Here are the results from Day 8 of NJPW’s New Japan Cup tournament. The event took place at Twin Messe Shizuoka in Shizuoka, Japan, and featured two quarter-final matches for the yearly tournament.
Katsuya Murashima & Oleg Boltin vs Ryusuke Taguchi & Shoma Kato
- Boltin pinned Kato with a rolling senton
In another typical “young lion” bout, Oleg Boltin picked up anothe big win for his side. He looked strong in the match. His power moves and his size made him stand out from the other competitors. He is certainly one for the future.
Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Tanga Loa) vs United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP)
- Loa pinned Akira after a piledriver.
This match had very little action of note. There is very little to talkabout, other than that the GoD won the bout.
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)
- ZSJ forced Newman to tap out with an armbar
Once again, TMDK drag up the quality of matches on this tour. They work great together, with the pair isolating the other team perfectly in their bouts. ZSJ picked up another win, helping him build momentum back after losing to Ren Narita in the New Japan Cup.
El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH vs House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)
- Umino pinned Narita after a Death Rider.
Jack Perry did not manage to avenge his loss to SANADA yesterday. The AEW star saw his side lose in this match, with Shota Umino winning for his team.
If you’ve ever seen a House of Torture match, then don’t bother watching this. You’ve seen it before. If you haven’t seen a HoT match, get out while you still can.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd, Gedo, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori)
- YOSHI-HASHI pinned Gedo
This was a decent match. It was your classic BC match, isolating their opponents and using their numbers to overwhelm the opponents.
Kidd and Ishii continued to brawl, carrying on from their previous encounters on the tour. A match between the two is very welcomed, but hopefully with their respective teams at ringside.
Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)
- Uemura pinned BUSHI with a quick pin
I feel like I’ve seen this match about five times on the tour already. It was fine, but I don’t need to see it any more. This match heavily featured SANADA battling Naito into the ring. This could be a hint towards a future bout, especially if SANADA wins the New Japan Cup.
New Japan Cup Quarter Final: Ren Narita vs Yota Tsuji
- Tsuji pinned Narita with a roll-up
In a good match, Tsuji beat Narita for the first time in his career to advance to the semi-finals of the New Japan Cup.
The result also makes the previous round’s result confusing. Tsuji beating Sabre Jr would have been a much bigger win for him. This makes it a shock that Narita beat ZSJ, instead of the other way around.
New Japan Cup Quarter Final: EVIL vs Shingo Takago
- EVIL pinned Tagaki after a Everything is EVIL
This match began with a brawl that carried on from the last match. Is there anything more apt to a HoT match? It was a hard-hitting encounter between two former world champions, with it perhaps being shocking to see Shingo eat the loss here.
