Folks, let me tell you, just when you think you’ve seen it all in the wrestling world, along comes a curveball that would make even Babe Ruth tip his cap. Over in the Land of the Rising Sun, at NJPW’s Sakura Genesis event, Tetsuya Naito managed to hold onto the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship tighter than my grip on a good ice cream cone. But, as the confetti was about to fly, who should come strolling out but AEW’s own Jon Moxley, fresh off a tag team win and looking for bigger fish to fry.
Now, Moxley and Naito, they’ve danced this dance before, back in the 2019 G1 Climax, with Moxley coming out on top. But this time, it’s not just for bragging rights or the last slice of pizza; it’s for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Windy City Riot on April 12 in Chicago. Moxley, bold as a brass band in New Orleans, threw down the gauntlet for a title match, and Naito, ever the competitor, said, “Let’s do this.”
So, mark your calendars, set your watches, maybe even write it on your hand if you have to, because Windy City Riot is shaping up to be as action-packed as a Fourth of July parade. Aside from Moxley trying to snag the IWGP title from Naito, we’ve got championship matches galore. Zack Sabre Jr. and Matt Riddle will tangle for the NJPW World Television Championship, Stephanie Vaquer and AZM will square off, and the Guerrillas of Destiny will defend their NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship in a match that’s sure to be as chaotic as a family reunion.
And if that wasn’t enough to get your motor running, we’ve also got Mustafa Ali taking on Hiromu Takahashi, Jack Perry facing Shota Umino, and a good old-fashioned Riot Rules Match with Eddie Kingston and Gabe Kidd leading the charge. So buckle up, folks, because the Windy City is about to get a whole lot windier with this whirlwind of wrestling mayhem. It’s shaping up to be a night that’ll go down in history, or at least in the family photo album, right next to the pictures from that beach vacation.