ACH recently spoke with SI.com about his departure from Ring of Honor and more.
SI.com: Why did you and Ring of Honor decide to part ways before your contract officially expired?
“I went to Ring of Honor and we discussed the future plans. The internet reported that there was bad blood, but there is no bad blood. I love everyone in the office, from Greg Gilleland to Joe Koff to Kevin Kelly. They all watched me grow in the business for the past four-and-a-half years. They stuck with me through a lot of my bad times. A lot of people don’t realize the issue with me missing my flight had nothing to do with what was being reported. I learned from that situation. Even when I’m not at fault, I still need to be in control. A lot of people don’t know the story behind the missed flight. People just assumed that I missed my flight, and then the second time, when I wrestled Nakamura, a lot of people think I forgot my gear. But a lot of people don’t know the situation, and it kind of put a blemish on who I am. One thing I learned from Kevin Kelly after I missed that flight was when he said, ‘Take your punishment, man up, and make sure you are in control of these things in the future.’ That’s all I could do. I got to a point in my career with Ring of Honor where I was stale. They’d always tell me I wasn’t, but my perspective was a little different. The fact that they let me out of my contract early shows that they are good people. They could have said, ‘No, we own you until the end of the year.’ But they didn’t, and I appreciate them for that.
I couldn’t tell you right off the bat what the future holds for me. That’s the most exciting part of the new journey I just began. In my life, in my career, I feel like I’m in control. A couple of months ago, I didn’t feel like that. To say I’m in control of whatever happens in the future makes me feel confident that I can make the right decisions for myself. In life, sometimes, you need to take a leap of faith. It is hard to do that when you get comfortable, and I think I got to a point in Ring of Honor where I felt comfortable. Ring of Honor treated me so well and I’m truly blessed for it, but I got comfortable there. Now I feel like I’m in control of my destiny.”
Would you consider working full-time with New Japan Pro Wrestling?
“Yes, and I’d love to go one-on-one in New Japan with Rocky Romero. A lot of people don’t appreciate how great of a wrestler Rocky is, and his locker room leadership makes him even more special. For example, Rocky pulled me aside during my previous tour and looked out for me, and I’ll thank him forever for that. There are tons of guys, especially in the Juniors division, I’d love to work with, including Kamaitachi since his comeback. My confidence is through the roof and I’m ready to step in the ring and make some magic with anybody.”
