David Finlay and Juice Robinson are two major players in NJPW’s tag division. The two went through the New Japan dojo together, and have been all but inseparable since. Today, FinJuice are the top babyfaces of the tag division, and have recently started representing NJPW on IMPACT. Ahead of their title match against IMPACT tag team champions the Good Brothers at Sacrifice this Saturday, here’s a look at the top five matches of FinJuice’s wonderful career!
5: vs Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer, World Tag League 2019
FinJuice needed to win this match in order to avoid being mathematically eliminated from the World Tag League. Archer is a particularly menacing rival for FinJuice; he beat Juice for the vacated US title, and decimated David in his first title defense. While the pacing of this match is a little slow, it’s a good chance to see FinJuice where they’re strongest: as the fearless, underdog babyfaces.
4: vs Colt Cabana and Toru Yano, World Tag League 2019
If you’re a fan of FinJuice, then most likely you’re a fan of having fun! This match is impossible to get through without smiling, even if it’s just at one of the many comedy spots. Colt Cabana and Toru Yano are a tag team made in heaven, and they certainly make FinJuice fight with both their bodies and brains to earn this win. While it’s not a technical masterpiece of any sort, I think it’s earned its place on the list just for the amount of joy it brings to watch.
3: vs Yoshi Hashi and Jay White, Dominion 2018
This match shows the solid chemistry between Juice and David. Part of this is because their unbreakable friendship is directly juxtaposed with the uneasy relationship between Yoshi-Hashi and FinJuice’s longtime rival, Jay White. This match highlights Juice in particular; his pinfall victory over Jay White is what led to him challenging for the IWGP US title. The crowd helps make this match even stronger; they’re fully and enthusiastically behind FinJuice, and help viewers realize how beloved Juice and David are in NJPW!
2: vs Evil and Sanada, World Tag League 2019 finals
FinJuice were the clear underdogs going into this match. Not only were they up against the two-time World Tag League champions, but Sanada and Evil only needed a draw to finish the tournament as point leaders. FinJuice, on the other hand, had to defeat the reigning champions in order to prevent an LIJ World Tag League three-peat. It’s an incredibly hard-fought battle that shows how much heart FinJuice has. This win is also what catapults them to Wrestle Kingdom to challenge the Guerrillas of Destiny for the IWGP heavyweight tag team titles.
1: vs Guerrillas of Destiny, Wrestle Kingdom 14
This match is probably the most important of FinJuice’s tag team career, as it marks their first time capturing gold together. It also completes the fairytale ending of their comeback story, after David’s shoulder injury and Juice’s loss to Lance Archer. Being in the Tokyo Dome, there’s obviously a very enthusiastic crowd, which helps to add even more emotion to this NJPW tag team classic. A must-watch for FinJuice fans!
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They should not have lost the IWGP tag titles so quickly. They are a good but underrated tag team