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NJPW: Jon Moxley appears at Wrestle Kingdom 15, set for clash with KENTA

By Patches Chance

OSAKA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 09: Jon Moxley reacts during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling 'The New Beginning in Osaka' at Osaka-Jo Hall on February 09, 2020 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
OSAKA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 09: Jon Moxley reacts during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling 'The New Beginning in Osaka' at Osaka-Jo Hall on February 09, 2020 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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Jon Moxley made a surprise appearance in a taped segment for Wrestle Kingdom 15, and with his win KENTA looks set to finally challenge the champion.

While it didn’t have as much build as some of the other matches, KENTA defending his IWPG US Heavyweight Championship Contract against Satoshi Kojima looked to be a highlight of night one at Wrestle Kingdom 15. Things got even more exciting when we got to see Jon Moxley in a taped segment before the match.

We haven’t seen the reigning IWGP US Heavyweight Champion in NJPW for months because of the ongoing global pandemic. While NJPW has filmed content in the US over the last year, there were reports going back to Moxley signing with AEW that his contract allowed him to work with NJPW, but only in Japan.

That seemed to throw a wrench into things as the global pandemic continued and Jon Moxley was unable to travel to Japan to defend the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. KENTA captured a briefcase granting him the right to challenge for the title back during the New Japan Cup USA, and he’s continued to defend it throughout 2020 and now into 2021.

We saw Kojima deliver a great fight in what could end up being his last singles match at Wrestle Kingdom, but in the end it was KENTA who took the win. Once it was over, thoughts immediately went back to the words of Jon Moxley before the match.

In his brief segment, Jon Moxley carried the title he still holds and confirmed he will defend it in the future. It’s worth noting that while he was in an NJPW ring, he was not in the Tokyo Dome or in Japan.

Instead, the segment appeared to be filmed at NJPW’s LA Dojo where they’ve filmed US content for NJPW Strong. Despite Tony Khan’s insistence that Jon Moxley wouldn’t be at Wrestle Kingdom 15, this move does seem to confirm they have reached an agreement where the former AEW World Champion will be able to film a match at NJPW’s LA Dojo.

Exactly when that match will take place, or if it already has, remains to be seen. NJPW has taped content for NJPW Strong weeks or months in advance, and chances are we won’t know about or witness the match until long after it’s taken place.

Regardless of when the match happens, the stage now seems set for Jon Moxley vs. KENTA, which is a match fans have been clamoring to see for months. KENTA even tweeted a few days ago that he should be awarded the title if Moxley wouldn’t show up, but it looks like he’ll have to take it the hard way when the time is finally right.

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