The tournament will conclude in Niigata on Saturday with Callum Newman and Yuya Uemura facing off in the finals. In addition to being crowned the New Japan Cup winner, the victor earns an IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis on April 4.
It was already known that Konosuke Takeshita would be in action on Saturday. NJPW has now confirmed that he’ll be defending his NJPW World Television Championship against a mystery opponent. It’s the first title defense for Takeshita since he defeated El Phantasmo last month to become champion.
“The NJPW World TV title will be on the line when Konosuke Takeshita makes his first defense,” NJPW wrote. “After winning the title in overtime at New Beginning USA in Trenton New Jersey, who will step up to the plate and face the Alpha?”
Saturday’s event is being held in Niigata and will air live on New Japan World starting at 2 a.m. Eastern time. Here is the complete lineup:
New Japan Cup 2026 finals (Saturday, March 21) —
Tournament final: Callum Newman vs. Yuya Uemura
Yota Tsuji, OSKAR, Yuto-Ice & Daiki Nagai vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita & Hartley Jackson
Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf vs. Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo
Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. HENARE & Great-O-Khan
Either Callum Newman or Yuya Uemura will be crowned the winner of New Japan Cup 2026.
The New Japan Cup finals are now set with Newman vs. Uemura scheduled to take place this Saturday (March 21). They each booked their place in the match with semifinal victories today. In the main event, Newman defeated Shota Umino to advance. Uemura had already defeated Oleg Boltin in the semi-main.
A confrontation between Newman and Uemura then took place at the end of today’s card.
“Your dreams finish tomorrow. I finished your best friend’s off tonight. You ain’t making it past me,” Newman told Uemura. “Do what you will Yuya, I’m going to f***ing murder you.”
Uemura responded by saying that he will not let Newman prevail in the tournament. No matter what heel tactics Newman tries to use, Uemura promised to stand tall.
An IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot is at stake with the Newman vs. Uemura winner going on to challenge Yota Tsuji for the title at Sakura Genesis on April 4. If it ends up being Tsuji vs. Newman, that would continue the rivalry between Tsuji’s Unbound Company faction and Newman’s United Empire. A Tsuji vs. Uemura match would pit two of NJPW’s most important building blocks for the present and future against each other.
Will Ospreay — who had a tense interaction with his former protege Newman back in January — was watching today’s show and reacted to Newman advancing to the New Japan Cup finals.
What a match
Callum is in the final !!!
— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) March 20, 2026
For both Newman and Uemura, this would be their first time ever winning the New Japan Cup. The finals are airing live on New Japan World on Saturday with a start time of 2 a.m. Eastern.
Konosuke Takeshita’s next NJPW appearance will be taking place later this month.
At New Beginning USA, Takeshita defeated El Phantasmo to become the new NJPW World Television Champion. The match initially went to a 15-minute time limit draw before ELP challenged Takeshita to go into overtime. A new champion was crowned, and now Takeshita is set to appear at the New Japan Cup finals on March 21. His match for the show has not been announced.
“March 21 will see Takeshita bring the title belt to Japan for the first time, as he will be in action at the New Japan Cup final!,” NJPW wrote. “What does Takeshita have planned for his first Japanese appearance in NJPW since New Year Dash?”
The New Japan Cup finals are being held in Niigata and will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available. The show will help set the stage for Sakura Genesis on April 4.
Fourteen wrestlers are still alive in New Japan Cup 2026 as the tournament continues deeper into the second round. The winner faces Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Sakura Genesis.
Takeshita is under contract with all three of AEW, NJPW, and DDT Pro Wrestling. This Sunday (March 15), he is challenging Jon Moxley for the Continental Championship at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view.
The finals of the 2025 New Japan Cup take place today, with a first-time winner guaranteed.
In the tournament finals, Shota Umino faces David Finlay with a shot a the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. It’s the first career finals for Umino, while Finlay made the finals in 2023 where he lost to SANADA.
The winner of today’s New Japan Cup finals earns a shot at Hirooki Goto and the IWGP World title at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 5.
An NJPW World TV title match kicks off today’s main card, with El Phantasmo defending against a mystery opponent in an open challenge.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s road to retirement continues with a special singles match on today’s card, with Tana taking on Satoshi Kojima. It will be the tenth career singles meeting between the two, and the first since 2014. Tana holds a 5-4 career edge in singles competition over Kojima.
