SANADA Says David Finlay Is More Powerful Than He Looks, In The Top Tier Of Foreign Wrestlers

Some traditions are immortal. In NJPW, the tradition of the exiting Bullet Club leader being beaten down and sent packing by the new leader is almost concrete. This time, fans saw the departing Jay White receive the traditional Bullet Club leader's beatdown goodbye. 

The beatdown came at the hands of David Finlay, who has taken White's place as the group's leader. Recently, Finlay faced SANADA in the finals of the New Japan Cup, and in an interview with NJPW, the former Los Ingobernables de Japon member cautioned against underestimating Finlay.

"I've said this in a few places now, but wrestling him really made me realize how good Finlay is." SANADA said. "To be completely honest, I think I had underestimated him. Once we got in there, I really felt like he was in that top class of foreign wrestlers. I think he'll only keep growing from here."

For a company whose list of foreign wrestlers includes the likes of Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Zack Sabre Jr, SANADA's comments seem to be immense praise. However, SANADA ultimately bested Finlay in the finals of the New Japan Cup. But if anything else is true about new Bullet Club leaders, this won't be Finlay's last attempt to earn a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

As far as the previous Bullet Club leader Jay White's future, it's still unclear where he will end up in America, but it does seem AEW and WWE both have interest in the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.