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Andrew’s G1 Climax 29 Ratings & Analysis: Night 11 A Block

Does Okada fall to a trap match? Who is England’s Top Talent? Let’s find out!

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Does Okada fall to a trap match? Who is England’s Top Talent? Let’s find out!

So it’s this point in the tournament when you start seeing crazy upsets. If Okada wins his match, there’s a good chance that half of A Block gets eliminated.

If I were to venture a guess at upsets, I’d guess Lance Archer and SANADA. SANADA because KENTA has finally proven to be mortal, plus SANADA deserves a damn win. Archer because Okada sometimes struggles with bigger guys as well as, he needs to lose for the last few events of the year.

Time to see if the Okada run away train continues.

Ratings:

  • Hirooki Goto, Yota Tsuji & YOSHI-HASHI vs Tomohiro Ishii, Yuya Uemura & Tomoaki Honma: YOSHI-HASHI wins via Butterfly Lock @9:25 – ***
  • Jon Moxley & Shota Umino vs Toru Yano & Ren Narita: Yano wins via Roll-Up @4:10 – **
  • Jay White, Chase Owens & Yujio Takahashi vs Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi: Chase wins via Package Piledriver @7:40 – ** 1/2
  • Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito vs Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare: Takagi wins via Pumping Bomber @9:25 – ** 1/2
  • A Block: Bad Luck Fale vs Kota Ibushi: Ibushi wins via Kamigoye @9:25 – ** 
  • A Block: Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay : Sabre wins via Modified Grounded Octopus Hold @20:00 – *** 1/2
  • A Block: Lance Archer vs Kazuchika Okada: Okada wins via Rainmaker @14:15 – *** 3/4
  • A Block: SANADA vs KENTA: SANADA wins via Moonsault @16:10 – *** 1/4
  • A Block: EVIL vs Hiroshi Tanahashi: Tanahashi wins via High Fly Flow @23:00 – *** 3/4

 

Analysis:

Hirooki Goto, Yota Tsuji & YOSHI-HASHI vs Tomohiro Ishii, Yuya Uemura & Tomoaki Honma – Ishii and Goto always bring the competitive fire before and after being stablemates. Yuya had a good showing in this match, but this was more to try and help YOSHI-HASHI change the perception of fans. He’s picked up a few wins during the tags, but he’s still YOSHI-HASHI…soo…I’ll pass.

Jon Moxley & Shota Umino vs Toru Yano & Ren Narita – Moxley wants to see Yano’s DVD, Yano tells him “5,000 yen!” So Shota goes out, borrows the money and while Yano is counting Moxley tries to roll him up and the cash goes flying.  After that, we get a few shenanigans that ends with Yano low blowing and rolling up Shooter. Yano then runs away with the money and his DVD.

Jay White, Chase Owens & Yujio Takahashi vs Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi  –  We had a big 6 man brawl for the first few minutes that resulted in a funny moment. The referee eventually gets sick of the crap and starts counting, when he gets to 19, everyone stares at one another, says “Shit”, and you see all 6 slide in unaware of who was legal. This was fun, we saw shimmers of the serious Taichi when he squared off with Jay, so I’m looking forward to what the match could be.

Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito vs Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare  –  This was an odd match. Naito and Juice spun off into a scrap on the floor for the end of the match and after, but the rest seemed tame to boring. Cobb and Shingo didn’t have a ton of heat. BUSHI and Henare were just added for some bumps and for one to eat a pin. It was fine, but really nothing special.

A Block: Bad Luck Fale vs Kota Ibushi  –  Even though he’s not trying to get eliminated this year, Fale’s matches still follow that obvious heel mugging motif. Ibushi had to fight from under a mugging, it was a little annoying because it feels like it’s every match, so my tolerance is lost. Thank God Ibushi didn’t fall to the numbers game. Skippable.

A Block: Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay – The beginning of this match definitely shows the familiarity between both men, as you get mini flashes of their signature style. It takes a bit of time to build to the crescendo. Ospreay could never really string together a ton of offense, and Sabre catches him in a few submissions. He locks in the Grounded Octopus and adds an arm a capture to it. I don’t think it was any of his long winded move names, but it didn’t look comfortable.

