This year’s New Japan Cup is down to its final four wrestlers.
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada and SANADA vs. EVIL are the semifinal matches for the tournament. Both semifinal matches are taking place tomorrow (Friday, July 3), with the show airing live for free on New Japan World starting at 6 a.m. Eastern time.
The quarterfinals for the New Japan Cup took place this morning. To advance to the next round, Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Okada defeated Taiji Ishimori, SANADA defeated Taichi, and EVIL defeated YOSHI-HASHI.
Takahashi, SANADA, and EVIL are all members of Los Ingobernables de Japon. The winner of the New Japan Cup will challenge LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the main event of Dominion.
The New Japan Cup finals are taking place on Saturday, July 11 and Dominion is taking place on Sunday, July 12. Both of those shows are being held at Osaka-jo Hall. There will be fans in attendance for both events, but the arena will be limited to one-third capacity.
The quarterfinals for this year’s New Japan Cup are now set following night six of the tournament.
This morning’s New Japan Cup show saw EVIL, Taichi, SANADA, and YOSHI-HASHI advance to the next round of the tournament. EVIL defeated Hirooki Goto, Taichi defeated Kota Ibushi, SANADA defeated SHO, and YOSHI-HASHI defeated BUSHI.
All of the quarterfinal matches will take place tomorrow (Thursday, July 2). The matches are:
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Taiji Ishimori
Taichi vs. SANADA
YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL
The semifinals for the tournament will then take place on Friday (July 3). That show will feature the winner of Ishii vs. Takahashi facing the winner of Okada vs. Ishimori and the winner of Taichi vs. SANADA facing the winner of YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL.
The finals of the tournament will be held on Saturday, July 11. The New Japan Cup winner will then challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the main event of Dominion on Sunday, July 12.
Osaka-jo Hall is hosting the New Japan Cup finals and Dominion. Fans will be allowed to attend those two shows, but the arena will be limited to one-third capacity.
With the first round concluding this morning, the full schedule of matches for the next round of the New Japan Cup is now set.
Night four of the New Japan Cup this morning saw EVIL, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and BUSHI advance in the tournament. EVIL vs. Goto and YOSHI-HASHI vs. BUSHI will now take place in the second round.
The second round matches for the left side of the bracket will be held tomorrow (June 24), while the second round matches for the right side of the bracket are taking place on July 1. Here’s the updated schedule for the tournament:
June 24 —
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
July 1 —
Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi
SHO vs. SANADA
Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
YOSHI-HASHI vs. BUSHI
July 2 —
Quarterfinals
July 3 —
Semifinals
July 11 —
Finals
The next three shows will feature one non-tournament match. There will be two non-tournament matches on July 3, and the card for the finals on July 11 will have 7-9 matches in total.
The winner of the tournament will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the main event of Dominion on July 12.
NJPW has announced the full card for tonight’s New Japan Cup finals.
As had already been confirmed, the top two matches on the show will be Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA in the New Japan Cup finals and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson defending his title against Chase Owens.
The winner of Okada vs. SANADA will challenge for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6.
Tag matches round out the rest of the card for the New Japan Cup finals. White is teaming with Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo against Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Mikey Nicholls, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay are taking on Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi, and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi will again be facing off in an eight-man tag match.
The show will begin at 2 a.m. Eastern time overnight tonight and will air live on New Japan World. Here’s the full card:
Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA in the New Japan Cup finals (winner challenges for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Supercard)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson defending against Chase Owens
Jay White, Bad Luck Fale & Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Mikey Nicholls
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI & Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ren Narita
Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Shota Umino vs. Michael Elgin, Colt Cabana & Toa Henare
Kazuchika Okada and SANADA are the final two wrestlers remaining in this year’s New Japan Cup.
The semifinals of the New Japan Cup took place this morning, with Okada defeating Tomohiro Ishii after hitting the Rainmaker and SANADA submitting Hiroshi Tanahashi with the Skull End. Okada and SANADA will now face each other in the finals tomorrow (Sunday, March 24) to decide the winner of the tournament.
The winner of Okada vs. SANADA will challenge for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6.
Okada defeated Michael Elgin, Mikey Nicholls, Will Ospreay, and Ishii in this year’s New Japan Cup, while SANADA defeated Hirooki Goto, Minoru Suzuki, Colt Cabana, and Tanahashi to advance to the finals.
The New Japan Cup finals will begin at 2 a.m. Eastern time overnight. The show will also feature an IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match, with Juice Robinson defending his title against Chase Owens.
Quarterfinal action wrapped up today as NJPW ran their second consecutive night in Shizuoka.
The main event featured a rematch of last year’s New Japan Cup final, with Zack Sabre Jr. taking on Hiroshi Tanahashi, reprising that battle with another instant classic.
The other tournament bout saw the end of Colt Cabana’s Cinderella story in wrestling’s version of March Madness, with him falling to SANADA in the semi-main.
A stronger opening contest than last night here, with the youngsters carrying much of the match. Kojima hit Tsuji with a lariat and pinned him.
TAICHI & TAKA MICHINOKU DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY & SHOTA UMINO
The audience reacts to Umino in a different way than they do the other young lions. He’s already special, but he’s going to be in main events for a decade, barring injury.
Ospreay did a lot considering his tough match with Okada the night before. Taichi taunted Ospreay with Ospreay’s NEVER title, and beat him down after the match, so look for that at some point in the future.
Taichi submitted Umino with the Stretch Plum.
BAD LUCK FALE, CHASE OWENS & HIKULEO DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, MIKEY NICHOLLS & REN NARITA
Chase and Juice continue to trade tag wins in advance of their U.S. title match on Sunday.
