Moments Ago: The Best Champs in Ring of Honor History
Ring of Honor has always been a company that prides itself on upholding the traditions of the business that make wrestling great. Perhaps no tradition is as important in Ring of Honor as having valued champions. Ring of Honor has used long reigns, surprise title changes, and classic matches to make every champion they have ever crowned seem worthwhile. I am going to offer my opinion on which champions in Ring of Honor, either World Champion, Pure Champion, or Tag Team Champions are the best in the form of a top 30 list ranking every single person or team that has held gold in Ring of Honor. Who are the best champs in Ring of Honor? Read on to find out.
30. The Backseat Boys: Tag Team Titles 9/20/03-10/16/03
Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere at one point could lay claim to being the best tag team on the American independent circuit. It is no surprise they were awarded the RoH Tag Titles when RoH needed to crown new champions after Amazing Red’s injury handicapping his and AJ’s reign. They could have done something special but they lost after one defense to those rich kid ravers of Special K. The brevity of their reign puts them at the bottom of the list.
29. The Carnage Crew: Tag Team Titles7/9/05-7/23/05
HC Loc and Devito had some memorable brawls in Ring of Honor, and were part of the roster from the very beginning. Their reign had one successful defense in a multi-team match, and seemed pretty much an award for years of service. All in all it was pretty unremarkable.
28. Special K: Tag Team Titles 10/16/03-11/1/03
Izzy and Dixie were impressive high flyers when they were on and spot mokeys who risked injury when they were off. They won the titles during a period of flux and were essentially keeping the belts warm for Jay and Mark Briscoe to embark on their first reign. They had a decent defense against the Carnage Crew, but that was all.
27. The Prophecy: Tag Team Titles 9/21/02-3/15/03
The champions are credited as Donovan Morgan and Christopher Daniels because they won the Tag Team Title tournament at Unscripted. They only had one successful defense as a tag team and Morgan was not even in the match where they lost the belts. They get put above the other teams for being the inaugural champions more than anything else.
26. Jay Lethal: Pure Championship 3/5/05-5/7/05
Jay Lethal was chasing the Embassy for his chance at Ring of Honor gold and finally upended John Walters. He only made one defense in Ring of Honor against Spanky and one defense in NWA: Upstate against Dunn, of Ring Crew Express fame. His best match was his loss to Samoa Joe at Manhattan Mayhem.
25. AJ Styles: Pure Championship 2/14/04-7/17/04
Ring of Honor crowned AJ Styles as the first Pure Wrestling champion. The infamous scandal and split with RF Video cause AJ to be pulled from RoH and thus stripped of the belt. Before that happened, he was able to have a forgotten classic defense against CM Punk. The groundwork was also laid for a Pure title vs. World title feud between AJ and Samoa Joe, but ‘twas not to be.
24. Dan Maff and BJ Whitmer: Tag Team Titles 5/15/04, 2/19/05-4/2/05
Maff and Whitmer got a small taste of tag team gold at Round Robin Challenge 3. It would be almost a year before getting their again. They defeated the Havana Pitbulls and gave Allison Danger her comeuppance all in one night. Their reign was cut short, however, by a scandal involving Maff’s retirement from wrestling thus hampering a higher ranking for them.
23. Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke: Tag Team Titles 10/1/05-12/17/05
It is the length of their reign that puts the two small Italians at #23. They shocked many by defeating BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs at Joe vs. Kobashi. Few bought these two as champions despite the talent of both members of the team. It was a foregone conclusion that their reign would come to an end against Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.
22. Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels: Tag Team Titles 11/25/06-2/24/07
One could argue that these two would not have won the titles if Claudio had not accepted a WWE contract. They were given a chance as champions, though, and did fairly well. The World Tag Team Titles were meaningful due to Aries and Strong’s epic reign. They did not do much to diminish the value of the belts, but did not add to them either. Many figured they were keeping the belts warm for the Briscoes, the second team on the list to do so.
21. Doug Williams: Pure Championship 7/17/04-8/28/04
Ring of Honor decided to reinstate the Pure title after AJ Styles departure and held a one day tournament to crown the champion. Doug Williams, one of the top pure wrestlers in the world, bested Alex Shelley in the finals and had some decent if unremarkable defenses.
20. John Walters: Pure Championship 8/28/04-3/5/05
John Walters first defense against Nigel McGuinness was the best Pure Title match to that point. Other than that Walters had some decent matches against Jimmy Rave before joining the Embassy and coming to the ring to porno music in a dashiki. The Pure title was still finding its niche and Walters did not do anything to truly help it along.
