At "Glory by Honor 3" on September 11, 2004, Stryker faced Jay Lethal in a match with the stipulation that, should he lose, he would no longer be flown in to wrestle at East Coast Ring of Honor events (a similar stipulation applied to Lethal). The bout was won by Lethal, with Stryker subsequently delivering an interview in which he announced his intent to return to the Midwest. Stryker subsequently appeared only sporadically with Ring of Honor, losing to Ricky Reyes in his final match on October 14, 2005 at "Enter The Dragon".