NJPW
NJPW has stripped Juice Robinson of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, and a brand new title holder will likely be determined Sunday at Dominion.
NJPW introduced on Friday evening that Robinson was not coming to Japan to defend the US title as scheduled on Sunday, he can be stripped, and the scheduled Robinson vs. SANADA vs. Will Ospreay three-manner at Dominion will now be a SANADA vs. Ospreay singles match, with the winner topped the brand new United States Champion.
NJPW acknowledged that Robinson “reneged on [his] agreement” to defend the title in Osaka on Sunday. Their assertion reads:
On Friday June 9, New Japan Pro-Wrestling was in receipt of a video from Juice Robinson, during which he acknowledged that he wouldn’t be current for his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship three manner match at Dominion.
In truth, Robinson had initially agreed to the championship match Sunday in Osaka Jo Hall. Having now reneged on this settlement and refusing to attend in Osaka, NJPW is hereby stripping Robinson of his champion standing and is demanding the return of the championship belt presently in his possession.
As a outcome of the championship emptiness, the beforehand scheduled IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship three manner is now a singles match that may decide a brand new champion.
The card change is as follows:
ninth Match- IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Three Way
Juice Robinson vs SANADA vs Will Ospreay ->
ninth Match- IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
SANADA vs Will Ospreay
New Japan Pro-Wrestling apologises to followers who had been wanting ahead to seeing Juice wrestle, in addition to for the confusion and inconvenience prompted.
With Robinson not making public statements exterior of kayfabe promos, it stays unclear how a lot of this matter is storyline and the way a lot is legit.
Robinson missed an NJPW June 3 occasion the place he was scheduled for a non-title match towards Tomoaki Honma. It was introduced at that present that Robinson was affected by appendicitis. The method during which that announcement was made indicated that Robinson’s ailment was legit.
On Thursday, Robinson launched an in-character promo through NJPW claiming that he wouldn’t be at Dominion attributable to nonetheless affected by appendicitis, however was nonetheless marketed for the occasion for an additional 24 hours, indicating that maybe the ailment was storyline.
To additional muddy the waters, Robinson appeared on the April 13 Wrestling Observer Live and indicated that his NJPW profession had come to an finish after his contract had expired. He then returned to the corporate at Wrestling Dontaku on May 1 and turned heel, becoming a member of Bullet Club. That would point out that his Observer Live look was in-character.
Robinson went on to win the IWGP United States title at Capital Collision in Washington DC on May 14.
Here is the up to date card for Dominion:
NJPW Dominion, Sunday, June 12, 1 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Jay White
- IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay vs. SANADA
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Tama Tonga (c) vs. Karl Anderson
- KOPW 2022: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Taichi
- AEW interim World Championship eliminator match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (c) vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb
- NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO vs. Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Toru Yano vs. Doc Gallows
- Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Ace Austin
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Aaron Henare, TJP & Francesco Akira