TODD SINCLAIR, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
This photo right here is a very important one.
This was taken, via Ed Scanlon’s cell phone, on August 5, 2006 at the Inman Sports Club in Edison, NJ.
My friends, my brother Greg, and I were hanging out after the Ring Of Honor Fight of the Century event, where Samoa Joe and ROH World Champion “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson went to a sixty-minute draw. The match, actually the whole show, was incredible, nothing short of every ROH event we went to.
Still buzzing afterwards, one of us got to talking with one of the ROH students. They let us help put away chairs, and in return, we were able to take some photos with the ROH wrestlers.
As we were leaving the Inman Sports Club, we saw a man walking with a piece of pizza. My brother and I were huge fanboys for this referee. There was nothing truly distinguishable about him other than him doing a fantastic job as ROH Senior Referee.
That man was Todd Sinclair.
I, ever the anti-social human being, especially in 2006, mustered enough guts to speak to him.
“Hey Todd, huge fan of your stuff. Could we get a photo?”
I think Mr. Sinclair was perplexed. Firstly, for someone wanting to take a photo with him. Secondly, because he was mid-bite into his slice of pizza. I always had impeccable timing.
Todd’s response was just as impeccable.
“Sure! Can I keep my pizza in the photo?”
Greg and I, marking out at this point, absolutely agreed, and Ed took the photo on his cell.
We thanked him, he accepted, took a bite of that pizza that ROH sold at the Edison venue, and walked off. We then piled into the Harder Family station wagon that my parents did not know we took while they were on vacation with our baby brother - sorry Mom - and went to Seville Diner for our post-show meal.
Looking back, I really see that photo for what it was: a capsule in time. It was a fantastic period in independent wrestling that helped shape me and the BS Express to want to enter pro wrestling the following year.
Also, it made me a fan of Todd Sinclair for life. It also got me thinking about the modern day.
TODD SINCLAIR, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
I always felt Todd was very underrated in his role as a ROH referee. He wasn’t flashy, was very unassuming, and just did his job. While Paul Turner is most remembered as the major ROH referee, and don’t get it twisted, Paul Turner freaking rules, Sinclair handled his business to the highest of his abilities.
He refereed some of ROH’s biggest matches. Joe vs Kobashi, El Generico vs Claudio Castagnoli in the finals of the Race To The Top Tournament, Eddie Edwards shocking Roderick Strong to win the ROH World Title, and Dalton Castle’s big World Title win over Cody Rhodes in 2017.
I remember at G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden in 2019 during WrestleMania weekend, and seeing him referee in the “World’s Most Famous Arena” made me smile as hard as when I saw LSG enter in the Honor Rumble.
When ROH announced a hiatus following Final Battle: End of an Era on December 11, 2021, Ed and I were in attendance in Baltimore, watching Jonathan Gresham defeat Jay Lethal in the main event for the old ROH World Title. Who refereed that encounter? Todd Sinclair.
And then, once ROH was bought by Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling, Todd Sinclair disappeared. Like disappeared off the face of the planet version of disappeared.
I heard a rumor that when he wasn’t signed to ROH under AEW, he had enough and left wrestling in general. After twenty years of service, Todd was gone.
In a way, that makes me sad. A man as consistent and dedicated to his craft was gone as a thief in the night. And, in a weird way, not many people either didn’t notice, care, or both.
I noticed and cared.
To me, Todd Sinclair was the closest thing to Tommy Young as a referee. He did his job, he focused on the match, and made himself as non-noticeable as possible, which is tremendous.
One day, I hope Todd reappears in wrestling to get his just desserts. He might’ve had the longest run in ROH as a performer consistently throughout the early days until the purchase by Tony Khan. He deserves it.
Until then, thanks Todd for the photo. Hope you enjoyed the pizza.
Jon Harder
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