Ring of Honor
| Ring of Honor logo | |
| Acronym | ROH |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia |
| Founder(s) | Rob Feinstein |
| Owner(s) | Cary Silkin |
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an independent professional wrestling promotion created in 2002. It is one of the leading US independent companies and usually holds two or three shows every month. Annual shows include the Anniversary Show, Round Robin Challenge, Survival of the Fittest, Death Before Dishonor, Glory By Honor, and Final Battle.
Unlike World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which mostly focuses on physical appearance, microphone skills, gimmicks, and characters, Ring of Honor showcases technical matches with smaller but very skilled performers.
Matches tend to be longer than those of larger promotions, and focus on the athletic abilities of the wrestlers. Some of the most acclaimed matches of 2004 occurred in the promotion.
Respected wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer rated the Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk sixty-minute bout from "Joe vs. Punk II" 16 October, 2004 and Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi from October 1 2005, a full five-star in the Wrestling Observer. Meltzer had not rated any wrestling match in the US the full five-stars since 1997.
As such, Ring of Honor has developed a loyal fanbase in the Northeast and around the country. Ring of Honor also broadcasts on The Fight Network to viewers in Canada and on the The Wrestling Channel to viewers in Great Britain and Ireland.
Contenders for Championships
Originally there was no set way to determine challengers for the Heavyweight Championship. When the heel Xavier became champion he began to avoid challengers. ROH instated a Top Five Ranking system where the wrestlers were listed based on their general win-loss record and the win-loss record against other ranked competitors. The heavyweight champion was always number one. The number one contender was determined with matches that included wrestlers on ranks from number two to number five, and the winner was awarded the Number One Contender Trophy to iconify his or her status.
The ranking system was scrapped when the new Laws Of Honor were defined. The new system was called the Contenders Ring. After events the officials submitted ballots, and wrestlers who appeared on more than 75% of the ballots were considered to be inside the Contenders Ring, and were awarded title shots for both the Heavyweight Championship and the Pure Championship.
The latest system involved the wrestlers submitting title petitions to the officials. Once a wrestler filed a petition, ROH officials will kept track of his record, quality of opposition, respect shown towards the Code Of Honor and inherent skill. Those factors Determined who received title shots. It still was possible for ROH officials to sign matches to determine #1 contenders if no decision could be reached.
With the establishment of Jim Cornette as ROH Commissioner, ROH Management has confirmed the return of the Top Five Ranking system. The Top 5 will be voted on by Cornette and ROH officials during the first week of every month. The ratings will last for the entire month. Voting will be based on won/lost record and quality of opposition with a heavy emphasis on the last month. The first Top 5 ranking was made offical after the 29 October 2005 New Haven area event.
Roster
See: Ring of Honor roster
Current champions
| Championship: | Champion(s): | Defeated: | Date Won: | Location: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Heavyweight Championship | Bryan Danielson | James Gibson | September 17, 2005 | Lake Grove, NY |
| Pure Championship | Nigel McGuiness | Samoa Joe | August 27, 2005 | Buffalo, NY |
| Tag-Team Championship | Generation Next (Austin Aries & Roderick Strong) |
Sal Rinauro & Tony Mamaluke | December 17, 2005 | Edison, NJ |
Current top five rankings
- 1. Jay Lethal
- 2. KENTA
- 3. Alex Shelley
- 4. Jimmy Rave
- 5. Christopher Daniels
Just missing the Top 5: Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, AJ Styles, Ricky Reyes, BJ Whitmer, & Steve Corino.