A Block: Lance Archer vs Kazuchika Okada – Archer beat the hell out of Okada early, he scared children in the audience, but it wasn’t quite enough. This tournament has been fantastic to make Archer into a legit badass. Okada also makes good on the match by going to the child that Archer made cry and shaking his hand. So the good guy beat the bad guy, and Okada is 6-0.

A Block: SANADA vs KENTA – Even though SANADA walked out freshly eliminated because of Okada’s win, the spoiler angle came into play quickly. The crowd was very much behind SANADA, and this was an alright match. A few hiccups and sloppy transitions/counters, but SANADA finally gets a decent win in the tournament.

A Block: EVIL vs Hiroshi Tanahashi – I’m not really sure how to feel about this match. An outside High Fly Flow very noticeably saw Tanahashi’s knee hit the thin outside mat. So from then on he was obviously hampered. Awkward submission attempts, a readjustment on a Slingblade was just weird and it was a little rough. However, unlike a few other matches where it seemed like crap that he won, this played out more like him overcoming the injuries. Not a bad match, rough at times and this is probably the apparition of a beckoning end for Tanahashi’s career, unless he takes extended time off.

 

Overall Score: 6/10

So this day was kinda lame. No match really jumped up and grabbed you, and the Tanahashi match was the best of the day, but hampered by hiccups and awkward spots. We see a continued dominance by Okada, which I hope there’s a good payoff since, fans got bored real quickly of the Superman Okada stuff during the second half of his 730 day reign.

Who will beat Okada? I mean really…who.

Block A Standings:

  • Kazuchika Okada: 6-0 (12 Points)
  • KENTA: 4-2 (8 Points)
  • Kota Ibushi: 4-2 (8 Points)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 4-2 (8 Points)
  • EVIL: 3-3 (6 Points)
  • Will Ospreay: 2-4 (4 Points) – ELIMINATED
  • Lance Archer: 2-4 (4 Points) – ELIMINATED
  • SANADA: 2-4 (4 Points) – ELIMINATED
  • Zack Sabre Jr: 2-4 (4 Points) – ELIMINATED
  • Bad Luck Fale: 1-5 (2 Points) – ELIMINATED


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Coverage

Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/20/24)

The moment of truth!

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Past clashes with present to create the future of NJPW!

Hirooki Goto seeks his FOURTH New Japan Cup championship while Yota Tsuji wants his first. Who will face Tetsuya Naito at Sakura Genesis?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi VS Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima; Bushi & Hiromu win.
  • Six Man Tag: Tomohiro Ishii, Tanga Loa & Ryusuke Taguchi VS The United Empire; The Untied Empire wins.
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls VS Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman; ZSJ & Mikey win.
  • Six Man Tag: YOSHI-HASHI, Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
  • Six Man Tag: Shota Umino, El Desperado & Yuji Nagata VS The House of Torture; House of Torture wins.
  • YOH VS Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Yoh wins.
  • 10 Man Tag: Just5Guys VS Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Jado, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg; Leo, ELP, Jado, Yano & Boltin win.
  • Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi VS EVIL & Dick Togo; Naito & Takagi win.
  • 2024 New Japan Cup Final: Hirooki Goto VS Yota Tsuji; Tsuji wins and will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis.

PLAY BY PLAY

YOH VS Yoshinobu Kanemaru!

Direct Drive wants after the Murder Machine, but Sho is claiming he’s all hurt from his match against Tetsuya Naito back at the Anniversary Show. However, the Heel Master is looking to stop Yoh before he ever gets close to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship! Will Kanemaru protect Sho from Yoh? Or will nothing stop the Roppongi 3K grudge match?

Yoh walks out, showing off the belt he stole as payback for all of Sho’s messing around, but wait! SHO attacks?! He’s not hurt at all! We should’ve known that was all a farce! Kanemaru joins in but the ref reprimands Sho for even showing up! The fans boo but Kanemaru gets Yoh in the ring. Sho then joins in and the mugging continues! The fans continue to boo, the ref continues to reprimand, and he tells Sho he has to get out. Sho exits the ring but Kanemaru still stomps Yoh. The bell rings to get this on record, and Kanemaru stomps Yoh more. Kanemaru uses Yoh’s own jacket to CHOKE him!

