Lance Archer has advanced to the next round of the IWGP United States Championship Number One Contender Tournament.
As previously announced, the four-man tournament will determine the next challenger for the IWGP United States Championship, which is currently held by Kenny Omega. The finals of the tournament will be held at NJPW Dominion on June 4.
The action kicked off at NJPW Collision in Philadelphia on April 16. Lance Archer was scheduled to face Juice Robinson, but Fred Rosser took Robinson’s place after “Rock Hard” attacked an official during his match with Rosser at NJPW Capital Collision. Once it was time for the match, Archer challenged Rosser to make it a Philadelphia Street Fight.
The stipulation ultimately played a part in the outcome; the no-disqualification match allowed Robinson to interfere and attack Rosser, and Archer eventually clinched the win. After the bell, he sent a heated message to Omega and made it clear he intends to challenge for the gold at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2.
In the second-first round bout, Will Ospreay will face Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW recently announced that Tanahashi sustained an injury. More information is available here.
Catch up on our coverage of NJPW Collision in Philadelphia here.
