Ring of Honor is bringing back one of its former staples, the Pure championship! This is a championship that began its lineage with AJ Styles and CM Punk (see above) and finished its first iteration with Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness.
Ring of Honor announced this revival on its website, crediting NJPW Superstar Will Ospreay for his initial desire to revive the championship and the fan response was overwhelmingly in agreement. The new Cchampion will be determined via a tournament which will begin with first-round matches in Columbus Ohio and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
Ring of Honor is bringing back the Pure Championship!
A tournament to crown the first Pure Champion in nearly 14 years begins with first-round matches at Pure Excellence in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, April 10 and Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 11.
Tickets for both Pure Excellence shows go on sale Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. ET for HonorClub members and Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. ET for the general public.
The Pure Title was created in 2004. In matches contested under Pure rules, closed-first punches were illegal, and each competitor was allowed three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match; after that, pinfalls and submission holds on or under the ropes would be legal.
AJ Styles defeated CM Punk in a tournament final to become the first Pure Champion. The title subsequently was held by stars such as Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal and Nigel McGuinness. In August 2006, then-ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson defeated McGuinness to unify the titles.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Will Ospreay created a buzz Twitter recently when he expressed his love for the ROH Pure Championship and said it “would be cool if they brought it back with updated rules.”
The official ROH Twitter account replied by asking, “Should we bring it back?” and the response from fans was a resounding yes.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to witness history in the making in Columbus and Pittsburgh!
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING PRESENTS
PURE EXCELLENCE NIGHT 1
Columbus, OH
Express Live!
Friday, April 10 @ 7:30 pm (6 pm doors)PURE EXCELLENCE NIGHT 2
Pittsburgh, PA
Stage AE
Saturday, April 11 @ 7 pm (5:30 pm doors)
You can see Ring of Honor results in our results section.
