The leading headline of The New Beginning in Osaka saw IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley make his V2 defense of his second reign with the title against Suzuki-Gun boss, Minoru Suzuki — days after part-one of his intriguing interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) English website went public.
The Super No Vacancy crowd in Osaka quickly fell into the narrative Moxley and Suzuki built since night-two of Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5th. As expected, Moxley and Suzuki had an intense brawl that set it apart from other featured matches throughout the night. Suzuki continues to show that he can compete at the highest level despite being over 50 years old.
With Moxley still seemingly unable to wrestle for NJPW in the United States, many felt Suzuki was going to leave Osaka as champion, however, Moxley came out victorious and continues impressing in his appearances for the promotion.
The at the time Undisputed RevPro British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Junior attacked Moxley after the match, before dropping a detailed promo concerning being upset that the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion defeated two of his teammates and that he wanted to win his first IWGP championship in NJPW.
Replay THE NEW BEGINNING in OSAKA (2/9) post-match videos on #njpwworld
Watch FREE▶https://t.co/dfEXOvlUp52/9(日) #njpw #njnbg in OSAKA 大阪大会のバックステージコメントを #新日本プロレスワールド で無料公開中▶https://t.co/CcdQ1XrpWA
.@zacksabrejr pic.twitter.com/bIFkGvfwEt
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) February 10, 2020
While Zack Sabre Junior was unable to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship at Revolution Pro Wrestling’s High Stakes on February 14th, his hot start to the 2020 calendar year has him situated as the top contender to the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
Despite his loss, Minoru Suzuki remains a threat and a solid draw for NJPW in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While some rumors swirl over Suzuki leaving the company for either All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) or Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH), Fumi Saito of the Wrestling Observer denied such in December of last year on the Pacific Rim podcast. Which makes sense when looking at the financial state of both companies.
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