ROH Officially Announces London's signing

[Guest ShooterJay]

Paul London has just signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. London will still wrestle ROH world champion Samoa Joe for the world title at the 7/19 "Death Before Dishonor" event in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Ring Of Honor would like to thank WWE for allowing London to keep his ROH commitment. Tickets on sale now by calling 215-891-9404 or at RFVideo.com. Can London finally realize his destiny and win the ROH world title on his last show? Will he get the sendoff he deserves? How emotional will the scene be when London fights for the ROH world title on July 19th?

 

Paul London is considered by many to be the first true homegrown ROH talent. Here is a look at some of his ROH career highlights:

 

-London breaks through and becomes a star at "Unscripted" with his legendary street fight ladder match vs. Michael Shane.

 

-London and Bryan Danielson put on a classic at "Night Of The Butcher" that sees London reach a new level of wrestling skill and precision.

 

-Paul London almost captures the ROH title from Xavier at "Final Battle 2002" in one of the most heated ROH title matches ever.

 

-London is part of a four-way that steals the show and puts the Four Corner Survival style match on the map at "Revenge On The Prophecy."

 

-London puts on an unbelievable performance at the first anniversary show in Queens, NY wrestling for over 40 straight minutes by first winning a three-way match of the year candidate over Low Ki & AJ Styles and then once again taking ROH champion Xavier to the limit, only to fall short once again in an emotional contest.

 

-London returns from sinus cavity surgery at "The Epic Encounter" to put on the match of his life against Bryan Danielson in a 40 plus minute contest that is a definite match of the year candidate.

 

-London and Chris Daniels produce a classic at "Retribution: Round Robin Challenge II."

 

-London and AJ Styles battle in another match of the year candidate at "Night Of The Grudges."

 

No matter what success Paul London achieves in his career, no matter what he accomplishes, London's body of work in Ring Of Honor will go down in history for its emotion, class and athleticism. London is a true artist who put his heart and soul into every match he had in ROH. On July 19th he will leave his heart and soul in a ROH ring one more time. This time he could leave ROH world champion.

 

Credit: rohwrestling.com

 

Edit: Just wanted to add in a couple of personal notes, first a quote from the man himself:

"I just hope people can walk away feeling inspired. It's a just a matter of setting goals for yourself and going for it. There's no reason people should live with these sh-tty jobs and hate their lives, there is no reason for it. You are in charge of your destiny and it's up to you to make a difference in your own life... life's awesome. You get one and you have to live it to the fullest and what better way to do that than to pursue your dreams and go after them, and hopefully live your dreams."

 

-The one thing that's made me sad about this signing is that I'll never get to say this in person: Thank you Paul, thank you for inspiring me, through your matches, and through your wonderful attitude and positive outlook on life. Thank you for creating a memory I will cherish forever at Unscripted. Thank you for validating the philosophy on life I have always had- live it to the fullest and aim high, because you only go around once. A few years down the line, when/if I am in this business, on screen or off, I hope to shake your hand and just say, thank you. You genuinely have inspired me.

Edited July 13, 2003 by ShooterJay

[Guest Youth N Asia]

Homegrown ROH Talent?

 

I'm sorry, I like ROH and all, but for a company that's been in business a little over a year their opinion of the company and what they mean to wrestling is way too high.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Homegrown ROH Talent?

 

I'm sorry, I like ROH and all, but for a company that's been in business a little over a year their opinion of the company and what they mean to wrestling is way too high.

I tend to dissagree. ROH is one of the few promotions out there that deliver action like they do. In that I mean that there is definately a feeling when watching it, that makes you feel like you are watching a new, cutting edge product. This, for many fans is for them what ECW meant to a lot of people years ago. I know that they specifically target the "smart" crowd and have brought many memorable matches as a result. They have fully taken advantage of the Indy superstars and given them a platform to work and make a name for themselves. They offer a form of wrestling that isn't cartoonish or "country". They bring you action that truely is nonstop and doesn't insult your intelligence as a "smart" fan. They don't try to discourage you from being "smart", they encourage it. That is why it means so much to people in such a short amount of time.

[Guest Zack Malibu]

I'm glad that I got to see London live when I did (against AJ at Night of the Grudges in Cambridge, MA). Having only developed a huge taste for the indies within the last few months, it was London who caught my eye and helped draw interest to ROH. I won't go into detail about why it's not going to be the same in WWE here, as I've done it before. At least I'll know that someone who gave 110% every time he got into that ring finally made it to the big time.

[Chunk 0]

I'm glad that I got to see London live when I did (against AJ at Night of the Grudges in Cambridge, MA). Having only developed a huge taste for the indies within the last few months, it was London who caught my eye and helped draw interest to ROH. I won't go into detail about why it's not going to be the same in WWE here, as I've done it before. At least I'll know that someone who gave 110% every time he got into that ring finally made it to the big time.

My feelings exactly. Im so glad they booked him on FOH, even if I didnt get to meet him after the show.