Update On The Kelly Klein/Ring Of Honor Situation
Klein's contract is set to expire on 31st December...
Back in November Ring Of Honor confirmed they would not be renewing Kelly Klein's contract. This followed the ROH Women's champion forwarding emails to former employee Joey Mercury which claimed the company capped females pay and promoted an unsafe working environment.
ROH COO Joe Koff has since said: "What really surprised me is we've always had great dialogue with Kelly in the past. Issues could have been addressed. For some reason she chose to disclose a private email that tarnished our image and was a clear violation of the contract."
In today's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has provided more information on the situation. He explained that Klein's contract in 2019 was for $20,000, but she was able to take independent bookings. With her new contract, however, while she would have received $50,000 in 2020, she would have been exclusive to Ring Of Honor.
Meltzer also added that ROH currently have no plans on how to address the Women's Championship. Klein's contract expires on 31st December, but given her concussion, she is unlikely to defend the title again in 2019.
For the avoidance of doubt, Meltzer wrote:
"ROH’s pulling its contract offer from women’s champion Kelly Klein, saying she breached her existing deal by disseminating e-mails with that information to Adam Birch (Joey Mercury), led to a story in Newsweek two weeks ago.
"For some clarifications on things sent out by Birch and B.J. Whitmer, Klein’s husband, who previously worked at ROH as a producer before taking a job with AEW, Klein had a $20,000 per year contract with ROH for 2019, which allowed her to work anywhere else but that ROH would get first dibs on her services. Klein, 33, had worked 19 dates before her in-ring year ended on 10/26 when suffering a concussion in a match with Lana Austin in Newport, Wales.
"ROH and Klein had been in negotiations on a new deal. ROH had offered her $50,000 for 2020, but the new deal would be exclusive, in the sense she could not work any independent shows in the U.S. or in the province of Ontario.
"ROH pulled the offer and Klein will remain under contract until 12/31. Given her concussion, and only two shows left, it is unlikely she will drop the title in the ring and no announcement has been made regarding it.
“What really surprised me is we’ve always had great dialogue with Kelly in the past,” said ROH COO Joe Koff. “Issues could have been addressed. For some reason she chose to disclose a private e-mail that tarnished our image and was a clear violation of the contract."
ROH COO Joe Koff has since said: "What really surprised me is we've always had great dialogue with Kelly in the past. Issues could have been addressed. For some reason she chose to disclose a private email that tarnished our image and was a clear violation of the contract."
In today's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has provided more information on the situation. He explained that Klein's contract in 2019 was for $20,000, but she was able to take independent bookings. With her new contract, however, while she would have received $50,000 in 2020, she would have been exclusive to Ring Of Honor.
Meltzer also added that ROH currently have no plans on how to address the Women's Championship. Klein's contract expires on 31st December, but given her concussion, she is unlikely to defend the title again in 2019.
For the avoidance of doubt, Meltzer wrote:
"ROH’s pulling its contract offer from women’s champion Kelly Klein, saying she breached her existing deal by disseminating e-mails with that information to Adam Birch (Joey Mercury), led to a story in Newsweek two weeks ago.
"For some clarifications on things sent out by Birch and B.J. Whitmer, Klein’s husband, who previously worked at ROH as a producer before taking a job with AEW, Klein had a $20,000 per year contract with ROH for 2019, which allowed her to work anywhere else but that ROH would get first dibs on her services. Klein, 33, had worked 19 dates before her in-ring year ended on 10/26 when suffering a concussion in a match with Lana Austin in Newport, Wales.
"ROH and Klein had been in negotiations on a new deal. ROH had offered her $50,000 for 2020, but the new deal would be exclusive, in the sense she could not work any independent shows in the U.S. or in the province of Ontario.
"ROH pulled the offer and Klein will remain under contract until 12/31. Given her concussion, and only two shows left, it is unlikely she will drop the title in the ring and no announcement has been made regarding it.
“What really surprised me is we’ve always had great dialogue with Kelly in the past,” said ROH COO Joe Koff. “Issues could have been addressed. For some reason she chose to disclose a private e-mail that tarnished our image and was a clear violation of the contract."
Written by Aidan Gibbons
Editor-in-Chief of Cultaholic.com Twitter: @theaidangibbons