**********
Main Card
El Phantasmo defeated TJP for the NJPW World Television Championship
Starting with a headscissor hold, Phantasmo had immediate control. TJP sent him to the mat with a DDT from the second rope. After sneaking a comeback, Phantasmo attempted a moonsault from the ropes but couldn’t put TJP away. Spinning the challenger like a rinse cycle, Phantasmo slammed him to the mat with a UFO drop. TJP spiked the champion to the mat, bringing him in for a Pinoy Stretch. This caused Phantasmo to stretch his shoulder a bit too much, as trying a punch became too much for him to do. The pair traded pins with the last one granting Phantasmo a victory despite his shoulder.
— Post-match: TJP shook hands with Phantasmo. Great-O-Khan, who’d watched the sportsmanship from the outside, greeted TJP before assaulting the champion. He declared himself next to challenge for the title, attacked him again and left. Phantasmo struggled to the back.
Phantasmo had little time to make the shoulder angle effective, but he made the most of it. Fast-paced, this was a satisfactory opener.
Hiroshi Tanahashidefeated Satoshi Kojima
Kojima’s strength lent him the early advantage, but Tanahashi earned it back as he tied his opponent’s leg to the rope and dropkicked it. Kojima chopped The Ace’s chest until sore, following up with a top rope elbow drop. Kojima laid out Tanahashi with a Koji Cutter but fell back down to a Slingblade. A stiff lariat from Kojima laid out Tanahashi. Enduring the force that is Kojima, Tanahashi won the match with a High-Fly Flow.
A fun short sprint, Tanahashi’s strengths have been neatly emphasized during this final run. As someone who’d love to see one of NJPW’s legendary top stars to ride off into the sunset go peacefully, this run has been a treat.
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & SANADA) defeated Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
BULLET CLUB promptly took out their opponents before the bell with SANADA tossing Uemura to the chairs in the crowd. Meanwhile, Owens and Fale bullied Taichi in the ring. Uemura held the match in his hand, flattening Owens and SANADA, the latter of which suffered a back suplex. Teasing a Skull End, SANADA instead fell to Uemura’s dropkicks. Michinoku unleashed a flurry to Owens, but laid down for the 3-count courtesy of a Package Piledriver by Owens.
— Post-match: BULLET CLUB harassed their defeated foes, with SANADA teasing a guitar shot. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and El Desperado came to Just 4 Guys’ aid. Tanahashi shook hands with Uemura, having long mentioned that the latter being the current image of NJPW. The Ace then shook hands with Taichi and helped Michinoku to his feet.
The least exciting elements of this match were involved in the finisher. The ongoing beef between SANADA and Uemura is interesting, but wasn’t capitalized on.Tanahashi being all super wholesome in the post-match made up for any slogging.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb)
Cobb confronted Naito to start the match, only to be attacked by the present members of LIJ. Young worked on Naito’s infamously weak knees, Takahashi exploded onto the scene, meeting Newman’s speed with his own before agonizing from a roundhouse kick. Naito and Takahashi delivered karmic justice to Young by targeting his knees, the latter tapping Young out with a Maximum Beholding.
There was nothing in the way of storyline advancements to watch out for, but this was fun on its own and worth a watch.
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) defeatedHouse Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)
Ishimori twisted and cranked the arm of SHO. Kidd pummeled Narita in the corner, sending him to the mat with a forceful lariat. He then sent SHO and Takahashi to the same fate. Moloney unleashed a rage of forearms and chops to SHO, but lost his momentum by House of Torture interruption and a Spear from SHO. With the War Dogs intercepting any further interference, Moloney pinned SHO with a Drilla Killa.
— Post-match: Moloney fake laughed at House of Torture “kicking” the War Dogs out of BULLET CLUB. He then on behalf of Ishimori and Kidd challenged for the NEVER Six Man Tag Team Championship.
For anyone looking for a cathartic comeuppance for House of Torture, this is the fix you’re looking for. Each play made by the War Dogs was satisfying. SHO made the best of his moments, even in defeat.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeated House Of Torture (EVIL & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Tsuji endured Kanemaru and EVIL’s attempts to weaken his knee, with the latter’s Cloverleaf dramatically ended with a rope break. Takagi burst into action, bumping EVIL to the mat and proceeding to manhandle him. Kanemaru and EVIL returned once more to destroy Tsuji’s knees. They, combined with Dick Togo, unleashed a Dick-to-Dick Contact, with the referee distracted by Takagi’s endeavor to make the save. As Kanemaru saved his Whiskey Mist, it poured like a fountain after Tsuji found enough strength to power a Gene Blaster for the win.
