Tag: njpw cup 2018

New Japan Cup night six results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kota Ibushi

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Zack Sabre, Jr. and SANADA punched their tickets to the semifinals of the New Japan Cup tournament Thursday in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

Both won their quarterfinal bouts on night six of the current tour, setting up a showdown between the two of them on Sunday’s show in Shizuoka. The winner of that bout will go on to face the winner of Friday’s Juice Robinson vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match.

For start times and more details, you can check out Bryan Rose’s post here.

Predicting winners in this tournament has been an exercise in futility, and that trend continued with Sabre’s win over Ibushi.

Below are the results of Thursday’s show in Tokyo.

Prelim bouts:

David Finlay & Ren Narita defeated Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino

YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defeated Toa Henare & Togi Makabe

Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Takashi Iizuka & Taichi defeated Chase Owens, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale

Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado defeated BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi

Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin defeated Chuckie T, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii

New Japan Cup Quarterfinal Matches:

SANADA defeated Toru Yano

SANADA attacked Yano before the bell, and pulled his shirt over his head. He rolled him around the ring, and got a nearfall.

SANADA used the Paradise Lock near the ropes, before kicking Yano to the floor. They brawled on the floor, and SANADA tried to tie Yano’s feet with camera cables, but Yano kicked him off into the crowd, and raced back to the ring. They teased a countout, but SANADA made it back in at 19.

Yano choked SANADA with his shirt, but SANADA used a flying headscissors and a plancha to the floor. Yano posted SANADA and went to hit him with a chair, but SANADA moved and Yano hit the post.

They teased another countout. Yano made it back inside and tried to cradle SANADA by his mohawk. Yano untied the turnbuckle pad, but missed a charge into the corner, hitting the exposed buckles. SANADA missed a charge into the exposed buckles, which didn’t look particularly good.

Yano went for Skull End on SANADA, missed, but cradled him for a nearfall. Yano hit an inverted atomic drop and a slingshot into the exposed buckle. Yano went for a Last Ride, but SANADA turned it into a Code Red for another nearfall.

Yano hit a low blow and cradled SANADA again, but SANADA caught Marty Asami’s hand before it could hit the mat the third time. While Asami sold his arm, SANADA hit a low blow, and locked on Skull End for the submission. This wasn’t great pro wrestling, but it had good heat.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Kota Ibushi

Sabre out-wrestled Ibushi on the mat for the first quarter of the match. The first time that Ibushi successfully reversed a hold, Sabre turned to striking, but Ibushi quickly established himself as the better striker, landing forearms and kicks. Sabre grabbed a heel hook, grapevine the leg, then transitioned to an armbar, but Ibushi reached the bottom rope, forcing a break.

Sabre continued working over Ibushi’s legs on the mat, trying to eliminate his kicks and flying ability, but Ibushi made it back to his feet, and commenced kicking. Sabre grounded Ibushi again, this time choosing to work on his arms. Ibushi reached the ropes, made it to his feet, and Sabre missed a charge into the corner, allowing Ibushi to hit a hurracanrana and a kick to the chest. That was the perfect time to do that spot, just as things started to hit a lull.

Ibushi hit more kicks, and a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Sabre kicked out and applied an abdominal stretch. Ibushi forced a break, and they traded strikes. Ibushi hit a snap dragon suplex, and bridged into a nearfall. Sabre countered into a bridging pin attempt of his own, before returning to work over Ibushi’s arms again.

Sabre countered a Kamigoye attempt into a roll-up attempt, and they traded nearfalls. They exchanged some slaps to the face, which didn’t appear to be too stiff on the New Japan scale, before Sabre kicked Ibushi in the side of the neck. Ibushi got the better of a strike exchange, and hit a big lariat. Ibushi hit a powerslam, and went for a moonsault, but Sabre caught him in a triangle choke on the landing.

Ibushi tried to turn the triangle into a Last Ride, but Sabre applied an octopus hold. Ibushi slipped out and teased throwing Sabre into the corner like a dart, but Sabre escaped. He charged Ibushi, who went for the Kamigoye, but Sabre forced him to turn it into a bridging suplex nearfall.

Ibushi was spent, and Sabre took his back, tied him up, and hammered him with strikes. With Ibushi unable to defend himself, Red Shoes called for the bell.

