Yujiro, Finlay advance as BULLET CLUB shock grabs headlines
March 6 saw more first round action in the New Japan Cup as part of NJPW’s 51st Anniversary, Yujiro Takahashi facing Shota Umino and David Finlay meeting Tomohiro Ishii in the two singles bouts.
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First was Umino facing Yujiro, a man who was once a big part of Shota’s childhood. As Umino let out an early explosion of emotion, landing a shotgun dropkick on his former family friend long ago, Yujiro bided his time and awaited an error. When the impetuous Umino charged Yujiro, Takahashi was waiting with a hotshot over the ropes, taking control of the match and letting the air out of the building.
Yujiro couldn’t ride his hot hand for long, and Umino would fire back, stringing together offense that had Yujiro rattled. That sensation relayed itself to the HOUSE OF TORTURE locker room as SHO hit the ring to set up a low blow that brought Yujiro close to the win, but Umino wasn’t to be denied, and a pair of Death Riders struck SHO and Yujiro to land a convincing win.
The other half of the lower right quadrant had Tomohiro Ishii facing David Finlay. Finlay had said in the wake of Battle in the Valley that it was time to take it all, and that included all that Switch made Jay White could once lay claim to. Instantly that meant BULLET CLUB membership and the services of Gedo, but Finlay wanted to make sure that also meant a clean and definitive win over Tomohiro Ishii that had almost completely eluded his former friend.
Finlay was furious and destructive from the opening bell, the match quickly going to the outside with guardrail shots and following with traded blows center ring. Finlay was determined to show superiority over the Stone Pitbull that Jay White had never had, in full control of Ishii with stiff shots. Yet it was soon Ishii’s turn to show why he had held Jay White’s number so long. The indomitable heart of the Stone Pitbull brought fire to Ishii, and after a brutal powerslam and suplex, it was on Finlay to find an answer.
The answer came with a wild spear that sent both men tumbling to the outside, and it was here that the Rebel dealt more damage before hoisting Ishii with a Blue Thinder Bomb for a near two. A superplex would follow, but Ishii soon fired back in kind, the Ota crowd cheering Ishii on as Finlay looked to Gedo for advice.
The Blacksmith called the play for Trash Panda, as Finlay pulled down his knee pad to reveal X marking the spot where Ishii’s neck was set to connect. Yet Ishii refused to go quietly, and attempt after attempt at the move was denied with lariats and a huge powerbomb for a near two. Ishii fired himself up to take Finlay down for good, but the Rebel would finally turn a Vertical Drop Brainbuster into Prima Nocta, and after a crunching headbutt exchange, the Trash Panda for three.
Shota Umino now faces Zack Sabre Jr in round two of the New Japan Cup, while Great-O-Khan takes on Finlay. The tournament continues Wednesday March 8 with Ren Narita vs EVIL and Mark Davis facing Toru Yano.
