New Japan Pro Wrestling continued their annual New Japan Cup tournament. Since the show aired at 4am 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
RELATED: New Japan Cup Night 2 Results (3/10) Tanahashi vs. Taichi, Archer vs. Fale.
FIRST MATCH: Ren Narita & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
This was a solid, inoffensive opener.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.0)
SECOND MATCH: Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata vs. David Finlay & Tetsuhiro Yagi
This was a fun showcase for Yagi and Umino. Nagata is always a welcome presence that brings a fire out of the Young Lions.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.4)
THIRD MATCH: Michael Elgin & Tomoyuki Oka vs. CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii)
It was a genuine relief to see Ishii back to his old ass-kicking ways after a scary finish to his and Elgin’s NJ Cup match last night. A good match but no real need to see moments.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.0)
FOURTH MATCH: Toa Henare & Juice Robinson vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka)
A great showcase for Henare. Juice was still weary from last night’s war with Yujiro Takahashi. Davey Boy & Iizuka are a decent thrown together team, but this match didn’t have nearly the spark of last night’s KES match.
Need To Watch Rating: (3.4)
FIFTH MATCH: Los Ingobernable de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & SANADA) vs. Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki)
This was a wild six-man tag battle. Suzuki & SANADA showed amazing chemistry in their time together. TAKA remains an entertaining mouthpiece for Zack Sabre Jr. Definitely the first true highlight of the show.
Need To Watch Rating: (7.1)
SIXTH MATCH: CHAOS (Chuckie T, Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Kota Ibushi & Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens)
This match never really had enough time to get going.Kota & Bullet Club continue to be a perplexing but cohesive unit. Nothing essential, but still a great 8-man tag.
Need To Watch Rating: (6.9)
SEVENTH MATCH: New Japan Cup First Round: Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer
Fale and Archer have a classic Kaiju battle and take most of the seating with them. A quick, hard hitting entry in what is shaping up to be a punishing tournament.
Need To Watch Rating: (8.2)
MAIN EVENT: New Japan Cup First Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Taichi makes a captivating debut. Tanahashi makes a stunning return to form. This is a slow burn, but a rewarding watch. This match didn’t reach the heights of the previous night’s epics, but it was a solid main event, and signaled good things in the future for both men.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.0)
