By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup”
March 17, 2025 in Fukushima, Japan at Big Palette Fukushima
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is a large gym with no second level, so the crowd of maybe 700-800 is seated all on the floor.
Walker Stewart provided solo commentary as the show began.
On Sunday, David Finlay advanced to the finals. Today’s show has the other semifinal match of Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino. As of Sunday night, no other matches had been announced for today’s show.
1. Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Murashima and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Kojima and Tanahashi will have their final-ever singles match on Thursday; Walker said they had their first singles match in 2006, and they opened with standing switches. Tanahashi hit a second-rope crossbody block. Yuji battled Murashima, hitting some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Murashima hit a dropkick at 5:30. Tanahashi got back in and hit his second-rope somersault senton on Yuji. Yuji hit an Exploder Suplex. Satoshi tagged back in and hit his rapid-fire chops on Tanahashi at 7:00. Kojima hit a DDT. Murashima hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Kojima, and he put Kojima in a Boston Crab. Kojima hit a clothesline for the pin; the same finish as a day ago.
Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Murashima and Hiroshi Tanahashi at 9:48.
2. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb, TJP, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, and Callum Newman vs. Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, El Phantasmo, Jado, and Daiki Nagai. All ten fought at the bell. O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops on Jado in the ring as the match settled down and got underway. Cobb ‘surfed’ on Jado’s back at 3:00 and hit a standing moonsault. TJP hit a face wash running kick. Oleg got a hot tag at 5:00 and hit some shoulder tackles. He flipped Young around in his arms and hit a gut-wrench suplex. Oleg hit a double dropkick; he has so much power! He hit a splash to the mat on Callum for a nearfall. TJP and Phantasmo got in and traded forearm strikes. ELP hit a dropkick at 7:30. Cobb hit a leaping shoulder tackle that dropped Oleg. Nagai tagged in for the first time and battled TJP, hitting a dropkick for a nearfall, and he put TJP in a Boston Crab. TJP tied him in an Octopus Stretch, and Nagai tapped out. Entertaining.
Jeff Cobb, TJP, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, and Callum Newman defeated Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, El Phantasmo, Jado, and Daiki Nagai at 9:17.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tomoaki Honma. Oiwa and Y-H opened. Oiwa hit a back suplex on Ishii. The massive Hartley entered and hit some chops on Yoshi-Hashi. Sabre entered at 2:30 and tied up Yoshi-Hashi’s left arm. Yoshi-Hashi hit a suplex on Sabre. Ishii hit a back suplex on Sabre at 5:00, and he dropped Zack with a stiff forearm. Sabre hit his Pele Kick to the left shoulder. Ishii hit a German Suplex and they were both down. Honma entered and traded forearm strikes with Oiwa, and Honma missed a Kokeshi. Honma hit a flying headbutt on Oiwa. Hartley entered and hit a shotgun dropkick on Oiwa. Honma hit the Kokeshi on Oiwa for a nearfall. Oiwa hit his discus clothesline and pinned Honma. Solid match. Sabre and Ishii continued to trade blows after the bell!
Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tomoaki Honma at 9:31.
* El Phantasmo joined Walker on commentary.
4. “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, and Sanada (w/Gedo) vs. “Just 4 Guys” Taichi, Taka Michinoku, and Yuya Uemura. All six immediately brawled to the floor; we got a bell to officially begin at 0:34. Finlay and Taichi fought in the ring as the match settled down and got going. Drilla tagged in and traded chops with Taichi, and Drilla hit a dropkick. Like in recent days, Sanada is pacing on the floor, not even on the ring apron. (He has buyer’s remorse and clearly doesn’t want to be in the Bullet Club already). Taichi hit a decapitating clothesline on Taichi. Sanada tagged in at 5:00 and fought Yuya.
Yuya hit a dropkick. Sanada kicked the ropes to crotch Yuya. Sanada applied a Skull End dragon sleeper. Taka tagged in at 7:30 and hit a running knee on Sanada and he got a rollup for a nearfall. Sanada pushed Taka into the ref and hit a low blow mule kick. Sanada locked in the Skull End, fell backward to the mat, and Taka tapped out. Fairly basic. I just don’t get what they are doing with Sanada’s character at all.
