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RADICAN: Danielson's Appearance in Dark Match on Raw Brings About Many Questions Jun 11, 2008 - 4:35:48 PM
”Bryan Danielson worked a dark match for WWE last Monday with the permission of Ring Of Honor.”
ROH’s official statement regarding Bryan Danielson wrestling in a dark match on Raw this past Monday doesn’t tell us much on the surface, but it brings about several questions about the future of the company and the ability of other companies to come in and pluck away contracted talent.
Are ROH contracts enforceable?Danielson is currently under contract to ROH, but the question remains whether or not ROH would try to enforce their contract with him if WWE offered Danielson a deal in the future. After all, not many wrestlers stroll in WWE and win a dark match over a contracted talent.
Danielson, who is arguably the face of ROH and the top wrestler in the promotion right now, would be a huge loss to the roster. If ROH is going to move forward on PPV and possibly get a TV deal (although that talk has slowed down recently), Danielson is the one wrestler the company must have in the fold in order to go forward.
In the past, ROH has been a breeding ground of sorts for TNA and WWE, but when they signed their key talents to contracts in 2007, which on the surface appeared to give ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky the ability to plan long-term without having to worry about key talent being plucked away.
If Danielson does leave, what message does that send to the rest of the contracted talent? One contracted ROH wrestler was stunned to find out Danielson had wrestled in a dark match on Raw this past Monday. If Danielson is allowed out of his current deal with ROH should WWE offer him a contract, what message does that send to the rest of the contracted talent in ROH?
I know of at least one other wrestler in the company that TNA is interested in. If Danielson is allowed out of his contract to go to the WWE, would other talent in the company see that as an opportunity to go elsewhere?
ROH has been trying to redefine itself during the past year. They’ve made the move to PPV, but clearly the company wants to expand their fan base. The problem is, if Danielson does leave ROH to sign with the WWE, it gives off the impression that ROH is still nothing more than a breeding ground for talent rather than a company trying to grow.
The Danielson going to the WWE saga will be something to keep an eye on in the coming months, as it could possibly reveal if the contracts signed by the members of the ROH roster are worth anything.
Email Sean Radican.
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