New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual New Japan Cup tournament is underway.
The winner of this year’s single-elimination tournament will earn the chance to face “Switchblade” Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This matchup is scheduled to take place at their upcoming show, co-promoted with Ring Of Honor (ROH), G1 Supercard. The event takes place on April 6th and emanates from the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.
This event took place on 3/16 from Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.
New Japan Cup Results (3/16)
Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Yota Tsuji, Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Tomoaki Honma via submission.
Tenzan would force Young Lion, Tsuji, to tap out to the Anaconda Vice.
Mikey Nicholls, Michael Elgin, and Juice Robinson defeated HIKULEO, Chase Owens, and Bad Luck Fale via pinfall.
A Mikey Bomb to the huge HIKULEO helped Nicholls pick up the win for his team.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer defeated Toa Henare and Togi Makabe via pinfall.
Killer Elite Squad would secure the victory after a Killer Bomb to Henare.
Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito defeated YOH and Hirooki Goto via pinfall.
LIJ started their night strong with a victory over CHAOS, courtesy of Takagi’s Last Of The Dragon finisher.
BUSHI, EVIL, and SANADA defeated TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, and Minoru Suzuki via pinfall.
BUSHI made sure LIJ continued their good night, pinning TAKA with the BUSHI roll.
Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Will Ospreay defeated Colt Cabana, YOSHI-HASHI, and Kazuchika Okada via pinfall.
Yano would prove yet again why he is the ‘Master Thief,’ stealing a victory with a schoolboy roll up to Cabana for the win.
Tournament Results
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi via pinfall.
Tanahashi presses forward in the New Japan Cup tournament, picking up the win after a Dragon Suplex to Taguchi.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Kota Ibushi via submission.
Sabre Jr. is determined to win the tournament for the second year in a row. Eliminating tournament favorite, Ibushi, is a great way to solidify his intent, shocking the crowd whilst doing so.
