Ring of Honor Newswire Thread

[Silk]

A Bump In the Road - by Steve Corino

[Bild: http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/8652/corinolarge.jpg]

Pro-Wrestling is a very hard game. Just when I think I have it figured out, I’m thrown a curveball. 2011 has already been a year of transition but I am still looking for redemption.

I want to apologize to all of the fans of New York City for my actions toward Mike Bennett. I fell off the wagon. I screwed up….again. I seem to do that a lot.

For the last three, almost four months I have done my best to not break rules, to live a good life, and try to get the boys to believe that I have changed. I understand that it takes time. I appreciate all the great fans in the Ring of Honor world that have accepted my change. And believe me, this is a REAL change.

People have asked me and even ROH management why…why this change? Suffice to say, I did someone wrong. I have done many people wrong in pro-wrestling. I manipulated so many great people and situations that you never knew if the words coming out of my mouth had any truth to it. But that is not the person I am at home. I am a good person. I am a good father to a wonderful son. I live a good life….outside of the ring.

At my age and time in the ring wars, I should be solidifying my legend and legacy in this amazing industry. I look at someone like Christopher Daniels, Davey Richards, and now our new ROH World champion Eddie Edwards and they are respected. I envy that. With my resume I should be in that list, but I did it the wrong way. But they say it’s never too late.

And I have tried. I have tried to show Grizzly Redwood, Andy Ridge, Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, and more that I have changed. I can’t blame them for not trusting me but I saved not only Grizzly from The Embassy’s attack but also saved Christopher Daniels’ ROH World TV title in Plymouth, MA. Guys, you must see that I am sincere. I look up to Grizzly. He is a man of true inspiration. His story touched me like you can not believe and if I can be half the man Grizz is then I will be happy with the rest of my career.

After I helped Christopher Daniels in Plymouth, he told me in no uncertain terms that he does not trust me and that he thinks I am lying to everyone. That hurt Chris. We go back a long time. In the beginning days of ROH, I did a lot of bad stuff to you, but I apologized. You are one of the pioneers of Ring of Honor. I don’t want your TV title yet. I didn’t want it to get into the hands of someone not as honorable as you.

New York City, a place that hated me more then any other city, was the place I wanted to prove to everyone that I was on the path to Pro-Wrestling Recovery. I failed. I allowed Mike Bennett to goad me into breaking the rules. I allowed Mike Bennett to manipulate me like I manipulated many so many wrestlers over the years. I fell off the wagon.

The big problem was that it felt good. It was that high that I haven’t felt in a few months. It was that drink that I wasn’t allowed to have. But I can’t have them. I let you fans down. I let the boys that I am trying to build trust in down. And I am sorry.

I decided to take the whole month of April off from ROH and pretty much wrestling as a whole to travel to Australia to find myself again. Two years ago I did this when I was such a bitter man. It was in Australia where I came up with the plan of Kevin Steen turning his back on El Generico. I decided to return here, not to plan a return to evil, but to reflect on what I need to do to really redeem myself in the eyes of the wrestlers and fans. To train and work harder in the ring. But in a good way. I’m going to come back with a different move set. A better move set.

When I return to ROH in May, I want to show the fans and the wrestlers that in Steve Corino’s world, wins and loses don’t matter right now. I want to help out the younger generation. I want them to be able to come to me. I want them to be able to trust me. I don’t want to waste my time and hurt my recovery more by messing with Mike Bennett.

Mr. Bennett, you have all the tools to be the ROH World champion one day. You have a natural ability that doesn’t come along all the time. But listen to the people young man. They hate you. They write bad things about you. And you deserve it. You want to be the best in ROH, you need to get the respect of the wrestlers AND fans. Shape up. Drop Brutal Bob and do things on your own or you are going to end up a 38 year old man, that held many titles, but at the end of the day his biggest battle is the battle for respect and redemption. Is that what you want?

And stop pushing me. Beating me is not getting you to the title quicker. Beating me is only going to make me more angry. I don’t want to be angry at you Michael. I am on the road to Pro-Wrestling Recovery. I can’t do this. Because if you keep messing with me, I will fight back. And you saw what happened when I fall off the wagon. I am the most evil pro-wrestler in the world. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to make my point. I don’t want to be that guy anymore. Don’t make me that guy again. You don’t want it.

Thank you ROH fans for your humbling reactions in cities everywhere. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. See you in May.