By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup”
March 9, 2025 in Hyogo, Japan at Baycom Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
The lights were low and I can’t see the fans at all, but this appears to be bigger than the small gyms they sometimes use. Lighting over the ring is really good, though. Walker Stewart provided solo commentary as the show began.
* 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 final four of them here.
1. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Chase Owens and Sanada vs. “Just 4 Guys” Yuya Uemura and Taka Michinoku. Yuya and Sanada opened. Sanada kicked the ropes to strike Yuya in the groin at 2:30, and they brawled to the floor and into the crowd. Taka fought Chase at 5:00, with Owens hitting the C-Trigger knee strike for the pin. Decent.
Chase Owens and Sanada defeated Yuya Uemura and Taka Michinoku at 7:05.
2. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb, Jakob Austin Young, and TJP vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa. It has easily been a month since I’ve seen TJP, so good to see him back in Japan. Walker Stewart noted Sabre’s wins over Fuego Del Sol and Mance Warner last week in GCW, and he noted how unusual it is to see Zack without gold around his waist. Sabre and TJP opened, and they traded reversals on the mat. Cobb and Hartley entered and locked up at 2:30, hitting shoulder tackles with neither man budging. Hartley caved in Jakob’s chest with a chop, then he tagged in Oiwa, who tied up Young on the mat.
TMDK kept working over Young in their corner, twisting his left arm, and Hartley hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 6:00. Oiwa got in and hit a dropkick on Cobb for a nearfall. Sabre tried to get Cobb up for a German Suplex, but instead settled for a Pele Kick to Jeff’s shoulder. Oiwa hit a back suplex on Young for a nearfall at 10:30, then he hit the discus lariat for the pin. Really good action.
Zack Sabre Jr., Hartley Jackson, and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Jeff Cobb, Jakob Austin Young, and TJP at 10:53.
3. “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, and Gedo vs. “House of Torture” Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Finlay carried his shillelagh to the ring. HoT came out first; BCWD charged into the ring and all six brawled and it immediately went to the floor. With the lights low, it is hard to see the action. We got back into the ring at 3:00, and Yujiro choked Gedo on the mat. (Surreal to see Gedo on the mat trying to get babyface sympathy.) Finlay got a hot tag at 5:00 and hit some running back elbows on Yujiro. Kanemaru tied Finlay in a Figure Four. Kanemaru pushed the ref in the way, then hit an enzuigiri on Finlay. He got a swig of whiskey. However, Finlay hit a clothesline with Kanemaru’s whiskey spraying straight up in the air. Finlay then hit the Overkill (pop-up knee strike to the sternum) for the pin. Decent.
David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, and Gedo defeated Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 7:22.
4. “House of Torture” EVIL, Sho, and Dick Togo vs. “Los Ingobernables” Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji. LIJ attacked and the action immediately went to the floor. Yota and EVIL got in the ring, with Tsuji hitting some forearm strikes. The HoT began working over Tsuji in their corner. Shingo got in and hit some clotheslines in opposite corners on Sho and EVIL at 5:00, then a senton on Sho for a nearfall. Shingo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on EVIL at 7:00. Bushi tagged in and hit a basement dropkick on EVIL’s knee. The heels began working over Bushi, with Togo hitting his knife-edge chop to the groin at 9:00. Sho hit Bushi with a wrench. EVIL applied a Sharpshooter, and Bushi tapped out. Basic.
EVIL, Sho, and Dick Togo defeated Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji at 9:42.
* TJP joined Walker Stewart on commentary. Good; I consider TJP to be in the upper echelon of guest commentators here.
5. Boltin Oleg vs. Bad Luck Fale in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. I wouldn’t ever wager on pro wrestling, but I consider Oleg as the most likely winner of the first-round matchups. They traded shoulder blocks, and they went to the floor, where Fale whipped him into the guardrail. In the ring, Fale kept him grounded. (Oleg is big, but he looks tiny next to Fale!) Fale hit a bodyslam at 5:00 but he missed an elbow drop. Oleg got a bodyslam that popped the crowd, then a splash to the mat for a nearfall. Fale hit his running elbow drop for a believable nearfall! I was fooled. He set up for the Grenade, but Oleg avoided it. Oleg immediately put the massive Fale on his back (huge pop!) and hit the Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll) for the pin. This more than topped my expectations.
Boltin Oleg defeated Bad Luck Fale at 7:11 to advance.
6. Great-O-Khan vs. El Phantasmo (w/Jado) in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. The bell rang and they both played to the crowd before finally locking up at 1:00, and they immediately went to the mat. O-Khan hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:00 and took control. ELP hit some chops that O-Khan no-sold. ELP clotheslined him to the floor at 7:00. They brawled on the floor. ELP missed a moonsault to the floor but landed on his feet; however, O-Khan immediately hit a Tombstone Piledriver onto the thin mat at ringside at 9:00; ELP got back in right at the 20-count; Walker said the ref easily could have called off the match right there.
