A former WWE and AEW star has been added to the NJPW Battle In The Valley 2023 lineup, ahead of Mercedes Mone’s NJPW in-ring debut.
At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, the former Sasha Banks confronted IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI and attacked her before issuing a challenge for her gold.
It was later confirmed that Mercedes will challenge for KAIRI’s IWGP Women’s Title at the February 18 Battle in the Valley show, in what is set to be her first match since May.
Battle in the Valley will emanate from the San Jose Civic in California. The event sold out while KAIRI vs Mercedes Mone was the only match announced for the show.
NJPW has now confirmed that Bobby Fish will be in action during the Battle in the Valley pre-show. The former NXT Tag Team Champion will face off against David Finlay.
Following his WWE departure in August 2021, Fish joined AEW that October, but left in August 2022 without signing another deal with the company. Fish is currently a free agent.
A second pre-show match was also announced, with Alex Coughlin set to go one-on-one with JR Kratos.
KENTA will challenge for Fred Rosser’s NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship on the show, amid uncertainty surrounding the NJPW STRONG brand.
Here’s the updated lineup for the show:
– KAIRI (c) vs. Mercedes Mone – IWGP Women’s Championship
– Fred Rosser vs. KENTA – NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
– Bobby Fish vs. David Finlay – Pre-Show
– JR Kratos vs. Alex Coughlin – Pre-Show
For the latest update on NJPW’s plans for their STRONG US brand, click here.
Battle in the Valley will be HUGE!
👊IWGP Women's Championship
Mercedes Moné vs KAIRI👊KENTA challenges for the STRONG Openweight Championship
👊Finlay vs Fish, Coughlin vs Kratos FREE
and MUCH more LIVE in English on @fitetv!https://t.co/3kcvvccgCO#njpw #njbitv pic.twitter.com/5WwD6d8jWz
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 11, 2023
Think you’re a wrestling mastermind? Well you can prove it by taking quizzes in our brand new quiz section! Don’t forget to tweet us your results!
Comments.
Loading comments…