YOH made his first appearance in months during the opening of tonight’s New Japan Cup finals.
He came out as the show opened. He noted that he had been out for a while, but now he was back. He challenged the current IWGP Junior Tag Team champions, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, to a title match against himself and his Roppongi 3K tag team partner, SHO, for Sakura Genesis on April 4.
YOH tore his ACL in a match against BUSHI during last year’s New Japan Cup, which took place in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roppongi 3K were the Junior Tag Team Champions during this time, and as a result had to vacate the titles.
SHO has continued his run in NJPW as a singles wrestler. He made it to the second round of last year’s New Japan Cup before losing to SANADA. He also challenged for the NEVER Openweight and IWGP Junior Heavyweight titles, but was unsuccessful in winning either.
Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay will face off tonight in this year’s New Japan Cup finals.
Shingo vs. Ospreay is a rematch of the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors final, a match that Ospreay won. Both now classified as heavyweights, they will face off again for the right to challenge Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the upcoming NJPW Sakura Genesis event.
In the semi-main, Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada will take on Jay White, Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens.
In the fourth match of the night, David Finlay, Juice Robinson and Toa Henare will face Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI.
Before intermission, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI and SHO will tag against EVIL, KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi.
Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma will team up against The Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb of United Empire.
In the opener, Yota Tsuji, Gabriel Kidd and Yuya Uemura will face Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. and DOUKI.
Our live coverage begins at 1 a.m. Eastern time.
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The show began with a surprise appearance from YOH of Roppongi 3K. YOH has been out of action with a torn ACL. He announced that he will be back in the ring at Sakura Genesis on April 4 and wants to challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles with SHO.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI defeated Yota Tsuji, Gabriel Kidd & Yuya Uemura (10:39)
This was a great opener.
The story of the match was the Young Lions frustrating the established Suzuki-gun veterans with their skill. The veterans gave the young guys a ton in this one.
Uemura and DOUKI began the match. Uemura had the upper hand with wrestling skill, so DOUKI turned this into a brawl around the ring. DOUKI used his pipe on Uemura on the floor.
Kidd and Sabre got tags and told a similar story. They had a mini-version of their tournament match from earlier this month, but I think this was way better. Kidd got cut off, then came back with strikes and dropkicks.
Tsuji and Taichi tagged in for the finish. Taichi was taking Tsuji lightly and Tsuji got a couple of great near falls as a result. Taichi teased tearing off his trousers, but Tsuji rolled him up instead.
Taichi avoided a Tsuji spear and hit an axe bomber and a backdrop suplex for the pin.
The Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb defeated Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma (8:58)
This was fine. They didn’t get a lot of time, but that’s okay.
Kojima busted out a flip senton in the shine. That was unexpected. Honma missed a kokeshi and was cut off. Kojima got a tag and hit an elbow drop off the top for a near fall.
Cobb and Honma got tags. Honma hit a kokeshi. He caught an interfering O-Khan and hit a combination bulldog DDT on both Cobb and O-Khan.
Cobb came back on Honma and hit a Tour of the Islands for the pin.
O-Khan cut his customary post-match promo, proclaiming the dominance of United Empire.
This was just to set up challengers for YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishi and Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Six-Man Tag titles. It wasn’t much of a match.
Bullet Club attacked before the opening bell and went to work on Yano. Togo interfered and aided in the attack on Yano. Yano was able to expose a buckle in one of the neutral corners. Yano managed a tag to SHO, then SHO was cut off.
EVIL sent SHO into the security fence and the ring announcer took a bump. KENTA tagged in and repeatedly sent SHO into the exposed buckle. YH got a tag and some offense on KENTA. KENTA came back with a DDT on YH and tagged Yujiro.
Bullet Club worked on YH. Yujiro hit a basement dropkick for a two count, with SHO making the save. YH used a butterfly lock on Yujiro, but EVIL broke it up.
Togo took the referee. Yujiro hit YH with his cane, then hit Pimp Juice for the pin.
They played up on commentary that EVIL, KENTA and Yujiro had just beaten a third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag champs.
Bullet Club continued their assault after the match. Yano got whipped into the exposed turnbuckle. KENTA attacked YH with his own bo staff. KENTA left with the bo.
***** Intermission *****
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Toa Henare (10:10)
Major heel turn vibes coming from Henare here.
Finlay was selling the damage to his left ankle from last night’s match. He wanted to start off with Naito, but Naito demanded that Juice start instead.
Juice overcame a sneak attack from BUSHI and got some early offense on Naito. Finlay tagged in and was in the plus position, but was quickly cut off after a dropkick to the bad ankle from Naito. Naito relentlessly mocked Juice throughout the match.
Finlay was able to come back after a blue thunder bomb. Juice tagged in for another exchange with Naito. Henare was standing on the floor watching instead of on the apron for much of this. Juice finally tagged out to Henare.
Henare did some power spots with SANADA, then hit a spin kick and a double spear to BUSHI and SANADA.
SANADA missed with a springboard dropkick. He went for Skull End, but Henare slid out. SANADA used an O’Connor roll for the flash pin on Henare.
After the match, Juice and Finlay walked to the back on their own, leaving Henare at ringside. Henare threw a fit and attacked the barricade in frustration at taking another loss.
Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (11:31)
Good storytelling in this match as they continue to tease a rivalry between Ibushi and Okada even as they team together.
After an early surge of offense from Tanahashi, Bullet Club turned this into a brawl. Gedo interfered on the outside. Okada ended up the legal man and was cut off in the Bullet club half of the ring.
Fale knocked Ibushi off the apron. Okada fought for, then finally got a slam on Fale. White tagged in as Okada looked to make a tag. Okada hit a big boot and tagged Tana as Ibushi was still on the floor.
White blocked a slingblade. White and Tana did a series of standing switches, endiing with White hitting a DDT. White hit a blade buster for a two count.
Owens got a tag and Tana made a tag to Ibushi after hitting a slap. Ibushi hit a flying mid kick and a standing moonsault for a two count.
Everyone jumped in for a big move. Tanahashi hit slingblades on Fale and Owens and a dragon screw on White. Ibushi hit a v-trigger and a Kamigoye on Owens for the pin.
Okada stuck around only long enough to get his hand raised after the match. White had staredowns with both Tanahashi and Ibushi over their titles.
