Tag: new japan cup results

New Japan Cup 2026 finals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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.

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.

New Japan Cup night one live results: Matches canceled due to ring issue

Posted on by Corey Michaels

The 2025 New Japan Cup kicks off today with two opening round matches in the single-elimination tournament.

In the main event, EVIL will face Yota Tsuji in a Bullet Club House of Torture vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon battle. The winner will advance to a matchup against David Finlay on the March 11 event.

Yuya Uemura faces SANADA in the semi-main in the night’s only other tournament bout. The winner will move on to face YOSHI-HASHI in the second round on March 11.

Finlay, YOSHI-HASHI, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, Shingo Takagi, TJP, Jeff Cobb, and Shota Umino were all awarded first round byes in this year’s 24-man tournament.

The eventual New Japan Cup winner will challenge the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion at Sakura Genesis on April 5 in the main event of that show. Hirooki Goto currently holds the IWGP World title, but must defend it on March 15 against Yuji Nagata.

Five tag team matches fill out today’s undercard. The show streams live from Korakuen Hall beginning at 4:30 AM Eastern time.

**********

Special Announcement from President Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi addressed the Korakuen Hall tonight in full entrance gear. Thanking the crowd for their time, Tanahashi announced that the matches for the New Japan Cup as advertised were cancelled. Due to a broken ring post, the matches tonight couldn’t proceed as planned, for wrestler and crew safety. Members of the roster entered the ring to greet the crowd.

TAKA Michinoku and Yuya Uemura appear

Michinoku briefly addressed the crowd before leaving them with Uemura. Decked out in full gear and unsure what else to do, Uemura smiled and waved as he greeted the Tokyo crowd and left.

Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa appear

Jackson jokingly professed he broke the ring with his weight. Oiwa agreed, to which Jackson raised his can of beer. Thanking the audience for their time, the TMDK members removed their shirts and left; Hartley built up to his disrobing.

Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young appear

Khan thanked the crowd for their time, but shifted blame from Jackson to himself, due to his great love and spirit for the NJPW ring. Akira broke up Khan’s speech, declaring that the United Empire should do their “official” pose, essentially being the Ginyu Force team pose from the anime, “Dragon Ball Z.” They repeated this pose to several angles for the crowd. Cobb concluded this by slamming Young to the mat and helping him back up. Akira politely held the imaginary ropes open for his teammates so they could exit the ring.

The crowd got their money’s worth with the Dragon Ball Z reference. And now I want any and every subsequent speech tonight to have someone taking the blame way from someone else and onto themselves for the ring post’s current status.

Los Ingobernables de Japon appear

LIJ emerged, with Hiromu Takahashi and Yota Tsuji still adorned in full gear. BUSHI invasively inspected the broken ring post, tapped it lovingly, and took a photo of it. Thanking the crowd, the team said no more. Naito and BUSHI did their signature poses, while Takahashi and Tsuji held aloft their IWGP Tag Team Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship respectively.

BULLET CLUB War Dogs appear

Gedo boasted the War Dogs’s dominance and told the Korakuen Hall audience to hurry up and take their photos and leave. That was it.

Hiroshi Tanahashi reappeared

Main event Tanahashi addressed the crowd once more. With 40 minutes left to broadcast, The Ace took the time to call out Toru Yano. Yano excitedly entered the ring. He was then followed in succession by Hirooki Goto, El Desperado, El Phantasmo, and Jado.

Phantasmo asked if Desperado wanted to kiss, to which the latter became extremely bashful. Tanahashi then ordered them to kiss, further adding shyness to the grinning Desperado. They obliged, and Phantasmo proceeded to kiss Tanahashi and earned a peck on the cheek by Goto. Yano had sneakily fled to the audience, so Phantasmo searched him out and they kissed within the Korakuen Hall crowd.

Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Tiger Mask appear

The tone changed when Nagata addressed his ucoming match with Goto on the 15th. Tenzan, Kojima, and Tiger Mask then lightened the mood with their brief speeches.

Sit-down with Nagata, Tanahashi, and Goto

An audience member asked how Goto’s children reacted to his title win. He responded that they fell asleep at the television by the time of Goto’s match.

Nagata told stories of previous IWGP World Heavyweight Championship matches.

Goto mentioned that their upcoming match is a full-circle moment for him, as he used to carry Nagata’s bags as a younger wrestler.

Honestly, this was a relaxing two hours of non-wrestling fun with the NJPW roster. This may go on record as one of the most wholesome nights of the company. Seeing everyone peel back and have a good time was refreshing. I like how some wrestlers remained in full gear, either planned or unplanned. The crowd getting to see them in wrestling form without actually wrestling was undoubtedly a treat considering the unexpected circumstances. Send them home happy.

New Japan Cup 2024 night 11 live results: Semifinals

Posted on by Chick Fritts

New Japan Cup 2024’s semifinals take place today in Fukushima. 

One one side of the bracket, SANADA of Just Five Guys will face Hirooki Goto of CHAOS in a battle of former tournament winners. 

SANADA won the New Japan Cup 2023, defeating David Finlay in the finals. Goto remains the only three-time New Japan Cup winner, but his last victory came in 2012, and he has not made the finals since 2016. 

On the other side of the bracket, Yota Tsuji of Los Ingobernables de Japon will battle EVIL from Bullet Club’s House of Torture. 

EVIL won the tournament in 2020, defeating Kazuchika Okada in the finals and going on to defeat Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Dominion that year. 

The winners of today’s tournament matches will meet in the finals on Wednesday, with the overall tournament winner advancing to face Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on April 6. 

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Oleg Boltin & Shoma Kato

This match was fantastic. 

Zack brought so much out of the Young Lions; both looked great. Of course, Oleg led his team with multiple power-based sequences but also tried his hand at grappling. Kato was firey, adding to the energy of the match. Ultimately, ZSJ forced Kato to submit to win the match for TMDK.

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated El Desperado, Togi Makabe & Tomohiro Ishii

This was an uninspiring six-man.

This was filled with what you would expect: a handful of middling back-and-forths, an Ishii/Taichi striking battle, and Makabe taking the loss. The match ended after Uemura forced Makabe to tap out with an armbar.

After the match, Ishii and Taichi traded more strikes.

Ryusuke Taguchi & Tanga Loa defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan)

Bad. This was bad.

The only person who seemed like he wanted to be there was Newman. Unfortunately, this meant he was on the receiving end of some ugly-looking offense. Thankfully, this match eventually came to an end. Loa won the match for his team by forcing Newman to submit with a crossface.

After the match, Taguchi put his butt on Newman’s face. Loa then challenged O-Khan for the KOPW belt.

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan

This was a by-the-book BULLET CLUB match.

After prolonged isolation from the BULLET CLUB trio, they distracted the referee. KENTA hit Tenzan with the tag belt and pinned him to win the match.

After securing the win, BULLET CLUB continued to beat down their opponents. 

Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo), Shota Umino & YOH defeated House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

Before the match began, HoT attacked Hikuleo, setting the pace for the rest of the match. There was a lot of shenanigans, as you would expect. After Umino cleared the ring of Perry, he forced Yujiro to submit with a crossface.

After the match, YOH stole the junior title ahead of their match on the 20th. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb & TJP)

They’re really pushing the idea that TJP is stepping up to lead UE without him actually winning anything. Other than that, this was a totally average showcase tag.

This match featured heavy interactions from the pairings you would expect. Hiromu and Akira were the main focus heading into the final stretch. With the end in sight, Akira set up for his finish, but Hiromu reversed into the Hiromu roll to win the match.

New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated EVIL

This match was really bad. It was nothing short of frustrating from the first opening bell to the close. That said, Tsuji winning in the end did feel great (mostly because it marks the end of HoT in the cup, but hey, a win is a win).

Before the match began, Tsuji attacked HoT on the outside. This occupied Tsuji long enough for EVIL to take advantage, whipping Tsuji into the barricade. From here, HoT rushed the ring, leading to a beatdown on Tsuji. LIJ ran to the ring to make the save, but the sheer numbers from HoT proved to be too much.

The referee couldn’t gain order so he called for the bell. The match was ruled a no-contest.

An irate Tsuji grabbed the microphone and asked for a restart. In order for the match to restart, HoT and LIJ had to return to the back, which they did.

The match kicked off for the second time with an impassioned Tsuji rushed EVIL. EVIL retreated to the outside, where he lay in wait. When Tsuji met him on the floor, EVIL slammed him into the barricade and removed the cover from the turnbuckles.

Back inside the ring, EVIL pulled the hair of Tsuji, chopped his chest, and gouged his eyes. EVIL then worked Tsuji into the corner. Tsuji responded with a sudden curb stomp, resting the match. Before Tsuji could gain a footing, EVIL slammed him into the exposed corner and landed a fisherman suplex to re-cement his lead. EVIL followed up with Darkness Falls for a nearfall.

Tsuji reset the match again by driving EVIL into the exposed corner. A sit-out bomb from Tsuji scored him a nearfall. As soon as Tsuji was in a winning position, EVIL bumped the referee. HoT rushed the ring again, leading to a full-fledged beatdown. LIJ tried to make the save, but again, they were outnumbered.

Once a new referee entered the ring, EVIL floored Tsuji with a lariat. EVIL tried for Everything is Evil, but Tsuji flipped out and landed a headbutt and powerbomb in response. EVIL bumped the referee again and hit a low blow. Before Narita could hit Tsuji with his pushup bar, Shingo Takagi hit the ring and cleared HoT. BUSHI misted EVIL, and Shingo hit him with a pumping bomber to even the odds. This left Tsuji free to hit Gene Blast and win the match.

Tsuji, in his first New Japan Cup post-excursion, is in the finals. 

New Japan Cup: Hirooki Goto defeated SANADA

This match opened with a slow feeling-out before working its way to the floor. On the outside, SANADA dropped Goto with a piledriver. Back inside, SANADA maintained his lead with basic offense.

Goto eventually dropped SANADA with a lariat to gain some footing. He then utilized more strikes to further his lead. SANADA didn’t let Goto’s lead develop, however. He landed a dropkick to send Goto to the floor followed by a plancha, regaining a strong lead.

SANADA attempted Skull End, but Goto escaped. This led to a short scramble, but SANADA landed TKO to stay on top. SANADA tried for the rounding body press but missed, leaving Goto free to land a ushigoroshi, resetting the match.

After a striking battle, SANADA hit a shining wizard. He then secured Skull End in the middle of the ring. Once Goto was freed, he dropped SANADA with a headbutt. When he tried for GTW, SANADA reversed and attempted multiple quick pins.

