7 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Royal Quest

4. SANADA & Naito Best White & Owens

"How do you handle coming so close to winning the G1 Climax but falling short at the final stage?", asked Kevin Kelly as 'Switchblade' Jay White entered for his and Chase Owens' tag clash with Los Ingobernables de Japon's SANADA and Tetsuya Naito. Losing to his next big pay-per-view opponent, apparently.

Naito and White are set to collide for Naito's IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Destruction In Kobe on 22 September. This gave the tag match a little extra spice going in and while what we saw was strong, the technical issues resurfaced again throughout. They weren't as destructive as they were in the opener and subsided for enough time to give a strong enough impression to not throw the bout "Somewhere In-Between," but good grief, what a frustrating experience.

That Owens took the submission loss to SANADA keeps White and Naito fresh for Destruction, though their interactions were suitably heated throughout. Afterwards, 'Switchblade' battered both LIJ men. He was furious at the loss and revelled in the fans' jeers as they poured disdain down upon him, particularly when Gedo brought a steel chair into play. Naito took a shot to the guy before firing back, though, downing White to a massive pop before following-up with a symbolic three-count on his challenger, hoping he'll be able to do the same in Kobe.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.