Jun Akiyama To Wrestle Match On 11/18 AEW Rampage

All Elite Wrestling has strong ties to some of the premier professional wrestling companies in Japan. While its partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling is widely known by fans, AEW's original partnership with DDT Pro Wrestling — and CyberFight as a whole — continues to pay dividends for fans looking to see some of Japan's best wrestle on American television.

A recent tweet by AEW President Tony Khan announced that Japanese wrestling legend Jun Akiyama would be making his debut on the November 18 episode of "AEW Rampage." Alongside the returning Konosuke Takeshita, the unofficial "Fifth Pillar of Heaven" will take on Eddie Kingston and Ortiz the night before AEW Full Gear. This comes after years of Kingston campaigning for a match against Akiyama, repeatedly calling a potential bout with the Japanese legend his "dream match" in interviews and promos. Kingston responded to the news by tweeting a video of Jon Moxley reiterating his friend's desire to face Akiyama from this past summer.

Akiyama's legendary status comes primarily from his days in AJPW, competing against and alongside Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi, Mitsauhara Misawa, and Akira Taue. In 2021, Akiyama made DDT Pro Wrestling his home,which made an AEW appearance a high possibility.

Many AEW fans are already familiar with Akiyama's tag team partner, the "Japanese Phenom" Takeshita, who is making his return to AEW after a three-month absence. Takeshita spent the spring and summer months of this year competing in the United States and quickly became a fan favorite on AEW television before going back to Japan to resume competing in DDT in August. His return to America alongside Akiyama makes the upcoming dream match all the more exciting for fans of both DDT and AEW.