Matt Tremont Will Be Hospitalized For A Week After Brutal Explosion Match With Atsushi Onita

On Halloween night, hardcore wrestling legends Matt Tremont and Atsushi Onita endeavored to put on the most spectacular exploding ring match in the history of the United States. After Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley failed to impress in their take on an FMW-style exploding barbed wire match, Onita decided to take one last crack during his waning career to make it happen in the U.S.

The ultra-violent match didn’t offer much in terms of technical wrestling, but that was to be expected. Tremont took a monumental beating from the Japanese icon. Mike Johnson of PW Insider is now reporting that Tremont will be hospitalized for up to a week due to severe burns he suffered in the match.

Promoted by Matt Tremont’s H20 wrestling organization, the Destiny show took place from a minor league baseball park in Trenton, New Jersey. Onita delivered a grotesque display of offense during the match, while not taking any bumps himself. Tremont was directly in the line of several fiery explosions, including a bundle of exploding light tubes and a barbed wire covered landmine on the outside. He also had his forehead gouged with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.

During the finish to the bout, Onita dropped Tremont on a sheet of plywood covered in barbed wire that had been set on fire. Tremont’s shirt was set ablaze. He rolled it out. After the match, he cut a promo with Onita. He had visible burn marks all over his body, in addition to wounds from the barbed wire.

Atsushi Onita was the promoter of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, a deathmatch-focused organization that gained extreme popularity in Japan during the 1990s. After an episode of Dark Side of the Ring exposed American audiences to his tumultuous career, Onita and Tremont set to work to create an authentic FMW-style exploding match experience in the States.

Tremont began his career with a violent run in Combat Zone Wrestling. He wrestled Onita there in 2017, but the match ended in a convoluted brawl and a no-contest. Fans have been hoping for the rematch ever since. Tremont’s injuries will likely serve as a reminder to wrestlers and promoters of why this type of match has fallen out of favor over the years.

WARNING: Explicit footage and photos of an exploding ring barbed wire wrestling match below.

Do you think this type of deathmatch has a place in modern pro wrestling? Share your thoughts in the comments.