AEW and Ring of Honor star Lee Moriarty welcomes Katsuyori Shibata's challenge for Pure Championship

Lee Moriarty, who stars in All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor, talks to OutKick about his championship reign and title defense at Death Before Dishonor.

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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Lee Moriarty is shown during Death Riders vs. The Infantry at AEW Collision in Youngstown, Ohio, on June 6, 2026. (Ricky Havlik/AEW)

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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