By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup
March 8, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
The “Night 1” show on Friday was canceled due to a broken ring post, and apparently it was too late for NJPW to either fix it or get a replacement ring. So, the two first-round matches that had been slated for night 1 will now be held here, so we have FOUR total first-round matches today. There was a sold-out crowd at Korakuen Hall. Chris Charlton and Walker Stewart provided commentary.
* This year’s New Japan Cup is a 24-man field. So, eight wrestlers ‘randomly’ got first-round byes. Thus, we have a total of eight first-round matches, including the first four of them here.
1. Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, and Toru Yano vs. Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Yuji Nagata. The combined ages of these eight men has to be close to 400. On Thursday, Goto offered Nagata a future title match, and those two opened this match, with Goto knocking him down with a shoulder tackle. Honma and Tiger Mask fought, and Charlton talked about how the Hontai and Chaos factions united on Thursday. (I refuse to see this as a big deal; they always got along before.) Tanahashi entered at 3:00. Kojima got in and hit his rapid-fire chops on Tanahashi. Honma entered at 6:00 and chopped Kojima, but he missed a Kokeshi falling headbutt. Nagata hit an Exploder Suplex on Honma for a nearfall. Goto hit a clothesline on Nagata, and Honma hit the Kokeshi on Nagata! He hit a flying headbutt on Nagata for a nearfall. However, Nagata hit a back suplex and pinned Honma. Solid match.
Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Yuji Nagata defeated Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, and Toru Yano at 7:55.
2. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, and Jakob Austin Young vs. El Phantasmo, Jado, and El Desperado. O-Khan and Phantasmo — who are first-round opponents — opened with standing switches. ELP grabbed him by the beard, then he twisted O-Khan’s nipple. Desperado entered and hit a spear on O-Khan at 1:30. Cobb walked on Jado’s back. O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops on Jado at 3:30. ELP entered and brawled some more with O-Khan, and he hit a top-rope dive to the floor on all three UE at 6:00. In the ring, he hit his springboard Swanton and a Lionsault for a nearfall on O-Khan. In the ring, Phantasmo hit an enzuigiri on O-Khan.
Desperado and Young got in, and Despe hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall at 8:00. Jakob hit a leg lariat. Cobb hit a Spin Cycle on Desperado. Despe got a rollup on Jakob for a nearfall. Jakob hit a Russian Leg Sweep and he tied up Desperado on the mat, but Despe escaped and applied a Stretch Muffler, and Jakob submitted. Good match. ELP put Desperado’s title on his shoulders; Despe walked over and snatched it back.
El Phantasmo, Jado, and El Desperado defeated Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, and Jakob Austin Young at 10:20.
* The lights went out! On a video screen, Clark Connors issued a challenge to El Desperado, saying he wants Despe’s title. But Connors wants it in a hardcore match!
3. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Francesco Akira vs. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tetsuya Naito and Bushi. This is Newman’s first match in months, since a serious leg injury. Naito and Newman — also first-round opponents — opened in an intense lockup. Newman sprinted while running the ropes and hit a Mafia Kick. They went to the floor, where Naito whipped Newman into the guardrails. Akira got in and unloaded some forearm strikes on Naito, then an enzuigiri at 4:30. Newman hit a flying forearm and a running penalty kick on Naito. Naito hit a basement dropkick on Callum’s knee; he went for a Figure Four, but Newman scrambled to the ropes. Naito stomped on the knee and he hit an enzuigiri. Newman popped to his feet and hit his own enzuigiri. Bushi and Akira got back in at 7:00. Akira hit a doublestomp to the chest. Bushi got a rollup for a believable nearfall; Akira reversed it and got a pin on his own rollup.
Callum Newman and Francesco Akira defeated Tetsuya Naito and Bushi at 8:39.
4. Sanada vs. Yuya Uemura in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. Standing switches to open; these two were teammates in Just 5 Guys until Sanada turned heel and left the group. Uemura kept him grounded in a hammerlock. Sanada kicked the ropes to hit a low blow on Yuya at 5:00 and he was loudly booed. They immediately went to the floor and up the short risers (Walker says it’s the north side of the building.) They got back into the ring with Sanada in charge. Uemura hit some chops at 7:30 but Sanada hit a dropkick on the knee. Uemura hit a back suplex for a nearfall, and he went for a cross-armbreaker move, but Sanada reached the ropes at 10:00.
Sanada hit a dropkick, then a plancha to the floor. In the ring, Sanada locked in the Skull End dragon sleeper and fell backwards to the mat at 12:00. He let go and went for the moonsault, but Yuya got his knees up to block it. Sanada pulled the ref on top of him! It allowed Taiji Ishimori to push Yuya off the top rope. Taichi appeared and chased Ishimori to the back. Sanada missed a moonsault but landed on his feet. Yuya hit a twisting uranage-type slam for a nearfall. We got the 15:00 call a few seconds early, and Charlton reminded us there are no time limits in this one. Yuya hit a dropkick, and he blocked a Deadfall attempt. Yuya nailed a Colt Cabana-style Superman Press cover and got the pin! Yuya advances! Good match.
Yuya Uemura defeated Sanada at 15:47 to advance.
5. EVIL vs. Yota Tsuji in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. EVIL came out first; as Yota walked to the ring, Dick Togo attacked him from behind. EVIL rolled to the floor and hit Yota, and I started my stopwatch as EVIL hit him. They got in the ring but EVIL shoved the ref to the mat at 1:00 before the bell rang! EVIL and Togo stomped on Tsuji. Yota hit a bodyslam on EVIL, then he tossed Togo onto EVIL, then he hit a splash to the mat on both! We have a bell at 2:15 to officially begin. Yota hit a suplex for a nearfall. EVIL tied him in a Sharpshooter, but Yota reached the ropes. EVIL nailed the Darkness Falls sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 5:00.
Yota nailed a headbutt and they were both down. Tsuji set up for the Gene Blaster, but EVIL pushed the ref into the way and the ref was cut in half. Togo threw powder in Yota’s eyes! EVIL hit a low blow and the Everything is Evil uranage for the cheap pin. Walker said this is a bracket-buster, as Yota won last year’s tournament, but is gone here in the first round.
EVIL defeated Yota Tsuji at 7:08/official time of 4:53 to advance.
6. Chase Owens vs. Ryohei Oiwa in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. They locked up and Chase pie-faced him and rolled to the floor to stall. Walker wondered what is next for Owens, now that Kenta has signed full-time with NOAH. In the ring, Oiwa tied up the left arm as they fought on the mat, and he hit a deep armdrag at 2:00. Owens hit the Jewel Heist clothesline for a nearfall and he kept Oiwa grounded. He set up for a package piledriver on the ring apron at 5:00, but Oiwa blocked it, and he hit a Divorce Court armbreaker on the apron. Oiwa wrapped the damaged arm around the ring post. Charlton said Chase is 6-0 all time in all types of matches against Oiwa.
In the ring, Chase hit a sunset flip bomb into the corner at 7:30 and a half-nelson suplex. Oiwa hit a clothesline for a nearfall. He hit a C-Trigger jumping knee to the chin but sold the pain in his arm. He hit a second C-Trigger for a nearfall at 9:00. He again set up for the package piledriver but Oiwa escaped and applied a top wristlock, and Owens tapped out! I expected Oiwa to win; this was on the high end of expectations. Chase ran over to the commentary table and complained that because the ring was broken on Friday, he didn’t get his practice time in and got rusty.
Ryohei Oiwa defeated Chase Owens at 9:39 to advance.
7. Gabe Kidd vs. Ren Narita in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. Kidd came out first to a massive pop; he must have heard Ren coming, because he turned around and struck him, and they brawled on the floor. I again started my stopwatch at first contact as they fought at ringside. Kidd hit a second-rope moonsault onto a standing Ren on the floor. This crowd is insanely hot behind Kidd. Kidd threw Narita into the ring and we got a bell to officially start at 1:22. He hit a hesitation dropkick into the corner. They went back to the floor, and they took turns whipping each other into guardrails. They went past the guardrail and fought in the crowd. They went into the hallway behind some bleachers; I don’t think I’ve seen that area of the arena before. They quickly returned to ringside.
Kidd got some chairs from under the ring at 5:30. (They have literally been in the ring for about 15 seconds so far.) Sho appeared but Kidd chased him to the back. Kidd charged, but Ren hit a belly-to-belly overhead suplex onto the thin mat and some folded chairs at ringside. He again tossed Kidd onto a pile of folded chairs at 7:30. Kidd got back into the ring at the 14-count; Ren immediately jumped on him for a nearfall. Narita applied a leg lock around the neck. They again fought to the floor. Ren jabbed the end of a chair into Kidd’s throat, and he got back into the ring. Kidd barely got in by diving into the ring at 11:30. Kidd hit a suplex and they were both down.
Kidd peeled up Ren’s shirt and hit some repeated LOUD chops, then an Exploder Suplex and they were both down at 14:00. Kidd hit a moonsault for a nearfall, then some more loud chops. Ren hit the top rope Hells Guillotine (flying knee to the throat) for a nearfall. He applied a front guillotine choke on the mat, but Kidd powered his way to his feet. Ren turned it into a sleeper and Kidd was on the verge of passing out, but he shrugged free and hit a running penalty kick at 17:30. Kidd hit a brainbuster and a side suplex for a nearfall. Kidd accidentally hit a Rebound Lariat on the ref! Ren immediately hit Kidd with his push-up bar. Yujiro Takahashi and Sho ran into the ring and stomped on Kidd. Ren hit a chairshot to the head, and Kidd was bleeding.
Drilla Moloney and Taiji Ishimori ran to the ring and brawled with Sho and Yujiro, and those four fought to the back. We still don’t have a ref. Ren hit some forearm strikes that Kidd no-sold; Kidd dropped him with a punch at 23:00. Ren peeled down his knee pad and hit a running knee, then a piledriver. He hit a jumping piledriver for the pin. Good match.
Gabe Kidd defeated Ren Narita at 23:37/official time of 22:15 to advance.
* Kidd got on the mic, saying a few words in Japanese, then shouted “F— House of Torture!” He said he leads New Japan now. This isn’t a job to him, “this is my life!” “Everyone here in Korakuen Hall is ready to run through a brick wall for that man!” Charlton said.
Final Thoughts: Kidd is just insanely over right now in New Japan. This was a good brawl. Sure, it had the usual House of Torture shenanigans, but Kidd was able to overcome them. It will be intriguing to see how far he goes in this tournament; I think the crowds would accept him as the winner. I really liked that Yuya-Sanada match, too.
The tournament continues on Sunday with Naito vs. Callum Newman, Drilla Moloney vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Great-O-Khan vs. El Phantasmo, and Boltin Oleg vs. Bad Luck Fale.
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