Over the weekend, Ring of Honor talent Mandy Leon spoke with Wrestling Epicenter, and discussed the growth of ROH’s women’s division. Mandy also shared a few thoughts on her feud with Quinn McKay, and more. Check out the highlights below.
On the differences between Women of Honor and the current Women’s Division:
“When we did have the Women of Honor, it was a women’s division but it was kind of its own brand and separate from the regular show. It was around for a long time! We had multiple champions and there were some great matches. But, again, with the pandemic, we haven’t been able to wrestle. So, when we came back, we wanted to come back with a bang. And, the way to come back with that bang was to have a Ring of Honor Women’s Championship with a brand new belt, which is beautiful by the way, and have a brand new tournament and introduce new women. That is exactly what we’re doing. And, it has been so exciting! It has been great so far!”
On her current rivalry with Quinn McKay:
“During the pandemic, there was not a lot of wrestling going on. But, on her YouTube show, Quinn was throwing a lot of shots at us. So, we went in there and made her relevant and gave her some matches. (laughs)”
On Maria Kanellis Bennett’s role in the ROH Women’s Division:
“Speaking in wrestling terms, she has kind of been a thorn in the Allure’s side and shown favoritism towards Quinn McKay. But, aside from that, she’s been doing a great job. She’s been given an opportunity to help out along with a few others and those people with great minds have helped to create this tournament and it has been excellent so far. If you haven’t been tuning in, please tune in! I think this weekend’s match is Holidead versus Max the Impaler which is a monstrous match – Like, literally scary! The winner of that match faces Angelina Love. I hope Angelina has that because we need to bring the belt back to the Allure! But, the tournament has been great so far!”
On the “Forbidden Door”:
“I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that Ring of Honor produced All In almost entirely. So, the start of AEW and that whole brand, in my eyes, was helped by Ring of Honor. A lot of the guys that were here went there and they’re doing great. You never know what is going to happen. As you said, these “Forbidden Doors” are opening all over the place. But, it is different for us. A lot of these companies have been running nonstop during the pandemic. We’re kind of one of the very few companies to entirely shut down and say, “Safety first! Lets think about what we’re doing here. (laughs) Unfortunately, a few months at a time! But, now that we’re back doing TV and having pay-per-views and back in front of live fans, I think anything could happen! I don’t see anything wrong with opening those “Forbidden Doors!” I mean, why not?’
