Shane Taylor On ROH Departure Rumors, The Transition Since Cody And The Young Bucks Left

Ever since Shane Taylor lost his ROH TV Title last month, speculation has been rampant that he's on his way out of the company. He's previously expressed interest in having a "WrestleMania moment" so many have linked him as someone who could move to WWE.

Taylor discussed the rumors that he's departing ROH when he joined the Wrestling Epicenter.

"This is the part where the fans think they know too much and end up knowing nothing. I have one of the most unique deals in all of wrestling where I partner with ROH where I control my likeness? I control just about everything Shane Taylor? merchandising. Things that when I sit down with ROH CEOs and presidents, they have to look at me and talk to me differently because I am not one of their employees," revealed Taylor.

"What that does is creates unique challenges because a lot of people that are in decision making capacities for these things aren't really looking for the best wrestlers or the best athletes. What they are looking for is their best friends or the best ass kissers. I am neither one of those [laughs]! It has been fun talking to just about every company that you can think of. If ROH make me an offer I couldn't refuse, I could stay. That is a possibility. If another company were to make a better offer, that is where I would go. It sounds cliché as hell but at the end of the day, I'm going to make the best decision for me, my girls, and my family."

Taylor was around in ROH back when Cody, The Young Bucks and all those who departed for AEW were still with the company. He was on the losing end of a 2018 match with Cody but Taylor talked about what that match proved to ROH and to the fans.

"It was great. Whenever you wrestle the top guy in the company, as he was at the time, and you push them to be better and you feel like you're on equal footing, that gives you a lot of confidence moving forward," said Taylor. "For me, that is what I was looking for ? just to continue to show people not only in the back but people in the stands that regardless what you think a champion looks like, what a top guy is supposed to look like, over the past year and a half, and not just in ROH, I challenge anyone to look back and find anybody putting on better matches than me."

Since Cody and the rest of The Elite departed, ROH has been in a transitional period as it seeks to find and establish new stars. Taylor talked about this transition and how the current ROH performers are doing the best with that they're given.

"You can only do so many things and make so many changes from the inside. A lot of those things have to come from higher up. It is tough," Taylor said about filling the void of former stars.

"If you compared it to football, it is like you've got a system that you're used to playing with, you invest everything into putting the right players into the system, and these are the plays that you know work. Then, you've got other players on the sidelines that say, 'Hey, we can play!' But, the coach says, 'Yeah, cool. But, these plays work.' Then, a few star players go down to injury? You know what I mean? That's the situation that a lot of people found themselves in.

"Meanwhile, it is up to the rest of us, 'Next Man Up' style, to step up and prove we can play which we knew we could all along. In today's day and age, image and perception are valued over reality. If you look at the ROH roster, top to bottom, it is comparable if not better than any other roster in the world."

Taylor will be addressing his ROH future tonight at Saturday Night At Center Stage in Atlanta.