ROH to return with new shows in August and a focus on the Pure Championship

Ring of Honor is back!

ROH has been out of action since their Gateway of Honor show on February 29, 2020. They have played it safe by canceling all events up to this point during the coronavirus pandemic. ROH announced today (Aug. 11, 2020) that they will be back filming new shows this month.

With the safety and health of talents, staff and production crew at the forefront, Ring of Honor Wrestling will return to producing new episodes of the “Ring of Honor Wrestling” television program this August 2020 in the home state of Maryland.

ROH will adhere to a very stringent protocol as well as the regulations set in place by the Maryland State Athletic Commission. ROH will be instituting the necessary testing and safety measures in a continued effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There will be no fans or staff who are not essential to the production present during these events.

“Taking care of our people during this difficult time has been and still is our No. 1 priority,” ROH Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff said. “That’s why we have spent many weeks working alongside the Maryland State commission in gearing towards our return to producing wrestling action. The strictest of protocols, testing and measures will be in place to assure us of this directive.”

Ring of Honor’s last events were the cancelled 18th Anniversary and Past vs Present shows in Las Vegas last March 13th and 14th. Since then, the company has opted to cease taping operations until there was a safe way to resume. These new tapings will pick up right where ROH left off with a focus on the ROH Pure Title Tournament, which had been originally scheduled for April.

The hot button issue will be what ROH does with Marty Scurll upon return. He is under investigation by ROH for accusations in the #SpeakingOut movement. Scurll was their biggest star and also the bookerman. He was involved in two major storylines. One was a crossover feud with Nick Aldis in the NWA. The other was as leader of Villain Enterprises against Rush and Los Ingobernables. ROH may be cutting both angles, as evidenced by Brody King’s promo declaring his desire to roll solo.

Scurll was one of the previously listed participants for the Pure Championship tournament as well. The Pure Championship is focused on grappling with unique rules. There are no closed-fist punches, and a competitor has only three rope breaks. Before postponement, the field included:

• Doug Williams
• Jonathan Gresham
• Alex Shelley
• Rocky Romero
• Mark Haskins
• Slex
• Tracy Williams
• Marty Scurll
• Fred Yehi
• Yuji Nagata
• Joe Hendry
• Dalton Castle
• Ren Narita
• Josh Woods
• Tony Deppen
• Jay Lethal

Expect that group to either be pared down due to travel restrictions for foreign wrestlers or have several substitutions to keep the field at 16.

ROH will have plenty of material to mine if they decide on holding Scurll out of the ring. As mentioned in the press release, the Pure tournament will be a primary focus. There was also a women’s tournament on tap to crown a new champ before the pandemic hit. Rush will have no shortage of challengers for the ROH World Championship. Rush won the belt back from PCO with timely interference from Nick Aldis at Gateway of Honor. A trilogy rematch could be in play. Flip Gordon earned a #1 contender spot at the top strap after winning a battle royal. Shane Taylor has been talking about moving up to compete for Rush’s gold.

Are you excited for the return of ROH? Assuming Marty Scurll remains with ROH, what would be the best way to handle his return to the screen?