Jay White defeats Sanada

NJPW The New Beginning Osaka February 9

Kevin Kelly reminds us before the start of the match that Sanada is looking for his first singles win since August 2019. Gedo got involved twice in the first two minutes of the match giving Jay the early advantage in the match. Sanada got practically no offense in the first 7 minutes of the match. At one point Sanada got an opening for a middle rope moonsault, but Jay evaded and hit a DDT.

Finally after 9 minutes, Sanada caught White with a foot in the face as he came running into the corner. For the first time in several attempts during the tour, Sanada finally put Jay in a Paradise Lock. White evaded Skull End by raking Sanada’s eyes.

Sanada eventually took out Gedo and locked Jay White into Skull End. When Sanada felt he had White worn down enough, he went for the top rope moonsault, but White evaded. Sanada continued to attempt Skull End, but White would counter several attempts hitting a pair of sleeper suplexes and nearly the blade runner.

Eventually he did hit the blade runner for the pinfall victory.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent