Kevin Wilson of Puroresu Central
Date: March 5th, 2015
Location: Ota Ward Gymnasium
Announced Attendance: 4,500 fans
It is that time of the year again for the New Japan Cup! This year as slightly different, as the winner of the tournament will choose to challenge for either the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental, or the NEVER Openweight Championship. Since different wrestlers are in feuds with different champions, that really opens up the possibilities of who will win the tournament. Here is the full card:
– Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Komatsu, and Jay White vs. Tiger Mask, Taguchi, Máscara Dorada, and Sho Tanaka
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
– Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Nakanishi, and Captain New Japan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Sakuraba, and Tomohiro Ishii
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Doc Gallows vs. Kota Ibushi
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada
Lots of matches, let’s get to it.
Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Komatsu, and White vs. Tiger Mask, Taguchi, Dorada, and Sho Tanaka
Tiger Mask and Liger start off and Tiger Mask works the headlock. Backbreaker by Liger and he applies a surfboard. Liger tags in Komatsu and Komatsu hits an elbow on Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask drills Komatsu with a back kick and tags in Tanaka. Tanaka and Komatsu trade elbows and Komatsu tags in KUSHIDA. Cartwheel dropkick by KUSHIDA to Tanaka and Liger is tagged back in. Liger assaults Tanaka and tags in KUSHIDA. Scoop slam by KUSHIDA and he tags in Komatsu. This continues for a bit until Tanaka makes the hot tag to Taguchi. KUSHIDA is also tagged in and KUSHIDA hits a swandive chop followed by a standing moonsault. Taguchi clears the ring with hip attacks and tags in Dorada. Crossbody by Dorada to KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA tags in White. Elbow by White to Dorada, and Dorada is attacked by everyone in the corner. White picks up Dorada but Dorada kicks White and hits a missile dropkick out of the corner. Dorada slams White in front of the corner, he goes up top and hits a Tornillo for the three count. This was non-offensive but also void of anything particularly interesting. A decent opening match but nothing beyond that. Score: 5.5
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They begin with a tie-up but the action picks up as Takahashi beats YOSHI-HASHI onto the mat. YOSHI-HASHI comes back with a hurricanrana but Takahashi leaves the ring. YOSHI-HASHI goes out after him but Takahashi drops YOSHI-HASHI on the guardrail. Takahashi snaps YOSHI-HASHI’s neck into the ropes and chops him into the corner. Big boot by Takahashi but YOSHI-HASHI hits a neckbreaker. Lariat by YOSHI-HASHI and he dropkicks Takahashi in the back for a two count. Neckbreaker by YOSHI-HASHI, he goes up top but Takahashi throws him off. Takahashi picks up YOSHI-HASHI and he hits a Fisherman Buster. Jawbreaker by YOSHI-HASHI and he hits a lariat. Chakram by YOSHI-HASHI, he picks up Takahashi but Takahashi grabs the referee to get away. Takahashi drops YOSHI-HASHI with the Tokyo Pimps, and he picks up the three count. Takahashi isn’t overly entertaining but it wasn’t awful, it was just too short to be offensive. Score: 4.0
Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Shoulderblock by Makabe, Honma bodyslams him but he misses the Kokeshi. Makabe throws Honma out of the ring and goes out after him, throwing Honma into the railing. Back in the ring, Makabe twists on Honma’s leg but he gets to the ropes. Back up, Honma elbows Makabe to the mat but again misses the Kokeshi. Vertical suplex by Honma and he hits a face crusher, but again Makabe avoids the Kokeshi. I’m really tired of that spot, maybe I’m the only one. Lariat by Honma and he finally hits the Kokeshi. Makabe bodyslams Honma and he lariats him in the corner. Mounted punches by Makabe in the corner and he hits a Northern Lights Suplex. Back up they trade elbows, a battle that Makabe wins. Makabe Irish whips Honma but Honma collapses to the mat. Jumping headbutt by Honma and he hits a second one. Scoop slam by Honma, he goes up top but Makabe avoids the diving Kokeshi. Makabe hits Honma with a backfist and hits a lariat, but Honma stays up. The second lariat does the trick and Makabe hits a Polish Hammer. Makabe puts Honma up top and joins him, and they trade elbows up top. Honma gets Makabe in the tree of woe, he goes for the Kokeshi but Makabe pulls himself back up. Makabe drops a knee on the back of Honma’s head, Makabe goes up top and he nails the King Kong Kneedrop for the three count. People love Honma’s act, but to me he is starting to get stale. I like his fire, but his entire offense is based around hitting a falling/jumping headbutt. When he isn’t against someone awesome like Ishii, it just shines through that every one of his matches is formulaic and it seems to be getting worse. The crowd enjoys it, but Honma will always be a loser in the ring unless he takes himself more seriously. Score: 4.5
