Black Comes Back: ROH’s Tyler Black Anticipates Returning to the Ring

Source: Tyler Black

After being sidelined with a neck injury for more than a month, Tyler Black said Tuesday he’s ready to return to Ring of Honor Wrestling this weekend.

Black, 23, said his recovery has gone well, despite complications and the need to have his wound reopened and re-stitched a few weeks ago.

“I wrestled two smallers shows in the last couple of weeks and really feel like my neck is back to not-quite-100 percent, but it’s getting real close, and I had a good week in the gym,” Black said in a phone interview.

“It’s always nice to get some ring time, and it worked out fine. I got thrown around a little bit here and there, but everything worked right – no side effects, no reoccurring injuries or problems with the neck. This weekend should be fairly exciting for me to get back in the swing of things.”

Source: Tyler Black

Black will face Chris Hero in his return match Friday at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill., located outside St. Louis. The next night, he will begin his quest of revenge against ROH World Champion Austin Aries, who took Black out of action with a fireball to the face in ROH storylines, by challenging Aries’ ally Kenny King in Indianapolis.

While he’s not feeling 100 percent yet, Black seems confident this injury won’t have a lasting impact on his young career.

“The neck itself is going to be an issue, as it is for a lot of wrestlers, for the duration of my career, but it’s not really something that hinders my performance or anything like that for the time being,” he said.

“I’m not terribly concerned about it. You’re not going to see a different Tyler Black when you’re watching me. I’ll still be going out there giving 110 percent every time.”

During his recovery, Black only traveled with ROH for television tapings for the promotion’s Monday night broadcast on HDNet. The company tapes six episodes at a time, and he did not want to be absent from television for that extended of a period.

Stepping up

Source: Tyler Black

Though Black has only been out mere weeks, the landscape of ROH has changed, and the returning star recognizes the potential for growth and development in the new atmosphere.

Two of the promotion’s top stars, “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, signed contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment, the largest professional wrestling company in North America.

“It’s kind of a bittersweet time for us because we’re sad to see Bryan and Nigel go, just like all the fans, because those guys are both locker room leaders. Bryan’s literally been with the company since day one,” Black said.

He continued: “But at the same time we’re really happy to see them go because it’s great for both of them. They’re able to transition to the next part, the next step in their career.”

“They’re going to have an opportunity to make a really big name for themselves on a grander stage and make money. I’m sure both of them would have loved to have had that opportunity if ROH would have grown, but the time comes when you’ve got to transition, you’ve got to make moves, and they did that.”

But the departing stars aren’t the only ones to benefit from the move, Black added.

“It’s also good for us because it gives guys like myself and some of the younger guys on the roster, like Kenny Omega for example, a chance to really step up and shine and really earn a position as a top-spot kind of guy in Ring of Honor – that is a sought-after position in the company and in the wrestling world,” he said.

Source: Tyler Black

Black, a two-year ROH performer, said his time has come to establish himself as a legitimate contender to carry the company on his shoulders and one of the best wrestlers in the world.

To accomplish this goal, he desires to expand his experiences, earn bigger wins and compete in more high profiles matches. For about the past year, he’s worked toward that goal, finding himself in the ROH world title picture.

“Being around the belt and having high profile matches with top contenders or world champions are something I’ve gotten used to and grown accustomed to, and hopefully at some point down the road, take that belt from Austin Aeries or whomever and I can hold the flag, I can wave the banner and I can actually be the top guy in the company and be someone they want to build around for the future,” he said.

And when he makes it to the top and looks back on the path he took to get there, Black will find himself reminiscing about the same men whose departures will likely help open doors for him.

“I really think my matches against Bryan Danielson have been really memorable for me just because he was someone I looked up to when I was younger, and I also think that my title matches with Nigel going into the Take No Prisoners pay-per-view a while back was a real big deal for me,” he said.

“Then we did the main eventing in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom, which was really kind of exciting for me, as well, something I was really proud to be a part of.”

TV dealings

Source: Tyler Black

Another highlight of Black’s career came on March 21 when he faced former Age of the Fall partner Jimmy Jacobs in the main event of ROH’s debut show on HDNet.

The launch of a national television deal helped secure the promotion’s place as the No. 3 company in the United States.

“It was cool being in the first main event,” Black said.

“That’s important for Ring of Honor, and for wrestling in general, to really start to establish a third party besides WWE and TNA and build some company from the ground up that really deserves some credibility, and I think it’s cool to kind of be the guy that kicked that off. I know Jimmy was as excited about it as I was.”

Some wrestling fans and pundits questioned the broadcast’s ability to succeed on a network not readily accessible to many cable subscribers, but Black, as a performer on the show, looks at it in a different light.

“TV’s great for us,” he said, noting that the deal helped bring the company into the national spotlight even with a limited audience.

Recently, the company and network switched up its scheduling, choosing to air ROH programming on Monday nights prior to WWE’s flagship Monday Night RAW.

“I think it kind of helped the wrestling world take direct notice that, ‘You know what? We’re not just going to sit by and let WWE run the show,’” Black added.

“We are hands down, in my opinion, a better wrestling than anything that’s on TV. You can take the two hours of RAW and the two hours of Impact and put them together and you’re not going to get a single match that’s as good as what we’re putting on. I really think we put in the effort.”

Looking forward

Source: Tyler Black

Black’s long-term goals for himself and his career are simple.

“I want to work hard, travel the world and make money, and meet fans, meet people and just enjoy my time in the wrestling business and the people and beautiful artform of professional wrestling,” he said.

He remains under contract with ROH through September 2010, and the next year will help him decide what may lie in his future.

“I’m sure we’ll see some developments with the direction of the company within the next year and see what kind of interest I have from the other parties, but for the foreseeable future, I will be with Ring of Honor,” he said.

But for now, Black’s attention remains focused on this weekend and his return to an ROH ring.

Be sure to check back in to TWD this weekend as we give complete coverage of Black’s return to the ring and the rest of the Friday night Ring of Honor card!