The Great Eight: Top 8 ROH World Champions

From its founding in 2002, ROH strived to showcase the best of the best in pro wrestling. It didn’t concern itself with gimmicks and over-the-top stories. ROH made traditional wrestling its foundation and built on that with a mix of Japanese Strong Style and Mexican Lucha Libre.

It was a proving ground for many of the top talents in the business today. And it inspired a whole generation of talent that is just now making their name. From a small North Eastern Independent to a lasting legacy of some of the best wrestlers in the world.

Fun Facts

Despite its long history, only 33 wrestlers can claim to be a ROH World Champion. Of those 33, only 13 of them held the title more than once. (Three of those happened after AEW bought them out. Claudio Castagnoli, Christ Jericho, and Bandido.)

Disclaimers

Ranking Explanation:

I will rank champions based on their total reigns, the longevity of those reigns, and their impact on the history and legacy of ROH.

Note on Austin Aries & Jay Lethal:

Due to their actions both in and outside of the ring, I will not be including either man in the rankings.

Disclaimer:

This is my list; if you don’t like it or have a different list, awesome! Please share your own list and opinions in the comments section. I welcome open discourse about this wacky art we all love. It is an art form, so it is subjective; we all have our opinions on it, and all of them are valid. So, if you want to share your thoughts and opinions, don’t insult others for their opinion. There is already enough negativity in the world; let’s not add to it. And with that, on to the list!

The List

Honorable Mentions:

Jerry Lynn, Roderick Strong, Takeshi Morishima, and Christopher Daniels

8: Low Ki

At Crowning a Champion in July of 2002, Low-Ki would defeat Christopher Daniels, Doug Williams, and Spanky in a Four-Way 60-Minute Iron Man match. With this victory, he would become the first ROH Champion.

While the reign would be short, as he dropped the title 56 days later to Xavier at Unscripted. Low Ki kicked off a legacy of mostly great championship runs.

In 2002, Low Ki was the biggest independent wrestler in the US. He is also considered one of the founding fathers of ROH, along with Christopher Daniels and Bryan Danielson. It made perfect sense to let him be the first to hold the biggest prize in ROH.

Unfortunately, Low Ki isn’t held in the same regard as his contemporaries. He has a massive ego and isn’t afraid to let others know when he isn’t happy. If he been able to control that a bit, I think he would be held in higher regard, and would probably have at least a second ROH Championship on his resume.

7: Adam Cole

Adam Cole holds the distinction of being the only person to hold the ROH World Championship three times. He beat Michael Elgin in a tournament for the vacant title at Death Before Dishonor XI for his first reign. His second reign began three years later, when he ended Jay Lethal’s first reign at Death Before Dishonor XIV. His third and final reign would start after beating Kyle O’Reilly at Wrestle Kingdom 11.

Cole’s wins also came in the same time period as Lethal’s. He didn’t have the issue of getting it too late. He was able to capitalize on his wins and use them to catch the eye of the WWE. Cole’s in-ring style wasn’t as technically sound as some others in ROH. But he was probably one of the most charismatic World Champions ROH ever had.

6: Nigel McGuinness

At Undeniable on October 6, 2007, Nigel McGuinness would defeat Takeshi Morishima for the ROH World Championship.

Nigel is one of those guys who probably should have won his first World Championship a bit earlier. Homicide deserved a run and was a surprising choice to end Danielson’s run. I think Nigel beating him would have been more fitting.

Regardless of whether it was a bit late in coming or not. He holds the second-longest single ROH World Championship reign, clocking in at 545 days. Nigel has long been one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. He was British Strong Style, before it existed. Effortlessly combining the British World of Sport with the Japanese Strong Style.

It’s a shame that his run with the WWE was cut off before it started, and his TNA run was ended due to his illness. Because during the early 2000s, he was 1a with Bryan Danielson, and the two of them would go out every night and show why they were the best in the world.

While injuries would plague his 545-day reign, Nigel would have absolute wars with Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, Claudio Castagnoli, and El Generico. His reign would end at Supercard of Honor IV when he lost the title to Jerry Lynn.

5: CM Punk

CM Punk would beat Austin Aries at Death Before Dishonor III to win the ROH World Championship.

Punk wouldn’t be the ROH World Champion for a long time, but that short 55-day run would solidify the fact that Punk was special. He had already had an epic feud with Raven, was a two-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, and had just signed his WWE contract.

So, when he was set to face Austin Aries, most assumed he would be taking the loss as he prepared to move on. But in a surprising twist, Punk actually beat Aries and would then start the Summer of Punk. Threatening to leave the company and take the title to the WWE. And for the ROH fans, many of whom were ECW fans, hated the WWE and all it stood for.

This allowed Punk to gain massive heat, as he defended the Championship against Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong, James Gibon, and Christopher Daniels before losing it to James Gibson in a Four-Way Elimination match at Redemption.