The ref reprimands and the fans boo, but Kanemaru lets off at 4. Yoh coughs and sputters, Kanemaru brings him up, and Kanemaru CLUBS Yoh on the neck. Kanemaru whips corner to corner, then runs to BOOT! Kanemaru brings Yoh out but Yoh fires forearms in return! Kanemaru knees low, runs, but Yoh drops to then bypass and drop toehold! Kanemaru stays up, grabs at the ref, but Yoh gets away fast! Yoh throws hands, whips, but Kanemaru reverses and Sho trips Yoh up! The fans boo as Kanemaru keeps the ref from seeing Sho whip Yoh into railing! Yoh falls in a heap but Sho hauls him up, to whip into more railing!

The fans boo but Sho acts like he is concerned for the ref. Kanemaru goes out to drag Yoh up and scoop to SLAM! Kanemaru then slides back into the ring, the ring count begins, and Yoh writhes at 5 of 20. Yoh grits his teeth, drags himself up, and slides in at 14! Kanemaru brings Yoh up to TOSS back out, and then Kanemaru distracts the ref so Sho can attack! The fans boo again but Sho puts Yoh in the ring. Kanemaru covers, TWO! The fans cheer, but then Kanemaru suplexes Yoh high and hard! Yoh writhes, Kanemaru KNEES him in the back again and again and again! Kanemaru grabs the arms to make it a motorcycle stretch!

Yoh endures, the fans rally, and Yoh fights around. But Kanemaru wrangles him and then stands on the shoulder blades! Yoh endures, kicks and flails, but Kanemaru keeps Yoh down. Yoh still fights over, reaches out, and has the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer, but then Kanemaru distracts and Sho drags Yoh out! Sho RAMS Yoh into railing and the fans boo again! Kanemaru goes out to get Yoh, and whips him hard into railing! Yoh staggers out through the gate into No Man’s Land, but Kanemaru pursues. Kanemaru stomps Yoh around, then drags him back up. Kanemaru brings Yoh over to APRON BACK SUPLEX!

Yoh writhes and flops off the apron while Kanemaru rolls back into the ring. The fans rally as the ring count begins again. The ref also makes sure Sho stays back, but Yoh is still down at 10 of 20. Yoh grabs at the apron skirt, drags himself up, but is still down at 15! And then 18! Yoh springs in at 19! The fans cheer, Sho is upset, but Kanemaru clamps right on with a CAMEL CLUTCH! The fans rally as Yoh endures being bent way back! Yoh kicks around again, and has another ROPEBREAK! Kanemaru kneels on Yoh as he lets off, but stands up at 4. Kanemaru then stomps Yoh around, but Yoh eggs him on.

Kanemaru stomps Yoh in the corner, but Yoh fires forearms in return! Kanemaru claws the eyes! Kanemaru whips, Yoh holds ropes, and then Yoh BOOTS! Yoh runs up but Kanemaru BOOTS! Kanemaru kicks but Yoh blocks to DRAGON SCREW! The fans fire up while both men are down! Yoh and Kanemaru stir, and Yoh goes to a corner. Yoh stands, runs up, and he CLOBBERS Kanemaru! And CLOBBERS him again! Yoh whips, Kanemaru reverses but Yoh FLYING FOREARMS! The fans rally and Yoh grits his teeth while clutching his back. Kanemaru is in a corner, Yoh fires up and the fans are with him!

Yoh runs in to ELBOW Kanemaru, then reels him in for the NECKBREAKER! Yoh keeps going, HALF HATCH BRIDGE! TWO, but the fans rally up again. Yoh drags Kanemaru up, kicks low and scoops to SLAM him in the drop zone. Yoh goes up and up, but Kanemaru avoids the twisting senton! Kanemaru drags Yoh back up, whips corner to corner, then back drops Yoh on the rebound! Kanemaru scoops to SLAM Yoh into the drop zone, then flips him over. Kanemaru goes up to MOONSAULT onto Yoh’s back! And then, BOSTON CRAB! Yoh endures and the fans rally as Kanemaru sits deep on the hold!

