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In one of the rarest moments in professional wrestling, NJPW's latest show was interrupted by an earthquake (strength at magnitude 7.2) that hit Japan earlier in the day.
Halfway through the six-man tag team match featuring Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kazuchika Okada against the Bullet Club, the sudden earthquake shook the entire arena.
The impact of the earthquake at the Xebio Arena Sendai was clearly visible through the cameras for the viewers watching around the world, as NJPW was forced to bring up the house lights mid-way through the match. Following the incident, there was a brief pause in the action.
Despite the earthquake, the majority of the fans in attendance remained calm. Meanwhile, the reigning IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, Kota Ibushi, asked everyone to keep their composure. His tag team partners Tanahashi and Okada also started posing for fans as things gradually went back to normal.
During the interruption caused by the earthquake, Bullet Club's Jay White also played along and started posing with Ibushi's IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles, as well as with Tanahashi's NEVER Openweight title.
After a 20-minute pause, White and his fellow Bullet Club stablemates Kenta, Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo made their way out to the ring once again. The tag team match resumed from where it left off.
Ibushi's team eventually picked up the win after the reigning double champion hit the Kamigoye on Takahashi for the three-count.
NJPW was able to proceed with the rest of the show without any further interruptions
While the earthquake itsewas indeed a scary moment caught on camera, to say the least, NJPW managed to proceed with the rest of the show without any interruptions or delays.
Despite the pause in the action, the final two matches of the night lived up to all expectations. In the first semi-final, Will Ospreay overcame a resilient David Finlay. In the main event, Shingo Takagi beat Bullet Club's EVIL to set up a huge New Japan Cup final.
Ospreay and Takagi will meet tomorrow in what promises to be another excellent encounter between the two in an NJPW ring.
