New Details Regarding WWE and ROH-Madison Square Garden Deal

Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will be running a joint show on April 6th, 2019. The night before WrestleMania 35 the G1 Supercard will emanate from Madison Square Garden in New York.

Although the deal between ROH/NJPW and Madison Square Garden is now confirmed, it almost didn’t happen. ROH indicated MSG backed out of their initial verbal agreement after WWE spoke to them. ROH COO, Joe Koff, also indicated ROH was looking at taking legal action as they felt MSG had already committed to the deal despite a contract not being signed.

Yesterday, it was reported that WWE officials were not happy they were seen as sabotaging the deal. Today, further details regarding the situation were released.

It appears that once ROH took legal action, MSG contacted them and agreed to the April 6th, 2019 date so that the legal action would be dropped.

“We were very aggressive in wanting that date and we thought we had that date, but we did what we had to do as a business” Koff told the Wrestling Observer.

“(MSG) did what they had to do as a business and I guess all of a sudden there was a phone call and we were able to work it out. That’s probably their story to tell because they made the call and said, ‘let’s get on the phone and see if we can work this out.’ They wanted us. They knew that we would be a good promotion. I think they were just looking for a satisfactory outcome for all parties.”

Koff would also say that the success of All-In helped the company decide to produce such a big show.

“[All In] certainly changed the landscape in the thinking of what is possible and I think in this world of possibility, I think they really clearly illuminated what is possible. I think if there was All In, or not, because of the weekend and what it represents, and our involvement always in that weekend, we probably would have thought a little more cautiously about the size of the crowd. It certainly didn’t hurt.”