Coverage
AJPW Real World Tag League 2018 Results & Review Part 6
Our buddies in The End (Parrow/Odinson) are still towards the top of the standings. Can they pull it off? Mathew brings us all the AJPW Real World Tag League information.
Welcome back to our coverage of the Real World Tag League and we had a solid show at the last set of shows and we now got three more shows to cover on this one before our final article after this one.
At the end of this coverage, I’ll go over to the bottom of the standings to see who has a chance to make it and who doesn’t, along with how the ones that do can win. Who will become one step closer to winning it all?
Let’s find out as we…dive right in.
12/5/2018
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
KAI & Kengo Mashimo vs. Gianni Valletta & TAJIRI
Review: Our first match of the show and the set of coverage is TAJIRI and Gianni Valletta up to their old tricks again as they now go up against KAI and Kengo Mashimo. KAI and Kengo had a big win over the Violent Giants and they’re still in the race if they could win another one right here or they could fail and get eliminated by TAJIRI and Gianni for them to play the spoiler. Will TAJIRI and Gianni be able to do that or will KAI and Kengo push forward?
Quite a short match but it was entertaining, to say the least. TAJIRI and Gianni attacked KAI and Kengo soon as the bell rang and they would go fight to the outside where Gianni attacked KAI with his chain before bringing him back inside. It was just usually TAJIRI and Gianni doing their typical heel work that you’ve seen in all the other matches that they’ve been involved in while KAI and Kengo would just do their best to fight them off. The only memorable part was when Gianni attempts to use his chain in the match as KAI pulled onto it and all four start to play tug of war with it as it hits the referee. TAJIRI tried to hit Kengo with the kendo stick as Kengo caught it and hits TAJIRI with it and hold him up as KAI accidentally kicked Kengo. TAJIRI would hold KAI in place now as Gianni tries to hit him with a chain and hits TAJIRI by accident now, then it happens with Kengo accidentally hitting KAI and once it went to Gianni holding Kengo, TAJIRI would accidentally spit green mist into Gianni’s eyes and Kengo rolled Gianni up to get another win!
Rating: Tony Schiavone and three quarters
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Manabu Soya & Takao Omori vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama
Review: Our next match is Get Wild taking on the current World Tag Team Champions, The Violent Giants. Get Wild has suffered two big losses in a row and right now they’re in a not so great spot that if they do lose this match, they will be eliminated from the tournament mathematically. Violent Giants are still in a great position but would be in a tough spot if they do lose here or they win and tie for first place. Can the Violent Giants tie up or will Get Wild steal a win?
Manabu and Suwama started the match off with mostly testing their strengths with a lock-up and trying to tackle each other down as they showed that they’re evenly matched here in this one before they switch it up with the tags. Takao and Shuji had a nice little encounter as well with the strikes but it does seem like Shuji had the advantage before he attempted a Piledriver onto the ring apron and Takao would flip him over so it doesn’t happen. Get Wild started to double team Shuji during the majority of the arm and even worked on his injured shoulder to weaken his offense more.
Suwama gets the hot tag as he enters the ring to hit Manabu with a Lariat and he tries to hit the Last Ride as Takao would hit him before he could even get a chance to as he now fights the both of them off with a series of chops. I did say Suwama can go when he really wants to and he shows it off right here with his performance when he fights Manabu mostly in this match. Violent Giants attempt to hit a Powerbomb onto their opponents as Takao hits the Package Driver onto Suwama while Manabu hits the Death Valley Driver onto Shuji to prevent the powerbomb to happen. Get Wild starts to get fired up with a Double Lariat to Suwama to get him dazed and Manabu picks him up to hit the Death Valley Driver for a two count when Shuji knees him in the face. Violent Giants get some payback with Suwama hitting Manabu with a German Suplex and Shuji hitting a Dragon Suplex which leads to a Dropkick for another two count. Suwama would go for a Backdrop for a two count and quick hits the Backdrop Driver to get the pinfall for Violent Giants to tie for first place while Get Wild is eliminated.
Rating: Eric Bischoff and three quarters
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Zeus & The Bodyguard vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Akiyama
Review: Our main event for this show takes place as Daisuke Sekimoto and Jun Akiyama make their return to take on The Big Guns. Daisuke and Uncle Gun are still three wins and losses each with four matches left, so they can play catch-up if they win the next three matches in a row to tie up. The Big Guns are in a tight spot and if they lose this match, they could be eliminated from the tournament, so a win here is needed if they wanna survive. Can The Big Guns get the win or will it belong to the other team?
Another match-up I would love to see would be between Zeus and Daisuke as they started the match off with a test of strength as they shared a good couple of minutes in the ring together to be evenly matched as they tagged in their respective partners. The Bodyguard was doing well holding out on his own against Uncle Jun until Daisuke was able to make a tag back in after a brawl to the outside as the Big Guns would now start to take control of the match. One thing I really enjoyed about this match was basically the wrestling of it as it had an old school Japanese wrestling type of feeling to it while also making it modern enough for the fans to get invested into this type of match, and just having both of these teams tell a story with their wrestling for this match.
When Jun did get the hot tag for the match, it did feel short-lived since he wouldn’t be in the ring for too long as he tagged Daisuke back in for him and Zeus to battle it out once again, and they do with them chopping each other on the turnbuckle. The two would have a staredown before chopping each other a bit more until Zeus got the better of Daisuke as he won the chop battle and attempts to go for the Jackhammer until Daisuke reversed it to hit Zeus with a Suplex. The two would try to take each other down with a Lariat as both men wouldn’t fall down upon impact since they both got enough strength to keep going but it was Zeus who won the battle when he hits a Lariat while jumping before he tagged in Bodyguard. The Big Guns throw Jun out of the ring and would attempt a Double Chokeslam onto Daisuke who fights out of it enough for both Jun and Daisuke to apply their submissions onto their opponents but none of them would tap out.
