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Wrestling’s Ring of Honor world championship to be held in Israel

The championship battle, or “Passover Bash,” will take place in the coastal city of Netanya, hosted by the Berale Club.

By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News

It isn’t every day that a premier wrestling organization comes to Israel. Yet on April 21, the Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling championship will be defended in the Jewish state for the first time.

“It is amazing to work with ROH, actually having them support us and approve the ROH title to be defended in the Holy Land at IPWA Passover Bash on April 21,” Gery Roif, founder of the Israeli Pro Wrestling Association (IPWA), said. “[American professional wrestler] Jay Lethal even filmed an amazing promo towards the show for us, and we are very grateful.”

The championship battle will be held in the coastal city of Netanya, hosted by the Berale Club.

“I hope the show is a success both ring-wise and production-wise so I can produce more shows like this and bring more top-notch talent for future events,” Roif said.

The ROH title battle will feature a duel between two-time champion Lethal squaring off against David Starr. Starr, who is Jewish, is known to be one of the top independent wrestlers in America.

Lethal recently broke the ROH’s record for most cumulative days as World Champion. He’s one of a handful of African Americans to hold a championship from any major pro-wrestling organization.

Besides the ROH championship, the “Passover Bash” will include an Israeli title battle of its own. Roif, who is known as Rabbi Swissa in the ring, will battle for the IPWA title against Matt Sydal.

Sydal, an American, is a former World Wrestling Entertainment participant who went under the pseudonym Evan Bourne. On the day of the championship, he will host a training camp.

If this isn’t enough to draw a crowd, the IPWA is set to unveil even more matches in the coming weeks. Roif said there will be a large dinner with the wrestlers and other guests in attendance.

Best of all, the proceeds raised from the show will go to the Make A Wish Foundation in Israel, helping sick children to fulfill their dreams.