ROH Driven PPV Press Release, Preview Video & More

News

The Ring of Honor Driven PPV, featuring Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness, will debut on TVN and the Dish Network on 9/21, and on 9/28 on iNDEMAND. ROH has posted two PPV preview videos on the company’s ROHVideos.com site, and in a press release issued today, Ken Gelman of G-Funk Sports & Entertainment says, “`Driven’ is further proof that ROH is here to stay. Fans around the world are taking note of our brand of sport. We’ve capitalized upon the promise of `Respect Is Earned,’ and now, with `Driven,’ we’ve taken the art of combat to a whole new level.”


According to PWInsider, the PPV will cost $9.95-$14.95, depending on your PPV provider. Here is the official company press release about the PPV:

G-FUNK ANNOUNCES PREMIERE OF RING OF HONOR’S “DRIVEN”

Internationally Acclaimed Federation Boasts Match-Of-The Year Candidate On Second Televised Pay-Per-View Event, Sept. 21 & 28 Via Dish Network, iN DEMAND & TVN

Weston, CT—Ken Gelman of G-Funk Sports & Entertainment is proud to announce the Pay-Per-View and Video On Demand broadcast of “Driven,” from the internationally acclaimed Ring Of Honor (ROH). Since the success of its debut TV event, “Respect Is Earned,” taped May 12 in the Grand Ballroom of New York City’s Manhattan Center, which played throughout the summer on EchoStar’s DISH Network and on all iN DEMAND and TVN cable systems. ROH has been inundated with rave reviews from around the world for its brand of high-flying, hard-hitting intense competition that many are branding “Combat Art.”

“Driven” will debut Sept. 21 on the Dish Network, TVN cable systems and Bell ExpressVu in Canada. September 28 is the launch on iN DEMAND and Canada’s Viewer’s Choice cable systems.

Taped in Chicago Ridge, Illinois and Philadelphia, PA, “Driven” succeeds in large part due to the inclusion of what many in the industry have already hailed as a contender for “Match Of The Year.” Great Britain’s Nigel McGuinness squares off against Bryan “The American Dragon” Danielson in an explosive exhibition of power and speed, with the match culminating in a spectacular climax that visibly shocks the sold-out crowd.

“I was there that night,” says ROH owner Cary Silkin, “and I can honestly say that in all my years of watching wrestling, I have never, ever, seen a finish like that. Fans across the country are going to realize, when they watch `Driven,’ that this particular brand of in-ring combat has no peer anywhere in the world.”

Adds Gelman, “`Driven’ is further proof that ROH is here to stay. Fans around the world are taking note of our brand of sport. We’ve capitalized upon the promise of `Respect Is Earned,’ and now, with `Driven,’ we’ve taken the art of combat to a whole new level.”

“Driven” is part of a multi-show package available to approximately 60 million North American households via EchoStar Communications Corporation’s DISH NetworkTM, iN DEMAND Networks and TVN in the U.S. as well as via Viewer’s Choice, Bell ExpressVu and SaskTel in Canada. This series, which airs throughout 2007 and 2008 with a new show approximately every 60 days, marks the first time the critically acclaimed ROH brand is available on television.

Silkin and Gelman also announced the launch of a new affiliate website: www.ROHWrestlingAffiliates.com, which contains easy-to-implement marketing materials and all event information. Each show will also be supported by a range of targeted national consumer advertising and promotion which will be handled by G-Funk Sports and Entertainment.

ABOUT RING OF HONOR

A new entry into the American television audience, but long revered by a loyal underground fan base, the Philadelphia-based ROH—currently seen on Canadian, British and Japanese TV—appeals to the disenfranchised wrestling fan fed up with storylines which seem to take precedence over the kind of powerful ring competition that ROH specializes in. ROH, in fact, is seen to have the highest level of athleticism in its field today, which recently culminated in a sweep of the 2006 Wrestling Observer awards for “Most Outstanding Wrestler,” “Best Brawler,” “Best Major Wrestling Show” (ROH took four of its Top 10) and “Best Booker.”

ABOUT G-FUNK

G-Funk Sports & Entertainment is a full-service agency dedicated to brand activation, strategic integration and driving maximum return on investment for its clients, headed up by Award-winning NHL and WWE marketing and television veteran Ken Gelman. G-Funk’s strengths center on three primary areas, Marketing Services (consumer promotion, affiliate activation and events), Partnership Alliances and Content Management (including distribution drives and launch strategies). Clients include NFL Digital Media, Rainbow Media, the Arena Football League and Ring Of Honor. The agency is supported by an experienced team of talent from fellow Fairfield County, CT marketing/advertising agency, The Voice.

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For spoilers on some of the matches that will be on this show, in a report I wrote after attending the taping in Chicago this June, click here, and for my review of the Danielson/McGuinness MOTYC, taped in Philly, click here.

Glazer is a former senior editor at Pulse Wrestling and editor and reviewer at The Comics Nexus.