Jun and Daisuke would try to go for their Wrist-Clutch Exploder and German Suplex combo until Zeus grabbed a hold of Daisuke for Big Guns to hits them with a Brainbuster each to get them down and out for the count. Zeus Chokeslams Daisuke and Bodyguard hits an Elbow Drop for a two count and would then hit a Roundhouse Kick and a Lariat for Daisuke to still kick out of it. The match would come to a close when Daisuke hits Bodyguard with the German Suplex Hold as they stay in the race while The Big Guns are eliminated. Since Daisuke pinned Bodyguard, does he get a future All Asia Heavyweight Championship match? I hope so.
Rating: Bruce Prichard and a quarter
12/6/2018
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Naoya Nomura & Yumi Aoyagi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Akiyama
Review: Our first match on this show is NEXTREAM finally making their return to the tournament and they’re opponents are Daisuke Sekimoto and Jun Akiyama. We all know NEXTREAM are mathematically eliminated from the tournament but they could still stack up on a couple of wins to play spoiler right now. Jun and Daisuke are still in the race for the time being but they would have to win this match to keep the ball rolling for the most part. Can Jun and Daisuke do it or will NEXTREAM get their second win finally?
Jun does have a little score to settle with NEXTREAM too since it was them who defeated him and Yuji Nagata for the All Asia Tag Titles a few months ago, so he would definitely wanna get some type of payback on them, even if it’s with a new partner. One little complaint that I have here is Uncle Jun not really going hard on either of these guys as he did with Yoshitatsu or Jake Lee and you can tell when he was stiffing those guys while in here, just doing it normal and just threw me off a little bit. Despite the little nitpick, still a solid match between the two teams as NEXTREAM got sent to their limits once again with the veteran team to go head to head with them, even giving them a run for their money.
Jun delivering his knee strikes and even a Ko-Oh for a two count and before he would hit Nomura with another knee, Nomura would dodge it and hit a Spear onto Jun. NEXTREAM would do their tag team combo with Nomura hitting a Splash off the top rope and then Yuma hitting an Elbow Drop as Jun kicked out at two. Daisuke is in the ring to help Jun out to hold Yuma still while Jun hits him with a knee for another two count and applies the Guillotine Choke while Daisuke hits the Torture Rack onto Nomura for the double submission but none of them would tap out. Jun would go for the Wrist-Clutch Suplex onto Yuma as Daisuke would hit the German to give Jun that extra boost but both men are knocked out as Daisuke would get Jun’s arm over Yuma to get the pinfall and they’re still in the race!
Rating: Eric Bischoff and a quarter
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Zeus & The Bodyguard vs. KAI & Kengo Mashimo
Review: Our main event for this show is KAI and Kengo Mashimo taking on The Big Guns. The Big Guns got eliminated from the last show, but they could at least ruin it for other people in this tournament. KAI and Kengo are still in the running and would be tied for first place if they win this match, but they will be eliminated from the tournament if they do lose this match. Will KAI and Kengo get a win or will they suffer The Big Guns?
Kengo and Zeus do have a bit of a score to settle since Kengo was the one who made Zeus tap out in the Oudou Tournament when Zeus was the champion at the time, so Zeus would want a little bit of payback to redeem that loss by taking Kengo out of this tournament. The Big Guns though are just absolutely dominating this match though since they would just get control straight from the beginning after the usual miscommunication between KAI and Kengo, it was mostly Zeus who was doing the work after Bodyguard started the match off. Kengo would once in a while fight Zeus off but Zeus kept overpowering him and showing why he’s one of All Japan’s best here.
Kengo attempt to go for the tag to KAI but Bodyguard runs into the ring to take KAI out and keep Kengo in the ring for Big Guns to do more damage. Kengo would accidentally hit KAI after he tried to come in and help as The Big Guns would hit Kengo with a Double Chokeslam and as Bodyslam made the cover, KAI would break the count before three. We now have Kengo and Bodyguard alone in the ring while Zeus and KAI fight outside as the two would kick each other back and forth as Bodyguard won the kick off…haha get it? He would hit Kengo with a Lariat for a two count and he attempts to go pick him up, but Kengo rolls him up with a Small Package as KAI and Kengo get another win to stay in the race!
Rating: Eric Bischoff and three quarters
12/8/2018
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Naoya Nomura & Yumi Aoyagi vs. Dylan James & Joe Doering
Review: Our opening match for the final show of this article is NEXTREAM going at it once again as they take on The Bomber. The Bomber are actually in a great spot that they have two more matches left after this one and still ten points under their name, so they could win the whole thing if they win their last three matches and if they did somehow lose one more match, they would still be in the game if they don’t lose another one after. NEXTREAM though could have another win up their sleeve to give them something for the time being. Will NEXTREAM get it or does The Bomber take another victory?
Dylan would attack NEXTREAM after the streamers were thrown into the ring as he started to dominate Nomura in the match. I see that Joe’s shoulder is all healed up too and a little time off was a good idea. The match was short and average as it was just Dylan mostly playing with his food aka beating up Nomura for a couple of minutes. The Bomber would try to go for the Double Piledriver but Yuma would Dropkick Joe before they could even do this and they tried to Double Clothesline Dylan but he hits them both with a Lariat and dominates them once again. Yuma goes for a Crossbody but Dylan catches him as Nomura Dropkicked him down and rolls him up once Yuma moved out of the way as NEXTREAM gets the win after four minutes! As I said before, The Bomber can still win despite the loss but they can’t lose their next match or they’re out.
Rating: Tony Schiavone and a half
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Akiyama
Review: Our next match is Violent Giants taking on Daisuke Sekimoto and Jun Akiyama. I was wondering when this match was going to happen and I’m glad it’s happening now since we might get some stiff action in this bout. Jun and Daisuke would need to win the match in order to stay alive in the tournament and they’ve been on quite the winning streak lately too, so this would be good for them. If Violent Giants do lose, they would still be in the race since they’re still in first place with one more match left after this. Can Violent Giants win or will we have another team tie for first place?
This match is pretty much how I expected it to go with the old school type of wrestling along with just high impact type of wrestling with four of the top guys in the business. Daisuke being in All Japan pretty much made me want to see certain singles matches, like him against either Shuji or Suwama as he did very well with the both of them in the match with his power to match the both of theirs. Daisuke and Suwama going back and forth outside of the ring was a lot of fun seeing them get aggressive to each other but Suwama would win that battle and the Violent Giants start to take control of the match over Daisuke.
