Former Pure Champion Doug Williams is confirmed as the first participant for the upcoming tournament to crown a new champion.
The 47-year-old first won the belt back in 2004 by defeating Jay Lethal, Nigel McGuinness, John Walters, and Alex Shelley in a single night tournament to crown the second champion after AJ Styles was forced to vacate the belt.
Williams didn’t keep the championship for long, as he successfully defended the title against Alex Shelley and Austin Aries before dropping the belt to John Walters in a 42-day title reign. While the England native would move on from ROH a short time later, there’s no doubt that Williams is hoping to wipe away his short title reign by winning the championship and keeping it for a lengthy period of time.
Thus far, Williams is the first out of 16 competitors confirmed for the upcoming tournament on April 10. ROH will continue to announce new participants daily, so it shouldn’t take long for the next talent to be revealed. Williams will step into an ROH ring for the first time in five years at Past vs. Present, where he’ll take on Jonathan Gresham.