Ring of Honor World Title History
Crowning a Champion – Philadelphia, PA – July 27, 2002
– ROH Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Low Ki defeated Christopher Daniels, Douglas Williams, and Spanky in a 60-minute Ironman match; fall #1: Daniels pinned Ki with the Last Rites at 25:59; fall #2: Spanky submitted to Ki’s Dragon Sleeper at 41:51; fall #3: Ki pinned Williams with a twisting senton splash at 48:45; two points were awarded for a pinfall, a negative point was given if you were pinned or submitted; Ki: 3, Daniels: 2, Williams: -1; Spanky: -1
Unscripted – Philadelphia, PA – Murphy Rec Center – September 21, 2002
– Xavier pinned ROH Heavyweight Champion Low Ki at 25:43 to win the title with the 450 splash after Christopher Daniels, Donovan Morgan, & Simply Luscious interfered; during the match, Xavier officially joined the Prophecy
– Samoa Joe defeated ROH Heavyweight Champion Xavier via submission with the Coquina Clutch at 11:54 to win the title
– 5/17/03: The ROH Title was renamed the ROH World Title after Samoa Joe defeated the Zebra Kid in London, England.
Final Battle 2004 – Philadelphia, PA – December 26, 2004
– Austin Aries pinned ROH World Champion Samoa Joe with the 450 Splash after the brainbuster at 17:29 to win the title; after the match, Aries began to tear up and had to be held up by Roderick Strong; the crowd then changed “Thank You, Joe” and Joe demands Aries show the championship respect like he had over the last 22 months; both men then shook hands as the crowd chanted “ROH”
Death Before Dishonor III – Morristown, NJ – June 18, 2005
– CM Punk pinned ROH World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries to win the title at 30:29 with a Pepsi Plunge off the top; the match was billed as Punk’s last before leaving for the WWE; during his ring introduction, the crowd chanted “CM Punk,” “Please don’t go,” and “Thank you, Punk” at the challenger while slightly booing the champion; Punk had “Goodbye” written on his wrist tape for the match; after the contest, Aries took back the title belt from the referee as fans threw streamers into the ring and chanted “Thank you, Punk,” “Please don’t go,” and “We will miss you;” Aries eventually walked over, shook Punk’s hand, hugged him, and gave him the belt before raising his hand in victory; Aries then left the ring as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Aries;” the crowd then chanted “Speech,” with Punk taking the mic, kneeling in the ring, and saying the belt was the most important belt in the world and that, in his hands, was power, much like the mic in his hand was like a pipe bomb; Punk then told the story of the snake taken care of by an old man, with the snake biting him and reminding him he was a snake; Punk then said the greatest thing the Devil ever did was convince the world he didn’t exist, then telling the crowd he was the Devil and the crowd fell for it; he then said he felt sorry for the fans, adding he did what he had to do to get the belt and the fans were his puppets; Punk then said he would never stop until he proved he was better than Low Ki, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles, then saying “Ladies and gentlemen, the champ is here” and “You don’t have to love it, but you have to learn to accept it;” after saying there wasn’t anyone backstage that could stop him, Chrisotpher Daniels came out of the crowd and came face to face with Punk; Punk responded by laying the belt down on the mat between them, with the crowd chanting “Ring the bell” before the two came to blows; Daniels eventually cleared Punk from the ring and took the mic, telling Punk to get back in the ring and put the belt on the line to finish their issue; the crowd chanted “Punk is a bitch” and “CM Pussy” before Punk took the mic and telling Daniels to kiss his ass; Punk then ran out of the building as Daniels took the mic and said he wouldn’t let Punk leave with the belt; when Punk failed to appear, Daniels talked about how Punk put him out of ROH with a Pepsi Plunge through a table, that he had to choose between TNA and ROH, his matches during the first few months of ROH, and watching ROH and the fresh faces that came in during his absence; Daniels then said his destiny was to be ROH World Champion and he was back (Daniels’ surprise return after an 18-month absence)
Redemption – Dayton, OH – August 12, 2005
– James Gibson defeated ROH World Champion CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, and ROH Pure Champion Samoa Joe in an elimination match to win the title at 50:41; prior to the bout, the crowd chanted “Na na na na, Goodbye” at Punk before then chanting “Thank you, Punk;” following the ring entrances, Joe shook the hands of Daniels and Gibson before giving Punk the finger; Gibson, bleeding from the head, was helped backstage at the 30-minute mark after Punk hit him in the head with a steel chair behind the referee’s back; Daniels submitted to Joe’s Coquina Clutch at 41:11 after Punk shoved Daniels’ foot off the rope without the referee seeing it; Punk pinned Joe with an inside cradle at 42:11 after Daniels accidentally kicked Punk in the head, with Punk then landing a low blow on Daniels; after the fall, Joe and Daniels argued on the floor before then fighting at ringside; after Joe and Daniels left ringside, the crowd began chanting “Gibson,” with Gibson’s theme music playing and him staggering back to the ring as referees