# ROH World Championship
The **ROH World Championship** is a men's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion [Ring of Honor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ring-of-honor) (ROH). It was first established on June 22, 2002, when a tournament began to crown the promotion's first champion, and [Low Ki](https://www.edgepedia.org/low-ki) became the inaugural titleholder on July 27, 2002.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) The title was originally called the ROH Championship and took its current name in May 2003.[2](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/titles/roh/roh-world-title/) The current champion is Bandido, who regained the title at AEW Dynasty 2025 on April 6, 2025.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Promotion | Ring of Honor, an American promotion now owned by Tony Khan, who announced its acquisition on March 2, 2022[3](https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/03/30/aew-tony-khan-ring-of-honor-purchase-future-plans) |
| Established | June 22, 2002; inaugural champion Low Ki crowned July 27, 2002[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) |
| Name change | Renamed from ROH Championship to ROH World Championship after Samoa Joe's defense in London, England on May 17, 2003[2](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/titles/roh/roh-world-title/) |
| Longest early reign | Samoa Joe, 645 days (March 22, 2003 to December 26, 2004)[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121) |
| Vacancies | Vacated July 3, 2013 (Jay Briscoe stripped after a storyline injury), the first vacancy since inception, and briefly in December 2021 after Bandido tested positive for COVID-19[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) |
| Most reigns | Adam Cole, with 3[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) |
| Current champion | Bandido, second reign, since April 6, 2025[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) • [5](https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/bandido-is-the-new-roh-world-champion) |
## Inaugural tournament (2002)
Ring of Honor held its first show, The Era of Honor Begins, in Philadelphia on February 23, 2002, and the championship followed within months.[6](https://insidepulse.com/2012/02/23/a-decade-of-honor-ring-of-honor-2002-low-ki-samoa-joe-eddie-guerrero/)
The final was a 60-minute [Iron Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/iron-man) match, a bout in which the wrestler with the most falls at the time limit wins. Because it involved four competitors, the rules were altered to a point system: a wrestler scoring a pinfall or submission earned two points, while the wrestler being pinned or submitted lost one point.[8](https://www.pwinsider.com/article/94214/roh-retro-review-crowning-a-champion-the-first-roh-champion-is-decided-in-a-four-way-one-hour-ironman-match.html?p=1) Low Ki defeated [Christopher Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-daniels), Spanky, and Doug Williams to become the first ROH Champion.[2](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/titles/roh/roh-world-title/) He held the title for 56 days before losing to Xavier on September 21, 2002.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121)
## From ROH Championship to World Championship
The title's "World" designation dates to a specific defense. The ROH Championship became known as the ROH World Championship once [Samoa Joe](https://www.edgepedia.org/samoa-joe) beat The Zebra Kid in London, England, on May 17, 2003.[2](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/titles/roh/roh-world-title/) Joe had won the title from Xavier on March 22, 2003, and his reign lasted 645 days, ending at the hands of [Austin Aries](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-aries) on December 26, 2004, the longest reign of the title's first decade.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121)
The championship's lineage through the 2000s included [Bryan Danielson](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-danielson), CM Punk, Nigel McGuinness, Tyler Black, and Kevin Steen, many of whom went on to headline major promotions.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121) During Danielson's 462-day reign beginning September 17, 2005, he unified the ROH Pure Championship into the ROH World Title on August 12, 2006.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
## Vacancies and disputed titleholders
**The 2013 vacancy.** A 16-man tournament followed, and [Adam Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-cole) pinned [Michael Elgin](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-elgin) in the final on September 20, 2013, at Death Before Dishonor XI to win the vacant title.[7](https://thehistoryofwwe.com/ring-of-honor-world-title-history/) • [1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
**The 2021 split.** In December 2021, with the promotion heading into a hiatus after Final Battle 2021, the title was vacated on December 10 after champion Bandido tested positive for COVID-19; Bandido still had the ROH World Championship belt, while [Jonathan Gresham](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-gresham), who defeated [Jay Lethal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-lethal) for the vacant title on December 11, won the Original ROH World Championship belt.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) Gresham defeated Bandido at Supercard of Honor XV in April 2022 to determine the Undisputed ROH World Champion, reuniting the lineage.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
## Under Tony Khan's ownership
[Tony Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-khan), founder of [All Elite Wrestling](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-elite-wrestling) (AEW), announced his acquisition of Ring of Honor on March 2, 2022, through an entity wholly owned by him; the deal included ROH's video library dating back to 2002, brand assets, intellectual property, and production equipment.[3](https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/03/30/aew-tony-khan-ring-of-honor-purchase-future-plans) Since then, the championship has been defended on AEW programming as well as ROH events, and several reigns have crossed promotion lines: [Chris Jericho](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-jericho) won the title on AEW Dynamite on October 23, 2024, and Bandido regained it from Jericho at AEW Dynasty 2025.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship) • [5](https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/bandido-is-the-new-roh-world-champion)
Bandido's 2025 win came in a title versus mask match against Jericho. Jericho covered Bandido after striking him with a hidden baseball bat, but Bandido's mother and sister told the referee, the match was restarted, and Bandido hit his 21 Plex finisher to win the championship.[5](https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/bandido-is-the-new-roh-world-champion)
**The Continental Crown.** Eddie Kingston's reign, which began on September 20, 2023, at AEW Grand Slam, was a title versus title match that also involved Kingston's NJPW Strong Openweight Championship. Together with the [AEW Continental Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/aew-continental-championship), the three titles were collectively known as the Continental Crown Championship, a triple crown that was dissolved on March 20, 2024, when Kingston lost the AEW Continental Title, separating it from his other two championships.[1](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
## Belt designs
The original 2002 design was based heavily on the now defunct UWF world heavyweight championship.
## Recognition and standing
Among fans and databases, the title's standing rests largely on its lineage: CAGEMATCH users rate it 9.24 out of 10 overall, and commentary on the title repeatedly notes that its 2000s holders, from Samoa Joe through Danielson and Punk, gave it a reputation that outlasted the promotion's commercial fortunes.[4](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121)
## References
1. [ROH World Championship | ROH Title History, The SmackDown Hotel](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship)
2. [Ring of Honor (ROH) World Heavyweight Title, Online World of Wrestling](https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/titles/roh/roh-world-title/)
3. [The Inside Story of Tony Khan Buying Ring of Honor, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/03/30/aew-tony-khan-ring-of-honor-purchase-future-plans)
4. [ROH World Championship, CAGEMATCH Titles Database](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=121)
5. [Bandido is the New ROH World Champion, All Elite Wrestling](https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/bandido-is-the-new-roh-world-champion)
6. [A Decade of Honor – Ring of Honor 2002, Inside Pulse](https://insidepulse.com/2012/02/23/a-decade-of-honor-ring-of-honor-2002-low-ki-samoa-joe-eddie-guerrero/)
7. [Ring of Honor World Title History, The History of WWE](https://thehistoryofwwe.com/ring-of-honor-world-title-history/)
8. [ROH RETRO REVIEW - CROWNING A CHAMPION: THE FIRST ROH CHAMPION IS DECIDED IN A FOUR WAY, ONE HOUR IRONMAN MATCH | PWInsider.com](https://www.pwinsider.com/article/94214/roh-retro-review-crowning-a-champion-the-first-roh-champion-is-decided-in-a-four-way-one-hour-ironman-match.html?p=1)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › TNA and Ring of Honor*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license