After a kendo stick shot from Jado, Chase hit a Jewel Heist on Narita for a near fall, then used a package piledriver for the pin.
After the match, HIKULEO and Fale held Juice and forced him to watch Owens hit a second package piledriver on Narita.
MINORU SUZUKI, LANCE ARCHER & DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. DEFEATED MICHAEL ELGIN, RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & TOA HENARE
The Suzuki-gun credibility rehab tour continues, as the group picked up another tag victory on this tour.
Suzuki and Taguchi did some comedy together, which worked because of their differences. Elgin and Smith did a bunch of power stuff together, and that also worked really well. Archer hit the Blackout on Henare for the pin.
Naito and Ibushi are so good that even in taking it easier than usual in an undercard tag match, they were still excellent. We also saw a new wrinkle from EVIL, as he used a Sharpshooter on Honma to pick up the win here via submission.
Naito again taunted Ibushi after the match, and that looks to be a future Intercontinental title bout.
This provided a preview of Saturday’s Okada vs. Ishii semifinal bout. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that their match will not be lacking in intensity.
Early on, Okada tried to break cleanly and taunt Ishii in doing so, but Ishii responded by slapping Okada across the face.
Later, they did an awesome series of counters and reversals as each looked to hit their finisher. Ishii avoided a dropkick, and hit Okada with a lariat.
The finish saw Goto hit an ushigoroshi, Ishii hit a sliding lariat, and Goto hit the GTR on YOSHI-HASHI for the win.
NEW JAPAN CUP QUARTERFINAL MATCH: SANADA DEFEATED COLT CABANA (14:57)
They had a solid outing, but not a spectacular match. They never got out of second gear, and they didn’t seem to have a lot of heat. The crowd was not very well mic’d, but even still, not a lot of audience reaction came across on the broadcast.
They began with some mat work. Colt used a headscissors, and SANADA popped out. Colt offered SANADA the Paradise Lock, but it was a trap, as Colt used a cradle for a near fall. SANADA finally applied the Paradise Lock, then sent Colt to the floor.
They did a couple of comedy spots, but the focus remained serious. SANADA did his leapfrog dropkick spot, then hit a pescado. SANADA used a chinlock. They traded strikes, and SANADA hit a Frankensteiner.
Colt hit a double jump splash, picking up a two count. He crashed and burned on a moonsault attempt. SANADA went for a springboard dropkick, but Cabana caught him, then used the Billy Goat’s Curse. SANADA crawled to the ropes, forcing a break.
Colt hit a top rope rana, but SANADA rolled through into a cover for a two count. SANADA went for Skull End, but had to settle for a draping neckbreaker.
SANADA went for a moonsault, but Colt got his knees up and used a cradle for a two count. SANADA countered the Superman. Colt went for it a second time, but SANADA escaped, then used Skull End for the submission.
NEW JAPAN CUP QUARTERFINAL MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. (21:12)
They worked a great old school match, almost exclusively built around trading holds.
Sabre picked up an early one count after the opening mat grappling sequence. He worked for an armbar, but Tanahashi kept his hands clasped, then managed an escape.
Tanahashi called for a knuckle lock — and Sabre engaged. They traded the advantage in the hold, before Tanahashi used a suplex to break it.
Sabre used the threat of an armbar, then stomped on Tanahashi’s left arm. Sabre used a wristlock, then again stomped on the left arm, establishing the target of his attack for the match.
They exchanged forearm shots and uppercuts. Tanahashi hit a flying forearm, a bodyslam, and a somersault senton to pick up a two count.
They traded cobra twists. Tanahashi used a pumphandle slam. Sabre countered with a kick to the face, then applied an octopus hold over the ropes. On the break, Tanahashi hit a dragon screw, dropkick, and dragon screw combination in the ropes.
Tanahashi slapped on a cloverleaf, but Sabre slipped out of the hold into a triangle choke. Tanahashi managed to escape and went back to the cloverleaf, but Sabre forced a rope break.
Sabre used a guillotine, then transitioned to a wristlock, but Tanahashi reversed into a Twist and Shout. Tanahashi hit two more Twist and Shouts, then hit Slingblade for a near fall.
Sabre used an octopus hold, hit a PK, avoided a dragon screw, and used a European clutch for a near fall. Tanahashi used an O’Connor roll for a near fall, but Sabre used the cover to transition to Orienteering with Napalm Death. Tanahashi used a dragon screw to break the hold.
Sabre used a wristlock into a clutch for a near fall. He went for a backslide, but Tanahashi escaped and hit an inverted Slingblade. Tanahashi used a Japanese leg clutch hold for the pin.
Tanahashi closed the show with a series of air guitar encores.
The quarterfinal round of the 2019 New Japan Cup kicked off today in Shizuoka, with two stellar tournament matches on top.
The undercard on the show felt like filler. With Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay on top, nothing underneath was likely to steal the show anyway.
And so, the opening tag matches provided little in the way of excitement. Only one undercard tag bout cracked the 10-minute mark, and the show moved at a brisk pace.
Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI delivered in the semi-main position, while the main event was a showcase for two of the 10 best wrestlers on the planet.
Business picked up a bit once Nagata tagged in, but this was not a strong opener. Nakanishi and Tenzan moved in slow motion. Nagata tapped out Tsuji with the Nagata Lock II.
JUICE ROBINSON, MIKEY NICHOLLS & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI DEFEATED CHASE OWENS, BAD LUCK FALE & HIKULEO
Bullet Club took control early on, as Jado used a kendo stick on Taguchi’s glutes. Chase will challenge Juice for his IWGP United States Heavyweight title on Sunday, but he wanted no parts of the champ today.
