New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) returns to the United States for another big show as they head to Washington D.C. for Capital Collision. The show will be one of the biggest yet for NJPW in the USA as they bring not only their NJPW STRONG roster but the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada headlines the elite list of names coming to the United States for the show. Add in the AEW involvement and you have yourself another must-see card.
NJPW Capital Collision Card:
– Ren Narita vs. Karl Fredericks
– Fred Rosser, The DKC, David Finlay, Tanga Loa & Yuya Uemura vs. Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson, JR Kratos & Danny Limelight)
– Great-O-Khan vs. Chase Owens
– The United Empire (Aaron Henare, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Jeff Cobb) vs. TMDK (JONAH, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) & Bad Dude Tito
– IWGP United States Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley
– Brody King vs. Minoru Suzuki
– Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston
– Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero vs. Jay White & Hikuleo
A Four-Way Dance for the IWGP United States Championship
In what is considered an unusual match for NJPW, the IWGP United States Championship will be defended in a fatal four-way match. Hiroshi Tanahashi, who defeated Tomohiro Ishii at Wrestling Dontaku to win the title for a third time, will defend against Will Ospreay, Juice Robinson, and AEW star Jon Moxley. There are a lot of factors going into this match but everyone has a claim to the championship and likely still will if they are not pinned in this match. The first factor to discuss is the champion. Tanahashi is one of the greatest of all time and continues to show the world he’s still got that greatness. However, his first two reigns with the gold were unforgettable and if he loses it here, this would somehow still be the worst. Tanahashi is in a must-win situation here for more reasons than just walking out with the title.
Then there’s “The Commonwealth Kingpin.” Ospreay has had a dazzling year this year despite losing the majority of his big matches thus far. He believes there is a conspiracy going on against him in NJPW and it’s hard to disagree with the way he has lost. After having to miss his match with Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku due to COVID-19, he already has another claim to the championship with this not being a singles match. Ospreay will enter this match determined as he tries to get back to the top of NJPW.
Juice Robinson is the most interesting name involved in this match. After teasing his retirement from professional wrestling, he made his grand return to NJPW by attacking Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku, revealing that he had joined Bullet Club. Going by a new “Rock Hard” persona, Robinson is looking to join Tanahashi as a three-time IWGP United States Champion. Robinson has spent the majority of his time over the last three years teaming with David Finlay, mostly in NJPW STRONG and IMPACT Wrestling. With a new focus on singles success, Robinson will look to make a bang in this one.
The final competitor in this match is Jon Moxley. The former AEW World Champion has a history with all three of these men. First off is Tanahashi, who he challenged to a singles match at Capital Collision with the belief that Tanahashi has been dodging him for years now. Moxley’s focus could be on Tanahashi from start to finish, which could prevent him from winning the gold. Then there’s his history with Ospreay, who he just defeated at Windy City Riot following a questionable count by the referee. These two have the bad blood to expect they won’t be buddy-buddy when they step inside the ring. Moxley’s history with Robinson includes Moxley defeating him for this very title, ending the last singles title reign of Robinson’s career to this point. They met again at Wrestle Kingdom 14, where Moxley successfully defended the championship before holding the title for a record 564 days. Moxley surely won’t have a tough time finding enemies.
This fatal four-way can be won by anyone, making it such an exciting match. According to NJPW1972.com, this match isn’t scheduled to be the main event as of this writing. No matter if it does or not, expect a great match and more than likely a new champion. Prediction: Will Ospreay
More from LWOS Pro Wrestling
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