Uncle Jun would finally get a tag into the match as he applies the Guillotine onto Suwama to try and make him tap but the hold would be broken. Suwama would hit the Belly-to-Belly Suplex before tagging Shuji in now as he charges into Jun at the turnbuckle and hits him with a Double Stomp off the second rope for a two count. Daisuke gets back into the ring now to apply the Torture Rack onto Shuji and then throws him into Suwama before he now applies the Sharpshooter until there was a rope break. Shuji and Daisuke go back and forth with a Lariat battle until Violent Giants start to hit a double one onto him and just manhandle Daisuke. Violent Giants go for their Double Powerbomb as they get flipped over and Jun goes for the Exploder Suplex onto Suwama as Daisuke does the German combo to get him out of the ring. Daisuke and Shuji are in the ring going at it as Daisuke would hit one big Lariat and gets the win over Violent Giants!
Rating: Bruce Prichard
Real World Tag League 2018 Match
Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu vs. Zeus & The Bodyguard
Review: Our final match for this show and article is The Big Guns taking on Yoshiken. Both of these teams are technically eliminated but they still gotta do the match and I have no doubt they’ll deliver us a fun match. Plus, I get to see Kento and Zeus sharing a ring together again as a little treat for myself. Will Yoshiken get the win at least or will The Big Guns stop their little losing streak for a second time?
We had Kento and Zeus starting the match off here and I’m already hooked into the match as Kento and Zeus sharing the ring is always a treat to see together. There will be a couple of times that Yoshi and Bodyguard will get involved in the match but a good first part of it was mostly Zeus and Kento and I have no problem with that. I really enjoyed this tag match here as all four of them delivered big time here and we got great action from everyone playing their part. Yoshi though really held out his own against Zeus in the match as well and probably one of his better performances in this match-up and hopefully, we can see more of this Yoshi in 2019.
Zeus would attempt to go for the Chokeslam on Yoshi as he powered out of it and Kento would help him out to throw him into the turnbuckle and then Yoshi hits the Tornado DDT for a two count. Zeus is on the turnbuckle as Kento holds his leg still for Yoshi to come up to hits the Superplex as Zeus comes up right away but gets caught in a Spinning Heel Kick. Bodyguard gets in the ring as Yoshiken throw him into the ropes but Bodyguard hits a Clothesline on both of them as he hulks up now and they hit a Double Chokeslam onto Yoshi for a two count. Bodyguard gets Yoshi up on his shoulders to go for a Doomsday Device but Yoshi would duck the Clothesline for Zeus to miss and Kento hits Bodyguard with a Big Boot to get him out of the ring. Kento sees Zeus getting up as he eyes his target for a Blackout to the back of Zeus’ head then hits a German Suplex along with another Blackout with Yoshi topping it off with a Penalty Kick for a one count as Zeus quickly gets back up only to get caught in a Koji Clutch which he tries to break free with Yoshi trying to pin him for a two count. Yoshi gets up quickly to try and hit the Codebreaker of Jericho but Zeus caught him before he could connect and gets him off to hit a Lariat and then hits his Jackhammer as The Big Guns get a win!
Rating: Bruce Prichard
【全日本プロレスTV】
最強タッグも残すところ2大会!
全日本プロレスTVでまとめてチェック!
12月8日大阪大会を見逃し配信中!
是非ご覧ください!#ajpw #ajpwtvhttps://t.co/frk8rvC07K pic.twitter.com/w2CGujd6Hv— AJPW TV/全日本プロレスTV (@AjpwTv) December 9, 2018
Overall: Only two matches were average while the rest of the matches had solid to great matches. We now have a clear idea of how things can go for the last two shows and six matches remaining, so let’s get those done soon.
Favorite Match: Zeus & The Bodyguard vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Akiyama
Least Favorite Match: Naoya Nomura & Yumi Aoyagi vs. Dylan James & Joe Doering
Score: 7.5/10
Current Standings
KAI/Kengo: (6-3) (12 Points)
Jun/Daisuke: (6-3) (12 Points)
The End: (6-3) (12 Points)
Violent Giants: (6-3) (12 Points)
The Bomber: (5-3) (10 Points)
Get Wild: (4-5) (8 Points)
Yoshiken: (4-5) (8 Points)
The Big Guns: (4-5) (8 Points)
Sweeper: (3-6) (6 Points)
Gianni/TAJIRI: (3-6) (6 Points)
NEXTREAM: (2-7) (4 Points)
So we see that four people are tied for first place while The Bomber has two matches left to give them enough time to maybe climb up to catch up with the others.
- The End: They can win if The Bomber lose their next match and they beat Violent Giants at the final show, while The End beats Yoshiken.
- Violent Giants: They need to defeat The Bomber while both Jun/Daisuke and KAI/Kengo lose their matches.
- KAI and Kengo: They defeat Sweeper while The End, Jun/Daisuke, and The Bomber lose their matches
- The Bomber: They win their last two matches.
- Jun and Daisuke: They win their last match while The Bomber loses to Violent Giants.
Who do you have winning it all? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?
Becky Lynch and Nia Jax want to finally put this to an end, so tonight on Raw, it will be a Big Time Last Woman Standing match! Will the Irresistible Force force the WrestleMania 40 match to change?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers; DIY wins and advances to WrestleMania.
- Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Candice & Indi win.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy; wins and advance to WrestleMania.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher; win(s) and advance to WrestleMania.
- Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Jey Uso is here!
North Carolina State University fires up and bounces along with Main Event Jey, and Pat McAfee plays a dangerous game standing on the armchairs! From Bret VS Owen to Matt VS Jeff, we’re about to get Jey VS Jimmy in the third-ever Brother VS Brother WrestleMania grudge match! Jey gets the mic as fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and wants us to check this out. He knows his brothers are somewhere in the building. He knows The Bloodline’s in the building. He knows how the Bloodline rolls! SO Big Brother Jimmy, where you at?! Where you at, Uce!?
