Jay Lethal and Tony Deppen Announced for ROH Pure Title Tournament

– ROH Wrestling has announced that former ROH World and Pure champion Jay Lethal is joining the upcoming revival of the Pure Wrestling Championship. He will be taking part in the 16-man tournament that kicks off at Pure Excellence on Friday, April 10 in Columbus and Saturday, April 11 in Pittsburgh. You can check out that announcement below.

ROH PURE TITLE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT: JAY LETHAL

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 16th and final competitor in the tournament to crown the Pure Champion is the second entrant to have previously held the Championship previously, “The Franchise” Jay Lethal.

Lethal holds the records for most days as ROH World and Television Champion as well as the longest single reign of the ROH World Television Championship. As of press time, Lethal is one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions and will look to become a dual champion for the second time. Should Lethal win the tournament, he would become the first-ever two-time Pure Champion and would need 288 days as Champion in order to hold the record for most days held for every singles Championship in ROH history.

Lethal already has arguably the greatest resume in Ring of Honor history, but could put the Greatest Wrestler in Ring of Honor History discussion on ice with a win and a record-breaking reign.

Can Lethal climb to the top of the Pure mountain once more?

Another name was confirmed for the tournament lineup today in Tony Deppened, which you can also see below.

ROH PURE TITLE TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT: TONY DEPPEN

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.

ROH has been the breeding ground for talented mat grapplers since its inception. While some, like Josh Woods, are great amateur wrestlers that have limited pro experience but clearly have what it takes to jump into the pro ranks, others are experienced independent stars that have honed their striking and submissions before getting their opportunity to show it on an international stage like former ROH World Champion Kyle O’Reilly and Tracy Williams.

Tony Deppen falls into the latter category. A young man with many years experience, Deppen’s growth accelerated in 2019 and into 2020, competing in top independent organizations like Beyond, Game Changer Wrestling, PWG, and Chikara. Deppen has begun to compete internationally and is an amateur and submission expert.

Deppen’s ROH debut comes in this tournament and is one of the most highly-touted free agents in the world. Deppen could not only capture the Pure Championship but negotiate himself an even bigger money contract should he capture the title!

Join us live in Columbus or Pittsburgh, or streaming for HonorClub, to see history in the making at Pure Excellence!