With New Japan heading into their next big show – Invasion Attack – the company continues with its tradition holding a multi-night tournament to crown a number one contender for their April event. In America, holding such a tournament over more than one show is destined to lead to trouble (just look at how successful TNA’s Bound For Glory Series’ were!), but the tournament format can help to build up an unexpected challenger in just a few shows.
Before the opening match, New Japan made some rather big announcements, with Michael Elgin and Katsuyori Shibata both signing contracts with the company, before they wheeled out the likes of TAKA Michinoku and Naomichi Marufji to announce the return of the Super J Cup after a seven-year absence. Coming in competition with WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Series, the more prestigious J Cup will be featuring talent from CMLL, Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate and NOAH, amongst other groups.
Tokyo’s Ota Ward Gymnasium was the site for the first night of the New Japan Cup, and as a fan who’s spent the vast majority of his 24 years of wrestling fandom watching WWE, the fact that the event was in a completely different looking building than (say) Korakuen Hall was a positive for me. Unfortunately, the fact that the building looked half full was not a positive, with reports of under 3,000 fans in the building. Still, cosmetically, it was a nice change from seeing identikit arenas!
On an unrelated note, this show was impossible to watch live in Europe, with streaming issues at New Japan World’s end resulting in buffering streams or no stream at all for viewers.
Yujiro Takahashi vs Toru Yano
Takahashi came out with Cody Hall as the remnants of the Bullet Club lived on, and of course, there was an attack before the bell as Yano was beaten down on the floor and into the guard railings. Somewhere in here the bell rang to start the match, and Yano beat the Bullet Club at their own game by kicking Takahashi low and beating the ten count. Yano hadn’t even taken his robe off… that was a waste of time!
Michael Elgin vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Hopefully this match will go a little longer.. and perhaps Michael Elgin will get a new entrance video now he’s signed with New Japan? Sadly, even the on-demand version of this show buffers for me on the High Quality feed, but we’ll slog through it. A decent opening round match here, Elgin showing off his usual moves – but it wasn’t an out and out squash. Tenzan, who has been on the scene for over 20 years, is still only 44. I could have sworn that he was easily a decade older, given how long he’s been active…
It’s nothing new, but Elgin is exceedingly agile for a man of his size, but it’s his brute strength that’s brought him to the show here, with a deadlift German suplex on Tenzan highlighting that. A bunch of stuff clotheslines got a near fall for Elgin, who then took a Side Effect from Tenzan for another two-count, with an Anaconda Vice forcing Elgin into the ropes as the relative veteran went for the kill. In the end though, Tenzan got caught as he mounted the ropes, and fell to a buckle bomb and a spinning sitout powerbomb as New Japan’s newest signing progressed. Not a bad match, but I’d like to see these two go a little longer in singles action.
Tama Tonga vs. Togi Makabe
Tonga’s attire is a really weird mix – dressing like a mixture of the Bushwhackers and Roman Reigns, with bad-KISS-tribute-style face paint. It’s another match featuring the Bullet Club, so that’s the before-the-bell attack guaranteed, with Tonga dropkicking Makabe during his introductions.
After overcoming the early attack, Makabe ends up on the floor, and takes a couple of Dolph Ziggler’s Bret Hart tribute bumps, going chest first into the guard railing. Twice. Not wise at all Togi… Makabe was constantly defiant to Tonga’s attacks, no-selling headbutts and clotheslines, and the tag team champion thought he had won it with a powerbomb, but Tonga kicked out, before an attempt at a frog splash saw Makabe miss – and injure his knee in the process. Still, he was able to fold Tonga in half with a bridging German suplex, but Tonga got the win by paying tribute to his former Bullet Club colleagues with a Gun Stun, and a guillotine into a double-arm DDT.
