Will the Scapegoat have the last laugh?

Jack Perry is in NJPW and is moving forward in the New Japan Cup! But will he be able to overcome Toru Yano’s endless bag of tricks? Or will the House of Torture help him with that?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls; ZSJ & Mikey win.
• Six Man Tag: El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma VS Just5Guys; Just5Guys win.
• Hirooki Goto & Togi Makabe VS Chase Owens & KENTA; Chase & Kenta win.
• Six Man Tag: Shota Umino, Tanga Loa & Jado VS Bullet Club War Dogs; Shota, Loa & Jado win.
• 8 Man Tag: El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOH VS The House of Torture; House of Torture wins.
• 10 Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The United Empire; The United Empire wins.
• 2024 New Japan Cup Second Round: Toru Yano VS Jack Perry; Perry wins and advances.
• 2024 New Japan Cup Second Round: SANADA VS YOSHI-HASHI; Sanada wins and advances.

PLAY BY PLAY

2024 New Japan Cup Second Round: Toru Yano VS Jack Perry w/ Yujiro Takahashi!

The Clown Prince pulled another fast one when he tied Yujiro Takahashi up with one of the timekeepers. But then the Scapegoat pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes when he joined The House of Torture and helped them screw over Shota Umino! Can Yano be sneakier than the sneakiest group in all of NJPW? Or will the deck be too stacked against him?

Oh no! Jack attacks during Yano’s introduction! The bell rings, Jack runs up, but Yano sends him to the corner! Yano then shoves the ref aside, and SPRAYS Jack in the face! Roll up, TWO! Jack is disinfected at least. But then Yano uses his red robe to blindfold Jack and roll him up again! TWO!! Jack escapes but the fans fire up as Yano unties a buckle pad! Jack runs up, Yano dodges him, then throws him the pad! Now the ref reprimands Jack! Yano then rolls Jack up again! TWO!! Jack knees low, then DROPKICKS Yano down! The fans rally, Jack is all flustered and upset, but he TOSSES Yano out of the ring.

Jack has the ref check his eyes, but this is so Tokyo Pimp can stomp Yano! Yujiro is getting some revenge for the first round! The fans boo but Yujiro RAMS Yano into railing! Jack goes out, brings Yano around and knees him low. Jack then whips Yano hard into railing! Fans boo but Jack drags Yano up and puts him in the ring. Jack and Yujiro fist bump, then Jack slides in. Cover, TWO! The fans cheer as Yano stays in this. Jack RAMS Yano to a corner, RAMS him in again, and then again! The ref counts, Jack lets off to whip corner to corner. Yano hits bare buckles, then Jack clotheslines him! Jack snapmares, runs and basement dropkicks! Cover, TWO!

The fans cheer again as Yano is still in this. Jack is annoyed but he lets his hair down. Jack drags Yano up, CHOPS him, then whips Yano to ropes. Yano holds the ropes and taunts Jack! Yano then dodges Jack, SLAPS him, and the fans cheer! Yano runs, but Jack drop toeholds! Jack ties up the legs, and has the SNARE TRAP! Yano endures, reaches out, but Jack pulls back on the crossface! He even claws Yano’s eyes! The ref reprimands, the fans rally up, and Yano crawls forward! Yano reaches out, even as Jack thrashes the hold! Yano powers up to get the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Jack lets go at 4.

Jack is frustrated but the fans rally behind Yano. Jack kicks Yano out of the ring then leans on the ref a moment. Jack goes out after Yano, and he brings Yano up to whip. But Yano reverses and Jack hits railing hard! Jack tumbles up and over into No Man’s Land! The ref checks on Jack, but that lets Yujiro beat up on Yano! Yujiro has the handcuffs! Yujiro attaches one end to the railing, but Yano fights back! Yano cuffs Yujiro! It’s almost like their match in the previous round! Yano then fetches Jack and puts him in the ring. The fans rally as Yano hurries in. But Jack CLAWS! Yano’s eyes! But then Yano blocks the superkick!

