Moxley & Kingston set-up their next New Japan matches as AEW/NJPW rumors swirl

Things are going pretty well between New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. Dynamite & Rampage are airing on the NJPWWorld streaming service. There’s talk that a co-promoted and produced supershow between two of the biggest non-WWE wrestling companies on the planet could be on the horizon.

We don’t have to wait for that to get NJPW vs. AEW action though. It’s happening on New Japan of America shows right now.

Saturday night (April 17) in Chicago, Jon Moxley took on Will Ospreay in the main event of Windy City Riot. The PPV had streaming issues bad enough that NJPW issued an apology for them, but those who stuck it out (or have checked out the corrected version now available on Fite) saw the show’s big matches deliver — and set-up more Forbidden Door action on next month’s U.S. New Japan in Washington, D.C.

The first came after Tomohiro Ishii beat Minoru Suzuki in an unsurprisingly Strong Style affair. Eddie Kingston walked to out to represent for his beloved King’s Road Style (synonymous with 1990s All Japan Pro Wrestling and its revered “Four Pillars” Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa & Akira Taue), and challenge Ishii for May 14’s Capital Collision.

Then, after Jon Moxley outlasted Will Ospreay in a brutal main event that saw Mox try to end the match with his old Shield-mate and Ospreay online rival Seth Rollins’ finisher...

... (he eventually won in confusing fashion when the referee called for the bell after Ospreay appeared to kick out at three after a second Death Rider. Mox made the Brit tap to a rear-naked choke for good measure, then dropped the referee with a Paradigm Shift). Moxley then cut a promo praising the Brit for accepting his challenge, giving him a fight, and said he’d be down for a rematch. That was praise he wouldn’t offer New Japan’s One True Ace, however. Mox said Hirsohi Tanahashi has been ducking him, and vowed to fight him at Capital Collision even if he has to drag him to D.C. by his glorious hair.

We also got an angry backstage tirade from United Empire’s frontman. Ospreay is at least teasing the possibility of taking his fight to Mox’s Blackpool Combat Club mates.

And if that’s not enough for you, we also had the return of Mox protege Shota Umino. Earlier in the night, Shooter got a pep talk from his old G1 29 buddy, and walked to the ring with his leather jacket to answer Jay White’s open challenge.

He didn’t win, but I suppose we got enough to fantasy book Umino to the BCC. He has been on excursion to RevPro, so he and William Regal can talk BritWres.

But wait... there’s more! Brody King teamed with FinJuice for Juice Robinson’s last NJPW match, and picked up a win against TMDK & JONAH after David Finlay pinned Auszilla. Then the House of Black member went and challenged Suzuki to a match in Washington.

There’s a lot of AEWxNJPW to sink our teeth into there. And if you really want to let you imagination run wild, Kazuchika Okada is also set to work Capital Collision...