WWE might be the largest wrestling promotion in the world, but it’s not the only major one in existence. Ring of Honor, which was founded in 2002, has housed a number of recognizable superstars including CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Mickie James (under the moniker Alexis Laree), Chris Hero, Lance Storm, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Christian Cage, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, Allison Danger and so many more.
Leading up to its 15th anniversary , ROH held the “Manhattan Mayhem” live event right in the heart of NYC and I got the chance to see all the incredible action firsthand.  While checking out the likes of Colt Cabana, Dalton Castle and the Young Bucks, I also talked to former World Champion Jay Lethal, comic enthusiast Christopher Daniels and the Women of Honor including Mandy Leon, Taeler Hendrix and Jenny Rose. We discussed their love of wrestling, badass women they admire and, of course, comic books.
Jenny Rose / @JennyRose_JRo
When she’s not geeking out over pop punk music like No Doubt, Rose is tearing it up in the ring with spears, flying lariats and inverted DDTs. In a sport that’s tough to swallow for most, she thrives in it. “I love everything. I love the fans. I love making the people happy. I love my sisters … training. I thrive off of hard work and that’s what pro wrestling is.”
Taeler Hendrix / @Taeler_Hendrix
While Hendrix wasn’t allowed to watch wrestling growing up, she did somehow manage to see larger-than-life characters squaring off in the ring and that inspired her to become one of them. “I loved seeing all these amazing different characters come to life on screen. These beautiful, talented people getting to travel all over the world…They also [get to] do amazing things and help people [and] that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Mandy Leon / @MandyLeonxo
Making her pro wrestling debut in 2014 against Jenny Rose, the Brooklyn native spoke about how women’s wrestling has evolved in recent years. “Women’s wrestling has changed a lot over the past few years. The revolution that we’ve been seeing in different businesses … You see women now, they’re taken more seriously in the business,” she told TMS. “This is something that we are all passionate about and we’ve shown that we can be just as good as the guys. ”
Jay Lethal / @TheLethalJay
Lethal is a former World Champion who also happens to be ROH’s longest reigning World Television Champion after holding the title for 567 days. Garnering recognition as Samoa Joe’s protégé before becoming one of ROH’s top stars, he went on to train former WWE Women’s Champion AJ Lee among others. “I think now we’re actually starting to focus on the women,” he said. “Before, wrestling as a whole view them a certain way. Like, ‘Oh they’re so beautiful to look at,’ but now I think we’re looking more into it and seeing they actually can wrestle very well, just as good as the guys.”
Christopher Daniels / @facdaniels
If you’re familiar with the indie wrestling scene, you’ve heard the name Christopher Daniels before. He’s the current ROH World Champion and a former Tag Team Champion who also wrestled in other promotions like TNA and ECW. He’s also an avid comic book reader who cites Gail Simone, Shawna and Julie Benson (the team behind Batgirl and Birds of Prey), Joëlle Jones, Chelsea Cain (Mockingbird) and Erica Henderson (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) among his favorite women artists and creators. He recently teamed up with fellow wrestler Frankie Kazarian to launch a special Aw Yeah Comics Team-Up earlier this year, which you can check out here.
For more information about ROH wrestling, head over to their website. And if you’re in the Milwaukee area, be sure to check out their “ROH Unauthorized” live event on April 28.
(image: screencap)
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