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They immediately start trading elbows and Kojima shoulderblocks Shibata to the mat. Shibata falls out of the ring and Kojima throws him into the railing before they start trading elbows again. They barely make it back in the ring in time and Shibata boots Kojima in the head. Shibata starts working on Kojima’s leg but Kojima gets out of it and elbows Shibata into the corner. Rapid fire chops by Kojima but Shibata switches positions with him and elbows Kojima down in the corner. Dropkick by Shibata and he hits a single arm suplex for a two count. Kojima chops Shibata into the corner again, he hits the elbow smash followed by the diving elbow drop. Roaring elbow by Kojima and he hits a snap DDT. Shibata gets on the apron and he applies a sleeper over the top rope, but Kojima gets out of it and lariats Shibata, sending him to the floor. The referee starts the count, but Kojima goes out and gets Shibata before he can be counted out. Such a good guy move. Koji Cutter by Kojima and he hits a backdrop suplex, but Shibata springs up and hits his own backdrop suplex. Kojima elbows Shibata and both wrestlers fall to the mat. Brainbuster by Kojima and he levels Shibata with a lariat. Sleeper by Shibata, he picks up Kojima and he hits the Go 2 Sleep followed by the PK. Cover, and Shibata picks up the three count. This was generally a good heavyweight sprint-style match but along the way they just really threw selling out the window. Also the leg work portion didn’t match the rest of the narrative at all and could have been safely skipped. I enjoyed it for what it was, but the structure was all over the place. Score: 6.0
Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They trade wristlocks to start, seated armbar by Goto but Nagata gets to the ropes. Shoulderblocks by Goto and he goes back to Nagata’s arm. Nagata kicks Goto and he slaps on a cross armbreaker before Goto gets in the ropes. Armbreaker by Nagata and they trade elbows back up. Nagata kicks Goto into the corner and hits a big boot. Lariat by Goto and he kicks Nagata into the corner and he hits a heel kick in the corner. Backdrop suplex by Goto and they trade elbows again. Knee to the stomach by Nagata and they go back to an elbow exchange. Lots of elbows. Slap by Nagata and he applies a seated armbar. Big boot by Nagata and he hits a brainbuster. Knee by Nagata in the corner, he puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and he hits an exploder. Nagata elbows Goto and he hits an enzigieri. Goto drops Nagata onto his knee and he hits a roaring lariat. Shouten Kai by Goto, and he picks up the three count. This was a really fun match but it felt like it ended too suddenly. Nagata went out pretty quick for someone that dominated the match and he is no jobber. Felt like it could have used a few more minutes but what they did worked very well. Score: 7.0
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Nakanishi, and Captain New Japan vs. Nakamura, Sakuraba, and Tomohiro Ishii
What in the world is New Japan doing with Sakuraba, what a waste of a legend. Use him for something special or don’t use him at all. Big question – who will pin Captain New Japan? Captain New Japan and Sakuraba start off but they don’t do a whole lot before Tenzan and Nakamura tag in. They get into the ropes and Tenzan stomps Nakamura down in the corner. Nakamura knees Tenzan and hits a running knee to the ribs in the corner. Nakamura tags in Ishii, and Ishii trades chops with Tenzan which Ishii gets the better of. Vertical suplex by Ishii and he tags in Sakuraba so they can double team Tenzan. Sakuraba kicks Tenzan but Tenzan hits Mongolian Chops. Sakuraba applies a sleeper and gives Tenzan some chops of his own. Nakamura is tagged in and he chokes Tenzan in the corner with his boot. Tenzan headbutts Nakamura in the stomach however and hits a series of Mongolian Chops. Heel kick by Tenzan but Ishii runs in. Tenzan lariats Ishii and makes the hot tag to Nakanishi. Nakanishi chops Nakamura into the corner and then hits a lariat. Another lariat by Nakanishi and he lariats Nakamura to the mat. Another lariat by Nakanishi but the cover gets two.