Goto kicked from SANADA’s cheap attempts at pinning Goto. SANADA followed up with a shining wizard, but Goto was quick to respond with GTR and GTW to win the match.

The match is set. On Wednesday, in his seventh finals, Hirooki Goto will face Yota Tsuji for the New Japan Cup.

New Japan Cup 2024 night 10 live results: Shingo vs. EVIL

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The semifinals for the New Japan Cup 2024 will be set following today’s last quarterfinals bouts in Shizuoka. 

Both tournament matches tonight feature a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. a member of Bullet Club’s House of Torture.

Former LIJ’s Shingo Takagi & HoT’s EVIL will meet in the main event quarterfinals matchup with a spot in Monday’s semifinals on the line. 

In tonight’s other quarterfinals match in the semi-main, LIJ’s Yota Tsuji faces HoT’s Ren Narita. 

The winners of today’s tournament matches will meet on Monday’s show in the semifinals. Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA is already set for the other semifinals bout on Monday’s show. 

Six tag team matches round out today’s undercard, including an LIJ vs. Just Five Guys trios match featuring Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura. 

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 2 a.m. Eastern time.

Katsuya Murashima & Oleg Boltin defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Shoma Kato

This match featured heavy back and forth from the Young Lions. Taguchi wore his own Young Lion attire, matching the energy from the others. Oleg won the match for his team with a big drop to Kato.

Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Tanga Loa) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP)

This was an absolutely nothing match. After minutes of struggle, Loa won the match for GoD.

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)

This was a solid showcase between these teams. The isolation work and breakdown sequences were a blast. The match ended with a ZSJ arm bar on Newman that forced the submission.

El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH defeated House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

This was a total HoT match. There was a chicanery involving the Junior belt. Umino was able to overcome the hijinks to win the match.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd, Gedo, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori)

This was a standard Bullet Club match built around isolation and the hot tag. Ishii and Kidd continue to be the best part of these showcase tags. Once Ishii and Kidd stopped brawling, YH won the match for his team.

Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)

This match featured heavy interaction between SANADA and Naito early. An extended match breakdown followed with a back-and-forth between teams. The scramble ended with Uemura securing a quick pin on BUSHI.

New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated Ren Narita

Narita opened the match by rushing Tsuji. He tried taking advantage on the floor, but Tsuji reversed, whipping Narita into the barricade. This forced Narita to the ring to recover.

After a pause, Narita went back outside and reversed momentum by driving Tsuji into the fencing. Narita then slammed Tsuji into the Shizuoka wall before throwing him into a sea of chairs. Narita followed up by attacking Tsuji with the floor seats. Back in the ring, Narita continued this advance. Tsuji eventually knocked Narita to the floor, but Narita cut off his dive with a chair shot.

Tsuji eventually launched into a rally. After scoring a couple of two counts from big moves, Tsuji set up for Gene Blast. Narita reversed and attempted Double Cross. Tsuji blocked Double Cross with a handstand and went for Gene Blast again. This time, Narita pulled the referee into Tsuji’s path.

After the ref bump, HoT hit the ring in full. Thankfully, LIJ was right behind and cleared the ring. Narita tried to take advantage of the distraction by hitting Tsuji with his pushup bar but he missed. Narita didn’t waste any time, though; he hit a low blow to follow up. Before Narita could capitalize, however, Tsuji transitioned into the pin and won the match.

Tsjui has defeated Narita for the first time in his career to advance to the semi-finals.

After the match, HoT beat down Tsuji. EVIL joined the beatdown, prompting Shingo Takagi to join the conflict ahead of the main event.

New Japan Cup: EVIL defeated Shingo Takagi

The brawl that marked the end of the last match kicked off this one. Shingo started hot, but EVIL was able to reverse momentum by utilizing his environment. Inside the ring, EVIL choked Shingo with a shirt, taking advantage of a distracted referee.

Shingo eventually launched a rally, but a kick from EVIL sent him to the mat. This led to HoT filling the floor with chairs. EVIL tried suplexing Shingo into the hardware, but Shingo reversed, giving EVIL a taste of his own medicine. Shingo then hit a suplex in the ring to further his newfound lead.

A sliding lariat from Shingo scored him a nearfall. EVIL needed separation, so he pretended to be injured. This distracted the referee, leading to a ref bump and HoT rushing the ring. HoT beat down Shingo, leaving EVIL in strong position.

Shingo dug deep to challenge EVIL’s lead, hitting a lariat to reset the match. After knocking EVIL to the floor, Shingo hit Made in Japan. During the count, HoT rang the bell before the referee could finish his count, triggering another distraction.

EVIL shoved Shingo into the referee again, leading to a full breakdown between LIJ and HoT. EVIL ate a face full of black mist, whiskey, and mystery powder before the referee woke back up. EVIL landed Everything is Evil and pinned Shingo to win the match.

EVIL advances to face Tsuji in the semi-finals.

New Japan Cup 2024 night eight live results: Sabre vs. Narita

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The final eight in the 2024 New Japan Cup field will be set following today’s event in Osaka. 

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita in the main event, plus Yota Tsuji vs. El Phantasmo in the semi-main event are today’s Cup matches, the final second round bouts of the tournament. 

The winners of today’s matches will square off in the quarterfinals on March 17. 

Today’s undercard will feature four tag team bouts, and the show kicks off with a pair of singles matches. 

The featured tag team bout is an eight-man with LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI facing UE’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira.

Mikey Nicholls of TMDK takes on Callum Newman of United Empire in one singles bout, while Young Lions Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima square off in the opener.

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

Time Limit Draw: Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima

Oh, how I’ve missed the Young Lion exhibitions. 

This was a straightforward, efficient, and fun ground war. The match ended with Kato locking in a Boston Crab, but Murashima held on to earn the time-limit draw.

Mikey Nicholls defeated Callum Newman

This was a decent little singles match.

There were a handful of competitive sequences and interesting offenses ahead of the finish. Ultimately, Nicholls won the match with a Master Blaster.

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), El Desperado & Oleg Boltin

This was a totally standard preview tag. It was fun; GBH had a lot of ring time. That said, it’s nothing worth going out of your way for.

The match ended with a back-and-forth between Honma and Uemura. Uemura was overwhelmed momentarily but eventually reversed momentum. He hit Honma with his deadbolt suplex and won the match.

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Ryusuke Taguchi 

This was almost your typical BULLET CLUB match, but the interactions between Kidd and Ishii elevated it above average. It’s not awful, but it’s not worth seeking out.

The match ended after a full-scale breakdown, which left Owens and Taguchi alone in the ring. Owens hit Taguchi with the package piledriver and won the match.

Guerrillas Of Destiny (Hikuleo, Jado & Tanga Loa), Shota Umino & YOH defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, Jack Perry, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

If you’ve seen one HoT match, you’ve seen them all. Shota’s goal was to pin Perry, but he couldn’t get the job done. Instead, after minutes of back and forth, YOH pinned Togo with a bridging pin. 

United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)

This match was fine, even if it felt like little more than a card filler.

Both teams exchanged control multiple times in this match. Only after multiple match breakdowns Cobb isolated BUSHI from his team. He landed on Tour of the Islands to win the match.

New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated El Phantasmo

This match kicked off with some common grappling. It turned into a strike-off, which ELP took full advantage of. ELP landed a rana and attempted a dive, but Tsuji cut him off with a kick.

Back in the ring, Tsuji slammed ELP into the corner. He then took ELP to the mat with a body scissor. Once ELP secured a rope break, Tsuji hit a scoop slam and a splash. ELP remained on the back foot until he caught him with a DDT.

Tsuji fled to the outside, but ELP was right behind him with another DDT. ELP then hit a senton and moonsault combination for a nearfall. ELP tried for Sudden Death, but Tsuji avoided the finish. Tsuji followed up with a tilt-a-whirl for a match reset.

Tsuji caught ELP with a boot, sending ELP back to the floor. Tsuji then positioned ELP on the mat, where the pair struggled for control. ELP tried for CR2, but Tsuji avoided it. Tsuji attempted his curb stomp on the apron, but ELP dodged it. ELP attempted a dive to the floor, but again, he missed. Tsuji was quick to respond with a curb stomp on the floor. ELP barely beat the count, only to eat another curb stomp as soon as he entered the ropes.

Instead of going for the finish, Tusji hoisted ELP to a standing position. He then slapped ELP, landed a corner splash, and lifted him to the top rope. From the top, Tsuji hit a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Tsuji set up for a Gene Blast, but ELP lept the attack and hit a Sudden Death superkick for a nearfall of his own.

A sequence of quick pins nearly ended the match. Tsuji took advantage of a momentary pause after the back-and-forth to kick ELP to the mat. Tsuji attempted another Gene Blast, but ELP intercepted Tsuji. ELP transitioned into CR2 for a convincing false finish.

Another strike exchange escalated into a sequence of heavy moves. Tsuji landed a knee strike and a curb stomp. With ELP laying in the corner, Tsuji lept to the top rope and delivered another curb stomp, resulting in a win.

Yota Tsuji is set for quarter final action.

New Japan Cup: Ren Narita defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

I would have been pumped if you told me this match was happening one year ago. This was far better than that match would have been. This was great. Both men looked focused and intense. Even the HoT interference wasn’t nearly as infuriating as it should be. Color me impressed.

Narita came to the ring holding his pushup bar, accompanied by Jack Perry, Dick Togo, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Mikey Nicholls made sure they were expelled to the back before the match began.

The match opened with a scramble for control. No one won out, but Narita was outclassed, so he fled to the floor. Once he returned, he tried catching ZSJ with strikes, but ZSJ fought back with some of his own. Narita held on long enough to throw ZSJ to the floor.

On the outside, Narita carried ZSJ into the floor seats. He tried throwing ZSJ into the wall, but ZSJ blocked him before locking in the cobra twist. Once the referee forced ZSJ to break his hold, ZSJ struck Narita, forcefully sending him back toward the ring.

Once the pair was ringside, Narita whipped ZSJ into the barricade, sending him crashing into English coms. Narita followed up with a sick sling blade-esq lariat into the fencing. Narita dropped ZSJ with a chair before punting him on the apron.

Back in the ring, Narita established control of the mat. He utilized holds, whips, and kicks, really putting ZSJ on the back foot. ZSJ eventually fired back, knocking Narita to the mat. ZSJ then employed his own holds, whips, and kicks to reset the match in his favor.

It took a quick slap and a clothesline from Narita to retake control. ZSJ answered by initiating a passionate strike battle, ending with a pair of big boots; during this exchange, Narita’s nose busted, resulting in a lot of blood. Narita won out, hitting a Narita special and a guillotine for nearfall.