Jey waits for someone to show up somewhere, and the crowd spots them first! Fans boo as Jimmy & Solo make their way from the back of the stands. Jimmy gets a mic and goes to the apron while Solo paces around the outside. Fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” again as Jey puts the sunglasses aside. The Usos stare each other down, the fans now chant “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey wants to say something, hesitates, but then says these two would always get to it but they always knew how to shake right back to this. But now it’s different. Regardless of what happened, the bad blood between them, Jey misses his brother. He does.
Jey knows Jimmy will say what he wants, but Jey doesn’t talk to him no more, doesn’t ride with him no more, doesn’t even see him no more! Jimmy can just come back. Jimmy says he never left! He protected Jey! Jey’s so dumb, he can’t see it! Jimmy is protecting Jey! It was Jey’s idea to leave The Bloodline, but Jimmy helped because he is Jey’s brother. So yeah, Jey leaves, and what happens? Lil’ Bro becomes the BIGGEST star on the Raw roster! Lil’ Bro becomes the top merch seller! Lil’ Bro goes off to become a tag team champion without Jimmy, but with CODY RHODES!? Who left who, Uce?
Jey forgot Jimmy! Everything Jey did that was big was cuz of Big Bro Jimmy! Everything! So listen loud and clear. The biggest moment in Jey’s career, the BIGGEST moment, is because of Jimmy! Jimmy stares Jey down, but Jey says no. Jey’s biggest moment in his career is going to be his dream match at WrestleMania 40: Jey VS Jimmy, and Jey knocks the yeet out Jimmy’s ass! Jey DECKS Jimmy, DECKS Solo off the apron, but then Jimmy SUPERKICKS Jey down! The fans boo but now Solo storms in and looms over Jey. Solo drags Jey up so Jimmy can look him in the face and tell him that Jey needs to get it right! JIMMY made Jey!
But here comes Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as Cody DECKS Jimmy, then gets in to springboard and CODY CUTTER Solo!! The American Nightmare said he was gonna be a Bloodline Hunter, and he made sure they didn’t take out Jey! Cody tells The Bloodline it is only a matter of time before they lose it all at WrestleMania! Will Jey prove that younger or older doesn’t matter when he is the BETTER brother?
Adam Pearce is on the phone.
He’s telling Nick Aldis to stop being a hypocrite, telling Pearce to keep his roster in check when this is happening. But then Paul Heyman walks over and Pearce says he’ll call Aldis back. Pearce then asks Heyman what was all that, and Heyman says he owes Pearce an apology. He is sorry. That was not authorized by The Final Boss nor The Tribal Chief, and certainly not by Heyman. Jimmy & Solo went into business for themselves so Heyman apologizes. But listen, Pearce knows that there have been flight delays all day. Even private jets like theirs. Heyman is barely even dressed for TV, let alone has his make-up!
Pearce says those two were ready. Yeah, well, they got in on a different flight. But Roman Reigns is a chief of his word. Those two are already gone, out of the arena, and Pearce has Roman’s word. Call his bluff, put out a search party. Pearce knows Heyman is here on official business, which Heyman will handle, and then be gone. That is it. But when Heyman does his official business… everyone will be caught off guard. “And Mr. Pearce, sir, that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.” The Wise Man heads out and calls Roman, but just what is Heyman teasing?
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers!
Unlike SmackDown’s mini-tournament, Raw and Adam Pearce say it’s win and you’re in! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano want one more shot at Judgment Day, but so do Julius & Brutus! Will the Sicilian Psycho & Johnny Wrestling prove that when it comes to Mania Moments, you gotta do it yourself? Or will the Creeds be bringing golden tickets to the Diamond Mine?
Raw returns as The Creeds make their entrance. The teams fist bump to show respect, then the teams sort out. Julius starts against Ciampa, they circle and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, Ciampa goes for a waistlock but Julius facelocks. Julius wrangles Ciampa to the mat, flips him over, ONE, and Ciampa keeps moving. They trade facelocks, gator roll, and Julius gets another lateral press. ONE, but Julius gator rolls Ciampa around. Ciampa fights up, puts Julius on ropes, and the ref counts. Ciampa lets off, then CHOPS! Julius shoots in for the takedown! Julius has a leg, Ciampa fights but Julius turns him for the ANKLE LOCK!
Ciampa scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, and Julius lets off cleanly. Ciampa bails out, shakes it off, and he gets back in. They go again, Julius hits a fireman’s carry takeover! Tag to Brutus, and Julius feeds Ciampa to another fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus cording holds but Ciampa endures. Ciampa fights up, but Brutus facelocks. The fans rally as Brutus switches and rolls Ciampa. Ciampa fights up, headlocks, then ROCKS Brutus! Brutus DECKS Ciampa, then whips him to ropes. Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges, tag to Gargano! Ciampa slides, CHOPS, Gargano LARIATS and Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Wrench and LARIAT!
Julius runs in, Gargano kicks and Ciampa gives him the boost for SLICED BREAD! The Creeds bail out, but DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go the Creeds, and DIY applaud and pat themselves on the back. The fans fire up and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Ciampa has Julius in a chinlock. The fans rally, Julius fights up to throw body shots, but Ciampa hits a back suplex! Julius lands out of it, but Ciampa elbows him away. Ciampa drop toeholds Julius, gets legs, but Julius BOOTS Ciampa away! Hot tags to Gargano and Brutus! Brutus rallies on DIY, TOSSES Gargano, then blocks Ciampa’s kick to get under and POWERBOMB him! Brutus sees DIY regroup, then he runs in to SPLASH them both! O’Conner on Ciampa, but Gargano runs up! NORTHERN LIGHTS! Brutus has a DOUBLE BRIDGE, TWO!! Tag to Julius and he gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Ciampa!
Brutus helps Julius flip up and over to SPLASH onto Ciampa! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Julius drags Ciampa up. Ciampa throat chops! A bit dirty but Ciampa wants that win! Ciampa storms up on Julius, but Julius basement stalling suplexes!! The fans are thunderous, Gargano runs in, but Brutus intercepts! Brutus suplexes Gargano now, stalls, and then the Creeds SLAM and kip up! Then they both STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa stays in this for DIY but the Creeds keep cool. Julius stomps Ciampa, tags Brutus, and they KNEE Ciampa around! Then they DOUBLE GUTBUSTER! Ciampa sputters but Brutus tags Julius in.