This is building up to the tag title match between Tonga and TBC against the current IWGP Heavyweight tag champions of Makabe and Tomoaki Honma, so it made sense to keep this somewhat even, albeit unremarkable.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomoaki Honma
Let’s see if the other half of GBH has better luck tonight… and Kojima is in the same bucket as his tag team partner Tenzan, being “only” 45 despite having been around for ages. Honma’s the favourite in Tokyo it seems, and it’s even in the early going between former and current IWGP tag team champions.
Honma got an early pin attempt with Mr Perfect’s old neck snap in reverse (a Blockbuster to a seated Kojima), before missing with a standing diving headbutt (Ko-kokeshi). That miss let Kojima back into the match briefly, only for Honma to throw it away with another missed Ko-kokeshi.
A deadlift suplex helped out Honma back into pole position – and it’s weird how that move doesn’t look anywhere near as impressive as a deadlift German suplex, until you start to think about it – and finally Honma connected with the Ko-kokeshi after taking Kojima down with a bulldog. A Blockbuster off the middle rope sent Kojima to the apron, as Honma follows up by trying to suplex Kojima back into the ring from the apron, only to take a DDT on the apron instead. They exchange chops on the floor to tease as double count out, with both men giving up and rolling back in at the count of 19.
Kojima floors Honma with the Kojima cutter, but walks into the path of a Kokeshi (charging headbutt), and another series of Kokeshis, before missing with the concussion-giving move off the top (seriously, stop it!)
Honma doesn’t learn, but does get a near fall from another Kokeshi and a brainbuster, before Kojima flattens him with a lariat for the win. A good, hard hitting match (even if those headbutts need to be reduced in frequency); and whilst both men are in tag teams, if makes sense to advance the former singles champion so Honma and Makabe can continue their feud with the Bullet Club fragments.
Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba
A brief distraction from tournament action, with the NEVER champion and both IWGP Junior and Heavyweight champions in the same match. We start with Shibata and Okada against each other, which is quite the match-up, when you consider that Shibata was supposedly being slotted for Kenny Omega’s Intercontinental title.
Once they whetted our appetite, Okada rolled out and brought in Sakuraba for a battle of the wrestlers… or at least they would, had KUSHIDA not come in. They cancel each other out in attempts at armbars and headlocks, and without a single big move being attempted (save for a triangle which quickly ends) this has been the most entertaining sequence of the show so far.
Sakuraba sinks in a guillotine on KUSHIDA, before rolling through into an armbar which necessitates another rope break, prompting Okada to return to the match briefly. Sakuraba comes back in, but his insistence on going for submissions almost gets him pinned, and we finally get our Shibata/Sakuraba face-off… which starts with some rapid fire elbows and a charging dropkick on a cornered Sakuraba.
The match continues to show us brief exchanges between all participants – enough to tease but never enough to turn you off the idea of any future singles encounters. Okada saw a Rainmaker blocked by KUSHIDA, who rolled through into a Hoverboard lock, but Okada needed Sakuraba to come in and apply a Kimura to break it up, with charging double knees from Shibata relinquishing that hold too. Okada got the win for his team with a tombstone piledriver followed by the Rainmaker – but for a throwaway tag match, this was utterly entertaining and left you wanting more down the line.
Speaking of “down the line”, the post-match saw another announcement, as Okada threw to a video package, introducing a wrestler with the Union Jack on his ring gear. No, it wasn’t Captain New Japan as KUSHIDA’s next challenger (although the idea does make me laugh somewhat), but rather Will Ospreay, who’ll be challenging for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship on April 10’s Invasion Attack!
Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
Back to tournament action, featuring another guy who’s been around for so long, he was actually a part of WCW when they were hot. These days, Yuji Nagata seems to be heading for a match with Tetsuya Naito (at least, if the “Blue Justice!” screams on commentary at a recent Korakuen Hall show is to be taken as a hint!)