New Japan Cup final: Will Ospreay (w/Bea Priestley, The Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) defeated Shingo Takagi to win the 2021 New Japan Cup (30:06)
This was a gripping 30 minutes. They crafted a great mix of psychology and every move under the sun to put together a great match.
They traded strikes and tackles to begin. Ospreay kipped up off a Shingo tackle. Ospreay countered out of a Made in Japan attempt. Shingo blocked an Oscutter attempt.
The fight went to the floor. Shingo sent Ospreay into the barricade and worked on Ospreay’s bad right arm. Ospreay has a broken nose as well, so Shingo raked the nose. Back inside, Shingo hit a tackle. Ospreay flipped out of a vertical suplex attempt and hit a cutter. Ospreay hit a handspring kick.
They went back to the floor. This time, Ospreay sent Shingo into the fence. Ospreay tore at the tape on Shingo’s back and went after the injury. Ospreay hit a backdrop on the barricade. Shingo beat the count back inside.
Ospreay continued to go after Shingo’s back with kicks, forearm strikes and stomps. Ospreay used a body scissors. Shingo avoided a charge into the corner, but Ospreay followed up right away with pip pip cheerio for a two count.
Shingo came back with strikes and a DDT. Ospreay avoided a sliding lariat. Shingo caught Ospreay off a handspring kick attempt and hit a pop-up death valley driver. Shingo sent Ospreay outside. Priestley acted as a human shield, which allowed Ospreay to post Shingo.
Ospreay set up a table on the outside. They did a series of table bump teases. Priestley moved the table out of the way. Ospreay again used Priestley as a shield to avoid a baseball slide. Shingo hit a snake eyes and a pop-up powerbomb for a two count.
Shingo used an STF. Ospreay forced a rope break. Shingo hit Noshigami for a two count. Ospreay came back with a lariat. Shingo blocked a running boot in the corner and teased a driver off the second rope. Ospreay blocked and hit a gamengiri.
Ospreay hit a top rope Spanish Fly for a near fall. Shingo blocked another Oscutter attempt. Ospreay slid out of a Noshigmai attempt. Shingo hit a lariat. They traded strikes. Shingo hit an unanswered series of strikes. Ospreay answered with a hook kick.
Ospreay did an amazing flip out of a pumping bomber attempt and hit an Oscutter. Shingo kicked out at two. They fought back to the outside. Ospreay hit an Oscutter off the post to the floor, which was insane.
Ospreay placed Shingo on the table. Ospreay hit a 450 splash off the top rope to the floor through the table. They teased a countout. Ibushi was at the commentary table. Shingo used an Ibushi towel to wipe his brow, then Ibushi encouraged Shingo to get back in. Shingo beat the count.
Ospreay hit an immediate springboard dropkick, then a shooting star press for a near fall. Ospreay went for a Stormbreaker. Shingo sprawled out. Ospreay hit some Kawada kicks. Shingo did a dead-eye stare and no-sold a series of kicks.
Shingo hit a series of strikes in the corner. Ospreay avoided a pumping bomber and hit London Falling. Shingo hit Made in Japan for a near fall. Shingo hit a lariat. Ospreay answered with a crucifix for a near fall. Shingo hit a poison rana.
Ospreay turned a pumping bomber attempt into a Spanish Fly for a near fall. Ospreay hit a high kick and two rolling elbows. Ospreay hit a Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker for the pin.
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Ospreay cut a promo after the match. He said that everyone doubted him, but he told everyone he would win the New Japan Cup and he did.
Ospreay called Ibushi into the ring. Ospreay said he didn’t care about the lineage of the Intercontinental or IWGP Heavyweight titles, but he cared about being number one. He said it pains him, but Ibushi is number one. He said he’ll do anything it takes to take the IWGP World Heavyweight title from Ibushi.
Ospreay hit an Oscutter on Priestley to drive home the point that he’ll do whatever it takes. The audience didn’t know what to make of that. There was just stunned silence after the crowd had been very receptive to his promo.
Ospreay’s comments continued backstage. He said he has a family and a 5-year relationship with Bea, but if he can do that to someone he loves, what the f*** is he going to do to Ibushi?
Ospreay said he’s the leader of NJPW, not Ibushi. He said he fulfills his destiny at Sakura Genesis and becomes the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
NJPW has announced the undercard for tonight’s New Japan Cup finals.
The undercard mostly focuses on tag team matches. In the co-main event, Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kazuchika Okada will team up to take on Bullet Club members Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens. The new Impact World Tag Team champions, David Finlay and Juice Robinson, will team with Toa Henare to take on Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, and BUSHI.
The finals were determined during last night’s New Japan Cup semifinals. Will Ospreay defeated Finlay to advance to the finals, while Shingo Takagi defeated EVIL.
The full card, which takes place tomorrow morning in Xebio Arena Sendai, has the following:
Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay in the New Japan Cup finals
Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens
Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Toa Henare vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, and BUSHI
Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, and SHO vs. EVIL, KENTA, and Yujiro Takahashi
Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb and The Great-O-Khan
Gabriel Kidd, Yuya Uemura, and Yota Tsuji vs. DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr., and Taichi
Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay will face off in this year’s New Japan Cup finals.
Shingo and Ospreay advanced with wins at today’s semifinals show in Sendai. Shingo pinned EVIL in the main event after hitting Last of the Dragon, while Ospreay defeated David Finlay with a Stormbreaker in the semi-main. Shingo and Ospreay will now face each other in the finals tomorrow (Sunday, March 21) to decide the 2021 tournament winner.
The winner of Shingo vs. Ospreay will challenge Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on Sunday, April 4.
Shingo defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, KENTA and EVIL in this year’s New Japan Cup, while Ospreay defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Zack Sabre Jr., SANADA and Finlay.
Shingo vs. Ospreay is a rematch of the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors final, a match that Ospreay won.
The New Japan Cup finals will begin at 1 a.m. Eastern time Sunday and will be aired on NJPW World.
Yano won a terrible match, rolling up Jado for the pin after a low blow.
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI (11:19)
This was a fun sprint. SANADA tapped out DOUKI with Skull End.
Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada defeated Jay White, KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi (w/Gedo) (10:26)
This was the match with the earthquake break in the middle of it. Ibushi pinned Yujiro after a Kamigoye.