Events
2006
- TBD @ St Paul, MN 25 August 2006
- TBD @ Lake Grove, NY 12 May 2006
- TBD @ Cleveland, OH 29 April 2006
- TBD @ Dayton, OH 28 April 2006
- TBD @ Philadelphia, PA 22 April 2006
- TBD @ Chicago, IL 1 April 2006
- TBD @ Chicago, IL 31 March 2006
- TBD @ Detroit, MI 30 March 2006
- TBD @ New York, NY 25 March 2006
- TBD @ Philadelphia, PA 11 March 2006
- Fourth Anniversary Show @ Edison, NJ 25 February 2006
- TBD @ Lake Grove, NY 11 February 2006
- Dissension @ Cleveland, OH 28 January 2006
- Tag Wars 2006 @ Dayton, OH 27 January 2006
- Hell Freezes Over @ Philadelphia, PA 14 January 2006
2005
- Final Battle 2005 @ Edison, NJ 17 December 2005
- Steel Cage Warfare @ New York, NY 3 December 2005
- A Night Of Tribute @ Long Island, NY 19 November 2005
- Vendetta @ Chicago Ridge, IL 5 November 2005
- Showdown in Motown @ Detroit, MI 4 November 2005
- This Means War @ Woodbridge, CT 29 October 2005
- Buffalo Stampede @ Buffalo, NY 15 October 2005
- Enter the Dragon @ Cleveland, OH 14 October 2005
- Unforgettable @ Philadelphia, PA 2 October 2005
- Joe vs. Kobashi @ New York, NY 1 October 2005
- Survival of the Fittest 2005 @ Dorchester, MA 24 September 2005
- Glory By Honor IV @ Long Island, New York 17 September 2005
- Dragon Gate Invasion @ Buffalo, NY 27 August 2005
- Night of the Grudges II @ Morristown, NJ 20 August 2005
- Do or Die V @ Morristown, NJ 20 August 2005
- Punk: The Final Chapter @ Chicago Ridge, IL 13 August 2005
- Redemption @ Dayton, OH 12 August 2005
- The Homecoming @ Philadelphia, PA 23 July 2005
- Fate Of An Angel @ Woodbridge, CT 16 July 2005
- Escape From New York @ New York, NY 9 July 2005
- Sign of Dishonor @ Long Island, NY 8 July 2005
- Death Before Dishonor III @ Morristown, NJ 18 June 2005
- The Future Is Now @ New York, NY 12 June 2005
- New Frontiers @ Buffalo, NY 4 June 2005
- Nowhere To Run @ Chicago Ridge, IL 14 May 2005
- Final Showdown @ Dayton, OH 13 May 2005
- Manhattan Mayhem @ New York, NY 7 May 2005
- Stalemate @ Dorchester, MA 16 April 2005
- Best Of American Super Juniors Tournament @ Asbury Park, NJ 2 April 2005
- Back to Basics @ Woodbridge, CT 12 March 2005
- Trios Tournament 2005 @ Philadelphia, PA 5 March 2005
- Third Anniversary Celebration Part 3 @ Chicago Ridge, IL 26 February 2005
- Third Anniversary Celebration Part 2 @ Dayton, OH 25 February 2005
- Third Anniversary Celebration Part 1 @ Elizabeth, NJ 19 February 2005
- Do or Die IV @ Elizabeth, NJ 19 February 2005
- It All Begins @ Cambridge, MA 15 January 2005
2004
- Final Battle 2004 @ Philadelphia, PA 26 December 2004
- All Star Extravaganza II @ Elizabeth, NJ 4 December 2004
- Weekend of Thunder Night 2 @ Elizabeth, NJ 6 November 2004
- Weekend of Thunder Night 1 @ Revere, MA 5 November 2004
- Joe vs. Punk II @ Chicago Ridge, IL 16 October 2004
- ROH Gold @ Dayton, OH 15 October 2004
- The Midnight Express Reunion @ Philadelphia, PA 2 October 2004
- Glory By Honor III @ Elizabeth, NJ 11 September 2004
- Scramble Cage Melee @ Braintree, MA 28 August 2004
- Testing The Limit @ Philadelphia, PA 7 August 2004
- Death Before Dishonor II Part 2 @ Chicago Ridge, IL 24 July 2004
- Death Before Dishonor II Part 1 @ Wauwatosa, WI 23 July 2004
- ROH Reborn - Completion @ Elizabeth, NJ 17 July 2004
- Do or Die III @ Elizabeth, NJ 17 July 2004
- Survival of the Fittest @ Philadelphia, PA 24 June 2004
- World Title Classic @ Dayton, OH 12 June 2004
- Generation Next @ Philadelphia, PA 22 May 2004
- Round Robin Challenge III @ Lexington, MA 15 May 2004
- ROH: Reborn Stage 2 @ Chicago Ridge, IL 24 April 2004
- ROH: Reborn Stage 1 @ St Paul, MN 23 April 2004
- At Our Best @ Elizabeth, NJ 13 March 2004
- Do or Die II @ Elizabeth, NJ 13 March 2004
- Second Anniversary Show @ Braintree, MA 14 February 2004
- The Last Stand @ Glen Burnie, MD 29 January 2004
- The Battle Lines Are Drawn @ Wilmington, OH 10 January 2004
2003
