#4.) vs Michael Elgin – New Beginning in Osaka
Michael Elgin was making the ranks in NJPW and was a former Intercontinental Champion in his own right. He looked to get one over on Naito, the man who beat him for the title in the first place the prior year. Elgin would give the performance of his career as he took Tetsuya Naito to his limit.
Naito was well-loved by the crowd in his own right, but Elgin’s relentlessness and “never say die” attitude earned him the support of the crowd. It would go on to be a 36-minute war filled with near falls and false finishes. Ultimately, Naito retained the title, but it was one of those cases where a superstar looks good even in defeat. That’s exactly what happened with Elgin.
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