At NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka, a monumental announcement was made, as Rey Mysterio will be wrestling in the promotion for the first time. His opponent? The equally legendary Jushin Thunder Liger.
Rey Mysterio made an appearance at the 2018 Royal Rumble, eliminating Undisputed Era leader and former three-time ROH World Champion Adam Cole. His performance at the Rumble showed the world that Mysterio remains one of the best, even at the age of 43.
Because of his huge pop and tremendous Rumble performance as the biggest surprise entrant of the night, many have been speculating that Mysterio could finally return to WWE. The man himself fanned the flames by stating in an interview that there is a “big possibility” he could return to WWE.
Before he returns to WWE, Mysterio has another massive match, and I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when I woke up and saw this announcement on Twitter.
An explosive challenge issued by the legendary @reymysterio! #LEGENDvLEGEND Sign up Now & Get ready!!▶︎https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#NJPWWorld #NJSSE #la325 #NJNBG pic.twitter.com/PaH3vP2m3Y
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) February 10, 2018
This is not a drill. This is not a gag. Rey Mysterio will be facing the legendary Jushin Thunder Liger at NJPW Strong Style Evolved 2018, which will take place on Mar. 25 at California State University Long Beach. The show will begin at 8 p.m. ET and figures to be one of the biggest of the year.
NJPW made a huge splash at Wrestle Kingdom 12 when Chris Jericho had a legitimate five-star match with Kenny Omega. The mainstream interest Jericho drew to NJPW’s product was huge, as NJPW World’s (the promotion’s streaming service, akin to the WWE Network) subscription base skyrocketed as a result of WK12.
There’s no doubt that NJPW, armed with an AXS TV deal, is doing its best to challenge WWE globally. A big part of that battle takes place in the United States, hence why Strong Style Evolved 2018 is such a big deal.
Mysterio vs. Liger is a bout that sells itself, as these are two of the greatest wrestlers in the history of this sport. This is a a throwback to their days in WCW, where they had a great match at Starrcade 1996. It sounds crazy to say this, but I have a feeling that their highly-anticipated match at Strong Style Evolved 12 years later will be even better.
