NJPW News: Juice Robinson defeats Jay White to win IWGP United States Championship
Juice Robinson has continued to impress many with his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling and his improvement earned him a major victory Saturday night.
After a hard-fought match with Jay White, Robinson eked out a victory to become the IWGP United States Champion at the G1 Special in San Francisco.
The match began with White in firm control, hitting Robinson with every wrestling move and cheap tactic he could think of, but the challenger managed to fight through the pain and get the match going in his favor.
The crowd was firmly in Robinson's corner whilst White was booed throughout the entire match and even got AXS TV commentators Josh Barnett and Jim Ross riled up by his actions before continuing to fight Robinson outside the ring.
After both Robinson and White beat a count-out, Robinson managed to hit White with Pulp Friction, but the champion kicked out at two.
White would attempt to end the match with the Blade Runner, but Robinson would counter with a roll-up pin to capture the United States Championship.
Robinson's win marks the first singles title of his wrestling career and his first championship since capturing the FCW Tag Team Titles in 2012.
Since the creation of the IWGP United States Championship, Robinson has been fixated on winning the title.
He participated in the tournament to crown the inaugural champion, but was defeated by Zack Sabre Jr. in the preliminary round on night one of the G1 Climax in USA in 2017.
Later on in the year, Robinson would have his second opportunity at the title when he wrestled Kenny Omega for the title at NJPW Destruction In Kobe.
Robinson's victory feels like a major step in his climb up the ladder in NJPW and will no doubt give him a ton of momentum heading into G1 Climax 28.