By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup”
March 20, 2026, in Niigata, Japan, at Aore Nagaoka
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. This is a small arena with a second tier. The lights were down low, but the ring was well-lit.
* This year’s tournament is a 24-man field, and we’re down to our final four! On Twitter/X, I gave Yuya Uemura, Callum Newman, and Shota Umino each a 33% chance of winning the cup, and Boltin Oleg a 1% chance — I just don’t think he’s ready. That said, I’m extremely pleased with the final four!
1. “House of Torture” Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Taisei Nakahara. We saw the latest Young Lion debut a few days ago; Taisei recently shaved his head but dark hair is already coming back in. The HoT attacked, and we’re underway! Taguchi hit his mid-ring buttbumps. Yujiro hit a sidewalk slam on Taisei, and the heels worked the kid over. Chase snapped Taisei’s neck between his ankles at 2:30. Taisei hit a dropkick on Chase. Taguchi entered and hit another flying buttbump on each heel.
Chase hit a back suplex on Taguchi at 4:00. Yujiro hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Taguchi hit an inverted DDT on Yujiro! Taisei got a hot tag and hit a dropkick on Yujiro, then another. He hit a bodyslam for a nearfall, then he put Yujiro in a Boston Crab, but Chase made the save. Yujiro hit a scoop bodyslam on Taisei for a nearfall at 7:00, and he applied a Boston Crab, sat down on the lower back, and Taisei tapped out.
Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Taisei Nakahara at 7:21.
2. Masatora Yasuda, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima vs. Tetsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi. The Young Lions opened against each other with an intense exchange. Yasuda hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. Kojima entered and traded blows with Matsumoto. Taichi hit a stiff kick to Tetsuya’s spine. Tetsuya hit a dropkick on Taichi at 3:30. Goto tagged in and battled Taichi. They traded clotheslines and were both down.
Yoshi-Hashi entered, but Kojima hit his series of rapid-fire chops at 5:30. Kojima hit a DDT, then a Koji Cutter. Yasuda tagged back in and unloaded some blows on Yoshi-Hashi. Taichi flipped Yasuda onto Yoshi-Hashi. Yasuda hit a snap suplex, then another, for a nearfall at 8:30. Matsumoto jumped in and hit some dropkicks. Yoshi-Hashi applied a submission hold around the neck and shoulders, and Yasuda eventually tapped out.
Tetsuya Matsumoto and “Bishamon” Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi defeated Masatora Yasuda, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima at 10:24.
3. “House of Torture” Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Douki vs. Yoh, Master Wato, and El Desperado. The HoT came out second; they attacked immediately upon entering the ring. Has the juniors division ever felt so cold as it does right now? Wato stomped on Douki. Despe and former tag partner Kanemaru brawled on the floor. Yoh got crotched around the ring post at 2:00. In the ring, Kanemaru put Despe in a Figure Four. Sho entered and hit a series of spin kicks to Desperado’s thighs.
Desperado hit a spinebuster on Sho at 4:00. Yoh and Douki battled, with Yoh hitting a knee drop to the chin and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Douki applied the Darkness Stretch (triangle choke) on Yoh. Yoh escaped and hit a dropkick, and they were both down at 6:30. The heels hit a spike piledriver on Yoh, and Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Kanemaru pushed the ref into Yoh, then he kicked Yoh. He took a swig of whiskey, but Yoh kicked him, and the alcohol sprayed everywhere. Yoh hit the Direct Drive (double-arm DDT) for the pin.
Yoh, Master Wato, and El Desperado defeated Sho, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Douki at 8:44.
4. “The Unbound Co.” Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, Taiji Ishimori, and Drilla Moloney vs. “United Empire” Henare, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young, and Francesco Akira. We could see Great-O-Khan seated at ringside, doing commentary, wearing a suit, so he’s not getting involved. Ishimori and Akira opened, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. Ishimori hit a huracanrana and a dropkick that sent Akira to the floor. Moloney and Henare brawled on the floor. The UE began working over Ishimori in their corner.
