This month marks the twenty-third anniversary of the first Ring of Honor event. Since that first event, ROH has become one of the most popular wrestling promotions in the world. Holding shows in the United States, Canada, England, and Japan, ROH has captured the attention of fans worldwide. One of the reasons why there has been a following of the promotion has been the Ring of Honor World Title.
In its twenty-three-year history, thirty-three wrestlers have held the ROH World Title. From Samoa Joe’s legendary almost two-year reign as champion to Bryan Danielson’s reign with some of the most legendary matches of all time the ROH World Title has a lot of prestige. However, there are some wrestlers that might surprise you to know that they have never held the ROH World Title.
Many men have attempted to take the ROH World Title away but have failed to come away with the title. I’m going to look at three wrestlers who had many chances of winning this title but couldn’t get the job done. While their work in Ring of Honor is impressive and legendary, they just couldn’t get over that last hurdle and capture the ROH World Title. These three men were worthy of being champion but couldn’t win the title.
AJ Styles
When AJ Styles first appeared in 2002, he was already a main-event wrestler. His reputation carried him throughout the United States as one of the best independent wrestlers at the time and he did not disappoint the fans when he debuted for ROH. After his debut, he seriously threatened the ROH World Title. With a stacked roster during his first time there with the likes of Low Ki, American Dragon, Christopher Daniels, and Homicide, you would think that Styles at some point would have won the title.
However, the “Phenomenal One” failed on many occasions to win the biggest prize in the company. After leaving ROH to wrestle in TNA, he would return in 2005 and attempt to win the title but again fell short of the finish line. His last chance to win the ROH World Title came at Final Battle 2015 when he challenged Jay Lethal. It was a battle between two of the best wrestlers in the world, but in the end, Lethal wound up the winner and Styles was on his way to WWE.
What would ROH have been like if AJ Styles had won the ROH World Title? I think we would’ve had incredible matches from some of the best wrestlers in that era and we would’ve seen Styles adapt to different wrestling styles. Styles is a legend in ROH, and fans are still left to wonder what would’ve been if we had a phenomenal champion.
Colt Cabana
A member of the Second City Saints, Colt Cabana was looked at as the comedy wrestler. While he would have fun matches, he was never taken seriously to go after the ROH World Title. But with fan support, Cabana would eventually get his chance to win the title. But somehow, he wouldn’t win the title.
Either losing the match by being outwrestled or going to a time-limit draw, Cabana just seemed to always come up short in the biggest moments. While his fellow Second City Saints member, CM Punk, ended up winning the title in 2005, Cabana wasn’t able to achieve the same accolades that Punk had. Cabana will easily go down as one of the most popular wrestlers in ROH history, not only for his comedy but for his wrestling ability and his amazing personality.
Cabana as the ROH World Champion would have been a ride that I would’ve loved to have taken, however, we never got that opportunity. While he was a two-time co-holder of the ROH Tag Team Titles and a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the one title that eluded Caban more than any other was the one he couldn’t win, the ROH World Title.
El Generico
Selecting the third person was very tough, however, when you take into consideration a lot of the history of Ring of Honor, it is incomplete without El Generico. Just like Cabana, Generico was looked at as a comedy wrestler, someone who would always come in and make the fans laugh. But looks can always be deceiving.
Generico was a master of the high-flying style of wrestling and lucha libre. Generico first came into ROH teaming with his sometimes friend, sometimes enemy, Kevin Steen. Together the two of them would have a memorable feud with the Briscoe Brothers over the Tag Team Titles. But the greatest feud that Generico was ever in, and maybe the greatest feud in ROH history was against Steen.
Both men were Hell bent on destroying the other one and ruining each other’s careers. Each would cost the other man the ROH World Title when one of them was within distance of winning the championship. The feud culminated at Final Battle 2010 in a Fight Without Honor in which Generico won. After this battle, his path was cleared to go for the ROH World Title.
However, Generico couldn’t win the ROH World Title. His final opportunity to win the title was in a ladder match against his biggest enemy, Kevin Steen. Steen won the battle as Generico never appeared at ROH again after that night. If Generico had won the title, the fans would’ve started chanting “Ole” all night in celebration. But that party never happened. Generico is remembered as a tremendous wrestler with a lot of fighting spirit and memorable moments, but the biggest moment never happened, becoming ROH World Champion.
In the twenty-three-year history of Ring of Honor, there have been hundreds of wrestlers from all over the world who have competed and have tried to become champion. Many have failed. Being ROH World Champion is a very exclusive club. While there will be other wrestlers that will someday become champion, these three wrestlers had many chances and never won the title.
Ring of Honor is one of the best wrestling promotions in the world and a big part of that is because of the three men mentioned. But they were never able to become world champion, the greatest prize in Ring of Honor.