Chase repeatedly begged off, but Juice finally got his hands on him in the ring. Juice hit jabs and a cannonball. He teased Pulp Friction, but Jado provided a distraction, allowing Chase to hit a combination of strikes.
Nicholls and HIKULEO got tags. Nicholls hit HIKULEO with the Mikey Bomb and picked up the win.
MINORU SUZUKI, LANCE ARCHER, DAVEY BOY SMITH JR & TAICHI DEFEATED TOMOAKI HONMA, TOGI MAKABE, MICHAEL ELGIN & TORU YANO
Suzuki-gun, the rogues that they are, attacked before the opening bell. They then had a middling brawl. Makabe and Suzuki had an intense striking exchange, but aside from that, not much in the way of action here.
The match broke down, with Taichi and Honma left the legal men in the ring. Taichi kicked Honma low, then used the Gedo Clutch for the pin.
They continue to plant seeds for another singles encounter between Naito and Ibushi. Naito taunted Ibushi after the match, while Ibushi remained silent.
During the match, Ibushi landed right on the top of his head while executing a backflip kick on Naito and Shingo. That was terrifying.
Shingo gave Narita a good bit of offense, and Narita even kicked out of one Pumping Bomber, before eventually falling victim to a second.
EVIL & SANADA DEFEATED COLT CABANA & TOA HENARE
SANADA and Cabana gave a preview of their quarterfinal match tomorrow. They did some comedy, which worked well, and their serious wrestling was quite good. Cabana busted out a second rope moonsault.
EVIL hit Darkness Falls on Henare, but Cabana broke up the pinfall. SANADA took Cabana out with a dropkick, and SANADA and EVIL hit the Magic Killer on Henare, leading to the pin.
ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI & SHOTA UMINO
TAKA and Sabre dominated Umino early on. Tanahashi tagged in for a couple of signature spots, going head-to-head with Sabre. Sabre blocked one Dragon Screw, but Tanahashi managed to hit a second.
Umino got a tag and hit an awesome missile dropkick, then kicked out of a PK from Sabre. Sabre sold tweaking his right knee, which is worth noting ahead of Tanahashi vs. Sabre tomorrow.
Sabre used a Cobra Twist, then Orienteering with Napalm Death for the submission win over Umino.
NEW JAPAN CUP QUARTERFINAL MATCH: TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI (20:25)
A very good match. Ishii is amazing. YOSHI-HASHI held up his end of the bargain, and he looked good in defeat.
The story of the match was that, as members of the same CHAOS faction, these guys know each other well. Each had a counter for the other as they tried to trade holds at the outset.
With that reaching a stalemate, Ishii looked to use his power advantage. YH had his left shoulder taped, and Ishii dumped him on that shoulder with a powerslam. YH stood up to a series of shoulder tackles and hit a headhunter.
YH drew blood from Ishii’s chest with a series of chops. They traded elbow strikes for a long time, and YH finally went down. Ishii hit an extended sequence of chops and punches in the corner, and he tore the tape of YH’s shoulder.
YH spit at Ishii, then slapped him in the face. YH dropped Ishii with a mid kick, then dropped him again with a lariat. YH hit a Liger Bomb for a two count. He slapped on the Butterfly Lock, then transitioned to a sleeper.
YH hit a backstabber, then went back to the Butterfly Lock, but Ishii powered his way to a rope break. YH missed with a swanton bomb. Ishii hit a backdrop driver, but YH blocked the following lariat.
They traded chops in the center of the ring. Ishii hit a jackknife powerbomb for a two count. YH ducked a first sliding lariat attempt, but Ishii connected on the second for a near fall. Ishii went for a brainbuster, but YH rolled him up for a two count.
YH used another roll-up for a near fall, then hit a lariat, as they went into a double down. Ishii hit a lariat, and they exchanged headbutts. YH hit double knees for a near fall, then a fisherman buster for another two count.
Ishii reversed a Karma attempt into a DDT. Ishii hit a headbutt, no-sold two thrust kicks, then hit a lariat for a near fall. Ishii then hit the vertical drop brainbuster for the victory.
NEW JAPAN CUP QUARTERFINAL MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY (20:11)
A great match. I could have used about five more minutes, as they really picked it up around the 15-minute mark. They left me wanting more, and they will meet again, I’m sure.
They started slowly, exchanging headlocks and wristlocks. Okada broke cleanly on the ropes. Ospreay hit a monkey flip. He teased a dive, but hit his pose instead. Okada drew him to the floor, then sent him towards the barricade, but Ospreay leaped over the barrier. Ospreay came off the fence into an uppercut, and Okada took over.
Okada hit a slingshot senton, a neckbreaker, then worked a chinlock, focusing his attack on Ospreay’s neck. Okada placed Ospreay on the turnbuckles, then dropkicked him to the floor. Ospreay climbed back to the apron, and Okada hammered him with forearms.
Ospreay pulled Okada to the floor with a rana, then hit a Sasuke Special. Back inside, Ospreay hit a handspring corkscrew kick. Okada countered with a flapjack, then hit an air raid crash for a two count.
Okada hit a top rope elbow. He teased his Rainmaker pose, but Ospreay nailed him with an enzuigiri. Ospreay followed with Pip Pip Cheerio. Ospreay hit a series of kicks to the chest. He went for the Storm Breaker, but Okada hit an arm drag, then sent Ospreay into the corner with a kick.
They traded strikes, and Okada won the exchange. Ospreay used a backslide, grabbed wrist control, then hit a lariat. Ospreay hit a second short arm lariat. He went for a Rainmaker, but Okada hit a dropkick. Okada missed with a second dropkick, and Ospreay hit a kick.
