ROH was set to run its 18th Anniversary and Past vs. Present events on March 13 and 14 from Las Vegas. But just days before the show, the coronavirus pandemic in the United States started to get worse and states began discouraging or banning large gatherings of people.
ROH canceled both events on March 12.
The decision wasn't an easy one, but ROH wrestler and booker Marty Scurll believes the company made the right call.
"Everyone I was speaking to, at first, was like 'we should still run the shows. We've got a lot of fans coming from far and wrestlers traveling.' But as the events unfolded and more stuff came out, the idea changed to, 'maybe this isn't a good idea.' When they said, 'we're going on lockdown,' I was like, 'Guys, we can't run these shows. This is way bigger than pro wrestling. That would be irresponsible for us to run a wrestling show and put fans and talent health at risk.' Ultimately, the decision was made it wouldn't be a good idea. It wasn't worth putting lives at risk. We have to be responsible," Scurll said on the ROHStrong podcast.
He continued, "We discussed doing empty arena shows. We did film a handful of matches with no fans with talent that was there, just to see how it would look and if we could make something from it. But I didn't want to have these guys who hadn't wrestled for years or coming out of retirement to put them through wrestling with no fans. It was something special, so we're gonna save the [Past vs. Present] concept for when we can. I didn't want any wrestlers that hadn't left (their home) to make the trip if they didn't have to."
Scurll was excited for both shows as he said these two shows were the first events where he had full control of and he put a lot of time into. In the end, he concluded, "We made the right decision."
ROH has now canceled all events through May and it is unknown when they will return to holding live shows.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Scurll discussed his decision to re-sign with ROH rather than join AEW. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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