Joseph Koff (February 20, 1951 – October 15, 2024)[1] was an American professional wrestling personality. He is best known for his role with the promotionRing of Honor, where he worked as chief operating officer.[2]
Koff began to work in television in 1980 after departing the general manager job atKRUX radio in Phoenix for a sales position atKTVK.[3] Despite the promotion offering a full-time job, he decided to stay in television. He worked as a general sales manager atWFLX inWest Palm Beach, Florida, until 1989[4] and general manager at several stations owned by ABRY Communications:WNUV in Baltimore (1989–1995),WSTR-TV in Cincinnati (1995[5]–1996[6]), andWXLV-TV inWinston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as president and COO ofMuzak in the early 2000s.[7]
In 2003 he began to work withSinclair Broadcast Group, where he became the senior vice president of training and development. He suggested Sinclair enter pro wrestling and proposed Ring of Honor. Koff was familiar with wrestling: he was the television distributor forChampionship Wrestling from Florida's Battle of the Belts specials.[8] On May 21, 2011, Sinclair purchased the professional wrestling promotionRing of Honor, and ROH's programming began airing on September 24, 2011.[9] Koff worked for Ring of Honor as chief operating officer until May 2022, after ROH was sold toTony Khan.[10]Cary Silkin, who sold Ring of Honor to Sinclair, credited Koff with keeping ROH alive on multiple occasions during Sinclair's ownership of the promotion.[11]
Koff died from cancer on October 15, 2024, at the age of 73.[1][12][13] After his death, Tony Khan paid tribute to him during the Ring of Honor tapings.[14] Sinclair won a television station permit inSyracuse, New York, in 2022. The station, which signed on in July 2025 asWKOF, received itscall sign in Koff's memory.[15][16][17]
^Kiesewetter, John (March 11, 1996)."Channel 64 news".The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. C3. RetrievedDecember 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pettibon, Sula (January 31, 2001)."Muzak growing by leaps and bounds".The Herald. Rock Hill, South Carolina. p. 4D. RetrievedDecember 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