Ospreay continued to pepper Okada with kicks, then hit an avalanche move off the ropes for a two count. Okada blocked an OsCutter and went for the Rainmaker, but Ospreay turned it into a standing Spanish Fly for a close near fall.
Ospreay went to the top and hit a shooting star press, then another, and picked up another two count. Ospreay went for the OsCutter, but Okada hit a dropkick. Okada hit a tombstone, then went for the Rainmaker. Ospreay reversed into a Storm Breaker attempt, but Okada countered that with a spinning tombstone.
NJPW ran their second consecutive sellout night at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on Sunday, highlighted by the conclusion of the second round of the 2019 New Japan Cup.
The undercard was much stronger than the day before. The matches without tournament implications all delivered with intensity, and the crowd reacted in kind.
The tag matches that provided previews of upcoming Cup matches were strong as well.
As for the tournament matches, Cabana and Yano delivered on what had to be one of the most highly-anticipated comedy matches ever, while SANADA and Suzuki followed up with a strong main event.
Super heated opener. Nakanishi and Tenzan jawed at each other during the match. The finish saw Nagata hit an exploder on Uemura, then he applied the Nagata Lock for the submission.
CHASE OWENS, BAD LUCK FALE & HIKULEO DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, MIKEY NICHOLLS & REN NARITA
This continued the build for Chase eventually challenging Juice for the U.S. title. Juice and Chase started out, but Chase begged off. Fale and HIKULEO went after Juice on the floor, and Chase tagged in once Juice was on the defensive.
Narita looked good here. He hit Owens with a dropkick and had him in a crab, but Fale made the save. Owens hit the package piledriver on Narita for the pin.
Chase executed a sneak attack on Juice after the match. He teased a package piledriver on the floor, but Juice escaped. Owens ducked the Left Hand of God, and Jado hit Juice with his kendo stick. Owens tossed Juice into the ring, then left him laying with a belt shot.
LANCE ARCHER, DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & TAICHI DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, MICHAEL ELGIN & TOA HENARE
Another showcase match for Suzuki-gun, with Smith and Archer on the winning side for the second consecutive night.
The match began with Taichi and Archer dominating Henare. Henare dodged a charge into the corner and tagged Elgin. Elgin and Archer had a big man battle, then Elgin tagged Makabe.
The match broke down, and Smith and Archer hit a Hart Attack on Henare. Taichi took his trousers off, and he hit a buzzsaw kick for a near fall. Taichi hit a superkick before using a Stretch Plum for the submission victory over Henare.
This was an incredibly fun eight-man, and the last several minutes were excellent. They teased a future match between Ibushi and Naito for the Intercontinental title.
LIJ beat down SHO for several minutes at the outset. SHO made a comeback with a spear and a deadlift suplex, then tagged Ibushi. Ibushi and Naito did battle, with Ibushi picking up a near fall off a standing moonsault.
Naito hit a pair of neckbreakers. Both traded strikes, and Naito hit a spinebuster. EVIL tagged in and ate a dropkick. Umino entered and ran wild with back elbows and a missile dropkick. EVIL reversed a fisherman buster attempt into one of his own.
Everyone jumped in and hit a big move. Umino held off Naito and EVIL at first, kicking out of an inverted atomic drop into a lariat, but eventually fell victim to Everything is EVIL.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU
Tanahashi and Sabre began the match with a mat wrestling clinic. Tanahashi picked up a near fall off a backslide. Sabre and Tanahashi applied dueling cobra twists to Honma and TAKA. Sabre went for a cobra twist on Tanahashi, but Tana dumped him over the top rope with a hip toss.
Sabre used a headscissors on Honma, while also applying a heel hook to Tanahashi. Sabre and TAKA worked over Honma, who eventually dumped Sabre on his head on a suplex, then tagged Tana back in.
Tanahashi went for a cloverleaf on TAKA, but Sabre broke it up. Sabre went for an armbar on Tanahashi, but Honma broke it up with a kokeshi. Tanahashi used a cloverleaf on TAKA for the submission.
After the bell, Sabre attacked Honma and taunted Tanahashi.
The highlight here was the interaction between Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI ahead of their matchup in the next round of the tournament.
Much of it was the fact that he was working with Ishii, but YH looked great, easily the best he’s been since his return from injury. Ishii and YH engaged in several chop battles. Ospreay broke out a standing shooting star press on Okada.
Near the finish, Okada hit a dropkick. Taguchi hit a hip attack. Goto hit a GTR and got the pin on Taguchi.
NEW JAPAN CUP SECOND ROUND MATCH: COLT CABANA DEFEATED TORU YANO (7:47)
This had to be one of the most anticipated comedy matches of all time. Expectations were extremely high, but they were met, if not exceeded.
Cabana grabbed a waistlock on Yano, and he pulled a roll of tape out of Yano’s trunks. Each used a distraction to attempt a schoolboy on the other. After a prolonged log roll spot, Cabana scored a second near fall.
Yano pulled a third roll of tape from under the ring, but Cabana got a hold of it and taped one of the turnbuckle pads. Yano went to untie it, while Cabana untied another. Yano untied a third turnbuckle pad, and they played catch with it. Yano used a schoolboy for a near fall.
Cabana blocked a low blow, then used a Superman cover for the pinfall.
NEW JAPAN CUP SECOND ROUND MATCH: SANADA DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI (28:45)
Can we put Suzuki in the Hall of Fame again? This was great.
They teased locking up. SANADA checked a leg kick. Suzuki grabbed a side headlock, then went after SANADA’s left arm. Suzuki used a rear naked choke. SANADA slipped to a hammerlock, Suzuki used a headlock takeover, and SANADA used a headscissors escape.
