List of ROH World Champions

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Current champion Eddie Kingston

The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. The championship was created and debuted on July 27, 2002, at ROH's Crowning a Champion event. Originally called the ROH Championship, the title was renamed to the ROH World Championship in May 2003 after the title was defended outside the United States for the first time—earlier that month, then-champion Samoa Joe had defeated The Zebra Kid in London, England, at the Frontiers of Honor event co-promoted with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance.[1] On August 12, 2006, the ROH World Championship was unified with the ROH Pure Championship after then-champion Bryan Danielson defeated ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness in Liverpool, England.[1] The Pure Championship was deactivated after this match.

ROH World Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries. These narratives create feuds between the various competitors, which cast them as villains and heroes. Some reigns were held by champions using a ring name, while others used their real name. Reigns that were won on pay-per-view events aired on tape delay up to weeks or months apart. Reigns that were won at live events were released on DVD. The inaugural champion was Low Ki, whom ROH recognized to have become the champion after defeating Christopher Daniels, Spanky, and Doug Williams in a four-way 60-minuted Iron Man match on July 27, 2002, at ROH's Crowning a Champion event.

As of March 2024, there have been 39 reigns among 31 wrestlers with two vacancies. Adam Cole holds the record for most reigns, with three. Jay Lethal has the most defenses, with 41; Kyle O'Reilly has the least, with 0. At 645 days, Samoa Joe's reign is the longest in the title's history; Kyle O'Reilly's reign is the shortest at 33 days. Eddie Kingston is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Claudio Castagnoli on September 20, 2023, at AEW Grand Slam in Flushing, Queens, New York.

Title history[edit]

Names[edit]

Name Years
ROH Championship June 22, 2002 – May 17, 2003
ROH World Championship May 17, 2003 – April 1, 2022
April 1, 2022 – present
Undisputed ROH World Championship April 1, 2022

Reigns[edit]

