ROH Star Matt Taven Says NXT Is ROH-Lite

Matt Taven has been working with Ring of Honor for quite some time now, and during his time with the company he’s won championships, had some great matches, and he’s seen Ring of Honor grow. But Taven has also seen many of his peers leave the company to join the NXT brand.

During a recent interview with WrestlingEpicenter, Taven talked a little about NXT’s growth and how it has impacted ROH.

“I couldn’t agree more. Our touring schedule and their touring schedule is starting to cross paths to where maybe they hit a market a week before we hit that market. That is on purpose. Taking talent from Ring of Honor? That is all on purpose. I basically look at NXT as ROH Lite. I wish for every wrestling company to be as successful as possible. There is something that ROH is obviously doing right if the top dog is trying to hurt them. That is something that they’ve (WWE) has tried to do a few times. It just lets us know that we (ROH) are doing something right. And, ROH has been resilient. I first started working here in 2009 doing stuff. I started working more consistently in 2012. But, in my 9 years, wow I feel old saying that, in my 9 years, I’ve seen them come and go. And still, ROH continues to get bigger and continues to grow and grow and reach broader audiences. As much as I love my buds, it shows ROH is doing something right if WWE is trying to bite their style so much.”

Taven knows what it’s like to win gold in ROH, but the World Title is something that has eluded him throughout his career.

When asked if his match with Cody Rhodes at the 16th anniversary show could catapult him to the top of the company, he said that ROH is too busy kissing the ass of The Bullet Club, and he hopes to embarrass Cody on Friday.

“I’ve always felt I deserve to be there. This Kingdom conspiracy thing, it is not just me putting stuff online. I truly believe that. There is a movement against me and the Kingdom in general. I mean, I’ve won every single title Ring of Honor has had to offer. In the 5 years I’ve been with Ring of Honor, I’ve had 2 World Title shots. Two of them! One ended with interference from Truth Martini. The other had interference from Frankie Kazarian. What has Ring of Honor done about it? Absolutely nothing. They’re so, so (kissing noise) making sure to kiss that ass of the Bullet Club, Ring of Honor is letting guys like me fall to the wasteside. They give title opportunities to guys like Cody Rhodes come in here, think that he is someone for no reason. It is a shame. It is a conspiracy like I’ve said. But, live on pay per view, I get to embarrass that bleached blond doll and let everybody know that if Ring of Honor continues to hold me down, it is obvious this company has a bias against me and is obviously pushing this Bullet Club agenda.”