SANADA used a headlock, but Suzuki used a headscissors to escape it. SANADA used a handstand to escape the headscissors, and they ended up back on their feet.
SANADA went for the paradise lock, but TAKA jumped on the apron for a distraction. Suzuki played as though he was in the lock, but when SANADA went for a dropkick to break the hold, Suzuki popped up and pulled him to the apron for a heel hook.
Suzuki posted SANADA’s legs, then draped the right leg over the barricade and attacked it with kicks. The match spilled into the crowd, and Suzuki used a chair. Suzuki continued to attack the right leg over the barricade.
Back inside, Suzuki used an Achilles lock. SANADA reached the ropes, forcing a break. SANADA made it back to his feet. After an exchange of strikes, SANADA hit a dropkick to Suzuki’s right knee, then used a dragon screw.
SANADA hit his leapfrog dropkick, then a pescado. Back inside, Suzuki avoided a springboard dropkick, then hit a PK for a near fall. They exchanged a series of forearm strikes. Suzuki was staggered, but eventually dropped SANADA.
They did an awesome misdirection spot. SANADA went for Skull End, but Suzuki powered out and applied a rear naked choke with a bodyscissors. Suzuki transitioned to a lateral press for a two count.
Suzuki hit a couple of short knee strikes, then went for the Gotch Piledriver. SANADA powered out of it. SANADA slipped to the Skull End. He gave up the hold and went for a moonsault. Suzuki popped up, and SANADA rolled through.
SANADA went for a springboard dropkick, but Suzuki caught him and applied a kneebar. SANADA briefly tried to bridge into a cover, but Suzuki used a rear naked choke. Suzuki hit a series of palm strikes, then used another rear naked choke. SANADA powered out and hit a TKO.
After an exchange of strikes, SANADA hit a Saito suplex for a two count. SANADA went to the top for a moonsault, but Suzuki cut him off. SANADA eventually hit the moonsault into the Skull End. Suzuki grabbed the knee and briefly got a kneebar. They traded the same holds, and even simultaneously applied them.
Suzuki slipped to an inverted figure four, but SANADA slid back into the Skull End. Suzuki sold as though he passed out in the hold, so SANADA went for a cover. Suzuki kicked out at two.
SANADA went to the top rope, hit a moonsault, and got the pin.
Night four of the 2019 New Japan Cup was held today in Kagawa, with the final four matches of the first round taking center stage.
After a wild night three, which featured the standout matchup of the first round between Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito, Monday’s show featured less star power on top, with Hirooki Goto and SANADA headlining.
The tag team action on the undercard was strong, perhaps planned that way, given that two of the tournament matches later were short bouts with a comedy focus.
Full results and recaps are below:
TAIJI ISHIMORI, BAD LUCK FALE, HIKULEO & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, YOSHI-HASHI, MICHAEL ELGIN & YUYA UEMURA
Everyone looked good here. YOSHI-HASHI looks much better on this tour than he did on the last. Ishimori got the win for his team, tapping out Uemura with a LeBell Lock.
Bullet Club beat down YOSHI-HASHI after the match. Owens and YH face off on Wednesday in a New Japan Cup match.
Naito was only in a little, but he showed no ill effects from his war with Ibushi last night. Takagi and Nagata had a nice sequence. Narita showed great heart, but eventually tapped to a very sloppy crab from BUSHI.
KOTA IBUSHI & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU
This might have been Honma’s best match since his return. They deviated from the typical patterned Honma tag match. Sabre and TAKA worked over Ibushi’s neck, which took a lot of damage against Naito on Sunday.
The finishing sequence saw Ibushi go for a Kamigoye on TAKA. Sabre cut him off and slapped on an armbar. Honma broke up the armbar with a Kokeshi. Ibushi then nailed TAKA with the Kamigoye and got the pin.
WILL OSPREAY & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED LANCE ARCHER & TAICHI
A preview of two second round matches here. Good action. Archer picked up a couple of close near falls near the finish, but Ospreay used a crucifix to roll him up for the pin.
Archer laid out Ospreay with a Blackout immediately after the flash pin, while Taichi attacked Ishii with the mic stand.
Tana and Taguchi began with some comedy. Henare and Umino tagged in, and Henare’s team quickly gained the advantage. They worked over Umino, until the Young Lion was able to connect with a dropkick, then tag Okada.
Okada hit some trademark spots on Henare. Henare hit a Samoan drop and tagged Nicholls. Nicholls got a near fall on Okada, his second round opponent. Nicholls avoided a Tombstone, then ducked a Rainmaker, hitting a spinebuster.
Umino hit a missile dropkick on Nicholls and made a cover, but Taguchi and Henare broke it up. Nicholls hit a sliding lariat, the setup for his Mikey Bomb, and got a two count on Umino. He then connected with the Mikey Bomb to get the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. (5:30)
A total Yano comedy match. Smith is super impressive looking, but it just seems like they’re never going to do anything with him, certainly as a singles wrestler. Even as a tag team with Archer, they’re never pushed past a certain level.
Smith chased Yano around the building before the bell. He caught up to him in the ring, and the bell sounded, but the action went back outside right away.
Smith used a chair on Yano. Yano untied a corner pad from the floor and tried to choke Smith with a roll of tape he pulled from his tights, but Smith sent him into the barricade. Smith attacked Yano’s knee, first with a kick over the barricade, then slamming it onto an announcer’s table.
They traded inside cradles. Yano then used a schoolboy for the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: COLT CABANA DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE (7:26)
This didn’t have a lot of time to build, and they got into the near falls almost right away. Two solid pros had a solid outing here.
Cabana tried to score a quick victory with some underhanded tactics at the outset, tripping Makabe. They did some comedy, before things got more serious, as Makabe started working over Cabana’s legs.
