More Details on WWE’s Ring of Honor Buyout

It was a pretty major surprise when we heard that WWE had been in talks to purchase Ring of Honor, particularly when we learned that those conversations had been going on for months.

Now more detail has emerged thanks to a new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required).

One of the keys in the deal would be the acquisition of the ROH tape library, which includes footage of many top WWE stars including Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and more.

But the proposed deal would be for much more than just that tape library. As previously reported, it would include Ring of Honor television being aired on the WWE Network. Reportedly, WWE first contacted Sinclair Broadcasting, the company which owns ROH, regarding a purchase back in August.

Though having more wrestling on the WWE Network would initially seem like a good thing for fans, it’s important to remember that this would increase WWE’s monopoly over the North American market. That means fewer places to compete for independent stars, which means WWE in turn could offer much cheaper contracts to new talent.

It’s a very interesting situation, and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. Let us know what you think in the comments, or on Facebook!