Julius drags Ciampa up, tags Brutus back in, and Brutus climbs. Julius Electric Chair Lifts, but Gargano makes the save! Gargano ROCKS Julius, Brutus ROCKS Gargano! Ciampa BOOTS Brutus, Gargano swings on Julius but is sent into Ciampa! Ciampa pushes Gargano back so he can ELBOW Julius! DIY set up again but Brutus stops the Sliced Bread! Julius DECKS Ciampa, KNEE into the WIDOWMAKER! Julius scrapes Gargano out, Brutus POUNCES Ciampa over the desk! Pat fires up with Brutus and so do the fans! The Creeds say they run this now, and then Brutus drags Ciampa up while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Julius has Ciampa in a chinlock. Ciampa fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free! Ciampa ELBOWS Brutus down, BOOTS Julius, then runs up, only for Julius to catch him and toss him back! But then Ciampa catches Julius for a REVERSE DDT! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling! Hot tag to Gargano! Gargano slingshots to KICK Julius, then he CLOBBERS Brutus! ENZIGIRI for Julius, then he runs to DOUBLE KNEE Brutus! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano while Julius ends up in another corner. Gargano runs in but is put on the apron!
Gargano GAMANGIRIS Julius, SUPERKICKS Brutus, then SLINGSHOT SPEARS Julius! Cover, TWO! Julius survives but Gargano puts him in a corner. Gargano CHOPS, then hoists Julius up top. Tag to Ciampa, Ciampa CHOPS Julius while Gargano DIVES onto Brutus! Ciampa CHOPS Julius again, goes up top, and fireman’s carries! Ciampa then tucks Julius in for the SUPER AIR RAID CRASH! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives again and shocks Ciampa! The fans are just as stunned, but Ciampa and Julius sit up. Ciampa stands, and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Julius sits back up as Ciampa puts some stank on the CHOP!
Julius brings the straps down! Julius fires a forearm, Ciampa hits back, and the fans fire up as the shots keep going! They go faster and faster, harder and harder, meaner and meaner! The fans fire up as this just turns into a brawl of haymakers and SLAPS! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and HAYMAKER! ROLLING- TACKLE from Julius! And then the ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa reaches out, moves around, but Gargano runs up! Julius kicks him, then gets him up with one arm to POWERBOMB! Then it’s back to the ANKLE LOCK on Ciampa! Brutus gets in to get Gargano for an ANKLE LOCK of his own!
The fans are thunderous as DIY endures! Ciampa and Gargano fight, turn things over, SICILIAN CROSSFACE and GargaNO Escape!! The fans are thunderous as The Creeds power up and lift both DIY! They fireman’s carry, then TOSS DIY into each other!! The fans are thunderous as Julius goes up to MOONSAULT onto Ciampa! Brutus MOONSAULTS, too! Cover, TWO?!?! Ciampa survives and the fans are loving this! Julius tags back in, Brutus climbs up! “This is Awesome!” as Julius Electric Chair Lifts Ciampa! But Ciampa VICTORY ROLLS to get under the Brutus Ball!! Cover, Brutus tips it! Gargano TOSSES Brutus then SUPERKICKS Julius!! Ciampa has the cover, DIY WINS!!
Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
Julius can’t believe it! He kicked out at 3.1, but a loss is a loss! And for the first time ever, DIY is going to Mania! Will Philadelphia soon be historic for a DIY championship victory?
Judgment Day meets backstage.
Rhea Ripley is with Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, but also Andrade. Dom says he’s always liked Andrade’s style, but things have changed since the last time he was in the WWE. The Judgment Day runs Raw now. Rhea says yeah, and they don’t extend invitations to just anyone. Judgment Day is very exclusive. JD says very exclusive. But if Andrade continues to impress them, they’ll see about making things happen. And Finn says he just heard that Andrade has a match next week, so the Judgment Day will be watching him. Sounds good. See you next week. But then in steps Damian Priest.
The Punisher says hello to El Idolo, and El Idolo says hello to Senor Dinero. Andrade heads out, will he quite literally win his way into the club? But as for Priest, Finn asks him what he was up to. Priest was getting a closer look at that DIY VS Creeds match. DIY won, but whatever, they can handle those guys. But JD, they thought he could handle Ricochet last week, and run the gauntlet, and then go to WrestleMania to bring even more gold back to Judgment Day. JD says he did he belonged in there. But also, he battered Ricochet, who got lucky at the end there. Right, Finn? Finn hesitates, and Rhea says Priest is right on this one.
Ricochet made a fool out of JD! A fool? Yes. A fool? Yes. That’s why tonight, Dom will make it right. Right, Dom? Yeah, Mami. Let’s go talk to Pearce to make it official. Dom & JD head out, and the others are confident Dom’s got this. But does he, though? Or will the One and Only have two wins over Judgment Day in as many weeks?
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!
The Poison Pixie certainly lived up to that name last week when she bullied Maxxine Dupri as part of beating her and Ivy Nile last week. Will Candice’s toxic tongue strike again? Or will the party not be stopped by her harsh vibes?
The teams sort out and Candice starts against Kayden. Candice rushes up, Kayden gets around and O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Kayden stalks Candice, Candice ELBOWS her away then tags Indi. Kayden dodges Candice to SUPERKICK, but Indi BOOTS Kayden! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Kayden up, tags Candice back in, and they mug Kayden. Candice CLUBS away on Kayden, fires off furious fists, then covers. TWO, and Candice grows frustrated already. The fans rally, Candice steps up but Kayden avoids the senton! Tags to Katana and Indi! Katana blasts past Indi, comes back and BULLDOGS!
Katana keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS Indi to a corner! The fans fire up as Katana stomps away on Indi! Indi shoves Katana, Katana runs corner to corner to A-LIST LARIAT! Katana shoves Indi down, runs up, but into a back suplex! Katana lands out, but her leg jams! The ref and Kayden check, then the ref keeps Indi back. Indi says okay, and she stays by Candice. But Candice tags in to WRECK Kayden! And she SLAMS Katana’s leg into the post!! HALF CRAB and DEEP! Katana taps, Candice & Indi win!
Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission
Candice smiles and celebrates with Indi, but Indi doesn’t want to. Candice says a win is a win, but just what is going on in her toxic mind?
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We’re just one step away from the Cup!
Cold Skull faces The Fierce Warrior, and Gene Blast faces The King of Darkness, and when the smoke clears, we will have our New Japan Cup finalists!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls; ZSJ & Mikey win.
- Six Man Tag: El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe VS Just5Guys; Just5Guys win.
- Tanga Loa & Ryusuke Taguchi VS Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman; Loa & Taguchi win.
- Six Man Tag: YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Hiroyoshi Tenzan VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
- 8 Man Tag: Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & YOH VS The House of Torture; Shota, ELP, Leo & Yoh win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The United Empire; LIJ wins.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL; Tsuji wins and advances to the finals.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto; Goto wins and advances to the finals.
PLAY BY PLAY
2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL w/ Dick Togo!
The Gene Blast overcame the tricks Ren Narita tried, but that’s because the House of Torture was saving all the good stuff so they could slay the Rampaging Dragon. Will the deck be even more stacked to make sure Everything is Evil’s? Or will Yota be one step away from LIJ VS LIJ at Sakura Genesis?
Well, Dick is making his way out here, but where is Evil? Oh, there he is. No tricks just yet it seems. But then Yota DIVES onto Evil! The fans fire up but Dick attacks Yota! Dick whips, Yota stops himself, and then scoops Dick for a BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Yota wants the bell. The ref says yes, ring the bell, and this is on the record! Yota stomps and CLUBS Evil, then whips, but Evil reverses! Yota hits railing, and then Evil whips him into more railing! Evil CHOKES Yota against the railing, Yota fights back, but the ref gets knocked aside! Evil puts Yota in so he and Dick can stomp away!
The fans boo but here comes the rest of the House already! Narita, Yujiro, Kanemaru and Jack all stomp away on Yota, but here come Bushi & Hiromu! It’s a replay of yesterday as LIJ fights off the House, but the numbers are still against them! The ref rushes in to tell everyone to stop! Evil shoves the ref out of the ring, Yota fires off on him, but Evil CLAWS Yota’s eyes! The House CHOKES LIJ, but the ref says stop! The bell rings, but what is the decision!? NO CONTEST!?
No Contest
What does this mean!? Someone has to advance, right? The finals aren’t until the 20th, how can there be a no contest? The House started this, where’re the consequences?! Yota gets up but Evil TOSSES him back out! LIJ regroups and Yota asks for a mic. Yota tells Evil that he’s sick and tired of this! They ARE gonna finish this match! The fans like the sound of that! All the refs come out, including Red Shoes, to discuss how this will be handled. For starters, they tell all the extras to get outta here! LIJ is cool with that, and Hiromu tells the House to come along. Evil says fine, and Jack, Kanemaru, Narita, Yujiro and even Dick reluctantly exit.
The announcement is officially made, and the bell rings! Yota and Evil rush in, Evil kicks low but Yota CLUBS away on Evil! Evil CLAWS the eyes! Evil kicks, runs, RAMS, but Yota rebounds to run Evil over! Then run and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Yota fires up and the fans are with him! Evil bails out but the fans rally for Yota. Evil wants Yota to stay back, then he slides in, only to slide right out! Yota runs out after Evil, but Evil kicks him! Evil RAMS Yota into the timekeeper! Abe-san and his table go flying! Evil gets the mic to tell Yota that this is what he gets! The fans boo but Evil tells them off, too! Evil stomps Yota then soaks up the heat.
Evil unties the blue buckle pad himself, then waits in the ring. The ref checks Yota and the fans rally up again. The Young Lions help Abe-san while Yota drags himself up. Yota slides in, the fans cheer, but Evil pulls on Yota’s hair! Evil wrenches the hair, then wrenches it again! And again! Evil CLUBS the hair! The ref reprimands but Evil just dusts off his hands. Evil covers, but the ref refuses to count! Evil is furious but he’s the one up to no good! The ref still says no, so Evil stands on Yota’s head. The fans rally up, Yota rises, and he grins as he winds up to ROCK Evil with a forearm! And ROCK him with another!
Yota ROCKS Evil again, but Evil whips him into the bare buckles! Yota falls and the ref reprimands about the missing buckle pad. Evil stomps Yota, covers, TWO! The fans cheer but Evil is annoyed. Evil scuffs Yota, taunts him, and drags him up. Evil CHOPS, Yota drops to his knees, but Evil stands him back up. Evil CHOPS again and Yota grits his teeth as he drops to his knees! Evil stands Yota up again, to fake the chop to CLAW the eyes! The ref reprimands, Evil lets off, and then Evil stands on Yota in a corner. The ref counts, Evil lets go of the ropes but that’s not the problem! Evil steps away, drags Yota up but claims he’s dead weight.
The ref checks, Evil stands Yota up and wrenches an arm. Evil whips Yota into a corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Evil runs in again, blocks the boot, but Yota brings Evil in for the STOMP! The fans fire up while Yota rests on the mat. The fans rally up and Yota rises again. Evil’s in the corner, runs out, but into the BACKBREAKER! COMPLETE SHOT! STOMP! The fans fire up again as Yota stands back up. Yota runs, to CURB STOMP!! Yota roars and the fans fire up again! Evil flounders while Yota aims. Yota runs in, but the ref is used as a shield! Evil kicks Yota low, then uses the ref in MAGIC KILLER!
All three men are down while the fans rally up again. Evil stands, he brings Yota up, and the ref also rises. Evil whips Yota into the bare buckles, then clotheslines him in! Then FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, but Evil lets off?! Evil wants to torture Yota but it’s hard to say if Yota is still even in this. Yota opens his eyes, rises up, but Evil fireman’s carries! DARKNESS FALLS! Cover, TWO!! Yota survives, the fans fire up, but Evil is furious! Evil slashes his throat and vows to end this now! Evil drags Yota up, spins him around, but Yota fights the STO with elbows! Evil kicks low, whips again, but Yota stops from hitting buckles!
