Joe Koff, the former Ring of Honor Chief Operating Officer during the Sinclair Broadcast Group era, has passed away at age 73 from cancer.
His death was announced by Major League Wrestling on social media, noting that Koff always led with honor, integrity, and a passion for the sport we all cherish.
“His legacy will live on in the hearts of everyone he inspired. Thank you, Joe, for your contributions and unwavering dedication to wrestling,” the MLW post continued.
Koff served as the Chief Operating Officer for ROH from September 2011 to May 2022 while he was the Senior Vice President of Training and Development at Sinclair Broadcast Group. He spent pretty much his whole adult life working in the television industry.
After ROH was sold to Tony Khan, Koff described his time with the promotion as “the journey of a lifetime” and thanked the fans, staff, and the brilliant athletes who made ROH special.
After news of his death was announced, AEW wrote, “The AEW & Ring of Honor Family, along with the wrestling world mourn the passing of Joe Koff. Our thoughts are with his family and his friends.”
WWE champion Cody Rhodes, who worked with Koff when he was in ROH, added, “Really great man that I learned a lot from and was always happy/lucky to be in his presence. All love to his family.”
