Ring Of Honor Bringing Back Pure Championship Title

By Joshua Gagnon

Ring of Honor is bringing back the ROH Pure Championship in April where the new champion will be determine via a tournament. The first night will take place in Columbus, Ohio, and the second will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Entrants have yet to be announce.

The title was first created in 2004 and then unified with the ROH World Championship in 2006 after Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) ended Nigel McGuinness' record 350-day reign. Other champions to hold the title: AJ Styles, Dough Williams, John Walters, Jay Lethal, and Samoa Joe.

Below is Ring of Honor's full announcement:

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-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.

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)

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