Ahead of his matchup against Naomichi Marajufi at Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory event, Michael Elgin has shared the personal importance the match has to him.

Taking to Twitter, Elgin wrote about his love for Japanese wrestling since watching AJPW for the first time in 1992. This passion drove him as a child to perform in Japan. Elgin made his Japanese debut in 2003 but still dreamed of wrestling for Pro Wrestling NOAH. In particular, he wanted to face one man: Marafuji.

He recalled how they were originally meant to wrestle in 2013, but an injury prevented Marafuji from competing that night. For him, it doesn’t matter that their bout isn’t for a championship or the main event of Bound for Glory. Elgin promised that the quality of the match will make it the main event of the night and will be the match people talk about on their way home.

Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view takes place on October 20th from the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois.

October 20th, live on PPV @IMPACTWRESTLING Bound For Glory. This night, this match means the world to me.

— BigMike (@MichaelElgin25) September 17, 2019

At the time of writing, the following is the current Bound for Glory card:

  • Impact World Championship Match
    Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
  • Ken Shamrock vs Moose
  • Michael Elgin vs Naomichi Marafuji
  • The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) vs Dr. Wagner Jr., TBA and TBA.