—Post-match: House of Torture attacked Tsuji as EVIL held aloft the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship while he stood on the champ’s chest. Takagi again tried to help but Togo choked him out.
There wasn’t much to say about this bout, other than Tsuji’s selling was top notch. In a blink-and-miss-it moment, he maintained his kayfabe knee injury. That’s a level of professionalism I can appreciate.
Boltin overwhelmed Oiwa, and a chaotic brawl ensued. He and Goto pounded the back of Sabre Jr., before failing to do so on Oiwa. A helpless Desperado fell prey to the combined offense of TMDK, until he traded holds with Sabre Jr. Boltin’s might cancelled out Sabre Jr.’s technical prowess with his Flying Body Sausage maneuver. Jackson nearly had the match won over Goto with a Flying Crossbody and a team-up with Oiwa, to no avail. Jackson withstood the united front his opponents initiated, but ultimately lost to a GTR.
Featuring young acts like Boltin and Oiwa alongside the veterans adds enough fuel to position these future megastars for greatness. Now more than ever, this feels like a strong emphasis to trust tomorrow’s performers It certainly doesn’t hurt that they worked alongside the current and former IWGP World Heavyweight Champions.
New Japan Cup Final
David Finlay defeated Shota Umino
Finlay had the initial advantage in the early goings, but Umino got the better of him, working on his leg. This damage wore on, grounding Finlay’s later offense. A Fisherman’s Suplex gave Umino space to carve out control over the War Dogs leader. He continued to work the leg as Finlay screamed in dear agony. Umino combined this with a STF in the middle of the ring; Finlay desperately reached for a successful rope break. Umino flew through the air courtesy of Finlay’s uranage, sending him through a table on the outside.
Finlay broke the 20-count to seemingly help Umino to his feet. As it turned out, he used this time to slam his opponent into the ring post to earn even more time. Umino broke the count at 19. Finlay sought to damage Umino’s back more with a slam, but Umino countered into a DDT. Umino received a near count after a cacophonous vertical suplex from the top rope. He did so again after a bridging suplex. Finlay, almost running on fumes, survived lariats and a painful knee onto Umino, finally landing Oblivion. Kicking out of a reversal pin, Finlay slammed Umino with two resounding powerbombs. Umino tried an inside cradle, failing to do so. Finlay used this brief respite to crush him with an Overkill for the win. David Finlay is 2025’s New Japan Cup winner.
— Post-match: Finlay yanked the New Japan Cup away form the officials as he and Gedo celebrated. He helped Umino to his feet, harshly telling his old friend he has to work Finlay’s way to get these kinds of victories. He beckoned forth Hirooki Goto from commentary to the ring to claim his future shot. Goto responded that Finlay “can’t stop the Goto Revolution.”
The War Dogs joined their leader in jubilation. Finlay proudly carried his cup while his teammates drank in the ring.
Umino’s always been good in the ring, but his act hasn’t really stuck. However, his effort tonight gives this new baptised-in-white approach plausibility. Tremendous performance alongside Finlay still riding off of his 2024 rejuvenation. Finlay took a while to successfully reinvent himself as the War Dogs leader, and its paying off. This gives me hope for Umino.
As a whole, the show had some high points. Most of them didn’t add much in storyline but were still fun. Kojima/Tanahashi, LIJ/United Empire, and maybe even House of Torture/War Dogs are all worth watching, but the final is what will surely satisfy.Finlay denying Goto the win for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in Autumn 2024 is sure to add a much-needed threat to the current World Heavyweight Champion’s reign.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the full lineup for the 2025 New Japan Cup finals, set for Thursday in Nagaoka.
Already confirmed for the event is the tournament final between David Finlay and Shota Umino, along with a match on Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement tour as he faces Satoshi Kojima.
Several multi-person tag matches have been added, including a six-man bout between rival Bullet Club factions, House of Torture and the War Dogs. Also set for the show is the return of NJPW World TV Champion El Phantasmo’s open challenge.
The full card is set for the New Japan Cup Final THURSDAY!
Hirooki Goto faces Yota Tsuji today in the New Japan Cup 2024 finals.
Goto is the only three-time New Japan Cup winner, although he has not won the tournament since 2012. Goto also has three runner-up performances to his credit, making him the most decorated New Japan Cup competitor in the tournament’s 20-year history.
This is the first New Japan Cup finals appearance for Tsuji.
The winner of today’s finals will face IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito for the title at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6.
Naito will be in action in the semi-main event of today’s show, teaming with Shingo Takagi against EVIL & Dick Togo from Bullet Club’s House of Torture.