They teased tension between Okada and Ibushi, and Tanahashi and Ibushi during the match.
New Japan Cup semifinal: Will Ospreay (w/Bea Priestley) defeated David Finlay (w/Juice Robinson) (21:04)
This was a good match with good psychology.
They traded hammerlocks to start, then did some basic drop-downs, tackles and simple spots. Finlay hit a dropkick. Ospreay rolled outside. Finlay hit a backdrop on the floor.
Back in, Ospreay briefly got the upper hand. They went back to the outside and Finlay got sent into the fence. Finlay was back on top after another backdrop.
Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio for a near fall and began to go to work. He teased his Chelsea Grin, but Finlay blocked and hit a superplex. Finlay used a series of cradles for near falls. Finlay blocked Stormbreaker and hit a uranage backbreaker. Ospreay came back with a Spanish Fly.
Finlay hit an ushigoroshi. He went for an Acid Drop, but Ospreay tossed him over the top rope to the floor. Finlay sold like he had broken his ankle. A medical attendant checked on Finlay. They teased a countout, but Finlay made it back in.
Ospreay hit a dropkick and a stack powerbomb for a two count, then applied a figure four. Ospreay removed the boot on Finlay’s injured ankle while he kept the figure four applied. Finlay forced a rope break.
Ospreay hit some Kawada kicks. Ospreay hit a hook kick. Finlay blocked an Oscutter with a jaw breaker. Finlay tried an Acid Drop, but his ankle gave out. Finlay turned a Stormbreaker attempt into a victory roll for a two count.
Finlay went for the Acid Drop, but Ospreay blocked. Ospreay nearly dropped Finlay on is head as they tried to set up a powerbomb, but hit the move safely.
Ospreay then hit Stormbreaker for the pin.
New Japan Cup semifinal: Shingo Takagi defeated EVIL (w/Dick Togo) (22:43)
This was a good match that never reached a higher gear. The usual Bullet club shenanigans didn’t help. Shingo did a masterful job of selling his back, though.
EVIL stalled at the outset. Togo interfered from the outside to allow EVIL to hit a lariat. Togo exposed a buckle and took the ref. EVIL whipped Shingo into the buckle.
Shingo came back with some power spots, but sold the damage to his back from the buckle. EVIL blocked an early Last of the Dragon attempt and hit a backbreaker. EVIL hit a drop toehold into the exposed buckle. EVIL continued to work on the back with a superplex.
EVIL went for Everything is EVIL. Shingo blocked and hit a short lariat. They traded lariats, then traded strikes. The crowd started to really get into it here. Togo slid EVIL a chair and took the ref. EVIL hit a chairshot to the head for a two count.
EVIL hit Darkness Falls for another two count. Shingo blocked Everything is EVIL and hit Made in Japan for a two count. EVIL bumped Shingo into the referee.
Togo entered and hit Shingo with right hands. EVIL hit a low blow to Shingo. EVIL and Togo hit a Magic Killer. Togo used a ligature to choke Shingo. Shingo came back with a double lariat to knock Togo outside. Shingo blocked a low blow and hit a pumping bomber.
Shingo revived the ref, then hit Last of the Dragon for the pin.
Ospreay made an appearance during Shingo’s show-closing promo. Ospreay hit a series of strikes. Shingo blocked a Stormbreaker and sent Ospreay packing with a clothesline.
David Finlay and Will Ospreay claimed the two remaining semifinal spots with wins today in Shizuoka. Finlay scored an upset win over Jay White, pinning him with a stunner and an Acid Drop. Ospreay pinned SANADA after a Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker.
Both semifinal matches will take place Saturday in Sendai, which will also host the finals on Sunday.
Here are the updated results and the remaining Cup schedule.
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New Japan Cup schedule —
Semifinals —
Saturday, March 20, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
EVIL vs. Shingo Takagi
Will Ospreay vs. David Finlay
New Japan Cup final —
Sunday, March 21, 1 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
EVIL or Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay or David Finlay
The final two New Japan Cup quarterfinal matches took place during today’s show from Shizuoka. Here are the results of the preliminary matches and a full report of the Cup matches.
Naito pinned Owens with the Destino. Shingo and EVIL will face off in the semifinals of the New Japan Cup in two days.
New Japan Cup semifinal: David Finlay defeated Jay White (19:26)
This was filled with NJPW tropes and annoyances at the start, but the finish was fantastic.
Juice Robinson joined Finlay out there as a second to counter Jay White and Gedo. Finlay was introduced as an Impact tag team champion.
White stalled at the start, attempting to play mind games. A brief distraction from Gedo allowed White to attack, but Finlay came back with a dropkick as the two went to the floor. Another distraction from Gedo allowed White to take advantage by driving Finlay into the ring and the barricades.
Back in the ring, White targeted Finlay’s midsection repeatedly. Finlay fought back with an uppercut, but yet another Gedo distraction allowed White to regain control. Finlay escaped a suplex attempt and hit a neckbreaker. He followed it up with a running uppercut and a plancha before landing a diving elbow smash for two.
White laid in a hard chop but Finlay fired up and clotheslined them both out of the ring. Yet another Gedo distraction gave White the chance to drive Finlay into the barricade again. Finlay fought off the attack, but upon re-entry, Gedo grabbed Finlay’s leg and White strung him against the ropes. That made five successful distraction attempts from Gedo, so Juice simply picked him up and carried him away from ringside.
With Gedo out of the picture, White hit the Blade Buster for two. They traded running strikes until Finlay hit a Blue Thunder bomb. White surprised Finlay with a flatliner and a German suplex. He went for the Blade Runner, but Finlay fought and fought until he was dumped out of the ring. White hurried to bring Finlay back in and nail a uranage for two.
Gedo wasn’t out there, so White had to call for the Kiwi Crusher himself. He was able to hit it before just tossing Finlay into the corner. They both went for big moves before Finlay hit another Blue Thunder bomb. He tried to follow it up with the Acid Drop, but White escaped and tossed him back into the corner.
They traded forearms in the center of the ring, a battle which Finlay won before hitting a backbreaker for two. Finlay downed White with a lariat and a ushigoroshi for two. He went for the stunner, but White countered it into a sick sleeper suplex. Finlay countered the Blade Runner into the stunner and then hit the Acid Drop for the upset victory.
