Jon Moxley defeats Lance Archer to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship a second time

At New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night One tonight (for full results, check here), All Elite Wrestling star and top contender for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship Jon Moxley walked into the Tokyo Dome to try and reclaim the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship he was forced to forfeit for typhoon-induced travel issues from the man that won it in his stead, Lance Archer.

Contested under hybrid Texas Death Match rules where the match could only end on a standing ten count or submission, it was violent from the jump, with both men throwing their bodies around with abandon and using everything that wasn’t nailed down against each other, from kendo sticks to steel chairs to trash can lids to Young Lions to even, at one point, a plastic shopping bag that Archer used to try and take the EBD Claw from a finishing move to a instrument of murder.

But in the end, Mox would dodge an attempted Blackout off the apron and reverse it into a Death Rider through some tables before rolling back in the ring to beat the referee’s ten count and win the match.

With rumors about how likely or not an AEW/NJPW collaboration is continuing to ebb and flow, Jon being IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion again sure makes it seem like the door is wide open if nothing else.

Of course, he has to defend the title against Juice Robinson (himself victorious tonight in tag team action, defeating Guerrillas of Destiny alongside tag partner David Finlay to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship) tomorrow night. That show also features Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi in a match that could potentially earn the 1/100 Ace a proper title match against Le Champion, so we’ll see soon enough just how open that door is, won’t we?

There you have it, folks

Excited for Mox to hold New Japan gold again, Cagesiders?