Nakanishi puts Nakamura in the Argentine Backbreaker, Sakuraba tries to break it up but Nakanishi throws Nakamura at him. Nakamura fights back with a heel kick and both Captain New Japan and Ishii are tagged in. Shoulderblock by Captain New Japan, he goes up top but Captain New Japan misses the diving headbutt. Jumping knee in the corner by Nakamura to Captain New Japan and Ishii knocks him down with a lariat. Nakanishi and Tenzan come in to help, and Tenzan hits a diving headbutt onto Ishii. Captain New Japan goes up top and hits one as well, but Nakamura breaks up the cover. Ishii elbows Captain New Japan back but Captain New Japan hits the Hirai End for a two count. Elbows by Ishii, Sakuraba applies a sleeper to Captain New Japan and then Nakamura hits a sliding knee. Sliding lariat by Ishii, cover, but Tenzan breaks it up. Ishii picks up Captain New Japan and he nails a brainbuster for the three count. Just mid-card filler, even though it did have some of the bigger wrestlers in the promotion. If they cut out Captain New Japan and Sakuraba this may have worked, but aside from the finishing stretch there just wasn’t much here. Not bad, just nothing significant in any way. Score: 5.5
Doc Gallows vs. Kota Ibushi
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Gallows pushes Ibushi around to start things off as Ibushi bumps like a mad man. Gallows dumps Ibushi out of the ring and punches him around the floor. Gallows hits Ibushi with a steel chair but finally they return to the ring. Headbutt by Gallows and he stretches Ibushi in the ropes. Gallows punches Ibushi in the corner and he hits a vertical suplex. Ibushi finally kicks Gallows, he goes off the ropes but Gallows boots him to the mat. Gallows elbows Ibushi in the chest and applies a reverse chinlock. Gallows goes for a body press, but Ibushi rolls out of the way. Ibushi dropkicks Gallows out of the ring, he charges the corner and hits a moonsault out of the ring. Ibushi goes up top as Gallows gets in the ring, and he hits a missile dropkick. Ibushi goes for a suplex but Gallows blocks it. Elbows by Gallows but Ibushi hits the German suplex hold for a two count. High kick by Gallows and he hits the front full nelson slam for a two count. Gallows picks up Ibushi but Ibushi reverses the chokebomb into a hurricanrana and he picks up the three count! This was smartly worked, Gallows is the monster gaijin and Ibushi treated him as such, only occasionally getting in any offense and winning with a flash pin. It didn’t go too long and it was logically done, even if they didn’t break any new ground and Ibushi is capable of having better matches with others. But it was entertaining, so a good match overall. Score: 6.5
Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Anderson attacks Naito outside the ring and powerbombs him onto the apron. Anderson rams Naito’s head into the ring post, Naito gets on the apron and Anderson boots him in the head. Anderson boots Naito again, and he falls back to the floor. Naito still hasn’t made it in the ring yet. Finally Naito manages to get in and Anderson hits a series of mounted punches. Scoop slam by Anderson but Naito avoids the elbow drop. Kick combination by Naito and he hits a somersault senton. Naito hits hurricanrana and does his kick thing in the corner that I don’t like. Naito goes off the ropes but Anderson catches him with a spinebuster. Big boot by Anderson in the corner and he delivers a jumping kick to the face. Fireman’s carry into a cutter by Anderson, but Naito kicks out of the pin attempt. Jumping elbow by Naito, he puts Anderson up on the top turnbuckle and he goes for a Frankensteiner, but Anderson catches him with a powerbomb for a two count. Anderson and Naito trade elbows, Anderson goes for an uppercut but Naito sneaks in a backslide for two. Tornado DDT by Naito and he kicks Anderson in the head. German suplex hold by Naito, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Naito and he nails the Stardust Press for the three count. I liked this one quite a bit, I don’t think that Anderson gets enough credit. He has been in New Japan for a long time now and has good chemistry with just about everyone. His offense was very on point and Naito kept up just fine. This is what I want to see in the tournament, matches that get right to the point and entertain. Score: 7.5
