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NJPW veteran Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared in a short video segment on this week's AEW Fight For The Fallen. The legendary performer delivered a short message, where he made his intentions clear.
Tanahashi spoke about having never won the IWGP United States Championship and his desire to capture the title. He officially laid down the challenge to the winner of this week's title match between reigning champion Lance Archer and Hikuleo.
Archer defeated Jon Moxley at last week's AEW Fyter Fest Night 2 to kickstart his second reign with the IWGP US Championship. The match at Fight For The Fallen marked Archer's first defense, and he had it pretty easy on the show.
Despite Hikuleo's imposing physique, he just didn't have enough in him to dethrone The Murderhawk Monster as the champion.
During the match, it was revealed that the IWGP US Champion would be travelling back to Japan for their next title defence.
Tanahashi vs Archer will be an interesting matchup and is sure to grab the attention of NJPW fans
Many legendary NJPW stars have appeared in AEW in the past to challenge for the IWGP US Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi isn't the first NJPW performer to show up in AEW to challenge for the IWGP US Championship. Earlier in the year, Kenta made a few appearances on AEW Dynamite to build up his clash with then-champion Jon Moxley at NJPW: New Beginning USA on February 26th, where Mox retained his title.
Apart from that, former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata also challenged Moxley for the US Championship back on May 12th edition of AEW Dynamite. The veteran performer wrestled a hard-hitting contest against the former AEW Champion, which he eventually lost.
Are you excited about Hiroshi Tanahashi possibly appearing at an AEW show in the future? Sound off in the comments section.
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