ZSJ tried to regain his lead with two quick pin attempts. A stunning suplex followed, resulting in another nearfall. Once both men returned to their feet, ZSJ attempted the Zack Driver, but Narita slipped free, catching ZSJ in the octopus hold. ZSJ escaped; Narita followed up with a guillotine knee for another nearfall.

Narita tried for Double Cross, but ZSJ transitioned into a cross-arm breaker. A quick exchange of holds followed, but ZSJ maintained control. This signaled HoT to hit the ring. Nicholls was as fast to the ring as possible, but he couldn’t hold off HoT alone. The distraction left Narita free to drop ZSJ with the pushup bar and a double cross to win the match.

Narita advances to the quarter-finals.

New Japan Cup 2024 night seven live results: Shingo vs. Kidd

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today in Okayama with two second round matches.

In the main event, Shingo Takagi faces Gabe Kidd with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. 

In the night’s other tournament bout, EVIL will face Hikuleo for a place in the quarterfinals. 

The winners of today’s tournament matches will square off in the quarterfinals on March 17. 

The New Japan Cup field will be whittled down to 10 following today’s show, with the final 8 being set following Friday’s show. Yota Tsuji vs. El Phantasmo, and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita are Friday’s tournament matches. 

Six tag team matches will fill out today’s undercard, including an eight-man tag pitting Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Tanga Loa, El Phantasmo, Togi Makabe & El Desperado. 

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) defeated Tomoaki Honma & Toru Yano

This was a totally by-the-book opening tag. There was some goofiness from Yano, Honma, and O-Khan. O-Khan won the match for UE by submitting Honma with his abdominal/stretch claw combination.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP)

This match had some substance but isn’t something I’d recommend going out of your way to see. There were a handful of competitive sequences throughout this match before the finish. Ultimatly, the match ended once Bishamon hit Newman with Shoto, pulling off a CHAOS win.

House Of Torture (Jack Perry & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino

The was a less egregious HoT match than normal. Perry and Shota continued their rivalry here with some hate-filled interactions. Perry won the match for HoT with his “Glass Jaw” knee strike on Taguchi.

After the match, HoT beat down Shota. Perry then told Sanada he was “next.”

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gedo & KENTA)

This was a fairly uninteresting match. There was a lot of Bullet Club-led isolation and not-so-compelling offense from the babyfaces. DOUKI submitted Gedo with the DOUKI-chokie to leave with the win.

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)

This was the second HoT match that was less bad than expected. It seems they’re saving the worst for the EVIL/Hikuleo match. They still cheated, but there wasn’t endless interference. The match ended once TMDK thwarted the usual referee distraction spot, and ZSJ hit Yujiro with a penalty kick.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Tanga Loa), El Desperado & Togi Makabe

This match felt as if it was here just to fill time. It was supposed to set up ELP/Tsuji, but I think this made me even less interested in their cup match. After an extended time alone in the ring, Tsuji hit Makabe with Gene Blast and won the match for LIJ.

New Japan Cup: EVIL defeated Hikuleo

My expectations for this match were already very low. This managed to be worse than I thought it’d be.

EVIL opened the match by attacking Hikuleo’s injured knee. Hikuleo fought back, taking the fight to the floor, all while limping. He whipped EVIL into the barricade and chopped him around the ring.

Back inside, EVIL retook control by turning his attention back to the knee. He worked holds on the mat and targeted the injury with various strikes. EVIL then threw Hikuleo to the floor, allowing Dick Togo to attack the knee with a chair.

Inside the ropes, EVIL paused for a second, allowing Hikuleo to cut him off with a lariat. Hikuleo then cemented his control with a big boot and a suplex. This prompted a HoT run in and beatdown.

Hikuleo tried fighting off HoT on his own. He landed the TKO, prompting another distraction, ref bump, and beat down. This time, GoD ran in to make the save, clearing the ring of HoT. It wasn’t enough, however, as EVIL closed the match with Everything is Evil moments later.

New Japan Cup: Shingo Takagi defeated Gabe Kidd

I’ve seen more intense brawls from both men, but this was still a blast. While it’s not saying much at this point, this was one of the better Cup matches so far.

Before Takagi entered the ring, Kidd rushed him, leading to a fight on the outside. Kidd attacked him with a chair and forced him into the crowd. He taunted Shingo with a live microphone, inciting Shingo to fight back. Shingo whipped Kidd into the barricades himself, but Kidd kept up the fight, biting Shingo before throwing him in the ring.

When Kidd followed Shingo between the ropes, Shingo immediatly dropped him with a shoulder tackle. The bell then sounded, singling the main event had, in fact, begun. A rocked Kidd fled to the floor, but Shingo maintained his pressure.

Kidd was forced to drive Shingo into the barricade to buy a moment of separation. He then tore down the barricades, slammed the fencing into Shingo, and hit a piledriver on a pile of chairs. Kidd returned to the ring and demanded the referee begin his count. Shingo struggled but eventually found his way back in the ring.

As soon as Shingo beat the count, Kidd hit a back suplex. Kidd then tried his best for another countout, but this gave Shingo time to recover. Kidd tried to strike down Shingo but fought back, hitting a clothesline to buy a momentary break.

Kidd tried keeping Shingo on the backfoot with another suplex, but Shingo answered by initiating a strike exchange. Strikes turned to headbutts before turning back to strikes. Kidd dropped Shingo with a clothesline, but Kidd answered with one of his own. The pair continued going back and forth with heavier and heavier offense until Kidd spat in Shingo’s face. Shingo hit Kidd with a back suplex and Made in Japan for a nearfall.

Kidd fired back, hitting a lariat and a tombstone for a nearfall of his own. Once Shingo kicked out, another fierce back and forth. Shingo hit the pumping bomber and immediately followed up with Last of the Dragon to win the match.

New Japan Cup 2024 night six live results: Goto vs. Owens

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today in Ehime with two second round matches. 

In the main event, Hirooki Goto faces Chase Owens. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals round.

In the other tournament bout on the show, Tanga Loa will take on David Finlay for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The winners of today’s tournament bouts will square off in the quarterfinals round on March 16. SANADA will face Jack Perry in the quarterfinals on that show as well.

Today’s undercard will feature six tag team matches, including a Los Ingoernables de Japon vs. Bullet Club six-man. It will be LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Bullet Club’s KENTA, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori in that contest. 

Shingo & Kidd will square off on tomorrow’s show in the main event in a New Japan Cup tournament match. 

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 6 a.m. Eastern time.

Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Oleg Boltin, Tomoaki Honma, & Katsuya Murashima

This match opened as a test of Murashima. Once he tagged out, the now-typical Oleg rally played out. Murashima eventually tagged back in, challenged Ishii, and submitted to a Boston Crab.

TJP & Francesco Akira defeated El Desperado & Ryuske Taguchi

This was, in a lot of ways, a Taguchi-led match. His normal offense played out, and both Desperado and UE matched his energy. UE eventually overcame the silliness, with TJP hitting a knee and pinning Taguchi. 

Yuya Uemura, Taichi, & SANADA (Just 5 Guys) defeated Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb (United Empire)

This was a totally by-the-book outing for these teams. Everyone had a chance to get in their signature offense. The match eventually broke down, ending with Uemura hitting Newman with the deadbolt suplex to win the match.

Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls (TMDK) defeated BUSHI & Yota Tsuji (Los Ingobernables de Japon)

This was a fun match, especially compared to what was earlier on the card. 

Tsuji matched the styles of both of his opponents before tagging out to BUSHI. BUSHI led an energetic sequence into a match breakdown. ZSJ emerged from the chaos with control, which he used to submit BUSHI.

After the match, ZSJ and Tsuji had a quick scuffle.

House Of Torture (EVIL, Jack Perry, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo), Shota Umino, Togi Makabe & YOH

This was an even more over-the-top HoT match than normal. After a runtime full of cheating, Kanemaru spat whiskey in Makabe’s face. EVIL then hit Everything is Evil, winning the match.

After the match, HoT continued to attack Hikuleo. The babyfaces ran them off, ending with a chokeslam to EVIL.

BULLET CLUB (Gabe Kidd, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)

This was a decent little preview for Shingo/Kidd while it lasted. Kidd’s reckless energy significantly increased my enjoyment of this match.

Hiromu and Ishimori also interacted extensively, teasing a more formal encounter. Ishimori won the match by hitting Hiromu with a low blow and trapping him in a quick pin.

New Japan Cup: David Finlay defeated Tanga Loa

This certainly was a match that happened—not a good match, but a match. Finlay didn’t look horrible, but he never looked good. Loa was horrible, on the other hand.

Loa jumped Finlay at the curtain before the match began. The brawl worked its way into the crowd, with Loa throwing Finlay into barricades and chairs. Once the match worked its way to the ring, Loa maintained the lead he established.

Finlay gained control by taking the match back to the floor. He returned the favor, driving Loa into the barricade and throwing him into the empty floor seats. Between the ropes, Finlay continued picking apart Loa.

When Loa regained the lead, he pushed Finlay back outside and slammed him back into the barricades. He dropped Finlay on the apron before taking the action back inside. During Loa’s follow-up, he fumbled a 619, went for it again, and still hit it in the most awkward way possible. Loa eventually hit a powerbomb for a nearfall.

A relatively high-impact back-and-forth followed. Finlay hit a headbutt and a powerbomb for a near fall. After the kickout, Finlay hit his new finish, “Overkill,” and pinned Loa to end this dreadful match.

Finlay advances to the quarter-finals. 

New Japan Cup: Hirooki Goto defeated Chase Owens

These first two rounds have been pretty bad, and this was another match worth avoiding.

Goto immediately took control, forcing Owens into the corner, and leveling him with heavy offense. In order to challenge Goto, Owens took the fight to the floor, using his environment to establish a lead. Back in the ring, Owens maintained his lead by working Goto on the mat.

Goto eventually hit Owens with a lariat to reset the match. Owens fought back, forcing Goto to hit him with more lariats. Owens answered him with a lariat of his own, knocking Goto to the mat.

Owens tried for C-trigger but missed. Goto followed up with ushigoroshi before initiating a strike exchange. Goto won out and locked Owens in a choke. Goto followed up with a GTW for a nearfall.

Owens tried for a rollup, but Goto kicked out. A short scramble followed, sending Goto to the floor. On the outside, Owens hit a swinging neckbreaker. Owens then removed the protective mat on the floor, exposing the concrete. Owens tried for a piledriver, but Goto reversed into a backdrop. Owens kept up the attack, brutalizing Goto’s arm. Back in the ring, Owens hit a C-trigger and a green killer for a pair of nearfalls.

