NJPW wants no confusion when it comes to what is allowed come Wrestle Kingdom 14 with the Texas Death Match that will happen between Jon Moxley & Lance Archer.
The Rules
It’s rather simple when you get down to it. There will no disqualifications and no pinfalls. You can only win by a 10 count KO or by submission. So essentially we are getting a Last Man Standing Match where you can also gain victory via submission. With both Lance Archer & Jon Moxley being insane, I’m sure they will push the envelope as far as NJPW will let them.
Who Has The Advantage, Jon Moxley or Lance Archer?
In a match of this type, Jon Moxley has a clear advantage. He has wrestled for years in companies like CZW, and recently brought his brand of wrestling violence to AEW when he faced Kenny Omega in a non-sanctioned match which included insane amounts of barbed wire, broken glass, and all types of brutality.
Lance Archer is an imposing figure, and with no rules he is free to let loose, but his main advantage is his finisher. He uses an Iron Claw like manuaver, while Jon Moxley lacks a signature submission hold to take advantage of submissions being allowed. Moxley takes many cues from William Regal, so maybe he will bust out the Regal Stretch to try and get the submission on the much bigger man in Archer.
Moxley’s best bet will be to cut down the bigger man with his stiff strikes, use any weapon available, and just do everything he can to reclaim the title he never lost.
The Suzuki-Gun Factor
Much like in AEW, Jon Moxley rides solo in NJPW. He has a lone ally in Shota Umino, but he is on excurison to the UK and will likely not be at Wrestle Kingdom. Meanwhile Lance Archer is a member of the vicious faction Suzuki-Gun, and with people like Minoru Suzuki potentially breathing down Moxley’s neck at the Tokyo Dome, it will make beating Archer much harder. Moxley doesn’t care about being at a numbers disadvantage, but it could be crucial to his defeat if he isn’t able to find someone for backup if Suzuki-Gun attacks.
Who do you think will walk out of the Tokyo Dome as IWGP United States Champion? Let us know down below and stay tuned for Wrestle Kingdom coverage right here on The Overtimer early next month!