Cabana used a delayed splash off the top and picked up a near fall. Cabana blocked a northern lights suplex, but Makabe got a near fall off a powerslam. Cabana blocked the spider German, then missed a moonsault off the top.
Makabe hit a DVD, but missed with the King Kong Kneedrop off the top. Cabana used a diving Superman cover, trapping Makabe’s legs, and got the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: MINORU SUZUKI DEFEATED SATOSHI KOJIMA (13:43)
This was a very good, perfectly-paced match between two veterans.
Kojima went right at Suzuki and scored some early offense. Suzuki took control of the match after applying an armbar over the ropes. Suzuki hit a PK on the apron. They brawled into the crowd, where Suzuki broke a chair over Kojima’s head. Kojima beat the count back inside at 19.
Kojima caught a PK, then hit a DDT. Kojima hit his machine gun chops in the corner. Suzuki no-sold them, then connected with a series of strikes in the corner. Kojima no-sold those, then went back to the machine gun chops. They repeated that spot, but this time Suzuki sold the chops.
Kojima went to the top for his elbow drop, but Suzuki cut him off and hit a kick in the corner. Kojima got a slam and went back to the top, this time connecting with the elbow. Suzuki kicked out at two on the ensuing cover.
They traded strikes. Suzuki blocked a Koji Cutter, then applied a sleeper. Kojima countered an attempt to transition to the Gotch-style piledriver, and hit a Koji Cutter. Kojima hit a brainbuster and made a cover, but Suzuki kicked out.
Suzuki hit a series of palm strikes. Kojima backdropped out of another Gotch attempt, then hit a lariat. Kojima connected with a second lariat, and Suzuki kicked out at two.
Kojima went for a third lariat, but Suzuki side-stepped. Suzuki slapped on a rear naked choke, then transitioned to the Gotch, hit the piledriver, and got the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: SANADA DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO (20:47)
I was skeptical that these guys would be able to rise to the occasion, as they are both just a notch below the top guys in the company when it comes to charisma. I was wrong. They proved to be up to the challenge of main eventing. Goto more than held up his end, and SANADA was excellent here, especially with the subtle sell of his right arm.
Goto started off working the left arm, then hit a mid kick. Goto used a chinlock. SANADA caught a second mid kick and went for the Paradise Lock, but Goto escaped. SANADA low-bridged Goto to the floor, then hit a senton off the apron to the floor.
Goto got whipped into the barricade. SANADA tossed him back inside and got a near fall. SANADA used a chinlock. Goto avoided a standing moonsault, but SANADA used a dropkick to a seated Goto to pick up a one count.
They exchanged strikes. After a misdirection spot, Goto hit a short clothesline. He connected with a spinning wheel kick in the corner, then hit a Saito suplex for a two count. Goto teased the Ushigoroshi, but SANADA slipped out, hit his leapfrog dropkick, then a plancha.
They exchanged forearm shots to the neck area, playing off the idea that both guys use finishers that target the neck. They traded more hard shots to the neck in the corner. SANADA took his corner flip bump and went for a springboard attack. Goto cut him off and went for the Ushigoroshi, but SANADA reversed, and hit the Ushigoroshi himself.
SANADA applied the Skull End, but gave up the hold. He went to the top for a moonsault, but missed. Goto hit a lariat. They did a series of counters and reversals, ending with SANADA using a cradle for a two count.
Goto hit Ushigoroshi, then a mid kick. Goto went for the Shouten Kai, but SANADA countered, using a draping neckbreaker. SANADA went for Skull End, but Goto reversed it into an inverted GTR for a near fall.
SANADA got Skull End applied a second time, and again gave up the hold. He went up top, hit a moonsault, and picked up the pin, advancing to the second round. A really good main event.
Night 3 of the 2019 New Japan Cup took place today in front of a full house in Hyogo, headlined by Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito.
The New Japan Cup tournament matches mostly delivered, while the undercard served its purpose, providing previews of upcoming Cup matchups with tag team contests.
The top three Cup matches are worth going out of your way to check out. Each was different, and excellent in its own way.
Full results and recaps are below.
MINORU SUZUKI & TAKA MICHINOKU DEFEATED YOTA TSUJI & SATOSHI KOJIMA
The story of the match was that Tsuji wanted to make a name for himself by going after Suzuki. Suzuki made him pay with chair shots and a series of strikes. Tsuji finally hit a dropkick and tagged Kojima.
Kojima and Suzuki went toe to toe. They made tags, but continued brawling outside. TAKA tapped Tsuji out with the Just Facelock. Good little opener. Suzuki and Kojima face off in a tournament match tomorrow.
JUICE ROBINSON, YUJI NAGATA, MANABU NAKANISHI & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE, TAIJI ISHIMORI, HIKULEO & CHASE OWENS
YOSHI-HASHI ran wild at the outset and looked good. Jado hit him with a kendo stick shot, and Bullet Club took over. The best action took place once Juice tagged in. He hit his trademark spots, and dropped HIKULEO with Pulp Friction for the pin. Juice and Nagata danced after the match, which was the real highlight here.
SANADA and Goto started off with a nice sequence of holds and reversals. LIJ took control of the match once Honma missed a kokeshi, the template for all Honma matches.
Honma connected on his second kokeshi attempt, and Goto and SANADA had another nice sequence. Shingo and Narita tagged in, and Shingo gave Narita a lot of offense. Shingo eventually got the pin after a Pumping Bomber.
TAICHI, DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & LANCE ARCHER DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII, TORU YANO & WILL OSPREAY
Lots of stalling early on. Yano wanted no parts of Smith. Taichi wanted nothing to do with Ishii. Suzuki-gun used underhanded tactics, and gained the edge. They worked over Ishii.