Owens tried for something off the top, but Goto pulled him off, sending him crashing to the floor. Goto followed up with GTR for a nearfall. Goto then tried for Shoto, but Owens attacked the eyes.

Owens hit an enziguri and a C-trigger to put Goto back on the backfoot. He then landed another C-trigger into the ropes before attempting his piledriver. Goto slipped free and dropped Owens with a pair of headbutts. Goto then hit GTR and pinned Owens to win the match.

This match advances Goto to the quarters to face David Finlay. It also sets up a Bishamon tag title match down the line.

New Japan Cup 2024 night five live results: SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The second round of the New Japan Cup begins today in Ehime. 

SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI is the headline tournament match, with the winner advancing to the final eight and the quarterfinals round. 

SANADA was one of four wrestlers to receive a first round bye in this year’s New Japan Cup, so Monday’s contest will be his first match of the tournament. YOSHI-HASHI defeated KENTA in an opening round contest back on March 6 to advance. 

Jack Perry faces Toru Yano in today’s other New Japan Cup tournament bout.

Perry defeated Shota Umino in his NJPW in-ring debut on the March 6 show to advance to the second round, while Yano beat Yujiro Takahashi by countout on the 6th to advance. 

The winners of today’s tournament matches will meet on March 16 in the quarterfinals at Dolphin’s Arena in Aichi.

Our coverage of today’s show begins at 6 am. Eastern time. 

Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls (TMDK) defeated Shoma Kato & Boltin Oleg

For a while now, Oleg has been presented as a step above his fellow Young Lions (deservingly), and this was no exception.

At the beginning of the match, TMDK picked Kato apart, basically without challenge. Oleg tagged in, completely reversing the momentum for the Young Lion pair. Eventually, the veterans proved too much, forcing a tag back to Kato. ZSJ and Nicholls were able to close the match quickly following the tag.

Yuya Uemura, Taichi, & DOUKI (Just 5 Guys) defeated El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii, & Tomoaki Honma

This match for the first-round losers and people who weren’t even in the cup was little more than a meaningless card-filler.

DOUKI was the star of this match, initiating most of the interesting sequences. After going to battle with Ishii, DOUKI tagged out to Uemura, while Ishii tagged out to Honma. After a back-and-forth, that was far more competitive than it needed to be, Uemura hit a crossbody and forced Honma to tap with an armbar.

After the match, Ishii and DOUKI continued to trade strikes, perhaps setting up something down the road.

Chase Owens & KENTA (BULLET CLUB) defeated Hirooki Goto & Togi Makabe

This was a kind of preview for a Bishamon/BULLET CLUB title match. Oh boy.

Owens and KENTA opened the match by isolating Goto. Goto and Makabe fired back with a fight on the floor, but BC held on to control.

After an extended period of isolation, Goto tagged out to Makabe. This led to the most competitive sequence between the teams. KENTA won out and pinned Makabe to win the match.

After the match, the BULLET CLUB pair attacked Goto.

Shota Umino, Tanga Loa, & Jado defeated David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, & Gedo (BULLET CLUB War Dogs)

The War Dogs opened this match with a brawl. They gained full control of the match, which they maintained for most of this match’s runtime. The Babyfaces eventually launched a rally with a legal Umino and Gedo. Umino hit Gedo with Death Rider and won the match.

EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & Ren Narita (BULLET CLUB House of Torture) defeated Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, YOH, Ryusuke Taguchi

HoT started the match by brawling with the babyfaces. The babyfaces won the initial scuffle, which they used to establish control over Yujiro. The babyfaces continued to find success for quite some time but eventually were overwhelmed by the usual HoT tactics. Eventually, SHO hit Taguchi with his pushup bar and the double cross to win the match.

After the match, HoT beat down Hikuleo with a pile of chairs.

Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, TJP, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan (United Empire) defeated BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & Yota Tsuji (Los Ingobernables de Japon)

This match opened with a few back-and-forths between individuals. Once the match broke down, UE emerged with control. This lasted until the second match breakdown, where LIJ came out ahead.

Takagi was in charge of maintaining control for LIJ. Once BUSHI tagged in, the match lost structure again, ending with O-Khan locking BUSHI in his abdominal stretch/iron claw submission to win the match.

New Japan Cup: Jack Perry defeated Toru Yano

This was a Yano match and a HoT match, complete with all the fixings (meaning it was bad).

Yano removed the corner pad immediately after following the opening bell. This backfired, allowing Perry to take the lead. Perry picked apart Yano, taking complete control with basic holds and moves.

When Yano looked to be gaining a lead, Perry resorted to underhanded tactics to maintain his lead. Eventually, Yano landed a suplex, which started a small rally. Yano threw Perry into the exposed corner multiple times, hit a couple of moves, and tried for a couple of quick pins to no avail.

HoT then ran to the ring and beat down Yano. Yano tried to hold off HoT but was pinned after Perry hit a knee. 

New Japan Cup: SANADA defeated YOSHI-HASHI

This was another forgettable main event. It was horribly uninteresting for 90% of it’s runtime but transitioning into a passable, but still formulaic, closing sequence.

The match opened with a YH taking SANADA to the mat, working the arm. SANADA fired back, taking control by also working holds on the mat. This back-and-forth continued to play out for some time.

Eventually, SANADA hit a dive to the floor. SANADA then took the fight back to the ring but failed to follow up, leading to another back-and-forth, this time with more substantial moves. YH actually won out, hitting a powerbomb before returning to holds.

SANADA ended YH’s control with a cutter from the fireman’s carry. He then tried for the skull end multiple times, but YH continuously escaped. SANADA eventually locked in the hold, which he maintained for an extended period of time. When SANADA attempted his follow-up moonsault, YH extended the knees, resetting the match.

After the reset, SANADA and YH traded strikes. SANADA hit a spinning neckbreaker to end YH’s attempt at a rally. He followed up with a pair of shining wizards and a rounding body press for a nearfall.

After kicking out, YH hit SANADA with a suplex and a lariat for another match reset. Another strike exchange followed. SANADA tried for a shinningwizard again but missed. YH hit a Meteora, which he followed with a sequence of bombs. Looking to close, YH tried for a suplex, but SANADA reversed. SANADA then hit deadfall and won the match.

SANADA advances to round three of the New Japan Cup to face Jack Perry—a Forbidden Door rematch.

New Japan Cup 2024 night three live results: Shingo vs. Uemura

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today in Yamanashi with three opening round matches. 

Shingo Takagi faces Yuya Uemura in the headline bout on today’s show. 

The battle between Bullet Club War Dogs & United Empire continues in the semi-main position with Bullet Club’s Gabe Kidd taking on United Empire’s Callum Newman. 

The winners of today’s main event and semi-main will square off in a second round match on March 13. 

In today’s other first round matchup, Hikuelo faces Boltin Oleg. The Hikuleo/Oleg winner will advance to a second round match against EVIL on March 13. EVIL is one of four wrestlers who received byes into round two. 

Five tag team matches round out today’s undercard, including a Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire matchup with LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI facing UE’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira.

The show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gedo & KENTA)

This was the same BULLET CLUB vs. CHAOS match we’ve seen 1,000 times with a slightly different coat of paint.

BC utilized environmental offense and cheating whenever possible. After minutes of BC torturing Taguchi’s rear, Ishii tagged in, leading to a CHAOS rally. The rest of CHAOS maintained this momentum long enough for Bishamon to hit Shoto, winning the match.

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated El Phantasmo & Tomoaki Honma

This was also a reasonably by-the-book match.

ELP held his own against TMDK before tagging out to Honma. TMDK established and maintained a lead against Honma early. A hot tag to ELP led to an extended comeback, but in the end, TMDK held on. Nicholls hit Honma with the Mikey Bomb to win the match.

El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH defeated House of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Jack Perry)

Jack Perry filled in for SHO again tonight.

The match opened with a HoT brawl. As the match calmed down, Perry and Umino squared off. Once Perry established a lead, he passed the momentum to his partners, who used typical HoT tactics to stay ahead. This continued as the rest of the babyfaces entered the fray. Eventually, YOH was able to gain some footing before hitting Togo with direct drive, winning the match.

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA & Taichi) defeated House of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) 

More HoT stuff here. Nothing special.

After minutes of isolation segments and a bit of cheating, SANADA hit the ring. Once he established the lead, HoT rushed him to put him back on the defense. SANADA avoided a face full of whiskey just as Taichi and DOUKI started providing backup. With the ring cleared, SANADA hit Yujiro with a shining wizard and locked in Skull End to secure the win.

United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) 

This was a fairly basic match, here to tease the upcoming Cobb vs. Tsuji match.

UE established a lead early, working to isolate Naito. Once he tagged out, Cobb and Tsuji traded heavy strikes. The match calmed down as BUSHI entered, but a full-scale match breakdown followed moments later. The ring eventually cleared out, leaving Cobb free to hit BUSHI with Tour of the Islands, winning the match.

New Japan Cup: Hikuleo defeated Oleg Boltin

I love Oleg, but this could have been better. It was the biggest match of Oleg’s career thus far, and he performed well, but some pacing issues held it back.

Before the match, an amateur Kazakhstani wrestler in a Japanese exchange student program gifted Oleg with a bouquet.

Oleg’s first-ever New Japan Cup match opened with a test of power. Both men fought for control, utilizing holds and throwing themselves at each other. Oleg overwhelmed Hikuleo early, forcing him into the corner to recover.

Once Hikuleo worked his way to the center of the ring, he knocked Oleg to the mat. A big body slam scored Hikuleo a two-count. A second slam and an elbow drop yielded another. Hikuleo then worked a hold on the mat, forcing Oleg into the ropes.

Once both men were standing, they began trading chops to the chest. Oleg forced Hikuleo into the corner and hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a quick nearfall. Oleg then locked in the Boston crab. A massive standing suplex followed by a German scored a convincing nearfall.

Hikuleo caught Oleg on a rebound with a scoop slam. He then hit Oleg with a chokeslam, winning the match and advancing to the second round.

New Japan Cup: Gabe Kidd defeated Callum Newman

This match was great. It was a total burst of energy filled with fun offense. Easily the best match of the tournament as of now.

As soon as the opening bell rang, Newman tried stealing a win with a quick pin. A lightning-fast back-and-forth followed that soon spilled to the floor. On the outside, Newman slammed Kidd into the barricade before attempting a dive. On the descent, Kidd hit Newman with a forearm before throwing him into the railing and a sea of chairs.

Back in the ring, Kidd taunted Newman, prompting a barrage of strikes. Kidd responded by sitting Newman on the top rope and pushing him to the floor. With Kidd holding onto control, the taunting continued.