Evil runs in, Yota dodges and Evil hits the buckles! SUPERKICK!! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! We’re only ten minutes into this new match but this is on top of the madness from earlier. Evil drags Yota up, but Yota ROCKS Evil! Evil fights Yota’s fireman’s carry and CLUBS him, but both men wobble. Evil LARIATS, but Yota stays up! The fans fire up but Evil swings to LARIAT again! Yota drops to a knee, but he grins through the pain! Evil says alright, and he throws off his elbow pad. Evil runs to LARIAT! Yota grits his teeth to stay up! V-TRIGGER! Yota brings Evil in, suplexes, ORANGE CRUSH! Cover, TWO!!
Evil is still in this but the fans rally behind Yota again. Yota rises, drags Evil up, and then goes to the corner. Yota goes up and up and Evil moves the ref into the way! The ref takes the FLYING CURB STOMP!!! And now the House returns! The fans boo as Kanemaru, Dick, Yujiro, Narita & Jack all stomp away on Yota again! The fans tell them to go home, again, but these guys don’t care! They just put one out on Yota. They whip Yota to a corner, then DIck runs in to ELBOW! Kanemaru ELBOWS! Yujiro BOOTS! Jack SPLASHES! Narita ELBOWS! Then they snapmare and set Yota up! Dick climbs for the DICK CHOP!!
The fans boo but the House applauds their own dirtiness. But here come Bushi & Hiromu again! But they just get mugged again! They set Hiromu up for the DICK CHOP, while Bushi gets a JACK CHOP! The House then slithers away before a replacement ref rushes out here. Evil drags Yota up, winds up and runs, to LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!! Yota survives and the fans are thunderous! Evil is at a loss for words, but he slashes his throat! He vows to end it for real, and he reels Yota in. EVERYTHING IS- Yota flips through!? And HEADBUTTS!! The fans fire up as Yota reels Evil in for a fireman’s carry! 70 CROSS!! Cover, TWO!!
Evil survives the swinging spinebuster and the House cheers! Yota drags himself to a corner, drags himself up with the ropes, and roars as he takes aim! Evil rises, but Yujiro distracts! Dick runs in, but gets a V-TRIGGER! The ref sees Dick, but misses the LOW BLOW! Then Evil RAMS Yota into the ref! That’s the second ref this match! Narita gets his push-up bar! The others set Yota up, but here comes SHINGO TAKAGI! The Rampaging Dragon has seen enough, and he’s still pissed from yesterday as it is! He dodges Narita to PUMPING BOMBER! Kanemaru & Yujiro kick Takagi, double whip, but he DOUBLE PUMPING BOMBERS!!
Jack gets in, but he gets ELBOW, JAB and YUKON LARIAT! Evil runs up but Takagi SWATS Evil’s lariat to JAB! Then feed to Hiromu’s SUPERKICK! Hiromu & Takagi set Evil up for Bushi’s BLACK MIST!! Evil can’t see, the PUMPING BOMBER turns him inside-out!! The fans are thunderous as LIJ helps Yota up! Red Shoes hurries out here, and Yota aims at Evil! GENE BLASTER!!! Cover, Yota wins!!!
Winner: Yota Tsuji, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
The House of Torture ran out of tricks, and now there is light at the end of the tournament! Will Yota do LIJ proud and bring home the Cup?
2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!
One down, one to go. Yota Tsuji has made it through, now we see who joins him in the finals! Will the Cold Skull or Fierce Warrior be the one that steps closer to former glory?
The bell rings and the fans duel between “GO-TO-O!” and “SA-NA-DA!” Red Shoes measures the levels, and it seems to slightly favor Goto. Goto and Sanada circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. Goto gets some leverage to put Sanada against ropes, but he lets off slowly. Goto pats Sanada on the shoulders and the fans cheer. The two reset, circle again, and tie up again. It’s another deadlock, but again Goto finds a way to put Sanada on ropes. Sanada turns things around, lets off slowly, and also pats Goto on the shoulders. The fans applaud and the two reset again. They feel things out, knuckle lock, then move to a clinch.
They fight for control, Sanada starts pushing Goto towards a corner but Goto slips away. They feel things out, knuckle lock again, then break. They tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, Goto waistlocks, but Sanada wrenches to wristlock. Goto rolls, wrenches, wristlocks, but Sanada spins, wrenches, only for Goto to roll! Goto gets a leg to trip Sanada up, and he has a toehold. Sanada fights back with a chinlock but Goto pulls on the leg. Sanada uses his free leg to hook Goto into an ARMBAR, but Goto clasps hands! Goto moves around, pops free, then headlocks. Sanada fights up, Goto grinds the headlock, but Sanada throws body shots.
Sanada powers up and out, but Goto runs him over! The fans rally as things speed up, and Goto counters hip toss with hip toss! Goto runs and he clotheslines Sanada up and out! The fans fire up and Goto slides out after Sanada. Goto stomps Sanada, drags him up, then CLUBS him on the neck! Sanada staggers, Goto CHOPS him, then kicks him, then CLUBS him! Goto whips but Sanada stops himself from hitting railing! Goto runs in but Sanada drop toeholds him into the railing! Goto goes down in a heap, but Sanada opens the gate. Sanada brings Goto through, then to the crowd! PILEDRIVER to the bare floor!
The fans are stunned but Red Shoes reprimands. Sanada leaves Goto behind and slides into the ring. The fans rally for Goto as the ring count begins. Goto crawls at 5 of 20, finds his way to ringside at 10, but still hobbles and crawls. He stands at 17 to slide in! The fans cheer, but Sanada stomps Goto. Sanada drags Goto up, CLUBS him on the neck, then brings him back up to CLUB him again. Goto CHOPS! And CHOPS! Sanada eggs Goto on so Goto CHOPS again! Goto whips, Sanada reverses to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Sanada keeps cool and sits Goto up into a chinlock. Goto endures and the fans rally again.
