By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “New Japan Cup”
March 13, 2026, in Osaka, Japan, at Kanaoka Park Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Walker Stewart provided commentary. This is a small arena with a really high roof, and the lights were on. Maybe 1,000 people are here, including some fans in the second level.
* This year’s tournament is a 24-man field. We are in the ’round of 16.’ Shingo Takagi, Yuya Uemura, Boltin Oleg, and Ren Narita have already qualified for the quarterfinals. Two more competitors will qualify for the quarterfinals today, and the second round wraps up Saturday.
1. “House of Torture” Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino and Masatora Yasuda. Yujiro and Shota will face each other on Saturday in the final night of the second-round tournament matches. The HoT attacked before the bell; we got a bell at 00:26 to officially begin. Chase hit a backbreaker over his knee on Yasuda for a nearfall at 1:30. Yasuda hit a dropkick on Yujiro. Shota tagged in at 3:00 and hit a dropkick on Chase, then a fisherman’s suplex on Yujiro for a nearfall. Yujiro and Shota traded forearm strikes. Chase and Yasuda got back in. Yasuda hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 5:30. Chase hit a package piledriver on Yasuda for the pin.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Shota Umino and Masatora Yasuda at 6:20.
2. Satoshi Kojima, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tetsuya Matsumoto vs. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr., and Ryohei Oiwa. Kosei and Matsumoto opened, and they immediately traded forearm strikes! Sabre entered and hit some European Uppercuts on the Young Lion. Yoshi-Hashi hit a standing neckbreaker on Sabre for a nearfall at 2:00. Oiwa hit a splash to the mat on Yoshi-Hashi for a nearfall. Yoshi-Hashi hit a Headhunter (running Blockbuster) on Oiwa. Kojima tagged in at 5:00 and battled Oiwa, hitting his rapid-fire chops in the corner.
Satoshi hit a DDT for a nearfall. Oiwa hit a stunner and a back suplex for a nearfall at 6:30. Sabre entered and hit his neck-snap between his ankles on Satoshi, then some European Uppercuts. Kojima dropped him with a clothesline, then a Koji Cutter. Sabre hit a Pele Kick to the shoulder. Kosei and Matsumoto got back in. Kosei went for a cross-armbreaker on the mat, but Yoshi-Hashi jumped in and made the save. Matsumoto hit a dropkick for a nearfall at 9:30. Kosei hit a German Suplex with a high bridge to pin Matsumoto.
Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr., and Ryohei Oiwa defeated Satoshi Kojima, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tetsuya Matsumoto at 10:00.
3. “House of Torture” Don Fale, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (w/Dick Togo) vs. Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, and Aaron Wolf. Quarterfinal opponents Oleg and Narita opened, but Ren rolled to the floor, refusing to tie up. The HoT attacked Wolf in the ring, while Ren whipped Oleg into the guardrail on the floor. Wolf hit some chops on Fale and dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Dick Togo tripped Wolf, allowing Fale to splash onto Wolf at 2:00. Kanemaru stomped on Wolf, and they threw Aaron to the floor, where they beat him up some more.
Wolf hit some Judo Throws. Oleg hit a shoulder tackle on Ren at 4:30 that sent Narita flying, then he flipped Ren around in his arms and hit his gutwrench suplex. Ren hit a Russian Leg Sweep, and he grapevined Boltin’s leg on the mat. Oleg got two guys on his back and hit a double Samoan Drop at 6:30. Yano tagged in for the first time and immediately removed a corner pad. Kanemaru hit a basement dropkick on Yano’s knee. Yano pushed Kanemaru into Togo, got a rollup, and the pin. Solid.
Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, and Aaron Wolf defeated Don Fale, Ren Narita, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 8:04.
4. “The Unbound Co.” Drilla Moloney and Shingo Takagi vs. Yuya Uemura and Tomaki Honma. Shingo and Yuya are quarterfinal opponents, and they opened up and traded armbars. Yuya hit some armdrags on Drilla. Honma entered and twisted Drilla’s arm. Yuya and Drilla traded chops. Shingo hit a clothesline in the corner on Yuya at 4:30, then a suplex for a nearfall. Those two traded forearm strikes.
