NJPW Music City Mayhem HOT TAKE
While the G1 Climax tournament rages on in Japan, New Japan Pro Wrestling is always focused on proving they are the King of Sports on multiple fronts and this Saturday afternoon, NJPW's greatest and brightest stars will invade Nashville, TN as part of Starrcast to present the first-ever Music City Mayhem live on FITE!
With the eyes of the professional wrestling faithful squarely focused on everything taking place on this prolific weekend of action, New Japan intends to once again prove that their unique style of combat sports and fighting spirit will always rise to the top against all other comparisons and promotions. A true summer of slams will continue for NJPW this Saturday, featuring the following main event attractions that will inspire and engage with a global audience from The United States to Japan and beyond!
Jon Moxley vs. El Desperado - Let's face it, Jon Moxley loves to fight every single day, but when he's given the opportunity to get a little revenge, his smile widens just a little bit more. Several months ago, El Desperado and other members of Suzuki-Gun attacked Moxley and other members of the Blackpool Combat Club during the ramp-up to the AEW x New Japan Pro Wrestling Forbidden Door supershow in Chicago, IL. While Moxley captured the AEW Interim World Championship at the event, he hasn't forgotten those who tried to harm him and he's kept a list. At Music City Mayhem, Moxley gets his hands on Desperado, seeking payback and there is no disqualification, meaning that all out chaos will be witnessed by everyone watching on FITE. Moxley wants revenge and Desperado wants to showcase the greatness of Suzuki-Gun. This event will either be the greatest victory ever for the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion or one of the most vicious beatings he's ever endured.
KUSHIDA vs. Alex Shelley - The Time-Splitters explode! When KUSHIDA returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling from the land of sports-entertainment past, he immediately stated that he wanted to face the greatest professional wrestlers in the world, to once again sharpen his skills and prove that he is not only one of the best fighters today, but of all time. So, he sent a letter challenging his long-time friend and tag team partner, Alex Shelley, asking that they meet inside the squared circle in Nashville. Shelley, who has always walked his own path in professional wrestling, is a true savant when it comes to professional wrestling's purist mat wrestling, knowing every offensive maneuver and every counter and defensive strategy against them. If there's one person he's trusted with this knowledge, it's KUSHIDA, creating a most unique encounter between two competitors who are not only kindred spirits but also thrive for a challenge when it comes to taking down the opposition and chasing victory. In what may be one of the most unique and special encounters over the entirety of Starrcast V weekend, KUSHIDA vs. Shelley promises to bring out the majesty of the sport of professional wrestling for all involved.
IWGP Tag Team Champions FTR & Alex Zayne vs. TJP & Mark Fletcher & Mark Davis - In their first appearance inside New Japan Pro Wrestling's ring since capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championship at The Forbidden Door PPV, FTR will unite with the hard-fighting and high-flying Alex Zayne in six man tag team action against Aussie Open and the devious TJP. A celebration and a test for Chase Wheeler and Dash Harwood all at once, this bout will allow them to showcase their boasts of being the best tag team in the world while also providing a unique opportunity for Zayne to compete with them for the first time ever. Aussie Open have continued to be a feared team in NJPW while TJP's in-ring proficiency is outmatched only by his rotten attitude. All six men are coming to fight and show the world why they epitomize what is great about New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Blake Christian - Blake Christian has risen to become one of the most talked about high-flying junior heavyweight fighters in the world, but in Nashville, he will face his greatest test in the ring to date - Hiromu Takahashi, who has risen to become the most important Junior Heavyweight competitor in New Japan since the glory days of Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Takahashi is coming from Japan to test himself against one of New Japan's greatest upstarts while Christian, the pride of Missouri, is hoping to upend Takahashi and score the biggest win of his career. No matter what you sense the level of this battle will be, Christian vs. Takahashi will break the glass ceiling of those expectations, as these unique, aerial assassins will ascend to the heavens to strike their opposition straight to hell. They know no other way, as they are equally alike in that putting it all on the line is their only path to victory. History will be made with this very unique singles battle.
New Japan Strong Champion Fred Rosser vs. Big Damo - His entire career, Fred Rosser has fought the good, hard fight, earning his way out of small New Jersey promotions, fighting across the world and back again before accomplishing the definitive victory of his career, defeating Tom Lawlor to become the NJPW Strong Champion, representing New Japan all over the world. But, with every major victory comes the knowledge that the fight must always begin and new and as every new champion learns the hard way, each championship defense is a new attempt to scale an ever-higher mountain. This Saturday at Music City Mayhem, Rosser will place the gold on the line as he battles Irish juggernaut Big Damo, who has carved a path of destruction worldwide since being unleashed back on an unsuspecting public. Rosser has the fighting spirit and well rounded scientific abilities but Damo is a monster seeking to prove his might. The future of not just the NJPW Strong championship but the entire fate of New Japan Strong itself is at stake in Nashville, live on FITE.
MLW National Openweight Champion Davey Richards vs. Rocky Romero - Major League Wrestling has approved a most interesting inter-promotional championship battle as Rocky Romero, one of the most resilient and versatile competitors anywhere in New Japan will enter the ring and face off with the intense Davey Richards, seeking to capture the MLW National Openweight Championship, a belt that carries incredible international prestige. For Richards, this excursion in NJPW will provide him with what he's always relished, the ability to test himself against the best competitors in the world in a never-ending attempt to impress and prove himself en route to victory. For Romero, this championship encounter provides him a unique springboard to a major singles championship to bring back to Japan. For the fans, this dream battle allows them to see two of the most passionate combat sports stars in the world unleash their arsenal upon the other to prove they, and their respective company, are the best in the world.
This Saturday's event will feature some of the up and coming New Japan Young Lions in six man tag team action as well as New Japan Strong's mightiest competitors and beyond. The Nashville Fairgrounds and FITE fans may never be the same and certainly, New Japan Pro Wrestling can never, ever be ignored. This Saturday, FITE and New Japan unleash the Mayhem on Music City!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.