In a 10-man tag, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Toru Yano, Jado & Boltin Oleg will take on SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku of Just Five Guys.
YOH will face Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a special singles match on today’s show in the other featured bout.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
This was a decent outing from the Young Lions. They were firey heading into the finishing sequence, but BUSHI was able to secure the win with a crab.
United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Tanga Loa & Tomohiro Ishii
This was a step up from what I expected. It almost felt like a decent effort was made in this match. Catch 22’s tandem offense led to the UE finish.
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)
This was a highly competitive undercard tag. The closing sequence went back and forth, with a handful of nearfalls between Nicholls and Newman. In the end, Mikey landed his finish to secure the win.
BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & YOSHI-HASHI
Most of this match’s disorder came from the babyfaces. By the end, BULLET CLUB was taking full advantage of this chaos. KENTA hit Tenzan with his belt, leaving Owens free to secure the pinfall win.
After the match, BC tried hitting YH with the belt, but YH escaped. Makabe and Kidd also continued to brawl after the closing bell.
House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata
This was fine.
The crowd was really into this match throughout its runtime, and most of the cheating wasn’t insulting. The closing sequence saw Narita hit Nagata with a low blow before forcing him to tap with the cobra twist.
YOH defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This match kicked off with Kanemaru and SHO jumping SHO before the opening bell. From here, the typical HoT match played out, complete with distracted referees and outside beat downs.
After spending an extended amount of time in Kanemaru’s Boston crab, YOH escaped to the bottom rope. He then took advantage of an attempted distraction, leading to Kanemaru spitting his whiskey in SHO’s face. YOH then rolled up Kanemaru to win the match.
After the match, YOH left with the junior title in hand.
Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado), Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This wasn’t a good match, but it didn’t try to be one.
Everyone had their moment to shine, but this was totally lighthearted bell-to-bell. In the end, ELP hit his finish and pinned TAKA to win the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL)
This was a by-the-book HoT tag.
The action worked its way into the crowd early on, with EVIL utilizing chairs to establish a lead. The fighting continued so long that the referee’s count reached 20, resulting in a double count-out.
Shingo grabbed the microphone and asked for a restart with EVIL’s belt in hand. HoT accepted the challenge, and the match restarted.
This was the second EVIL match to be thrown out and restarted in the past two days.
Once the match restarted, the fighting returned to the floor. EVIL and Togo isolated Shingo on the outside, hitting him with the turnbuckle cover and whipping him into the barricades. Once the match returned to the ring, the isolation continued.
Eventually, Naito tagged in and turned the match around for his team. HoT challenged Naito’s lead by choking him with a shirt, hitting a low blow, and bumping the referee. With the referee down, Togo choked Naito with his wire.
Once Naito escaped Togo’s wire, he used it himself. Naito then dropped Togo with a low blow and used a jackknife pin to win the match.
Shingo challenged EVIL to a match for the NEVER Openweight Championship after the match.
New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto
This match was a lot of fun, especially in the closing stretch. It’s easily one of the best matches of the tournament.
The match opened with a standard feeling-out process. This led to Goto leaving the ring, which Tsuji followed with a tope. Back inside the ring, Tsuji utilized body scissors to maintain his control.
A ushigoroshi reset the match, leading to a back-and-forth strike exchange. Goto won out, establishing control for the first time in the match. He tried for GTR but missed, leaving Tsuji free to drive him onto the mat.
Tsuji landed a pair of stomps for a nearfall. When Tsuji tried to follow up, Goto secured the sleeper hold. Goto then tried for GTR again, but Tsuji answered with a headbutt. Goto responded with eight headbutts of his own, maintaining his lead.
Goto landed Shouten Kai for one of the nearest nearfalls I’ve ever seen. After Tsuji kicked out, Goto paused, buying Tsuji enough time to respond with a knee. Tsuji went for Gene Blast but was cut off by a lariat.
Goto tried for a rainmaker, but Tsuji reversed into Gene Blast; Goto kicked out at one. Tsuji didn’t waste any time before hitting another Gene Blast. He then pinned Goto to win the New Japan Cup.
Tsuji cut the show ending promo, declaring himself the face of a new era. Naito joined him in the ring after Tsuji promised to take his belt. Naito questioned his readiness before having a friendly stare down.
Once Naito left the ring, Tsuji promised to take New Japan to greater heights.
Tsuji is set for action against his faction mate and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito, at Sakura Genesis.
The event is taking place in Nagaoka this Wednesday (March 20) and streams live on NJPW World starting at 4 a.m. Eastern time. In the main event, Hirooki Goto battles Yota Tsuji in the New Japan Cup tournament finals.
