Shane Taylor wants to reach the pinnacle of success in Ring of Honor, but “The Baddest Champion on the Planet” is also hungry for revenge.
These two missions will come together this weekend on ROH Wrestling, when Taylor faces Kenny King, Brody King and Jay Lethal in a four-way match. This contest could tip the balance of power in the ongoing war between Shane Taylor Promotions, La Faccion Ingobernable, Violence Unlimited and The Foundation. Taylor has specifically been feuding with King’s LFI group lately, and he has a score to settle after King cost him a match between their respective factions earlier this month.
Plus, this bout will likely have a major impact on the ROH World Championship picture, as the winner will probably climb the rankings and move to the front of the line for a title shot.
In an interview with WrestleZone, Taylor previewed the match by acknowledging his history with each of the four men. He made it clear that, while he has lost to his three opponents, he has evolved as a competitor, so this clash will be quite different than what fans have seen in his previous encounters with Lethal, Brody and Kenny King.
“This one is definitely different,” said Taylor. “Individually, I’ve faced each guy before. I’ve lost to all of them, at some point. But that was prior to the person that I am now, the mindset that I have now. I’m a different competitor now than the first time that I stepped into the ring with Lethal.
“I’m a different competitor now than the title tournament, you know what I mean, against Brody months ago. And with Kenny, he already knows how different now because I beat him months ago as well on my way to that match with RUSH. So this definitely, there’s a lot at stake.”
Taylor then described how this bout is a chance for him to show that Shane Taylor Promotions belongs at the center of the conversation about the stables in ROH. He gave his opponents credit for their respective backgrounds and recent successes before he made it clear that he intends to use this match to show everyone what his stable is all about.
“I haven’t been quiet about saying that I believe Shane Taylor Promotions should be talked about more when people talk about these faction wars and all that stuff,” said Taylor. “There’s a reason that people don’t talk about us on pay-per-view intros, right. There’s a reason that when people start talking about all the championships they wanna win and taking all the gold in ROH, they don’t mention STP, because they know if they mention us, we’re coming to see them directly.
“And so now I get to prove that. I get the opportunity to stand in the ring, even though I don’t like Kenny, he’s one of the very best in the world, has been for over 20 years now. Jay Lethal, he’s ‘The Franchise’, there’s nothing you can say about him that hasn’t been said a million times. One of probably the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport, if we really wanna talk about it. And Brody King, who’s been a monster now in, not only in ROH, but in Japan, [and] everywhere he’s gone, so this is my chance to sort of stamp that flag for STP and make sure people understand just who we are in ROH.”
When asked whether he feels any concern about his desire to get revenge on Kenny, who has been a thorn in his side for months, possibly getting in the way of his hopes of winning this bout, Taylor explained that he’s not worried about these motives clashing with each other. He then shared his mindset about how he views the “brass ring” as something that’s so far above him that, while his goal is to win the world title, he might just capitalize on having this chance to beat up a long-time foe in Kenny.
“For me, there’s nothing really for me to lose in this match,” said Taylor. “Number one, it’s a four-way, right, anything can happen. But I have the opportunity to climb the ranks to win the world title. Here’s my thing with that. As I’ve sat back, and I’ve listened and I’ve looked at the title picture, I look and see how things move, I understand who I am. I understand what the powers that be want to be the face of the company. I understand who they want to be the face of the company. I’m not that individual, right. So while I would like to win the Ring of Honor World Title, I also know that even getting this shot, like, I’ve been the man for years in ROH, but it wasn’t until they did a fan poll and the people told them like, ‘Yo, give Shane Taylor a shot,’ that they were like, ‘Oh, maybe, yeah Shane deserves a shot.’
“It’s like come on bro, exactly. Right, but here we are. So when you know that brass ring is so far above your head that it’s like okay, I could try, or I could take this opportunity to beat Kenny’s ass. Both things, I wanna do, both things I want to accomplish, one is more tangible in the moment. The other would be great, that’s a goal that I’ve had for years. And until right now, as it stands, the only one that’s been able to do it that looks like myself has been Jay [Lethal], and with him being in the match, that’s gonna be a factor as well. So for me, it’s almost 50-50, it’s like, if I don’t win, nothing really changes. Nothing changes, but I very much have the chance of whooping Kenny’s ass so I don’t know. That may be the thing that I go for.”
Watch the full interview with Shane Taylor at the top of this post.
