Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
IWGP United States Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson.
This was Moxley's New Japan debut after leaving WWE, so the theme here was Dean Ambrose is dead.
This was incredible. This match had so much hype and anticipation, with so many questions that people wanted answers to. From the minute Moxley made his entrance, through the crowd, this felt like something special, and this was a different man than the one that we’ve seen on Monday Night Raw for the last few years. He wore trunks and shooter boots, and he was fired up. The champion, Juice, took off his headwear to reveal that he had cut his hair. Kevin Kelly said it was symbolic of him no longer being the same young man that Moxley knew in FCW many years ago.
From the bell this was a wild brawl. They went into the crowd, they used chair and tables. But this didn’t feel like your typical wrestling brawl with overly contrived set ups with weapons. This felt real. Moxley punched at the eyebrow of Juice, cutting him opened hard way. When is the last time we seen that in a pro wrestling match?
Juice did an insane dive off one of the balconies. He missed a cannon ball into the guardrail. Moxley suplexed him onto a half opened table, with Juice jarring his knee. Juice sold this like death, as he tried to survive this attack from a man so had just been released after being locked up for years. Moxley went after the knee with holds. Juice fought his way back into the match and hit a cannonball on Moxley as he was propped up on a table, and then powerbombed him through the same table.
Moxley hit a sickening lariat in the final few minutes and used a Texas Cloverleaf. They blasted each other with more lariats, with neither going down. Juice hit the left hand of god, and went for Pulp Friction, but Moxley turned it into the double arm DDT, but Juice kicked out, which made Moxley smile. He then picked him up and hit him with a modified version of the move, almost a double arm Impaler DDT to win the match and capture the title.
Your winner, Jon Moxley!
Jay White vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi.
This was Tanahashi’s return after elbow surgery, and that was the target for White.
This was a fantastic match, that told a really simple story, but it was so well done. White assaulted the arm in the most violent way possible. He used the ringside area to inflict as much damage as possible. He took off the elbow pads and showed off the large scar. He hammerlocked the arm for various moves, including a back drop driver, which was hard to watch. Tanahashi sold this like death, as only he can. He found his opening when he used a dragon screw and started to attack the leg of White. But White would always go back to the arm to cut off The Ace.
Tanahashi built some momentum, but White locked in a Fujisawa Armbar and then a double armbar, for a long struggle. There was some amazing drama here. Tanahashi hit a couple of Slingblades, and then Gedo got involved. The finish here was so well done. White low blowed Tanahashi, but with the refs back turned, Tana gave him one back and rolled him up for a near fall. After a brief back and forth, White trapped the injured arm and rolled up Tanahashi.
Your winner, Jay White!
The booking here at the time was excellent. This win helps White recover from losing the title, and Tanahashi can make a comeback heading into G1.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
