At the recent Ring of Honor (ROH) Death Before Dishonor event, Shane Taylor Promotions—consisting of Shane Taylor, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean—claimed the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship by defeating The Sons of Texas, made up of Marshall Von Erich, Ross Von Erich, and Sammy Guevara. The event showcased intense competition as the new champions solidified their status within ROH.
After the match, Shane Taylor addressed the significance of the victory during the post-show press conference. Reflecting on his career and previous achievements, Taylor stated,
“I was the third ever black male to win the Ring of Honor TV Title and was told by so many that there would only be one man to win the World Title, which would be Jay Lethal, until (Jonathan) Gresham. I put, at the time, the six-man win that I had with Kaun and Moses above that TV Title win because it wasn’t just about me. It was about taking people with me and bringing other people up. This one tops that. This is the most important championship win of my 18-year career and it’s because of the people I’m doing it with. STP, prior, was smash mouth football. Now, we are the most complete unit in all of pro wrestling. We can do it all. You want to throw hands, gotchu. You want to go technical, gotchu. Tag team, gotchu. Trios, clearly, we gotchu. Charisma, intelligence, we can do everything, do it on, no pun intended, the elite levels. AEW is undoubtedly where the best wrestle, but Ring of Honor is where the baddest rumble.”
— Shane Taylor, ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion
Taz’s 2300 Arena Hardcore Hall of Fame Induction Deferred
Following the August 23 episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan announced that wrestler Taz’s induction into the 2300 Arena Hardcore Hall of Fame, initially planned for the August 30 episode of AEW Collision, has been postponed. The new date for the ceremony is September 3 during AEW Dynamite.
Khan explained the delay during the announcement, sharing,
“He asked for more time to get his family and everybody lined up. Taz did ask if I could please postpone the surprise induction for [Collision] until Wednesday. I have granted that stay for him. Tomorrow (on Collision), we were planning to raise Taz up into the rafter, but it was a surprise, and he tried to get his family and everybody lined up. He said, ‘Can you wait until Wednesday, please?’ We’re going to wait until Wednesday. It’s from him. It’s the least we can do for Taz. It is a real honor for us to do that for him in this building.”
— Tony Khan, AEW President
Technical Failures Disrupt ROH Death Before Dishonor Streaming
The Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view faced severe technical issues during its live broadcast, attributed to the streaming platform Brightcove. Fans using popular web browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge were unable to access the event as intended, leading to widespread frustration among viewers.
In response to the streaming difficulties, Tony Khan took immediate action by making the entire Death Before Dishonor show accessible for free on YouTube. Additionally, to compensate HonorClub subscribers affected by the problem, he offered a complimentary one-month credit on their subscription accounts.
Addressing fans at the post-event media scrum, Khan acknowledged the financial impact of this decision but emphasized the importance of maintaining goodwill with the audience. He said,
“Tonight, our streaming provider had issues only with browsers, and if anybody’s a fan, and if anybody’s affected by it, I didn’t wanna have anybody that’s not included so I made a decision in the chair in the back while the show was happening. I put the show up free worldwide on YouTube… And I’m gonna give everybody a one-month credit, all the current subscribers… Really everybody should be able to get that credit, and I heard it was only on certain browsers. At first, we thought it only was (Google) Chrome and Firefox, but then also, they said Microsoft Edge. So I said, ‘You know, if it’s affecting those people, everybody should be able to just watch it for free on YouTube’ and we’ll rectify it with the streaming provider, Brightcove, that was responsible… The show we delivered was fantastic, and then I think new fans must have seen it. It was a well-received choice. People thought it was a good thing to do, and you know, that’s a lot of money — a month of subscriptions — I’m not gonna lie to you. We have thousands of thousands of subscribers. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars that I’m gonna eat with a month subscription but it’s okay, because we made new fans. I’ll rectify it with the people responsible on the other end and the fans got a great show tonight and it seemed like almost unanimously positive response on social media…”
— Tony Khan, AEW President
New Champions Crowned Amidstreaming Challenges at Death Before Dishonor
Despite the broadcast problems, several title matches took place during the event, resulting in new champions being crowned. ROH’s evolving roster highlighted the success of talent like Shane Taylor Promotions, while other key performers such as Athena were able to defend their positions successfully. The event reinforced ROH‘s commitment to delivering compelling wrestling action, even in the face of unforeseen setbacks.
Financial Impact on Tony Khan and ROH
The streaming failure has caused significant financial losses for Tony Khan, the owner and president of AEW and ROH. By providing complimentary viewing access and issuing free month-long credits to thousands of HonorClub subscribers, Khan acknowledged that he is absorbing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in revenue loss related to the incident. Nevertheless, Khan views this choice as an investment in the company’s reputation and long-term fanbase.
He has committed to working with Brightcove to prevent similar problems in the future, aiming to ensure a smooth viewing experience for upcoming shows. While the incident represents a major challenge for ROH and AEW, the prompt and transparent response from Khan garnered mostly positive reactions online, supporting the company’s rebuilding efforts during an important transitional phase.
Broader Context: ROH’s Role and AEW’s Position in Wrestling
ROH has increasingly served as a proving ground for top wrestling talent, often framed by Khan as a complementary showcase alongside AEW’s mainstream platform. Shane Taylor’s remarks highlighted the pride in ROH’s history and its reputation for hard-hitting matches and intense storylines. Khan’s efforts to honor wrestling veterans like Taz with the 2300 Arena Hardcore Hall of Fame induction further emphasize the company’s dedication to wrestling heritage.
Balancing technical upgrades and fan engagement, AEW and ROH aim to maintain their appeal during a competitive wrestling landscape. Khan’s decisions in the wake of the Death Before Dishonor streaming issues underscore the challenges faced by wrestling promotions in the digital age, particularly regarding live event delivery and subscriber satisfaction.