tried to hold him back; Gibson pinned Punk by blocking the Pepsi Plunge and hitting a Tiger Driver off the top; after the fall, Spanky joined Gibson in the ring to celebrate, with Jay Lethal, Austin Aries, Delirious, Colt Cabana, Nigel McGuinness, Jimmy Jacobs, Bobby Dempsey, Daizee Haze, ROH Tag Team Champions BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs, Chad Collyer, Roderick Strong, and others joining; Spanky then took the mic and said he couldn’t be any happier than he was to see Gibson as champion, then saying he wanted a title shot before hugging Gibson; the crowd then chanted “Match of the Year” before Gibson took the mic and said it was the greatest day of his career, moreso than being at WrestleMania and moreso than being WWE Cruiserweight Champion; Gibson then knelt beside Punk and shook his hands, with the crowd chanting “Thank you, Punk” and “Please don’t go” before Punk took the mic and prompted the crowd to chant for Gibson; as Gibson went to leave the ring, Punk returned ringside to hug him in the aisle; the camera then followed the group backstage as Punk hugged Joe and Gibson and walked out the door
Glory by Honor IV – Long Island, NY – September 17, 2005
– Bryan Danielson defeated ROH World Champion James Gibson via submission with a Crossface Chickenwing at 32:26 to win the title; after the match, Danielson told the fans to give Gibson a standing ovation; Danielson then said he won’t leave for the WWE or TNA after winning the championship like others; moments later, the locker room emptied to congratulate Danielson
Final Battle 2006 – New York City, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom – December 23, 2006
– Homicide defeated ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson to win the title at 30:39 with a lariat; during his entrance, Danielson grabbed the ring announcer and told him to introduce him as “the best wrestler these wannabe thugs have ever seen;” Homicide offered to shake Danielson’s hand before the match but Danielson responded by giving Homicide the middle finger, then doing the same to the crowd as well; stipulations stated Homicide would leave ROH if he didn’t win the title; after the bout, Homicide was congratulated by Julius Smokes, Samoa Joe, Roderick Strong, Cary Silkin, Ricky Reyes, BJ Whitmer, Colt Cabana, Rhett Titus, Mark & Jay Briscoe, and several others in the ring; moments later, Danielson entered the ring with the title belt, shook Homicide’s hand, and handed him the title belt; Homicide then took the mic, recognized the staff, crew, and the wrestlers in the ring with him before dedicating the win to his fans
5th Year Festival: Philly – Philadelphia, PA – National Guard Armory – February 17, 2007
– Takeshi Morishima pinned ROH World Champion Homicide (w/ Julius Smokes) to win the title at 15:42 with the backdrop driver after the champion kicked out of a previous backdrop driver and lariat; Morishima jumped the champion in the aisle before the match, assaulting Homicide at ringside and hitting a DDT on the floor; Morishima bled from the nose late in the bout; after the match, the crowd chanted for Morishima, with Rhett Titus and others beginning to come out to congratulate Morishima before he assaulted them and left the ring; the crowd then chanted “NOAH”
Undeniable – Edison, NJ – October 6, 2007
– Nigel McGuinness pinned ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima to win the title at 14:22 with the jawbreaker lariat; after the match, Jack Evans, Delirious, El Generico, Cary Silkin, Grizzly Redwood, Jigsaw, Rhett Titus, Julius Smokes, Austin Aries, Erick Stevens, and others entered the ring to congratulate McGuinness; moments later, Bryan Danielson walked out, slid into the ring, and argued with McGuinness before Aries stepped in; Danielson then left the ring and returned backstage; Morishima then handed McGuinness the title and raised his hand as the victor, with the crowd chanting “Thank you, ‘Shima”
Supercard of Honor IV – Houston, TX – April 3, 2009
– Jerry Lynn pinned ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness to win the title with the cradle piledriver at 19:10; prior to the bout, the two shook hands as the crowd chanted for both wrestlers; the champion’s left arm and shoulder were heavily taped for the match; following the contest, Cary Silkin congratulated Lynn in the ring, with Silkin then tending to McGuinness before leaving the ring; the crowd then chanted “You’ve still got it” at Lynn as he was announced as the new champion; Lynn then took the mic as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Nigel” and “New Fucking Show,” and said it was night’s like this that make all the sacrifices worthwhile and told the crowd to give McGuinness a standing ovation for fighting through his injuries during his reign; Lynn then shook McGuinness’s hand and left the ring; moments later, McGuinness took the mic and thanked the fans for their support, then leaving the ring as the crowd chanted “ROH”
Manhattan Mayhem III – New York City, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom – June 13, 2009