New Japan Cup semifinal: Will Ospreay defeated SANADA (18:55)
This was an awesome main event with tons of innovative, athletic sequences and spots.
SANADA immediately avoided a dropkick and hit one of his own. He feinted on a dive as Ospreay rolled to the floor, where the Brit took control by sending SANADA into the barricade, including a specific attack on SANADA’s left arm. Ospreay continued his beatdown in the ring, wrenching on SANADA’s arms until the latter reached the ropes.
After another beatdown on the floor, Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio for two. SANADA came back by attacking Ospreay’s nose before dropkicking his legs out from under him. SANADA hit a dropkick after his signature high leapfrogs and caught Ospreay with a hurricanrana. Ospreay turned it around with a handspring kick.
Ospreay laid in chops and forearms before being caught with another nose attack. SANADA tied Ospreay up in the Paradise Lock, setting him up so his face was propped up against the corner pad. He broke up the hold with a dropkick and followed it up with a plancha. Ospreay starched SANADA with a forearm and went for the Liger bomb, but SANADA turned it into Skull End before flipping over into a Magic Killer in a nice spot.
SANADA went for the moonsault, but Ospreay rolled out of the way and hit a standing Spanish Fly. He followed it up with a diving forearm to the back of SANADA’s head and a hard powerbomb for two. Ospreay laid in Kawada kicks, but SANADA turned the Stormbreaker into a tiger suplex bridge for two. He went for the moonsault again, but Ospreay stopped him and pulled him through for the Cheeky Nando’s kick and a facebuster for two.
They had a long counter sequence where Ospreay had to step up out of the Skull End but was met with a heel kick and a backflip into the Skull End. SANADA swung Ospreay around in the hold before locking it on in the center of the ring. Ospreay faded until SANADA released it and went for the moonsault, but Ospreay got the knees up. SANADA escaped Stormbreaker, fell victim to a hook kick, and locked on the Japanese Clutch for two.
Ospreay popped up and hit a great reverse hurricanrana and the Oscutter for a near fall. A forearm to the back of the head and the Stormbreaker followed to give Ospreay the win.
The two New Japan Cup semifinal matches are EVIL vs. Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay vs. David Finlay.
After the match, Ospreay cut an unhinged promo complaining about the fans. He started to talk about how he was going to beat Jay White in the next round, but then was all happy when he remembered that Finlay is his opponent. He acted as if Finlay wasn’t a threat to end his promo and the show.
The quarterfinals of the New Japan Cup started during today’s show from Korakuen Hall. Here are the results of the preliminary matches and a full report of the Cup matches.
Nagata won via submission over Kidd with the Nagata Lock II.
Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, & Chase Owens defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay, & Toa Henare (10:46)
Fale pinned Henare with the Grenade. White faces Finlay in two days in the Cup quarterfinals.
Will Ospreay & Jeff Cobb defeated SANADA & BUSHI (8:34)
Cobb pinned BUSHI with the Tour of the Islands. Ospreay faces SANADA in two days in the Cup quarterfinals.
New Japan Cup quarterfinal: EVIL defeated Toru Yano (7:54)
This was about as compact and focused as a Yano match gets. It wasn’t a classic or anything, but it was entertaining.
Dick Togo was out there with EVIL as always. Yano demanded that Togo leave ringside, but was nearly counted out while he waited. EVIL attacked when Yano made his way back to the ring, then distracted the official as Togo attacked on the floor. EVIL then sent Yano into the barricade, knocking down the timekeeper in the process.
Back in the ring, EVIL used various nefarious means to beat down Yano. Togo consistently got involved. Yano nearly got the upper hand through a whip into an exposed turnbuckle, but EVIL turned the tables and resumed the beatdown.
Yano finally made his comeback by yanking EVIL down by his hair and sending him into the exposed turnbuckle. He sent Togo packing and hit a belly-to-belly suplex on EVIL.
Yano sent EVIL face-first into the exposed buckle and rolled him up for a near fall. He then sent EVIL to the floor and choked him with Togo’s wire before tossing EVIL underneath the ring. The count almost reached 20, but then the lights suddenly went out. EVIL appeared back in the ring, hit Everything is EVIL, and pinned Yano to advance to the semifinals.
New Japan Cup quarterfinal: Shingo Takagi defeated KENTA (23:47)
This match was disappointing. The final five minutes were excellent, but the crowd was dead silent for KENTA’s heat segment, which took up half the match’s duration.
KENTA immediately powdered to the floor and stalled. After a minute or so, he came back into the ring and they locked up. KENTA kept pulling Shingo’s hair so they transitioned into exchanging forearms. After a snapmare, KENTA laid in kicks, but Shingo hit a body slam. Shingo laid in repeated strikes in the corner before his attack moved to the floor.
Shingo attempted to bring KENTA back into the ring, but KENTA rolled to the outside and attacked Shingo with the bell in the same manner he had been attacking people with his briefcase. He hit a DDT on the floor, forcing Shingo to make his way back in the ring to beat the count. KENTA resumed his beatdown in the ring, cranking on Shingo’s neck and laying in more kicks. This heat segment went a long time, almost ten full minutes.
The crowd was behind Shingo as he fired up and hit his signature strike combo. He downed KENTA with a shoulder block and followed it up with repeated knee drops. KENTA hit a DDT, but Shingo just pressed his way right out of it and hit a big vertical suplex. KENTA hit his twisting DDT into the top rope followed by a diving clothesline for two. He then went for Game Over, but Shingo was too close to the ropes.
They traded forearms before KENTA caught a boot and hit the Shibata corner dropkick. Shingo rolled out of the way of the double foot stomp and hit a DDT. KENTA avoided the sliding lariat and hit a draping DDT of his own before following it up with a fisherman’s buster. He landed the diving foot stomp for two. Shingo went for Made in Japan, but KENTA fought out and locked on Game Over, but Shingo reached the ropes again.
KENTA hit a tiger suplex, but Shingo popped up and flattened him with a Pumping Bomber. The crowd finally got really into it at this point, 20 minutes into the match. They traded forearms before Shingo caught one and turned it into Made in Japan for two. They had a great stiff strike exchange where KENTA baited Shingo into forearms before catching him with repeated backhands and a knee lift for two. The Busaiku knee followed for two.