Yoh grits his teeth and powers up! The fans rally as Yoh fights his way around, reaches out, and has the ROPEBREAK! Kanemaru lets go in frustration but he goes right up top! Kanemaru tells Yoh to get up, and Yoh stands, into the DEEP- NO, Yoh gets around to waistlock! Kanemaru grabs the ref! The ref slaps Kanemaru’s hands away and Yoh GERMAN SUPLEXES! Bridging cover, TWO! Kanemaru survives but Yoh keeps his cool. Yoh drags Kanemaru up, reels him in and suplexes, but Kanemaru slips free! He shoves Yoh into the ref! Kanemaru ENZIGIRIS Yoh, and Sho unties the blue buckle pad!

Kanemaru crawls over there and eggs Yoh on. Yoh runs in, and the buckle pad goes away! Yoh hits bare steel! Kanemaru whips Yoh back into the buckles, then trips him for the BOSTON CRAB!! Yoh endures, the fans rally, and the ref is back. Sho taunts Yoh but Yoh fights his way over. Kanemaru drags him back! HALF CRAB! Yoh endures, Kanemaru steps over to have a deep angle, but Yoh scrambles forward to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Kanemaru lets go in frustration. Kanemaru drags Yoh up, reels him in, and suplexes, but Yoh fights it! Yoh suplexes to FALCON GOROSHI! Cover, TWO!

Kanemaru survives but the fans rally behind Yoh as he goes to ropes. Yoh drags himself up and fires up! The fans cheer as he tunes up the bad! But then Sho gets on the apron! The ref stops Sho, Yoh runs up at him! Kanemaru storms up, turns Yoh around, but Yoh body shots first! The WHISKEY MIST hits Sho! The fans fire up as Yoh SUPERKICKS Kanemaru, then uses the ropes in the O’Conner, FIVE STAR CLUTCH!! YOH WINS!

Winner: Yoh, by pinfall

The Heel Master and Murder Machine get outsmarted and outmaneuvered, and Yoh snatches the belt back! He even taunts Sho with it! But when and where will Yoh get the chance to truly own the title?

 

Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi VS EVIL & Dick Togo!

While it won’t be The Uncontrollable Charisma VS The Rampaging Dragon for the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, they are going to team together to take the fight to the House of Torture! Will The King of Darkness pay for cheating Takagi? Or will Darkness Fall even now?

The moment Takagi steps into the ring, Evil & Dick attack! Naito hurries up but Dick knocks him down! The bell rings to put this on record, and Evil CLAWS Takagi’s eyes! Dick sends Naito into railing then stomps him down while Evil runs, only for Takagi to run him over! The fans fire up, Takagi puts his robe aside and he storms up on Evil. Takagi KNEES Evil against ropes again and again, but lets off as the ref counts. Takagi whips to KNEE Evil, but then Evil bails out to avoid getting run over again. Dick is still after Naito, and he whips Naito into more railing! Takagi whips Evil but Evil reverses to send Takagi into railing!

Evil CLAWS Takagi’s eyes, the fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Evil tells them all to shut up. But Takagi throws body shots, knees low, then POSTS Evil! The fans rally up but then Evil keeps Takagi from the ring to bring him into the crowd! Evil CLUBS Takagi, fans move aside, and Evil SMACKS Takagi off chairs! Evil then uses a chair to SMACK Takagi! Takagi is down and the ring count starts. Dick sends Naito into more railing while Evil CHOKES Takagi with a chair! Evil SMACKS Takagi again, kicks him around, and we pass 10 of 20. Evil CHOPS Takagi, CHOPS him again, but Takagi hits back!

Takagi SMACKS Evil off a chair and we pass 15 of 20! Takagi hurries to leave Evil behind! But Dick stops Takagi! The count hits 20, it’s a DRAW!

Double Count-Out Draw

The fans boo and Takagi is frustrated with the House of Torture all over again! Naito didn’t even get his entrance attire off! Takagi gets a mic to shout, “Oi! Where do you think you’re going?! This is a big event here in Nagaoka! This is the final night of the series! It can’t end like this!” Evil & Dick have made their way to the ramp but Takagi gets in the ring to tell them to get back here! They’re gonna keep going, just like the No Contest last time! Oh, well, if you’re going home, guess that’s fine. Takagi has the NEVER Openweight Championship! Does Evil not want it? Evil gets mad, so Takagi says come get the belt back!

