Steve Maclin may be one of wrestling’s hottest free agents right now, but if he has his way, Ring of Honor could be in his future.
Maclin addressed his next possible stop after his TNA departure, while speaking on the Boots to Boots podcast with Deonna Purrazzo, and when asked directly if he’d be interested in going to ROH, he didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, I would. I would love that.”
Maclin explained that he already got a small taste of the ROH style when he wrestled Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Championship during the period when ROH was working with TNA, and it left a lasting impression.
“I got to wrestle Gresham a few times and for the Pure Title when he was at TNA at that time and they were using the ROH before ROH was bought by AEW. It was kind of cool to just kind of stick my toes into that water a little bit and kind of dabble into Pure Rules.”
For Maclin, the appeal of ROH goes beyond simply finding a place to wrestle. He said the Pure Rules format allows performers to do things differently and opens up new possibilities inside the ring: “No, it was fun because it just opens up the playbook.” Maclin also admitted there is something special about the history attached to the promotion, saying an ROH run would feel like accomplishing another major goal in his career.
“But to go there and have the Code of Honor and then just the history to be a part of that too. And then again, it’s another check off a bucket list of like working for almost every major company.”
Maclin then gave ROH flowers for helping reshape modern wrestling, arguing that the promotion helped move the business away from an era dominated by larger-than-life physiques and toward showcasing athletic wrestlers from all backgrounds.
“ROH was a big part of the boom and how wrestling changed. It wasn’t about the big burly muscular guys flexing and saying, ‘Hey, brother.’ Like it got to where it’s normal guys being athletic, which opened up the floodgates for everybody on Independence to finally like step it up a little bit.
Like it was also just the proving ground. The amount of names that have come through ROH that are where they are now is just insane. So yes, the answer to your question, if I was to go to Ring of Honor, I would love to work there.”
The comments come after Maclin’s departure from TNA, where he spent five years becoming one of the company’s top stars and a former TNA World Champion. While Dave Meltzer previously speculated WWE or AEW could be likely destinations, Maclin himself seems to have another option high on his wishlist — and he sounds pretty eager to honor the Code of Honor if the opportunity comes calling.
Do you think Steve Maclin would be a good fit in ROH, or should he aim for WWE or AEW instead? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
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