Newman caught Kidd with a suplex followed by a tope to reverse momentum. Newman then used some stiff kicks to further his lead, but Kidd answered with a dropkick and a suplex. During Kidd’s follow-up, Newman landed a few strikes and a Spanish fly, stopping Kidd in his tracks.

Newman missed a dive from the top, and Kidd spit on his face. Newman responded by attempting a slew of moves, eventually scoring a nearfall. Newman attempted another dive but missed. Kidd knocked him down with a lariat, a brainbuster, and a piledriver to win the match.

After the match, Kidd promised to kill his second round opponent.

New Japan Cup: Shingo Takagi defeated Yuya Uemura

This was a very disappointing match. It bored me to tears for nearly all of its runtime. The only thing positive I have to say about it is that, hopefully, I won’t remember it this time next year.

The match opened with some basic wrestling. Uemura gained control of the arm, taking the action to the mat. Shingo answered Uemura with a lariat before taking the match to the outside. On the floor, Shingo whipped Uemura into the barricades, establishing a strong lead.

Back in the ring, Shingo worked Uemura on the mat. Uemura fired back by turning his attention back to the arm. They eventually worked their way into the corner, where Shingo delivered a superplex.

Shingo tried to get Made in Japan, but Uemura cut him off with a strike; a back-and-forth exchange followed. Uemura won out, hitting two suplexes for a nearfall. Uemura then hit a dropkick and a slam for another.

Shingo fired back by hitting a pumping bomber and Made in Japan, but Uemura kicked out. To answer, Uemura caught Shingo with an awkward rana, which he transitioned into an armbar, forcing Shingo into the ropes. Uemura then dropped Shingo with a headbutt before trying for a deadbolt suplex, but Shingo avoided it.

Uemura hit the ropes, but Shingo caught him with a powerbomb. Shingo then landed a pumping bomber, but Uemura kicked out. Finally, Shingo landed Last of the Dragon to win the match.

Shingo advances to the next round.

New Japan Cup 2024 night two live results: Finlay vs. TJP

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The 2024 New Japan Cup continues today at Korakuen Hall with three opening round matches. 

In the main event, David Finlay of Bullet Club War Dogs face TJP of United Empire in a New Japan Cup first round match. 

A first round battle between GoD’s Tanga Loa & United Empire’s Great-O-Khan is in today’s semi-main event position. 

The winners of today’s main event and semi-main will square off in a second round match on March 12.

In today’s other first round matchup, Tomohiro Ishii of CHAOS faces Bullet Club’s Chase Owens. The Ishii/Owens winner will advance to a second round match against Hirooki Goto on March 12. Goto is one of four wrestlers who received byes into round two. 

Five tag team matches fill out today’s undercard, including a Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Just Five Guys matchup with Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI representing LIJ against JFG’s SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku.

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & Oleg Boltin defeated Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado)

Oleg and Hikuleo opened the match with a tease for their upcoming cup match. Oleg held his own before tagging out. Bishamon continued to control the pace after tagging in. To end the match, Goto hit Jado with Shoto.

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Togi Makabe & Toru Yano

Makabe opened the match by checking ZSJ. After a double tag, Nicholls gained control over Yano. Once ZSJ tagged in, he continued building on Nicholls’s success. Once Yano escaped, Makabe tagged in to square off against Nicholls. Nicholls went back and forth with Makabe before landing his sliding lariat to win the match for TMDK.

United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb) defeated BULLET CLUB (Gabe Kidd, Taiji Ishimori & KENTA)

Kidd and Akira opened the match with an electric sequence. Kidd was forced to tag out, but UE maintained their speed against KENTA. BC slowed the match down by attacking UE on the floor. To follow up, BC forced Akira into the corner to slowly pick him apart.

Cobb tagged in but also found himself on the receiving end of BC isolation; a match breakdown followed. After a scramble between teams, Cobb hit Ishimori with Tour of the Islands to win the match.

After the match, the teams continued to brawl with Kidd leading the conflict.

House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Jack Perry & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma & YOH

The worst faction of all time had another bad match; imagine that.

SHO came to the ring with a sling, a neck brace, and a crutch. He then announced he wouldn’t be wrestling tonight due to his physical and emotional from last night. EVIL then announced Jack Perry would be taking his place.

Before the match could begin, Umino rushed to the ring by himself, but HoT beat him down. His partners had to run out from the curtain to back him up. From here on, HoT continued to cheat to maintain their lead.

Eventually, Umino launched a rally, turning things around for the babyfaces. Honma continued what Umino had started until a distracted referee left Narita free to hit him with his pushup bar and the double cross to win the match.

The HoT beatdown continued after the match.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

This match opened with a bit of a mix-up between teams—Taichi squared off with Naito, Hiromu with DOUKI, and SANADA with Shingo. Eventually, Uemura tagged in, taking control for J5G.

Shingo challenged Uemura, leading to a match breakdown. TAKA out wrestled BUSHI, forcing a tag to Tsuji. With the rest of LIJ, Tsuji took control, leading to another match breakdown. Tsuji hit TAKA with Gene Blast to win the match.

New Japan Cup: Chase Owens defeated Tomohiro Ishii

I didn’t love this, but it was a very ambitious match. If you were expecting a Owens match, you’d be delighted to know this is much more in line with what Ishii typically delivers.

Ishii opened the match by dropping Owens with a forearm, carrying him to the floor, and slamming him into the barricade. Owens fought back on the floor, overwhelming Ishii with BC tactics to nearly steal a count-out win. Back in the ring, Owens continued implementing dirty tactics to maintain a lead.

Ishii eventually fired back, hitting Owens with much of his signature offense. Owens held on, responding with a substantial offense of his own. Ishii answered Owens by hitting a suplex and a lariat, resetting the match.

Ishii landed a huge superplex for a nearfall. A giant powerbomb scored Ishii another. Ownes tried fighting back, hitting a C-trigger in the ropes, but Ishii responded with an immediate headbutt. Before Ishii could follow up, Owens hit two more C-triggers for a convincing nearfall. Owens then a Styles Clash for another nearfall.

Now desperate to close, Owens hit a half-and-half suplex and another C-trigger. He tried hoisting Ishii into the package piledriver, but Ishii slipped free. Ishii then hit a sliding lariat and a running headbutt for a nearfall of his own. This led to another back-and-forth, with Owens emerging on top. Owens then hit the package piledriver and pinned Ishii to win the match.

Owens advances to face Hirooki Goto in round two.

New Japan Cup: Tanga Loa defeated Great-O-Khan

This was a horribly boring match.

This match opened with a grappling scramble. O-Khan forced Loa to the floor, where he kind of attacked Loa with a chair. Back in the ring, O-Khan kept up his unimpressive pressure with a variety of uninteresting offense.

After a while on the back foot, Loa fired back with his signature striking. O-Khan answered with more basic wrestling, arm drags, and holds. Once Loa returned to his feet, the pair traded more strikes. Loa won out and attempted a headbutt; he missed.

O-Khan hit an exploder suplex and locked in a choke on the mat. Once the hold was broken, O-Khan tried to follow up but was cut off by a lariat. O-Khan held on, locking in the sheep killer. O-Khan tried for an eliminator, but Loa slipped free. Loa then hit a knee strike and pinned O-Khan to advance.

New Japan Cup: David Finlay defeated TJP

This was a solid match. TJP looks really good. He bumped hard, and his offense was focused.

As the match began, TJP lept to the floor, launching his first offensive sequence of the night. Finlay fired back, using the ring to slow down TJP. Finlay then began picking apart TJP, whipping him in and out of the ring.

TJP fought back, focusing on Finlay’s arm. Soon after, the action spilled back to the floor. TJP continued focusing on the arm before returning to the ring. TJP kept up the pressure, scoring a nearfall before Finlay cut him off with an Irish curse backbreaker.

Finlay’s attack continued with another Irish curse. Finlay then attempted Oblivion, but TJP escaped. Finlay’s follow-up was interrupted by multiple reversals into octopus holds, further damaging the arm. This back and forth continued until Finlay finally landed Oblivion; TJP kicked out.

Finlay tried for another Oblivion, but TJP caught him with a DDT. With Finlay on the back foot, Gedo tried distracting the referee. Before Finlay could use his shillelagh, TJP spat a mouthful of mist into Finlay’s face. TJP then hit a splash for a nearfall.

TJP attempted a DDT, but Finlay powered out, throwing TJP into the corner. Finlay then hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. Finally, Finlay hit overkill, his GTS-esque finish to win the match and advance to the second round. 

NJPW 52nd Anniversary show live results: New Japan Cup begins

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW celebrates their 52nd Anniversary today in Tokyo on a show where the 2024 New Japan Cup begins. 

The New Japan Cup kicks off with three tournament matches on today’s show, including the in-ring NJPW debut of Jack Perry against Shota Umino. 

YOSHI-HASHI faces KENTA in another New Japan Cup contest. 

Toru Yano will take on Yujiro Takahashi of Bullet Club’s House of Torture in the other New Japan Cup match on the show. 

The event will be headlined by IWGP Word Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito facing IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO in a non-title match. 

SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura & DOUKI of Just Five Guys face House of Torture’s EVIL, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo in an eight-man tag. 

United Empire’s TJP, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman take on Bullet Club War Dogs David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo in a trios match. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Boltin Oleg face LIJ’s Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI in another eight-man. 

GoD’s Hikuleo & E Phantasmo take on TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls in another undercard tag. 

Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Tanga Loa & Tomoaki Honma is the opener.

Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (United Empire) defeated Tanga Loa & Tomoaki Honma

This was a nothing match.

After a couple of minutes of silly offense, Cobb hit Honma with Tour of the Islands to win the match. After the match, O-Khan attacked Loa ahead of their NJ Cup match.

Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. (TMDK) defeated El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (Guerrillas of Destiny)

ZSJ and ELP opened the match with a flashy sequence. Hikuleo and Nicholls entered next, testing each other’s strength. Once Hikuleo won out, GoD established control.

TMDK worked together to challenge Hikuleo, targeting his leg. The tandem offense continued after ELP attempted to make the save. They held on to this lead long enough for Nicholls to hit ELP with the Mikey Bomb, winning the match.

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado & Oleg Boltin defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji)

Ishii and Tsuji opened the match with an extended chopping battle. Ishii won out early before passing the match to Oleg. Against Oleg, Tsuji gained control took control of the match with help from the rest of LIJ.

Once Goto tagged in, he turned the match around for his team with a passionate rally. Shingo and the rest of LIJ fired back, leading to a back-and-forth between teams. In the end, Desperado won the match with a quick pin on BUSHI.

After the match, Desperado and Ishii shared an awkward handshake, perhaps teasing the future of CHAOS.