Evil & Dick are upset but they won’t leave without the belt, so they rush back in! Dick goes after Naito and sends him out again, the bell rings to restart this match! Takagi fires JAB after JAB, then CHOPS! Evil goes to a corner, and Naito sends Dick into railing now! Takagi kicks Evil, whips corner to corner then runs in. Takagi blocks the boot to clothesline through! Takagi keeps moving, Evil ducks but runs into the ELBOW! JAB! YUKON feint into the DDT! The fans fire up and Takagi calls to Naito. Naito has his entrance attire put aside, and he helps Takagi get Evil up for the double whip. Takagi KNEES, snapmares, and Naito basement dropkicks!

Takagi gets Evil up to suplex high and hard! Cover, TWO! Takagi looks around, finds the camera, and says “TOKI GA KITA! <THE TIME HAS COME!>” The fans fire up with “OI! OI! OI!” and Takagi brings Evil up. Takagi reels Evil in but Evil fights the lift! Takagi fights the headlock but Evil CLAWS Takagi’s eyes! Evil whips Takagi into the corner and surprise, the buckle pad is gone again! Takagi hits bare buckles, Dick BLASTS Naito, and Evil brings Takagi out. Evil RAMS Takagi into the timekeeper! Down goes Abe-san and the fans boo! Evil gets the mic, Dick has the buckle pad, and Dick SMACKS Takagi while Evil insults him and stomps him!

The fans boo but Evil says let’s see Takagi take the belt now! Evil leaves Takagi behind while the ref sorts things out. The ring count starts, Takagi writhes, and he rises up at 9 of 20. Takagi checks on Abe-san, he’s alright, so Takagi hurries in at 14! Evil wrenches the bad arm, and RAMS it into the bare buckles! Dick tags in, he stomps Takagi then brings him up. Dick CLUBS Takagi’s arm, CLUBS it again, then wrangles Takagi to the mat. Dick drops knees on the shoulder, then drops knees again! Dick stands on Takagi at the ropes but the ref counts. Dick steps away at 4 while the fans boo. Dick then drags Takagi around, and he drops a fist! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally up but Dick stomps Takagi. Tag to Evil and Evil drags Takagi up to CLUB the bad arm. Takagi falls and Evil looms over him. Evil tosses Takagi out, gets in the ref’s face, and Dick hammerlocks Takagi to POST the bad arm! Dick then puts Takagi back in, Evil covers, TWO! Evil covers again, TWO! Deep cover, TWO!! Takagi survives and Evil is furious, but the fans rally up. Evil kicks Takagi around, CLUBS him, but Takagi eggs Evil on! Takagi CLUBS the bad arm, CLUBS it again, but Takagi fires forearms, knees, and CLUBS in return! Evil CLAWS Takagi’s eyes! Takagi kicks but Evil blocks, and hands it to the ref!

But then Takagi blocks Evil’s kick! The ref lets Takagi go, and Takagi DRAGON SCREWS Evil! The fans fire up and Takagi reaches out for his corner! Hot tag to Naito! The fans fire up as Naito kicks Evil, CLUBS away on him, then whips. Naito arm-drags Evil, ELBOWS him down, then basement dropkicks! Naito DECKS Dick, too! The fans rally as Naito whips Evil to a corner, runs in, and JUMP KICKS! Leg sweep! COMBINACION feint, then DROPKICK, cabron! The fans fire up as Naito poses, and Naito even SPITS at Evil! Naito drags Evil up, SPITS at him again, then turns him for a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!

Naito keeps cool and he brings Evil up. Naito cravats to neck wrench but Evil endures. Dick attacks to save Evil! Dick holds Naito back but Naito BOOTS Evil away! Naito ELBOWS Dick then dodges Evil to waistlock. Evil switches, Naito throws elbows to get free, then Naito runs. But Dick trips him up! Dick tags in, he and Evil stomp away on Naito! But Takagi comes back, so the ref has to stop him. Evil CHOKES Naito with a House of Torture towel, then sends Naito into the ref and Takagi! LOW BLOW on Naito! Dick wraps the SPOILER CHOKER onto Naito! The fans boo but Naito fights the choker!

