Lee Moriarty has already made a dent in the Ring of Honor (ROH) history books, and at Death Before Dishonor on Friday, he’s looking for more.
The Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star will defend the Ring of Honor Pure Championship against Katsuyori Shibata at the legendary 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Shibata won a No. 1 contender match on Thursday over Wheeler Yuta to earn the spot in the match after Nigel McGuinness was forced to pull out due to an injury.
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Moriarty’s reign, at 755-plus days, is the longest in history. He beat Yuta for the title in July 2024 at Death Before Dishonor. He told OutKick in a recent interview that his lengthy reign as the pure champion has proven that he can out wrestle anyone he’s up against.
“Me having this championship for over two years is a very big deal because I’m now the longest reigning Ring of Honor men’s pure champion of all time,” he said. “And I think what it says about me is the fact that my style is so versatile that I can out wrestle any form of competitor. I’ve out wrestled Blue Panther. I’ve out wrestled Nigel McGuinness. I’ve out wrestled guys like AR Fox, who’s a former Ring of Honor television champion. So, any style you put me in the ring against, I can figure out the puzzle to overcome them and defend this championship.”
Shibata comes into the match with a slight advantage.
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He defeated Moriarty in a singles match on AEW “Collision” back in April 2024 and ended Moriarty’s first reign as pure champion in May 2023 on AEW “Rampage.”
Moriarty is well aware of the history between them.
“Yeah, going from Nigel McGuinness, who’s someone I looked up to coming in wrestling, to another guy I looked up to in Katsuyori Shibata, but there’s still very different challenges,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting adaption for me, especially because I didn’t know I was fighting Shibata until last night when we found out Nigel wasn’t medically clear and Shibata won the No. 1 contender match.
“But I’ve never beaten Katsuyori Shibata in a singles match. We’ve had two. And I haven’t figured it out, but now the stakes are higher than they ever been. And like I said before, when this title’s on the line, I can out wrestle anybody and that includes the wrestler in Katsuyori Shibata.”
Moriarty was in high spirits when he spoke to OutKick hours before Death Before Dishonor’s first bell rang. It might have been because he was feeling a bit at home.
Though Moriarty is from Pittsburgh, he has no ill will toward the city of Philadelphia. In fact, the opposite. It’s all love thanks to just being back in Pennsylvania.
“I mean, for me, I know there’s a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philly, but it’s all Pennsylvania, so it’s home to me and it’s a distant home, but it’s a home,” he said. “So, and Philly has always been good to me. Like I was here last year to defend this title against Xelhua and the fans just gave me that energy that I was talking about earlier to help me pull through and get the victory and tonight I’m hoping for the same thing and it’s going to be really sweet.”
It’s the second straight year Death Before Dishonor will take place at the 2300 Arena. Fans who cannot make the trip can tune into ROH TV.
But for those who are making the drive to the City of Brotherly Love and might be watching Ring of Honor for the first time, Moriarty suggested they were in for a treat.
“I think you can expect a lot of high energy and passion from the people there in Ring of Honor,” he said. “Obviously, the 2300 Arena is famous. Ring of Honor is famous in this area, in the Northeast. And then this generation of Ring of Honor is a lot of the young talent mixed with the veteran talent, experienced names like my opponent tonight and Katsuyori Shibata.
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“So, it’s going to be a very cool experience, especially for people who are there for the first time. It’s a more intimate setting than you may be used to for larger promotions. And you’re going to feel the rumblings under your feet from the cheering. You might catch a wrestler in your lap on a dive. I don’t know. Just be prepared and have fun.”
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