NJPW issued the following:
Shota Umino and Ricochet make claims for the IWGP Heavyweight Title
After a hard-fought battle against Shingo Takagi, Zack Sabre Jr successfully retained his title at Power Struggle in Osaka on November 4th. However, two new opponents emerged during his post-match speech.
As ZSJ issued his comments, Shota Umino made his entrance to boos from the crowd, a stark contrast to the reception he received during his match. Shota expressed his desire for a title shot, leaving the timing up to the champion. Sabre accepted the challenge with a date anmd time TBA, and as Umino took his leave, told the crowd that he had three dreams for the year: winning the G1, becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and headlining the Tokyo Dome.
Just after his speech, Ricochet made a surprise appearance, attacking the champion and challenging ZSJ for January 5th at Wrestle Dynasty. Promising a ‘parting gift’ for the evening, Ricocahet prepared for another shot, only to see Umino making thr save. That angered the champion and sparked a brawl that ended with a Deathrider from Umino and more questions at this point than answers.