Naito stands, pries free, and arm-drags Dick away! The fans fire up as Naito ELBOWS Dick, then uses the SPOILER CHOKER on him! Dick tastes hist own medicine, then Naito shoves Dick to ropes! Pop-up LOW BLOW! Dick falls, Naito runs, ROLLING JACKKNIFE! The ref is back to count the cover, LIJ wins!

Winners: Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi, by pinfall

But Evil storms in to CLAW Naito’s eyes! Evil runs, but into an atomic drop! Feed to the LARIAT, then clothesline in the corner! Feed to the ENZIGIRI, then PUMPING BOMBER! The fans fire up as LIJ stands tall here, and Takagi gets the mic back! “OI, EVIL! I think it’s over between you and I. Next, we do this for the NEVER Openweight Championship!” The Rampaging Dragon wants gold back one way or another, so will he once again be on top of the Openweight Division?

 

2024 New Japan Cup Final: Hirooki Goto w/ YOSHI-HASHI VS Yota Tsuji!

It’s the moment of truth! The Fierce Warrior wants to have that feeling of holding up the trophy one more time, but Gene Blast wants to bring about a new era! Who wins their way into the future of NJPW?

The fans are all already dueling between “GO-TO-O!” and “YO~TA!” The bell rings and the two stare down. The cheering gets even stronger, and Red Shoes determines that it is more in Goto’s favor. Goto and Yota circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. Goto powers Yota to ropes but lets off with a pat on the shoulder. Yota grins and the fans applaud. Yota and Goto circle again, tie back up, and Goto waistlocks. Yota wrenches, wristlocks, and Goto rolls. Goto wrenches, hammerlocks, headlocks and hits the takeover. Yota endures the grind and rolls Goto to a cover, ONE! Goto grinds the hold, Yota fights up and he pops out the back to hammerlock.

Yota SNAP LOCKS the hold, but Goto endures. Goto fights around, gets the ROPEBREAK, and Yota lets off slowly. Yota pats Goto on the shoulder, then CHOPS him! The fans cheer and Yota grins. The two reset and Yota calls for knuckle locks. Goto obliges, they tie up, and they go shoulder to shoulder in a test of strength! Yota uses his height for leverage here and he brings Goto to his knees. The fans rally, Goto fights up, and Goto kicks low to headlock again. Yota powers up, throws body shots, then powers out. They RAM shoulders but neither falls! The fans cheer, Yota eggs Goto on, so Goto runs. They RAM shoulders, but still neither falls!

Yota fires up but Goto kicks low. Goto whips, Yota reverses, but Goto counters hip toss with hip toss! Goto runs to run Yota over! The fans fire up again as Goto stands tall! Goto then stomps Yota, brings him up and snapmares him into a chinlock. Yota endures the knee in his back, grabs at Goto, but Gota cranks the hold. The fans rally as Yota fights around, stands up, and throws body shots. Goto lets go to swing, but Yota spins him and arm-drags him! And BOOTS him right down! The fans fire up while Goto bails out, and Yota encourages the fans to get louder. The fans oblige, and Yota builds speed! Yota DIVES and sends Goto into railing!

The fans are thunderous as Yota walks around the outside. Red Shoes checks Goto but he’s still in this. Yota returns, glances at Naito on commentary, and he brings Goto up to put in the ring. The fans cheer and Yota steps inside. Yota covers, ONE!! Goto is tougher than that but Yota keeps cool. Yota grins as he stands over Goto. The fans rally and duel, but Yota CLUBS Goto on the neck. Yota then scoops and SLAMS Goto, covers, TWO! Yota is a little annoyed but he brings Goto back up. Goto CHOPS! Yota brushes that off and pushes Goto around. Goto CHOPS again, so Yota stands him up to CHOP!

Goto staggers to a corner and the fans fire up! Yota grins as he stands Goto up for a cravat. Yota snapmares then puts on the body scissors! Goto endures the squeeze and the fans rally. Goto drags Yota along as he crawls forward, but Yota puts on the pressure! Yota hooks an arm, but Goto still fights to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer and Yota lets go cleanly. The fans duel again while Yota paces around. Yota grins while Goto sputters, and Yota kicks Goto around. Yota brings Goto up but Goto pushes him away, so Yota kicks Goto. Goto CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS in return! But Yota knees low! Yota whips Goto corner to corner but Goto reverses!

