Kenny King & The Case Of The Missing Contract Extension
What a difference a few weeks makes. Just two weeks ago, Kenny King, one half of the awesome tag team, The All Night Express, appeared to be on his way to cementing one of the very top spots within Ring of Honor. He and his partner, Rhett Titus, won the ROH Tag Team Titles from Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, The World’s Greatest Tag Team, and with their talent and skill, a long reign appeared to be all but a given. Then I turned on my television for TNA Impact!...
By all accounts, including ROH’s, Kenny King’s contract had expired. King was currently working for ROH on a handshake deal, and according to Ring of Honor, part of that agreement included King being able to talk to any wrestling company he liked, but under no circumstances was he to wrestle for them. King disputes this claim. One could certainly see why ROH would make such a request, as he is currently wearing a major title for their company. However, if ROH did, in fact, reach a verbal agreement with King, wherein he wouldn’t work the television of another company, the charismatic wrestler went against his word in grand fashion. Appearing on TNA Impact! this past Thursday in a match against NWA Hollywood regular Johnny Yuma, in a match to determine who’d fight for TNA’s X-Division Title at the Destination X PPV, King won, then cut an impressive promo announcing his presence on the scene in TNA.
As someone who has made a habit (albeit a bad one) of not only burning bridges, but wiring them with C-4 and blowing them sky high, it’d be amazingly hypocritical of me to criticize King for the decision he’s made, especially when we’ll likely never know the full story. According to King, the agreement he had with ROH did not preclude him from working elsewhere, only that he wouldn’t disgrace the ROH Tag Title. King has also said he was offered a physical contract, which he quote, “respectfully declined to sign.”
If everything ROH is saying is true, what Kenny King did was pretty sorry. He’s currently one half of the ROH Tag Team Champions. Him up and leaving for another promotion, whether by design or not, is just wrong. ROH has given King a platform to ply his craft in front of millions of people. As a member of ROH, he’s established himself as a big player in scene, a guy capable to doing just about anything. His in-ring work is crisp, his mic work and charisma shine through. If he was offered a deal, fine, take the deal, but I think ROH at least deserved to have King come back before joining TNA and drop the titles the right way. Him doing what he’s done not only hurts ROH, but it hurts Rhett Titus, a guy with whom he’s partnered for years.
However, if what Kenny King is saying is true, shame on ROH for having sour grapes towards a guy who’s given so much to the company over the last 4 years. If he was offered a physical contract and decided against signing it, putting a title on him was just dumb business. Handshake or no, you’ve gotta be smarter with your championships, less you run into a situation just like the one ROH currently finds themselves.
Regardless of who’s telling the truth, the bottom line is Kenny King is no longer employed by Ring of Honor, and according to him, has been given nothing more than “an opportunity” with TNA. As such, King is gambling a ton on Destination X. I hope it all works out for him, because he’d be a welcome addition to TNA. I’d be thrilled beyond belief were he to become a regular member of TNA’s already talented roster. Adding him to the X-Division mix not only adds a ton of star power, something King has in buckets, but gives Dave Lagana and Co. yet another quality mouthpiece around whom they can build stories. My feeling is Kenny King is about show the world he's been ready for a bigger stage for years.
