Wrestling without Ring of Honor?

[Autistic Dragon]

When ECW folded in April 2001 it left video distribution company RF Video in a tough spot. ECW was their best seller and its absence threatened to seriously decrease their income. They initially tried to strike a deal with Combat Zone Wrestling but the negotiations dragged for months without a deal. During that time, company owner Rob Feinstein saw an event called "King of Indies" put on by All Pro Wrestling which inspired him to start a similar promotion which would eventually become Ring of Honor.

A scenario I've been thinking about is one where RF Video and CZW are able to come to an agreement (from what I can tell this would include Feinstein joining CZW leadership) meaning ROH is never founded. How does this affect the wrestling scene in the following two decades?

[Control21]

23 hours ago, Autistic Dragon said:

When ECW folded in April 2001 it left video distribution company RF Video in a tough spot. ECW was their best seller and its absence threatened to seriously decrease their income. They initially tried to strike a deal with Combat Zone Wrestling but the negotiations dragged for months without a deal. During that time, company owner Rob Feinstein saw an event called "King of Indies" put on by All Pro Wrestling which inspired him to start a similar promotion which would eventually become Ring of Honor.

A scenario I've been thinking about is one where RF Video and CZW are able to come to an agreement (from what I can tell this would include Feinstein joining CZW leadership) meaning ROH is never founded. How does this affect the wrestling scene in the following two decades?

Good question. I imagine CZW wouldn't have reached the same heights ROH did and the brand would have capped their popularity levels to some extent...ECW was lightning in a bottle and I don't think they would have been able to repeat the same magic. We might have seen more of the top indie guys go to TNA instead perhaps.

[LastStopTour]

Or ... dependent upon how much say and pull Feinstein had with Zandig and company, you might have had ROH under the Combat Zone Wrestling name.