ROH Pure Championship
ROH Pure Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() The first design of the ROH Pure Championship belt (used from years 2004–2006; 2020–2023) | |||||||||||||||||||
Details | |||||||||||||||||||
Promotion | Ring of Honor (ROH) All Elite Wrestling (AEW) | ||||||||||||||||||
Date established | February 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||
Current champion(s) | Lee Moriarty | ||||||||||||||||||
Date won | July 26, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other name(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
|
The ROH Pure Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champion is Lee Moriarty in his first reign.
Pure wrestling rules
[edit]- Matches for the ROH Pure Championship are conducted under "Pure Wrestling Rules." As of 2023,[1] the rules are as follows:
- Each wrestler has three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls.
- After a wrestler exhausts his rope breaks, submission and pin attempts on or under the ropes by his opponent are considered legal.
- No closed-fist punches to the face permitted.
- Open-handed slaps or chops to the face are permitted.
- Punches to the rest of the body are allowed, excluding low blows.
- The first use of a closed fist to the face receives a warning.
- The second use of a closed fist to the face results in disqualification.
- The title can change hands via disqualification and countout.
- Outside interference will result in automatic termination from the roster for the wrestler that interferes.
- If a title match reaches its time limit without a winner being declared, the winner is decided by a panel of three judges.
History
[edit]The title was originally named the ROH Pure Wrestling Championship and A.J. Styles defeated CM Punk in the final of an eight-man, one night tournament to crown the first champion. The tournament took place at the Second Anniversary Show and also featured John Walters, Chris Sabin, Doug Williams, Matt Stryker, Josh Daniels and Jimmy Rave.[2]
Styles was forced to vacate the Pure Wrestling title in the wake of the Rob Feinstein controversy that resulted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) abruptly ending its talent-sharing agreement with ROH (pulling all of its contracted performers, including Styles, from all ROH shows). However, for almost ten years ROH considered the Pure Wrestling Championship and the Pure Championship two distinct titles—not a single title that was merely renamed/re-branded. There was no mention of Styles on ROH's website as having held the Pure Championship, and it was seldom, if ever, acknowledged in commentary that Styles held the previous version of the title or that it even existed until in January 2014, when ROH released a DVD about Styles, describing him as the first ROH Pure Champion.[3] Doug Williams would win the vacant title after he defeated Alex Shelley in the final of a one night mini-tournament at Reborn: Completion on July 17, 2004.[4]
Retirement
[edit]On April 29, 2006, Weekend of Champions: Night Two saw the first ever title vs. title match in Ring of Honor as ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson took on ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness. The match was contested under Pure title rules, but both the World and Pure titles were on the line. McGuinness won the bout by countout, but since only the Pure title could change hands on a countout, he did not win the ROH World Championship. The two faced each other again on August 12, 2006 in Liverpool, England, with Danielson defeating McGuinness to unify the ROH Pure Championship with the ROH World Championship.[5] Danielson and McGuinness competed in a rematch for the ROH World Championship later that month, wrestling to a one-hour draw. After the match, Danielson announced that the ROH Pure Championship had been officially retired, and gave the title belt back to McGuinness to keep.[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Aj_Styles_Smash_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg/150px-Aj_Styles_Smash_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Revival
[edit]On January 30, 2020, nearly 14 years after it was retired, Ring of Honor announced they were reinstating the ROH Pure Championship, with a tournament to crown a new champion beginning in 2020.[7] Following ROH taking a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a 16-man tournament was conducted in August 2020 to crown the new champion, which ultimately became Jonathan Gresham.[8]
Inaugural championship tournament (2004)
[edit]Tournament bracket
[edit]Quarterfinals ROH Wrestling tapings | Semifinals ROH Wrestling tapings | Finals ROH 2nd Anniversary Show February 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
A.J. Styles | 7:35 | |||||||||||||
Jimmy Rave | Pin | |||||||||||||
A.J. Styles | Pin | |||||||||||||
Matt Stryker | 20:46 | |||||||||||||
Matt Stryker | Sub | |||||||||||||
Josh Daniels | 8:29 | |||||||||||||
A.J. Styles | 16:37 | |||||||||||||
CM Punk | Pin | |||||||||||||
CM Punk | Pin | |||||||||||||
R. J. Brewer | 13:01 | |||||||||||||
CM Punk | Sub | |||||||||||||
Doug Williams | 10:44 | |||||||||||||
Chris Sabin | 8:18 | |||||||||||||
Doug Williams | Pin |
Belt designs
[edit]The Original ROH Pure title design (2004–2006; 2020–2023) is similar to the first design of the ROH World Championship from years 2002 to 2004 was with different wording in the middle center plate and slightly different middle and side plats with different shaping, wording and designs that are also slightly different from the first ROH World title design from 2002 to 2004 as well.[9][10]
On March 31, 2023, a new design of the championship belt debuted on Supercard of Honor, making it the second design in the title’s history.[11]
At ROH Supercard of Honor 2023, a new and second title design was revealed. The main plate is silver with the top saying "RING OF HONOR," a red text in the middle saying the word "PURE," and text on the bottom saying "WRESTLING CHAMPION." The side plates are also silver with the current Ring of Honor logo.
