​Shota Umino has advanced to the finals of the 2025 New Japan Cup after defeating Shingo Takagi in Fukushima on March 17. Umino secured the victory using The Second Chapter (Northern Lights Bomb), setting up a final match against David Finlay on March 20 in Nagaoka. ​

Following his win, Umino initially left without commenting but returned when Finlay and Gedo called him back. He briefly told Finlay, "I will beat you in the finals," before departing again. ​

Umino's journey to the finals comes after a challenging start to the year, where he lost two of his first three singles matches. He was defeated by Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Kingdom, secured a win against Claudio Castagnoli at Wrestle Dynasty, and suffered a loss to Great-O-Khan at New Beginning in Osaka. In the New Japan Cup, Umino avenged his earlier loss to Great-O-Khan in the opening round and defeated Jeff Cobb in the quarterfinals. ​

The New Japan Cup 2025 Finals are scheduled for Thursday, March 20, 2025, featuring:​

⚡New Japan Cup 2025 Finals: David Finlay vs. Shota Umino​

⚡Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima

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— Ben Kerin Mar 17, 2025 02:09PM