ROH Star Shane Taylor Says Company’s Upcoming Hiatus Is “Not Shocking”

Ring of Honor's Shane Taylor sat down with Wrestling Headlines to talk about Ring of Honor releasing its contracted talent by the end of 2021, as it prepares for a reboot in April of 2022. Taylor said the news was both surprising and disappointing, given the strides he feels ROH has made in the last year and a half.

"I mean, it's surprising," Taylor said. "It's not something that if you were paying attention that you didn't foresee maybe being an option or being a potential thing. So it's not shocking, it's disappointing, because of how hard the talent has been working. For the last 18 months or so, there's been no roster that's consistently put on the performances that we have. And what's really disappointing is I felt like we were kind of turning a corner. It's just one of those things where you've made this big comeback in the game, you just didn't have enough time. I mean, and that's the feeling that I get all the time, time just ran out, you know what I mean?

"The talent has been absolutely incredible. So I tip my hat to every man and woman there who have been busting their ass and spending time away from their families and putting their bodies to hell. For Ring of Honor, and for what we have, and the passion that we had for that place. So we've got this taping coming up this week. And then we've got Final Battle. And I'm sure everybody's gonna go out there and absolutely, leave it all on the line one last time."

So what will be the next move for Taylor? He says that everything is on the table now, as long as it involves the rest of Shane Taylor Enterprises, which includes Kaun, Moses and O'Shay Edwards. Taylor, Kaun and Moses are the current Ring of Honor Six Man Tag Team Champions.

"Everything's an option right now," Taylor said. "I've already had different places reach out. So everything is an option right now. I think what me and the guys are going to do and, again, the the idea and the goal is to keep all of us together. Because I feel like we were just sort of scratching the surface of what we could be in ROH. I still feel like there was so much more left to do there. But obviously we're going to have to continue that work elsewhere. So the goal will be to bring this whole thing to, you know, as one unit as a package deal.

"And bring it to a place that isn't afraid of pushing the lines, being able to be real and be controversial at times, but know that it's all towards the greater good. So anywhere where they can say 'hey, you know what? We trust you guys to be who you are and take us where we need to go.' You know that's probably going to be where we end up, but there's a lot of places now that could use talent that is ready to step into a main event. Especially African American talent. So we're excited about the possibilities of working with everybody."

Taylor also took time to praise Ring of Honor and the fans for their support, and called ROH one of his dream places to work with. He talked about how much it meant to earn the respect of several top ROH stars during his six year run with the company.

"We just appreciate the support man," Taylor said. "It's been a crazy 14 year career, six of that being in Ring of Honor, a place that was one of my dream places to go when I started. So to be able to have the run that I did and make the history that I did with the people around me? The people that I got to step into the ring with that I had looked up to, guys like the Briscoes, guys like Jay Lethal? To be able to have their respect, to be able to have them respect me and tell me personally what they think of what I can do, it means the world."

You can watch the full interview below.