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#2 IWGP United States Championship: KENTA vs. Jon Moxley (c) on NJPW Strong
The wrestling world, especially NJPW fans, had been looking forward to this match for a long time. In August, KENTA earned a chance to challenge for the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship when he won the New Japan Cup USA tournament. Since then, KENTA has been trash-talking the champion Jon Moxley, and been salivating at the opportunity to knock the Death Rider off his throne.
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Shortly after he appeared on AEW Dynamite to meet Moxley, fans finally got to see this long-awaited war. The anticipation was absolutely worth it for this blockbuster NJPW match.
It didn't take long for these two warriors to take their fight to the floor, where KENTA dropped Moxley with a suplex. Mox blocked a shot with the briefcase and nearly spiked KENTA onto it with a piledriver. But the Bullet Club member eventually used the weapon by planting Moxley with a DDT on top of the unforgiving case.
KENTA battered the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion as Moxley took some brutal kicks. The enemies fought away from the ring once again, and the challenger bashed Moxley with the championship. KENTA then placed him on a table and hit a flying elbow drop to drive Moxley through the wood.
Both men barely made it back in the ring before the twenty count. KENTA hit his basement dropkick and diving double stomp, but he still couldn't put Moxley away. Moxley escaped the GTS and responded with a German suplex.
Both men traded submission holds, an exchange that led to KENTA locking in Game Over. Moxley managed to break the hold before he blacked out and spiked KENTA with the Death Rider for the thrilling win.
The violent match pleased NJPW fans and wrestling enthusiasts alike. The victory marked Moxley's return to the NJPW ring after he had been absent for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His strong performance against KENTA left fans eagerly waiting for another title defense.