After KENTA pulled his knee pad down, Shingo countered the Go To Sleep and hit a Death Valley driver. A Pumping Bomber followed for two, and the Last of the Dragon followed for three.
Shingo will face EVIL in the New Japan Cup semifinals.
Before the show went off the air, Shingo cut a promo on EVIL, who emerged to stare his former stablemate down. Dick Togo attacked Shingo from behind, and they beat him down with a Magic Killer. EVIL stood tall to end the show.
The New Japan Cup is down to the final eight after today’s show in Tokyo.
Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, while David Finlay beat YOSHI-HASHI today in Korakuen Hall to secure the final two spots in the quarterfinals. They join Will Ospreay, SANADA, EVIL, Toru Yano, Shingo Takagi and KENTA in the third round.
EVIL vs. Yano and Shingo vs. KENTA are set for Tuesday’s Korakuen Hall show, while Ospreay vs. SANADA and White vs. Finlay will take place on Thursday in Shizuoka.
Both semifinal matches will take place Saturday in Sendai, which will also host the finals on Sunday.
Here are the updated results and the upcoming Cup schedule.
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First Round —
March 4
Jeff Cobb defeated Satoshi Kojima
Great-O-Khan defeated Tetsuya Naito
March 5
Toru Yano defeated Bad Luck Fale
Hirooki Goto defeated Taichi
March 6
Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada
Minoru Suzuki defeated Tomoaki Honma
KENTA defeated Juice Robinson
March 7
Will Ospreay defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Gabriel Kidd
March 9
Yuji Nagata defeated Yota Tsuji
SANADA defeated Tomohiro Ishii
March 10
David Finlay defeated Chase Owens
YOSHI-HASHI defeated Yujiro Takahashi
Jay White defeated Toa Henare
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First round buys
Hiroshi Tanahashi (NEVER Openweight Champion)
EVIL (2020 New Japan Cup winner)
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Second round —
March 11
EVIL defeated Jeff Cobb
Toru Yano defeated Great-O-Khan
March 13
Shingo Takagi defeated Hirooki Goto
KENTA defeated Minoru Suzuki
March 14
Will Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
SANADA defeated Yuji Nagata
March 15
Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
David Finlay defeated YOSHI-HASHI
Quarterfinals —
Tuesday, March 16, 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
EVIL vs. Yano
Shingo vs. KENTA
Thursday, March 18, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
White vs. Finlay
Ospreay vs. SANADA
Semifinals —
Saturday, March 20, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
EVIL/Yano vs. Shingo/KENTA
White/Finlay vs. Ospreay/SANADA
New Japan Cup final —
Sunday, March 21, 1 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World
The second round of the 2021 New Japan Cup concluded today at Korakuen Hall. Here are the results for the preliminary matches and full reports for the Cup matches.
New Japan Cup second round: David Finlay defeated YOSHI-HASHI (16:12)
This was an eminently solid match that bordered on being very good. The only thing holding it back was that neither man is very high up on the NJPW totem pole.
They performed chain wrestling at the start. Finlay hit a simple vertical suplex for a quick two. They took the fight to the apron, where YOSHI-HASHI brought Finlay to the floor the hard way by taking out his legs on a baseball slide. Back in the ring, they exchanged strikes, but YOSHI-HASHI’s chops were too powerful.
YOSHI-HASHI targeted Finlay’s back until Finlay escaped out of a suplex attempt and hit a backbreaker. Finlay followed it up with a plancha out to the floor. In the ring, Finlay landed a diving uppercut for two. He got more near falls with a cradle and another backbreaker. YOSHI-HASHI avoided a corner attack and took out Finlay’s legs again, sending him crashing to the mat.
They traded forearms in the center of the ring. YOSHI-HASHI countered one into a backslide and a thrust kick and followed it up with a falling powerbomb for two. He immediately followed it up by applying the Butterfly Lock. After a long fight, YOSHI-HASHI transitioned into a simple sleeper, where Finlay powered out with a Blue Thunder bomb.
Finlay went for a stunner, but YOSHI-HASHI countered it into a backstabber before hitting running double knees for two. YOSHI-HASHI went for Karma, but Finlay turned it around and hit the stunner for two before following it it up with a ushigoroshi for another near fall. YOSHI-HASHI fought out of Sliced Bread and downed Finlay with a lariat.
YOSHI-HASHI went for Karma, but Finlay fought out of it once again. YOSHI-HASHI laid in headbutts and hit a dragon suplex and a lariat for another two. Finlay countered Karma into another stunner and hit an Acid Drop to pick up the win.
New Japan Cup second round: Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (20:01)
The storytelling here was very interesting, as this was about as clean a win as Jay White’s ever had in NJPW. The match was very good but without any Gedo interference, the finish was completely unexpected.
Both men tried to play mind games with the other. Tanahashi laid down as if to let White pin him, but rolled White up for a close two. White beat Tanahashi down in the corner, but Tanahashi hit his corner crossbody before scaring White out of the ring with his physique. Out on the floor, White attacked the Young Lions at ringside and sent Tanahashi hard into the barricade.
Back in the ring, White targeted Tanahashi’s neck and back, hitting a backbreaker for two. He beat down Tanahashi for a long time, taunting him in an abdominal stretch before Tanahashi eventually hip tossed his way out of it. Tanahashi went for his flipping senton, but White rolled out of the way, so Tanahashi hit a dragon screw and landed the senton for two.
They had a sequence of about 20 standing switches before White spiked Tanahashi with a DDT. The Bladebuster followed for two. They traded forearms in the ring before White downed Tanahashi with a flatliner and a deadlift German. White tried to dump Tanahashi to the floor, but the Ace skinned the cat back into the ring and walked right into a uranage for two.
Tanahashi fought out of a fireman’s carry and hit Twist and Shout. White rolled to the apron, allowing him to hit Tanahashi with a dragon screw, but upon re-entry, Tanahashi caught him with a dragon screw of his own. White tried to forearm his way out of another dragon screw, so Tanahashi just dropkicked White’s other leg before hitting the dragon screw. Tanahashi then locked on the Texas Cloverleaf. White eventually reached the ropes for a break.
White tried to counter his way out of the Slingblade, but Tanahashi was able to hit it and send Gedo packing with a dragon screw. A second Slingblade got two. Tanahashi went to the top rope, but White popped up and sent him crashing to the mat. Tanahashi countered the Blade Runner into an arm-trap German. He tried to follow it up with a dragon suplex, but White fought out and cradled Tanahashi for two.
