ROH, Credit: WWE.com
Counting down ROH’s 10 greatest stars of all time.
Ring of Honor opened its doors on February 23rd of 2002 with a very original, yet simple idea for American professional wrestling. Under ROH rules was their “code of honor” which was their 5 basic laws for how a wrestler behaved inside the ring. Much like Japanese wrestling, this code prevented the combatants from breaking rules, which has been a pro wrestling mainstay for over a century. Each wrestler must shake hands before the match, not except any outside interference, never harm an official, and never sneak attack an opponent. The best part of this concept was that since there were very specific rules to Ring of Honor, breaking them was almost taboo and as such was used as a vehicle to help get the heels over while protecting their baby faces.
ROH’s style and quick rise in fans led to the company going and signing some of the best wrestlers who are now currently some of professional wrestling’s biggest stars. From Samoa Joe, to AJ Styles, to Daniel Bryan, to Seth Rollins, the list goes on and on, ROH seemed clearly to be one of the main vehicles to super-stardom. The company relies on the actual wrestling part of the business as opposed to silly gimmicks and overdone story lines. Basically, ROH is for adults who really love the sport.
So based on all of this, Ring of Honor has had its’ fair share of great superstars. Ahead we take a look at their top 10 of all time.
10. Davey Richards
At only 5 foot 8 and barely cracking 200 pounds, Washington native Davey Richards proves that size doesn’t always matter. Displaying some of pro wrestling’s hardest strikes, Richards is a guy who almost always gets the most out of every match he’s in. He came to Ring Of Honor in 2006 and over the course of the next 7 years, he’d become one of the most consistent winners and performers the company had ever had while establishing himself as a potential rising star.
His early success in ROH came in the form of tag team work. He alongside with Rocky Romero as the No Remorse Corps captured tag team gold at the beginning of 2008 but it was his partnership with Eddie Edwards that developed later that year that elevated each man’s game to another level. After battling for the ROH tag team circuit for close to a year, The American Wolves finally became champions in April of 2009 and embarked on a sizzling 253-day title reign, which at that time was the second longest in ROH history.
The Wolves then parlayed their tag team success into singles competition where Edwards would win the ROH World Championship only to lose it to Richards 99 days later. Richards would hold that belt for 321 days while fighting off challenges from the likes of Colt Cabana, Roderick Strong, El Generico, and Michael Elgin. In ROH Richards proved the theory that only big men can dominate in pro wrestling wrong and paved a course for himself that is still in motion to this day.
9. Samoa Joe
Compared to the rest of this list Samoa Joe’s sampling size in Ring of Honor is much smaller than the others. He only wrestled 138 matches but he made them count. In that span he went 86-45-7 (cagematch.net) and that included a staggering 645 title run with the ROH Championship. That run lasted about 21 months and after finally losing it he’d follow it by capturing the ROH Pure Championship just 5 months later and held onto that for 112 days.
Ring Of Honor is also where Joe showed that he was one the brightest stars in the business as he put on masterpieces over and over again with the some of the rosters elite. It was in ROH where the Joe/AJ Styles feud took off after their red-hot War of the Wire 2003 match, he got a taste of the infamous Briscoe boys as he battled Jay in a classic at At Our Best in 2004, he’d meet his technical counterpart in Bryan Danielson with their brilliant chess match at The Midnight Express Reunion, but it was his trilogy with CM Punk in the second half of 2004 that proved that Joe was quite possibly one of the best in the world. The middle bout of their 3 match series was universally praised including being on of Dave Meltzer’s vaunted 5-star match ratings. They were really just that good.
Like many other ROH stars, Joe used his success to move on and he went on to become one of the best wrestler’s in TNA history. Now with the WWE, The Samoan Submission Machine has a legitimate chance of becoming the first man to ever hold the world titles in ROH, TNA, and the WWE. That would truly be one of the biggest accomplishments in pro wrestling history and there has never been a more deserving guy of such a massive honor.
Credit: WWE.com
8. Nigel McGuinness
England’s Nigel McGuinness may be the greatest wrestler of all time who has never won any of the 3 major American world titles, those being WWE, WCW, and TNA. McGuinness first arrived in Ring of Honor as an unheralded British wrestler who spent 6 years in Heartland Wrestling based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. But by the time he left ROH, McGuinness had become a full-fledged superstar.
A master mat technician, McGuinness was a perfect fit for Ring of Honor and that paid off in spades. During his second year with the company, he would win the ROH Pure Championship and go on to hold that title for 350 days, the longest in that belt’s history. Roughly a year after losing that title, Nigel would win the biggest championship of his career, the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from Takeshi Morishima in October of 2007. That title he’d hold for 545 days making a combined 890 days of ROH Championship gold around his waist. That’s roughly 2 and half years. Talk about dominance.
