Although he’s now in his 50s, Ring of Honor‘s PCO is at the top of his game right now, even though he’s had a very long career in professional wrestling. And now that he’s the World Champion, the legendary wrestler wants to elevate the sport again, and he has a few ideas of how to do it.
Between WWE, AEW, ROH, TNA, and non-televised promotions, there is a lot of choice within wrestling right now. Many have called this era an independent renaissance. However, there are those that feel the sport has lost its touch with the fans. PCO has been involved in professional wrestling since the late ’80s, but his career really kicked off in 1994 when he joined WWE as one part of the tag team The Quebecers. Considering he’s been involved in the sport for three decades, he’s seen a recent decline in audience appeal in wrestling.
“We need not to lose track of the fact that we’ve got [to] create an attachment with the spectator, with the staff, and what’s going on in the ring,” PCO told GameSpot. “You need to have more exposure, and you need to create that bound with the crowd. They’ve got to view you, attach to the character and to the wrestler. You want the audience [to] get involved with the character, to get involved emotionally in what we’re doing. I think the evolution [of wrestling] is great, but we have to keep the fans getting evolved emotionally.”
“That’s the thing that’s maybe missing that now. Because, wrestling is popular and then there’s more wrestling companies that pay good money to the wrestlers. It feels like the business is very, very healthy right now. It’s in a good state. We need to create something that’s very crazy. A crazy atmosphere, where they cut the electricity or the lights, where you come in and be apart of something that gives you goosebumps from the beginning until the end, and that you’re in something very special. I think we felt that in the industry with [Hulk] Hogan, with Steve Austin, with The Rock, with the NWO. I think we need to recreate an atmosphere like that. That’s my goal.”
PCO has put his words into action already. During the NJPW/ROH crossover event, G1 Supercard, in Spring 2019, PCO had an extremely elaborate entrance featuring an electric chair. Additionally, his Frankenstein character is one of the most interesting currently in the promotion. As far as ROH goes, he’s on the right track to bringing back something special to wrestling.
At the upcoming ROH event Free Enterprise, on February 9, PCO will join his fellow Villain Enterprises member Marty Scurll to take on Rush and NWA World Champion Nick Aldis in the PPV’s main event. The PPV is free to stream for HonorClub members.