Blows struck before Kobe main event

An IWGP United States Championship public contract signing before Burning Spirit in Kobe turned violent on September 24, as David Finlay hurled a chair at the champion ahead of the tour closer tomorrow night. 

Watch Burning Spirit in Kobe LIVE on NJPW World

Challenger: David Finlay

Will it’s no secret that your name and the word greatness have gone hand in hand for quite some time. One could argue that’s been the case since 2016, where you not only broke the Internet with Ricochet, but went on to be the youngest person to ever win that tournament. Since then I’ve watched you have moment after moment after moment. You’ve beaten every person there is to beat, you’ve won every title there is to win. You’ve almost won every tournament. Hell you even have your own faction, Will. Well done.

But I don’t care about any of that. I can understand why on most nights, people consider you the best in the world, but tomorrow night that is not the case. Tomorrow night, I have my moment. Tomorrow night, I get to be the best in the world. I get my hand raised. I get confetti. I get to send the people home. I get the United States Championship around my waist.

I hope that you’re ready for the fight of my life. I am fighting for my moment. So you can bring your cronies, pull out the stops, stack the odds against me, it doesn’t matter, because I will overcome every single thing that you throw at me. Tomorrow I have my moment, and I walk out of Kobe the United States Champion. You can expect that, and you can expect me. 

Before Will Ospreay passed comment, Gideon Grey had some words on behalf of the champion.

‘First things first. Dave, if I may call you Dave. Thank you for the lovely comments, and the respect you’re showing Will. I think it’s a little underdone. It’s great that you’re talking about your moment, moments matter. Unfortunately, yours isn’t going to happen tomorrow. That’s okay. 

Let’s talk more about Will Ospreay. Billy Big Bollocks. Billy the Bastard. William the Conquereor, if you will. Since he left Okada, Will Ospreay has done what no human alive has done before. He has gone to heights that nobody thought anyone from Britain could reach. He has taken everything he wanted, and he has made so much money doing it. There is nobody in the history of professional wrestling that is as good as Will Ospreay. There is nobody even close to as good as Will Ospreay. 

Let’s be honest. There are leagues and leagues in wrestling. There’s difference between talent all over the place. Look on this side of the table. Just look- nothing else needs to be said. There’s only one possible result in Kobe tomorrow, and that’s Will Ospreay walking out with his IWGP (US) Championship.

Champion: Will Ospreay

Let’s get one thing straight, guys. We’re all adults, let’s talk about some things. Finlay, we’re pretty much the same age. We were born in the same month, we came into New Japan, and come on, you’ve gotta admit it, we were both immature young men. But we have blossomed, and we’ve grown into mature men carrying this company to this day. There’s just a difference between where I started and where you started. And I’ve done everything on my own. I’m a solo star.

This guy’s needed babysitting his entire time here. Does anyone remember his first championship here? I do. The NEVER Openweight Six Man Championships. Guess who was looking after him? Kojima and my buddy Ricochet. They looked after you. What was next? After what, three failed attempts at this championship, do you know what he did win? The IWGP heavyweight Tag Team Championships, with Juice Robinson. Another babysitter for Finlay. 

Do you know what the common theme here is people? Just like Dave Finlay’s father when he was a child, all of them have abandoned him. This guy wants to call himself the Rebel. The Rebel! What a tough man, what a tough boy! Just like all of Hontai, he wants to do it all inside the ring. All of them want to play by the rules and- why are you over there?

At this David Finlay had enough, took a chair and hurled it at the champion, abruptly ending the conference, and indicating that tomorrow’s title match will be anything but about following the rules.