Yano spins Jack around, clinches and uses ropes to help in the BELLY2BELLY! The fans rally up, Yano stalks Jack, and whips him to the corner! Jack reverses, but Yano avoids the bare buckles. Yano dodges, Jack hits buckles! Yano rolls him up, TWO! Jack swings, but into M U! TWO!! Jack SUPERKICKS! Yano wobbles, Jack roars and runs, into an atomic drop! Yano trips Jack to CATAPULT him into the bare buckles!! The fans fire up as Yano runs, to ROLLING CHOP BLOCK! And then roll-up, TWO!! Jack survives and the fans fire up again! But then here comes Yoshinobu Kanemaru! Yano sees the Heel Master, but Jack SHOVES Yano into the ref!

The House stomps away on Yano! The fans boo but Kanemaru whips Yano to a corner. Kanemaru runs in to ELBOW, Jack adds a clothesline! Feed to Kanemaru’s dropkick to the legs! Jack drags Yano up, swings, but Yano ducks! Yano shoves Jack into Kanemaru, DOUBLE LOW BLOW!! Cover, Yujiro YANKS the ref out!! The fans boo as the House keeps on screwing around! Yano is upset, how did Yujiro get outta the cuffs? Yujiro shows he had a key all along! Jack LOW BLOWS Yano! Then BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Jack aims from a corner as Yano sits back up, and he runs in to RUNNING KNEE!! Cover, Jack wins!

Winner: Jack Perry, by pinfall (advances to the next round)

The Clown Prince got trumped by three jokers, and now the House is handcuffing him! Jack stomps away on Yano for pissing him off, then he gloats by his goat head mask. The fans boo, but will they be booing Jack Perry all the way to the finals?

2024 New Japan Cup Second Round: SANADA VS YOSHI-HASHI!

The Cold Skull got a bye on account of him being the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. And this New Japan Cup could be his ticket right back to the top! But will it be a Skull End for the Head Hunter? Or will Hashi make even Sanada into Easy Pickings?

The bell rings and the two stare down. The fans rally up as the two circle, and they tie up collar ‘n’ elbow. Sanada waistlocks, Hashi wrenches free and wristlocks, but Sanada moves around. Hashi keeps Sanada from ropes so Sanada wrenches back. Hashi puts Sanada on ropes, Red Shoes calls the break. and Hashi lets off slowly. Hashi pats Sanada on the shoulders, and the fans cheer as the two reset. They circle again, tie up, and Hashi gets around to a waistlock. Sanada drop toeholds, floats to a headlock, but Hashi slips out the back to hammerlock. Hashi SNAPS the hammerlock, but Sanada endures.

Hashi SNAPS the lock again, but Sanada rolls, wrenches, and hammerlocks in return. Hashi switches the hammerlock, headlocks, then hits a takeover. Sanada headscissors, Hashi kips free and the fans cheer the standoff. The two reset and circle again, then Hashi kicks! Sanada blocks the kick, trips Hashi, and goes for Paradise! Hashi kicks Sanada away and goes to ropes. Sanada runs up but Hashi BOOTS him! Hashi sunset flips but Sanada rolls through! Sanada ties Hashi up in Paradise! The fans cheer and Sanada encourages them to get louder. The fans do get louder, and Sanada nods. Then Sanada dropkicks Hashi out of Paradise!

Hashi clutches his leg and neck, but Sanada brings Hashi up. Sanada CLUBS Hashi’s neck, then brings him back up. Sanada CLUBS Hashi again, and Hashi goes to a corner. Sanada stalks Hashi to ropes, brings him around and snap suplexes! The fans applaud and Sanada covers, TWO! Sanada keeps on Hashi with a chinlock, digging a knee into Hashi’s back. Hashi endures so Sanada shifts to just the chinlock. Sanada leans on Hashi, squeezes tight, but Hashi endures. Sanada pushes Hashi down to drop an elbow! Hashi sputters, but Sanada stands him up to CLUB him down. Hashi goes to a corner, Sanada whips corner to corner.

Hashi comes back to dropkick Sanada’s legs! The fans rally while both men are down. Hashi checks his neck, stands up, and he brings Sanada around by a leg. Hashi drops an elbow on the knee, then pulls on the toehold! Sanada sits up for a chinlock but Hashi puts more pressure on the leg. Sanada endures, reaches out, and he drags Hashi along. Hashi grabs at Sanada’s arms, then floats to a facelock. Hashi snapmares Sanada into a chinlock, knee in the back! The fans rally as Sanada now endures. Sanada pushes at the hold but Hashi digs his knee in more. Sanada kicks and reaches out, to the ROPEBREAK!

