ROH COO Joe Koff: We Are Not Sports Entertainment

Don’t tell Ring of Honor’s Joe Koff he is in the sports entertainment business. According to ROH’s Chief Operating Officer, his promotion is an “entertaining sport” but not “sports entertainment.”

“I think people are seeing something that they’ve longed for, and didn’t realize they longed for, which is unbelievable good wrestling,” Koff said to Forbes recently. “We are not sports entertainment, we are an entertaining sport.”

It’s been a remarkable year for the 16-year old promotion. Koff does not want to take any credit of All In’s success away from Cody and the Bucks, however. He was quick to say All In is their event and not ROH’s.

“All In was Cody and the Young Bucks and their vision,” Koff said. “How Ring of Honor played into that, is we supported them in doing this. So, they sold out the 10,000-seat arena. We didn’t. They did.”

The promotion sold out Madison Square Garden for next year’s G1 Supercard of Honor in conjunction with NJPW as well.

“Our people, the New Japan people, these men and women are athletes,” Koff continued. “And both of our platforms give them this opportunity to show their best. And I think what people are beginning to realize is that this is the best.”