NJPW New Beginning notes: David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Hiroshi Tanahashi
Notes from Wednesday’s New Beginning in Osaka.
David Finlay strongly hinted at his departure from NJPW following his match with Callum Newman, where he lost cleanly after a lariat. After Newman mocked his opponent and left the ring, Finlay recovered and quickly became emotional. He bowed to the crowd and hugged manager Gedo as he exited the ring. He then bowed in front of and hugged Hiromu Takahashi at ringside before making his exit.
Despite what seemed like a final farewell, Finlay has been announced for New Beginning USA on February 27. But the scene on Wednesday comes as reports indicate that Finlay is looking to explore free agency.
One person who is remaining with the company is Drilla Moloney. After he and Shingo Takagi were victorious in their tag match, Moloney announced that he had renewed his contract with NJPW. Additionally, he declared for the NJPW Cup tournament, which takes place next month.
Prior to the NEVER title match, Hiroshi Tanahashi made a surprise appearance and announced that their next broadcast on national television will take place at NJPW Dominion on June 14 in Osaka-jo Hall. TV Asahi aired Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, the first time the network had aired a Tokyo Dome event since 2004.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.