Ishimori hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri on Akira at 3:30, and they were both down. Drilla and Henare tagged in and immediately traded forearm strikes. Drilla hit an Air Raid Crash. Shingo hit a sliding clothesline on Henare at 5:00. Henare hit a Samoan Drop on Shingo. Lee tagged in and battled Shingo. Lee has makeup smeared on his face, a bit like the Joker. Drilla and Shingo hit some punches on Henare.
Shingo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Lee at 7:30. Nagai entered and battled Young, with Daiki hitting a basement dropkick for a nearfall. He put Young in a Boston Crab. Jakob hit some chops. Daiki hit a suplex. Akira hit a powerbomb on Nagai, and Young hit his hammerlock DDT on Nagai for the pin. A very good undercard match.
“United Empire” Henare, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young, and Francesco Akira defeated Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, Taiji Ishimori, and Drilla Moloney at 9:29.
5. “House of Torture” Don Fale, Dick Togo, and Ren Narita vs. Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, and Tomoaki Honma. Oof, this one could be ugly. Fale and Wolf opened, but Don tagged out before locking up. Wolf had a wrap around his left elbow. He tied up Togo and hit a bodyslam. Yano and Honma entered, but Honma missed a Kokeshi. Ren and Yano brawled at ringside. In the ring, Fale stood on Yano’s back at 4:30.
Fale got back into the ring and hit a clothesline in the corner on Fale, then a running elbow drop for a nearfall at 6:00. Fale accidentally hit a shoulder tackle on Togo, but then he hit one on Wolf. He hit a Judo Throw on Narita. Honma got back in and traded blows with Narita. The HoT took turns slamming into Honma in a corner. Wolf hit a powerslam on Narita. Honma hit a Kokeshi on Narita for a nearfall at 8:30. Togo choked Honma with his wire. Narita hit the Hell’s Guillotine (flying knee strike to the throat) to pin Homa. Yeah, that was a clunker.
“House of Torture” Don Fale, Dick Togo, and Ren Narita defeated Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano, and Tomoaki Honma at 9:09.
6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson, and Kosei Fujita vs. “The Unbound Co.” Yuto-Ice, Oskar, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo. Kosei demanded to start against Yota. Fujita hit a dropkick at 1:30 that sent Tsuji flying! Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee. Several guys brawled on the floor. Tsuji dropped Fujita with a hard chop at 4:00. Yuto-Ice tagged in and hit a running kick to Fujita’s spine. Gedo tagged in and battled Fujita. Oskar tagged in at 5:30 and caved in Fujita’s chest with hard chops.
Sabre entered and hit some pump kicks on Oskar, and tied Oskar in an Octopus Stretch, then a sleeper. Sabre hit some European Uppercuts. Yuto-Ice and Oiwa traded blows. Oiwa hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 9:30. Yuto-Ice hit a running knee to Oiwa’s chest. Oiwa hit a back suplex, and they were both down. Hartley and Gedo tagged in, but Gedo scampered to the floor, rather than tie up. Gedo hesitantly got back in, but Hartley hit a clothesline. Gedo couldn’t get a rollup. Fujita hit a springboard dropkick on Yota. Hartley hit the Jagged Edge (DVD) to pin Gedo.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson, and Kosei Fujita defeated “The Unbound Co.” Yuto-Ice, Oskar, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo at 12:24.
7. Yuya Uemura vs. Boltin Oleg in a New Japan Cup semifinal match. Mat reversals at the bell. This was intense, but neither was able to land a move. Yuya grapevined the right leg. He hit a deep armdrag at 4:00 and targeted the left arm. Boltin hit a bodyslam at 6:00 but sold the pain in his arm. They are definitely setting a pace to top 20 minutes. Boltin hit another bodyslam. Yuya hit an armdrag and a dropkick, and they were both down. Yuya hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 8:30 and went to a hammerlock.
Oleg caught Yuya and hit a belly-to-belly suplex. He splashed onto Yuya in the corner and hit a Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 10:30, but Yuya immediately applied the hammerlock again. Oleg hit a Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll). Yuya blocked a second one. They finally began trading forearm strikes. Oleg hit some loud chops; Yuya fired back with some. Oleg hit a belly-to-belly suplex; Yuya hit a back suplex at 13:30. Oleg hit a German Suplex and they were both down. Yuya got some rollups. He hit a Pele Kick and a German Suplex.