The fans applaud while Hashi lets off cleanly. Hashi drags Sanada up, CLUBS him on the neck, and Sanada goes to ropes. Hashi storms over, CHOPS, and the fans fire up! Sanada sputters as he goes back to ropes. Hashi stalks up behind Sanada, stands him up, and CHOPS! The fans fire up while Sanada drops to his knees! Sanada crawls but Hashi brings him back up. Hashi suplexes to hang Sanada out to dry! Hashi then runs side to side to DROPKICK Sanada down! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Sanada stays in this. Hashi brings Sanada up, but Sanada CHOPS! Hashi eggs Sanada on so he CHOPS again! Hashi spins to CHOP!

The fans fire up as Sanada goes to a corner. Hashi runs up to CHOP again! Hashi whips corner to corner, Sanada reverses to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! The fans rally up as Sanada clutches his stinging chest. Sanada brings Hashi up but Hashi kicks low. Hashi whips, Sanada reverses to hurdle, hurdle and DROPKICK! The fans rally up as Hashi bails out, and Sanada PLANCHAS! The fans cheer and Sanada encourages them to get louder. The fans get louder and Sanada is satisfied. Sanada brings Hashi up, puts him in the ring, and covers, TWO! Sanada brings Hashi up, fireman’s carries, but has to fight off Easy Pickings!

Hashi CLUBS Sanada, reels him in, and hoists him up, but Sanada RANAS free! Sanada swings, Hashi dodges, BLOCKBUSTER! The fans fire up while both men are down! Sanada goes to a corner, Hashi goes to the other. Hashi runs corner to corner as the fans rally up, and he clotheslines! Then he reels Sanada in, for the RUNNING POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO! Sanada survives but Hashi is right on him with the BUTTERFLY LOCK! Sanada endures and reaches out, but Hashi pulls on the arms! Sanada still fights and moves around, but Hashi facelocks to drag Sanada away! Hashi pulls on the facelock, then hooks a leg!

Sanada fights the fisherman to then fireman’s carry! T K O! Both men are down and the fans rally back up! Sanada sits up and snarls as he goes back for Hashi. Sanada sits Hashi up, into the dragon sleeper! But Hashi pops free to arm-drag! Sanada ends up in a corner, Hashi runs in, but Sanada BOOTS! Sanada QUEBRADA, into the dragon sleeper! But Hashi drops to victory roll! TWO! Hashi swings, but into the dragon sleeper! Sanada drops but Hashi rolls free! BLINDSIDE CALF KICK! The fans fire up and Hashi hauls Sanada up. Hashi full nelsons, but Sanada drops to victory roll! Hashi sits out but into the dragon sleeper!

Sanada pulls on the hold, and has SKULL END! Hashi is caught in the body scissors! Red Shoes checks with Hashi but he isn’t giving up just yet! The fans rally as Hashi keeps fighting, bridging but falling! Hashi reaches out for ropes but he’s fading! Red Shoes checks again, Hashi gets a second wind, but Sanada drags him from the ropes! SKULL END!! Hashi is back in the body scissors! Hashi flails but he is fading again! The fans rally, Sanada squeezes, but Hashi is holding on! Sanada finally lets Hashi go so he can go up top! ROUNDING BODY PRESS onto knees! Hashi has the small package, TWO!!

The fans fire up while both men are down again! Sanada crawls his way to a corner while Hashi is still at center. Hashi pushes himself up and heads for Sanada. Sanada crawls his way over to Hashi, and Hashi fires a forearm! Sanada shakes his head and comes back. Hashi forearms Sanada again! Sanada eggs Hashi on so Hashi fires another forearm! Sanada stands, Hashi follows, and Sanada UPPERCUTS! Hashi staggers away to ropes and the fans rally up. Sanada eggs Hashi on, and Hashi comes back to forearm again! Sanada grits his teeth to UPPERCUT! Hashi forearms, Sanada UPPERCUTS, repeat!

