Ring of Honor COO Joe Koff Talks Company Growth, Long-Term Goals and WWE

Ring of Honor chief operating officer Joe Koff is one of the driving forces behind the scenes of the wrestling promotion, and he is continuing to look for new ways to grow the brand both nationally and internationally.

Since taking over as COO in 2011, Koff has been at the forefront of the changes in Ring of Honor that have helped make it one of the top wrestling promotions in the world. From the introduction of a weekly television program to the planned expansion into new markets all over the world, the company has grown exponentially over the last five years.

In a recent interview promoting Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor XIV pay-per-view on Aug. 19, Koff spoke to Ring Rust Radio about the company’s plans for growth, the brand’s long-term goals for television distribution and his thoughts on wrestlers who leave for other promotions.

One of Koff’s top goals for the ROH brand is to expand its international presence. He spoke about the company’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom and the hope that ROH will continue booking some of the top venues in the world:

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I would like to go international and take us to more countries. We’re embarking on our first international tour that we are promoting in the UK in November. I would like to be able to get to the point where we can get into some bigger buildings and we are getting there.

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With an established foothold in the United States market, growing internationally is a necessity for the development of ROH. In addition to running more shows abroad, the TV presence of the company continues to be a major focus.

While a run with Destination America didn’t last long, Ring of Honor has the backing of Sinclair Broadcasting and also runs its hour-long flagship show on Comet TV. Add in the company’s willingness to utilize the latest technology, and ROH is making it easy for any wrestling fan to enjoy the product:

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Sinclair Broadcasting is a broadcaster and we own 172 television stations in 81 markets. We control programming and content on over 400 channels. This is a part of Sinclair Broadcasting. The short-term is exactly as you see it. The long-term is even better even for the fan. I’m really excited about it because of the company we represent. There are a lot of companies that wait for technology to happen and we’ve always been a company that’s been very innovative.

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The audience for Ring of Honor continues to grow, but one question that has been raised over the years is how the company will keep its top names under contract with other brands such as WWE and TNA bringing in ROH veterans.

When asked about the wrestlers who make the transition to other companies and what he is doing to ensure that top names stay with Ring of Honor, Koff spoke candidly about what his brand has to offer talent:

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I love people that want to work for Ring of Honor and we are trying very hard to become the promotion of choice. A promotion of choice for fans, a promotion of choice for advertisers and a promotion of choice for talent. I don’t blame guys if they want to seize better opportunities elsewhere, and I think we would all do the same thing. I think we have done a very good job in creating a culture and I think our culture is definitely different than other wrestling companies and promotions. We provide steady work, we tour, we do TV, we don’t wrestle 200 days a year and because of that, economically there’s going to be a difference. I certainly don’t begrudge anybody that thinks they can do better for themselves. They’re in charge of their lives and taking care of themselves and their families or whatever the decision trigger is to move to those organizations. I’m happy they were part of Ring of Honor and I hope they feel the same way.

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Losing talent to other companies is a cold, hard fact of the wrestling business, and as with most adversity that comes his way, Koff sees the challenges and embraces them. Instead of holding a grudge, he has surrounded himself with loyal personnel and wishes all his former employees the best.

Koff has used his calm and cool demeanor to make Ring of Honor one of top three wrestling promotions in North America, and the long-term plans to grow the brand internationally will only help build its mainstream cache.

While there was once a time when Ring of Honor was thought of as just another independent wrestling federation, Koff has helped the company build arguably the most loyal following in the industry.

With Koff at the helm, ROH’s future is very bright.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (warning: some language NSFW).