Caprice Coleman has done it all in Ring of Honor; he enjoyed a successful career as a wrestler, and he has also been a commentator and a manager, among other roles.
Coleman competed for ROH as early as 2004, and he later returned to the promotion in 2011. He has had a regular presence on ROH TV in the past few years as a member of the broadcast team alongside Ian Riccaboni. Given his lengthy tenture with the company, it’s fair to say that Coleman has a special connection with ROH. But now his time with ROH, like the promotion’s future itself, is up in the air.
In an interview with WrestleZone, Coleman shared his thoughts about the news of ROH’s looming hiatus and the uncertainty that surrounds it in the aftermath of the Final Battle: End of an Era pay-per-view. He made it clear that he appreciates how the company took care of its talent during the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he doesn’t fault the company for its decision to “take a season off.” The veteran made it clear that he’ll continue to support the company moving forward.
“I believe uncertainty is a season,” said Coleman. “It doesn’t last long. I also feel that, you know, I have no hard feelings towards Ring of Honor at all. During the pandemic, a lot of people suffered. You know, a lot of people lost jobs, lost homes, lost cars, you know, lost their careers, lost businesses. And Ring of Honor made sure that during the time we weren’t working that we were still taken care of. Nothing changed in the Coleman household, and I’m grateful for that.
“And it caught up with them, you know. I have no hard feelings to that. I know they rode this to the best that they could and to take a season off because it’s just a season. They’re revamping in April. It’s fine with me and I look forward to see what the version of Ring of Honor is, and I definitely support it.”
Likewise, Coleman expressed his gratitude to ROH for letting him learn different roles, like commentary and creative, on the job and helping him turn into a versatile asset, no matter what happens next. The company reportedly won’t be renewing the contracts of its talent roster at the end of 2021, but Coleman stated that he’d like to return to the company if they want him to come back because it’s his “home.”
“If I’m welcome back, I’d definitely be there,” said Coleman. “Ring of Honor has been a place for me for over 11 years and they’ve never lied to me, they’ve never led me on, they’ve never made me feel some kind of way and did me another. And so I’m eternally grateful for them. They allowed me to learn color commentary on the job. They allowed me to learn on the job along with other stuff, you know, with managing, with talent development, with producing and creative.
“They let me put my hat and hand in a lot of things that now, no matter where I go, I feel I’m very versatile to where anywhere I go, I’m very useful. But Ring of Honor’s my home. I love ‘em, I appreciate ‘em, I believe in the sport of professional wrestling and that’s where my heart is.”
Coleman went on to emphasize the family-like atmosphere of the ROH locker room by noting that a lot of people are friends when they’re with the company, and these relationships follow them wherever they go. He explained that, with this environment waiting for him, he looked forward to going to work.
“Ring of Honor has been a place where we just fell in love with [it], and it’s just one of those places you call home,” said Coleman. “And the relationships that you have there are relationships that will last forever, no matter what happens. You know, a lot of us, you know, we’re friends there and we’re friends when we’re not there, and we hang out, and that’s just the way family is. And what other place can you go to work and say the same thing, where you look forward to going to work? And that’s what the memories I have with Ring of Honor.”
ROH has often called its product “The Best Wrestling on the Planet”, and with this in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear the way Coleman commended the roster. He called the group of talent ROH has utilized in recent months as “the best roster” the company has had. He then argued that, just as the ROH stars of the past became the biggest stars in wrestling today, the promotion’s current standouts will follow the same path.
“I think we have the best roster that we’ve had, man. If you look at the past of Ring of Honor, they are the stars of today. Like literally the past of Ring of Honor are the stars of professional wrestling today. And the current roster of Ring of Honor will be the stars of professional wrestling tomorrow.
“…If you are open and honest and you look at professional wrestling today, what names are out there, what names are hot? They came from Ring of Honor, and there’s a reason why that is. It’s not because, ‘Oh it just happens to go that way.’ It’s because there’s a formula that Ring of Honor has, which is professional wrestling, that is unmatched, and it’s unparalleled.”
Time will tell what the future holds for ROH and the wrestler who have been shining in the promotion recently, but many fans and wrestlers alike to see plenty of these names shine in the future, whether its with ROH or elsewhere.
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