Fred Rosser Wants NJPW Exhibition Match Against WWE Hall Of Famer

New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Fred Rosser spent quite a few years in WWE as Darren Young before re-invigorating his career in NJPW Strong, where he is currently Strong Openweight Champion. On a recent episode of the Under the Ring podcast, Rosser discussed the notable period of time during which he had legendary wrestler Bob Backlund as his manager, and even stated that he would still like to get in the ring with the 73-year-old Backlund for a match.

"He is in his mid-seventies and he can still go," Rosser said. "He's a bucket list match of mine still. I would love for him to come to New Japan one time and have an exhibition match with me. I think that would be epic." 

Backlund last competed in the ring for a Japanese promotion called Dradition Pro-Wrestling in 2018, and before that had only competed in a handful of matches since 2001. However, according to Rosser, Backlund is still in excellent shape.

Rosser, while working as Darren Young, was paired up with Backlund for much of 2016, with Backlund appearing as his onscreen "life coach." The partnership, though memorable, would end up being relatively short-lived. Young injured his shoulder in January 2017 and was released by WWE in October of that year. Prior to that, Young had been one half of the World Tag Team Champions with Titus O'Neil as the Prime Time Players. Since his departure from WWE, Rosser has competed for NWA in addition to his time in NJPW.