Sabre is a master of his craft and Ibushi is an artist. Together, they put on a fine show.

New Japan Cup results: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The decision to have Michael Elgin defeat Tomohiro Ishii in the main event of the first show of the 2018 New Japan Cup tour likely surprised some. Still, that was the result as the first round of the tournament kicked off on Friday in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.

Ishii seemed a logical possibility to win the tournament and go on to face his stablemate, IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada. Given that the last high-profile clash between the two in the 2016 G1 Tournament earned nearly universal praise, and since there are few chances to pit the CHAOS allies against each other, a tournament win seemed like an organic way to get back to that match. New Japan officials clearly have other plans.

It is also somewhat jarring to see Elgin pick up a significant singles win given the current pall that he has in North America. Evidently, Elgin’s nuclear-level heat has not followed him across the Pacific.

The tournament continues Saturday with a show in Aichi, which features a Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi main event, and a Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer semi-main.

Here are the non-tournament match results from Korakuen:

Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kota Ibushi & Chase Owens

Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, & Taichi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, & Toa Henare

Zack Sabre, Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado defeated Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & BUSHI

Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer defeated Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa

Chuckie T (Chuck Taylor), Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto defeated David Finlay, Tomoyuki Oka, & Shota Umino

New Japan Cup opening round results:

Juice Robinson defeated Yujiro Takahashi

Robinson missed a cannonball into the corner, and Takahashi followed with a yakuza kick. Takahashi used his pimp cane as a weapon right in front of referee Red Shoes, but there was no DQ called for. Robinson hit a spinebuster and followed with a plancha, but could not get any momentum going, and saw himself backdropped over the barricade, into the crowd, slicing up is back in the process.

Robinson continued to take a beating, but refused to quit, He fired up and nailed Takahashi with a lariat, but Takahashi regained control. Takahashi nearly killed Robinson by spiking him on his head, seconds after botching another powerbomb attempt.

Robinson kicked out of a nearfall, and hit a powerbomb of his own, and followed up with Pulp Friction for the victory. Takahashi isn’t suited for a longer singles match like this. Not bad, but not must-see.

Michael Elgin defeated Tomohiro Ishii

They started with a long strike and shoulder block exchange, with neither man budging, until Ishii finally got Elgin off his feet. Elgin responded with a quick slam, as neither man could grab the early advantage. Elgin missed with one enziguri, but hit a follow-up, and scored the first nearfall of the bout with a Falcon Arrow.

They had a chop battle in the corner, which Ishii got the better of, and he followed up with a belly-to-back. He went for the brainbuster, but Elgin blocked the attempt and deadlifted Ishii into a vertical suplex, firmly establishing control of the match.

After another prolonged exchange of strikes, Elgin slammed Ishii and went to the top for a moonsault, but Ishii popped right up and powerbombed him for a nearfall. Elgin recovered and threw Ishii into the turnbuckle pad, and hit a Falcon Arrow off the top for a nearfall.

Ishii was able to counter a top rope powerbomb attempt, and turned it into a big superplex for a nearfall. He followed with multiple lariats for multiple nearfalls. Ishii attacked with a headbutt, which is always noteworthy after the Shibata incident, but it appeared as though these were safely worked. Elgin hit an enziguri, which led to a double down. Elgin was up first and took control, scoring three nearfalls, each closer than the one before.

Elgin went for a top rope Razor’s Edge, and came dangerously close to spiking Ishii on his head on the landing. Elgin, Red Shoes, and Ishii appeared to huddle for a quick discussion, and I guess Ishii was okay, as he took a buckle bomb immediately after. I know that Ishii’s selling is top shelf, but that was scary. Elgin went for another, but Ishii rolled out and hit a dropkick.

After another double down and strike exchange, Ishii hit a headbutt, and a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Ishii fired up and went for the brainbuster, but Elgin turned it into one of his own. He followed with a dragon suplex, a spinning backfist, and another buckle bomb, but Ishii popped out of the corner and hit a lariat.

Ishii hit the ropes, but Elgin turned it into a pop-up powerbomb for a nearfall. That was Ishii’s last gasp, as Elgin followed with a Burning Hammer and got the pinfall victory. This was a really good big man match.