By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup”
March 16, 2025 in Shizuoka, Japan at Twin Messe Shizuoka South Building
Streamed live on New Japan World
The venue is a large convention center room. The crowd is maybe 800. This has to be smallest room I’ve seen NJPW use, as everyone is seated on the floor and there are no risers or a second floor. The lights are on so seeing the action isn’t an issue. Walker Stewart provided solo commentary as the show began.
* This year’s New Japan Cup is a 24-man field. We are down to our final four! This show features one semifinal match; the other semifinal takes place on Monday. When I went to bed Saturday night, only the one tournament match had been announced, so the rest of the show will be a mystery.
1. Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuya Murashima vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson. Oiwa and Murashima opened. Ishii entered at 2:30 and knocked Oiwa down with a shoulder tackle, then a suplex. Oiwa hit a dropkick, but Ishii hit a German Suplex, and they were both down. Hartley tagged in at 4:00 and battled Murashima. The Young Lion tried but could not pick up Jackson, so he hit some dropkicks. Hartley hit a massive senton. Murashima got Hartley up on his third attempt and hit a powerslam for a nearfall; Hartley hit a clothesline for a believable nearfall. Hartley hit the Jagged Edge (death valley driver) and pinned Murashima. Fun match built around Murashima’s attempts to lift the big man.
Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson defeated Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuya Murashima at 7:01.
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Daiki Nagai vs. Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata. Kojima and Tanahashi opened with some basic standing switches. Yuji and Nagai entered at 2:00, and they traded forearm strikes. Walker talked about the history of Tanahashi and Kojima, and they have an upcoming final-ever singles match. Tanahashi entered and bodyslammed Nagata, then hit his second-rope somersault senton on Yuji at 6:00. Kojima hit his rapid-fire chops on Tanahashi. Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Satoshi. Nagai bodyslammed Kojima and that popped the crowd. Kojima took Nagai’s head off with a clothesline and scored the pin. Adequate.
Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Daiki Nagai at 9:20.
3. Toru Yano and Yoshi-Hashi vs. “Just 4 Guys” Taka Michinoku and Yuya Uemura. Y-H and Yuya opened. Yano beat up Taka early on. Yoshi-Hashi hit some chops on Taka. Yuya hit a back suplex on Yoshi-Hashi for a nearfall at 5:00. Taka entered and hit a running knee on Yoshi-Hashi. He tied up Yoshi-Hashi on the mat and cranked on his head, but Y-H escaped. Yoshi-Hashi applied a double armbar submission hold, and Taka tapped out. Basic; all three matches so far have been quite basic.
Toru Yano and Yoshi-Hashi defeated Taka Michinoku and Yuya Uemura at 7:50.
4. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, TJP, and Jakob Austin Young vs. El Phantasmo, Jado, and Boltin Oleg. Oleg and O-Khan opened, and Boltin hit a bodyslam. Young entered and hit some European Uppercuts on Jado. TJP entered at 3:00 and hit his running Facewash on Jado. ELP entered and hit a plancha on TJP at 5:30. Oleg entered and hit a shotgun dropkick on O-Khan. Oleg put Young on his shoulders and hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) for the pin on Jakob. Solid; better than the first three matches but still fairly basic. ELP leaned into the camera and issued an open challenge for his TV Title!
El Phantasmo, Jado, and Boltin Oleg defeated Great-O-Khan, TJP, and Jakob Austin Young at 8:12.
* El Phantasmo joined commentary.
5. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Bushi and Tetsuya Naito vs. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman. Naito took so long to disrobe that Callum put his jacket back on. Funny. Naito and Cobb opened with an intense lockup. Cobb hit a buttsplash, dropping his weight on Bushi’s chest for a nearfall at 2:00, and he surfed on Bushi’s back. Bushi hit a huracanrana at 4:30! Naito and Callum tagged in; Naito hit a basement dropkick on Callum’s knee as Newman was sprinting! Bushi dove through the ropes on Cobb at 7:00. In the ring, Newman hit a springboard back elbow on Bushi, then a running knee for the pin. Good match.
Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman defeated Bushi and Tetsuya Naito at 7:39.
6. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Ren Narita (w/Dick Togo) vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Sanada, Chase Owens, and Bad Luck Fale. The HoT came out first and Sho spoke on the mic; ELP pretended to interpret what was being said. Kidd and Moloney charged the ring and everyone started brawling in the crowd. Sanada took his time getting to the ring, playing up how indifferent he is at being a member of the War Dogs. EVIL stopped at a table at ringside and attacked Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was now wearing a suit. Ren whipped Kidd into the wall. We got a bell at 2:10 to officially begin, as Moloney fought Sho in the ring. The HoT took turns working over Drilla in the ring.