Goto runs up, but into a BOOT! Yota runs but Goto follows to LARIAT! The fans fire up while both men are down! Goto drags Yota up, fires forearm after forearm, then whips him to a corner. Goto runs in to MURAMASA! And SAIDO! Cover, TWO! Goto is frustrated but the fans continue to rally behind him. Goto drags Yota up, fireman’s carries, but Yota fights it! Goto swings, but into the BACKBREAKER, COMPLETE SHOT and STOMP! The fans fire up and Yota sits as he catches his breath, but he still smiles. Goto crawls to a corner but Yota fires up! The fans fire up as Yota aims and Goto rises!

Yota runs corner to corner to STINGER SPLASH! Yota keeps moving, he ducks ‘n’ dodges to run Goto over! Then run and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and Yota brings Goto up again. Yota reels Goto in, but Goto fights the suplex! Yota still tries but Goto suplexes him first! Yota fights that off, suplexes Goto, but Goto slips free to waistlock. Yota elbows free, runs, but Goto follows! Yota dodges Goto, Goto follows again, but Yota redirects! Yota ducks ‘n’ dodges to SUPERKICK! Goto roars, but Yota ROCKS him with a forearm! Yota roars, but runs into the fireman’s carry! USHIGOROSHI! The fans are thunderous while both men are down!

The fans fire up and the “YO~TA! YO~TA!” is now stronger than the “GO-TO-O!” Goto crawls his way over to Yota, sits him up, and he fires a forearm! Yota grits his teeth to forearm in return! Goto throws another forearm! Yota sits up to fire another back! Goto fires another, Yota falls back, and the fans rally up. Goto eggs Yota on and Yota sits back up. Yota stands to fire another forearm! Goto growls, then forearms back! Yota forearms again and he eggs Goto on! Goto ROCKS Yota! Yota ROCKS Goto! The forearms keep going, they pick up speed, and the fans rally up! Goto ROCKS Yota, Yota wobbles and drops to a knee!

Goto drags Yota back up, but Yota fires forearm after forearm! Yota roars, but Goto catches him to spin and URA GTR! Both men are down again and the fans fire up! Goto rises and roars! Goto brings Yota up, fireman’s carries, G T W!! Cover, TWO!! Yota survives and the fans are thunderous again! Goto drags Yota up, dragon sleepers, and TRUE G T- NO! Yota catches Goto, backslides, but Goto rolls through! So Yota suplexes to the ORANGE CRUSH!! Cover, TWO!! The fans are thunderous while both men are down! Yota grits his teeth, stands, and even Naito is amazed at how the fans now support Yota.

Yota aims, runs up, and he CURB STOMPS Goto in the face!! But Yota isn’t done there, he just huffs and puffs and storms back over to Goto. Yota drags Goto up, brings him to a corner, and then Yota jumps up and up and FLYING CURB STOMPS!! Cover, TWO!!! Goto survives and the fans are electric! Yota hurries to haul Goto right up! Fireman’s carry, but Goto slips free to a SLEEPER! Goto squeezes tight as Yota reaches out! Yota pries at the hold but he’s fading! Goto sits Yota down and leans on the hold! But Yota gets a second wind! Yota stands, but then he sputters right back down!

Goto wants Red Shoes to check so Red Shoes picks up Yota’s hand. It drops once, and Goto lets go to run and PENALTY KICK! The fans fire up, Goto hauls Yota into the dragon sleeper! But Yota manages to fire hands from below! Goto grabs the arm, uses that to ripcord, but Yota HEADBUTTS Goto down! The fans fire up again as Goto still holds onto the wrist. Yota nods and he brings Goto up. But Goto HEADBUTTS back! Both men lean on each other while the fans fire up! Goto HEADBUTTS again, and again, and again! And again, and again, and again! Goto lets Yota fall and the fans are electric!