As Ishii worked his way to the back, Chase Owens ran out and hit Ishii with a package piledriver.

United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo)

This was very good. That said, it feels a little strange to continue this immediately after the cage match.

This match opened with an electric brawl. TJP carried this excitement into his first offensive sequence. It took Finlay tagging in to slow the match down, but the intensity remained.

The War Dogs worked to isolate Newman, eventually setting up the hot tag to Akira. Akira hit the ring hot, and Kidd tried his best to match his energy. This allowed the War Dogs to maintain their momentum until TJP hit the ring. TJP then cleared the ring and dropped Gedo to win the match.

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Yuya debuted his shaved head in this match, complete with red dye. That was the only interesting thing that happened.

The match opened with HoT shinanigans, which continued for a while. Taichi launched a rally against HoT before tagging out to Uemura, who continued the advance.

To stop Uemura from gaining any more of a lead, all of HoT attacked him. It took a full J5G rally to shift the momentum back. Uemura then hit the deadbolt suplex to win the match.

New Japan Cup: Toru Yano defeated Yujiro Takahashi

Yujiro attacked Yano before the opening bell sounded. He then removed the corner pad, which he used to strike Yano. Yujiro followed up by whipping Yano into the exposed corner and the barricade.

Yujiro handcuffed Yano onto the barricade, but Yano managed to break the railing to escape. Yano then threw Yujiro into a barricade and handcuffed him around a man on the outside. Yujiro couldn’t get loose, leaving Yano with a count-out win.

Yano advances to round two.

New Japan Cup: YOSHI-HASHI defeated KENTA

This was painfully boring.

KENTA jumped YH before the match could begin. YH answered KENTA by throwing him to the floor but missed his follow-up. This left the door open for KENTA to retake control.

Back in the ring, KENTA utilized holds and sparse kicks to maintain his lead. YH landed a pair of dropkicks to answer KENTA. A powerbomb from YH scored him a nearfall.

KENTA landed a rope-assisted DDT to reset the match. A dropkick and double foot stomp scored KENTA a nearfall. He then attempted a GTS, but YH reversed into a pin attempt, nearly eeking out a win.

KENTA dropped YH with a strike and a running knee for another nearfall. He then hoisted YH onto his shoulders, but YH reversed again, this time hitting a crucifix bomb into a pin to win the match.

Following the match, KENTA shook YH’s hand, but attacked him immediately after.

SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI is set for night five.

New Japan Cup: Jack Perry defeated Shota Umino

Jack Perry came to the ring in all black and a funny-looking goat head, completing his NJPW repackage.

The match opened with a back-and-forth strike exchange before Perry established control. Perry utilized strikes and holds to maintain his lead for some time.

Umino fired back with more strikes, knocking Perry to the floor. Another back-and-forth followed, ending with a big DDT from Umino onto the apron. Once Perry recovered, more back-and-forth striking followed.

A forearm to the back of Perry’s head left Shota in a strong position. He followed up with a variety of big moves before calling for the finish. Before Umino could close, House of Torture then hit the ring and beat down Umino. Perry followed up with a running knee and pinned Umino to advance to the next round.

After the match, HoT offered Perry a shirt. He put it on, signifying he is a part of the faction.

Tetsuya Naito defeated SHO

Before the match could begin, SHO attacked Naito. Once the opening bell sounded, Naito fired back, taking control and whipping SHO into the barricade.

After Naito beat on SHO for a while, SHO whipped Naito’s leg into the apron to slow the match down even more. SHO then launched a deliberate attack on Naito’s leg. Once Naito turned things around, SHO bumped the referee and attacked Naito with a chair.

After minutes on the back foot, Naito landed an enziguri and Destino from out of nowhere. To follow up, Naito hammered on SHO’s neck with strikes and a rana from the top rope.

With his back against the wall, SHO bumped the ref again. HoT rushed the ring and beat down Naito. LIJ followed them, evening the score. SHO tried hitting Naito with his wrench but ate a low blow instead. Naito then hit a Valencia and another Destino to win the match.

This was a show filled with nonsense, cheating, and House of Torture. If you were hoping New Japan was planning a post-Okada course-correct, it didn’t happen tonight.

New Japan Cup semifinals live results: SANADA vs. Davis, Tonga vs. Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW holds the semifinals of the 2023 New Japan Cup today in Gunma. 

In one semifinal bout, SANADA faces Mark Davis. SANADA jumped factions this past week, leaving Los Ingobernables de Japon for Just Five Guys. Davis is an injury substitution for his fellow United Empire stablemate Will Ospreay. 

In the other semifinal contest, Tama Tonga takes on David Finlay. Finlay has gotten a push of late after joining Bullet Club, Tama’s former stable. 

The New Japan Cup finals take place on Tuesday, with the winner earning an IWGP World Heavyweight title shot against Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis on April 8.

Today’s undercard: 

  • Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. YOH & Lio Rush
  • Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan
  • YOSHI-HASHI & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb & Kyle Fletcher
  • Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Ryohei Oiwa vs. KENTA, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo
  • Shota Umino & Oskar Leube vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita

Our live coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

**********

Oskar Leube & Shota Umino defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

This was a fantastic opening tag. Everyone looked great.

ZSJ and Shota had a fun verbal spat before the Young Lions started the match. ZSJ tagged in to help Fujita further his developing lead, eventually setting up a hot tag to Umino. After a set of back-and-forth exchanges, Umnio submitted Fujita with the STF.

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, El Phantasmo & KENTA) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) & Ryohei Oiwa

This was a match filled with tomfoolery. In the end, ELP rolled up Oiwa to win the match.

Ishii and Owens spent a lot of time interacting with each other; this seems to be a singles feud they’re setting up for some reason. 

House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Strong Style (El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita) & Ryusuke Taguchi

This was another match built on cheating, but Strong Style’s relative seriousness kept things from turning too silly. In the end, SHO won the match for HOT with a wrench shot to Taguchi.

It looks like HOT might challenge for the six-man belts again soon.

United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Kyle Fletcher) defeated Tomoaki Honma & YOSHI-HASHI

This was a by-the-numbers tag. After some interaction between all four guys, Cobb hit Honma with Tour of the Islands to win the match.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated CHAOS (Lio Rush & YOH)

This match existed to further promote the upcoming Hiromu/Rush title match. While Rush and Hiromu spent the latter part of the match interacting with each other, Naito worked to win the match for his team. Naito eventually hit YOH with Destino to secure victory.

New Japan Cup: David Finlay defeated Tama Tonga

This was not good.

Finlay was quick to gain the lead with a back suplex before slowing the match to a crawl. Finlay began picking apart Tama, slamming him into barricades and locking in wear-down submissions.

A Tongan twist reset the match, letting Tama hit a supreme flow for a nearfall, but when Tama tried for gun stun, Finlay repeatedly reversed.

Finlay hit a blue thunder bomb and a spear for a nearfall of his own. When Finlay tried for the Trash Panda, Tama reversed into a sharpshooter.

After escaping the submission, Finlay hit a backbreaker and a dominator for a nearfall. Once Tama kicked out, he rebounded with a bloody Sunday for a nearfall of his own but, again, failed to hit gun stun. After surviving all of Tama’s finish attempts, Finlay hit Trash Panda and won the match to advance to the finals.

New Japan Cup: SANADA defeated Mark Davis

This was a very good outing from Davis and seems to be the start of a new era for SANADA.

Before the match, SANADA entered the ring with his new faction, Just 5 Guys. SANADA debuted a new look, featuring black hair and tights to match.

Davis gained a quick lead with a standing senton. He then continued to advance his lead for some time before a dropkick, and a dive to the floor got SANADA back into the match. Davis answered with a dive of his own that wiped out both men.

The match quickly devolved into both men trying for bigger and bigger moves. Both men tried for top rope dives, and both men reversed. An insane piledriver from Davis scored him a nearfall, but SANADA avoided the finish. After slipping free from the waterslide, SANADA hit his new finishing DDT to win the match and advance to the finals.

After the match, Finlay and Gedo walked to the ring. Gedo called SANADA’s new faction “Just 5 Losers,” and they left the ring.

SANADA cut a short promo before handing the microphone to TAKA. TAKA ended the show with the Just 5 Guys call. 

New Japan Cup semifinals live results: Okada-Naito, Shingo-Sabre

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The New Japan Cup semifinals take place today in Osaka-Jo Hall. 

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada faces Tetsuya Naito in the show’s main event. The winner advances to tomorrow’s finals. The two last met in singles competition on February 20, with Okada defeating Naito. 

In the other semifinal bout, Zack Sabre Jr. will take on Shingo Takagi. Shingo and Sabre split their two meetings last year, with Sabre defeating Shingo in the G1, and Shingo defeating Sabre to retain the IWGP World title in November at Power Struggle. 

A series of tag matches rounds out the undercard: 

  • Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Will Ospreay & Aaron Henare
  • YOSHI-HASHI & YOH vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. STRONGHEARTS (CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman)
  • El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI vs. House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO)
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo

Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time. 

**********

Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Gedo (Bullet Club) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Hiroshi Tanahashi

This match opened with a brawl on the outside. Once things took to the ring, the babyface squad took control by isolating ELP with hip attacks. Fale hit the ring to help Bullet Club back into the match as the team worked to single out Wato.

The Bullet Club control came to an end after Loa tagged in the match. He took control, prompting Bullet Club to hit the ring again. Loa, with aid from Tama, fought through their former faction-mates. Gedo tried to turn things back around with a pair of brass knuckles. Jado, sensing an opportunity for revenge, jumped Gedo. After seeing Jado’s interference, the referee called for the bell, leaving Bullet Club with a win via disqualification. 

Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe defeated Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun)

Suzuki and Ishii started the match with an intense back and forth. Suzuki locked in a deep choke against a corner pad, forcing a referee break. With Ishii nearly unconscious, the rest of Suzuki-Gun took turns beating Ishii down.

Ishii connected with a backdrop suplex to buy him a tag. Makabe took the match over before tagging in Yano, who almost immediately lost control. Kanemaru tried to spray Yano with a mouth of whiskey, but Yano landed a low blow; Kanemaru misted Taichi and Yano pinned Kanemaru to win the match.

SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL (House of Torture) defeated DOUKI, Taka Michinoku & El Desperado (Suzuki-Gun)

This match opened with a brawl that didn’t take long to spill to the outside. HoT took control and worked to maintain it in the ring with underhanded tactics. DOUKI eventually scored a tag to Desperado, who helped Suzuki-Gun gain a footing for the first time.

