Between The Ropes
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
ESPN Florida AM 1080 and AM 1060
Simulcast online at BetweenTheRopes.com
On Tuesday night, March 11, Ring of Honor Owner Cary Silken joined hosts Brian Fritz, Dickerman, and Vito DeNucci live on Between The Ropes on ESPN Florida AM 1080 and AM 1060 to discuss his background in the wrestling business, the possibility of getting ROH on television, the evolution of ROH as a promotion, and much more.
The interview kicked off with Cary discussing how ROH has created something of a tradition over the last 4 years with their shows that are scheduled around WrestleMania. He also mentioned that this year’s WrestleMania gave the company the perfect excuse to go into the south, which they had wanted to do for some time.
Then he was asked about how he got his start in the business. Cary explained that he was a longtime fan who got involved with some wrestling magazines in Puerto Rico around 2001. Then when ROH began he knew some of the other initial investors and through the years he eventually became the sole proprietor. He also added that he had been a wrestling fan for the past 40 years.
Next Cary talked about the evolution of ROH as a promotion. “Everything we’ve done in the last 5 years has been in baby steps…We’re no doubt looking for the right television deal on a cable network at some point. Right now we’re just biding our time and doing what we do best, putting on great shows and keeping our DVD business strong. That’s been our formula and we’re sticking to it.
Asked about the reactions that networks have had to ROH when approached Cary said “Some of them know us, it’s really complicated…Certain networks don’t have any interest in wrestling at all, certain networks do have interest in wrestling. It’s a matter of the right money and the right sponsorship. It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle, but we’re very active in putting this puzzle together and hopefully in the next few months we will have done that. That’s about as honest of an answer as I can give you.”
With Cary owning the company and Gabe Sapolsky booking some people have wondered wether Cary ever gets involved on the creative end of ROH. When asked about this Cary said that Gabe pretty much handles the creative side of the business on his own. “Gabe’s track record pretty much speaks for itself. Nobody’s going to hit a home run every time but he does a very good job, most of the time he’s right. I’ll make a suggestion here and there, which he usually scoffs at, but that’s okay. He’s got a keen eye for talent and he knows the business really well. He really makes this a sport.”
To listen to the entire Cary Silkin interview, including Cary discussing his own evolution as a fan and the relationship between TNA and ROH, as well as the entire March 11th edition of Between The Ropes in streaming audio, visit the show online at http://www.BetweenTheRopes.com. In addition to listening to this weeks show with Cary Silkin you can become a site member and access hundreds of previous Between The Ropes shows and interviews. Join us for Between The Ropes for two hours every Tuesday night at 6:00pm ET on ESPN Florida AM 1080 and AM 1060 and worldwide on BetweenTheRopes.com.