Goto advanced to the finals with a victory over SANADA, while Tsuji earned his place with a semifinal win against EVIL.
The winner of Goto vs. Tsuji will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6.
Naito is set for action in the semi-main event of Wednesday’s show. It will be Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL & Dick Togo.
Seven tag matches are part of the undercard for the New Japan Cup Finals. There will also be a special singles match between YOH and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Here’s the full lineup:
New Japan Cup Finals (Wednesday, March 20) —
2024 New Japan Cup tournament final: Hirooki Goto vs. Yota Tsuji
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL & Dick Togo
Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Toru Yano, Jado & Boltin Oleg vs. SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata & El Desperado vs. Ren Narita, Jack Perry & Yujiro Takahashi
YOSHI-HASHI, Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. KENTA, Chase Owens & Gabe Kidd
Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls vs. Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman
Tomohiro Ishii, Tanga Loa & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira
Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima
SANADA will face David Finlay today in the finals of the 2023 New Japan Cup tournament.
In the build to the finals, SANADA broke off from the Los Ingobernables de Japon group and joined the Just Five Guys stable, while Finlay joined Bullet Club.
The New Japan Cup winner will face Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 8.
This is the first New Japan Cup finals appearance for Finlay, while SANADA was the runner-up in 2019.
In the semi-main event, Hiromu Takahashi is set to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lio Rush.
The full card:
New Japan Cup finals: SANADA vs. David Finlay
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi defends against Lio Rush
Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare
El Desperado, Ren Narita, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
Tama Tonga, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma vs. KENTA, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo
Shota Umino & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima vs. Taichi & DOUKI
This was a fine little opener here to shine some light on Nakashima.
DOUKI and Taichi took an early lead over an overly-ambitious Nakashima. Once Nakashima tagged to Tanahashi, the crowd came unglued. After Tanahashi gained control, Nakashima begged for a tag. Once obliged, Taichi hit Nakashima with an axe bomber and a dangerous backdrop to win the match.
The young lions opened the match with a bit of grappling. Despite Fujita’s accelerated learning as a part of TMDK, Oiwa took the lead and passed it off to Umino. After a tag to ZSJ, TMDK started to fight into the match.
After an ample selection of back-and-forths, Fujita tagged back in. He nearly caught Umino with a bridging pin, but Umino kicked out, hit Fujita with a death rider, and won the match.
After the match, Umino challenged ZSJ to a TV title match; ZSJ accepted.
BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, El Phantasmo & KENTA) defeated Tama Tonga, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii
Ishii and Owens were a bit of a focal point throughout this match. I still don’t know why this is happening.
Bullet Club used heelish tactics early to take advantage. The match then played out fairly typically, filled with Bullet Club using their numbers to overwhelm their opponents before an eventual babyface rally. In the end, ELP won by hitting Honma with CR2.
This was far from a good match, but the post-match visuals were powerful. If they were to set up something other than a HOT trios match, I would have loved this.
The match opened with HOT attacking their Strong Style opponents. After a mostly one-sided beatdown, Yujiro hit Taguchi with a wrench.
After the match concluded, HOT unmasked Desperado. The post-match beatdown continued with HOT cutting off Narita’s shirt and spraypainting “HOT” on his torso. This led into an even more brutal beatdown and another Desperado unmasking.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan)
This was a tag built entirely around some firey exchanges between Shingo and Henare. For most of the match, Naito failed to get his wheels turning, and O-Khan was just kind of there.
In the end, it was O-Khan and Naito left alone in the ring while Henare and Naito brawled outside of the ring. Naito caught O-Khan with a rollup to win the match.
Henare and Shingo had a staredown over the KOPW belt after the match, further setting up their upcoming bout.
United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI)
CHAOS gained the upper hand early, but UE fought back, using environmental offense to take control. After an extended period with UE in the lead, the match entered a stretch of turbulence, with neither team being clearly ahead.
Ultimately, Aussie Open weathered the storm and came out on top after hitting YH with Coriolis.
After the match, Aussie Open made their challenge for Bishamon’s title clear. Cobb also called out Kenny Omega, who he imitated at points in the match.
The match opened at a fast pace, with Lio taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu landed a powerbomb onto the apron and a slam into the barricade to take the early lead. Back in the ring, Hiromu maintained control for a while with a variety of wear-down moves.
