Deathmatch legend Atsushi Onita was meant to be at AEW: Revolution

Initially reported by Yahoo Sports, All Elite Wrestling wanted deathmatch legend Atsushi Onia to be in the building for the first-ever exploding barbwire deathmatch to take place on United States soil.

The match, which was a staple of Japanese deathmatch wrestling over the course of Onitas career, has been done during private shows a handful of times in the United States but never before on pay-per-view. The most recent deathmatch in the U.S. took place in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in 2019, when Jimmy Llyod faced off against Kasey Catal.

That will change on Sunday, March 7th, 2021, when Kenny Omega defends his AEW World Heavyweight Championship against former champion Jon Moxley in the main event of AEW: Revolution.

Deathmatch legend and innovator of the no ropes exploding barbed wire deathmatch was meant to attend AEW: Revolution.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 protocols, Atsushi Onita will not be able to attend the event and witness the match that he made famous in its maiden voyage on American soil. His presence was still felt on AEW though as he took part in the video package that played during the go-home episode of AEW: Dynamite this past Wednesday night.

He is currently scheduled to appear at the WWS No. 2 Civic Gymnasium tournament in Japan on March 21. If he were to travel to the United States to appear during the PPV, he would then be subject to a two-week quarantine upon returning to Japan, meaning he would miss his booking.

Onita has publicly expressed interest in returning to the United States in order to appear on AEW once the COVID-19 subsides as well as bringing All Elite competitors overseas to compete in Japan.

Onita, who officially retired in 2017, competed in over a dozen exploding barbed wire deathmatches over the course of his career.