Mox’s post-Wrestle Kingdom thoughts.
The first-ever IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion was crowned at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. David Finlay emerged victorious from a three-way that included Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay.
After the bout, all three talents spoke to the media and during Moxley’s session, he said the Blackpool Combat Club has plans in Japan for 2024. He added that a big goal of his is to get friend of the B.C.C., Marina Shafir, over to Japan. Moxley continued speaking highly of Shafir.
Blackpool Combat Club has plans in Japan for 2024 and beyond. I wanna come back with Bryan Danielson, with Claudio Castagnoli. We’re gonna get our young Wheeler Yuta, our young rookie out here and have him test himself and build himself and prove himself with all the great, young competitors in Japan. New Japan and Bushiroad has some kind of relationship with STARDOM and there’s a lot of great women’s pro wrestling Joshi promotions here in Japan and this is some of the best — the best women’s wrestling in the world. Friend of the Blackpool Combat Club, Marina Shafir, it’s a goal of mine to get her out to Japan. If you’ve never seen Marina Shafir wrestle, I think the fans of Japan, when you see her submission skills, her judo skills, her martial arts skills on the mat, I think the fans in Japan will absolutely just adore the violence she can bring to women’s wrestling. That’s something that I hope to have in the future so all you — well I got the press right in front of me. All y’all look up Marina Shafir because she wants a shot in Japan. Bring the best women you got because that’s one of the baddest b*tches walking the planet and she’ll come over here representing the Blackpool Combat Club.
Further speaking about future appearances in Japan, he said you might see him tomorrow. On January 5th, NJPW is presenting New Year Dash.
This is just the beginning, this is just day one of 2024. Hell, you never know, you might see me tomorrow, you might see me the next day here in Japan but you will see me again. Arigatou.
Earlier in the scrum session, Moxley recalled a conversation he had with David Finlay’s father, Fit Finlay. He asked Fit if he was going to send David to the WWE Performance Center and Fit said he was sending him to Japan to learn.
The multi-time AEW World Champion went on to say that he thinks he has a broken rib.
Maybe (David) Finlay’s falling in with the wrong crowd, maybe he’s sucking up to the bookers, I don’t know. But I know what kind of family he comes from, I know who he is deep down and I said it before, it’s a true story. I sat a bar years ago drinking with his dad Fit Finlay on a European tour. He told me his son wants to be a wrestler. I said, ‘Is he gonna come to WWE Performance — developmental,’ whatever it was and he said, ‘Sh*t no. I’m gonna send him to Japan. Learn how to do it right,’ and now it’s all those years later and here I am facing off in the Tokyo Dome, blood running all down my face, my eye got popped out of my head, I think I got a broken rib, and it’s just funny how the world all ties together so I know what kind of person Finlay is deep down. This is just the beginning of his journey. We may meet again, we may not but if I got to be a small part of it, that was pretty cool.
POST Wrestling’s review of Wrestle Kingdom 18 is going to be provided by John Pollock, Wai Ting and Bruce Lord.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the original source with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
