Andrew Vassos

In 2002, ROH was founded with several precepts in mind: sportsmanship, respect, and, of course, honor. These ideas were expressed in the Code of Honor and that code was embodied by a handshake that preceded and followed each match. Enter Christopher Daniels, the man who declared from day one that he would not follow such a code, that he rejected those ideals, and as he built a Prophecy around him, worked to decimate what the code stood for. Whether he was facing Bryan Danielson & Low Ki in the first ever main event or Samoa Joe in a World Title Challenge, Daniels denied the handshake with every fiber of his being. Yet with a forced absence and battles against the likes of Claudio Castagnoli and CM Punk, things changed...

2002 marked the birth of something special in professional wrestling, something that took the best wrestlers from across the country ,brought them all into one place, and allowed them to compete to the absolute best of their abilities. That something was Ring of Honor and this is a look at the bouts that started it all!

Tag Team Gauntlet Match 1. Human Tornado & Supa Badd vs. Charles Mercury & Top Gun Talwar vs. Disco Machine & Excalibur vs. Los Rojos Locos (Rojo 1 & 2) 2. Quicksilver vs. Joey Ryan 3. Brad Bradley & Babi Slymm vs. Apollo Kahn & Brandon Thomaselli 4. Josh Prohibition vs. Puma Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title Match 5. "The Future" Frankie Kazarian (c) vs. "Classic" Colt Cabana 6. Donovan Morgan vs. CM Punk 7. Super Dragon vs. Samoa Joe

Departure was a major professional wrestling event produced by Pro Wrestling Noah. The event took place on July 10, 2004 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, and marked Noah's first ever show in the arena. The main event was marketed as the culmination of the long running feud between former allies and tag team partners Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, then held by Kobashi. Beginning on Noah's very first show in 2000 and having spanned over four years since then, it marked the first time Akiyama and Kobashi had faced off in singles competition since August 6, 2000 where Akiyama won by referee stoppage.

Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigation Over the Date Line tour sails on, headlined by a GHC Heavyweight Title match between champion Kenta Kobashi and Yujii Nagata

Some of Ring of Honor's biggest feuds to date come to a head from the National Guard Armory in Cambridge, MA.

Paul London, Christopher Daniels, & The Amazing Red battle it out to see who reigns supreme in the second annual Round Robin Challenge. Retribution: Round Robin Challenge II was a wrestling event promoted by Ring of Honor. It took place on April 26, 2003 in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

Pro Wrestling NOAH's Navigate for Evolution tour continues, headlined by a tag team match between Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa

Ring of Honor closes out their first year with Final Battle on December 28, 2002 at the Murphy Recreational Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Night of Appreciation was a wrestling shows held by Ring of Honor. It took place on April 27, 2002 at the Murphy Recreational Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show was held in honor of Eddy Guerrero, who was making his second and final appearance before returning to World Wrestling Entertainment.