Ring of Honor announced two more participants for their upcoming tournaments.
First, Rocky Romero has been added to the ROH Pure Title tournament. Romero is the fourth participant announced, joining Alex Shelley, Jonathan Gresham, and Doug Williams. The tournament will begin on Apr. 10.
The tournament to crown the first Ring of Honor Pure Champion since 2006 begins at Pure Excellence on Friday, April 10 in Columbus and Saturday, April 11 in Pittsburgh. Sixteen entrants representing at least six countries will battle to put their names alongside Jay Lethal, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson, and other ROH forefathers who fought by the Pure Rules. The rules gave a distinct flavor to each Pure Rules match: closed-fist 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.
The first man to hold Championships in Ring of Honor, New Japan, and CMLL returns to ROH to do something he has never done in his nearly 20+ year career that has taken him all around the world and then some: compete in a Pure Rules match in a ROH ring. And for Rocky Romero, the Pure Championship represents an opportunity to do something else he has never done in ROH: win a singles ROH Championship!
By 2005, Rocky Romero, then at the age of 23, had already held titles in ROH, New Japan, and CMLL and was one-half of the then-longest reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions of all-time, The Havana Pitbulls. Since then, Romero has captured both the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight singles and Tag Team Championships, breaking the record for most reigns as one half of the latter.
Romero has been a fixture in ROH, whether it has been with Ricky Reyes, Alex Koslov, or Beretta for almost the entirety of ROH’s existence and his blend of United States, Mexican, European, and Japanese styles make him one of the most difficult wrestlers in the world for which to game plan. But Romero has not yet competed in a Pure Rules wrestling match inside a ROH, a rare missing achievement in a career that is already on a Hall of Fame trajectory!
Elsewhere, Nicole Savoy has joined the ROH Women's Title tournament. Angelina Love, Sumie Sakai, and Kellyanne were previously announced competitors for the tournament. The tournament will begin on Apr. 24.
Nicole Savoy holds the record for the longest reign as Shimmer Champion in the 13-year history of the prestigious title. Now she is looking to start a new reign as Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion.
Savoy is one of 16 competitors in the tournament to crown a new women’s champion in ROH. The tournament kicks off with eight first-round matches at Quest For Gold in Philadelphia on April 24.
Savoy, a nine-year veteran who held the Shimmer Title for 721 days from 2017-2019, has made a strong impression in her short time with ROH. In her debut match at Final Battle Fallout in December, she defeated former Women of Honor World Champion Sumie Sakai.
Aptly nicknamed “The Queen of Suplexes,” Savoy has a background in Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. When she was Shimmer Champion, Savoy successfully defended the title against the likes of Mercedes Martinez, Deonna Purrazzo, Britt Baker, Cheerleader Melissa, LuFisto, and Kimber Lee, among others.
With her in-ring ability and big-match experience, Savoy figures to be a tough out in the tournament.
