The third match of the pilot episode of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) Strong saw two former high school folk wrestling standouts Chase Owens and David Finlay meet for the opportunity to move on to the New Japan Cup USA Tournament semi-finals.
The two had previously met in singles competition on July 3, 2016, in a match that saw Owens defeat Finlay in 6 minutes and 54.
Before COVID-19 (Coronavirus, 2019) caused NJPW to shut down for several months, David Finlay was in the midst of the best run during his career after winning the 2020 World Tag League and the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
During the layoff, Owens has dedicated himself to training in order to return to the ring in better shape. His efforts paid off, as Owens looked extremely sharp and on form against Finlay.
However, Finlay was able to weather the Owens storm and create his own offense as the match progressed towards its final stages. At the 9 minute and 46-second mark, Finlay was able to defeat Owens after hitting his Prima Nocta technique.
Finlay moves on to the semi-finals of the New Japan Cup USA Tournament. While he has yet to make his name as a singles competitor, he has shown that he has the potential to do so. His FinJuice tag team partner, Juice Robinson was able to climb the singles ranks after years of hard work — it’s likely Finlay will be able to do the same over the upcoming months.
Finaly’s semi-final match will take place on NJPW Strong on August 14th.
