Ring of Honor debuts in Plymouth Sept. 10

Several different wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts organizations have found their way inside Plymouth’s Memorial Hall over the years. The historic building will have a new tenant Friday, Sept. 10, when the national Ring of Honor wrestling group comes to town.

Established in 2004, ROH is one of the big three pro wrestling companies that regularly tours the country. Based out of Philadelphia, the company is known for putting an emphasis on the “sports” in “sports entertainment,” according to ROH President Cary Silkin, as well as for a rabid fan base that supports the group. They are seen around the country every Monday night at 8 p.m. on Mark Cuban’s HD-Net television network.

“We like to think that every fan always gets their money’s worth when they come to a Ring of Honor show,” Silkin said. “The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and TNA are both great companies in their own right, but we are geared more toward in-ring action and athletic competition over foolishness. Our fans have set a high bar for us, and we do our best every night to meet their expectations, as well as our own.”

ROH has run in venues in Braintree and Dorchester as well as at Boston University. Silkin said someone mentioned giving America’s Hometown a shot and a deal was made to use Memorial Hall for a show.

“We know this area of the state has a lot of professional wrestling fans, and tickets to the show have been selling well,” Silkin said. “I’ve been told that Memorial Hall is a great place for a wrestling card. If it works out, there’s a chance we could make it a regular stop.”

Silkin is doing everything he can to make sure all of the seats are filled with ROH fans. He said that if you produce a license that says you are from Plymouth on the night of the show, the general admission price will drop from $20 to $10. Ringside tickets for the show will remain $30.

Those who do go to the show should be getting a true “A” show. All the top stars, like ROH champion Tyler Black and ROH tag team champs Chris Hero and Claudio Castignoli, as well as the Briscoe Brothers, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries, Kevin Steen and El Generico, are scheduled to be in town as the company ramps up for their live Internet pay-per-view “Glory by Honor  IX” the next night at the Manhattan Center in New York City.

“Just because we have a pay-per-view the next night does not mean that we are going to slow things down,” Silkin said. “Every show we do is taped for a DVD release, so our goal is to be on the mark every night. The people have paid good money to be see us, so we are always going to try and give them their best bang for their buck.”

The show will be a homecoming of sorts for one member of the ROH family. Ring announcer Bobby Cruise is a native of Fairhaven, and he’s looking forward to the half-hour commute he’ll have that night over some of the longer drives he has to take to get to the venue.

“I’ve worked Memorial Hall a number of times, and you are not going to find a better place to watch a wrestling match. The fans are right on top of the action,” Cruise said. “The one thing you know about an ROH show is that you are going to get three hours of action-packed entertainment. We are all about the action.”

Besides his in-ring duties, Cruise also plays a hand in deciding who you see in the ring. Cruise recruits and selects the enhancement talent for the live cards, giving young wrestlers a chance to shine in the ROH spotlight.

One of those wrestlers who will get a chance to show what he can offer the promotion Sept. 10 is Carver native Mike Bennett. The Carver High graduate has worked dark matches for TNA as well as TV tapings for ROH in the past year. He signed a contract this week to become a full-time worker with Ring of Honor.

“I’ve seen Mike work, and I like what he can offer. He’s a talented wrestler and a great guy,” Cruise said.

Advance tickets can be purchased at rohwrestling. The doors will open at 7 p.m. and bell time is 8 p.m.