Kevin Steen Talks ROH's Recent IPPV Problems, Winning The Title, Upcoming Title Defenses
Ring of Honor World Champion Kevin Steen, was one of the featured guests on this week's edition of Monday Night Mayhem. Here are some interview highlights courtesy of Kahlil Thomas, MNM's associate producer and official correspondent:
Why winning the Ring of Honor World Title was his primary goal when entering the company and his own personal experience of being the ROH World Champion over the past five months: "Winning the Ring of Honor World Title has always been a dream of mine, from the moment I started in the company in 2007 and even before that, when I had a few matches here in 2005. I wasn't put on the regular roster at the time, and it took me a while to get here until 2007, when I was put on the regular roster. That was already a big accomplishment. Then, and in my mind, my goal was to win the ROH World Title. Achieving that (winning the Ring of Honor World Title) is a great accomplishment and something I will always back upon fondly when my career is over, but to be brutally honest, I wanted to win that title because it would help me kill this company. It's not the same since Jim Cornette took over. I love Ring of Honor, and I don't want to see it in the state that it is in now, so I figure why not put it out of its misery."
His thoughts on his new two title defenses: this Saturday night (October 6th) vs. Jay Lethal at "Killer Instinct" in Rahway, NJ and next Saturday night (October 13th) vs. Michael Elgin at "Glory By Honor XI" in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: "I've never actually wrestled Jay Lethal, except for a six-man tag. I prepare for him like I prepare for everybody else. I don't change the way I get ready for a match against anybody, but since it is in his backyard (New Jersey), I expect his family to be there, and maybe I'll use that to my advantage. There's no level too low for me to stoop to, and I think everybody knows that. As far as (Michael) Elgin is concerned, he's been doing some really good things in Ring of Honor. After I beat Jay Lethal, it's definitely a challenge I'm looking forward, to put all the claims that he is the next Ring of Honor World Champion to bed."
Why it's important to "make things right" for Ring of Honor's future iPPV's, beginning with "Glory By Honor XI": "I think it could work if they do it right. I'm not really a company guy. I don't care if they get mad at me. I know there has even been issues about some guys saying stuff on Twitter that the company didn't like, but Ring of Honor needs to step up and make things right. I think iPPV is a great way to make things work if they can actually figure it out and make it work. They promised us this time it was gonna work, that all the mistakes of the past have been studied and learned from, which I hope is true, but I can't do anything about this other than have great matches. Every guy on the roster knows that, so this is on their part."
Source: Monday Night Mayhem