{"id":10516,"date":"2017-12-10T08:23:48","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T13:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=10516"},"modified":"2017-12-10T08:23:48","modified_gmt":"2017-12-10T13:23:48","slug":"mandy-leon-talks-women-of-honor-and-more-ahead-of-final-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2017\/12\/10\/mandy-leon-talks-women-of-honor-and-more-ahead-of-final-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandy Le\u00f3n Talks Women of Honor and More Ahead of Final Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, Mandy Le\u00f3n took part behind the scenes at Final Battle, assuring that the major event went off without a hitch. Fast-forward two years and the \u201cExotic Goddess\u201d revealed that that there will be a major announcement regarding the Women of Honor at Ring of Honor\u2019s Final Battle 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely excited about Final Battle, it\u2019s one of the events I look forward to the most, along with our anniversary shows. It\u2019s one of the biggest events and the venue alone at Hammerstein Ballroom is absolutely incredible and the lineup is amazing. I can not wait.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Although she believes that all the matches on the card are exciting, there is one that she is particularly excited for this time around.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to all of them , I really do. I love these guys to pieces-they are always just so hard-hitting and amazing. But I\u2019m really looking forward to Cody and Dalton Castle-I really am. I really like Dalton so much-I\u2019m a huge supporter of Dalton Castle. Just to see how far he\u2019s come and now that\u2019s he\u2019s back, it\u2019s going to be a good match. Cody as well, the way he established himself on the independent scene after WWE. He\u2019s really proven himself throughout his career, on the indie scene, in New Japan and now he\u2019s Ring of Honor champion. I\u2019m really excited to see it because of their storylines and backstories coming together, I\u2019m looking forward to that match the most.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Because of the card being so full, the Women of Honor division, which has been appearing more often on Ring of Honor television and recently was part of the ROH Global Wars live stream, as well as the Survival of the Fittest video on demand shows, will not have a match on the night, but there\u2019s a hint that there is something big in the works.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately there\u2019s no woman\u2019s matches on the card for Final Battle, the lineup right now is looking very strong. I do know there\u2019s going to be a big announcement during the PPV, so everybody should definitely tune in and if they are there live they are going to love it and if they\u2019re watching on PPV they are going to be in awe.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Le\u00f3n has been at the forefront of the resurgence of the division since she and Deonna Purrazzo asked to have a dark match back in 2015. Since then, the women have used the Youtube channel as a platform to showcase their talents, with a number of the matches toppling one million views. The success has led to the division being given more opportunities and it seems to be on the cusp of yet more opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been on live stream befores, but in terms of big events, this was our first big Women of Honor live stream that was a part of the event. We were featured on a few television episodes and video specials and everything like that. So for me to sit here and see the progress of Women of Honor and to see how far we\u2019ve come the past few years it\u2019s really incredible. And to see it continue into Japan is great. Overall, it\u2019s pheneomenal to see where we are.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The division has come along way since being reignited, but there has yet be any movement towards a Women of Honor championship, but that sits just write with Leon, who believes that there needs to be real meaning attributed to a possible title and not a simple prop handed out in a precursory fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as the Women of Honor go, we go understand it\u2019s simply more of business understanding. I think the fans really want it and we do too. But there\u2019s a way that Ring of Honor is doing it that makes sense to all of us, rather than throw a title out there in everyone\u2019s face.You have to keep in mind that this is something that hasn\u2019t be done in Ring of Honor before. There\u2019s never been a women\u2019s title, there\u2019s never been a crowned charm to the division-so to speak. Instead of throwing it in the fan\u2019s faces, I think they are taking the right route by taking two years to see who they want to be the main girls in the division and see how these characters develop and where this goes and create storylines. That way when we finally do decide whether we want this title or not, everything will makes sense as to what we\u2019re competing for because there\u2019s so much behind it as opposed to saying we have a few girls whoever wins gets the title. It makes complete sense and I\u2019m glad the way they\u2019re going. I have a good feeling about 2018 and I think we are on the right route. The anticipation is killing us all.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite being relatively new to professional wrestling, Leon has seen herself go from trainee to mentor in her short time with the company and within the division.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s emotional. When I was training at ROH DOJO, of course there were female students before me, like Jenny Rose, but when I was training I was the only female student. At all the seminars and camps that\u2019s included in our training, I would take part in those. I was the only female there and I understood that there weren\u2019t a lot of opportunities for women within Ring of Honor, but it still blew my mind that a lot of women didn\u2019t come just for the knowledge and the learning experience.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now all these women are coming to the camps and coming to the tryouts-they want to be here. Not just independent girls who want to be here, but former WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts that want to come work with us because they know we are a tight knit family and we work hard and we are unlike every company out there. SO to see that, and I even gave a little speech at our Women of Honor tryout camp when I got in in the ring, I got a little emotional. I was just so happy to see that many women following their dreams and want to be here. And to see that I helped make that happened and help to develop that was a dream come true.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Le\u00f3n is an integral part of the Women Of Honor division, but she wears many hats within the company behind and in front of the camera. She is featured as a part of ROH recaps, participates in trainings and seminars, actions that speak to her dedication to the business.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWrestling is my passion. But I also have a creative side to me, \u00a0where if I wasn\u2019t wrestling or even while I\u2019m wrestling I want to do everything that there is I can do within the company. And that\u2019s why I always go out of my way to do anything I can-if there\u2019s any job that\u2019s available I always put myself out there. I don\u2019t get paid for what I do, these extra things. I do it out of love and passion and just wanting to learn.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Le\u00f3n has put work into establishing herself a presence in wrestling and in her short time as a professional wrestler, she has been had the opportunity to rub elbows with some of the very same people that she grew up idolizing in the industry, finding herself in situations that she never felt she would before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with Jushin Thunder Liger- his first inter-gender tag match was with me. I was the first female that he ever tagged with ever in his whole career. He\u2019s been around forever, he had never had an inter-gender\u00a0match in his life. I had even been wrestling that long and I was like \u2018what?\u2019-it was mind-blowing. I am hundred percent professional, but there\u2019s still the little fan in me that-I don\u2019t show it- but there\u2019s a part of me that\u2019s thankful and in awe. My life is like a movie and I just can\u2019t believe the things I am accomplishing. Again, because of hard work, 100 percent, but it\u2019s still so bizarre. Meeting your idols and working with people you\u2019ve looked up to is an incredible thing.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

At just twenty five years old, it is clear that Le\u00f3n will continue to find herself in new and exciting situations as part of the Women of Honor and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mandy Le\u00f3n can be found on <\/span><\/i>Twitter<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span><\/i>Facebook<\/span><\/i><\/a>, as well as her own <\/span><\/i>website<\/span><\/i><\/a>. Finale Battle will be available on ROH\u2019s <\/span><\/i>website.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

To listen to the full interview, click below.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n