While lacking the length of some of those on the list, Punk did a lot in just a short amount of time. Joe did a lot to put ROH on the map, and Punk winning the title on his way to the WWE helped to bring even more eyes to the product.

4: Kevin Steen

Kevin Steen would win the ROH World Championship from Davey Richards at Best in the World 2011. This also made him the first Canadian to win the Championship.

From the moment Steen showed up in ROH, you could sense there was something special about the guy. He didn’t have a traditional look, but he packed so much intensity into everything he did.

Whether it was his promo work, his work with and against El Generico, or that intense mean streak. Steen was always on the road to World Champion. It was just a matter of when and not if. The road was bumpy, as after a feud with Generico, Steen would be “fired” for his actions and wouldn’t show up again for a year.

Steen’s legacy as champion would be paved with a year of brutal beatdowns. He would start S.C.U.M. with Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino, a trio hell-bent on causing as much chaos, suffering, and mayhem as possible.

Steen would defend the title against Richards, Eddie Edwards, Rhino, Eddie Kingston, Lethal, and El Generico. He would finally be stopped by the next man on our list, Jay Briscoe.

3: Jay Briscoe

At Supercard of Honor VII, Jay Briscoe would be Kevin Steen for his first ROH World Championship. He would win his second at All Star Extravaganaze VI after beating Michael Elgin.

If one man could claim to be the heart and soul of ROH, it was Jay Briscoe. He faced Amazing Red on the very first ROH show, The Era of Honor Begins. He would go on to have close to 600 matches for ROH over the next 20 years.

On top of being one of the few two-time ROH World Champions, he also held the ROH World Tag Team Champions a record 12 times. It’s a shame that The Briscoe Boys never got a chance to shine on a bigger stage. Jay was one of the best, and it is a shame we lost him so early. As he looked poised to be featured more in both ROH and its owner, AEW.

And to address the elephant in the room with me, including Jay Briscoe, but not Austin Aries. Jay made some ignorant comments, and afterwards, he apologized and made a genuine effort to learn and change his way of thinking. Several prominent LGBTQIA+ wrestlers vouched for him and have talked about how he worked hard to change and be a better person. Austin Aries, to my knowledge, has not done this.

2: Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson would beat James Gibson at Glory by Honor IV to win the ROH World Championship.

While Samoa Joe laid the foundation of what ROH meant, Bryan Danielson built the entire damn house. One of the founding fathers of ROH, he would be there from the beginning. Only taking a short break during the first half of 2005.

His in-ring style was the prototype for what ROH was about: a technical master who could tie you up in knots, a believable brawler with dangerous elbows, and someone not afraid to fly if needed. Danielson would go out every night and hold nothing back.

His run is what really hooked me into ROH, and it was an absolute pleasure to follow his career from beginning to end. At this point, he was only six years into his career and was already the best in the world. And his matches during this time go a long way to prove that.

He had multiple defenses against Nigel McGuinnes, including the World and Pure Championship unification match. He also had great matches with AJ Styles, Alex Shelley, Lance Storm, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Roderick Strong, and Kenta. His reign would end at Final Battle 2006, when he lost the title to Homicide.

I feel like if he hadn’t had the issue he had with his shoulder, Danielson could have ended up beating Nigel’s record, if not Joe’s, for longest ROH World Champion.

1: Samoa Joe

At Night of Champions 2003, Joe beat Xavier to win the ROH Championship.

From what I have always understood, Xavier was given the ROH Championship to show it wasn’t just for pure wrestlers. After that failed experiment, Joe would be chosen as the next Champion, and the ROH identity would be forged over the next 645 days.

Joe had made a name for himself in UPW, where he helped train and feuded with a young John Cena. As well as working with Pro Wrestling Zero-One. He would debut in ROH at the first Glory by Honor. In just a few short months, he would beat Xavier to become the third ROH Champion.

His hard-hitting, no-nonsense style endeared him to the ROH fans. Being bigger than most of his opponents helped him look even more like an absolute monster. He ran roughshod over the ROH roster and ruled the company for almost two years.

During his reign, he would defend the title outside of the US for the first time. Defeating The Zebra Kid in May of 2003, this defense would be the catalyst to rename the ROH Championship the ROH World Championship.

I mentioned that Joe set the foundation for what ROH was about, and I stand by that. During ROH’s first year, it was a super indy, showcasing the best in the US, but not having a distinct identity. Joe’s run helped to provide that distinct identity. ROH would become known for hard-hitting strikes, technical mastery, and high-flying action.

There would still be room for characters, but you earned your spot with your in-ring abilities more than anything else. Without Joe’s reign, I don’t think we have the ROH we came to love. Yes, Danielson and McGuinnes could still have picked up the mantle, but Joe was the perfect guy to really set ROH on its path.

 

Preview

Tune in next week for the top eight underutilized gimmick matches!