To get himself back in the match, Lio hit an impressive flipping dive from the apron to the floor. Hiromu answered Lio with a powerbomb, but Lio held on, landing a poison rana and Rush Hour for a quick response.
Lio landed one splash, but Hiromu reversed the second and immediately followed with timebomb for a nearfall. Lio fought back with a Spanish fly and a DMV, both yielding nearfalls. Lio hit YOH’s direct drive and attempted another dive, but Hiromu rolled out of the way.
After surviving everything Lio could throw at him, Hiromu hit a lariat and timebomb 2 to win the match.
After the match, Zack Sabre Jr walked to the ring and announced the next challenger would be the newest member of TMDK, Robbie Eagles.
New Japan Cup 2023 Final Match: SANADA defeated David Finlay
This was a nothing match, but the crowd made it bearable.
This match opened with the loudest reaction from a New Japan crowd in years, in support of Niigata’s own, SANADA.
Finlay opened the match, taking the match to the floor and establishing control. As SANADA tried to fight back into the match, Finlay took the match back outside, slamming him into the barricade and apron. Back in the ring, Finlay clubbed SANADA with offense for quite some time. Most of the match spawned from this period of control.
Finlay began to look for the finish, but SANADA reversed the trash panda attempt into skull end. After escaping skull end, the pair traded shots at their finishers until SANDA landed a shining wizard and his new DDT to win the match.
After the match, SANADA challenged Okada to meet him in the ring. Okada toyed with SANADA, pointing out his previous failings ahead of their title bout. Before leaving, Okada stood tall, IWGP in hand.
After Okada left, SANADA cut the show-ending promo with a sea of lights in the crowd.
The 2023 New Japan Cup concludes on Tuesday in Nagaoka.
NJPW has released the full card for the final day of the tournament.
The night’s main event will see Bullet Club’s David Finlay face Just Five Guys’ SANADA to decide who takes home the cup this year. The winner will also earn an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match against Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be defended on Tuesday’s show as well. Hiromu Takahashi will put his title on the line against Lio Rush.
New Japan Cup Finals, March, 21, 2023 lineup:
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima vs. DOUKI & Taichi
Ryohei Oiwa & Shota Umino vs. Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.
Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii & Tama Tonga vs. El Phantasmo, Chase Owens & KENTA
Rysuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, Ren Narita & El Desperado vs. Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan
YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Lio Rush
New Japan Cup 2023 Finals: SANADA vs. David Finlay
Tetsuya Naito faces Zack Sabre Jr. to decide the winner of the 2022 New Japan Cup today in Osaka.
Naito defeated Kazuchika Okada on yesterday’s show to advance to the finals, while Sabre defeated Shingo Takagi.
While not yet announced, the tournament winner will likely get a shot at Okada’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on next month’s Hyper Battle tour.
Today’s undercard matches will likely hint at the key matches for Hyper Battle, as well as the Golden Fight Series tour, which culminates with Wrestling Dontaku at the Fukuoka Dome on May 1.
Today’s full card:
New Japan Cup finals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman
Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe vs. Great-O-Khan, Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku vs. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Jado, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
BUSHI vs Kosei Fujita
Our live coverage begins at 1 a.m. Eastern time.
**********
BUSHI defeated Kosei Fujita
This was a good match to open the show. Simple wrestling, done well.
Fujita gained the upper hand early with a tackle that sent BUSHI to the ground. BUSHI wasn’t on the back foot for long, however, as he used some nonchalant striking to take control from the young lion. After forcing Fujita into the ropes with a single leg Boston crab, BUSHI let his lead slip as Fujita connected with a pair of quick dropkicks. A belly to belly into a Boston crab left Fujita on solid ground.
BUSHI caught Fujita a dropkick of his own to recement his control. BUSHI locked in a deep Boston crab to force the submission.
Not a bone in my body cares about this Bullet Club drama. Not to mention, the match wasn’t good.
After a brief brawl to open the match, the babyface squad had a short in-ring stent of offence. Bullet Club wouldn’t let this last for long, as they used their numbers and disregard for rules to isolate Wato. This led to a Tama hot tag, where he ran through all of the opposition.
Jado tagged in to face Gedo. With help from GoD, Jado scored a near fall over his former partner. At some point, an outside brawl left Jado and Gedo without reinforcement and the referee preoccupied. Jado locked in the crossface of Jado, prompting Owens to break the hold with a knee. Owens then pulled Gedo over Jado for a guileful pin.
I wouldn’t say this is worth seeking out or anything, but it had its moments.
