This Monday at King of Pro Wrestling, Juice Robinson will finally get his rematch against Jon Moxley in a No Disqualification match for the IWGP United States Championship. Moxley's been missing from action in New Japan since his injury in late August and during his interview with
NJPW1972.com, Robinson makes note of Moxley not defending the belt constantly:
“And what’s Moxley done? Sat on his ass, getting his triceps stapled up. Injuries happen, but at least when I had that belt I defended it as much as I could. I was on the road up and down Japan, a fighting champion, and damn it, I should be the champion again. Forever. When you think of titles, you think of people. Like when you think of Ricky Steamboat you think of him as an Intercontinental Champion. Think of the IWGP title and you think of Okada, or Tanahashi. I want people to think of me when they think of the US Championship.”
Robinson has a huge chip on his shoulder this coming Monday, as many counted him out during their first encounter back in June, and the former IWGP US Champion wasn’t too thrilled about the “experts” crowning Moxley as champion before the bell even rang. Robinson states his passion for being the champion and makes it clear why the belt is so important to him:
“I would say it’s the number three championship, as far as significance. Right under the Intercontinental I would say. Perhaps equal. It’s not the granddaddy of them all, not the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but it’s up there. I know I said I never thought about the US when I had the title. That was right after the match, and I was angry. I had a lot of critics after that, people that were only talking about Moxley and crowning him champion before the match happened. A lot of those people were American so-called ‘journalists’ and ‘experts’ and people that think they know everything. When I said that I was talking directly to those kinds of people. The IWGP means a lot to me because this was the place that gave me the platform, and an actual chance to be a successful pro-wrestler, so that’s why those letters maybe mean more than the USA to me. Or, that’s what I meant when I said it.”
Check out the full interview where Robinson talks more about his upcoming match with Jon Moxley, and several other topics revolving his career in New Japan.