Yuji Nagata Announced For ROH Pure Championship Tournament

NJPW veteran Yuji Nagata is the latest name to be added to ROH’s Pure Championship tournament, which begins on April 10. It happens at the Pure Excellence event at Express Live in Columbus, Ohio. He joins a group that includes Doug Williams, Jonathan Gresham, Alex Shelley, Rocky Romero, Mark Haskins, Slex, Tracy Williams, Marty Scurll and Fred Yehi. Here’s a press release:

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.

Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata enters the Pure Championship Tournament looking to add to his already-lengthy Hall of Fame resume! “Blue Justice” has won just about every major accolade in professional wrestling but has specialized in tournament victories. He is the only man to have won New Japan’s G1 Climax, All Japan’s Champion Carnival, and Pro Wrestling Noah’s Global League and he has also twice won the New Japan Cup.

With nearly 30 years of experience, Nagata’s technical prowess has led him to defeat everyone from The Keiji Mutoh and Masa Chono to Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi, remaining one of the best in the world through all three decades of his career.

But one thing that has alluded Nagata is gold in the United States. Can Nagata do something he has done so well throughout his career; can this man, built for tournaments and endurance, win won more and capture the Pure Championship?

The road to the Pure Title starts in Columbus! Keep it locked into ROHWrestling.com for the announcement of all 16 competitors and first-round match-ups you will see in Columbus and Pittsburgh!

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

ROH PRESENTS PURE EXCELLENCE

NIGHT ONE
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020
BELL TIME: 7:30pm ET
EXPRESS LIVE!
COLUMBUS, OH

PURCHASE TICKETS

NIGHT TWO
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020
BELL TIME: 7:00pm ET
STAGE AE
PITTSBURGH, PA

PURCHASE TICKETS

ALREADY SIGNED TO COMPETE

DOUG WILLIAMS
JONATHAN GRESHAM
ALEX SHELLEY
ROCKY ROMERO
MARK HASKINS
SLEX
TRACY WILLIAMS
MARTY SCURLL
FRED YEHI
YUJI NAGATA