Tanahashi returned the favor with another cradle for a near fall before starching White with his open-hand slap. He then countered the Blade Runner into yet another dragon screw, but White countered the follow-up into the Blade Runner out of nowhere for the win.
White will face David Finlay in the next round. In a post-match promo, White addressed Finlay as a “new Impact tag team champion” and essentially said that Finlay has no chance to beat him. He also set the seeds for a NEVER Openweight Title challenge against Tanahashi.
The second round of the 2021 New Japan Cup continued today in Amagasaki. Here are the results for the preliminary matches and full reports for the Cup matches.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, & Toa Henare defeated Jay White, EVIL, & Yujiro Takahashi (13:41)
Tanahashi pinned Yujiro with the High Fly Flow. He and White face off tomorrow in a second-round Cup matchup.
New Japan Cup second round: SANADA defeated Yuji Nagata (18:18)
I enjoyed this, although it went a bit long. This would have been a more exciting match had we not seen it a month ago.
They performed lots of chain wrestling early on. Neither man could establish an advantage on a test of strength, so SANADA shot forward and landed a Northern Lights suplex before sending Nagata to the floor. On the floor, SANADA hit a piledriver on Nagata. Back in the ring, SANADA continued to target Nagata’s head with suplexes and holds.
Nagata fired up with forearms before dropping SANADA with a knee lift. He and SANADA had another counter exchange, with Nagata hitting a butterfly suplex for two. SANADA surprised Nagata with a jumping hurricanrana and followed it up with the plancha before pumping up the crowd.
Back in the ring, SANADA hit some signature offense with a dropkick after rolling over the ropes. He followed it up with the TKO for two. SANADA kept up the offense with a rope-assisted Magic Killer, but Nagata rolled out of the way on the moonsault attempt. They fought on the top rope, with Nagata withstanding a lot of punishment to stay up, before Nagata landed an exploder superplex.
Nagata landed a mid kick for two, but SANADA turned the follow-up into the Japanese Clutch for a near fall. Immediately upon kicking out, Nagata applied the Nagata Lock II and SANADA had to fight for a long time to reach the ropes. He followed it up with his own rope-assisted Magic Killer, but SANADA turned another suplex attempt into a lateral press, buying him some time.
SANADA locked on the Skull End and had the hooks in. Nagata powered out by twisting SANADA’s ankle. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring, with Nagata winning the battle after hitting an enzuigiri. SANADA went for his backflip into the Skull End, but flipped too far and had to re-adjust.
He eventually locked it on with the hooks in the center of the ring, which weakened Nagata enough for SANADA to land the moonsault and and win.
New Japan Cup second round: Will Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (21:23)
This was fantastic. They eschewed the patterned NJPW main event formula for something far more energetic and heated.
Ospreay exploded right out of the gate with a shotgun dropkick and a plancha. He hit Pip Pip Cheerio upon re-entry, but Sabre countered the Oscutter and locked on the European Clutch for a fun near fall. Sabre targeted Ospreay’s arm when he was on offense, wringing it with holds and striking it. Sabre foiled one quick comeback attempt with a Cobra Twist, but Ospreay got the advantage with a dropkick and brought his attack to the floor.
On the floor, Ospreay sent Sabre into the barricade before draping him across the apron for a knee drop. Back in the ring, Ospreay continued the beatdown and taunted the smaller Sabre. An uppercut and an arm drag finally bought Sabre some time to return to targeting Ospreay’s arm. Ospreay went for his handspring kick, and Sabre countered it once, but the second attempt connected.
Ospreay laid in chops, but they weren’t as effective due to his injured arm. Sabre caught a chop attempt, but Ospreay transitioned into a reverse Bloody Sunday for two. Ospreay kept up the attack and was met with a slap, so he laid in Kawada kicks. Sabre got the better of another sequence with a soccer kick and was able to follow it up with a sleeper. Ospreay powered out and hit the Cheeky Nando’s kick and an Oscutter for two.
Sabre countered Stormbreaker into a European Clutch attempt, but Ospreay won the exchange after a hard forearm. They had another counter exchange where Sabre hit La Mistica before following it up with the Zack Driver for a close near fall. Sabre locked on a triangle hold, but Ospreay powered out and brought them both to the top rope. Ospreay’s nose was busted open at this point.
On the top rope, Ospreay tried for a top rope Stormbreaker, but Sabre landed a flipping armbar into the Jim Breaks Special, which is an omoplata arm wringer. It looked like Ospreay might submit, but his foot barely made it to the ropes. They had a crazy counter sequence where Ospreay eventually just dropped Sabre to the mat. Sabre countered the Stormbreaker into a jackknife backslide for two, but Ospreay popped up and hit a thrust kick.
Ospreay went for the super Oscutter, Sabre caught it, but Ospreay crushed Sabre with a forearm to the back of the head. Ospreay then hit the Stormbreaker to win and advance.
Ospreay will face SANADA in the next round. That match will likely take place in the main event of the March 18 Shizuoka show.
The second round of the 2021 New Japan Cup continued today in Aichi. Here are the results for the preliminary matches and full reports for the Cup matches.
Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & Toru Yano defeated David Finlay, Yota Tsuji, & Gabriel Kidd (11:17)
YOSHI-HASHI submitted Kidd with the Butterfly Lock. Finlay and YOSHI-HASHI will face off in the second round of the Cup.
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & DOUKI (7:51)
O-Khan pinned DOUKI with the Eliminator. Ospreay and Sabre will face off in the second round of the Cup.
SANADA submitted SHO with the Skull End. SANADA and Nagata will face off in the second round of the Cup.
Jay White, EVIL, & Bad Luck Fale defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, & Toa Henare (11:41)
EVIL pinned Henare with Everything is EVIL. White and Tanahashi will face off in the second round of the Cup.
New Japan Cup second round: KENTA defeated Minoru Suzuki (16:56)
There was some really exciting stuff here, including an exhilarating slap sequence, but much of the work had a disconnect to it as well. It wasn’t as crisp as it could have been.
KENTA stalled at the bell. He grabbed a newspaper from ringside, but Suzuki took it from him and laid it out in the center of the ring, inviting KENTA back in. Suzuki laid in strikes, but upon a rope break, KENTA starched him with a slap, which just angered Suzuki, who in turn gave chase.
