Lance Archer Wasn’t Sure He Would Stay With NJPW In 2019

The start of Lance Archer’s 2020 is remarkably different from the beginning of his 2019. Currently the IWGP United States Champion, Archer will face off against former champion Jon Moxley this Saturday at Wrestle Kingdom 14. The two will compete for the belt in a Texas Death Match. In an interview with Fightful, Archer recalled how he wasn’t even sure he would remain a part of NJPW in 2019.

“I had no idea (where I’d be in 2019). Legitimately, there’s no knock to anywhere else or anyone else, there was thought of leaving New Japan just for the simple fact that I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know what was going to continue to move forward or what was going to happen. But, it wasn’t a situation where I was actively looking to leave the company. It was just a point of actively looking to further my career.”

He continued, “At the time, starting in 2019, I didn’t know if that was gonna be in New Japan. Obviously the business has changed even drastically since the beginning of 2019. So, I was just looking to see what was going to be the next best avenue for myself.”

Archer’s 2019 turned out to be transformative for the wrestler. Not only did he play a notable role in last summer’s G1 Climax tournament, he would eventually claim the vacated IWGP US Championship.

This victory marked what he referred to as his “first major singles title” in his career. In the run-up to their matchup on Saturday, Archer recently delivered an unsettling warning to Moxley. The winner of their match will compete the following day during Night Two of Wrestle Kingdom 14 against Juice Robinson.