Atsushi Onita Open To Match With AEW's Jon Moxley

For all that AEW’s exploding barbed wire deathmatch between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley was maligned, it seems to have awoken something in Atsushi Onita, with the deathmatch pioneer subsequently dusting off the leather jacket and barbed wire, and launching the FMW-E promotion.

Ahead of FMW-E’s first show - Independence Day - on July 4, Onita talked with Fanbyte, and said how he wants to bring ‘proper’ exploding deathmatches to the USA.

“I want to show American fans my original explosion match,” said Onita “I sometimes feel like I have to. American deathmatch fans have been disappointed twice, first with the explosion deathmatch CZW held in 2017, and secondly AEW’s. At the time of the CZW show, maybe because of costs, CZW said ‘we don’t need Japanese engineers, don’t worry, leave it to us,’ and I believed them.

“I sent a cheering message to Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, but AEW did the preparations for their explosion match on their own, and I wasn’t involved at all. However, I was disappointed that the fans were disappointed, and I felt responsible.”

Moxley is clearly a disciple of Onita, and has since taken to using X’s version of Wild Thing for his entrance, in homage to Onita.

“Jon Moxley uses my theme music?” Said Onita “Thank you, Moxley. I think if he has a spirit of JADO (evil ways), we might stand in the same ring some day. It would be interesting, wouldn’t it?” The idea of a Moxley vs. Onita deathmatch is certainly dream-match territory, and you can bet the house on the fact that if it is possible, Moxley would want to do it.