Cary Silkin served as the owner of Ring of Honor Wrestling from 2004 – 2011. Silkin served as the leading light to the promotion through its gloomiest days and through its most triumphant.
Despite 2011 marking the end his ownership, Silkin remains highly integral.
With passion, belief and knowledge, amalgamated by destiny, Silkin has whole-heartedly raised and nurtured this company.
Solitarily under his ownership, Ring of Honor has been discovered across the globe. He has always pledged and will continue to assure the best professional wrestling on the planet is readily available for the entire professional wrestling world.
Primarily under his direction, the company has been deemed successful. Exactly as his roster profile on rohwrestling.com suggests; “Ring of Honor would not be where it is today without Cary Silkin.”
To further comprehend why he deserves to be named as the product’s most HONORABLE mention, research the promotion's profound history and evaluate the following.
WHEN did you know professional wrestling was more than a passion; a business and/or career idea?
Silkin –
“I was involved in wrestling before Ring of Honor for a wrestling magazine in Puerto Rico. I used to try and take pictures at shows and sell them. I wanted a way in. I wanted to be involved in it.
“There are very few exceptions for everyone who manages to work in it (this business). We are all fans, whether it is the wrestlers, referees, announcers, this and that; we are all alike. It was my love, the love for the art of wrestling.”
WHAT do you consider the PRIMARY reason for not only your success, but for your passion in the professional wrestling industry?
Silkin –
“Through the good times and the bad times, for better and for worse; the one constant was professional wrestling. There was an attraction and the flame burned.”
Are you able to describe WHEN or HOW you knew Ring of Honor was going to be MUCH MORE than a Philadelphia-born, United-States East Coast back-door independent promotion?
Silkin –
“It was that way at the beginning. The right place at the right time. ECW was gone, WCW had died and WWF was done its period, something was missing and Ring of Honor filled a void.”
“It always had its own magic. It would have been too difficult to see it not survive. There were times in my brain, where I would think as a business man and know it wasn’t really doing great. Logic would have you make some changes or close-up; but it was too good to close. Right from the beginning it had a special magic to it.”
WHAT is the simplest aspect of this business? WHAT is the most complex?
Silkin –
“There is nothing sim
ple about it. I always tried to think of myself like a Broadway Producer. You need the right people behind the scenes. Everything has to fall in place and of the right things need to happen, at the right times, with the right people behind it. Although it is a simple idea, it is the most complex at the same time because it is not something you can force or work towards; it just has to happen.”
WHAT would you say to anyone consumed with the intense desire to enter the professional wrestling business?
Silkin –
“Stay in school because there is no magic formula for it.”
WHY do you feel the need to stay committed to Ring of Honor as heavily as you appear to? Obviously this can be interpreted as a rhetorical question but WHAT warrants your decision to remain as integral and well-known as you were prior to the Sinclair Broadcast sale?
Silkin –
“I want it to be successful. The fact that despite relinquishing ownership, Sinclair welcomed me; is gratifying because on a personal level I want to see Ring of Honor do well. I couldn’t provide what is being provided by Sinclair. They are a major player and got the bullets we need. I am happy to take the ride and this is not nerve racking or anything like that, it is exciting.”
“This is something I always will and have been saying to the fans: Ring of Honor is in good hands and the integrity of the product is NOT being compromised at all.”
Knowledgably, confidently and respectfully; you are MORE than an ex-owner, MORE than a front-man, MORE than an ambassador and MORE than A or THE god-father to this promotion and its most feverishly, infatuated viewers.
As your personal profile on the rohwrestling.com roster page suggests, you have unquestionably “spearheaded” Ring of Honor’s perpetual growth.
Describe WHO you feel you are and WHO you want to be known as from here on out to Ring of Honor’s most faithful supporters; as well as to those who are destined for the company’s conviction?
Silkin –
“This question leaves me open to self flattery. It is very hard for me to answer but I would like to still be one of the many people who keep the product alive. I didn’t do this by myself. There was a lot of help from a lot of people in every aspect.”
“Everybody who has been involved has contributed and regardless of who it was, it never mattered. Even in our darkest days we were good. Anybody who has worked for Ring of Honor has had a heart for this company and it shows.”
“For anyone who is and has been here, there is a commonality: wanting it to be a special animal. Now I just want to be a part of the crew; being around and a part of this all. That’s it.”
For anyone with a clear perception of the history of the promotion and to all of those who believe(d); you will be recognized, renowned and celebrated. Appreciated, respected, valued and admired.
Long-live RING OF HONOR WRESTLING.
Thank you Cary!