Katsuyori Shibata has earned a shot at the ROH Men’s Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor after defeating Wheeler Yuta.
On the August 20 episode of ROH, Shibata forced Yuta to use two rope breaks and Yuta used another when he hit Shibata with a closed fist. Shibata used two ropes breaks before submitting Yuta with the Cobra Twist. Shibata last held the Pure title in 2023 when he dropped it to Yuta. Yuta is the only wrestler to hold the Pure title three times.
Following ROH tapings on Wednesday, PWInsider reported that McGuiness withdrew from the match. The match was originally slated to be Lee Moriarty defending his title against Nigel McGuinness. Since McGuinness has already lost to Moriarty twice, McGuinness added a stipulation. If he lost a third time, he would never wrestle in ROH again . During Thursday’s episode of ROH, a promo from McGuinness aired and he announced he wasn’t medically cleared to compete at Death Before Dishonor. His focus is now on fulfilling his dream to wrestle at Wembley Stadium. McGuinness suffered a reportedly worked ankle injury during the first round of the Continental Challenge Cup . He defeated Shibata to advance to the second round.
“You never know how life is gonna turn out.”
Plans have changed for @McGuinnessNigel, who has not been medically cleared to face Lee Moriarty tomorrow night at #ROHDBD.
Watch #ROH Duel to the Death Before Dishonor on #HonorClub at https://t.co/l79CE3gZbz pic.twitter.com/CitzIOMBDd
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) August 21, 2026
Moriarty surpassed McGuinness to become the longest-reigning Men’s Pure champion in ROH history and has held the title over 750 days. He defeated Yuta at Death Before Dishonor 2024 to start his record-breaking reign.
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