When Suzuki re-entered the ring, KENTA tried to take advantage with a big boot, but Suzuki stretched him over the top rope with his illegal armbar spot. He then sent KENTA into the barricades repeatedly before grabbing a chair. The official tried to take it, allowing KENTA enough time to boot the chair into Suzuki and attack him with it.
Back in the ring, KENTA laid in kicks. Suzuki tried to fire up but was consistently foiled as KENTA kept up the offense. KENTA taunted Suzuki with some weak kicks and was met with a single stiff forearm in return, dropping him. This time it was Suzuki who repeatedly laid in kicks, concluding with a cocky cover attempt.
Suzuki hit two more forearms but KENTA avoided the third and took advantage with a DDT, followed by a second draping DDT for two. KENTA laid in corner strikes and somewhat whiffed on his running Shibata dropkick. He set up for the Go To Sleep, but Suzuki countered it into a standing guillotine. When Suzuki tried to transition into the Gotch-style piledriver, however, KENTA rolled through and went for Game Over.
Once Suzuki reached the ropes, KENTA immediately followed it up with the Busaiku knee. He tried for the Go To Sleep again, but Suzuki countered it into a single-leg crab. After a long battle, KENTA eventually reached the ropes. Suzuki goaded KENTA into a standing striking battle, where they both hit some great open-hand slaps. That was one of the best individual sequences of the tournament so far.
KENTA surprised Suzuki with a spinning back fist, but Suzuki fought out of Go To Sleep once again and locked on the rear naked choke. Suzuki let it go, laid in a ton of strikes, and went for the Gotch-style Piledriver, but KENTA immediately countered it into the Go To Sleep out of nowhere for the win.
He will face the winner of tonight’s main event in a quarterfinal Cup match.
New Japan Cup second round: Shingo Takagi defeated Hirooki Goto
This was the exact match you would expect from these two, meaning it was excellent. Shingo is probably going a long way in this tournament.
They had the typical strong style shoulder block and forearm exchange to start. Shingo knocked Goto down as both men teased finishers before a cradle from Goto got a close near fall. They brawled on the floor, where Shingo hit a DDT after sending Goto into the barricade.
Shingo maintained control in the ring. They eventually wrestled to the apron, where Shingo attempted a Death Valley driver, but Goto fought out and dropped Shingo hard on the apron. Goto kept up the advantage for a while, targeting Shingo’s head with elbows. Shingo eventually fired up and laid in chops before his back elbow, straight right, and lariat combination bought him some time.
A shoulder block and a vertical suplex sent Goto to the mat again. Shingo went for Noshigami, but Goto fought out and hit a suplex of his own. Goto hit a corner knee into a bulldog for two. He followed it up with a Saito suplex, but Shingo popped right up and hit a Saito suplex himself. Shingo called for the Pumping Bomber and was met with a lariat from Goto. They exchanged clothesline attempts, but neither man would go down both collapsed for a double down.
Shingo went for his striking combination again but was met with a lariat for his trouble. Goto immediately followed it up with the ushigoroshi, but couldn’t make the cover. Shingo repeatedly went for a German suplex, so when Goto fought out, he adjusted his gameplan with a clothesline to the back of Goto’s head. Shingo taunted Goto with goading kicks, which baited Goto into taking a Noshigami.
Goto avoided the Pumping Bomber but took Made in Japan for his trouble for two. Shingo laid in repeated forearms, connecting hard with the last one, which downed Goto. Goto caught a lariat attempt and hit GTW but was once again too exhausted to cover. He went for GTR, but Shingo fought out, so Goto landed a headbutt and the reverse GTR for two. He followed it up with the mid kick, but Shingo fought out of another GTR attempt and rolled Goto up for a great near fall.
Shingo popped up and downed Goto with a short lariat. He tried to follow it up with Last of the Dragon, but Goto fought out and they had a long battle for a vertical suplex, which Shingo eventually won by draping Goto over the top rope and hitting an assisted GTR. Shingo then hit a picture-perfect Pumping Bomber for a near fall.
The Last of the Dragon followed to allow Shingo to pick up the win and advance.
Shingo Takagi vs. KENTA is the quarterfinal match from this section of the Cup bracket. They will likely be the main event of the March 16 Korakuen Hall show.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson & Toa Henare defeated Jay White, KENTA & Chase Owens (w/Gedo) (13:18)
Tanahashi used a Texas cloverleaf to submit Owens.
New Japan Cup second round match: Toru Yano defeated The Great-O-Khan (13:02)
I don’t how what to say about this.
The comedy in the first few minutes was fun. Then they had a boring stretch. Then there was almost a stabbing.
O-Khan allowed Yano to tape his hands behind his back. O-Khan then dared Yano to hit him with a corner pad. O-Khan ducked the corner pad and broke his hands free of the tape.
O-Khan took a flat-back bump and dared Yano to try to cover him. Yano charged in and got caught in a kneebar. Yano forced a break.
O-Khan sat on a chair in the middle of the ring. Yano sat on a chair in the aisle. O-Khan took Yano’s KOPW trophy and threatened to stomp on it to get Yano back inside.
O-Khan offered a handshake. He took Yano down with the handshake and stomped on Yano’s right arm. O-Khan hit a gutwrench throw for a two count. He used a head-and-arm choke on the mat. O-Khan sat on Yano’s back in the corner.
O-Khan missed a charge and ran into the exposed buckle. Yano hit a throw into a double down. Yano hit a slingshot into the exposed buckle.
O-Khan used the iron claw to get a near fall. Yano sent O-Khan to the outside and tied his ponytail around the barricade. O-Khan produced a pair of scissors from his boot and cut himself free.
O-Khan teased stabbing Yano with the scissors. Yano avoided him and hit a low blow while the ref was down. Yano hit a tackle and rolled O-Khan up for the pin.
Yano advances to the quarterfinals and faces the winner of the next match on Tuesday, March 16.
New Japan Cup second round match: EVIL (w/Dick Togo) defeated Jeff Cobb (23:08)
Cobb was very good here and this was one of EVIL’s better efforts of late. The usual Bullet Club shenanigans took away from what could have been a fun fight between two powerhouses.
