Wrestling is a profession that will often lead to people being taken well before their time, as is the case over and over again. This continues with John ‘Xavier’ Jirus, who has tragically passed away at just 43 years old. The cause of death is currently unknown.
Xavier Is The Forgotten Ring Of Honor Champion
Xavier was a former Ring Of Honor champion, the second man to hold the championship in the early days of the company, a reign that is often forgotten to time. He would defeat Low Ki to win the title back in 2002 at ROH Unscripted, and would hold it for 182 days.
Over his reign, he managed four defenses, one against Jay Briscoe, one against AJ Styles, and two against Paul London. His reign would end at the end of Samoa Joe, with the change occuring at ROH Night Of Champions in 2003. Joe would go on to hold the title for a staggering 645 days, the first truly epic reign in the titles history.
Xavier would be gone from ROH by 2004, and all but retire by 2011. He had one match in 2016 with Indigo Child for ICW No Hold Barred, but that would be his final time in the ring.
He Was Set To Return To Ring Of Honor
Earlier this year, ROH had a ‘past vs. future’ show planned for their 19th anniversary weekend, with one planned match being Xavier vs. Jay Lethal. Promos were filmed, but the show would be cancelled due to COVID-19.
This likely would have led to Xavier getting more dates with the company, as a returning legend looking to remake his name in the later years of his career. Sadly, we will truly never know what could have happened.
We here at The Overtimer send our best wishes to the family and friends of Xavier in these hard times. He left behind a great legacy in professional wrestling, and will be missed.
What are some of your favorite matches or moments from the career of Xavier? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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