Goto drags Yota up, reels him in, and roars as he suplexes, for SHOUTEN KAI!! Cover, TWO!!!! Yota survives and shocks everyone! Goto’s classic move didn’t finish this, but he focuses and stands back up. Yota also rises, and Goto powers up! BUZZSAW! But Yota’s right up!? V-TRIGGER!! Both men are down and the fans are thunderous again! Yota drags himself to a corner, drags himself up to his feet, and he aims at Goto. Goto slowly rises, turns around, GENE- LARIAT!!! Goto turns Yota inside-out and the fans are volcanic! Goto staggers around, powers back up, and ripcords to- GENE BLASTER!!! Cover, TWO?!?!?!

Goto survives and everyone is shocked again! Goto grits his teeth as he and Yota both rise. Yota is on wobbly legs but he finds Goto! Yota reloads to GENE BLASTER!!!! Cover, YOTA WINS!!!

Winner: Yota Tsuji, by pinfall (2024 New Japan Cup Champion)

This battle of generations was truly a battle for the ages! Goto came within moments of his former glory, but will he have to leave the past in the past?

As for Yota Tsuji, he stands to have his hand raised, all while Naito watches on from commentary. The trophy is brought in and is presented to Yota by NJPW Chief of Business Production and representative of TV Asahi, Hitoshi Matsumoto. They have the photo op, and Yota carefully sets the trophy down. Yota then takes a moment to catch his breath before he gets the mic. “The door to a new era has now opened.” The fans cheer that! “The rain has stopped, the king of the empire has left. But I am here. I am the symbol of the new era.” The fans cheer that, too! Yota asks the fans, “What will the future look like? Are you waiting for me? Let’s walk together.”

The fans applaud and Yota continues by saying there is still one more thing he has to do. And he points to Naito! The fans applaud and Yota asks Naito to join him in the ring. The fans cheer, and Naito takes a quick swig of water before leaving commentary. Naito steps into the ring with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and the fans cheer as champion and challenger stand face to face. Yota reminds us that he said he’d have results in the New Japan Cup. Now, he’ll stand across from Naito in Ryogoku and take the world title in the Spring. Yota then offers Naito the mic and the fans cheer.

Naito sets the belt next to the trophy, takes the mic, and he tells Yota, “Are you ready?” The fans like the sound of that! Naito says on April 6th, in Ryogoku, in the main event of Sakura Genesis, Naito will show NJPW and Los Ingobernables why HE is on top. The fans cheer and Naito picks the belt up. Naito takes his leave, but will he be leaving Ryogoku still holding onto the title? As for Yota, he picks the mic back up to say that in this cerulean blue ring, the best pro-wrestling takes place. And Yota will take NJPW to new and greater heights. Are they ready? Because the new era has begun!

Yota sure looks ready, but as he holds up the Cup and the streamers fly, will he soon have it all within his grasp?


My Thoughts:

A great final night for the 2024 New Japan Cup series. Yes, I still skimmed a lot but I did see great builds in these other stories. While his team lost, Yoshi-Hashi afterwards fought off Kenta & Chase Owens all by himself, so clearly we’re getting Bishamon VS Kenta & Chase for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Likewise, House of Torture may have won (with Narita shockingly making Yuji Nagata submit), it was after much cheating and Shota Umino calls them out on it. Shota also challenges them to a match for Sakura Genesis, promising a surprise. Can’t wait to see if Shota makes that into some kind of No Disqualification match.

Yoh VS Kanemaru with Sho all over that one was good stuff, and great win for Yoh with that. Yoh VS Sho for the Junior Heavyweight Championship match is definitely coming, and who knows which way that goes. Good win for Guerrillas of Destiny and friends, maybe something could build there with Just5Guys for the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag titles but who knows. Great match out of Naito & Takagi VS Evil & Dick that of course sets up a NEVER Openweight title match. I wonder if Takagi wins and redesigns the belt given how Evil spray-painted the current belt all over with black.

And of course, just an awesome New Japan Cup finals match, with Goto looking amazing even in defeat, which of course helps Yota look amazing in his win. First try, first win for the Reiwa Musketeer, and we got a really good promo from him and Naito to add to the hype. Naito VS Yota is going to be awesome, and I want to say Naito is retaining, but Yota losing two world title matches in his “rookie year” just feels odd to me. Though, so does Yota winning the title already in his rookie year, as wild as that would be.

My Score: 9.1/10


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Mitchell’s NJPW New Japan Cup Results & Report! (3/18/24)

The semifinals are here!

Published

on

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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