Folks, this is not a drill: Konosuke Takeshita is officially returning to AEW.

That's right, after leaving the states after a legitimate star-making performance against then-Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli for a run in his current home promotion DDT Pro Wrestling, the 27-year-old suplex scholar is heading back to America for another run in AEW, with his first match officially booked for the go-home episode of Rampage before Full Gear. Booked for a match against Eddie Kingston and Ortiz alongside fellow DDT alum Jun Akiyama broadcast live from The Rock, aka the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the day before Full Gear 2022.

Working just his second-ever match in the United States – his first came at PWR in 2019 as part of a six-man tag with Misterioso Jr., Ultimo Dragon, The Boarder Patrol, and The Righteous's Vincent in a Pay-Per-View broadcast from John O'Connor High School in San Francisco – this will mark the biggest show of the 52-year-old Akiyama's career to stateside wrestling fans, with the Pro Wrestling Noah/All Japan legend getting to work his first ever match against Kingston, who himself is a big-time All-Japan mark.

Will this be a one-time effort for Takeshita in AEW, the first date of a second excursion to the states that features bookings at the best indie promotions across the nation, or a passing of the torch where the 27-year-old is handed off to AEW for the next chapter of his professional wrestling career? Only time will tell but needless to say, fans are excited to see the Cinnabon enthusiast back in the promotion that made him an international Superstar.