After tagging in, SHO had some success in retaking control, but ultimately, Suzuki-Gun fought through. Just as things were looking quite good for the Suzuki-Gun trio, Taka let go of his facelock to swing at Dick Togo. EVIL responded to this opening by landing everything is evil and pinning Taka to close the match.

CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman (#STRONGHEARTS) defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask

CIMA and Goto had a brief exchange to open the match before Lindaman and Tiger Mask tagged in. Lindaman took control after dodging a KoKeShi, tagging in T-Hawk. The STRONGHEARTS trio maintained this control by isolating Honma.

Goto led a strong rally once tagging in before tagging into Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask fought off all STRONGHEARTS, locking T-Hawk into a double armbar. Honma landed KoKeShi and Tiger Mask a tiger driver, almost bringing this match to an end.

CIMA and Lindaman hit the ring to help T-Hawk fight off their opponents. CIMA and Lindaman landed a dive to take out Goto and Honma, leaving T-Hawk alone to bring this match to an end with a night ride on Tiger Mask.

Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (United Empire) defeated YOH & YOSHI-HASHI (CHAOS)

YH and Cobb opened the match. Cobb tried out grappling YH, but some pro-wrestling style offence helped YH hold his own. Once YOH tagged into the match, things were not as favourable.

Cobb brutally tossed YOH across the ring and into the corner to establish a dominant lead. O-Khan continued this advance with slams, strikes, and holds that left YOH on the ground. It took a quick YOH dropkick and a double tag for things to turn around for the CHAOS duo.

YH landed a blockbuster for a two count Cobb; Cobb answered with a dropkick. O-Khan tagged in, landing some Mongolian chops that forced YH to tag out. YOH took control, scoring a couple of close pins. YOH then landed a superkick and DMV that forced Cobb to break up the pin.

A short scuffle followed the last break up, leading to O-Khan, Cobb, and YOH in the ring. With Cobb on guard, O-Khan dropped YOH with the eliminator and pinned him.

Will Ospreay & Aaron Henare (United Empire) defeated BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables De Japon)

Before the match started, Ospreay grabbed a microphone and said the match was not happening. He said he wasn’t doing a tag match, as he didn’t tap to Zack Sabre Jr. Before he could leave the ring, Hiromu landed a big dropkick to jumpstart the match.

A scrap on the outside left UE in control. Both Ospreay and Henare connected with heavy offence on BUSHI. Once Hiromu tagged in, things turned around for a short time.

A double tag let BUSHI gain some offensive footing over Henare. Henare answered with a big slam, kick, and streets of rage, which led to the finish. 

After the match, EVIL launched an assault on Hiromu. Dick Togo then choked Hirmou out and walked to the back.

New Japan Cup Semifinal: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shingo Takagi

This match had a lot of interesting elements. ZSJ’s branching approach to groundwork and Shingo’s high impact wrestling made for a special pairing. Good stuff. 

This match opened with a prolonged standing sequence. Eventually, ZSJ sent Takagi to the floor after cranking his neck. ZSJ landed heavy strikes while continuing to focus Shingo’s neck, establishing a lead for the first time.

Shingo landed two jabs and a throw to escape ZSJ’s control. Shingo landed a falling elbow, which allowed ZSJ to retake the lead by taking Shingo’s arm. Another Shingo strike and DDT broke ZSJ’s lead once more, but again, ZSJ responded by taking control of Shingo’s arms.

A popup DVD provided Shingo with another break from ZSJ control. This time, Shingo landed a superplex before trying for made in Japan; ZSJ blocked, reversing into a close pin attempt. ZSJ landed a suplex for another near fall. As the pace picked up, Shingo answered with made in Japan, resulting in another near fall.

ZSJ blocked last of the dragon, leading to a back and forth strike exchange. Shingo won out, landing pumping bomber. Shingo looked to close, again trying for last of the dragon, and again, ZSJ reversed into a submission attempt. Shingo tried fighting through ZSJ’s follow-up submission attempts, climbing to the top and dropping to his back in an effort to break a deep choke; ZSJ held on. Eventually, ZSJ’s choke was enough, as Shingo was rendered unconscious. 

ZSJ moves on to the finals.

New Japan Cup Semifinal: Tetsuya Naito defeated Kazuchika Okada

Compared to their last, this match felt a little stale. Then again, their previous match was New Japan’s best in over two years, at least for my money.

The match opened with a grappling exchange which saw both men trade advantage. Okada established an actual lead after a dropkick sent Naito to the floor. On the outside, Okada landed a colossal DDT to further this advantage.

Naito eventually started a rally with a dropkick to the knee. A dropkick to the back of the head opened Okada up to more Naito offence. Now on the outside, Naito used the environment to cement his control. Back in the ring, Naito continued to weave in offence.

Okada countered Naito’s corner combination into the money clip. After Naito escaped, Okada landed a dropkick to re-establish the hold. Okada then looked to close with rainmaker, but Naito reversed.

Naito landed a DDT, super rana, and a collection of elbows to retake control. Esperanza led into a surprise Destino for a near fall. Gloria set Naito up for a stardust press, but Okada avoided the stunning dive.

Okada hit a shotgun dropkick to retake his lead. He then landed a giant German suplex and dropkick while trying for a rainmaker. Naito continued to avoid the rainmaker, trying for some quick pins. It was Polvo de Estrella, one of Naito’s signature cradles, that brought this match to a sudden end.

After pinning the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Naito advances to face ZSJ in the final.

NJPW New Japan Cup night two results: Will Ospreay vs. BUSHI

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Yuji Nagata defeated Kosei Fujita

This was a par-for-the-course opener.

Unsurprisingly, Nagata controlled this match for the vast majority of its runtime. He won with the Nagata Lock.

Bullet Club (El Phantasmo, Gedo & Chase Owens) defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask

This was a 2022 Bullet Club C-Team match; there wasn’t much to it.

After a ton of Bullet Club tomfoolery, an Owens package piledriver and ELP Thunder Kiss ‘86 led to the pinfall over Honma.

After the match, there was some bickering about ELP’s continued lack of confidence to deliver the superkick, but everything was pushed under the rug after a group “Too Sweet.”

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated House of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)

Much like the last match, this was a reasonably typical House of Torture match. Tanahashi was able to elevate the match beyond the low bar set by the rest of the House of Torture catalog, but there’s only so much even he can do.

After a lot of chicanery from House of Torture, Yujiro looked to close the match with Big Juice. but Tanahashi reversed his finish attempt by pushing Yujiro nearly into the referee. Then, with the referee’s back turned, Tanahashi hit a low blow and rolled up Yujiro to score the win.

The babyface trio did score a pinfall win over the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions, which could lead to a title shot in the future.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOH)

Keeping with today’s theme, this was a by-the-book showcase tag with everyone having a bit of time with their divisional rivals/upcoming opponents.

YOH tried closing the match with multiple roll-up attempts, only for SANADA to catch him in Skull End, leading to the submission and LIJ victory.

After the match, Ishii and Shingo fought outside the ring, forcing their faction mates to restore order ahead of their New Japan Cup match.

United Empire (Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori)

This was a back-and-forth affair with some, but not an overabundance, of cheating.

O-Khan seemingly had the match in his grasp, but a distracted referee let Ishimori land a low blow. Fale followed up with the Grenade leading to the pin.

New Japan Cup first-round match: Aaron Henare defeated Yuto Nakashima

This match was good, and Nakashima truly shined.

This match opened with light striking, leading to a Nakashima takedown attempt. Henare sprawled but couldn’t maintain control. Nakashima moved to side control, but Henare bucked him off, standing the match back up. Henare tried to take control with strikes and a headlock, but again, Nakashima won out in these exchanges.

Nakashima landed a big shoulder tackle that upset Henare more than hurt him. Henare dropped Nakashima with one of his own before throwing him to the floor. Outside the ring, Henare slammed Nakashima into the barricades before rolling him back in the ropes. In the ring, the beatdown continued with heavy strikes from Henare.

Nakashima began to fight back into the match with a shoulder tackle and some light offense. When the Young Lion tried for a Boston Crab, Henare blocked the move. Thinking on his feet, Nakashima transitioned into a leg lock, forcing the rope break.

Nakashima’s momentum came to an end after losing in an intense strike exchange. Henare followed up with a rampage tackle that ended this match.

Henare moves on to face SANADA in round two.

New Japan Cup first-round match: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Ryohei Oiwa

Again, I really liked this match. Oiwa came off a little arrogant, but that’s not a bad thing. The pair meshed well, and the match had a nice flow. Good stuff.

Oiwa gained an early lead with quick answers to ZSJ. ZSJ played it cool, rolling to the outside. After ZSJ returned to the ring, Oiwa tried taking the match to the mat. ZSJ, unsurprisingly, took over on the ground. ZSJ took his time, pulling and contorting in convincing fashion. Oiwa tried using his amateur background to compete with ZSJ’s mat work, but he was outclassed.

Oiwa’s rally began with a spinebuster after ZSJ allowed him to stand. A dropkick, tackle, and gutwrench suplex left Oiwa with a two count on ZSJ. His comeback ended as soon as he tried for a Boston Crab. ZSJ took over the match again, almost forcing the submission with a headscissors. A similar exchange played out a couple of times, with each attempt at the Boston Crab leaving Oiwa a little closer.

Try as he might, Oiwa wasn’t ready for ZSJ tonight. Then, after surpassing the 10-minute mark, ZSJ locked in a toe hold that led to the tap out.

ZSJ moves on to face fellow Suzuki-gun faction mate DOUKI in round two.

New Japan Cup first-round match: Will Ospreay defeated BUSHI

What an utterly bizarre match. I have no clue why this match used four referees, as their being down had nothing to do with the rest of the bout. I feel like I must have missed something. This was actively bad structurally, and everything else was pretty mundane.

BUSHI landed a big dropkick that sent Ospreay to the floor just as the bell rang. BUSHI followed up with a tope and some barricade slams but couldn’t maintain his hot start back inside the ring. A chop from Ospreay sent BUSHI crashing to the floor, letting Ospreay take control for the first time.

Ospreay slowed the match down significantly, playing into a heavyweight heel role. BUSHI continued to fight, landing a big dropkick and rana to the floor, but Ospreay wasn’t on the back foot for long. Ospreay tried to bring the match to an early end with the OsCutter, but BUSHI pulled the referee into Ospreay’s path. After the official ate Ospreay’s finish, another referee came to the ring. He too ate a move, this time a BUSHI dropkick. With two referees down, a third came to the ring only to take a faceful of BUSHI mist and an Ospreay head kick.

