Shota Umino Dares to Take Ownership of ‘Ace’ Moniker

Shota Umino has proclaimed himself the “New Ace” of NJPW following his main event win against Ren Narita

By: R. Faliani

After a battle between two of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Reiwa Three Musketeers, the “Shooter” Shota Umino stood tall against House of Torture’s Ren Narita and declared he is now the New Ace of NJPW in this new era.

Umino and Narita had a fantastic outing in front of the Korakuen Hall faithful. As fate will have it Umino got the victory over the rebellious and villainous Narita who is now wrestling under EVIL’s group.

During the match, Umino was attacked by House of Torture, but Tama Tonga and El Desperado came to assist the Roughneck, and after five minutes he had Narita where he wanted him.

.@Shooter_us "Ignition"

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This led to Tama trusting Umino with facing the NEVER Openweight Champion, EVIL. As the Korakuen crowd screamed for Umino and cheered for Tama on his farewell, he took the microphone and had interesting words for his future as NJPW’s flagbearer.

“I think the fans are worried. In New Japan Pro Wrestling, the rain will stop and there will be clear skies with no clouds. Even if it gets dark at night, I’ll be the biggest star and continue to shine, so don’t worry.”

Umino then, after giving New Japan fans a sense of relief to face Kazuchika Okada’s departure from the company, dared to say the unthinkable and shock the wrestling world:

“Thank you for your hard work. From now on, we will enter a new era. I’ll make one declaration in front of Korakuen. I promise that the New Ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling will be me, Shota Umino.”

With Okada leaving the company there’s a big hole that needs to be filled, and time will tell to see the consequences of Umino’s bold statement, especially around his peers like Yota Tsuji, the returning Yuya Uemura or NJPW’s long-term project in Ryohei Oiwa.

The Uphill Battle for the Reiwa Three Musketeers