ROH is gearing up for a showcase of pure wrestling with their Pure Championship tournament. 13 participants were previously named, and now the final three have been revealed. The winner will be crowned the first Pure champion since the belt was retired in 2006.
On ROH Week by Week, Quinn McKay announced Fred Yehi, Delirious, and Silas Young to fill out the field.
. @QuinnMcKay reveals the 16 competitors signed to compete in the ROH Pure Title Tournament!
— ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) September 1, 2020
Who is your pick to win the ROH Pure Championship?? #ROHPure pic.twitter.com/Ey8T3b5HAv
That makes the 16-man tournament consist of:
- PJ Black
- Dalton Castle
- Delirious
- Tony Deppen
- David Finlay
- Jonathan Gresham
- Kenny King
- Jay Lethal
- Rocky Romero
- Matt Sydal
- Rust Taylor
- Tracy Williams
- Josh Woods
- Fred Yehi
- Silas Young
- Wheeler Yuta
Delirious is an odd choice to compete. I wouldn’t be surprised if he get disqualified for not following the unique rules about rope breaks and bans on closed-fist punches. Those nuances may be too difficult for him to grasp.
Fred Yehi and Silas Young are solid talents to round out the group. If Yehi had more tenure in ROH, then I would consider him on the short list for victory. As a newcomer, it would tough to pick him.
With the full field revealed, I’m still sticking with Jonathan Gresham to win it all. ROH media is pushing Jay Lethal as the top threat due to being a former Pure Championship holder. The brackets will be revealed next week, so it will be interesting to see if tag champs Lethal and Gresham have a clear path of each other until the finals. Same for tag partners Silas Young and Josh Woods.
The ROH Pure Championship tournament will begin airing the weekend of September 12. Check here for ROH channel listings in your area. Episodes will be posted on Mondays for Honor Club and Fite TV.
Which matchups would you like to see in the Pure Championship tournament?