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
+ Current reign is changing daily
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Low Ki July 27, 2002 Crowning a Champion Philadelphia, PA 1 56 Defeated Christopher Daniels, Spanky and Doug Williams in a four-way 60-minute Iron Man match after the Block A, Block B, Block C, Block D ROH Championship tournament finals to become the inaugural champion. [2]
2 Xavier September 21, 2002 Unscripted Philadelphia, PA 1 182 [3]
3 Samoa Joe March 22, 2003 Night of Champions Philadelphia, PA 1 645 After Joe defeated The Zebra Kid on May 17, 2003 in London, England, the ROH Championship was renamed the ROH World Championship. [4]
4 Austin Aries December 26, 2004 Final Battle Philadelphia, PA 1 174 [5]
5 CM Punk June 18, 2005 Death Before Dishonor III Morristown, NJ 1 55 [6]
6 James Gibson August 12, 2005 Redemption Dayton, OH 1 36 This was a four-way elimination match, also involving Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe. [7]
7 Bryan Danielson September 17, 2005 Glory by Honor IV Lake Grove, NY 1 462 Danielson unified the title with the ROH Pure Championship on August 12, 2006 by defeating Nigel McGuinness in Liverpool, England. [8][9]
8 Homicide December 23, 2006 Final Battle New York City, NY 1 56 [10]
9 Takeshi Morishima February 17, 2007 The Fifth Year Festival: Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 1 231 [11]
10 Nigel McGuinness October 6, 2007 Undeniable Edison, NJ 1 545 [12]
11 Jerry Lynn April 3, 2009 Supercard of Honor IV Houston, TX 1 71 [13]
12 Austin Aries June 13, 2009 Manhattan Mayhem III New York City, NY 2 245 This was a three-way elimination match, also involving Tyler Black. [14]
13 Tyler Black February 13, 2010 ROH 8th Anniversary Show New York City, NY 1 210 [15]
14 Roderick Strong September 11, 2010 Glory By Honor IX New York City, NY 1 189 This was a no disqualification match, with Terry Funk as the ringside enforcer. [16]
15 Eddie Edwards March 19, 2011 Manhattan Mayhem IV New York City, NY 1 99 [17]
16 Davey Richards June 26, 2011 Best in the World New York City, NY 1 321 [18]
17 Kevin Steen May 12, 2012 Border Wars Toronto, ON 1 328 [19]
18 Jay Briscoe April 5, 2013 Supercard of Honor VII New York City, NY 1 89 [20]
Vacated July 3, 2013 The title was vacated by ROH Match Maker Nigel McGuinness after Jay Briscoe suffered a storyline injury at the June 23 television tapings and would not be able to compete for the foreseeable future. [21][22]
19 Adam Cole September 20, 2013 Death Before Dishonor XI Philadelphia, PA 1 275 Defeated Michael Elgin in a tournament final to win the vacant championship. [23]
20 Michael Elgin June 22, 2014 Best in the World Nashville, TN 1 76 [24]
21 Jay Briscoe September 6, 2014 All Star Extravaganza VI Toronto, ON 2 286 [25]
22 Jay Lethal June 19, 2015 Best in the World New York City, NY 1 427 This was a winner takes all match, also for Lethal's ROH World Television Championship. [26]
23 Adam Cole August 19, 2016 Death Before Dishonor XIV Sunrise Manor, NV 2 105 [27]
24 Kyle O'Reilly December 2, 2016 Final Battle New York City, NY 1 33 This was a no disqualification match. [28]
25 Adam Cole January 4, 2017 Wrestle Kingdom 11 Tokyo, Japan 3 65 This was a New Japan Pro-Wrestling event. [29]
26 Christopher Daniels March 10, 2017 ROH 15th Anniversary Show Sunrise Manor, NV 1 105 [30]
27 Cody June 23, 2017 Best in the World Lowell, MA 1 175 [31]
28 Dalton Castle December 15, 2017 Final Battle New York City, NY 1 197 [32]
29 Jay Lethal June 30, 2018 Ring of Honor Wrestling Fairfax, VA 2 280 This was a four-way match, also involving Cody and Matt Taven.
Aired on tape delay on July 23, 2018.
[33]
30 Matt Taven April 6, 2019 G1 Supercard New York City, NY 1 174 This was a three-way ladder match, also involving Marty Scurll. [34]
31 Rush September 27, 2019 Death Before Dishonor XVII Sunrise Manor, NV 1 77 [35]
32 PCO December 13, 2019 Final Battle Baltimore, MD 1 78 This was a "Friday the 13th Massacre" no disqualification match. [36]
33 Rush February 29, 2020 Gateway to Honor St. Charles, MO 2 498 This was a three-way match, also involving Mark Haskins. [37]
34 Bandido July 11, 2021 Best in the World Baltimore, MD 1 152 [38]
Vacated December 10, 2021 The championship was vacated after Bandido tested positive for COVID-19. [39]
35 Jonathan Gresham December 11, 2021 Final Battle Baltimore, MD 1 224 Defeated Jay Lethal to win the vacant championship. Former champion Bandido still had the ROH World Championship title belt, while Gresham won the original ROH World Championship title belt. Gresham defeated Bandido at Supercard of Honor XV to determine the Undisputed ROH World Champion.
During this reign, Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor.
[40][41]
36 Claudio Castagnoli July 23, 2022 Death Before Dishonor Lowell, MA 1 60 [42]
37 Chris Jericho September 21, 2022 Dynamite:
Grand Slam
Flushing, Queens, NY 1 80 This was an All Elite Wrestling event. [43]
38 Claudio Castagnoli December 10, 2022 Final Battle Arlington, TX 2 284 [44]
39 Eddie Kingston September 20, 2023 Dynamite:
Grand Slam
Flushing, Queens, NY 1 178+ This was an All Elite Wrestling event and a Winner Takes All match also for Kingston's NJPW Strong Openweight Championship.
During this reign, the championship became part of the American Triple Crown Championship (also referred to as the Continental Crown), with Kingston defending the championship alongside the AEW Continental Championship and Strong Openweight Championship after winning the Continental Classic tournament at Worlds End.
[45]

Combined reigns[edit]

As of March 16, 2024.

