrestlingInc.com.

Matt Taven on ROH opting not to have shows during the pandemic: “I honestly think it was a smart decision. When it first happened, even the boys were like, ‘Oh wow, that’s a drastic decision.’ We went out to Vegas and the shows were cancelled and before we knew it, everything was cancelled through June 1. Now you look back on it and see ROH was ahead of the curve. For me personally, I think it’s smart and it doesn’t put the crew in any sort of situations with traveling and being around other people. Right now, it feels like you don’t know anything, so to err on the side of caution is probably the best.”

Taven on how ROH is taking care of talents while the product has gone dark: “When we were in Vegas, ROH office had a meeting and they said this wouldn’t affect our contracts at all. We would be paid as we would normally be and that’s something this office has done continuously, especially for me as a guy who has been here for years. People ask about my loyalty to ROH and I always go back to when I blew my knee out the last time. My contract expired while I was hurt and Mikey [Bennett] goes to TNA and I don’t know what I’m gonna do. ROH says, ‘Don’t worry, we’re gonna take care of you.’ We re-did the contract and it’s something I’ll never forget. They told all the boys and girls in Vegas afterwards that if you hadn’t gotten your flight yet, then don’t come out here because the show’s gonna be cancelled. Everyone was informed that they would continue to take care of us during this downtime and it’s an awesome thing for Ring of Honor to do.”

Matt Taven on seeing other wrestlers in action without a crowd: “It’s a weird thing. I don’t necessarily wonder about people’s safety because I think everybody is gonna take the proper precautions. We’re talking about companies that are obviously very intelligent, but my biggest concern is that it’s so hard to bump in front of no one [laughs]. The emotion of a crowd gets your adrenaline going in a way that’s hard to recreate when you’re practicing in a school or wrestling without a crowd. But these guys are going out there and giving it there all in front of no one. It’s the nature of the beast. No one has ever been through this before so we’re kinda rolling with the punches. It’s a tough situation to adapt to. I’m watching the shows and going, ‘Oh, that must have hurt’ and no one’s cheering after which probably made it hurt even worst. That’s what we have to do right now and guys are just making the most out of it.”

On if he would wrestle during the pandemic: “If ROH felt it was the best decision, I think they have taken such precaution that they wouldn’t ask me or any of the guys on the roster to wrestle unless they knew it was 110 percent safe. I assume other companies feel that way too. If that was the case, I would have no problem with it. But for me, there will never be anything to replace wrestling in front of a live crowd. I think every guy and girl is just kinda waiting for the day we can be back doing what we love, entertaining other people and getting the reactions that keep you going.”