CAGEMATCH » Titles Database » ROH Pure Championship

ROH Pure Championship

Active title

Current name:

Status:

active

Names:

ROH Pure Championship (since xx.06.2004)
ROH Pure Wrestling Championship (14.02.2004 - xx.06.2004)

Promotions:

Ring Of Honor (31.10.2020 - today)
Ring Of Honor (14.02.2004 - 12.08.2006)

Description

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Title Holders

#15
Lee Moriarty
26.07.2024 - today (815 days)
Matches
Arlington, Texas, USA

#14
Wheeler Yuta (3)
25.11.2023 - 26.07.2024 (244 days)
Matches
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

#13
Katsuyori Shibata
31.03.2023 - 25.11.2023 (239 days)
Matches
Los Angeles, California, USA

#12
Wheeler Yuta (2)
10.12.2022 - 31.03.2023 (111 days)
Matches
Arlington, Texas, USA

#11
Daniel Garcia
07.09.2022 - 10.12.2022 (94 days)
Matches
Buffalo, New York, USA

#10
Wheeler Yuta
01.04.2022 - 07.09.2022 (159 days)
Matches
Garland, Texas, USA

#9
Josh Woods
12.09.2021 - 01.04.2022 (201 days)
Matches
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

#8
Jonathan Gresham
30.10.2020 - 12.09.2021 (317 days)
Matches
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

VACANT
12.08.2006 - 30.10.2020 (5193 days)

#7
Bryan Danielson
12.08.2006 - 12.08.2006 (<1 day)
Matches
Liverpool, England, UK

#6
Nigel McGuinness
27.08.2005 - 12.08.2006 (350 days)
Matches
Williamsville, New York, USA

#5
Samoa Joe
07.05.2005 - 27.08.2005 (112 days)
Matches
New York City, New York, USA

#4
Jay Lethal
05.03.2005 - 07.05.2005 (63 days)
Matches
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

#3
John Walters
28.08.2004 - 05.03.2005 (189 days)
Matches
Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

#2
Doug Williams
17.07.2004 - 28.08.2004 (42 days)
Matches
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

VACANT
22.05.2004 - 17.07.2004 (56 days)

#1
AJ Styles
14.02.2004 - 22.05.2004 (98 days)
Matches
Braintree, Massachussetts, USA

8.82

Current Total Rating (?)

Valid votes: 95

Number of comments: 15

10.0

39x

9.0

21x

8.0

24x

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

Average rating: 8.85 [95]

Average rating in 2026: 9.17 [6]

Average rating in 2025: 8.77 [13]

Average rating in 2024: 8.00 [7]

Average rating in 2023: 8.64 [11]

Average rating in 2022: 9.13 [8]

Average rating in 2021: 7.75 [4]

Average rating in 2020: 8.50 [2]

Average rating in 2019: 7.00 [1]

Average rating in 2017: 8.67 [6]

Average rating in 2016: 8.00 [1]

Average rating in 2015: 9.80 [5]

Average rating in 2014: 10.00 [1]

Average rating in 2013: 8.00 [1]

Average rating in 2011: 10.00 [2]

Average rating in 2010: 9.50 [4]

Average rating in 2008: 9.00 [4]

Average rating in 2007: 9.05 [19]

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Latest comments of the CAGEMATCH inmates

JonahBlack wrote on 29.10.2025:

[6.0] "This is a cool idea for a title, and it has a storied past, but since it's return in 2020 the matches have just been kind of dull. There's a formula to them, and they don't really vary. Johnson's matches with Blue Panther and Xelhua showed that some llave influence could liven things up, but until something like that happens with more frequency this title won't carry much weight for me."

ItsAllAWorkAnyway wrote on 14.10.2025:

[6.0] "The legacy of the title is sort of diminished by its irregular activity, but the ROH Pure Title acts as a device which both elevates technical wrestlers while giving the card a match that will help with the crowd's flow of energy. Many of the champions are either your favorite wrestlers (like AJ Styles and Bryan Danielson) or your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler (like Jonathan Gresham and Wheeler Yuta.) The casual wrestling fan won't understand the big deal of the Pure Title, but the diehards do and that's ultimately all that matters."

Moose Nugget wrote on 29.01.2024:

[6.0] "The Pure Rules matches are always interesting, and I wish the promotion would have just adapted the rules for all their matches instead of just doing it for this title alone. In fact its weird because its not like there was ever a "pure" division in Ring of Honor. I don't think the booking has been all that great since Tony bought the promotion, though the matches are more of the exciting ones in ROH."

charliefiction wrote on 03.10.2023:

[8.0] "The wrestlers who've held this title are all "students of the sport" and deserving champions. The stipulations for ROH Pure Title matches are a novel concept, and I applaud ROH for coming up with the concept. I wish they'd return to the 15-min time limit stipulation, as well (I think it worked really well in building urgency within the match, and it gave us a third possible outcome - a draw - which leads to the judge's panel). But, overall, I think this a good concept and it's fun to watch technical wrestlers build new spots and submissions inside the parameters of the format."

cibar12 wrote on 21.04.2023:

[6.0] "Im not really fun of this title concept. Dont like those extra rules, matches for this title never exited me that much. Amazing to se Shibata back in ring tho"

crs285 wrote on 03.04.2023:

[8.0] "Pure championship rules might be a little weird at first but creates good matches and a unique feel for them. A lot of talented guys have built up the title's prestige. Definitely caters to a more technical fan base but that is part of the uniqueness."

medouse wrote on 19.05.2021:

[5.0] "Very unique championship. It's history began in 2004, however since 2006 it hasn't been used for 14 years, unitl late 2020. Title matches have usually a specific rules - mostly grappling and classical wrestling, rope break limit and no weapons. I don't know why they brought it back, because it's not very exciting anymore. Wrestling changed over the years and I think this "pure" wrestling is very old-school and for grappling enthusiasts."

ChopChopChop wrote on 08.08.2020:

[7.0] "It might not have been for everybody but it brought an incredible freshness to the concept of the secondary title."

zephyr wrote on 23.09.2019:

[7.0] "At the time, the Pure title seemed kind of strange but looking back now, it was held by the absolute elite of RoH during its golden era and made for some excellent title matches."

Jamesrah wrote on 07.10.2017:

[6.0] "I think this title is remembered a bit more fondly than it should be. The idea of the Pure title was fine, and it was kind of cool to have a secondary title with a unique set of rules to distinguish it from the World title. But really prior to Nigel, it was not over at all. Nigel with the belt was great, as he made excellent use of the rules, but I chalk that more up to Nigel being awesome than the belt itself. It would have been interesting to see what other wrestlers might have done after Nigel set the standard for the pure title, but unfortunately nobody got the chance."

Cheker wrote on 14.02.2017:

[10.0] "I loved this title and its concept. I honestly cannot think of a single bad match I've seen for it. Someone should try to do something similar one of these days, not necessarily ROH."