Round of 16 set
The round two bracket is now set in New Japan Cup 2024, as March 10 saw the first round come to a close in Hyogo.
The main event saw Yota Tsuji doing battle with Jeff Cobb. Though the crowd was at the back of Tsuji, he was pushed to the ropes by Cobb, and couldn’t power the Imperial Unit down with a series of tackles, instead finding himself rocketed to the canvas via the shoulder of the Islander. Pivoting, Tsuji used a tijeras off the top to take his foe to the floor, but a tope suicida was caught by Cobb who maintained control with a release vertical suplex.
Enjoying his position in the driver’s seat, Cobb kept up the pressure and landed a top rope gutwrench as Tsuji was knocked for a loop, finally getting some space as he drove Cobb’s face into the mat. The ‘Yota’ chants building, Tsuji landed a body blow and a reverse tijeras, this time getting full extension on a tope suicida to follow up. A massive vertical suplex followed for a near fall, but Cobb’s core strength stopped him from being struck with the Curb Stomp as the two men reset in the centre.
On the second time of asking, Tsuji got the Curb Stomp on Cobb, who got to his feet but was planted again with a Complete Shot. A running Curb Stomp missed though, and Cobb’s stand moonsault crushed Tsuji as the crowd grew more intense. Sending Tsuji to the ropes, the Tour of the Islands was delayed with a brutal knee to the chin from Tsuji; a Gene Blaster spear attempt followed, but a roll through from Cobb led to a sickening powerbomb. A spin cycle got two, and F5000 brought Cobb nearer; a massive lariat later and Cobb set for his own spear to Tsuji, the count getting to 2.9 and a ripple of thunder from stomping feet echoed through the arena.
Tsuji set for the Aloha Maker variant of the Tour of the Islands, denied by Tsuji as the two men collided at full velocity. A brutal Curb Stomp scored for Tsuji, and a double step version followed. Cobb still refused to lose, but a massive Gene Blaster offered no choice, Tsuji scoring a massive win.
Taichi faced Ren Narita in the semi main event of the evening. Narita was making no show of this being a singles contest, as Yoshinobu Kanemaru stood side by side with the Souled Out Narita, and jumped the Holy Emperor before the bell, only to be dumped to the floor and carried to the back by Boltin Oleg. Going with plan B, Narita brawled into the crowd with Taichi, trying for a countout win that he did not get, but remained in full control inside.
It would be a gamengiri in the corner that finally brought a reprieve for Taichi, and after a hard forearm shiver saw the H.O.T member on the floor, and there was a role reversal from the opening of the match. Taichi was back in control, but a guillotine knee saw the momentum swing back to Narita. A low blow assisted a big German suplex for a near two, but Taichi responded in kind, and the Seitei Jujiro tore at the neck; Narita tapped out, but out of view of the official as Dick Togo conveniently made his presence felt.
A HOUSE OF TORTURE mugging soon ensued, but Just Five Guys made the save as the referee was downed. With the match back to one on one, the crowd was all behind Taichi who exploded with a Dangerous Backdrop on Narita; a second went into a pinfall, but Jack Perry got involved. Taichi took out the Scapegoat, and kicked the pushup bar out of the hands of Narita, but hurt his leg in the process, and a re-emerging Kanemaru clocked the Holy Emperor with his whiskey bottle, leading to Double Cross for three.
The first Cup match of the night pit TMDK’s Mikey Nicholls against GoD’s El Phantasmo. ELP struggled with the power differential to Nicholls early, and was dominated in ring and out for the first six minutes. A dropkick from Phantasmo finally brought some space and time and a flying forearm turned the tables to the STRONG Tag Champion’s favour. A lariat slowed Phantasmo’s forward momentum, but only momentarily, a tornado DDT and stunning quebrada bringing amazed gasps from the Hyogo crowd.
Sensing the chance to finish Nicholls, ELP looked for Sudden Death but was drilled with a German suplex and wild lariat for two. Mad Mikey was building momentum once more, and put Phantasmo on the top before bringing him down with a huge superplex and sliding lariat for another near fall, but breaking from tradition he went up for a Moonsault that missed wildly. A modified Burning Hammer was followed by Sudden Death at short distance for two; when ELP wanted CRII he was countered into a Jackknife by Nicholls, but Phantasmo came out on top of the pin exchange to eliminate Nicholls.
El Phantasmo now faces Yota Tsuji, while Ren Narita will face off with Zack Sabre Jr in the second round March 15 in Osaka. Round two begins in Ehime March 11, where SANADA will face YOSHI-HASHI and Toru Yano meets Jack Perry.