- Final Battle 2003 @ Philadelphia, PA 27 December 2003
- Final Battle Convention Card @ Philadelphia, PA 27 December 2003
- War of the Wire @ Framingham, MA 29 November 2003
- The Conclusion @ Fairfield, CT 28 November 2003
- Main Event Spectacles @ Elizabeth, NJ 1 November 2003
- Empire State Showdown @ Spencerport, NY 25 October 2003
- Tradition Continues @ Glen Burnie, MD 16 October 2003
- Glory By Honor 2 @ Philadelphia, PA 20 September 2003
- Beating The Odds @ Wakefield, MA 6 September 2003
- Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies @ Fairfield, CT 16 August 2003
- Wrath of the Racket @ Dayton, OH 9 August 2003
- Death Before Dishonor @ Elizabeth, NJ 19 July 2003
- Wrestlerave '03 @ Philadelphia, PA 28 June 2003
- Night of the Grudges @ Cambridge, MA 14 June 2003
- Do or Die @ Philadelphia, PA 31 May 2003
- ROH/FWA Frontiers of Honor @ London, England 17 May 2003
- Round Robin Challenge II @ West Mifflin, PA 26 April 2003
- The Epic Encounter @ Philadelphia, PA 12 April 2003
- Night of the Champions @ Philadelphia, PA 22 March 2003
- Expect the Unexpected @ Cambridge, MA 13 March 2003
- One Year Anniversary Show @ Queens, NY 8 February 2003
- Revenge on the Prophecy @ West Mifflin, PA 11 January 2003
2002
- Final Battle 2002 @ Philadelphia, PA 28 December 2002
- Night of the Butcher @ Philadelphia, PA 7 December 2002
- Scramble Madness @ Wakefield, MA 16 November 2002
- All-Star Extravaganza @ Philadelphia, PA 9 November 2002
- Glory By Honor @ Philadelphia, PA 5 October 2002
- Unscripted @ Philadelphia, PA 21 September 2002
- Honor Invades Boston @ Wakefield, MA 24 August 2002
- Crowning a Champion @ Philadelphia, PA 27 July 2002
- Road to the Title @ Philadelphia, PA 22 June 2002
- Night of Appreciation @ Philadelphia, PA 27 April 2002
- The Round Robin Challenge @ Philadelphia, PA 30 March 2002
- The Era of Honor Begins @ Philadelphia, PA 23 February 2002
Specialty matches
- Round Robin Challenge
- 3 people/tag teams wrestle each other in three different matches, with the one(s) with the most victories winning the challenge (Christopher Daniels is the only person to win a Round Robin Challenge as all others have ended in a draw with each participant(s) winning one match) The "Round Robin" is a Japanese concept first started by AJPW with their Champion Carnival tour.
- Scramble Cage Match, and the Scramble Cage Melee
- Scramble Tag Match
- A multi-team match in which there is no tags made. Two wrestlers will start in the ring, when one wrestler leaves any wrestler from any team can enter the ring. The match is sudden death so the first person to score a pinfall or a submission will win the match for his/her team
- Four Corner Survival
- A match between four different singles wrestlers, with the tag format intact. The match is sudden death, where the first wrestler to score a pinfall or submission is declared the victor.
- Fight Without Honor
- This match does not require participants to adhere to the Code of Honor, and usually involves the use of weapons.
- Pure Wrestling Match
- Every wrestler has three rope breaks that he can use to break a pin or submission. Submission maneuvers that involve use of the ropes are legal after all three rope breaks are used. Closed fists are illegal. The first time a wrestler uses a closed fist he is given a warning. If he uses a closed fist again he loses one of his rope breaks. If the wrestler already used all of his rope breaks, and uses a closed fist, he is disqualified. There is a 20 seconds countout.
ROH wrestling school
The ROH promotion also runs a professional wrestling school called ROH Wrestling School in Bristol, PA. Its current head trainer is Austin Aries. One class of students have already graduated and currently wrestle on the US Independent Circuit. The second class, still in training, have begun to wrestle in preliminary and exhibition matches at Ring of Honor events.