Reigns
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Lee_Moriarty_in_February_2024.jpg/173px-Lee_Moriarty_in_February_2024.jpg)
Overall, there have been 15 championship reigns between 13 different champions. The title has been vacated once. A.J. Styles was the inaugural champion, while Jonathan Gresham was the first champion upon the title's revival. Wheeler Yuta is the only champion to have more than one reign with the title, currently in his third reign. Nigel McGuinness had the longest reign at 350 days with 17 title defenses. Bryan Danielson had the shortest reign at less than a day since the title was decommissioned after being unified with the ROH World Championship.
Lee Moriarty is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Wheeler Yuta at Death Before Dishonor on July 26, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.
Names
[edit]Name | Years |
---|---|
ROH Pure Wrestling Championship | 2004 |
ROH Pure Championship | 2004 – present |
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Defenses | Number of successful defenses |
<1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
+ | Current reign is changing daily |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Defenses | ||||
1 | A.J Styles | February 14, 2004 | Second Anniversary Show | Braintree, MA | 1 | 70 | 1 | Defeated CM Punk in the ROH Pure Championship tournament finals to become the inaugural champion. | [12][2][13][14] |
— | Vacated | April 24, 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated when Styles was pulled from all ROH shows by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling following the Rob Feinstein controversy. | [12][2] |
2 | Doug Williams | July 17, 2004 | Reborn: Completion | Elizabeth, NJ | 1 | 42 | 3 | Defeated Alex Shelley in a tournament final. | [15][16] |
3 | John Walters | August 28, 2004 | Scramble Cage Melee | Elizabeth, NJ | 1 | 189 | 6 | [17] | |
4 | Jay Lethal | March 5, 2005 | Trios Tournament 2005 | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 63 | 2 | [18][19] | |
5 | Samoa Joe | May 7, 2005 | Manhattan Mayhem I | New York, NY | 1 | 112 | 6 | [20] | |
6 | Nigel McGuinness | August 27, 2005 | Dragon Gate Invasion | Buffalo, NY | 1 | 350 | 17 | [21] | |
7 | Bryan Danielson | August 12, 2006 | Unified | Liverpool, England | 1 | <1 | 0 | This was a title unification match with Danielson's ROH World Championship on the line. | [22] |
— | Unified | August 12, 2006 | Unified | Liverpool, England | — | — | — | Title was deactivated sometime after it unified with the ROH World Championship. | [23] |
8 | Jonathan Gresham | October 30, 2020 | Ring of Honor Wrestling | Baltimore, MD | 1 | 317 | 7 | Defeated Tracy Williams in the final of a tournament to crown a new champion for the revived title. | [24] |
9 | Josh Woods | September 12, 2021 | Death Before Dishonor XVIII | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 201 | 5 | During this reign, Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor. | [25] |
10 | Wheeler Yuta | April 1, 2022 | Supercard of Honor XV | Garland, TX | 1 | 159 | 3 | [26] | |
11 | Daniel Garcia | September 7, 2022 | Dynamite | Buffalo, NY | 1 | 94 | 2 | This was an All Elite Wrestling event. | [27] |
12 | Wheeler Yuta | December 10, 2022 | Final Battle | Arlington, TX | 2 | 111 | 4 | [28] | |
13 | Katsuyori Shibata | March 31, 2023 | Supercard of Honor | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | 239 | 5 | [29] | |
14 | Wheeler Yuta | November 25, 2023 | Rampage | Pittsburgh, PA | 3 | 244 | 3 | This was an All Elite Wrestling event. | [30] |
15 | Lee Moriarty | July 26, 2024 | Death Before Dishonor | Arlington, TX | 1 | 23+ | 0 | [31] |
Combined reigns
[edit]As of August 18, 2024.
