A sold-out Chicago crowd will play host to NJPW Windy City Riot on Saturday night with one of New Japan’s most exciting United States cards since the start of the pandemic. A mixture of AEW, IMPACT, NJPW STRONG, and traditional NJPW will come together for one special night. There are no championships on the line here at this show but the main event is as big of a first-round matchup as pro wrestling will get in 2022. Here’s a look at the Windy City Riot card and an in-depth look at the main event.
NJPW Windy City Riot Card
— Karl Fredericks, Yuya Uemura & Clark Connors vs. The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto)
— Fred Rosser, Josh Alexander, Chris Dickinson, Alex Coughlin & Ren Narita vs. Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Royce Isaacs & Black Tiger)
— Tom Lawlor vs. Yuji Nagata
— The United Empire (TJP, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare, Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) vs. Bullet Club (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Chris Bey & Scott Norton)
— David Finlay, Juice Robinson & Brody King vs. JONAH, Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito in a Chicago Street Fight
— US of Jay Open Challenge: Jay White vs. TBD
— Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki
— Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay
NJPW Windy City Riot Main Event Preview
Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay
Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay are two of the best wrestlers in the world. This isn’t an opinion but more so a fact. On one side is Moxley, one-third of the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW. Moxley’s token phrase that follows him is “Unscripted Violence” and for good reason. There is no one in professional wrestling like him. His accolades are measurable to pretty much anyone at the top of the pro wrestling world. A former WWE Champion, the second-ever AEW Champion, a two-time IWGP United States Champion (longest-reigning in history), and the current GCW World Champion. It’s fair to say Moxley has not only accomplished a lot but is one of the best going today for a reason. That brings us to his opponent, Will Ospreay.
Ospreay, despite his many critics, continues to make waves in the squared circle with his gravity-defining athleticism and hard-hitting offense. “The Commonwealth Kingpin” has done it all so far in his NJPW career and currently leads The United Empire, which has only scratched the surface in terms of its dominance. When it comes to accolades for Ospreay, they are surely not hard to find. Currently, he reigns as both the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion and Warrior Wrestling Champion. His past title reigns include being a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, and a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. To say this match has all the makings to be special might be an understatement.
The real question is simple — who will win? Moxley has been unstoppable since his return to pro wrestling earlier this year. Ospreay has watched himself lose some key matchups recently including one in the New Japan Cup against Zack Sabre Jr., eliminating him from the tournament. Ospreay does have an upcoming IWGP United States Championship match, however, so this could be his best way to show he’s ready to take the title by beating the belt’s longest-reigning champion. No matter who wins, expect a great main event.
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