Following the death of former ROH COO Joe Koff, wrestling dignitaries have begun to pay tribute and reflect on his legacy in wrestling. According to "Busted Open Radio's" Bully Ray, what the business looks like today might be completely different without Koff's influence, namely his approval of Cody Rhodes' and The Young Bucks' vision for All In in 2018.
Advertisement
After co-host Dave LaGreca brought up the importance of not just the original All In but also shows like the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden in 2019, Bully proposed an alternate history for All In, and painted a picture of how Koff really could have stood in the way of how wrestling evolved from there, rather than giving it all his blessing. "I'm going to re-enact a scenario for you with a different outcome," he said. "Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks go to Joe Koff and they say, 'We're thinking of doing our own show. We want to call it 'All In, and then [Koff] says no, which he would have been [his right] because Cody and The Bucks were under contract to Sinclair Broadcasting [and] Ring of Honor. Joe could've said no."
Advertisement
He didn't, of course, and All In's success ultimately begat AEW, which has helped foster a wrestling landscape with working opportunities for performers and other professionals that hasn't been seen since the early 2000s. "Joe is the one that let Cody and The Bucks do their thing," Bully added. "Without Joe's blessing, without Ring of Honor's support, [All In] never happens. All In is the first domino to fall in what is now AEW. Who pushed that first domino? Joe Koff."
Koff's history with ROH dates back to 2011, when he convinced higher-ups at Sinclair to purchase the promotion, and kept his role as Senior Vice President of Training and Development at Sinclair even after his time with ROH. Ultimately, AEW's Tony Khan purchased ROH from Sinclair in 2022, and continues to run the brand to this day. Bully spent time in ROH from 2018-2020, and fondly recalls interactions with Koff, who resisted taking part in in-ring segments, but eventually caved, as Bully says, out of respect for the business.
Advertisement
"During my time in Ring of Honor," he recalled, "[for] some of the stories that I would tell along the way, I wanted Joe to be a part of and he would always be like, 'No, Bully, I don't want to be on TV.'" With a little insistence, however, the WWE Hall of Famer was able to get the boss to play along. "I'd be, like, 'Ok, Joe, listen, I need you to do this. Here's what you could do.' He'd be like, 'Oh, ok, I'll do it.'"
As Bully and others reflect on Koff's influence on professional wrestling, one thing continues to resonate, aligning with his eventual acquiescence to play along with Bully's in-ring requests during their time together. "He really didn't want to be in front of the camera," Bully said, laughing. "But when he got the opportunity to, he really did enjoy it because of his passion for wrestling."
Advertisement
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