† | Indicates the current champion |
---|
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined defenses |
Combined days |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wheeler Yuta | 3 | 10 | 514 |
2 | Nigel McGuinness | 1 | 17 | 350 |
3 | Jonathan Gresham | 1 | 7 | 317 |
4 | Katsuyori Shibata | 1 | 5 | 239 |
5 | Josh Woods | 1 | 5 | 201 |
6 | John Walters | 1 | 6 | 189 |
7 | Samoa Joe | 1 | 6 | 112 |
8 | Daniel Garcia | 1 | 2 | 94 |
9 | A.J. Styles | 1 | 1 | 70 |
10 | Jay Lethal | 1 | 2 | 63 |
11 | Doug Williams | 1 | 3 | 42 |
12 | Lee Moriarty † | 1 | 0 | 23+ |
13 | Bryan Danielson | 1 | 0 | <1 |
References
[edit]- ^ "ROH Wrestling Pure Rules Clarified". Archived from the original on 2023-02-26.
- ^ a b c "ROH official event results". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ "AJ Styles: Styles Clash (2 Disc Set)". Ring of Honor.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 17, 2004). "ROH Reborn: Completion". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 12, 2006). "ROH Unified". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ r/SquaredCircle, snowshoeBBQ. "Why did ROH retire the Pure Championship?". Reddit.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ROH Reviving Pure Championship - 411 Mania.com
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 23, 2020). "ROH Wrestling #476". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Unknown, AimarEraFutebol. "Unboxing ROH Pure Championship Belt with Marty Scurll". Reddit.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ Scurll, Marty. "Unboxing ROH Pure Championship Belt with Marty Scurll". Www.youtube.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (April 1, 2023). "New ROH Title Designs Revealed At Supercard of Honor". 411Mania. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Burkett, Harry, ed. (June 2007). "ROH Pure Title". PWI 2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of facts. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania: London Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 978-25274-00389.
- ^ "ROH Pure Championship history". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (February 14, 2004). "ROH Second Anniversary Show". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 17, 2004). "ROH Reborn: Completion". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "ROH Pure Championship official title history". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on March 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 28, 2004). "ROH Scramble Cage Melee". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 5, 2005). "ROH Trios Tournament". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (March 5, 2017). "Daily Pro Wrestling History (03/05): The Hardy Boyz win WWF tag team gold". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 7, 2005). "ROH Manhattan Mayhem". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 27, 2005). "ROH Dragon Gate Invasion". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 12, 2006). "ROH Unified". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ r/SquaredCircle, snowshoeBBQ. "Why did ROH retire the Pure Championship?". Reddit.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 23, 2020). "ROH Wrestling #476". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (September 13, 2021). "9/12 ROH Death Before Dishonor results: Powell's review of Bandido vs. Brody King vs. EC3 vs. Demonic Flamita in an elimination match for the ROH World Championship, Jonathan Gresham vs. Josh Woods for the ROH Pure Title, Miranda Alize vs. Rok-C to become the first ROH Women's World Champion". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 1, 2022). "4/1 ROH Supercard of Honor results: Powell's live review of Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham for the undisputed ROH Championship, The Briscoes vs. FTR for the ROH Tag Titles, Rhett Titus vs. Minoru Suzuki for the ROH TV Title, Josh Woods vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (September 8, 2022). "9/7 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Tony Khan addressing the status of the AEW World Championship and AEW Trios Titles, MJF's return promo, Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure Rules Title, Death Triangle vs. Best Friends, Interim AEW Women's Champ Toni Storm vs. Penelope Ford in an eliminator match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (December 10, 2022). "ROH Final Battle results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a Double Dog Collar match for the ROH Tag Team Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena for the ROH Women's Title, Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Rules Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (March 31, 2023). "ROH Supercard of Honor results: Powell's live review of Reach For The Sky ladder match for the vacant ROH Tag Titles, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston for the ROH Championship, Athena vs. Yuka Sakazaki for the ROH Women's Championship, El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Komander for the AAA Mega Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH TV Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (November 25, 2023). "Wheeler Yuta Defeats Katsuyori Shibata For ROH Pure Title On 11/25 AEW Rampage". Fightful. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ PRITCHARD, BILL. "Lee Moriarty Wins ROH Pure Championship At Death Before Dishonor". Wrestlezone.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
[edit]- ROH Pure Title History at Cagematch.net