EVIL stalled for the first minute. He teased that he was afraid of Cobb’s power. EVIL used a distraction from Togo to hit a kick. Cobb no-sold and sent EVIL outside. Cobb sent EVIL into Togo, then hit Togo with a right hand.
Back inside, Cobb hit a dropkick and a couple of right hands for a near fall. Togo tripped Cobb from the floor, allowing EVIL to take over. EVIL sent Cobb into the barricade. Ring announcer Abe took a bump. EVIL hit his baseball swing with a chair.
EVIL worked on Cobb for a bit in the ring, then sent him back outside. Abe took another bump as Cobb took a whip into the barricade. Togo exposed a buckle and EVIL whipped Cobb into it.
Cobb came back with right hands. He avoided a ref-assisted mid kick and hit an impressive throw. Cobb hit a superplex for a two count. Cobb avoided a misdirection lariat. Cobb hit a lariat, but EVIL got his knees up on a standing moonsault attempt.
EVIL hit a lariat, then used a scorpion deathlock. Cobb powered his way to the ropes for a break. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a two count. Cobb avoided a whip into the exposed buckle and hit a superkick. Cobb hit a powerslam for a near fall.
Togo jumped on the apron. EVIL ran into Togo. Cobb hit a German and a standing moonsault for two. Cobb hit a spin cycle and got a visual pinfall, but referee Red Shoes took a bump from EVIL’s feet as Cobb spun EVIL around.
Togo jumped in as Cobb teased another superplex. Cobb fought off Togo, then hit a double powerslam to both Togo and EVIL. Togo got sent outside. Cobb revived the ref. Cobb hit a powerbomb for a two count.
EVIL raked Cobb’s eyes and hit a lariat. Cobb blocked Everything is EVIL and hit a German. Both men ran into the exposed buckle.
Yujiro Takahashi appeared and jumped on the apron for a distraction. EVIL then hit Everything is EVIL and got the pin.
EVIL advances and faces Yano in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 16.
New Japan Cup first round match: David Finlay defeated Chase Owens (11:20)
The work here was solid, but Owens is typically presented as a comedy guy and Finlay isn’t all that over, so this didn’t feel like it should be a tournament match.
Finlay tried a couple of amateur takedowns before settling on a side headlock. Owens reversed the headlock. Finlay hit a dropkick for an early two count.
Owens pulled Finlay off the second rope and dropped him on his knee while hitting a lariat. Owens used a bow and arrow and a running elbow drop. Owens hit a northern lights for a two count, then used a body scissors. Finlay came back with a neckbreaker.
Finlay hit a leg lariat and a slingshot plancha. He followed with a blue thunder bomb for a two count. Owens sent Finlay outside and hit a dropkick through the ropes. Back in, Finlay hit a uranage backbreaker. Owens blocked an Acid Drop attempt and hit a Jewel Heist before a series of near falls.
They traded cradles. Owens hit a shining wizard and a uranage backbreaker. They traded strikes. Owens hit a clothesline for a two count. Owens rolled outside and pulled up the padding around the ring. While the ref went to fix it, he hit a belt shot for a two count.
Owens hit another backbreaker. Finlay reversed a package piledriver attempt into a cradle and rolled Owens up for the pin.
New Japan Cup first round match: YOSHI-HASHI defeated Yujiro Takahashi (15:50)
This was too long given who was involved. YH needs a good dance partner and Yujiro is too beat up to be that guy.
YOSHI-HASHI was in control for the first couple of minutes as they brawled. Yujiro used his pimp cane on the outside to gain the advantage. YH made it back in after a countout tease.
Yujiro hit a legdrop, an elbow and a headbutt for a two count. Yujiro hit a slam, then used a chinlock to set up a dropkick to the back for a two count. Yujiro hit a back suplex for another two count. YH came back with a headhunter. Yujiro bit YH’s hand to halt his momentum.
They exchanged strikes and lariats. Yujiro hit an Angle slam, a superplex and a fisherman buster for a two count. YH blocked Pimp Juice with a kick. He hit a thrust kick, but Yujiro answered with Miami Shine for a near fall.
YH fought off another Pimp Juice attempt. YH hit a dragon suplex and a lariat for a near fall. YH went for Kharma, but Yujiro fought it off. YH hit a neckbreaker and a senton bomb for a near fall.
YH used the butterfly lock to set up Kharma. He hit Kharma for the pin.
New Japan Cup first round match: Jay White (w/Gedo) defeated Toa Henare (24:46)
I’m guessing that this was the longest singles match of Henare’s career and he did well, but this was the Jay White show. He’s firing on all cylinders right now and is one of the best guys on the planer. We’re watching an all-time great in him.
Henare broke cleanly on the opening lock up. White twice rolled to the floor to control the pace. White used a headlock. Henare hit a couple of shoulder tackles as they began to establish the story of the match –Henare had the power edge.
Henare whipped White into the barricade. Back inside, Henare hit a knee drop. White dumped Henare outside with a suplex over the ropes to the floor. White used the barricade and ring frame as weapons, bouncing Henare around.
White began to target the lower back with knee strikes, then a single-leg crab. Henare forced a rope break, but White went after the back again with strikes, then a chinlock with his knee planted in the lower back.
Henare whipped White into the corner pad. Henare hit a tackle and a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Henare sold the damage to his back after the cover. White avoided a Samoan drop and hit a DDT. White hit an underhook suplex into the corner pad, then used a Blade Buster for a near fall.
White hit a series of forearm strikes. Henare dropped White with one forearm. White hit a deadlift German and a uranage. White rolled Henare outside three times and tried to steal a countout win, but Henare made it back in.
White sent Henare into the barricade. White hit the Kiwi Krusher for a near fall. Henare powered out of a chinlock, but White again attacked the back. White hit a sleeper suplex. Henare fought off two superplex attempts and hit a diving tackle off the top rope.
Henare hit a Samoan drop and a lariat for a two count. White avoided Toa Bottom twice. Henare ducked a lariat and hit a spear for a two count.
Henare reversed a Blade Runner attempt and hit Toa Bottom for a two count. Gedo jumped on the apron. White used the distraction to try a Blade Runner. Henare slid out and hit a diving tackle. White avoided another Toa Bottom with a sleeper suplex into a double down.
White hit a second sleeper suplex, then hit Blade Runner for the pin.
