Julius Smokes discusses the reason he was never booked on ROH's Past vs. Present show.
Before the pandemic forced ROH to cancel shows for months, it had a show planned in March that would have brought several notable names from the company's history. Andrew Thompson of POST Wrestling interviewed Smokes and said the company didn't get in touch with him about booking him for the show.
"See, you talk about the elephant in the room that everybody else is scared to talk about. ‘What happened to Julius Smokes? Why didn’t I book with Julius Smokes?’ See, I like that. Keep it one grand. But people from the outside looking in are telling me something totally different, it’s crazy. Let’s talk about it. Why do you think I wasn’t booked on that show? What was the situation behind that? The hook and crook? Now [to] be honest with you, Homicide told me that, ‘Yo J, they didn’t have your information to get in contact with you.’ I was like, ‘Huh? We’re all on Facebook together.’ That’s what he told me. It’s all love for Homicide after he told me the truth behind that, because he wanted to know too what the situation was. ‘They said they couldn’t get in contact with you.’ I said, ‘Wow, okay,’" Smokes said.
In addition, Smokes said some people treated ROH as a catapult to sign on with other companies such as WWE and AEW, but not him. Smokes treated ROH as his home and just wanted to be brought back for some reunion shows.
"Since the company was bought from Cary [Silkin], that transition that took place, that’s when the funny movement started taking place to be honest with you. So, it is what it is. Nothing last forever. I was there 2002 all the way to 2011. So some people was using that as a catalyst and catapult themselves on to go to the WWE and AEW and TNA and all that different stuff like that. They were using it as highlight reel. I used to look at Ring of Honor like, ‘Yo, we’re gonna be on TV one day. This is my home. F*ck it, I ain’t going nowhere’ and look what happened. You can’t blame it on Jim Cornette. I never did anything destructive behind the scenes… I was professional all the way around, you know what I mean? That’s the way I carry myself and that’s the way I left, with respect, you know? And it was a great time. As I said, I enjoyed the experience. I just wanna be brought back on some reunion shows, because the fans want it. I’m an energy guy. Nobody does what I do, I’m original,” Smokes said.
Smokes spoke about Mercedes Martinez who spent some time in Ring Of Honor years and is currently in WWE. Smokes called her a diamond and someone who earned her spot in the company.
"Martinez? Aw man. She shines like a diamond, literally. WWE, God bless her. She’s definitely earned her spot in a lot of different ways. She’s a veteran and salute to her. She stayed with it, she got something out of it. She could’ve walked away from the industry years ago but she didn’t, she stuck with it and still was having classic matches, all over the world and they gave her an opportunity, she’s taking advantage of it and I’m definitely proud of her, seriously. She’s a real OG. I rode to a show with her a couple of times, just her and I in a car just kicking it. She’s about her game, literally, in every which way and I respect that and nothing but salute, seriously. She’s a personified athlete. She’s passionate about what she does. Once you stay passionate and you’re really an athlete, you’re going to get something out of this, you know what I mean? And she’s blessed. Save your money. That’s what it’s about right now. Just save your money and enjoy life. She’s living it," Smokes said.
You can check out the full interview in the video at the top of the page. Credit to Andrew Thompson for the quotes.
