The former Montreal Expos outfielder who became a fan favorite in Japan will step into the ring Sunday in a pro wrestling event called Hustle Aid.

As part of a tag-team match, he'll face an opponent who walks around with a sword in his mouth — and says he wants to hurt Cromartie.

"I have to represent all baseball players," the 53-year-old Cromartie said Tuesday. "I've got a reputation here, I've got my fans in Japan so I'm taking this seriously and have been training real hard."

Told that longtime wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh hopes to injure him, Cromartie hardly flinched.

"I'm going to take him out just like on a double play," Cromartie said. "I'm going to go from first to third and take him out with a home run chop."

When he played in Japan, Cromartie was involved in a brawl or two. He said that should prepare him for the weekend.

"I've thrown a punch and I've taken a punch," he said. "I'm not scared. I've seen guys bleed before. He is a little crazy walking around with a sword in his mouth but I'm not afraid of him."

Cromartie will team with Japan's Ryoji Sai to take on Singh and An Joenosuke. The 63-year-old Singh was not amused by Cromartie's foray into another sport.

"Pro wrestling is a vicious game, a dangerous game," Singh said. "He should stick to baseball. I'll teach him a lesson once and for all."

Pro wrestling has a huge following in Japan. Many wrestlers such as Singh and Abdullah the Butcher have been able to prolong their careers by fighting here.

It's quite a change for Cromartie, who played for the Yomiuri Giants from 1984-1990. He led the Central League in batting in 1989 with a .378 average and won the MVP.

He was quite a showman in Japan and often led the Yomiuri faithful with cheers of "Banzai!" from the outfield.

Cromartie played in the big leagues for 10 seasons, nine with the Montreal Expos before going to Japan. He returned in 1991 and hit .313 in 69 games for Kansas City.

Cromartie wouldn't say how much he is being paid for his wrestling debut but did say the organizers "made it worth my while." He also pointed out that some of the proceeds from the event will go to fighting leukemia.

In 2005, Cromartie managed the Japan Samurai Bears, a team of Japanese players that played in the Golden Baseball League, an independent minor league in the western United States.

While he's not sure about his future in wrestling, Cromartie said he would like to get back into managing a ballclub.