NJPW has announced a four-man tournament to determine the next challenger for the IWGP United States Championship, which is currently held by AEW star and EVP Kenny Omega.
At Sunday’s NJPW Collision event in Philadelphia, it will be Lance Archer vs. Juice Robinson. Then, at the NJPW Resurgence event on May 21, it will be Will Ospreay vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The winners of the matches will then square off at the NJPW Dominion event on Sunday June 4, with winner earning a future title opportunity at the IWGP United States Championship.
This Saturday’s NJPW Capital Collision show in Washington DC and Sunday’s NJPW Collision in Philadelphia will both be available through FITE TV. Saturday’s event is $19.99 and Sunday’s is $14.99. Both can be purchased as a bundle for $29.99.
The announcement from NJPW regarding the tournament is below:
Four to compete for IWGP United States title shot
After March 29 saw Jeff Cobb come up just short in his challenge to IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega, a new number one contender has yet to be determined. With that in mind, a mini tournament of four former IWGP US Champions will take place in coming US events, with a deciding match to take place in Osaka Jo Hall at Dominion!
The first matchup will take place Sunday in Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. There, Lance Archer will face Juice Robinson, in their first singles matchup since Archer defeated Juice for the title at King of Pro-Wrestling 2019.
Next, Resurgence on May 21 will see Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid play host to a huge featured match, with Hiroshi Tanahashi taking on Will Ospreay. This match had originally been scheduled for Dontaku in 2022, and was called off at short notice; now as Ospreay returns from shoulder injury, a phenomenal bout of Japanese and international aces is sure to stun the Long beach crowd.
The winners of both these matches will meet at Dominion in Osaka Jo Hall on June 4. Who will be the next challenger to Omega’s US crown?