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Former WWE United States Champion Miro (Rusev) shocked the wrestling world earlier this week when he appeared on the latest episode of AEW Dynamite.
The crowd went crazy as he made his way to the ring and cut his first promo for AEW. During the promo, Miro would have this to say:
“Ten years in the same house, under the same glass ceiling with imaginary brass ring. Well, you can take your brass ring and shove it up your a**.”
He would finish the promo with aplomb, stating:
"My name is Miro and I'm All Elite."
It has since transpired that Miro’s contract allows him to work for other promotions, specifically, New Japan Pro Wrestling. Other AEW wrestlers such as Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley have wrestled in NJPW while being contracted to All Elite Wrestling. TNT Champion Broadie Lee also confirmed that his contract allows him to wrestle for NJPW.
A relationship between Miro and NJPW could very well happen as he is just the type of “gaijin” wrestler that the promotion loves to bring in. He’s big, strong, athletic and has fame and recognition.
Miro would be a brilliant fit in Japan and would have some incredible matches with the array of fantastic talent on NJPW’s roster.
In this article, we have put together a list of the top five opponents for Miro in NJPW.
#5 Miro vs. Tomohiro Ishii
The Stone Pitbull vs. the former Bulgarian Brute would be as hard-hitting a match as there ever was. These two brawling powerhouses would not only tear the house down, but each other too.
Miro’s athletic powerhouse style would gel perfectly with Ishii’s smash-mouth approach. At the age of 44, Ishii may not be in his prime, but he seems to get better with age and boy can he go.
Matches involving his super-stiff wrestling style are the stuff of legend. He is a consistent, reliable and an incredibly talented cinderblock in shorts, who makes his opponents look just as tough as he is.
A match against, and possible victory over, someone with the status of Ishii would instantly put Miro on the NJPW map.
#4 Miro vs. Minuro Suzuki
Similar to Ishii, Minuro Suzuki would propose a brutal and wince-inducing battle for Miro. Forearms, head butts and the sickening-sounding full force strikes would fill the air to the pleasure of anyone watching.
Suzuki is as tough as they come, tougher even. With his demonic grimace and disturbing love of inflicting physical harm on his opponents, he is the stuff of nightmares and holds final boss levels of invulnerability. If Miro were to face Suzuki, he would wish he still had the tank from WrestleMania 30 to use as a weapon or at least a place to hide.
All joking aside, this would be an astounding spectacle of Japanese strong style vs. Bulgarian brutality.
#3 Miro vs. Shingo Takagi
Anyone with the nickname “The Dragon” is someone you know doesn’t mess around, and Shingo Takagi falls into that category. Since arriving in NJPW, Takagi’s excellent reputation has only grown as he established himself as one of the best in the promotion.
His matches with Naito, Ishii and Dragon Lee were terrific, but his battle with Will Ospreay in the finals of this year’s BOSJ showcased a star-making performance.
He is strong, powerful, surprisingly quick and of course, super stiff. Miro also possesses similar attributes, which makes this potential matchup that more exciting and highly anticipated.
#2 Miro vs. Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada isn’t just good, he is otherworldly good. Okada is NJPW’s most prominent and brightest star, the face of the company and a wrestler every fighter, including Miro should aspire to face.
In a match with Okada, Miro would have to bring his A-game. After years of being held back by the “WWE style,” there can be little doubt that Miro would bring the best of his best.
This match would be a thrilling explosion of technique and skill vs power and strength. But don’t forget the charisma these two competitors possess. Their personalities and presence would be off the charts and could easily rival the action in the ring.
Okada established himself as one of, if not the best wrestler in the world years ago. For Miro to face off against Japan’s most prominent wrestling star would be a fantastic occasion and one that would allow him to establish himself as a top-tier star.
#1 Miro vs. Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito and Miro have very similar career paths. They are both very charismatic and have developed incredibly-over gimmicks, Los Ingobernobles and Rusev Day respectively, while being overlooked when it came to that “main event push.” But that is where the similarities end.
Over the past couple of years, Naito has established himself as a true main event wrestler, which was no easy feat with Tanahashi and Okada around. In contrast, Miro (as Rusev) was unable to break through into the top tier of WWE.
A match between Miro and Naito could tell an incredible story if they were to bring up their respective pasts. And if Miro were to pick up the victory, what a fantastic tale of redemption that would make.