Yuya hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall at 15:00. He set up for the Deadbolt Suplex, but Oleg fought it off, and Boltin hit another belly-to-belly suplex. Oleg hit a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall! He hit an F5 for a nearfall at 17:00. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Oleg set up for a Kamikaze, but Yuya fought free. Yuya hit a Frankensteiner, and they were both down. Yuya hit a Deadbolt suplex (double-underhook belly-to-belly suplex), but he couldn’t keep the bridge for a pin attempt. So, he hit a frog splash and a top-rope crossbody block for the pin. Awesome match.
Yuya Uemura defeated Boltin Oleg at 19:25 to advance to the New Japan Cup finals.
8. Shota Umino vs. Callum Newman in a New Japan Cup semifinal match. The fans have really accepted both men as top-tier players in the past year. They stood in opposite corners and soaked in the crowd reaction; Newman ducked to the floor before locking up. They finally locked up at 1:00. Shota hit some shoulder tackles that sent Callum back to the floor at 3:00. In the ring, Shota hit a basement dropkick to the back. Callum hit a running knee to the ribs when Shota was on all fours at 5:00, and Shota immediately sold pain in his ribs.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Callum hit a running kick on Shota’s right elbow at 7:30, and the ref immediately checked on Shota, who writhed in pain. Callum immediately targeted the damaged arm and twisted it. They went to the floor, where Newman twisted the arm in the guardrails. In the ring, Shota hit a dropkick at 9:00. He hit a series of chops in the corner and was fired up, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 11:00. Shota has a bit of blood under his nose. Callum hit some kicks on the arm, and Umino fell to the floor and sold the pain.
Newman whipped Shota into the guardrails, then again. He set up two side-by-side indestructible Japanese tables! He set up for a suplex through the tables. However, Shota hit a snap suplex onto the thin mat at ringside at 13:30. They got back into the ring with Shota in charge. He hit some clotheslines. Callum dragged him to the mat and locked in a Fujiwar Armbar at 15:00! Shota screamed in pain but eventually got a foot on the ropes. His selling is great. Umino hit a tornado DDT, then a DDT onto the apron.
On the floor, Shota whipped him into the guardrails, then dropkicked Callum, with Newman flipping over the guardrail and into the crowd at 18:00. Shota hit a running drive-by knee to the side of the head, then a DDT onto the thin mat at ringside. In the ring, Shota hit a powerbomb for a nearfall at 20:00. He hit some running knees to the back as Callum was in the corner. Newman fired up and hit a German Suplex and an enzuigiri. He powerbombed Shota over the top rope and through the two tables at 22:00!!! The indestructible tables did indeed break, and Shota was down on the floor.
The ref began counting, as Shota struggled to move from the debris, but he got back in. Callum immediately hit a running penalty kick, then another. Newman hooked the leg and hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 24:30, and went to a hammerlock on the mat. Shota eventually got a foot on the ropes. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Umino hit a short-arm clothesline for a believable nearfall at 27:30. He hit a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall.
Callum hit a clothesline for a nearfall, then a stomp to the back for a nearfall. Shota hit a DDT and they were both down. Shota hit a Poison Rana and a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall at 29:00. He set up for the Second Chapter, but Newman escaped. Newman hit a low-blow kick and a clothesline for a believable nearfall! Callum hit a double-arm DDT move for the pin! What a match! I did think Umino was winning there, though.
Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino at 30:02 to advance to the New Japan Cup finals.
* Newman got on the mic. Yuya Uemura came to ringside and got in. Newman told him that he will finish off Yuya’s dreams tomorrow, and “I’m going to f—ing murder you.”
Final Thoughts: Quite bluntly, Newman-Umino was the match of the tournament. I know some fans loved Sabre-Oiwa, or Sabre-Umino. But this was so good, so intense, with such a back-and-forth action, and I firmly believed several times that each man was on the verge of winning. Bravo to both. So, it sets up the babyface Yuya vs. heel Newman in the finals. Yuya-Oleg was really good, but as I noted in my opening paragraphs, I didn’t see Oleg as a likely winner.
The finals take place on Saturday! Also, Konosuke Takeshita will be in action against a mystery opponent.
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