SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
Jay White beat Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the new IWGP World Hvt. Champion at New Beginning in Osaka earlier today. White and Tanahashi had a competitive back and forth match based around both men working on each other’s legs. White tried to play mind games with Tanahashi during the match by avoiding his signature moves like the Sling Blade by simply moving out of the way a different way each time Tanahashi tried to execute the move.
Tanahashi got angry and went after White’s leg with even more fury and nearly tapped him out with the Cloverleaf Hold late in the match, which went a little over 30 minutes. White also used Gedo’s interference at times to get the upper hand, but Tanahashi was booked strong and fended him off multiple times during the match.
Tanahashi hit a pair of Sling Blades late and went up top for a High Fly Flow at the end of the match, but White caught him and hit his Blade Runner finish for the win. White concluded a strong G1 season through Wrestle Kingdom holding wins over Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and most recently Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom before beating Tanahashi for the title.
During the press conference, White mentioned his first title defense would be at MSG. White did not reference ROH or the G1 Supercard event in his promo, but the co-promoted ROH/NJPW event is set to take place during WrestleMania weekend.
- g1 supercard
- hiroshi tanahashi
- jay white
- njpw
- roh