The fans fire up as Hashi gets the edge, but then Sanada UPPERCUTS him down! The fans fire up as Sanada paces. Sanada eggs Hashi on and Hashi rises up. Hashi fires a forearm, Sanada UPPERCUTS, repeat! They go back and forth again, Hashi gets the edge and then body shots and CHOPS! Sanada roars, but Hashi DOUBLE CHOPS! Sanada drops to his knees and the fans fire up! Hashi leans on ropes while he catches his breath, then he storms back to Sanada. Hashi drags Sanada up, fisherman and- NO, Sanada knees free! Hashi swings, Sanada spins him around, suplex and MAGIC SCREW!

Both men are down and the fans rally back up. Sanada then kips up and the fans fire up with him! Sanada aims as Hashi sits up, SHINING WIZARD! Sanada isn’t done there, he drags Hashi back up! Clinch and- NO, Hashi slips free to a waistlock. Sanada fights the lift, Hashi ducks the elbow, and Hashi CODE BREAKERS! But Sanada SHINING WIZARDS again! Sanada pushes Hashi into the drop zone, and then goes up top! ROUNDING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO!! Hashi survives and the fans are thunderous! Sanada hauls Hashi up to clinch, but Hashi fights Deadfall again! Hashi full nelsons for a DRAGON SUPLEX!

Sanada staggers up, into the LARIAT! The fans fire up while both men are down! Both men finally stir, and Hashi is first to stand! The fans rally up behind him as he runs, but Sanada blocks the lariat! Hashi spins to CHOP! Sanada ROLLING- SUPERKICK from Hashi! ENZIGIRI from Sanada! Hashi rebounds, but Sanada gets around to O’Conner DEEP Roll! TWO!! SHINING- NO, Hashi ducks it! SUPERKICK! Hashi hurries to get Sanada up, then runs, to METEORA!! Cover, TWO!! Sanada survives and the fans are thunderous! Hashi feeds off the energy and throws away the elbow pads!

Hashi waits on Sanada to rise, then he runs. LARIAT!! Hashi roars and the fans are thunderous as he brings Sanada up! Fisherman and KUMAGOROSHI!! Cover, TWO!!! Sanada survives and Hashi is shocked! Hashi powers up again and the fans are with him! Hashi drags Sanada up, full nelsons then pump handles, KAR- NO, Sanada pops free into the dragon sleeper! But Hashi spins around to suplex! Sanada fights free so Hashi SUPERKICKS him! Hashi stands Sanada up, full nelsons, pump handles, KAR- NO, Sanada slips free to clinch and DEADFALL!! Sanada crawls to the cover, Sanada wins!!

Winner: Sanada, by pinfall (advances to the next round)

Hashi could not #GetBackUp after that Deadfall, and is now out of the tournament! What will he do now to #TurnItAllAround?

As for Sanada, he catches his breath and has his hand raised. He then gets the mic and asks everyone to give him a moment. Sanada wants everyone here in Matsuyama to know they’ve been the most excited crowd on the tour so far. The fans applaud that, and then Sanada says that since they’re the most excited, they can do “that.” Oh, seems the lights can’t dim so maybe they can’t. Fans are disappointed so Sanada asks if they still want to. They sure do! Sanada signals, the lights turn off, and the fans’ phones are the stars! Sanada stands as he says he has one dream, one goal. He wants to have an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match in Shikoku! The fans cheer that!

Sanada says for that purpose, he wants to win the New Japan Cup and come back the champion. So please, let him say this one last thing. Out of everyone in Japan, he loves Matsuyama the most. The fans cheer the “love confession!” “OI, Matsuyama! See you next time!” The fans cheer again, but will Sanada make that dream come true at Sakura Genesis?

My Thoughts:

A really good night for NJPW, but I’m a little surprised we only got two New Japan Cup matches tonight. Now, of course Jack Perry and the House of Torture cheated, not just because that’s how they always do things but also as revenge for how Yano got one on Yujiro. As I said just yesterday, Jack and the House are gonna run out of luck eventually, probably against Los Ingobernables de Japon’s guys. Then Sanada VS Hashi was really good, took quite a bit to warm up but the fans really got into it by the end. Good win for Sanada, and of course his plan is to be champion again. But as I said back at WrestleKingdom when Sanada lost, I don’t think he wins the Cup to get right back at Naito, it’s just too soon for another match out of those two.

My Score: 8.7/10