This coming Sunday, closing out AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view is Kenny Omega defending the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley in a Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. On the Revolution go-home edition of Dynamite, the Omega versus Moxley video package contained an appearance from Atsushi Onita, who many consider to be an innovator of death matches.
According to Yahoo! Japan, AEW extended the in-person invitation to Onita to come see the match but the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing that from happening. Onita would’ve had to quarantine for two weeks in the U.S. and he is scheduled to wrestle on the 21st of this month in Japan. Onita gave a comment to the publication about AEW dipping their toes into the death match style of wrestling:
Although AEW has just been established, it is an organization that is trying to compete with the world’s largest WWE, and it can be said that it is a major. The current blast that organization created is hung on the world title of the highest peak of the organization. I’m honored to do it. Originally, I wanted to go to the United States and see it with my own eyes, but I gave up because of my in-law to Mr. Pogo. What kind of current explosion will AEW show? I’m looking forward to it. I would like to pay tribute to the major group AEW and the United States for accepting the form of [death matches]. It’s like being recognized by the United States, [it’s] like being recognized by the world. Once calmed down, I could board the AEW and do a current blast, or maybe I could try to fight the AEW players with my real current blast, which is my home in Japan.
Simply amazing to get a visit from Mr. @onitafire123 on #AEWDynamite! 🙌 #AEWonTNT pic.twitter.com/6WkyJi33df
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) March 4, 2021
The Revolution match card is rounded out and as of this writing, here’s the lineup for the show:
- AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. MJF & Chris Jericho (w/ Wardlow)
- Street Fight: Brian Cage & Ricky Starks (w/ Taz) vs. Sting & Darby Allin
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Ryo Mizunami
- Matt Hardy vs. Hangman Adam Page
- Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match — Winner Gets Shot At TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Penta El Zero M vs. Max Caster vs. Lance Archer vs. TBA
- AEW World Championship — Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch: Kenny Omega (c) (w/ Don Callis) vs. Jon Moxley
- Miro & Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy
- Casino Tag Team Battle Royale: John Silver & Alex Reynolds, Stu Grayson & Evil Uno, Santana & Ortiz, The Butcher & The Blade, Top Flight (Darius Martin & Dante Martin), Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen), Bear Country, Death Triangle (PAC & Rey Fenix), Varsity Blonds (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.), Matt Sydal & Mike Sydal, S.C.U. (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels), Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall, Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico), Gunn Club (Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn)
- BUY-IN Match: Riho & Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker & Rebel