And of course, like many of the others on this list, McGuiness had some of the most classic matches in ROH history. The best of the bunch was his 3 match rivalry with ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson. They were a perfect fit for each other and both lived up to the code of honor during their epic, respectful battles. The last few years of McGuiness’ career were spent in TNA but marred by injuries. It was a shame because at now only 41 years old he’s finally with the WWE but as a commentator. Had the injuries not plagued him we could be talking about a multiple time WWE champion. But hey, we’ll take him any way we can get him.
credit: WWE.com
7. Austin Aries
The first ever 2-time ROH World Champion, Austin Aries was a guy that ROH knew from the very start would be a main event caliber guy. He entered the company in March of 2004 and by the end of the year was ROH champion having defeated and ended the historic 645-day title reign of the great Samoa Joe. If that’s not an endorsement for someone’s future, I don’t know what is. Aries had 2 3-year stints with the organization and both times managed to become World champion. The first title run lasted 174 days, the second 245 days and it proved that even after some time spent with another company, Aries was still the man.
Aries was a hero in ROH. “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived” was beloved by the fan base whether playing heel or baby face so when he returned to ROH in 2007 after departing for TNA for 2 years, he was welcomed back with open arms. His subsequent world title run would see him defend the title successfully 14 times, a combined 32 total defenses with his first reign. Needless to say, he was a fighting champion.
Aries once again left ROH for TNA but this time he was clearly a different guy and his success proved that. In his second TNA run, he won their X-Division and World Heavyweight championships and once again proved that being top dog in ROH was a precursor for big things. Aries is now with the WWE but due to injuries is in a commentators role which he, not surprisingly, is outstanding at. Once healed, Aries, like Samoa Joe will have the chance to be the first man to ever hold the TNA, ROH, and WWE world championships. That would be a perfect narrative to renew their story that began over 12 years ago under the ROH banner.
6. Jay Lethal
New Jersey native Jay Lethal’s ROH career was clearly the tale of two stories. He first entered the promotion in January of 2003 under the name Hydro. He’d have a decent run with that gimmick as he’d go 35-40-2 (cagematch.net) while also having a short run with the ROH Pure Title. But after nearly 2 years with ROH Lethal left for TNA where he’d become one of the most successful X-Division wrestlers in the history of that company. But in 2011 Lethal returned to Ring of Honor but this time as a global superstar and that showed from the very beginning of his second stint.
This time around Lethal went from being a mid-card worker to a main event quality star and made waves fast. In only his second match back with the company, he defeated El Generico for the ROH Television title which he held for 231 days. About 2 years later he would again taste Television title gold by defeating Tommaso Ciampa for the belt, this time holding on to it for a staggering 567 days. In the midst of holding that title, he also managed to win the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from Jay Briscoe becoming the first man to hold both titles at the same time and also becoming ROH’s third triple crown winner. After another blistering 427 days, Lethal finally lost the ROH championship but he still is to this day one of the brand’s most important members.
Jay’s second stint in ROH has seen him go an impressive 134-72 (cagematch.net) while defeating challengers from all over the world. It’s crazy to see that a guy with 16 years experience in the squared circle is only 31 years old but that’s exactly the case with Lethal. He’s already by far the best Television champion the company has ever had but he still has plenty of time to accrue more accolades that could ensure his place as one of the very best all around wrestlers ROH has ever had.
5. Mark Briscoe
Let’s get one thing straight before we go any further. Jay and Mark Briscoe are far and away the best tag team in the history of Ring of Honor. Their 8 title reigns, 36 title defenses, and over 800 days of holding ROH tag team gold are all that is needed to prove that fact. However, as much as Mark has accomplished as a tag team wrestler, he hasn’t had the same type of success as a singles star. But that’s not taking anything away from Mark as he has been with the promotion since they opened the doors and is still there today.
The younger of the two Briscoe boys, Mark was initially seen as a bit of a comedic act. His over the top, silly promos, and unique in-ring style portray him in that manner. But when the bell rings Mark has always been a bright, shining star who gets over-shadowed by his bigger, older, and stronger presence of a brother. This has led to a few different feuds between “Dem Boys” which has led to 22 matches between them, only 4 of which Mark came out with a victory (cagematch.net). But that doesn’t mean these ventures were fruitless. Quite the contrary. The Briscoes bouts and programs have always been massively popular and have produced some of the most intense drama ROH has ever had.
The Briscoes are still a current fixture in ROH and Mark looks as good as ever. Will the day ever come where he finally reaches the singles pinnacle as his brother? Time will only tell. But if there is a more deserving person of that in all of Ring of Honor, anyone would be hard-pressed to name him.
credit: wwe.com
4. Kevin Steen
In August of 2014, it was reported that the WWE had signed former Ring of Honor World Champion Kevin Steen to a contract. The signing of the 15 year veteran of the sport was exciting news for fans of independent wrestling as Steen had been one of the most popular and most talked about indy stars for the better part of a decade. Since the signing, Steen, now repackaged as Kevin Owens has been on the fast track to WWE super-stardom and he currently holds the WWE Universal title as part of the RAW brand.