Yuya hit a dropkick, and they were both down. Drilla and Honma jumped in and traded chops. Honma hit a suplex at 7:30, but he missed a Kokeshi flying headbutt. Drilla hit a Gore for a nearfall. Honma hit a flying headbutt, and this time, he hit the Kokeshi. Drilla hit a superkick on Yuya. TUC hit a team flipping slam on Honma, with Moloney getting the pin.
Drilla Moloney and Shingo Takagi defeated Yuya Uemura and Tomaki Honma at 9:42.
5. “The Unbound Co.” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo vs. “United Empire” Zane Jay, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, Henare, and Francesco Akira. Yota and Henare opened, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. (I like that nearly everyone is on the floor. Eight guys on the apron is just too many and blocks the view for many fans.) Gedo hit some jab punches on Jay. Everyone started fighting on the floor. The fighting went well away from the ring. Jakob jabbed a chair into Nagai’s ribs.
In the ring, Zane was typing up Gedo’s arms. The UE kept Gedo in their corner. O-Khan hit some Mongolian Chops on Gedo. Oskar finally got the hot tag at 6:30, and he hit some shoulder tackles. Young and Yuto-Ice fought in the ring. Nagai entered at 9:00 and unloaded some chops on Jakob and a hesitation dropkick in the corner, then a suplex for a nearfall. Oskar hit a big backbody drop on Zane. Nagai put Young in a Boston Crab at 11:00, but O-Khan made the save. Jakob hit a hammerlock DDT and pinned Nagai.
Zane Jay, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, Henare, and Francesco Akira defeated Oskar, Yuto-Ice, Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, and Gedo at 12:04.
6. Callum Newman vs. Hartley Jackson in a New Japan Cup second-round match. Newman immediately hit some forearm strikes, but Hartley dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Callum hit a chop block on the knee and kept Hartley grounded. Callum slapped him in the face; Hartley dropped him with a forearm strike at 2:30. Hartley hit a senton splash for a nearfall. Callum dove through the ropes, and they were both down at ringside. Hartley whipped him into the guardrails at 5:00. He whipped Callum deep into the rows of chairs.
They brawled far from the ring and along the wall. Hartley again whipped him into rows of chairs. Callum hit a flying dropkick as Hartley was seated on a chair at 8:00. They finally got back into the ring and traded forearm strikes. Callum hit a powerbomb for a nearfall, then a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall at 11:00. Hartley nailed a Jagged Edge (DVD) for a nearfall at 12:30. Callum hit an enzuigiri, but Hartley hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Hartley hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 14:00. Callum hit a low-blow punt kick and a doublestomp on the back and got the pin. There was absolutely zero mystery over the winner.
Callum Newman defeated Hartley Jackson at 14:43 to advance to the quarterfinals.
7. Hirooki Goto vs. Jake Lee in a New Japan Cup second-round match. I have always thought both of these guys wrestle at three-quarters speed. A lockup and a feeling-out process early on. Goto tied up Lee’s head as they fought on the mat. Lee took control and kept Goto grounded. This has stayed in first gear far too long. Goto fired up and hit some punches and a spinning kick, then a back suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Lee hit a chokeslam for a nearfall at 10:00.
Goto hit his spinning elbow drop to the sternum, and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes, and Goto hit a series of headbutts. Goto nailed his neckbreaker over his knee at 13:30, and they were both down. Goto hit his modified DVD for a nearfall. Goto hit one more neckbreaker over his knee for the pin. Sluggish. I figured Goto was winning, as Lee just had a title shot, and no one wanted to see a Callum-Jake Lee heel/heel matchup.
Hirooki Goto defeated Jake Lee at 15:09 to advance.
Final Thoughts: Not a night to be excited about. Goto and Lee stayed in first gear far too long. Granted, most people who watch NJPW like Goto far more than I do, but that’s not the match to show to someone to convince them that Goto is worthy of being a top-tier wrestler who was champion here just a year ago.
Hartley vs. Newman was fine, but Jackson has barely won any matches in NJPW. He wasn’t in the 20-man G1 Climax field either. Callum is the rising star. There was just no belief that Hartley had a chance of winning that one. The lack of mystery hurt over who was winning hampered my enjoyment of the match.
The second round wraps up Saturday with Sabre vs. Oiwa as tag partners collide, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino. Like Hartley vs. Newman, I just cannot imagine Gedo booking Yujiro to win that one.
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