The inaugural champion Low Ki.
One-time and record longest reigning champion Samoa Joe
Record three-time ROH World Champion Adam Cole
Jay Lethal, a two-time champion, holds the record for most combined days as champion, with 707.
Indicates the current champion
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns
Combined
days
1 Jay Lethal 2 707
2 Samoa Joe 1 645
3 Rush 2 575
4 Nigel McGuinness 1 545
5 Bryan Danielson 1 462
6 Adam Cole 3 445
7 Austin Aries 2 419
8 Jay Briscoe 2 375
9 Claudio Castagnoli 2 344
10 Kevin Steen 1 328
11 Davey Richards 1 321
12 Takeshi Morishima 1 231
13 Jonathan Gresham 1 224
14 Tyler Black 1 210
15 Dalton Castle 1 197
16 Roderick Strong 1 189
17 Xavier 1 182
18 Eddie Kingston 1 178+
19 Cody 1 175
20 Matt Taven 1 174
21 Bandido 1 152
22 Christopher Daniels 1 105
23 Eddie Edwards 1 99
24 Chris Jericho 1 80
25 PCO 1 78
26 Michael Elgin 1 76
27 Jerry Lynn 1 71
28 Homicide 1 56
Low Ki 1 56
30 CM Punk 1 55
31 James Gibson 1 36
32 Kyle O'Reilly 1 33

Notes[edit]

1. ^ – This event was a live event that was later released on DVD.
2. ^ – This event was a pay-per-view that later aired on tape delay.
3. ^ – Each reign is ranked highest to lowest; reigns with the exact number mean they are tied for that certain rank.

References[edit]

