3 matches for Tomohiro Ishii during his summer stay in AEW

Last Wednesday, All Elite Wrestling owner Tony Khan announced on Twitter that New Japan Pro Wrestling star Tomohiro Ishii will be competing for AEW for the rest of the summer. While still under contract to New Japan, Ishii has proven to have fantastic matches with just about any wrestler in the world. The “Stone Pitbull” is a fan favorite for his toughness and brawling.

Ishii is in the United States for the summer, what matches could we see him in? He could be a number-one contender for almost every male single title in AEW and nobody would have a problem with that. He’s earned it with his reputation as one of wrestling’s toughest men.

However, there are three matches I would like to see Ishii have while he is in AEW for the next couple of months. Some of them would be considered dream matches and would have fans foaming at the mouth. While other matches would have jaws drop all the way to the ground and perhaps through the ground. So here are three matches that Tomohiro Ishii should have while in AEW this summer.

Kazuchika Okada

Of all the matches Ishii should have this one is a no-brainer. Okada and Ishii were members of the Chaos faction while Okada was in New Japan, teaming up on many occasions. But the two of them wrestling each other was very rare. Now that Okada has been in AEW for almost six months and has become an entertaining heel, a match with Ishii would be almost certain to take place.

While Ishii isn’t known as a promo guy, Okada could cut a promo saying how while he was leading Chaos he carried Ishii to heights of popularity that he had never seen before and hadn’t gotten to since. It would be an all-out physical war between two of the greatest wrestlers of this generation. Ishii would be easily the fan favorite since Okada is so hated just because of his association with the Elite.

For the die-hard New Japan fans this is a match that would get their attention to turn the television on. While I’m not sure if this would be an all-time great match, this would truly be an entertaining bout between the former Chaos members. A match that could bring chaos into the ring between the former friends and members of Chaos.

Mark Briscoe

This would be a dream fight between two of the toughest men in pro wrestling today. Briscoe is currently on the run of his career and a match against Ishii would be a great addition to his resume. This doesn’t have to be a match where stipulations are added, doesn’t have to be an insert weapons match. It can be a regular wrestling match with two very tough men.

Briscoe and Ishii on paper would seem to have great chemistry based on their athletic ability and style of wrestling. Ishii is very underrated as a wrestler who can grapple in the ring. Briscoe would have no problem going move for move with Ishii. If Briscoe is still the Ring of Honor World Champion by the time this match takes place, then make it for the World Title.

Ishii is no stranger to winning a title in Ring of Honor as he is a former holder of the Television Championship. With a title or not, this would be an all-out brawl the likes of which wrestling fans haven’t seen in a long time. The real winners of that contest would be the fans who love both men and the entire arena would be split in half of support for both competitors. This would truly be a dream match for fans of both wrestlers.

Claudio Castagnoli

This would be a match of two of the strongest men in pro wrestling.  While they recently competed against each other in a four-way match, the idea of a one-on-one match isn’t too far out of the realm of possibility. Claudio Castagnoli and Ishii have natural strength and don’t have to prove to anybody how strong they are. There wouldn’t be a lot of meat in the ring, but a lot of steel would be there.

Castagnoli is a world traveler, competing in over a dozen plus countries including Japan but amazingly he never crossed paths with Ishii on his tours of Japan. It could be because both men were competing in different promotions or both men didn’t have the right timing, but this would be a fascinating match to have seen in Japan and we could get a chance to see it in the United States. Just like the match with Briscoe, both men are fan favorites and could split the crowd in half.

However, when Castagnoli must at times, he can be a terrific heel even if it’s for one match. Castagnoli could come off as a heel for one match against Ishii and no harm would be done to his character. If they did compete, we could have feats of strength taking place during the match.  Maybe see who can hold the other wrestler in the air the longest while doing a suplex, bench press the referee, or any other kind of contest featuring strength. Either way, this would be a very entertaining match that would get the fans on their feet.

While Ishii will be in the United States competing for AEW for only a couple of months, the possibilities of matches he could have are truly endless. We could see the dream matches mentioned in this article or we could see him used in other ways while in AEW. But one thing is for certain, the summer of 2024 could very well be the summer of the “Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii.