Goto, Finlay make Elite Eight
Night six of the New Japan Cup was in Uwajima in Ehime on March 12, as two more progressed to the Elite Eight of the quarterfinals.
First tournament match of the night was one few had predicted, Tanga Loa taking on David Finlay. Loa wanted to start the fight on Finlay’s entrance, getting the early advantage with a brawl on the floor. Keeping up the pressure in the ring, Loa had control until a wild Cactus like lariat sent both men back outside. There Finlay took a commanding hold on the bout, before Loa suplexed free of a sleeper hold; the Silverback charged into the corner and met the knees of Finlay, but a lariat from Loa saw the Rebel hit the outside mats with a splat.
Loa tried to call on his offensive diversity, landing a cross body, but finding more success with haymakers to Finlay and a powerful short arm clothesline before a Bossman Slam for two. A powerbomb set up Loa for the Sacrifice knee, but he was reversed Into Oblivion for two; as the match swung back and forth, Loa got Apesh*t but didn’t end the match, and a second Sacrifice attempt was stopped with a brutal headbutt. Overkill followed soon after and Finlay was through.
The main event pit Hirooki Goto against Chase Owens, Owens wrestling his first NJPW singles main event in nine years. Wanting to dictate the pace in the big spot, he ducked out the ring and made Goto wait, but the Fierce Warrior was not suckered in by the mind games, taking quick physical control. When Owens was forced to roll to the floor though, an impatient Goto would be suckered in at last, and Owens did indeed dictate the pace with a methodical offensive approach. A rebound lariat saw Goto make some headway but an effective corner combination into a senton meant the Crown Jewel was still well in charge.
Even as Goto fired up into a lariat exchange with Owens, he was stunned with a clashing lariat from the Tag champion, but Goto was still able to summon up Ushigoroshi at the ten minute mark. Both men reset and traded heavy forearm shivers before Goto used his own wrestling IQ to sucker Chase into a rear naked choke and then a Shibata-esque PK. GTW followed for a very near fall from Red Shoes Unno, but Owens was not about to go quietly against Goto. Instead, adrenaline fired as he took the CHAOS member to the floor and followed with an impressive dropkick to the outside.
Losing his cool, Owens removed the covering on the floor with designs on a Package Piledriver on the concrete. Saving both the match and potentially his career, a back body drop scored for Goto as the referee applied his count, one Goto barely made after missing a lariat and catching the ring post. Capitalizing, Owens landed a C-Trigger and then the Jewel Heist before a Green Killer on scored two. Goto was suffering with neck issues, but Goto responded in kind as he forced Owens to take a spill into the top corner, and a one man Shoto scored for Goto, a match of attrition continuing as Unno counted two.
Goto wanted once again to misdirect Owens, but was rocked with an enzuigiri and a pair of C-Triggers. Owens closed in on victory, but the threat of defeat lit a fierce flame in Goto. A brutal headbutt and then the GTR brought the CHAOS member to victory.