General
  • "ROH World Championship reign history". Solie.org. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  • "ROH World Championship reign history". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  • "Past Ring of Honor results". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
Specific
  1. ^ a b "ROH World Heavyweight Championship history". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Carapola, Stuart (July 27, 2002). "ROH Retro Review - Crowning A Champion: The First ROH Champion Is Decided In A Four Way, One Hour Ironman Match". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. ^ Johnson, Mike (September 21, 2002). "9/21 This Day In History: Angelo Savoldi & Ted Petty Pass Away, Watts Vs. Ladd In Atlanta, Muraco Vs. Backlund Texas Death In MSG, Lesnar Vs. Cena III, Dory Funk Jr. Takes NWA WORLD Title To Puerto Rico And More". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 22, 2003). "ROH Night Of Champions - Event @ Murphy Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 26, 2004). "ROH Final Battle 2004 - Event @ Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Johnson, Mike (June 18, 2005). "6/18 This Day In History: Cyndi Lauper Returns To WWE, Trent Acid Passes Away". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 12, 2005). "ROH Redemption - Event @ Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton, Ohio, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 17, 2005). "ROH Glory By Honor IV - Event @ Sports And Entertainment Center in Long Island, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 12, 2006). "ROH Unified - Event @ Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England, UK". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 23, 2006). "ROH Final Battle 2006 - Event @ Manhattan Center in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 17, 2007). "ROH The Fifth Year Festival: Philadelphia - Event @ Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (October 6, 2007). "ROH Undeniable - Event @ Inman Sports Club in Edison, New Jersey, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  13. ^ Caldwell, James (April 4, 2009). "ROH News: Story from Friday night's ROH Title match in Houston". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  14. ^ Caldwell, James (June 13, 2009). "ROH News: Result from ROH Title match tonight in NYC – Tyler Black added to match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 13, 2010). "ROH 8th Anniversary Show - Event @ Manhattan Center in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  16. ^ Martin, Adam (September 11, 2010). "ROH Glory by Honor IX iPPV Results – 9/11/10". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  17. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 19, 2011). "Surprise title change tonight". The Wrestling Observer. Archived from the original on March 22, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  18. ^ Radican, Sean (June 26, 2011). "Radican's "Best in the World" internet PPV report 6/26: Ongoing "real-time" coverage of live PPV from New York City". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Namako, Jason (May 12, 2012). "ROH Border Wars iPPV Results- 5/12/12". WrestleView. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  20. ^ Radican, Sean (April 5, 2013). "Radican's ROH "Supercard of Honor VII" iPPV blog 4/5 – Steen defends vs. Jay Briscoe, ROH vs. S.C.U.M. Ten Man Tag". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  21. ^ "Nigel McGuinness Makes a Huge Announcement!". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013.
  22. ^ Johnson, Mike (July 3, 2013). "More on ROH Championship". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  23. ^ Johnson, Mike (September 20, 2013). "New ROH Champion crowned: complete ROH Death Before Dishonor XI coverage from Philadelphia, PA". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  24. ^ Johnson, Mike (June 22, 2022). "6/22 This Day In History: Buddy Landel Passes Away, WWE Changes Creative Head Twice in one day, WWE Refunds Entire RAW Live Gate As Part Of Trump Storyline, ROH'S Road To The Title Commences, Muta Vs. Bigelow In Atlantic City & More". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  25. ^ Carapola, Stuart (September 6, 2014). "Complete ROH All Star Extravaganza VI Report: A New ROH World Champion Is Crowned, The Young Bucks-redragon Rubber Match, Aj Styles And Adam Cole Have A Motyc, And Much More". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  26. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 19, 2015). "ROH Best In The World 2015 - Pay Per View @ Terminal 5 in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  27. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 19, 2016). "ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV - Pay Per View @ Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  28. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 2, 2016). "ROH Final Battle 2016 - Pay Per View @ Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  29. ^ Johnson, Mike (January 4, 2017). "Omega vs. Okada classic, Tanahashi vs. Naito, lots of title changes & more: complete New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 11 coverage". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  30. ^ McNeill, Pat (March 10, 2017). "McNEILL's ROH 15th Anniversary PPV Report 3/10 – Cole vs. Daniels, Hardys vs. Bucks vs. RPG Vice". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  31. ^ Meltzer, Dave; Currier, Joseph (June 23, 2017). "ROH Best in the World live results: Christopher Daniels vs. Cody". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  32. ^ Meltzer, Dave; Currier, Joseph (December 15, 2017). "ROH Final Battle 2017 live results: Cody vs. Dalton Castle". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  33. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 30, 2018). "ROH Wrestling #357 - TV-Show @ EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  34. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 6, 2019). "ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard - Pay Per View @ Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  35. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 27, 2019). "ROH Death Before Dishonor 2019 - Pay Per View @ Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  36. ^ Johnson, Mike (December 13, 2019). "Title Changes, The StrangesT ROH Title Match In The History Of The Company And More: Complete Ring Of Honor Final Battle 2019 Coverage". PWInsider. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  37. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 29, 2020). "ROH Gateway To Honor 2020 - TV-Show @ Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  38. ^ Powell, Jason (July 11, 2021). "7/11 ROH Best in the World results: Powell's live review of Rush vs. Bandido for the ROH Title, Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bennett for the ROH Pure Championship, Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee for the ROH TV Title, Jay Lethal and Rhett Titus vs. Chris Dickinson and Homicide in a Fight Without Honor for the ROH Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  39. ^ Middleton, Marc (December 9, 2021). "Bandido Pulled From ROH World Title Match At Final Battle". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  40. ^ Powell, Jason (December 11, 2021). "ROH Final Battle results: Powell's live review of Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven vs. Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe for the ROH Tag Titles, Rok-C vs. Willow for the ROH Women's World Championship, Josh Woods vs. Brian Johnson for the ROH Pure Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  41. ^ Powell, Jason (April 1, 2022). "4/1 ROH Supercard of Honor results: Powell's live review of Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham for the undisputed ROH Championship, The Briscoes vs. FTR for the ROH Tag Titles, Rhett Titus vs. Minoru Suzuki for the ROH TV Title, Josh Woods vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  42. ^ Powell, Jason (July 23, 2022). "7/23 ROH Death Before Dishonor results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a best of three falls match for the ROH Tag Titles, Jonathan Gresham vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH TV Title, Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  43. ^ Powell, Jason (September 21, 2022). "9/21 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson for the vacant AEW World Championship, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee vs. The Acclaimed for the AEW Tag Titles, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho for the ROH Title, Toni Storm vs. Athena vs. Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb for the Interim AEW Women's Title, Pac vs. Orange Cassidy for the AEW All-Atlantic Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  44. ^ Powell, Jason (December 10, 2022). "ROH Final Battle results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a Double Dog Collar match for the ROH Tag Team Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena for the ROH Women's Title, Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  45. ^ Powell, Jason (September 20, 2023). "AEW Dynamite results (9/20): Powell's live review of MJF vs. Samoa Joe for the AEW World Title, Saraya vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women's Title, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston in a title vs. title match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 20, 2023.

External links[edit]