Friday night at ROH FinalBattle, Lee Moriarty issued an open challenge for his Pure Championship, Shane Taylor by his side. As the crowd looked on in anticipation, a familiar tune played through the speakers of the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom, and the longest-reigning Pure Champion in ROH history, Nigel McGuinness, answered the challenge, entering the ring for his third match since returning after more than a decade on the shelf at AEW AllIn.
After exchanging words with both Moriarty and Taylor, McGuinness announced the match would be under "old school rules," dismissing the judges sitting ringside (Jerry Lynn, Rocky Romero, and Christopher Daniels). Taylor and McGuinness were at odds throughout the match several minutes in, McGuinness made it sound as though Moriarty had hit him with an illegal closed fist; Taylor got on the mic and demanded that referee Paul Turner come down to help Mike Posey call the match. McGuinness nearly beat Moriarty on multiple occasions, but in the end, Moriarty made one of his personal heroes tap out to retain his title. Following the win, the men shook hands, and Moriarty raised McGuinness' hand (with his injured shoulder) in the air. The fans chanted "Thank You Nigel!" as he left the ring.
McGuinness made a surprise return to the ring at All In in Wembley Stadium back in August, competing in the Casino Gauntlet Match. He also had a match at "Dynamite: Grand Slam" to face his oldest rival, Bryan Danielson. He still hasn't won a match since making his comeback, but he did recently clear up misconceptions about his in-ring retirement.
