NJPW makes Thursday night IMPACT
As IMPACT emerged from a shocking Slammiversary this week, all eyes were on NJPW’s presence on Thursday night, as FinJuice returned to action, and Jay White would confront Kenny Omega and The ELITE.
Before making his advertised appearance, Jay White would run into Chris Bey backstage, where it was revealed that the Switchblade had been doing some recruiting for BULLET CLUB. Bey would seemingly refuse White’s invitation, but was left with something to reflect on.
Yet later in the broadcast, the NEVER Openweight Champion would enter alone before taking to the microphone. The IMPACT Zone fans would give White an uncharacteristically warm reception as Switchblade rattled off his accomplishments, including his ‘grand slam’ collection. White stated that he is the ‘real’ belt collector, before telling the world that he is coming for David Finlay.
White called out Finlay, bringing up their NEVER Championship bout at Resurgence. White stated that Finlay may have won during the New Japan Cup, but that he would ‘NEVER beat (me) again’. Yet Switchblade also had a message for the Good Brothers. Calling them ‘BULLET CLUB’s greatest fans’, White declared that Gallows and Anderson had no space in the modern era of BULLET CLUB.
As White offered the Brothers a chance to ‘appeal the decision’, the team appeared along with Kenny Omega and Don Callis. Callis ridiculed White’s BULLET CLUB, and instead suggested White should join The ELITE. White reminded Callis of his win:loss record against Omega, leaving the IMPACT and AEW Champion to retire and consider his position.
Gallows and Anderson were left with White. The Good Brothers hit the ring, with Anderson suggesting White should be more ‘grateful’ for their work in establishing BULLET CLUB, only to be told that White ‘is better than everything you two could ever hope to be’. Anderson and Gallows reacted with physicality, setting White up for a Magic Killer, as Chris bey made the save, Anderson challenging White and Bey to a tag match next week.
Also on IMPACT, Ace Austin and Madman Fulton took on FinJuice. Austin started the match with Finlay, who was quick to take control of the arm and connect with fast tags to Juice. Robinson followed up with a stalling vertical suplex, but Austin was able to misdirect his opponents to tag in Fulton.
Fulton and Austin took control of Finlay, with the ring effectively cut in half. A big back body drop would bring Robinson in though, and a Juice cannonball rocketed into Austin as Finlay dove to Fulton. The Left Hand of God connected to Austin, and though Fulton caught a Juice high cross, Robinson rolled through to pick up a flash victory. A post match attack from the defeated Austin and Fulton was quickly defused by FinJuice, but Mahabala Shera and Hakim Zane would join the fray to take out the former champions.
With more battle lines to be drawn between White, Finlay, Juice and the cast of IMPACT, Thursday nights look to be destination viewing over the next few weeks.
