In a time where wrestlers have more options than ever, Matt Taven stuck with Ring of Honor when his contract was up in September. Taven reportedly signed a deal that was for "twice the largest NXT deal."
Taven announcing he re-signed with the company came a day after he lost the ROH World Title to RUSH at ROH Death Before Dishonor.
Speaking to Sporting News, Taven revealed why he re-signed with the company and stated he's excited about the future.
"I can't express enough how grateful I am for Ring of Honor as a company, the locker room, the office," he said. "Everyone that's been with the company past and present has had such an effect on my life. This is home. This is family. It's weird to think of being anywhere else. Again, I still feel like I have a lot more to prove. Obviously, since last year, there's been a lot of talent that has gone to other places. There's so much going on in wrestling that a lot of attention is being spread and there was a transition time with Ring of Honor that I was proud to carry the torch through some of the toughest times in the company's history and saw that we still got this. I'm extremely happy being with ROH and I know that the future is extremely bright. Fans are going to be extremely happy and entertained with what 2020 has in store for Ring of Honor."
Taven won the ROH World Title at ROH-NJPW G1 Supercard in April at Madison Square Garden. Taven's victory was met with immediate criticism as many fans were hoping Marty Scurll would win the triple threat ladder match and claim the ROH World Title. Taven held the title for the better part of the year, and while his matches were generally well-received, attendance in 2019 was down.
"For some reason, nothing has come easy to me in my entire career," he said. "I've had to, literally, scratch and claw — as cliche as that sounds in wrestling — for everything that I've ever gotten. I'm extremely proud of everything that I've ever accomplished. There's a small group of people that were on the bandwagon and that's really all I needed. And it shows you how much accomplish without everyone being on your side and with just hard work, without anyone else's assistance. No matter what I did, I probably wasn't going to be received well but hearing 'F— you, Taven' at Madison Square Garden definitely set the tone for how people would feel going forward. If you saw my reaction at MSG, it's the way I felt about it every day since. I'm all right, ain't nobody gotta worry about me.”
On Friday at ROH Final Battle, Taven will battle his former friend Vincent (Vinny Marseglia). Fightful will have live coverage of ROH Final Battle beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