This has shades of the last tag match about it, with the match being largely hold and strike based, as Nagata starts off by trying for an armbar – to the point where he almost gets pinned – but throughout the match the veteran repeatedly targets Goto’s left arm. Nagata gets Goto in the corner and puts the boots to him, before locking in a crossface that forces Goto to make the ropes.
Nagata lights up Goto with kicks to the chest, but a clothesline off the ropes takes down the veteran. Goto fires back with a back wheel kick into the corner, followed by a back suplex for a near fall, but despite all this, the crowd remain behind Nagata, who locks in another armbar, forcing another rope break for Goto. The match quickly breaks down as the duo exchange stiff forearms, only for Nagata to flatten Goto with a jumping running knee into the corner.
A high kick knocks Goto down once more, but Goto manages to get a near fall when he switches around during a back suplex to land on top of Nagata. More strikes and slaps follow from Blue Justice, and after inviting some more, Nagata walks into a crucifix-style roll up, before whiffing on an enziguiri that allows Goto to tie-up Nagata’s legs and roll him up for the pin.
That finish was certainly interesting, but given that Goto was on the losing end for most of the match, I can’t help but feel that this does little to boost Goto following the “slip on a banana peel” finish. It didn’t affect the match quality, but I disagree entirely with the chosen winner.
Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI
This is a bit of an odd pairing, given that YOSHI-HASHI typically is restricted to multi-man matches, and from the off, Naito beats down YOSHI-HASHI. As usual with matches with Naito, there’s liberal interference, with BUSHI getting involved, tripping YOSHI-HASHI, before Naito literally whips him through the guard railings.
Naito continues to work over YOSHI-HASHI, who makes some of the weirdest noises whilst locked in a grounded cravat, but this match isn’t all Naito. A headscissors takeover gives YOSHI-HASHI a foothold in the match, which he follows up with a neckbreaker, a diving chop, and a dropkick for a near fall, but an inverted atomic drop gets Naito back into it.
YOSHI-HASHI looks to escape a corner ten punch, but his effort at powerbombing Naito out of the corner comes to nought as Naito punches himself free, but a running lariat from YOSHI-HASHI does send Naito off the top rope and down to the floor. Naito lands on his feet as he’s suplexed in, but YOSHI-HASHI takes him down with a neckbreaker before tying in a butterfly lock. Naito makes the ropes, but the offence continues, and YOSHI-HASHI is putting on a performance of a lifetime in this first round match, more than giving Naito a run for his money.
And of course, as soon as I say that, Naito gets a near fall from a top rope huracanrana, followed by a reverse lifting DDT for another two count. YOSHI-HASHI drops Naito with a tilt-a-whirl into a tombstone piledriver, before connecting with a powerbomb and bridges through for another two count. That run comes to an end as YOSHI-HASHI gets nothing but canvas with a senton bomb attempt, but he manages to lock in the butterfly lock once more, and Naito is forced to stretch his feet forwards the ropes to break the hold.
The Tokyo crowd really are believing in an upset tonight, but that comes to a crashing halt when Naito hits a spinebuster then his Destino (standing Shiranui/Sliced Bread #2) for the win. Well, that was nothing like how I’d suspected – I thought it’d be nothing more than a glorified squad, but YOSHI-HASHI put in a performance of a lifetime here. Whether that elevates him remains to be seen – best tournament match of the night, so far!
EVIL vs. Tomohiro Ishii
I love it when tournaments throw up weird pairings – of course, Ishii comes out with the ROH Television title that he won a few weeks back… and weirdly for a match that doesn’t involve the Bullet Club, there’s a jump start, as EVIL kicks Ishii as he enters the ring, then launches a flurry of offence that gets him an early near fall.
Ishii takes a Ziggler-style chest first bump into the railings , and I’m wondering what on earth are they saving for the main event after all of this outside the ring shenanigans. Especially when EVIL plants a chair around the neck of Ishii, then swings another chair at him… and only then do they start the count out!