ELP got a rollup for a nearfall, then another. He hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 12:30. Jado rallied the crowd, and ELP hit a superkick for a nearfall. ELP went for the CR2 (modified Styles Clash) but O-Khan hit a Flatliner, then the Eliminator slam to the mat for the clean pin.
Great-O-Khan defeated El Phantasmo at 13:59 to advance.
7. Drilla Moloney vs. Tomohiro Ishii in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. Drilla just moved up to the heavyweight division and I picked him to win this one. They immediately traded forearm strikes. Moloney hit a dropkick at 1:00. “This asshole thinks he’s AJ Styles,” TJP said, as Walker pointed out that TJP faces the winner of this match. Moloney hit a stiff kick to the spine for a nearfall. Walker said the only time these two have shared a ring was in a gauntlet tag team match. Moloney hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 3:30. Ishii hit a brainbuster. Ishii hit a second-rope superplex at 6:00 but Moloney popped to his feet and hit a German Suplex.
Moloney nailed a Gore and they were both down. He hit an enzuigiri that dropped Ishii. He went for a second Gore but Ishii blocked it, caught Drilla, and hit a headbutt, then a clothesline. Drilla hit his own clothesline at 8:00, then a Spinebuster for a nearfall. He hit a piledriver and a second Gore for a believable nearfall. Ishii hit a German Suplex at 10:30 and they were both down. Ishii hit a sliding clothesline for a believable nearfall. Ishii hit a headbutt and another stiff clothesline for a believable nearfall. Drilla hit a superkick and a brainbuster but Ishii kicked out at one! Ishii hit a spear but Drilla kicked out at one! They got up and traded slaps to the face. Moloney nailed the Drilla Killa (swinging piledriver) for the pin. No one yet has kicked out of that. A sharp match.
Drilla Moloney defeated Tomohiro Ishii at 14:04 to advance.
8. Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman in a New Japan Cup first-round tournament match. Again, Newman just returned this week from a knee injury that kept him sidelined a few months. “Can we award the winner of this match a comb?” TJP said. Funny. Newman immediately hit his sprinting Mafia Kick and stretched out his leg. They fought to the floor, where Naito whipped him into the guardrail at 2:30. In the ring, Naito stomped on the knee, and Callum sold the pain; he rolled to the floor to regroup. In the ring, Newman hit a Penalty Kick at 5:30 but sold the pain in his knee.
TJP was openly rooting for all his stablemates all night, and was really behind Callum here. Naito tied him up, kicked at the knee, and kept Newman grounded. Naito hit his modified Blockbuster at 9:00. He hit a Destino but didn’t get all of it and just got a nearfall. Newman missed an OsCutter. Naito got an inside cradle for the pin. Drat; I thought this was going to be Newman’s night.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Callum Newman at 11:05 to advance.
9. Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima. Again, Goto has offered Nagata a title shot, and they opened and traded forearm strikes. Tanahashi got in and hit some European Uppercuts on Kojima; Satoshi knocked Hiroshi down with a shoulder tackle. Goto and Kojima traded forearm strikes at 5:30. Tanahashi hit his second-rope somersault senton on Yuji for a nearfall at 8:00. Yuji fired back with an Exploder Suplex. Kojima got back in and hit his rapid-fire chops in the corner on Tanahasi. Satoshi hit the Koji Cutter on Goto at 10:00.
Goto hit a clothesline that dropped Kojima. Goto and Hiroshi hit stereo neckbreakers over their knees. Goto set up for the GTR but Kojima blocked it. Goto hit a hard clothesline and was fired up. Goto then hit the GTR slam for the pin. Decent match that was kept to the appropriate length; I was fearful they would go twice this long.
Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima at 12:13.
Final Thoughts: Ishii-Moloney was the show-stealer. Sure, I fully expected Drilla to win as Ishii continues to make everyone shine while putting them over, but this was really, really good. I’ll narrowly go with ELP vs. O-Khan for second place, as I was really torn over how this would end. Newman-Naito takes a distant third.
The main event was adequate. Keep in mind, I’m not on board with the idea of putting the title on 45-year-old Goto, at a time when NJPW desperately needs to be pushing its new class of stars. To me, it speaks volumes that Goto isn’t putting his title on the line against anyone under age 40, and instead picked Nagata as an opponent.
After a day off, the tournament resumes on Tuesday with three second-round matches: David Finlay vs. EVIL, Yoshi-Hashi vs. Yuya Uemura and a battle of TMDK partners, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ryohei OIwa.
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