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ROH offering Health Benefits to Contracted Workers

Critic of the DawnPosted on 07/06/07 at 17:56:18

On the ROH message board, there is a thread discussing the fact that Ring of Honor is offering health benefits to its contracted wrestlers.  It also states that the contracts they've recently been signing are mostly 2 year deals.

Now, I am unable to find confirmation of this anywhere - the original thread on the ROH boards states that it was reported by PWInsider, and unfortunately they only have stories available going back to 7/5/07.  Can anyone find confirmation of this?

If this is true, this makes ROH a VERY attractive destination for indy workers, as their contracts also specifically state that their talent can work events for other indies so long as there is no schedule conflict.  The fact that contracted wrestlers get health care included only sweetens the deal.  While indy workers might be able to get more per appearance with TNA, the freedom to work elsewhere and to actually get treatment for injuries in a timely manner (to say nothing of the greater opportunities for a substantial push) makes ROH look like a better choice in most cases, at least to me.

With all of that said, what do you think?  While this is certainly a move that is good for the wrestlers, is it a smart business decision?  Or will this prove to be too expensive for ROH to afford and continue to turn a profit?

Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
The EmpressPosted on 07/06/07 at 21:47:10

I think the added PPV revenue will likely pay for this.  I think this is a good move for the wrestlers and the company.  It makes them look more professional for one, and as you said, makes ROH look like a much better prospect for wrestlers looking for work.

Good move I think.
The TNM Members ChampPosted on 07/07/07 at 00:21:08

On 07/06/07 at 21:47:10, The Empress wrote:I think the added PPV revenue will likely pay for this. I think this is a good move for the wrestlers and the company. It makes them look more professional for one, and as you said, makes ROH look like a much better prospect for wrestlers looking for work.

Good move I think.
Maybe the PPV revenue will help contribute to paying for the health care but it's not like they are going to be making a lot of money off pay per views. They are an unknown company mostly, except for the ROH faithful. The buyrates will be very low, at least initially. Especially due to the fact that they do not have a television deal.

If we are going to say PPV revenue can pay for health care, why isn't the WWE doing the same thing? Considering their PPV revenue dwarfs anything ROH could produce, you'd think they would be the company to be responsible and offer their employees benefits.

I think it just comes down to the ROH ownership taking the lead in being responsible and caring for their employees. Hopefully, this is an idea the WWE will mimic and do the same for their employees. It's obvious that what is in place now does not work at all.