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ROH ANNOUNCES KEVIN STEEN 'REFUSING' TO APPEAR AT TOMORROW'S iPPV UNLESS...

By Mike Johnson on 2012-10-12 19:50:36

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
The Latest News on Kevin Steen & This Saturday...
Steen makes his demands?
 
ROHWrestling.com reported Tuesday (http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/latest-steenlethalcornette-situations) that ROH World Champion Kevin Steen was set to have a conference call with ROH COO Joe Koff to address his demands if they expect him to appear at “Glory by Honor XI” for his scheduled ROH World Title match against “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin. We have now learned some of the details that conference call as well as FINALLY received a statement from Steen himself. 
 
First the statement:
 
 
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XxqRtogohLg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
To sum that up, Steen wants:
 
-80% commission from his merchandise sales
-Pictures of Paul Turner in various outfits
-Jay Lethal's parents banned from ROH events
-A new World Title belt
-Never to wrestle Jay Lethal again
-Package Piledriver legalized
 
And most ridiculously...
 
-Unlimited Milk & Fruit Punch Gatorade in SCUM's locker room
 
As for Ring of Honor's position on his demands, although officials did state that they would strip Steen of the belt if he did not show up at "Glory by Honor XI", essentially accomplishing their goal of removing Steen as champion, a monkey wrench was thrown into those plans in the conference call mentioned above. That roadblock came in the form of a potential lawsuit from Steen for what he and his lawyer are calling "unsafe working conditions" due to the events of "Killer Instinct".
 
What this boils down to is that, quite honestly, Kevin Steen holds some leverage over ROH officials who will likely do anything to avoid a lawsuit. Steen told them he would be willing to drop the threat of litigation if his demands are met so he has that weighing in his favor.
 
In addition, ROH is certainly concerned about not delivering on the advertised main event, one we know fans are clamoring to see, and are afraid of tarnishing the integrity of wrestling's most prestigious title if it were to be vacated. 
 
ROH officials see that situation as if they do not meet the World Champion's demands, and if Steen were to sue ROH and disrupt the scheduled main event, then this could also damage the company to a point of no return. Given that Steen has repeatedly stated his goal is to kill the company, many at the higher corporate level feel that by stripping him of the title, ROH would be essentially helping Kevin accomplish said goal, and would deliver a huge blow to the company that everyone loves.
 
Will ROH officials meet the demands of the World Champion or will we see Kevin Steen take his ball and go home rather than face Michael Elgin? We shall see on Saturday night at “Glory by Honor XI (http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/2012/oct/13/mississauga-ontario-glory-honor-xi-101312)”...
 
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