Low Ki was the first ROH World Champion, winning the title at Crowning a Champion in 2002.
Ring of Honor introduced its world championship during its first year of operation. At the Crowning a Champion event on July 27, 2002, in Philadelphia, Low Ki defeated Christopher Daniels, Doug Williams and Spanky in a four-way 60-minute Iron Man match.
Low Ki finished with the most points and became the inaugural champion. The result helped establish ROH’s early identity as a promotion built around athletic, technically demanding matches and independent wrestling talent.
The championship was originally called the ROH Championship. It was renamed the ROH World Championship in 2006 after the title began being defended internationally. Samoa Joe later became one of its most recognized champions, but he was not the inaugural titleholder.