The crowd really wasn’t into it until Ishii hit Archer with a brainbuster. Ospreay got a tag and hit Pip Pip Cheerio, but Archer countered with a Pounce. Smith and Archer hit Yano with a Hart Attack. Taichi removed his trousers. Smith and Archer hit Yano with the Killer Bomb, and Smith got the pin.
Smith grabbed a mic after the match and told Yano that he will pay the ultimate price in their tournament match tomorrow.
MIKEY NICHOLLS, COLT CABANA & MICHAEL ELGIN DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA, TOGI MAKABE & TOA HENARE
They’re trying to establish Nicholls, but there’s going to be a tough adjustment period, as the audience doesn’t know him. They were quiet here any time he tagged in. His work was good, but this is just going to take time.
Okada’s chest was severely bruised and welted up, showing the damage from his first round match with Elgin. Okada and Nicholls began, with Nicholls holding his own. Elgin and Henare were in next, with Elgin taking control of the bout with his power moves.
Henare reversed a brainbuster from Cabana. Makabe tagged in, but was cut off. He finally made a tag to Okada, who went to work on Nicholls. Okada hit a DDT. Nicholls came back with a spinebuster. Nicholls ducked a Rainmaker, but Okada nailed him with a dropkick.
Henare got a tag from Okada, and hit a Samoan Drop on Nicholls. The match broke down, with everyone jumping in. Cabana and Makabe, Okada and Elgin brawled to the floor. Nicholls hit a DVD, a sliding lariat, and used a Mikey Bomb (Blue Thunder Bomb) for the pin.
They played an El Phantasmo hype video.
NEW JAPAN CUP 1ST ROUND MATCH: RYUSUKE TAGUCHI DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN (12:08)
Tenzan in a singles match is tough sledding. Taguchi’s offense looks good when he has his working boots on, but he had to give Tenzan the bulk of the match since he was doing the honors here.
Taguchi asked for a fist bump, but Tenzan declined at first. He finally relented, only for Taguchi to snap his wrists. They traded headlocks. Tenzan did a hip swivel and a crotch chop, then hit a hip attack.
Taguchi went for a hip attack, but Tenzan stepped out of the way, then hit a series of headbutts to Taguchi’s glutes. Taguchi made a comeback, hitting four hip attacks. Taguchi used a springboard dropkick for a nearfall.
Taguchi used an ankle lock, but Tenzan reached the ropes. Taguchi hit two of the three amigos, but Tenzan reversed the third into a vertical suplex. They exchanged strikes. Tenzan raked the eyes and used a Mountain Bomb for a nearfall.
Tenzan used an Anaconda Vice, but Taguchi reached the ropes. Tenzan hit a uranage, then went back to the Vice. Taguchi turned it into a rollup for a nearfall. Taguchi hit an enziguri, then hit a Bomaye for a nearfall.
Taguchi went back to the ankle lock, but Tenzan kicked his way out of it. Tenzan hit a wheel kick for a two count, then hit a top rope headbutt for another nearfall. Taguchi used a quick cradle for the pinfall.
NEW JAPAN CUP 1ST ROUND MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED SHOTA UMINO (14:49)
This was everything you wanted it to be, and more. Just a tremendous rookie vs. legend match. Both guys were excellent in their roles. The crowd loved Umino. Watch this match.
Umino refused to break cleanly on the first two lockups of the match. Umino used a headlock, Tana reversed it, and Umino used a headscissors to escape. Tana used a chinlock, but Umino again used a headscissors escape.
Tana used a standing side headlock. Tana hit a backdrop, a scoop slam, and a leaping elbow, earning a nearfall. Tana used a kneebar, then a modified figure four. Umino forced a break by reaching the bottom rope.
Back on their feet, they traded strikes. Tana repeatedly dropped Umino, but Umino fought back to his feet each time. Umino hit a dropkick, then connected with a series of forearms. Umino scored a knockdown with a forearm strike.
Umino fought for a bodyslam, and finally got it. Umino fought for a full crab, finally got it, but Tana powered out immediately. Tana hit a dragon screw, then used a crab of his own. Umino made the ropes.
Tana hit a slam, followed by a somersault senton off the second rope for a two count. They exchanged strikes. Umino cut off the Slingblade, attacking Tana against the ropes. Umino dropped Tana with a slap, then hit a vertical suplex.
Umino went up top, and hit a missile dropkick for a two count. Umino used a full crab, but Tana quickly reached the ropes. Umino used Tana’s own hold, the cloverleaf, against him. Tana reached the ropes, forcing a break.
Umino hit Tana with dozens of strikes in the center of the ring, dropping him. Umino went for the fisherman suplex, but Tana reversed it into Twist and Shout. He went for the cloverleaf, but Umino turned it into a cradle for a great nearfall.
Tana hit an inverted dragon screw, then applied the cloverleaf, and Umino tapped out.
NEW JAPAN CUP 1ST ROUND MATCH: ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED EVIL (15:33)
They had a tough time getting the crowd, but they finally got them into it. These guys work really well together. They played off a lot of their previous matches, using a number of clever counters, reversals, and misdirection spots. A very good match.
Sabre wanted to lock up, but EVIL kicked him in the gut, and immediately went to a side headlock. Sabre arm dragged out of it, but EVIL used a headscissors. Sabre escaped, bounced to his feet, but ran into a shoulder block.
They locked knuckles. EVIL used his power to maintain the advantage. EVIL slipped out and went for a senton, but Sabre rolled out of the way, then locked on an armbar. EVIL kept his hands together, then reached the ropes.
