First quarterfinals night
We’re down to the Elite Eight of the New Japan Cup. Dolphin’s Arena in Aichi will see the first two quarterfinals as the field narrows and we find out the first two of our Final Four.
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Main event: New Japan Cup Quarterfinal- Hirooki Goto vs David Finlay
Winner faces Jack Perry or SANADA March 18 in Fukuoka
Hirooki Goto and David Finlay’s quarterfinal bout comes after each knocked out surprise second round advances in the form of Chase Owens and Tanga Loa respectively. Now in the Elite Eight this is an intriguing matchup between the 2023 NJC finalist and a three time former winner of the tournament. Goto’s history with former BULLET CLUB leaders runs deep, with his 2016 G1 Climax final coming opposite Kenny Omega, and a rivalry with Jay White dominating much of 2019. Yet this is his first singles meeting with Finlay; will it be Goto’s veteran tournament experience, or Finlay’s growing momentum that determines entry to the Final Four?
7th Match: New Japan Cup Quarterfinal- SANADA vs Jack Perry
Singles record: 1-0 SANADA
Winner faces Hirooki Goto or David Finlay March 18 in Fukuoka
Our other tournament match tonight sees a rematch from Forbidden Door as SANADA takes on Jack Perry. In all of SANADA’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship reign in 2023, and indeed the entire lifespan of the gold from 2021 onward, the only World Championship match not to be contested in the main event of a card was at Forbidden Door last year when Perry challenged. In the moments immediately after that match, Perry’s actions started a chain reaction that led to him now being in the HOUSE OF TORTURE fold, and that to his mind at least, have solidified him as a main event player.
Perry’s New Japan Cup matches have not been given main event status either, and given that both of his bouts have ended in a cavalcade of interference from HOUSE OF TORTURE, it’s small wonder. Yet Perry embraces his position as pariah, and has brushed away criticism of the new company he runs with. In the win or go home environment of the New Japan Cup, it seems only natural for Perry and H.O.T to step up their efforts to maintain a controlling interest in the Cup to come, and make sure Perry’s main event position int he finals Wednesday is secure.
6th Match Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL)
In a preview of Sunday’s quarterfinals, Shingo Takagi and EVIL, and Yota Tsuji and Ren Narita will go head to head in ten man tag action tonight. H.O.T’s dark presence continues to be a major threat in the New Japan Cup, and three H.O.T members in the last four, let alone eight is something to send chills up the spine. Can LIJ fend off the House in Nagoya?
5th Match: Shota Umino & YOSHI-HASHI vs Just Five Guys (Taichi & Yuya Uemura)
In an intriguing tag battle, Yuya Uemura and Shota Umino will be tangling as Hontai/CHAOS face two of Just Five Guys. With high profile matches to come in Ryogoku, Chicago and Taipei in the coming weeks, it’s important to win the ongoing struggles for position and prominence, and eyes will be on how Uemura and Umino interact for the first time post excursions.
4th Match: Toru Yano, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Gabe Kidd, Chase Owens & KENTA)
Eight man action tonight sees current and former IWGP Tag Team Champions collide. Chase Owens and KENTA may have relieved GoD of the IWGP belts thanks to Taiji Ishimori’s efforts, but NJPW STRONG Tag Champions Hikuleo and EL Phantasmo will be hungry to show they’re still the best duo in the NJPW sphere.
3rd Match: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs United Empire (TJP & Callum Newman)
After Callum Newman wrestled Mikey Nicholls in singles action in Osaka Friday night, it’s a tag team follow up in Aichi, which also pits TJP against Zack Sabre Jr. ZSJ had vocally expressed interest in facing TJP again somewhere down the road, in a potential battle of two technical masters well familiar with one another but not when it comes to NJPW action. It should make for an exciting collision of TMDK and United Empire.
2nd Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii vs United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)
Six man action sees United Empire doing battle with Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma and Tomohiro Ishii. With the announcement earlier this week that the vacated NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championships will be occupied with a tournament in Taiwan April 14, could tonight be a telling one for the future of one of these trios?
1st Match: Katsuya Murashima, El Desperado & Togi Makabe vs Shoma Kato, Boltin Oleg & YOH
Six man action will see Young Lions Katsuya Murashima and Shoma Kato back competing against one another less than 24 hours after their ten minute draw in Osaka Friday. Which prospect comes out on top at the start of the evening’s action?
