New Japan Pro Wrestling kicked off their annual New Japan Cup tournament. The 16-man single elimination tournament culminates on 3/21. Since the first night aired at 4:30am EST on NJPWWorld.com, here’s a spoiler-free summary for the non-nite owl New Japan fans. Each match receives a Need To Watch Rating of 0.0-10.0
FIRST MATCH: CHAOS (Chuckie T, Hirooki Goto & Toru Yano) vs. Shota Umino, Tomoyuki Oka & Tetsuhiro Yagi
This was a fun warm up for NJ Cup participants Chuckie T & Toru Yano. These three make a very good trio, and would bolster the NEVER six-man tag division nicely. Young Lions got to show some fire. Fun, inessential opener.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.0)
SECOND MATCH: Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) vs. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Tanga Loa)
This match was a throwback to the tag matches that AJPW used to have in the 90s. Four giant asskickers, beating the snot out of each other. A lot of fun, Fale & Tanga Loa make a good thrown together team.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.5)
THIRD MATCH: Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & SANADA)
Another fun trios match. Not much to talk about but everyone got a chance to shine.
Need To Watch Rating: (3.1)
FOURTH MATCH: Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay & Toa Henare vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Minoru Suzuki)
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s return to Korakuen after his knee injury was a heartwarming moment, cut short by the usual Suzuki-gun pre-match attack. Toa Henare continues to grow. This was Taichi’s strongest showing as a heavyweight.
Need To Watch Rating: (6.8)
FIFTH MATCH: CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Kota Ibushi & Chase Owens
Ibushi & Owens make a surprisingly good heel tag team. Commentator Chuckie T suggested that Okada is losing his mind, and it’s possible. Fun match.
Need To Watch Rating: (5.7)
SIXTH MATCH: New Japan Cup First Round: Juice Robinson vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Easily one of Juice’s best matches. Not so much a match as total warfare. Yujiro brings every move in his arsenal, and Juice takes an unbelievable amount of punishment. Like Ospreay’s showing against Okada, this is a match that many will pinpoint as the moment a star was born. This is a must see match.
Need To Watch Rating: (10.0)
MAIN EVENT: New Japan Cup First Round: Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii
This match is hard to reconcile. One one hand, it’s got Michael Elgin. On the other hand, without spoiling anything, it might be Ishii’s last match. Until he’s confirmed well, this match will have a dark cloud hanging over it. Outside of all of the really dangerous spots, this is a slow match with very little story. Only recommended for Elgin fans, Ishii fans & the morbidly curious.
Need To Watch Rating: (N/R)