19. Naruki Doi and Shingo: Tag Team Titles 3/3/07-3/30/07
Despite the brevity of their reign they immediately added value to the Tag Titles as people wondered what would happen with Japanese champions, one of whom was not an RoH regular. They are the third team on the list holding the belts only for the Briscoes to win them. The match quality during the reign is very high. Their title victory against the Briscoes and only defense against Roderick Strong and Davey Richards are both match of the year candidates, and their loss back to the Briscoes was unfortunately hampered by Mark’s concussion.
18. Low Ki: Ring of Honor World Champion 7/2702-9/21/02
The first Ring of Honor Champion shows up at #18. The belt was not a world title yet, but Low Ki’s win immediately gave it credibility and right away it was one of the most sought after belts on the independent scene. The brevity of his reign, only one successful defense against AJ Styles, keeps him from being higher. Low Ki’s title win was and still is one of the most emotional moments in Ring of Honor history.
17. AJ Styles and Amazing Red: Tag Team Titles 3/15/03-9/20/03
AJ Styles was originally supposed to have Paul London as his partner, but nasal surgery prevented London from competing. Amazing Red proved to be a worthy replacement. Their reign is all about the series of matches with the Briscoe Brothers. All three of these matches are must see and still rank up their with the best Tag Team Title defenses in Ring of Honor.
16. Xavier: Ring of Honor World Champion 9/21/02-3/22/03
Xavier may be much maligned as an undeserving champion. One could argue that before he won this was 100% true. Xavier proved with great matches against Jay Briscoe and Paul London that he was a worthy champion. He was also hated by almost every Ring of Honor fan, and history has proven that heel champions are often more effective than babyface champions as the fans pay money to see the champ get dethroned. Xavier was indeed dethroned by a man who comes up a little bit later.
15. Kings of Wrestling: Tag Team Titles 9/16/06-11/25/06
Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli are one of the best teams on the independent scene. Two brothers from Delaware are probably the only reason they are not the outright best. Their reign was cut short by Claudio’s WWE contract that never panned out. Who knows how great they could have been? Either way they still had some great matches and were one of the most reviled heel tag teams in RoH history.
14. Second City Saints: Tag Team Titles 4/24/04-5/15/04,5/15/04-8/7/04
Colt Cabana and CM Punk are more thought of as singles wrestlers, yet together they had one of the most successful tag team title reigns. Many were worried about the value of the belts after three title changes in one night at Round Robin Challenge 3, but the Saints were able to persevere and have one especially classic title match against the Briscoes in a two out of three falls match.
13. Havana Pitbulls: Tag Team Titles 8/7/04-2/19/05
Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero were making big waves on the independent scene in 2004. As members of the Rottweilers they bested the Second City Saints for the Tag Titles. While their reign didn’t have any extreme classics every defense was entertaining and the pop for their defeat was huge, which in many ways is the true sign of a successful title reign.
12. Homicide: Ring of Honor World Title 12/23/06-2/17/07
Homicide’s reign was fairly unremarkable, but the chase was one of the best executed in wrestling in a long time. He had a poorly received defense against Samoa Joe, which left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths. He also had an underrated match against Jimmy Rave which redeemed him on some level. His reign was very short hence the low ranking, but the moment where he won the title and beat all of the odds puts him just outside the top ten.
11. James Gibson: Ring of Honor World Title 8/12/05-9/17/05
Many people awarded James Gibson the MVP of 2005 in Ring of Honor. Many also say that Ring of Honor rewarded him with a title reign. He ended the “Summer of Punk.†His reign was shortened due to his resigning with WWE so who knows how great his reign could have become. Still he falls just one place short of the top ten.
10. Samoa Joe: Pure Championship 5/7/05-8/27/05
Samoa Joe surprised a lot of fans by winning the Pure Championship. His cache as a wrestler immediately lent credibility to the Pure title which was still trying to find its place. Joe had some great matches with Colt Cabana, Austin Aries, and Nigel McGuinness. It is more his fame and position as a wrestler that added to the prestige of the title than his matches, but still he had the best Pure title reign up to that point.
9. BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs: Tag Team Titles 4/2/05-7/9/05, 7/23/05-10/1/05
This team, affectionately nicknamed Hillbilly Jeshuss, was probably the best Tag Team champion to this point. Although they won under less than stellar circumstances as a seemingly thrown together team they had classic matches with several opponents. The best of which was against Jack Evans and Roderick Strong at Manhattan Mayhem. I personally enjoyed their in ring pose mimicking Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels as “Two Dudes with Attitutudes.â€Â
8. Takeshi Morishima: Ring of Honor World Championship 2/17/07-Present
The jury is still out on how special his reign is going to be as it is still very much in progress. As it stands he has given an international credibility to the championship and people want to see who will be able to defeat the giant Japanese monster. Whoever does defeat Morishima will immediately appear a world beater much in the way that Austin Aries was when he defeated Samoa Joe. It doesn’t hurt that he has one classic title defense already to his credit against Nigel McGuinness and other great matches against Shingo and Austin Aries.
7. CM Punk: Ring of Honor World Championship 6/18/05-8/12/05
One of the biggest reactions to any title change in history was Punk’s surprise win over Austin Aries at Death Before Dishonor 3. His subsequent heel turn and title reign were must see wrestling. Every show people watched and waited intently to see if this would be the moment when the WWE turncoat would finally be dethroned. When it happened, the fans were ecstatic and also forgiving as they redeemed Punk despite his months of wicked behavior.
6. Austin Aries: Ring of Honor World Championship 12/26/04-6/18/05
Austin Aries immediately became an important champion by defeating Samoa Joe. Ending the mammoth reign of the Samoan submission machine made him a force to be reckoned with. The beginning of his title reign he was a cowardly heel doing anything to hold on to his belt. He was also a fighting champion in the tradition of Bret Hart. He wrestled all over America and the world defending the championship and packed 16 defenses in under 6 months.
5. Nigel McGuinness: Pure Championship 8/27/05-8/12/06
Starting out the top five is Nigel McGuinness and the best Pure title reign in RoH History. His reign was so great that they decided to retire the belt as many believed it could not be topped. Early in his reign he abused the rules to win matches and it garnered a ton of heat. He had great matches with Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli, and especially Bryan Danielson that made his reign that much more special.
4. Jay and Mark Briscoe: Tag Team Titles 11/1/03-4/24/04, 5/15/04, 2/24/07-3/3/07, 3/30/07-present
The Briscoes are four time champions and every reign was deserved. They earn a spot this high on the list for their current reign, though. They have had the match of the night on almost every show they have competed on this year. Their tag team title defense this year against Doi and Shingo, Claudio Castagnoli and Matt Sydal, and Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are all match of the year candidates. They are the best tag team going right now, and their insane match quality is making the Tag Team Titles more important than they have ever been.
3. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong: Tag Team Titles 12/17/05-9/17/06
The Briscoes would not be able to add to the legacy of the titles if it weren’t for the team that truly established the legacy: Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. They won the tag titles from Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke and then took the belts from arguably their lowest to without question their highest. They had classic matches almost every time out. The standouts were against Naruki Doi and Cima, AJ Styles and Matt Sydal and the Briscoes on several occasions. They also defended the belts in Japan for the Dragon Gate promotion brining the belts to World Title status.
2. Samoa Joe: Ring of Honor World Championship 2/22/03-12/26/04
There is much contention between who is the greatest champion in Ring of Honor history. Samoa Joe goes second in my opinion. He dethroned Xavier which thrilled many fans and then went on to have an epic title reign lasting 21 months. The defining moment of the reign came in the form of his classic trilogy against CM Punk. Along the way he also had great matches with Bryan Danielson, Paul London, and Homicide. He made the Ring of Honor title the most valued on the independent scene, and many argued that it even surpassed any title in WWE. Either way he is one of the greatest champion in recent wrestling memory.
1. “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson: Ring of Honor World Championship 9/17/05-12/23/06
The best wrestler in the world is also the best champion in Ring of Honor history. He won the title in a classic match. He defended the belt in a classic nearly every time out. The word to define his reign truly is classic. He was a heel in the classic tradition. He won the title and fans paid to see him wrestle as much as they paid to see him get his comeuppance. Many say that a champion is only as good as his challengers, but everyone that Danielson wrestled seemed like they could beat him. He made viable challengers out of Delirious, Jimmy Rave, Nigel McGuinnes, and Colt Cabana. He made everyone in the ring with him great if only for that one night, and that is the mark of a truly great champion.
In Conclusion
There you have it, a ranking of the champions in Ring of Honor. This column, more than any other, bears feedback. If you want to let me know what you think or give your opinions e-mail me and
I’ll see you next time
