KENTA and Shingo Takagi advance to quarterfinals. 

Aichi saw hotly anticipated round two matchups in the New Japan Cup on March 13, as the quarterfinal lineup starts to fill up. 

First to compete for one of two spots available on the night were KENTA and Minoru Suzuki. KENTA elected to poke the bear in the worst possible way, relaxing in ring with a newspaper while waiting for Suzuki to make his entrance, and drawing the ire of the King before bailing from the ring at the bell. 

Suzuki sufficiently enraged, first contact was made, but KENTA quickly slapped at the King before again retreating, and using the high ground to boot Suzuki on the apron, before being caught in an arm triangle. Suzuki would hurl KENTA at the ringside guardrails before grabbing hold of a chair, but he would find the steel kicked into his face as KENTA would swing at the Suzuki-Gun boss instead, taking control of the bout at the five minute mark.

Now more serious with the match in his grasp, KENTA peppered Suzuki with mid kicks, and went to the eyes whenever his opponent tried to fire back. With every shot to the back and head, Suzuki grew more furious, before one blow too many saw KENTA’s world rocked with an almighty forearm shot, a Fujiwara headbutt and stinging blows.

A DDT would create some distance for KENTA, and a Green Killer would follow, but only got a one count for the BULLET CLUB member at the ten minute mark. A corner dropkick didn’t get all of Suzuki, but a double stomp from the top rope did, and KENTA seemed close to victory; a Go2Sleep attempt was countered into a Suzuki front chancerie, but that too was reversed into Game Over. 

Suzuki would get out of the hold, but would not evade a Busaiku Knee. The King did again escape Go2Sleep however, negotiating a half crab and wrenching at KENTA’s knee and lower back until KENTA barely made the bottom rope. As the two stood up, the match broke down into the strike exchange many had predicted it would become, hard open hands ringing off both mens’ skulls as the Aichi crowd applauded along. A pair of back fists from KENTA scored, but again Go2Sleep wouldn’t come, blocked and turned into a rear naked choke. 

Suzuki would bring KENTA out of the hold to land more open handed blows before going back to the rear naked. Suzuki went from there into a Gotch Style Piledriver, or at least that was the plan; KENTA surprised Suzuki with Go2Sleep for the flash KO, pinning Suzuki for a sudden end to the King’s Cup. 

The main event saw Shingo Takagi take on Hirooki Goto for the first time since Takagi beat Goto for the NEVER Openweight Championship last February. Neither man was willing to give ground to the other in the opening, as they collided with shoulder tackles and elbows. The pace stayed high as each tried to finish the other early, a sliding elbow scoring to the back of Goto’s head, and the CHAOS member almost taking out the Dragon in response with the Goto Shiki.  

Takagi changed gears outside the ring, pinging Goto off the cornerpost and slowing Goto with a DDT on the floor before demanding the fans’ approval. Goto would respond with a hip toss to Takagi though, and drawing Shingo the apron, dropped his opponent back and neck first onto the apron edge. 

Taking a firm hold of the match, Goto kept up the pressure on Takagi, and kept the focus of his offense on the neck with elbows to the back of the head. The Ryukon lariat would connect however, and Takagi would bury knees into the gut of Goto before landing a big vertical suplex. Goto would respond in kind however, and a bulldog headlock did more damage to Takagi’s neck. 

With a surge of adrenaline, Takagi would land a backdrop suplex to fight neck damage with neck damage. The match continuing as it started, neither Goto nor Takagi were willing to give ground to the other, as they collided center ring, but a brief misdirection in the ropes opened the door for Goto to connect with a lariat and then score Ushigoroshi at the 15 minute mark.

Takagi would rely on the Aichi crowd for energy to connect with Noshigami, and though Pumping Bomber was evaded by Goto, Made In Japan would score a two count for the Dragon. Takagi would follow with left and right forearms before dropping Goto; the LIJ member looked for the Ryukon lariat again, but this time Goto would counter with GTW. 

Goto wouldn’t finish Takagi with the GTR, but landed the reverse version for two. Pulling himself to his feet with the ropes, a shotgun blast of a left kick connected for Goto, but GTR was again blocked as Takagi scored with a massive headbutt. Takagi hoisted Goto for Last of the Dragon; countered, he instead dropped Goto across the top rope and landed the Takagi style GTR-Kai before a Pumping Bomber turned Goto inside out. This time, enough was enough. An emphatic Last of the Dragon later, and Takagi was through. 

Shingo Takagi will now face KENTA on Tuesday March 16 in Korakuen Hall.