Tama Tonga wastes no time during his ring entrance, walking rapidly to the ring but getting hauled down by David Finlay before his introduction is even finished. We’re off and running, with Tonga clotheslining Finlay to the floor before he even takes his title belt off.
The brawl on the outside goes badly for the champ, who gets speared through part of the barricade to take the battle into the crowd. Fans are cautioned to stay out of the way as Tonga is hurled into a row of mostly empty chairs.
Finlay rains down right hands and keeps pressing his advantage as the ref’s 20 count keeps going. Tonga is still pretty far out in the crowd, but he makes it back into the ring at 18. Finlay hits a suplex for a near fall, then bites the side of Tama’s head.
After taking a moment to admonish Red Shoes, Finlay unleashes a nasty Irish whip into the corner, then another into the opposite corner. The announcers discuss Gedo and Jado being in opposite corners, looking on.
Tama battles back to his feet and fires himself up to withstand more strikes. He finally hits a head and shoulders suplex to buy himself a bit of a breather, and a big clothesline sends him tumbling to the floor after his challenger.
Now it’s Finlay’s turn to taste the metal of the barricades, three times in a row, then even more until he’s slumped down on the floor. The ref has to start counting again, though they’re back in by eight.
Finlay begs off in the corner, but Tonga comes straight at him. A clothesline out of the corner has Tama taking off his jacket and clapping to get the crowd into it. His corner splash and SRC set up the Supreme Flow, but Finlay gets both knees up.
Both men are content to stand and trade, with Finlay emerging on top after a pair of Irish Curses, and he covers for a two count. Finlay repeatedly hammers the champ with shots from behind, picking him up off the mat each time for more. He connects on a sliding elbow from behind, saying “just that easy” to the camera.
Finlay tries to hoist the champ, who counters into the Tongan Twist. Tama calls for Bloody Sunday but is driven back into the red corner. Tonga hits Bloody Sunday and hooks the leg but gets only two again.
The fans clap as Tama pounds the mat, but Finlay is ready and a series of counters and reversals breaks out. Tonga finally tries for and gets a Sharpshooter applied. Finlay sells the agony well as he crawls toward the ropes, but he’s pulled back into the center of the ring.
Finlay finally gets a break but is still in trouble, trying in vain to prevent Tama from going up top. He decides to try joining him instead, even shrugging off a headbutt to shove Tonga off the top and all the way to the floor. Finlay powerbombs Tonga on the apron and seemingly hopes for the countout again.
But he heads back out when the count is at 10, hurling Tama into the ringpost head first. The ref counts again, making it to 19 before Tonga slips back in. Finlay is waiting with a Dominator that earns another near fall.
The match passes the 20-minute mark as the ref checks to see if Tama is out. He’s not, but he gets slammed back to the mat and powerbombed twice. Finlay covers but sees the champ kick out at two.
Finlay wants Tonga to beg him for mercy, then slams his head into the mat and shoves Red Shoes so he can deliver more punishment. There’s a third powerbomb, with Finlay telling Ref Shoes to check on Tama. Jado has a white towel ready but waves his arms to signify he won’t throw it in.
That’s fine with Finlay, who hits Oblivion but then pulls up on the cover at two. A second Oblivion leads to the same thing, with Finlay intentionally pulling up at two. A third Oblivion ends it, and Finlay is the new NEVER Openweight Champion in vicious fashion.
He might have his first challenger already too: A masked figure approaches the ring and attacks Finlay after the match, revealing itself to be El Phantasmo. The two men brawl until they are eventually pulled apart.