– Austin Aries defeated ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn and Tyler Black to win the title in an elimination match at 20:03; Aries used “Also Sprach Zarathustra” as his entrance music for the bout and mocked Ric Flair’s strut on his way to the ring; following his entrance, Aries took the mic and said Flair would not be able to be the special enforcer for the contest, as advertised; moments later, Nigel McGuinness interrupted and said he had been talking for weeks about being ringside for the contest, then pulled out his own referee shirt before announcing he would be the special enforcer; prior to the bout, Aries refused to shake Black’s hand; Black pinned Lynn with God’s Last Gift at 14:30 after hitting a superkick on Aries, with Aries then dropping Lynn with an accidental DDT; following the fall, Lynn was helped backstage as the crowd chanted for Black; Aries pinned Black with a kick to the head and the brainbuster after Black’s knee gave out as he attempted the buckle bomb; late in the bout, McGuinness prevented Aries from holding onto the ring ropes during a figure-4; after the contest, Kenny King & Rhett Titus came out, hoisted Aries on their shoulders in celebration, and carried him around ringside before going backstage; moments later, Black got to his feet as the crowd cheered for him
8th Anniversary Show – New York City, NY – February 13, 2010
– Tyler Black defeated ROH World Champion Austin Aries to win the title
Glory by Honor IX – New York City, NY – Manhattan Center – September 11, 2010
– Roderick Strong (w/ Truth Martini) pinned ROH World Champion Tyler Black in a No DQ match to win the title at 15:04 after twice hitting the Death by Roderick and following with a running dropkick; Terry Funk was the guest ringside enforcer for the match; the crowd chanted “You sold out” and “Future jobber” at Black upon his entrance; Jim Cornette provided guest commentary for the contest; at the 10-minute mark, Funk took over in-ring officiating after referee Todd Sinclair was knocked down; minutes later, Josh Raymond & Christin Able attempted to interfere on behalf of the challenger, with Funk knocking them off the apron and then throwing an interfering Martini to the floor; after the contest, Cary Silkin congratulated Strong in the ring; the crowd then chanted “Thank you, Tyler” before Strong extended his hand to Black, with Black giving Strong and the fans the middle finger; after Black returned backstage, the lights went out before Homicide appeared at the entrance stage; moments later, Homicide confronted Strong in the ring as the show ended
Manhattan Mayhem IV – New York City, NY – March 19, 2011
– Eddie Edwards pinned ROH World Champion Roderick Strong to win the title with a cradle at 25:35; Strong was escorted to the ring before the match by Truth Martini, with Strong taking the mic after the introductions and asking Martini to return backstage, as they agreed about earlier; the two shook hands before the contest; Martini returned ringside at the 24-minute mark and was knocked off the apron by the challenger; after the bout, Edwards was congratulated in the ring by Cary Silkin; moments later, the crowd chanted “Eddie” as Edwards held up the title belt; Davey Richards then came out and hugged Edwards, then raising his hand in victory as Steve Corino, TJ Perkins, Grizzly Redwood, Homicide, and others surrounded the ring to congratulate the new champion; moments later, Richards put the belt around Edwards’ waist
Best in the World 2011 – New York City, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom – June 26, 2011
– Davey Richards defeated ROH World Champion Eddie Edwards to win the title at 36:01 with a running knee to the head; following the bout, Team Richards – including Kyle O’Reilly – entered the ring to tend to both men as the crowd chanted “Best in the world,” “ROH,” “That was awesome,” and “Match of the year;” Richards then crawled over to Edwards and hugged him, with Edwards strapping the belt around Richards’ waist; moments later, Richards had Edwards and his team reenter the ring, telling them they were there with him through his grandparents dying and while he didn’t have a family, they were his family; Richards then thanked the crowd for their support, saying it meant everything to him; Richards then thanked Edwards, with Edwards saying Richards believed in him when no one else would and told Richards to take his moment as the new champion; Richards then looked up at the sky and said “Hey Grandpa, hey Grandma, I did it!”; Richards was then hoisted on Team Richards’ shoulders in victory; moments later, Richards went into the crowd to celebrate
Border Wars – Toronto, Ontario – Ted Reeve Arena – May 12, 2012
– ROH on Sinclair – 5/26/12: Kevin Steen (w/ Jimmy Jacobs) pinned ROH World Champion Davey Richards to win the title with a sleeper suplex and the package piledriver after Richards struck his head on an exposed turnbuckle; stipulations stated Steen’s banned piledriver was legal in the match; following the ring introductions, Steve Corino sat ringside with the commentary team; after the bout, Cary Silkin entered the ring with the title belt but ended up leaving the ring and refusing to present it to Steen, with referee Todd Sinclair doing so instead; moments later, Corino entered the ring, took off his jacket, and hugged Steen and Jacobs; the three then celebrated the title win
SuperCard of Honor VII – New York City, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom – April 5, 2013
– Jay Briscoe pinned ROH World Champion Kevin Steen to win the title
Death Before Dishonor XI – Philadelphia, PA – National Guard Armory – September 20, 2013
– ROH World Championship Tournament Finals: Adam Cole pinned Michael Elgin to win the title