Lance Archer is once again the IWGP US Champion, beating the man who took it from him more than a year ago this week at Fyter Fest.
Jon Moxley won the IWGP US Title all the way back at the start of 2020. His 564 days with what is still a relatively new championship make him the longest-reigning champion in its history by quite some way. His run has been more than twice as long as inaugural champion Kenny Omega who held the title for 210 days.
Lance Archer Is The New US Champion
Moxley's record-breaking run has now come to an end, however. The former AEW Champion put the gold on the line against Lance Archer on night two of Fyter Fest and lost. A sweeter moment than any other title win for Archer as he is the man Moxley won the title from all the way back at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
Fyter Fest night two's main event was a Texas deathmatch, apt as the show took place in the Lone Star State and Archer is a Texan himself. Something else that would have made his title win even sweeter. It also meant the match was pretty brutal, especially considering it was shown on TNT. Both men were bleeding by the end of it, an inevitability considering the match type and the wrestlers involved.
A Barbed Wire Table Will Do It
Moxley set up two tables covered in barbed wire and planned to end the match by sending Archer through them. Things didn't quite turn out that way, and it was actually Mox who wound up going through the tables. Since the now-former champion couldn't answer a ten count, the match was done and Archer was officially crowned the new IWGP United States Champion.
Archer won't have long to celebrate his title win. Immediately after the match, Bullet Club's Hikuleo confronted the new champion. AEW had already announced the winner of the title match at Fyter Fest will have to defend the US Title against Hikuleo next week at Fight for the Fallen. That could mean Archer's second reign as US Champion is an incredibly short one, and also result in the US Title finally being back around the waist of a New Japan star.