David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, and Sanada defeated Taichi, Taka Michinoku, and Yuya Uemura at 8:55.
5. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gabe Kidd, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens. The HoT came out first; Kidd charged into the ring and attacked while his teammates took their time walking to the ring. Ren whipped Kid into the guardrail. In the ring, Kanemaru and Sho could’t budge Fale on an Irish Whip attempt. Sho and Chase fought to the floor and into the crowd. In the ring, the HoT kept Chase grounded and in their corner. Kidd got a hot tag at 5:30 and he hit a clothesline on Ren, then an Exploder Suplex and a brainbuster. Kidd hit a second-rope moonsault to the floor on the three heels at 7:30! Those two fought to the floor and kept brawling as the ref reached the 20-count. Those two kept brawling to the back.
Ren Narita, Sho, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Gabe Kidd, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens went to a double count-out at 8:21.
6. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Bushi, Tetsuya Naito, and Yota Tsuji vs. “House of Torture” EVIL, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi. The HoT attacked to open. Naito hit a standing neckbreaker on Yujiro. Yujiro hit a guillotine leg drop. EVIL entered and stomped on Naito. EVIL and Togo ‘wishboned’ Naito’s legs and kept him grounded. Yota got a hot tag at 5:00 and hit a backbreaker over his knee on Togo, then a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Yota hit a Stomp to the head. Bushi entered and hit a dive to the floor on EVIL at 8:00. Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Bushi’s groin, and EVIL made the cover for a nearfall. Togo hit a low blow. EVIL and Togo hit a Magic Killer team slam and pinned Bushi. Meh; this one never got out of first gear.
EVIL, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Bushi, Tetsuya Naito, and Yota Tsuji at 10:09.
7. Shota Umino vs. Shingo Takagi in a New Japan Cup semifinal tournament match. Mat reversals to open and a feeling-out process. Shota knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 2:30. He stomped on Shingo’s knee and kept him grounded early on. Shingo hit a DDT and he clotheslined Umino to the floor at 4:30. In the ring, Shingo hit a suplex for a nearfall at 7:00, then a senton. Umino hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 10:00, and he tied him in an STF. Takagi nailed a twisting neckbreaker, and they were both down at 12:00. Shingo hit a clothesline and a top-rope elbow drop, then a standing powerbomb for a nearfall, and he locked in his own STF at 14:00. Shingo hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall at 15:30.
Shingo hit a half-nelson suplex; Umino hit a German Suplex; Shingo hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Nice sequence. Shota hit a clothesline and they were both down at 18:30. Shota hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Shingo got up and hit a clothesline and they both collapsed as we got the 20:00 update (again, no time limit in tournament matches.) Shingo hit the Made In Japan pump-handle powerbomb for a nearfall then a powerbomb for a nearfall. He hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline for a nearfall. Umino hit a dropkick at 22:30. Shingo hit a Zack Driver-style slam. Umino hit a clothesline for a nearfall, and the crowd was really going now. He hit a Shining Wizard and his version of the Snow Plow Driver for the pin! Shota is going to the finals!
Shota Umino defeated Shingo Takagi at 24:10 to advance to the New Japan Cup Finals.
* Shota started to go to the back. Gedo and David Finlay got in the ring, and Gedo called him back. Shota calmly said one sentence. He stood nose-to-nose with Finlay, then David left with no punches thrown.
Final Thoughts: A lot of people anticipated Shota and Finlay would reach the finals so this isn’t a great surprise. A very good main event, but not a great main event, either. A nice win for Shota over a former champion. The rest of the show was just okay, with the 10-man tag probably the highlight, along with a spirited exchange between Sabre and Ishii. We now have a full two days off before the finals with Finlay-Umino, along with the final-ever Tanashi-Kojima match on Thursday.
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