Ring Of Honor Rides Momentum From Record-Breaking Weekend Into Pittsburgh
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One week after breaking the company's live event attendance record, Ring Of Honor is returning to Pittsburgh for a show at Stage AE Saturday night.
Ring Of Honor reached new heights for live attendance last Saturday when thousands of fans packed the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans for the Supercard Of Honor XII show.
New Orleans was temporarily transformed into the epicenter of professional wrestling last weekend. WWE held WrestleMania at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, along with many other events around the city. Ring Of Honor and other promotions were also in New Orleans, providing fans with a seemingly endless supply of live pro wrestling.
Ring Of Honor's Punishment Martinez spent five days in New Orleans. He described the atmosphere as wrestling fans slowly took over the town.
"When I first got down there it was still pretty mellow," Martinez said, "but as the week progressed - Thursday at nighttime in the French Quarter on Bourbon Street, you couldn't walk."
"All the major companies and all the different wrestling shows that were run were all sold-out so it was such a cool time."
Martinez said the Ring Of Honor stars showed up in New Orleans determined to deliver a great show for their fans.
"I think I speak for the whole roster (when I say that) everybody was psyched and ready to show the world what we can do."
Supercard Of Honor XII was a big night for the 6-foot-7-inch Martinez. He defeated New Japan Pro Wrestling star Tomahiro Ishii. Martinez said it was a phenomenal experience.
"I was already excited because of the crowd. I was already excited because I'm working with Ring Of Honor. Then, you add Ishii in front of that rowdy crowd - it's crazy that this is life right now."
Martinez relished the opportunity to match his hard-hitting style against the similarly hard-nosed Ishii.
"It was just two tough dudes throwing everything they could at each other and loving every second of it."
Martinez will be looking for another statement win when he faces former ROH World Champion Jay Lethal Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
Also coming to Pittsburgh looking to build on his recent momentum is Flip Gordon. He teamed with the Young Bucks in a ladder match for the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Titles at Supercard Of Honor XII. Gordon is a rising star in pro wrestling, thanks in part to his role on "Being The Elite". The web series created by the Young Bucks helped turn Gordon into a household name among pro wrestling fans.
"It's helped me showcase my talents to so many guys," Gordon said. "'Being The Elite' is a global thing. People are watching it around the world. It helped me build my brand and showcase what I can do outside the ring."
Gordon's gets a shot at championship gold at Saturday night's show in Pittsburgh. He's scheduled to face ROH World TV Champion Silas Young, billed as "Professional Wrestling's Last Real Man".
"It's gonna be a challenge and it's a guy that's been in the ring for quite a while," Gordon said. "I want to show him that I belong here in Ring Of Honor."
For the stars of Ring Of Honor, there's no time to rest on the laurels of the company's historic weekend in New Orleans.
"Every time we step into the ring we take that very seriously and try to put on the best performance we can," Martinez said. "Knowing we have all those eyes on us, it makes it a little bit more special...it gives us that adrenaline and we get more amped up. It gives us more energy."
Also scheduled for Saturday night's card in Pittsburgh is The Briscoes defending their ROH World Tag Team Titles against the Young Bucks; and "The American Nightmare" Cody teaming with Bullet Club allies Marty Scurll and Adam Page to face Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky.
Saturday night's card in Pittsburgh is a taping for future episodes of Ring Of Honor television.
