Matt Taven Believes These Stars Leaving ROH Left 'A Big Hole'

Many WWE and AEW stars that fans know today were once a product of Ring of Honor. Even a decade ago, the ROH roster boasted of names like The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens), and many others. AEW star Matt Taven was another name who was there at the time. He recently appeared on "The Undisputed Podcast" with Bobby Fish as the two discussed how several guys moving to WWE affected the ROH locker room.

"That ROH from 2013 to 2015, even 2016, was untouchable," Taven said. "The tag division alone with Briscoes, Young Bucks, [reDRagon], [The Kingdom], Caprice Coleman and Cedric [Alexander] were an awesome team. It's just up and down the roster, it was so — but that's what made it so good. You had to compete so hard to stand out on those shows."

Taven compared it to being in a pressure cooker as guys like Roderick Strong and Steen were always there helping those who wanted to get on their level. "I think every locker room needs a Roderick Strong," Taven added. "I think when you guys all left, there was a big hole in the locker room just because everyone was so close. Roddy being able to lead that locker room was definitely missed."

Strong's last ROH match took place in May 2016 before he made his "NXT" debut in October. By the summer of 2017, Cole, Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly all found themselves on the same roster again as they formed The Undisputed Era and rose to the top of the black and gold brand.