EVIL is absolutely destroying Ishii in the early going, thanks to the earlier chairshot, and all sniffs of a comeback are being extinguished by EVIL… until Ishii rolls out of the way of a senton, and then we get the stiff clotheslines and chops that are a staple of the Stone Pitbull’s matches.
After defusing EVIL with a chop to the neck, Ishii keeps up the pressure with a stalling superplex from the middle rope, but didn’t capitalise on it, resulting in EVIL drilling Ishii with a fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. A half nelson suplex followed by a diving clothesline yield similar results, but just as EVIL thinks he’s got Ishii where he wants him, the ROH TV champion spins around and lands a stiff headbutt.
EVIL kicks out of a bridging powerbomb after absorbing some stuff clotheslines and another headbutt, but Ishii drills EVIL with his own STO finisher, but that only gets Ishii a two-count from a follow-up lariat. Another kick-out follows after a release dragon suplex and a lariat, but a brainbuster is finally enough to put away EVIL for the three count.
Ishii always seems to have good matches (or at least, the ones I’ve seen this year), and with his second round match against Tetsuya Naito, this could give him the story of going through all of Los Ingobernables de Japon to make it to the final… but I’d also hope that if he wins, it results in something other than another match with Shibata (as good as they have been!)
Bad Luck Fale vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
So THIS is the main event? Fale isn’t exactly known for great matches, and Tanahashi’s shoulder still isn’t 100% (even though he’s now without-tape), so let’s see how big a carry job this is going to have to be.
Early on, they told the story of Tanahashi trying to fell the big oak tree that is Fale (in more than one figurative way!), although it probably wasn’t wise for Tanahashi to try a bodyslam on someone 100lbs heavier than him… attempt 1 failed, attempt 2 saw Tanahashi fall on his back, so I’m guessing the third will work?
We didn’t have a jump start to the match, but we did get some outside the ring action, with Tanahashi being drilled back-first into the ring post, and when they make it back to the ring, Fale works over the midsection with blows… and by jumping on Tanahashi to block a sunset flip attempt. Curiously, Fale doesn’t go anywhere near the shoulder, which isn’t wise, as Tanahashi’s third bodyslam attempt gets the big man down!
A headscissors over the top rope sends Fale to the floor, and Tanahashi keeps on top of him with a High Fly Flow to the outside, but back inside an attempt at a German suplex proves foolish, as Fale squashes him in the corner than with a big splash for a two-count. Tanahashi actually nails the German suplex at the third attempt, but can’t make the cover, and after ducking some shots, eats a Samoan drop for a near fall. Fale tries for the Bad Luck Fall, but Tanahashi wriggles out, only to get snapped in half by a Fale spear, but another attempt at a Bad Luck Fall is reversed into a neckbreaker for a near fall.
Tanahashi misses a High Fly Flow, instead being caught for a chokeslam as Fale hit the Grenade (chokeslam/Asiatic spike), then at the third time of asking, the Bad Luck Fall for the shock win. Incredibly, three is the magic number here as in singles matches, Fale is now 3-1 over Tanahashi.
Whilst not quite as absurd as that time Orlando Jordan beat Chris Benoit, it’s still a result that you wouldn’t expect, given the talent gap between the two men. Still, it sets up Fale as a bigger heel down the road, and a potential semi-final match against Tama Tonga. Sadly, I’ll be relying on Wikipedia and memory for the tournament brackets, as the only two wrestlers whose names are listed in English by New Japan are both eliminated!
For the opening night of a tournament, this was solid, but nothing memorable. There were no stinkers, excluding the opening match which was more of an angle than anything else, and granted, this entire tournament wasn’t filled with established singles guys. However, the mixture of tag-team competitors, juniors and heavyweights led to some weird match-ups. The best match of the night was ironically a non-tournament bout, with the second round matches also not looking that great on paper. Ishii vs. Naito should be worth watching, and I have a perverse desire to see Elgin vs. Fale. Either way, I can’t wait for night two!