Back in April 2022, Samoa Joe captured the ROH World Television Championship from Minoru Suzuki and in the process, made the Japanese legend the second shortest-reigning ROH World TV champion in history at just 12 days. Since then, Joe has become one of the most dominant holders of the title in history with 17 successful defenses under his belt. But now, the former NXT Champion has earnt a brand new accolade.
As of November 2nd, 2023, Samoa Joe has become the single longest-reigning ROH World Television Champion in history at 568 days and counting. The record has been held for the past eight years by fellow AEW star Jay Lethal whose second reign with the title lasted 567 days. Lethal won the title at Supercard of Honor VIII in April 2014 by defeating Tommaso Ciampa and held it until October 2015’s Glory By Honor XIV where he was finally dethroned by Roderick Strong.
However, Lethal still maintains another TV title record over the current champion: Lethal remains the longest-combined reigning ROH World TV Champion ever at 798 days with the addition of his first reign with the belt, which lasted 231 days, between August 2011 and March 2012. Joe is currently the third-longest-combined reigning champion behind Lethal and now-WWE star Dragon Lee, whose two reigns with the belt between 2019 and 2021 lasted a combined 602 days. To beat this record, Joe would have to hold the title for another seven months as he would break it on the 19th of June 2024.
Alongside his successful ROH World TV title reign, Joe has been one of AEW’s most high-profile stars throughout 2023. Despite losing the AEW TNT Championship to Darby Allin just four days into the year, he went on to recapture the title a month later before losing it again to Wardlow shortly after. Joe also made it to the semi-final of the 2023 Men’s Owen Hart Cup and unsuccessfully challenged CM Punk for his ‘Real’ AEW World Championship as well as MJF for the legitimate AEW World Championship.