Drilla and Ren traded offense, and Drilla hit a spinebuster at 5:30. Gabe entered and hit an Exploder Suplex on Ren. Ren hit his own Exploder Suplex on Kidd, but he couldn’t hit the Double-Cross (X-Factor). Chase got a hot tag — and ELP noted how unusual that was for him to get that babyface hot tag — and he brawled with EVIL. Togo jumped in and hit his knife-edge chop to Chase’s groin at 9:00. Chase did the ‘Eddie spot,’ tossing a chair to EVIL and collapsing, then Chase hit a suplex on EVIL for a nearfall. Chase hit a C-Trigger jumping knee on EVIL! Kanemaru tossed powder in Chase’s eyes! EVIL immediately hit the Everything is Evil uranage for the pin on Chase. This topped my mild expectations. ELP pointed out that Fale never got in the match (Sanada also did not.)
EVIL, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Ren Narita defeated Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Sanada, Chase Owens, and Bad Luck Fale at 10:38/official time of 8:28.
7. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji vs. Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino. This is a preview tag of the Shingo-Shota semifinal on Monday. Shingo twisted Shota’s left arm to open. Shota tried some shoulder tackes but Shingo didn’t budge. Shota hit a dropkick. ELP talked about how Shota has made himself distant from the rest of the locker room as he has reinvented himself. They brawled on the floor. In the ring, Yota hit a DDT on Honma for a nearfall at 4:30. Honma hit a suplex on Yota. Shingo and Shota tagged back in, and this time Shota knocked him down on a shoulder tackle.
Shingo backed him into a corner and unloaded some jabs and chops, then a DDT at 8:30. Yota tagged back in and hit a Stinger Splash on Shota. Honma tagged in; Tsuji rolled away from a Kokeshi attempt. Honma finally hit a Kokeshi after multiple attempts. Good humor. LIJ hit a team back sulex on Honma for a nearfall at 10:30. Yota hit a Falcon Arrow on Honma for a believable nearfall. Yota nailed the Gene Blaster (spear) on Honma for the pin. Good match.
Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji defeated Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino at 12:30.
8. David Finlay (w/Gedo) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in a New Japan Cup semifinal tournament match. Finlay tied up the left leg. ELP talked about how hard working Sabre is, flying to the U.S. to wrestle on a couple GCW shows recently. Good reversals on the mat early on and a standoff at 3:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes and European Uppercuts. Zack went for a cross-armbreaker but Finlay quickly got to the ropes as we got the 5:00 call. Sabre twisted the fingers and wrist of the left arm. Sabre suplexed Finlay into the corner at 8:30. He snapped Finlay’s neck between his ankles and remained in charge. Finlay nailed the Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee at 10:00. They went to the floor, where Finlay shoved Sabre’s lower back into the guardrail.
Finlay charged, Sabre moved, and Finlay crashed into the guardrail! In the ring, Sabre tied him in an Octopus Stretch at 13:00. Finlay hit a standing powerbomb. Sabre hit a Zack Driver! They were both down. Sabre was selling pain in his ribs as he peppered Finlay with some kicks. Finlay hit another standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 15:30. Sabre applied a Triangle Choke, and Finlay fell to the mat! David reached the ropes. Finlay hit a spear and they were both down at 18:00. Walker pointed out how Sabre was selling pain in his ribs. Sabre got an O’Connor Roll for a nearfall. Finlay hit a clothesline, then the Oblivion neckbreaker over his knee.
Sabre got another O’Connor Roll for a nearfall, then a clothesline that leveled Finlay. This crowd was at a fever pitch now. Finlay nailed the Oblivion (pop-up kneestrike to the sternum) and scored the pin! A tremendous match, and Finlay moves to the finals.
David Finlay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at 20:11 to advance to the New Japan Cup finals.
* Finlay got on the mic and listed Zack’s accolades, but said “you can’t call Zack better than me.”
Final Thoughts: A one-match show, but wow, what a match. The last five minutes were just white-hot and the crowd was totally into it. I figured Finlay was winning here, as I don’t think it would make sense to go back to Sabre vs. Goto. This was a sharp, sharp match between two guys on top of their game.
The show started slow but it steadily got better. The HoT match topped my expectations, and Naito’s tag match also was better than anticipated. ELP adds a lot to commentary and he’s a good fill-in when Chris Charlton isn’t available. The tournament continues Monday with Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino.
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