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They trade waistlocks to start and then go to the mat, but they return to their feet after a moment. Yano quickly removes a turnbuckle pad and then throws Tanahashi into the other one, but Tanahashi hits a rebound crossbody which Yano rolls through for a two count. Yano hits Tanahashi low and he covers him for a quick two count. Tanahashi catches Yano’s kick but Yano again rolls him up for two. Yano yanks Tanahashi’s leg out from under him and covers him, but Tanahashi kicks out. Jumping elbow smash by Tanahashi, he goes off the ropes and applies a waistlock before spinning Yano around. Tanahashi goes to run off the ropes but Yano pulls him down by his hair and covers him for the three count! Well I guess that counts as the upset of the tournament, and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. I have no issue with it, these things need to happen in tournaments so that every match is important. Plus Yano is Yano, what can ya do. Short obviously but it served its purpose. Score: 6.0
Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They go back and forth to start, Fale tries to sit on Okada but Okada moves and hits a sliding kick. Fale rolls out of the ring, Okada goes off the ropes but Fale grabs Okada and dumps him out of the ring. Okada is stomped on by various people at ringside, then Fale throws him into the guardrail. Fale slides Okada back in and stands on his back while using the ropes. Fale punches Okada into the corner and hits clubbing blows before hitting an elbow drop. Back up, punches by Fale and he hits a scoop slam. Fale goes for a body press but Okada rolls out of the way, but of course he goes for a body slam which doesn’t work. Fale runs into the corner and now Okada is able to hit the body slam, even though he hurts himself in the process. Elbows by Okada and he hits a DDT. Big boot by Okada and he lariats Fale out of the ring. Okada follows him out and kicks Fale over the guardrail, he then gets a running start and dives at Fale, but Fale catches him and slams him back to ringside. Fale returns to the ring with Okada slowly following, and Fale drives Okada into the corner. Body avalanche by Fale and he hits a body press for two. Fale throws Okada into the corner, he picks him up but Okada hits a back bodydrop. Running uppercut by Okada and he hits a few elbows, but Fale hits him back. Dropkick by Okada, he goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop. Okada goes for the Rainmaker but Fale ducks it and hits a Samoan Drop. Spear by Fale, and he gets a two count. Fale picks up Okada but Okada hits the reverse neckbreaker. Okada goes for a tombstone but Fale blocks it, he picks up Okada but Okada wiggles out of the Bad Luck Fall. Dropkick by Okada to the back and then one to the front, he goes for the Rainmaker but Fale blocks it. Lariat by Fale, he picks up Okada and he hits the Grenade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fale goes up top and he hits a diving body press for a two count. Fale picks up Okada, he nails the Bad Luck Fall and he picks up the three count. Fale doesn’t do a lot for me, his offense doesn’t look hurt-y for someone his size and Okada was limited here due to Fale being a bit of a lug at times. It wasn’t bad, I was just hoping for a bit more from the main event of the show. Score: 6.0
Final Thoughts:
As is not uncommon in the first round of a tournament, the matches ranged from average to really good, but none really blew me away. The match-ups didn’t do them a lot of favors as wrestlers such as Honma, Tanahashi, and Okada can have fantastic matches but none were put in a situation to really do so on this show. Some of the big dude vs. little dude matches worked (particularly the two American matches), but some of the others fell flat. It was still an above average event overall, it just didn’t quite reach the level of the previous couple New Japan events.
Grade: B
