ROH bringing back Pure title, tournament to begin in April

After being dormant for more than a decade, the Ring of Honor Pure Championship is making its return.

ROH announced today that a tournament to crown their first Pure Champion since 2006 will begin at Pure Excellence night one in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, April 10. First-round matches will also take place at Pure Excellence night two in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 11.

Pure title matches featured rules where “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 title hasn’t been in use since Bryan Danielson defeated Nigel McGuinness in a match to unify the ROH World and Pure championships in 2006. AJ Styles, Doug Williams, John Walters, Jay Lethal, and Samoa Joe also held the Pure title during its existence.

The return of the Pure title was first teased by ROH when they responded to a tweet where Will Ospreay called it one of his favorite titles in wrestling. Ospreay wrote earlier this month: “Bored. What’s one of your favourite titles in wrestling? Gonna go for an underrated one for me, I loved the ROH Pure Championship. Things kinda different now but I love the design of it and the rules that went with it. Be cool if they bought it back with updated rules.”

Pure Excellence night one is taking place at Express Live in Columbus, while night two is being held at Stage AE in Pittsburgh. Tickets for both shows will go on sale to HonorClub members next Wednesday (February 5) at 10 a.m. Eastern time and to the general public at 10 a.m. Eastern next Friday (February 7).

ROH hasn’t revealed the participants for the tournament or announced when the Pure Champion will be crowned.