Goto kicks forward, reaches out, but Sanada cranks on the hold! Goto keeps fighting, and has the ROPEBREAK! Sanada lets go cleanly, but then he stomps Goto while he’s down. Sanada then stands Goto up to CLUB him on the neck. Goto CHOPS in return! And CHOPS, and CHOPS, and has Sanada in a corner! Goto CHOPS again, then whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, but Sanada BOOTS first! Sanada runs, Goto follows, and Goto LARIATS Sanada down! The fans fire up and Goto rises, clutching his neck. Goto stands Sanada up to fire off forearms, then he whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, MURAMASA!
Sanada wobbles, into the SAIDO! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up while Goto grits his teeth. Goto drags Sanada up, fireman’s carries, but Sanada fights free! Sanada waistlocks, Goto throws elbows, then runs. Sanada hurdles, hurdles, and DROPKICKS! Goto tumbles out of the ring, Sanada PLANCHAS him down! The fans fire up and Sanada encourages them to get louder. The fans get louder and Sanada appreciates it. Sanada then goes back for Goto, brings him up and puts him in the ring. Sanada fireman’s carries but Goto throws elbows! Sanada turns around into Goto’s fireman’s carry, but then slips out into the dragon sleeper!
But Goto arm-drags free! Sanada kicks low, runs, but Goto follows! Sanada dodges this time, runs again, but Goto still follows! Sanada sidesteps this time, but Goto holds ropes to avoid the hurdle! Goto runs in, but Sanada fireman’s carries! T K O! Cover, TWO! Goto is still in this and the fans rally up! Sanada goes up the corner, ROUNDING BODY- NO, Sanada has to land out as Goto moves! Sanada runs in, but into the fireman’s carry! USHIGOROSHI! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! They cheer on “GO-TO-O!” but the “SA-NA-DA!” chants are still there. Red Shoes checks them both, and both men slowly rise.
The two crawl towards each other, and Goto fires a forearm! Sanada shakes his head, eggs Goto on, so Goto throws another! Goto eggs Sanada on, so Sanada fires a forearm! Goto fires a forearm back, and the two stand. Sanada UPPERCUTS! Goto comes back to forearm! Sanada UPPERCUTS again, and Goto drops back to a knee! The fans rally, Goto stands again, and he forearms! UPPERCUT, forearm, repeat! Goto growls, fires a flurry of forearms, and he ROCKS Sanada! Sanada drops to his hand and knees but Goto powers up! Goto KICKS but Sanada blocks! Goto fires more forearms, then waistlocks, but Sandaa fights free!
Sanada runs, but Goto fireman’s carries! And he throws Sanada into the dragon sleeper! But Sanada turns around and suplexes, for MAGIC SCREW! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Sanada roars as he rises up, and he aims from a corner. Sanada wants Goto to get up, and Goto sits up, into the SHINING WIZARD! Sanada then dragon sleepers, for the SKULL END!! Goto endures, flails, reaches out, but he’s caught in the body scissors! Goto fights around but he’s fading! The fans rally, Goto’s hand drops! Sanada lets him go to then climb! ROUNDING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO!!
The fans fire up as Goto survives but Sanada storms around. Sanada drags Goto up, reels him in and clinches, but Goto slips free to shove Sanada away! Sanada forearms, ROLLING- HEADBUTT from Goto! The fans fire up and duel, and Goto drags Sanada up. But Sanada breaks free! Goto HEADBUTTS again! Sanada falls back down and Goto steadies himself. Goto roars, the fans are with him, and Goto sits Sanada up. Goto runs to PENALTY KICK! Shoutout to Shibata and the fans fire up more! Sanada grits his teeth as he sits back up but Goto takes aim! BUZZSAW! And then he hauls Sanada up to dragon sleeper! G T- BACKSLIDE COUNTER! TWO!!!
Sanada and Goto hurry up, Sanada dodges to O’Conner BRIDGE!! TWO?!!? Goto escapes and shocks everyone! Sanada resets, runs in, SHINING WIZARD!! The fans are thunderous as Sanada roars and drags Goto back up! Clinch and DEAD- NO, Goto slips around to ripcord and fireman’s carry! G T W!! Cover, TWO?!?!? Sanada survives but Goto is all fired up! The fans are thunderous as Goto dragon sleepers for G T R!!! Cover, GOTO WINS!!!
Winner: Hirooki Goto, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
Don’t call it a comeback, Goto’s been here for years! Sanada’s hopes of being IWGP World Heavyweight Champion again have been delayed, how long must he wait for another chance?
As for Goto, he’s going back to the New Japan Cup Finals for the first time since 2016, and his seventh overall! But before he can get the mic to speak, Yota makes his way back out here. Yota steps into the ring and he gets the mic first. Yota tells Goto, “In order to open the door to a new era, we must do this.” The fans applaud that, and Yota continues by asking Goto, “Are you ready?!” Yota drops the mic at Goto’s feet, and Goto stands up to speak. “I also have something I want to show you. As a three-time New Japan Cup Champion, I will show you my strength.” The fans like the sound of that!
The Fierce Warrior stares down with Gene Blast, a true generational showdown on the horizon! Will Goto return not juts to former glory, but finally ascend to top of NJPW? Or will Yota make it LIJ VS LIJ for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?
My Thoughts:
A great semifinal round for this tournament, with quite a surprising main event. Sanada VS Goto was great stuff, and while I felt Sanada wasn’t winning the Cup, I didn’t think he’d be out this round. Yota VS Evil was rather creatively put together, too. I did not think the House would get so involved that at first it was a No Contest but then they restart under a ringside ban. Takagi making sure Yota won was good stuff, too, maybe we can get Takagi VS Evil for the NEVER Openweight Championship if they’re not gonna circle back to more Shota Umino VS House of Torture stuff.
Goto VS Yota is going to be great stuff, and Goto is clearly a top utility guy. He’s had so many New Japan Cup finals appearances, certainly among the most ever, but I don’t think he gets a fourth Cup win against Yota, one of the “new era Musketeers” that NJPW clearly loves. Yota VS Naito is definitely the title match for Sakura Genesis.
My Score: 8.9/10
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