Shane Taylor is the new Ring Of Honor World Television Champion after pinning Jeff Cobb at last night’s War Of The Worlds event in Toronto.
Taylor pinned Cobb in a four-way match that also included Brody King and Hirooki Goto. The final moments saw Cobb hit King with Tour Of The Islands, but Taylor took advantage by knocking Cobb out and hitting Greetings From 216 before pinning King. Taylor and the former champion shared some words after the bell, as Cobb tried to present Taylor with the belt, but Taylor took it from him and talked some trash.
This is Taylor’s first overall championship win of any kind in Ring Of Honor; Cobb’s lone reign as champion ends at 222 days. New interviewer Quinn McKay caught up with Taylor after his win, who said this is what ROH management has been fearing all along:
“This is the day that every Ring Of Honor official has been dreading, the day Shane Taylor is a champion in Ring Of Honor. You know why? Because they can’t control me. I’m not one of their little pet projects that they bring in from outside, I’m nobody’s boy here. I did this on my own, by myself. I’ll tell you what—I’m not done with your chosen ones yet. You go ahead, bring me all the indie hype, bring me every star from every company from every country that you want to bring. Now I’m not just the hardest hitting man in Ring Of Honor, no, no, no, no, no! I’m Shane T, the baddest champion you’ve ever seen!”
Related: Shane Taylor On What’s Next For Him In 2019, Putting Ring Of Honor On Notice
Taylor spoke with Wrestlezone earlier this year, and he echoed the same comments when speaking about being kept out of title matches he believes he earned. Taylor put over his previous matches with Cobb, saying he’s been overlooked during his tenure in Ring Of Honor, but he could make pay for it and show that he’s always been a good talent:
“The thing is, I’m not in a position to prevent it from happening, but I can damn sure be in a position to make them pay for it for happening. I was a guy that was brought here with no fanfare. There was no hype, no video packages, none of that. I didn’t come in as anybody’s boy, I didn’t come in as anybody’s favorite or their project. I came in as me, and the entire time I’ve been here, I’ve been proving that not only am I the present of ROH, but I’m the future. Now the rest of the world is starting to catch up, the rest of the world is starting to get it. When you watch my matches with [Jeff] Cobb, everybody wants to say ‘oh you’ve progressed’—no, I’ve always been this guy. I’ve always been this good, but now you’re starting to see it. Now I’m not in a ten man tag, it’s just me, and that scares a lot of people. I’m unpredictable; they can’t control what I think, they can’t control what I say. I’m not the corporate guy. I don’t fit the image that they want to relay to you guys, but that’s fine, I don’t have to. All I have to do is continue to do what I know I have to do and knock as many people out in the process as it’s going to take to gain more respect.”
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