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Hiroshi Tanahashi is set to make his first defense of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against the one and only, Kota Ibushi. The Golden Star will return to action, and New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed a blockbuster return match for Ibushi.
Tanahashi will put the title on the line at the Wrestle Grand Slam show in MetLife Dome. The Ace will officially be bringing the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship back to Japan as he gets set to welcome Ibushi back inside the squared circle.
NJPW took to Twitter and to their official website to make the following match announcement:
Having dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Will Ospreay, Ibushi was set to face newly crowned champion, Shingo Takagi, at the Tokyo Dome.
However, Ibushi had to withdraw from the match due to aspiration pneumonia.
Hiroshi Tanahashi won the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Resurgence
At the recent NJPW Resurgence show, Hiroshi Tanahashi made his way to the United States to face Lance Archer in a huge title bout. The pair headlined the event, as The Ace aimed to add the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship to his list of accomplishments.
Tanahashi eventually beat Archer with the High Fly Flow and ended the latter's second IWGP US Heavyweight Championship reign on rather short notice. After all, Archer's recent reign had only begun last month at AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest, when he beat Jon Moxley in a brutal Texas Deathmatch.
There have been rumors of Hiroshi Tanahashi possibly defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Moxley at next month's AEW All Out pay-per-view.
But with his title defense against Ibushi being scheduled on September 4, a match between The Ace and The Death Rider is certainly not happening in Chicago.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
