ROH star and former Television champion Shane Taylor recently spoke with Post Wrestling’s Andrew Thompson to discuss a variety of subjects, including his thoughts on potentially becoming the second ever black ROH world champion. Highlights from the interview are below.
On potentially becoming the second black ROH world champion:
“I mean that’s the goal. Only three of us have held the Ring of Honor World TV Title: Myself, Jay Lethal and Kenny King and only Jay has reached the top of the mountain for the world title. That is why I make no bones about it that when I say I’m only chasing two legacies in ROH, that’s why, because we’re all here right now in our primes. Our careers are going to be compared. Like imagine if Kobe [Bryant], LeBron [James] and [Michael] Jordan all played in the same era, right? That’s what this is. So I’m chasing them in real time. I can’t be worried about the ghosts of Ring of Honor past. I can’t be worried about legend’s past. I look at who’s in front of me, I look at who’s around me and they are here right now. Those [are] the legacies that I’m chasing. I’ve already won the TV Title. I’ve been on one of the most impressive championship runs in Ring of Honor history with that championship and then, you follow that up with a singles victory over Kenny King to make sure he couldn’t have that over me and I’ve beaten Jay Lethal now in tag team action on two occasions. He holds a singles victory over me but I’ve now pinned him more times than he’s pinned me, and so the only thing left to do now in my opinion is to give him company on the top of that mountain and go on one of the most impressive runs that anybody has ever had with the Ring of Honor World Championship, because especially now in this time, in this climate, in this era, not only in professional wrestling but in society, in the country, to have a prominent Black male figure standing at the top of a professional wrestling company, not dancing around issues, not saying things without saying them, actually saying them and standing by that, to me that speaks to progress, that speaks to innovation, that speaks to a willingness to really make change. Anybody in any company can just say they want it, but you have to show that you really wanna do it.”
Gives details about his latest contract with the promotion:
“I signed a multi-year deal I think in the beginning of, let’s see, 2019? So 2019 went through, 2020 — no sorry, the beginning of 2020. So, 2020 was what it was, I signed a multi-year deal with an option. So this is the last of that year and then we’ll have an option for a third. It’s possible [that I’ll sign a new deal]. Anything is possible. What I really wanna make sure is that no matter what happens, that Shane Taylor Promotions remains a unit. So if I do go somewhere, I wanna take them with me. If I stay, then we’re all there together but, the goal is to take this thing and make it our version of DX, our version of Bullet Club, our version of the nWo and make it something that people can celebrate and historically can compare to some of the greatest factions ever in the history of the sport and I think we have the talent to do it, so we’ll see. There’s a lot of time between that decision and right now so we’ll see but that’s the goal.”
Doesn’t think they need to partner up with another company:
“I’ve said for years that we have enough talent, that we don’t have to have a partnership with anybody else. We have enough talent, we have the skill to be on our own and do those things. Obviously, when you partner up with other companies, you’re gonna get dream match-ups, it’s great for business, it’s great for the fans, all that stuff. As long as it truly helps Ring of Honor, I’m all for it. Usually what happens is that is not the case. It helps the company that we’re working with but it doesn’t really help us and so for me, my thing has always been, ‘We have the talent. Let’s showcase our talent. Let’s prove that it is not just whoever else was here and the rest of us.’ It’s not just big brother here and oh, here’s ROH. That’s not what this is. We are the best wrestling on the planet, we are. You can take anybody’s top ten, take our top ten and I’d match them up in the ring or out of it, you know what I mean? It is what it is. So for me, that’s always been a thing so I don’t think it’s necessary. Would it be welcomed if it made business sense? I’m sure. But again, as long as it actually helps Ring of Honor because if it doesn’t then what’s the point?”
Full interview is below.