As the fourth referee found his way to the warzone, Ospreay tried for the OsCutter two more times, hitting it on the third attempt. BUSHI kicked out. A powerbomb led to another Ospreay near fall. It was a Hidden Blade from Ospreay that brought this strange match to its actual end.

Ospreay moves on to face El Phantasmo in round two, a very likely win for the British Heavyweight Champion.

NJPW New Japan Cup night one live results: Okada vs. El Desperado

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The 2022 New Japan Cup begins tonight with a show consisting of all tournament matches at the Nippon Budokan. 

In the main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will take on IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado. The winner will face Master Wato in round two.

In the semi-main, Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi will face off in a singles match for the first time since 2014. The winner will take on Gedo in the second round. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi will take on YOH, with the winner facing Bad Luck Fale in round two. 

KOPW 2022 Toru Yano will face Taichi. The winner will receive a bye to the third round following an injury to Hiroyoshi Tenzan. 

Togi Makabe will take on Jeff Cobb, with the winner facing Satoshi Kojima in the second round. 

Yuji Nagata will face Hirooki Goto. The winner will take on Dick Togo in round two. 

Tomoaki Honma will take on YOSHI-HASHI, with the winner facing Kosei Fujita in the second round. 

In the opener, CIMA will face TAKA Michinoku. The winner will take on Yoshinobu Kanemaru in round two. 

Our live coverage begins at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

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The show opened with a ceremony celebrating the launch of New Japan’s new mobile game, Strong Spirits. After generally speaking about the game, Hiroshi Tanahashi declared the digital product open, and a group of people on the dev team cut a red ribbon. 

New Japan Cup: CIMA defeated TAKA Michinoku

This match, for what it was, was enjoyable.

After a fairly even opening, CIMA sent TAKA to the floor, which he followed with an impressive dive through the ropes. Back in the ring, CIMA tried to establish control on the ground, but TAKA synched a head-scissor that forced CIMA into the ropes. TAKA continued to focus the neck while branching out to CIMA’s arm, all while on the mat.

CIMA retook the lead with a sudden lung blower. CIMA followed up heavy knee drops and some light striking. TAKA reversed momentum in a strike exchange and took CIMA back to the mat; CIMA barely escaped a deep head-scissor.

CIMA fought back into the match with a quick suplex, a sliding lariat, and a Meteora. This fast sequence left CIMA with a clean pin; he advances Yoshinobu Kanemaru in round two. 

New Japan Cup: YOSHI-HASHI defeated Tomoaki Honma

This match had absolutely no business being as good as it was.

YH and Honma opened the match by trading heavy shoulders and strikes. Honma dropped YH and tried for Kokeshi, but YH avoided the headbutt. YH took full advantage of this opening, transitioning into an extended offensive sequence. Honma began to fight back with chops and a DDT before missing Kokeshi again. This time, YH could not follow up as a missile headbutt from Honma landed flush. Honma tried a third time for Kokeshi, and this time, he hit it; YH kicked out.

Honma tried for a rocket Kokeshi from the top rope, but YH stepped aside to dodge the move. YH continued to make offensive inroads with a top rope blockbuster and a lariat, but he couldn’t connect with Kharma. After stuffing YH’s finish, Honma landed two rocket headbutts and a top rope Kokeshi for a convincing near fall.

YH squared up to Honma after surviving Kokeshi. The pair traded hefty trikes, with a lariat from YH dropping Honma. YH hoisted Honma, hit Karmah, and secured the pinfall win to advance. YH will face Young Lion, Kosei Fujita in round two.

New Japan Cup: Hirooki Goto defeated Yuji Nagata

This match had an extended opening sequence that saw both men gain small, short-lived leads. Things worked their way to the outside, where Goto tried for a lariat; Nagata avoided the move, sending Goto’s arm into the ring post. Nagata’s attention turned to Goto’s new injury as he tried for an armbar. After landing a headbutt to stun Nagata, Goto escaped blue control, but his arm was still a target.

Nagata and Goto went back outside, but Goto gained momentum on the floor this time. Goto rolled Nagata inside and climbed to the top, but Nagata met him atop the ropes. Nagata landed a suplex from the top to score a near fall. Goto continued to fight, however, as a quick lariat and ushigoroshi left him with a two count. Nagata responded with a thunder death driver, resulting in a match reset.

Goto seemingly emerged from a strike exchange with a lead, but Nagata slipped in a Nagata lock II; Goto used the ropes to escape the hold. Goto reversed a backdrop and dodged an enziguri before transitioning into Goto Ni Shiki. In a retelling of their 2016 New Japan Cup match, Nagata couldn’t escape from the cradle combination, leaving Goto with a win. In the next round, Goto faces Dick Togo. 

New Japan Cup: Jeff Cobb defeated Togi Makabe

This match was, unsurprisingly, 95% Cobb.

Cobb established control early, slamming Makabe into various objects around the ring. Back in the ring, Cobb maintained his lead with significant strikes and slams. Makabe eventually bought a moment to breathe after a clothesline. He followed this with a short sequence, but Cobb landed a back suplex to extinguish any Makabe hope.

Makabe managed to stay in the match for a while after another lariat, but Cobb continued his advance. After some more heavy strikes and a tour of the islands, Cobb pinned Makabe to secure his position in round two. Cobb is to face Satoshi Kojima, who he defeated in last year’s New Japan Cup.

New Japan Cup: Taichi defeated Toru Yano

This match was a silly Yano match, filled with silly Yano stuff.

Yano tried rolling up Taichi as soon as the match began. After Taichi kicked out, he removed a turnbuckle pad and threw him to the floor. Yano tried putting Taichi in a tarp, but Miho Abe was used as a human shield. Taichi then put the tarp over Yano, resulting in a near count-out.

Back in the ring, Yano reversed the last ride with the tarp still over his head. The referee then removed the tarp, a move Taichi wasn’t overly fond of. Taichi then placed the tarp over the official’s face, just in time for a Yano rollup attempt.

Yano tried for another rollup after he ripped off Taichi’s pants. Taichi responded by sending Yano into the exposed buckle, landing a forearm, and pinning Yano. Taichi, because of Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s withdrawal from the Cup, is advancing to the third round. 

New Japan Cup: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated YOH

This match had a lot of little things going on that played into the final product. Overall, it came together nicely. Perhaps the match’s most powerful element was that it made a YOH victory feel possible.

A back and forth grappling sequence opened this match. YOH managed to gain an early lead with purposeful offence directed at Tanahashi’s knee. Tanahashi answered with a thrust kick and dragonscrew before locking in a Texas cloverleaf. This was a leg-based war.

YOH connected with a dragonscrew of his own and a leglock to retake control. Tanahashi transformed a YOH suplex attempt into twist and shout for another shift in momentum. Tanahashi landed another dragonscrew, but YOH dodged the follow-up sling blade and landed a German to turn the match on its head once again.

YOH landed a superplex, only for Tanahashi to answer with a sling blade; Tanahashi went for another, but YOH landed his own sling blade this time. A DMV resulted in a YOH near fall. YOH tried and tried for a dragon suplex but couldn’t connect, opening him up to another sling blade from Tanahashi. Tanahashi then landed a dragon suplex of his own and pinned YOH to close the match. Tanahashi will face Bad Luck Fale in the next round.

New Japan Cup: Tetsuya Naito defeated Yujiro Takahashi

This match did absolutely nothing for me before the HoT interfered; that only further detracted from the match. This was bad. 

Naito gained control for the first time with strikes to the back, an arm drag, and a snap mare. Yujiro stopped Naito’s advance by dropping him with a hotshot. Yujiro followed up with a plotting series of moves.

Naito turned things around again after a knee strike and neck breaker combination. Naito led Yujiro through his typical spots before a mid-match strike exchange. Yujiro won out and landed a fisherman buster to score a near fall. Naito bounced back, landing strikes to the neck to set up Destino; when Naito tried for his finish, Yujiro blocked it before landing Miami Shine.

The pair traded strikes once more, and again, Yujiro won out. Naito was able to fight off pimp juice and big juice, turning things back in his favour. Naito tried for the finish, but Yujro shoved him into the referee. Enter House of Torture.

After SHO and EVIL beat down Naito, Yujiro had second thoughts. Once he asked his faction mates to leave, he dropped Naito with a low blow. Yujiro tried hitting Naito with his stick, but Naito ducked and landed a disgusting low blow of his own. Natio secured a jackknife pin to win the match. Naito is scheduled to wrestle Gedo in the second round.

After Naito pinned Yujiro, EVIL hit the ring for a beat down. EVIL’s plan failed as Naito reversed everything is evil before dropping his former faction mate with another low blow.

New Japan Cup: Kazuchika Okada defeated El Desperado

This match, especially in its final act, was an effective rollercoaster that almost convinced me Desperado had a chance. I don’t think you could ask for more.

This match opened with a swift sequence, complete with a rainmaker attempt and a submission that forced Okada into the ropes. The action spilt to the floor as Desperado continued to focus the leg of the heavyweight champion. Desperado maintained this control until an Okada flapjack reset the flow of the match.

Okada slammed Desperado into the barricades before using a chinlock to slow the match back down. Okada connected with substantial strikes, but Desperado stayed in the match by landing a dropkick to the knee. Desperado tied Okada into a leg lock variation that forced Okada into the ropes. Even after the rope break, Desperado continued to attack Okada’s leg.

Okada sidestepped Desperado, sending him into the corner. Okada then lifted the junior champion onto the top rope and landed a dropkick, sending Desperado crashing onto the floor. Okada hit a DDT outside the ring for a near count-out. Another DDT in the ring led to a near fall.

Desperado escaped the air raid crash and landed a spinebuster for a late reset. Desperado chopped Okada’s chest—Okada answered with a picture-perfect dropkick. Okada climbed to the top, but Desperado avoided the attack, chopping away Okada’s knee before landing Guitarra de Angel; Okada kicked out. Desperado then hit a splash à la Jun Kasai for another near fall. Okada blocked Pinche Loco, leading to an air raid crash neckbreaker to reestablish Okada’s control.

Okada locked in the money clip. After Desperado escaped, Okada hit an elbow drop and tried for the rainmaker. Desperado avoided the finish, connecting with another dropkick to the knee. A dragonscrew dropped Okada. Okada tried to fight back with a dropkick, but Desperado caught him mid-jump with another dragonscrew. Desperado secured numero dos for an intense period on the mat.

Once Okada escaped numero dos, he locked in the money clip again. Desperado seemingly passed out in the hold, allowing Okada to land two uncontested rainmakers; on the third attempt, Desperado sparked up, hitting Pinche Loco. This led to an explosive sequence, ending with one more rainmaker and an Okada pinfall. Okada advances to face Master Wato in the next round of the New Japan Cup.