Shingo Takagi to face EVIL in Shizuoka
March 13 in Okayama saw two more advance out of the second round and into the quarterfinals of the New Japan Cup with a pair of round two bouts.
The first of the two tournament bouts pit Hikuleo against EVIL. The King of Darkness was quick to target Hikuleo’s hurt knee in the opening seconds, but was sent hard into the ringside barriers. EVIL was hurting badly until Dick Togo intervened with a chair. With a two on one, weapon assisted and sustained assault on the knee, Hikuleo was in trouble but was still able to dim the lights of EVIL. The King of Darkness backpedalled, only to be sent back into the ring by Jado, but when the referee was bowled over, the despicable cavalry rode into Okayama.
All of HOUSE OF TORTURE attacked the giant Guerrilla, setting EVIL up for the Darkness Scorpion. A furious Hikuleo made the rope and played Whack-A-Mole with the H.O.T members, but the dirty tactics seemed too much for even the big man to endure until the rest of GoD helped even the sides. With the match finally even, Hikluleo looked for Godsend but was cut off with a chop block and then EVIL for the three.
The main event of the night promised intense action as Shingo Takagi clashed with Gabe Kidd in a first time singles meeting, and the action commenced before the bell was rung as Kidd launched Shingo into the unforgiving barriers at ringside. Following the battle on the outside the match finally entered the ring for the official start of the match, but only briefly as the men returned to the outside, this time to Shingo’s benefit as he thrust Kidd’s head into the solid corner post. A fight not confined by ropes tends to benefit the War Dogs though, Kidd stacking chairs on top of another before driving Shingo head first into the volatile pile with a wicked piledriver. The Rampage Dragon had enough fire left inside to return to the ring just before the 20-count, though.
Shingo may have avoided a count-out loss, but Kidd was coyly waiting and unleashed a wild backdrop suplex that caused Shingo to immediately tumble outside the ring yet again and have to best the referee’s count. More than 5 minutes elapsed and hardly any of it spent in the ring, the conflict continued courtesy of Kidd’s echoing blow across the jaw; the Mad Man oozing confidence as he dominated the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Shingo would finally find his footing with the King Kong lariat combo and swiftly sought the advantage, lighting his opponent up with Tenryu-esque punches and chops in the corner before delivering a vertical suplex.
Shingo’s sliding basement lariat landed true, but the spirited Kidd rolled through and popped back up to send Shigno careening with a lofty exploder suplex. The playing field equalled, the two met in the centre of the ring to exchange heavy headbutts and thudding chops, ultimately both men would leave the scrap worse for wear though, levelling each other with lariats and brainbusters in equal measure before crumbling to the ground. Kidd’s cockiness would prove to be his undoing, spitting in Shingo’s face only working to earn him a backdrop suplex and definitive Made in Japan for a near-fall.
Last of the Dragon was next on the agenda for Shingo, but Kidd’s spirit refused to break as he retaliated with the destructive Bull’s Horn Lariat and Tombstone Piledriver for his own near-fall. A sliding basement elbow across Kidd’s jaw put Shingo back in control; defiant to the end though, Kidd flipped off his opponent and suffered a ferocious Pumping Bomber for his efforts. Finally, Shingo was able to hoist Kidd high to send him plummeting with Last of the Dragon to secure the victory and head into the quarter-finals of the New Japan Cup.
Shingo Takagi will now face EVIL in the quarterfinals on March 17 in Shizuoka. Second round action concludes Friday in Osaka, where Yota Tsuji faces El Phantasmo, and Ren Narita battles Zack Sabre Jr.
