The rocky history of the IWGP United States Championship continues to grow. In 2022 alone, the belt has already been held by 4 different champions. Now it is vacant for the second time of the year, and third time overall since 2018. After winning the belt in the United States in a Fatal Four Way match, Juice Robinson would be taken out of action due to appendicitis, and with him being scheduled to miss his upcoming title defense at NJPW Dominion on Sunday – his third reign as champion is already over.
Juice Robinson Was Set To Defend IWGP United States Championship Against Both SANADA & Will Ospreay
Fans were expecting to see a triple threat match over the belt at Dominion, with Juice Robinson defending against both SANADA & Will Ospreay. However, this match is now simply down to Ospreay & SANADA – as they battle for the vacant belt. It was Ospreay who ended the first reign of SANADA earlier this year, after SANADA suffered a broken orbital bone following their match in the New Japan Cup.
This forced SANADA to vacate the title. SANADA only just returning during the final night of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Now, SANADA has a solid chance to redeem that loss of Ospreay in the New Japan Cup. Add in a chance at getting revenge for this injury, and SANADA will be extra motivated.
Meanwhile, Ospreay is looking to claim the belt for the first time – and add to his current belt collection. Currently, Ospreay is the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion. A victory here will have Ospreay claiming status as the champion of two separate regions. Ospreay was seen on AEW Rampage earlier tonight, when he lost a trios match alongside Aussie Open.
Robinson Being Stripped Is Not A Surprise
To anyone that has followed NJPW for a while, this is no surprise. Missing a booking as champion will always result in a vacant title. This was previously seen with the first IWGP United States Championship reign of Jon Moxley. His first reign ended when his flight to Japan to defend was met with a typhoon. Moxley didn’t make it to Japan, and the belt was then vacant.
Robinson will have a chance to reclaim the belt as soon as he’s healthy, which hopefully will be soon. We here at TheOvertimer wish Robinson a speedy recovery, and hope to see him back in the ring soon.
Who will walk out of Dominion as IWGP United States Champion, SANADA or Will Ospreay? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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