This match opened with a brawl. Yano and Taichi, an upcoming KOPW match, found each other between the ropes. Taichi won in their exchange while the brawling cooled down, leaving Suzuki-gun free to isolate Yano.
Yano eventually tagged out, leading to a Suzuki / Ishii scrap. YOH and Kanemaru followed suit with a battle of their own. Eventually, Taichi and YOH were left alone in the ring. YOH scored a pair of near falls with a falcon arrow and schoolboy, while Taichi did the same with an axe bomber. Taichi hit YOH with a yokozuna elbow to bring this match to a close.
After the final bell, Taichi dropped Yano with another yokozuna elbow. He then taunted Yano with a sumo pose, teasing his KOPW stipulation, ‘sumo rules’.
Suzuki and Ishii continued to fight after the match’s end. These men battled for a stretch, both during and after Taichi’s theatrical exit. This seemingly was to set up an Ishii / Suzuki singles, perhaps at the upcoming Windy City Riot show.
SHO & Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture) defeated El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku (Suzuki-gun)
Before the match could start, SHO stormed to the back. This was so he could jump Suzuki-gun before the match began. After beating Desperado and TAKA with a wrench, HoT stood tall.
After the opening bell, SHO locked TAKA in a submission and forced him to tap out.
Once the match was over, SHO removed Desperado’s mask and hit him with Shock Arrow.
Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay (United Empire) defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Hirooki Goto, & YOSHI-HASHI
This was not a good match, but it existed to further the Bishamon / United Empire title feud.
This match opened with a brawl. As things developed in the ring, Ospreay took control over GBH. The match continued with UE singling out Makabe for some time. Once the tag came, YH and Goto were able to overwhelm UE.
A second brawl broke out after UE broke up a pin following KoKeShi. Honma tried for a rocket KoKeShi, but Cobb caught him mid-flight. Honma managed to survive long enough to get in some more offence, but ultimately, Cobb ended the match with Tour of the Islands.
After the match, UE beat down their opponents further, allowing Cobb and O-Khan to stand tall with the IWGP tag titles in hand.
Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Dick Togo & EVIL (House Of Torture)
Hiromu launched an attack on the ramp before the match could start, but EVIL managed to withstand the assault by slamming Hiromu into the barricade and choking him with a cable.
In the ring, Hiromu landed a quick kick to tag out to Shingo. Shingo led an advance, surviving a whip into the exposed corner before dropping EVIL with a DDT and tagging back into Hiromu. This led to EVIL and Togo working together to retake their lead.
Togo tried using his cable, but the referee caught him. This distraction bought EVIL enough time to drop Shingo with a low blow. Hiromu was able to turn things back around, however, by whipping EVIL into the exposed corner. Hiromu then hit Togo with Everything is Evil and pinned him to close the match.
EVIL tried to jump Hiromu after the match, but he left with his tail between his legs. Hiromu then dared EVIL to challenge him to a match for the NEVER title.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask defeated CIMA, El Lindaman, T-Hawk, & Tatsumi Fujinami
I loved everything about this match. The STRONGHEARTS are consistently one of my favourite acts, both in New Japan and elsewhere. Fujinami delivered much more than should be expected. Okada was on and Tanahashi never misses. This was outstanding.
Fujinami started the match by calling out Okada. Okada and Fujinami had a short exchange before tagging out to CIMA and TM, respectively. TM and CIMA also had a brief scuffle before tagging to T-Hawk and Kojima.
Kojima and T-Hawk traded blows before Lindaman entered the fray. Kojima withstood the double team long enough, leading to a tag back into Fujinami. Fujinami, with aid from CIMA, began to work Kojima’s leg. CIMA and Lindaman continued to focus the leg after tagging in. The STRONGHEARTS dropped Kojima with a triple dropkick to further their lead.
A Koji cutter bought a hot tag into Tanahashi. Tanahashi took out the STRONGHEARTS before teasing an interaction with Fujinami; the tease came to fruition after a Lindaman dropkick. Tanahashi escaped a Fujinami choke to deliver a dragonscrew. Tanahashi then tagged to Okada, who immediately attempted a rainmaker; Fujinami ducked. Fujinami dropped Okada with a dragonscrew and tagged to T-Hawk.
Okada hit T-Hawk hard with heavy offence, but T-Hawk answered with a remarkable sequence and believable near fall on the IWGP World Heavyweight champion. This led to a skirmish between teams, occupying everyone long enough for Okada to drop T-Hawk with a rainmaker and win the match.
After the match, Fujinami shared the ring with his opponents, striking a pose to celebrate New Japan’s 50th year.
