ROH World Championship

Last Modified Apr 6, 2024 18:06 GMT

The ROH World Championship or Ring of Honor World Championship is the biggest prize for a male superstar on the ROH roster. The belt was created in 2002. After AEW purchased ROH, the title has also been defended on AEW programs since 2022. The current ROH World Champion is Mark Briscoe, who is in his first reign with the title.

Who is the current ROH World Champion

Mark Briscoe is the current ROH World Champion in his first reign with the title. Born on January 18, 1985, Briscoe is known for his hardcore wrestling style. Besides AEW and ROH, Briscoe made a name for himself working for promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling, Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He competed against the former ROH World Titleholder Eddie Kingston and defeated him by a Jay Driller to win the ROH World Championship for the first time in his career.

ROH World Championship Belt Design

ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship

ROH World Championship has gone through various belt modifications over the two decades of its history. While it has been gold-centered and gold-plated for many years, its current design is very similar to that of its original design. It is silver in color, with ROH World Wrestling Champion embedded in the middle of it.

The side plates of the belt depict a wrestler performing the Jay Driller maneuver. It pays respect to the late Jay Briscoe. Briscoe passed away in January 2023 and the title pays homage to his unmatched legacy.

ROH World Championship Trivia

Youngest ROH World ChampionLow Ki (23 years and 324 days old)
First ROH World ChampionLow Ki (2002)
Most ReignsAdam Cole - 3
Most Title DefensesJay Lethal - 41
Least Title DefensesKyle O’Reilly - 0
Longest Title ReignSamoa Joe - 645 Days
Shortest Title ReignKyle O’Reilly - 33 Days
Longest Combined ReignsJay Lethal - 707 Days (2 Reigns)
Heaviest ChampionTakeshi Morishima - 320 lbs
Lightest ChampionLow Ki - 174 lbs
Longer than a year reigns5 - Samoa Joe (645), Nigel McGuiness (545), Rush (498), Bryan Danielson (462), Jay Lethal (427).

ROH World Championship History

Ring of Honor is a pro-wrestling promotion formed on February 23, 2002. It, alongside, Impact Wrestling became a rival to WWE which had just purchased WCW and seemingly created a monopoly in pro wrestling. In June 2002, ROH created a tournament to crown the inaugural ROH World Champion, the final of which took place next month in July. Spanky, Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, and Doug Williams competed in a sixty-minute Iron Man match which Low Ki won.

The next year, Samoa Joe won the ROH World Championship for the first time and went on to hold it for 645 days, a record that still persists. Over the next years, stars like Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Tyler Black (Seth Rollins), Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens), Adam Cole, Cody Rhodes, and others went on to win the prestigious title.

List of all ROH World Champions

ChampionEventDateReignDays
Low KiCrowning a Champion27-Jul-02156
XavierUnscripted21-Sep-021182
Samoa JoeNight of Champions22-Mar-031645
Austin AriesFinal Battle26-Dec-041174
CM PunkDeath Before Dishonor III18-Jun-05155
James GibsonRedemption12-Aug-05136
Bryan DanielsonGlory by Honor IV17-Sep-051462
HomicideFinal Battle23-Dec-06156
Takeshi MorishimaThe Fifth Year Festival: Philadelphia17-Feb-071231
Nigel McGuinnessUndeniable6-Oct-071545
Jerry LynnSupercard of Honor IV3-Apr-09171
Austin AriesManhattan Mayhem III13-Jun-092245
Tyler BlackROH 8th Anniversary Show13-Feb-101210
Roderick StrongGlory By Honor IX11-Sep-101189
Eddie EdwardsManhattan Mayhem IV19-Mar-11199
Davey RichardsBest in the World26-Jun-111321
Kevin SteenBorder Wars12-May-121328
Jay BriscoeSupercard of Honor VII5-Apr-13189
Vacated3-Jul-13
Adam ColeDeath Before Dishonor XI20-Sep-131275
Michael ElginBest in the World22-Jun-14176
Jay BriscoeAll Star Extravaganza VI6-Sep-142286
Jay LethalBest in the World19-Jun-151427
Adam ColeDeath Before Dishonor XIV19-Aug-162105
Kyle O'ReillyFinal Battle2-Dec-16133
Adam ColeWrestle Kingdom 114-Jan-17365
Christopher DanielsROH 15th Anniversary Show10-Mar-171105
CodyBest in the World23-Jun-171175
Dalton CastleFinal Battle15-Dec-171197
Jay LethalRing of Honor Wrestling30-Jun-182280
Matt TavenG1 Supercard6-Apr-191174
RushDeath Before Dishonor XVII27-Sep-19177
PCOFinal Battle13-Dec-19178
RushGateway to Honor29-Feb-202498
BandidoBest in the World11-Jul-211152
Vacated10-Dec-21
Jonathan GreshamFinal Battle11-Dec-211224
Claudio CastagnoliDeath Before Dishonor23-Jul-22160
Chris JerichoDynamite: Grand Slam21-Sep-22180
Claudio CastagnoliFinal Battle10-Dec-222284
Eddie KingstonDynamite: Grand Slam20-Sep-231198
Mark BriscoeROH Supercard of Honor05-Apr-20241Current

FAQs

A. Mark Briscoe is the current ROH World Champion in his first reign with the title.

A. Low Ki was the first-ever ROH World Champion who won the title in a Sixty-Minute Iron Match in 2002.

A. Pakistani-American Billionaire Tony Khan is the current owner of Ring of Honor. He also owns All Elite Wrestling, alongside his father Shahid Khan.

A. Samoa Joe won the ROH World Championship in 2003 and held it for 645 days, which is the most by any wrestler.

A. Tony Khan bought the Ring of Honor in March 2022.

A. The ROH has six titles - the ROH World Championship, ROH Pure Championship, ROH World Television Championship, ROH World Tag Team Championship, ROH Six-Men Tag Team Championship, and the ROH Women’s World Championship.

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