Tony Khan ROH media call notes: TV deal holdup, potential signing, injury updates

There is no news on a Ring of Honor TV deal other than ROH head Tony Khan says he has turned down several offers from “great” media partners.

Khan was asked about that and more during his Final Battle pre-call Thursday, the audio of which can be found below.

He said he’s had opportunities at times to put ROH on TV from “great” media partners, but that AEW is the focus with a “half billion dollar” contract. He thinks ROH media rights don’t have to be equal or greater than that, but any deal has to be something that makes sense and the perfect situation with a media partner. He says there has been interest, but didn’t say who from.

Khan also revealed that Queen Aminata wasn’t cleared for her ROH Women’s Pure title semifinal Wednesday so she had to forfeit, meaning Deonna Purrazzo has advance to the finals at Final Battle.

He also provided an update on Nick Wayne and said he’s expected back soon while admitting the recovery from his broken foot has taken longer than he originally thought to no fault of Wayne’s.

On whether he’s signed Zayda Steel to a contract, Khan said to “stay tuned” and hinted she might be wrestling against Leila Grey at Final Battle.

Other notes:

  • Asked if Mercedes Mone could be more of a fixture on ROH going forward, Khan says he hopes so and referred to her as a “free agent” ROH brought in.
  • Khan was asked about getting the Jack Harlow song “Lovin’ on Me” for Blake Christian’s entrance, but Khan has made no progress other than getting “1% approval.” If he can get the other 99% of stakeholders to approve, he’ll do it.
  • Khan said he thinks this year has been the “most complete” and best year of TV/streaming specials for ROH since he bought it.

Click here to listen to the whole call.

Chris Jericho gives update on potential ROH media rights deal

In a new interview with TV Insider, Chris Jericho gave an update on Ring of Honor potentially landing a media rights deal.

Dave Meltzer reported in November that ROH was close to finally agreeing to a TV deal. That deal has still yet to be reached, but Jericho confirmed to TV Insider that Tony Khan has a couple of potential streaming suitors. Jericho said he doesn’t know if those are offers Khan wants. He thinks Khan wants to try and expand those offers.

“I think the fact Tony Khan put the title on me again is because Chris Jericho as the Ring of Honor World Champion, streaming platforms might pay more attention to it. I know Tony is working on that and has a couple of offers,” Jericho said. “I don’t know if they are offers he wants. I think he wants to try and expand those offers. I’m a thousand percent sure that he will continue to work to get a streaming deal because when he sets his mind on something, he usually makes it happen. He has invested fully in the Ring of Honor brand and product. I have no doubt there will be a bigger platform for Ring of Honor at some point.”

ROH has a weekly TV show that airs on HonorClub with ROH pay-per-views also available for those who subscribe to the service.

Jericho is currently in his second reign as ROH World Champion. He’s held the title since October 2024.

Outside of the ring, Jericho has a starring role in the horror movie “Dark Match” that premieres on Shudder on January 31.

Ring of Honor closing in on TV deal

Tony Khan may get another wrestling show on the air sooner than later, but not necessarily for AEW.

In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “negotiations are close” for a Ring of Honor deal instead.

“TruTV has always been the station rumored because they are transitioning into being a sports channel in prime time and thus would need new content,” he wrote.

No other details like a potential timeframe were reported.

The current weekly Thursday ROH TV product lives on Khan’s HonorClub subscription service which also includes their quarterly premium live events.

Khan (pictured above) purchased the company from Sinclair Broadcasting in March 2022 and while he has never officially revealed the purchase price, he told Meltzer on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that the cost was less than what Jim Crockett Promotions paid for the UWF which was $4.2 million.

Khan has publicly told media over the last few years that he has already made the money back on ROH and then some.