Former Ring of Honor Champion Reportedly Signs With WWE
WWE has reportedly signed a former Ring of Honor World Champion to a contract. According to PWInsider.com, former ROH World Women's Champion Rok-C is signed to WWE, where she will be a part of the company's NXT 2.0 brand. Rok-C was Ring of Honor's first Women's Champion, defeating Miranda Alize in the inaugural tournament at Death Before Dishonor XVIII in 2021. Rok-C hadn't been in competition since ROH went on hiatus last year, though she did make one appearance at MLW, along with losing the ROH Women's Championship to Deonna Purrazzo at an Impact Wrestling taping. PWInsider.com states Rok-C has been at a number of recent NXT tapings.
Rok-C got her wrestling start at Booker T's Reality of Wrestling School and promotion. In an October 2021 interview with PWInsider.com, Booker T praised her work ethic and abilities: "Rok-C, she's been part of Reality of Wrestling since she was about 10 years old. Okay? And then she becomes the youngest Reality of Wrestling champion after only a few months of training. She's a prodigy. She's definitely one that's going to have a really, really bright future. And she's representing Reality of Wrestling to the utmost. I couldn't choose anyone better from the female perspective to represent Reality of Wresting. And she's doing such an awesome job. And that's what Reality of Wresting is all about. It's a breeding ground. It's a stepping stone for young guys, young girls, to get to that next level. We are the AAA of professional wrestling. That's what we want to be, where guys, if they want to get to that next level and know exactly what it takes to get to that next level, come to Reality of Wrestling and be a part of it. And hopefully we can get you there."
Tony Khan, President of AEW, announced he purchased Ring of Honor at a recent taping of Dynamite. The Baltimore-based promotion announced last year that it would be taking a hiatus following the Final Battle pay-per-view in December. News broke shortly after that all active wrestlers would be allowed to explore other companies as it would not be extending any deals beyond March of this year. The promotion was expected to relaunch with the Supercard of Honor XV event during WrestleMania weekend.
"Ring of Honor's influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect," Khan said in a press release that dropped moments after the announcement. "This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on a national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner. I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH's video library available to fans, who'll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW's biggest stars."
What do you think of Rok-C joining WWE NXT? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!