New Japan Cup Final: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito
What a match. This was easily the best match of the tournament and a frontrunner for New Japan match of the year. This was a brilliant match and a superb
tournament from ZSJ.
The match opened with an impassioned wrestling sequence; it became evident that ZSJ’s focus would be on Naito’s leg. As the match developed, the groundwork moved to the floor while ZSJ started to build an early lead.
A swinging neckbreaker from Naito yielded a moment of reprieve. Combinación de Cabrón and a neckbreaker let Naito have his turn controlling ZSJ on the mat. Naito tried for Gloria and a swinging DDT, but ZSJ avoided the moves and reversed into a head crank.
ZSJ furthered his lead by tying Naito up in the ropes, contorting his arm. ZSJ tried following up with a fast sequence, but Naito caught him, connecting with a barrage of elbow strikes. A top rope rana from Naito let ZSJ slip back into control on the ground. Naito escaped by trying for a pin; this forced a stand up, allowing Naito to connect with a swinging DDT.
Naito dropped ZSJ with Esperanza. Naito in his follow-up was brought to the mat, initiating a swift succession of pin attempts. From his place of confidence, ZSJ locked in a choke that forced Naito into the ropes.
Naito reversed the Zack Driver twice, once into Valentía and once into a pseudo-Destino. Not only did ZSJ survive, he responded by hitting the Zack driver for a near fall. This was, in effect, a match reset at the twenty-minute mark.
Naito dropped ZSJ with a series of elbows, but a quick strike to Naito’s weekend leg let him slip back into control. Naito tried for a quick pin, ZSJ for a penalty kick, but neither man could close. After a second penalty kick, DDT, and Zack Driver ZSJ hooked the leg and pinned Naito to close the match and win the New Japan Cup.
After the match, ZSJ cut a promo saying he would soon be not just the best technical wrestler in the world but the best wrestler in the world and the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
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.
**********
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.
**********
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.
As a precautionary measure, Minoru Suzuki will miss this weekend’s NJPW events.
“On July 10, Minoru Suzuki developed a fever, and as a cautionary measure, will not be present for the New Japan Cup or Dominion events on July 11 & 12,” NJPW announced. “Since wrestling on July 3, where Coronavirus antibody and antigen testing all showed negative, Suzuki has had no contact with any other wrestlers.”
Suzuki was scheduled to team with Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi at the New Japan Cup finals. With Suzuki off the show, Yoshinobu Kanemaru will take his place in the eight-man tag match.
The full card for Dominion has yet to be revealed.
Suzuki lost to Nagata in the first round of the New Japan Cup.
The New Japan Cup finals and Dominion are both taking place at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. They’ll be the first NJPW events with fans in attendance since the promotion resumed running events last month, though the arena will be limited to one-third capacity each night.
Kazuchika Okada is the winner of this year’s New Japan Cup.
The finals ended up being an evenly paced match, with both men putting everything out there. After multiple finisher attempts, including the TKO and the dead skull, SANADA still couldn’t find a way to victory once Kazuchika Okada hit the rainmaker. This is his second time winning the tournament, his first back in 2013.
After the match Okada called out Jay White, who he will face for the IWGP Heavyweight title. Gedo told him that he was going to hell, and this crowd was going to hell too. Jay White said he will enter Madison Square Garden the IWGP Heavyweight champion then leave the IWGP Heavyweight champion. Okada said he couldn’t understand what he was saying, because he is not at his level. Streamers then hit as he exited the ring, shaking Katsuyori Shibata’s hand to close out the show.
The next IWGP Heavyweight title match will take place on April 6 at the G1 Supercard event, which will be held inside Madison Square Garden.
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
A title match has been added to the final night of this year’s New Japan Cup.
NJPW has announced that Juice Robinson will defend his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Chase Owens at the New Japan Cup finals. The show is taking place in Niigata on Sunday (March 24).
Owens eliminated Robinson from the New Japan Cup in the first round. NJPW has been building to their US title match since then, with Owens laying out Robinson after tag matches.
YOSHI-HASHI defeated Owens in a second round tournament match.
Robinson is a two-time IWGP US Champion. After dropping the title to Cody Rhodes in September 2018, Robinson won it back at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January.
The quarterfinals of the New Japan Cup will take place this Wednesday and Thursday. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay and Tomohiro Ishii vs. YOSHI-HASHI are Wednesday’s tournament matches, while Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA vs. Colt Cabana are set for Thursday.
The semifinals will then be held this Saturday. The winner of the tournament will challenge for Jay White’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6.
