ROH Survival of the Fittest 2005: Roderick Strong
2005’s tournament winner was Roderick Strong. Strong defeated Jerrelle Clark in his qualifying match of the tournament. He would go on to defeat Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, Colt Cabana, Jay Lethal, and Samoa Joe in the 2005 tournament finals. Strong would get his championship at ROH This Means War against ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson. Danielson would defeat Strong in 37:09. However, Strong would eventually win the ROH World Championship at ROH Glory by Honor IX by defeating Tyler Black. He would hold the belt for 189 days, dropping it to Eddie Edwards at ROH Manhattan Mayhem IV.
In 2016, Strong would sign with World Wrestling Entertainment and be assigned to the WWE NXT brand. For the first two years of his NXT stint, Strong would portray a bland babyface in his pursuit for the NXT Championship. In 2018, Strong would join forces with former ROH World Champion (and former ROH World Tag Team Champions) Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish. Strong would go on to become a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion with O’Reilly and Fish, as well as an NXT North American Champion.
Strong is currently signed and performing under the WWE NXT brand as a singles competitor.
