AEW World Champion Jon Moxley's stablemate answers former WWE star's challenge, wins impromptu title match
AEW star and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defended his title against a surprising name in answer to a challenge made via social media.
Yuta has reigned as the Pure Champion since ROH Supercard of Honor, where he defeated Josh Woods in the first event following Tony Khan's acquisition of the indie promotion. He has since defended the belt against Woods in a rematch, former WWE star Tony Nese, and Daniel Garcia at Death Before Dishonor.
Following his defense against Garcia, Stokely Hathaway threw out the idea that Yuta should defend the title under "slapboxing" rules. Hathaway declared it to be the "purest technique known to man".
While Stokely likely expected his challenge to be ignored, the Pure Champion and William Regal took time out to find the former Diamond Mine manager. They agreed to make things official and roped an AEW referee in to call the unorthodox Pure title defense.
ROH Pure Title Match: @WheelerYuta (c) vs. @StokelyHathaway twitter.com/stokelyhathawa… https://t.co/UB8YPARfrE
The ROH Pure title didn't change hands after Yuta connected with a slap that supposedly brought tears to Stokely's eyes, to which the referee made the count. Technically speaking, this was the former NXT star's first match since facing fellow AEW star Orange Cassidy in 2019.
AEW veteran William Regal dominated fan reactions to the title match
Despite the successful title defense, fans were more in awe at William Regal's reaction to the match-winning slap. The manager of The Blackpool Combat Club replied, "Ooh, he cooked him," when the champion struck his challenger, prompting many users like the one below to clip the off-the-cuff remark.
@StokelyHathaway @WheelerYuta Dying at this. https://t.co/gFoSXzLku1
Another user offered up 'bonus footage' in the form of a clip from the movie Friday starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker and former WWE Superstar Zeus.
@StokelyHathaway @WheelerYuta Official post match bonus footage: https://t.co/2PcfbbUtHN
@StokelyHathaway @WheelerYuta The suit was restricting your movement. Demand a rematch.
There were also calls for a rematch, as the user above explained that Stokely had not been wearing proper attire for the title clash.
Outside of challenging for the Pure title, Hathaway has made waves in AEW as the publicist for TBS Women's Champion Jade Cargill and her Baddies Section stable.
He appears to have his scouting head on again as he pursues a working relationship with Lee Moriarty. Moriarty will battle former mentor Matt Sydal on AEW Rampage - the last nail in the coffin for their alliance after Hathaway turned the prodigy's head with his initial offer.