Sabre used a surfbaord, then wrenched on EVIL’s fingers, slipped to a hammerlock, then to a lateral press, picking up a two count. For the second time, EVIL avoided a PK, then hit a mid kick. EVIL hit a sidewalk slam, and a vertical suplex. He picked up a nearfall.
EVIL went for Darkness Falls, but Sabre slipped to a full nelson. EVIL escaped and hit a big knee strike. They did a cool corner strike, opposite corner strike, misdirection, lariat spot. EVIL hit the lariat, then used Darkness Falls for a two count.
They traded rollups. EVIL used a backslide for a nearfall, but Sabre popped out of it and finally connected with a PK. Sabre stomped on EVIL’s left arm. EVIL hit a chop with the right arm. They did another misdirection spot, but Sabre came out on top this time, and tied EVIL up with a wacky submission. It was a body scissors, but he also trapped the left arm.
Sabre went after the right arm, torquing it with his legs, then hit another PK. EVIL used the referee as a human shield, then lifted Sabre onto the ref’s shoulders. EVIL hit a ref-assisted Magic Killer. That was innovative.
EVIL connected on a superplex, and picked up a two count. They did a crazy series of counters, ending with EVIL connecting with a spinning lariat. Sabre escaped Everything is EVIL a number of times, and was able to apply Napalm Death. EVIL tapped.
NEW JAPAN CUP 1ST ROUND MATCH: KOTA IBUSHI DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO (20:39)
Great match. The last third especially was insane.
They locked up, then went into a crazy series of holds, counters, and flips, ending with both men posing. Naito rolled to the floor, stalling. Ibushi chased him, but Naito caught him coming back inside. Ibushi went to the apron. Naito hit a sweep, then connected with the combinacion de cabron on the apron.
Naito sent Ibushi into the barricade three times. Ibushi sold his neck. Naito took Ibushi into the press area, and sent him into a table. Ibushi beat the count back inside. Naito hit a back elbow, then a dropkick to the neck. Naito used a neckbreaker.
Ibushi hit a couple of forearms to the chest, but Naito followed up, hitting three elbows to the neck. Ibushi sent Naito into the ropes, then hit a dropkick, his most notable offense to this point. Ibushi hit a series of mid kicks, then used a standing moonsault for a two count.
Ibushi connected with a snap rana, sending Naito to the outside. Ibushi went for the Golden Triangle, but Naito cut him off, then hit a neckbreaker on the apron, sending Ibushi to the floor. Naito hit a one-legged dropkick, then a hangman’s neckbreaker for a nearfall.
Ibushi landed on his feet out of a suplex attempt. Naito hit an enziguri, but Ibushi countered with a suplex. They traded strikes from their knees. Back on their feet, they continued trading. Naito hit a spinebuster.
Naito teased a reverse rana off the top. Ibushi fought him off. Naito rolled to the apron. Ibushi teased a german, but Naito pulled Ibushi to the outside, and hit a tombstone on the apron. Back inside, Naito hit Gloria for a nearfall.
Naito went for Destino, but Ibushi turned it into a package piledriver. Ibushi got a two count. Ibushi hit a spinning roundhouse. He went for a last ride, but Naito turned it into a swinging DDT. Naito went for Destino, but Ibushi hit a lariat. Ibushi hit a last ride, but Naito kicked out at two.
Ibushi missed with a Kamigoye. Naito hit Destino, but Ibushi kicked out. Naito went for another Destino, but Ibushi slipped out and hit a high kick. Ibushi hit a Bomaye for a great nearfall.
Ibushi hit a Jay Driller, spiking Naito right on his head, then hit the Kamigoye for the pin.
NJPW has named David Finlay’s replacement in the New Japan Cup.
It was announced last night that Ryusuke Taguchi is replacing Finlay in the single-elimination tournament. Taguchi’s opponent in the first round is Hiroyoshi Tenzan, with them set to face each other in Hyogo on Sunday (March 10).
Finlay was forced out of the New Japan Cup after suffering a left shoulder injury at ROH-NJPW Honor Rising night two on February 23. Finlay tweeted after the injury happened: “Thanks to everyone for all the positive vibes! I did dislocated my shoulder last night but it’s back in now. I’ll see a doctor when I’m home to see what the damage is but hopefully it’s nothing too serious. Thanks again to everyone. See you in the mountains!”
NJPW noted that when Finlay will be able to return to the ring is currently undecided.
This year’s New Japan Cup has 32 participants. It will begin at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo this Friday (March 8) and conclude in Niigata on March 24. The winner of the tournament will challenge for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at ROH & NJPW’s G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on April 6.
Though the tournament has yet to get underway, an injury has forced a change to the New Japan Cup lineup.
NJPW announced on Wednesday night that David Finlay will miss the New Japan Cup due to a left shoulder injury. A replacement for Finlay has yet to be announced. He was scheduled to face Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a first round match on March 10.
The shoulder injury happened during the main event of NJPW-ROH Honor Rising night two on February 23. Finlay was teaming with Juice Robinson against ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes and was hurt when he went for an uppercut off the top rope towards the end of the match. After the injury, Mark Briscoe hit the Froggy Elbow on Finlay and Jay Briscoe pinned him.
Finlay tweeted after the Honor Rising show: “Thanks to everyone for all the positive vibes! I did dislocated my shoulder last night but it’s back in now. I’ll see a doctor when I’m home to see what the damage is but hopefully it’s nothing too serious. Thanks again to everyone. See you in the mountains!”
NJPW noted that the date for when Finlay will be able to return is currently undecided.
The New Japan Cup will begin on March 8 and conclude on March 24. The winner will challenge for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden on April 6.
