Ring of Honor is set to welcome back fans on Sunday at Best in the World.
ROH went on hiatus during the pandemic but returned to television production in August 2020 by using a bubble in Baltimore.
With Best in the World being the first show in front of fans and the wrestling world opening up in 2021 with WWE releases and "the forbidden door," ROH COO Joe Koff discussed the possibilities of seeing unexpected faces at Best in the World.
“Well, if you’re not a Ring of Honor fan, you’re probably going to see some unexpected. So let’s say that, I don’t think you’ll see unexpected faces, perhaps, if that’s what you’re kind of angling for," Koff told Liam Stewart of Inside The Ropes. "I think what you’ll see is amazing wrestling and that show [Best in the World] is always had changes and there have always been surprises like you say, you know, it’s very interesting when you talk to someone like me, I really don’t know. I don’t know exactly what to expect."
Koff continued by saying, "I like to go to big shows as a fan, and I like to watch it for the first time as everyone is watching it, because that’s the real experience and Ring of Honor is such an experiential promotion and having the crowd back and having the chanting. That’s the one thing I missed in all of these 18 months is the spontaneity of that chanting. Because if you’ve been to our shows, you know that that doesn’t happen unless somebody’s expectation has been met and exceeded. It’s not a script. No one standing around going to chant at a sign that says this is wrestling chant. This happens because the fan has been pleased with what they’re seeing and I can’t wait to hear that first chant. It was that first chant almost 11 years ago that made me believe that Ring of Honor was the right promotion for our company and for me to run. And I can’t wait to hear that chant again. It just I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
ROH Best in the World will be headlined by RUSH defending the ROH Championship against Bandido. You can view the current lineup for Best in the World by clicking here.
Fightful will have coverage of Best in the World on Sunday, July 11.