It’s been extremely welcoming to watch a guy who doesn’t look like the typical aesthetically pleasing, overly muscular wrestler become such a success story in the WWE. But the rise of Owens began long before that signing as “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” spent his final three years in Ring of Honor wreaking havoc on the roster. Steen had spent the prior 5 years showcasing a stunning move-set for a guy his size as well as a never say die attitude. But when he finally captured the ROH World Championship in June 2012 that was when he made the most of the time with the company. After 328 days and 20 title defenses as champion, it was clear that Steen was ready for the big stage.
Now, as Kevin Owens, he is essentially the same guy he was in Ring of Honor. Vicious, vindictive, cunning, and relentless. The perfect formula for a heel and he was one of the best of those that ROH ever had. On top of that, his dominating world title run and amazing matches have firmly entrenched him as one of the very best wrestlers in ROH history.
WWE.com
3. Roderick Strong
Underrated is a term that is thrown around very often in the professional wrestling business. It’s a word that’s consistently used when describing a talent that has never been given a legitimate chance at making it on a big stage and quite frankly, it’s probably used way too much. But when it comes to 33 year-old Roderick Strong, underrated is not only an extremely accurate portrayal of him, but he might just be the definition of it. But after 14 years as a pro wrestler on the indy circuit, Strong finally has his chance after he was signed by the WWE in November of last year.
But before signing with the WWE, Strong had spent over a dozen years wowing crowds with Ring of Honor. His ROH resume is a terrific one. He is second all-time in wins and matches wrestled (cagematch.net) and he’s the second Triple Crown champion with his 3 title reigns lasting a combined 552 days. He’s also had a litany of terrific matches under the ROH banner the most recent masterpiece was his battle with Hiroshi Tanahashi at War of the Worlds in 2015.
What always set Roderick apart was his versatility in and out of the ring. He’s an explosive, powerful wrestler but has the ability to fly as well. And his personality is perfect for the wrestling business as he can play the love-able baby face but excels in the role of a heel. That’s what may eventually make him a star in the WWE. He was known as “Mr. ROH” during his time with the promotion, here’s hoping he’ll be called “Mr. WWE” one day.
2. Jay Briscoe
The older brother of the aforementioned Mark Briscoe, Jay Briscoe is also the more successful of the two and unquestionably one of the best Ring of Honor stars of all time. Competing mostly as a tag team competitor for his first decade in ROH, Jay hit the jackpot when he got a shot at Kevin Steen and his ROH World Championship at Supercard of honor VII in 2013. On that night Briscoe etched his name even further into ROH lore for not only dethroning such a dominant champion but also saving the company from what the group S.C.U.M. had done to them all for the previous year.
Now it would seem to some that reaching that pinnacle would’ve been enough for many superstars but not for Jay. After some contract issues cost him the title in July of that year he would go on to become a 2-time world champion in September of 2014 and would go on to have a 10-month title run that included 18 title defenses. Since dropping the belt Jay has stayed near the top of the pecking order by continuing to consistently win and although he hasn’t regained the world title, he’s come awfully close on a handful of occasions and it would outright shocking if he didn’t one day successfully climb that mountain again.
Briscoe undoubtedly has the best resume of anyone in Ring of Honor history. 8-time tag team champion, 2-time world champion, 2009 Honor Rumble winner, and holds the record for most wins in ROH history. He wrestled on the very first card the company ever produced and has been there ever since. Briscoe bleeds Ring of Honor and the Ring of Honor fan base undoubtedly bleeds “Dem Boys”.
credit: wwe.com
1. Bryan Danielson
“The Founding Father” of Ring of Honor, Bryan Danielson is one of the biggest reasons that ROH has come as far as it has. He wrestled on the very first card’s main event and spent the next 7 years tearing the house down in almost every arena he stepped into. Danielson was the perfect fit for ROH. With his technical wizardry, his never-ending gas tank, and penchant for clean, natural, respectful wrestling, it’s no surprise that he tops the list of their greatest all time superstars.
It took Danielson 3 years to finally become ROH World Champion but when he finally did, he made it count. He held the title for 462 days and made 38 title defenses. Break that down and you get a title defense every 12 days. And most of these defenses weren’t 5-10 minute squash matches. He had two title defenses against Roderick strong that lasted 47 and 56 minutes respectively, 60-minute time limit draws with Samoa Joe, Colt Cabana, and Nigel McGuinness, and he even took the liberty of retiring the ROH Pure Championship by defeating the aforementioned McGuinness in his own backyard of Liverpool, England. Danielson’s performances set the bar for what an ROH title match should always be and almost every year he was with the company he would have at least 2 or match of the year candidates.
Danielson’s skills and popularity obviously didn’t go unnoticed as he would eventually enter the WWE as Daniel Bryan and would go on to be one of the most popular superstars in WWE history. Daniel’s career came to a halt in 2014 after a host of injuries and although it was a crushing blow to all of his WWE fans, the world of Ring of Honor must have taken it the hardest. If he was the father, the ROH fans were his children and to see him end his career so abruptly was shattering. But he continues to be a fixture on WWE television to this day and although the odds of him ever wrestling again are very slim, as long as there’s a sliver of hope all of his fans, including this one, will hold out hope.