NJPW: Jon Moxley and KENTA go face-to-face

Jon Moxley faces PAC on the Oct. 23, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite. Photo: Lee South/AEW

Jon Moxley appeared at NJPW Strong on Friday to go face to face with KENTA. The former AEW World champion and current NJPW United States champion came face-to-face with the man set to challenge him for that title.

Moxley has carried the NJPW United States title for 392 days. The longevity of that reign is due to the COVID-19 global pandemic bringing a halt to international travel. Still, New Japan continued to find a way to develop angles around that title, having KENTA win a tournament to earn a title shot briefcase. KENTA continued to call out Moxley even as he defended the briefcase against men like Jeff Cobb and Hiroshi Tanahashi. All that led to Moxley appearing at Wrestle Kingdom to let the world know that he is coming for KENTA. 

The two men went head-to-head in the center of a New Japan ring and the moment ended with Moxley standing tall, holding the United States title over his head after laying out the challenger. A match between the two men has yet to be announced, but this is their first interaction and the first appearance of Moxley in a NJPW ring in more than a year.

This comes at a time when All Elite Wrestling is wrapped up in a major angle with Impact Wrestling and frequently featuring the NWA World Women’s champion on their show. Will AEW end up working with NJPW soon? Will Kenny Omega’s quest to become the belt collector see him end up facing Kota Ibushi who holds the NJPW Heavyweight title? All of those are great questions but the one thing that is known is that Jon Moxley has his eyes on KENTA and defending the NJPW US title.