Tony Khan led tributes to Joe Koff before recent Ring of Honor tapings.
Koff was the driving force behind Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s purchase of ROH from Gary Silken in 2011. Koff then served as the promotion’s Chief Operating Officer until Khan bought it in 2022.
Following the news of his passing tributes poured in across social media and during AEW’s recent set of ROH tapings, Khan appeared in front of the audience to honour Koff.
According to a report from PWInsider, Khan expressed his desire to speak about Koff and the role he played in keeping ROH alive and running. Khan mentioned that Koff approached him about purchasing the promotion in order to keep the company going and the wrestlers employed.
Khan went on to state that his passing is a significant loss to the professional wrestling community before prompting the audience to join in a “Joe” chant.
Tony Khan And AEW Pays Tribute To Joe Koff
After Khan purchased ROH in March 2022, Koff stepped away from the promotion. However, PWInsider made it clear that the lifelong wrestling fan remained passionate about the company and supported many of the talents there. AEW paid tribute to Koff on social media after news of his passing.
The AEW & Ring of Honor Family, along with the wrestling world mourn the passing of Joe Koff. Our thoughts are with his family and his friends.
While he was still ROH COO, Koff spoke with Inside the Ropes in 2021, Discussing how the company managed to stay operational during the pandemic, highlighting emerging talents, and acknowledging the enduring support of the fans.
In other news, Tony Khan has shown appreciation to crew members following “Numerous Challenges”.