By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S NEW JAPAN CUP FINAL PPV REPORT
MARCH 15, 2015
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN
AIRED ON VOD ON NJPWWORLD.COM

(1) Jay White & Jushin Liger & KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask IV & Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi in a Six Man Tag match. The crowd was hot for Liger as he started the match with Tiger Mask. After some back and forth action, Liger got Taguchi with a surfboard and the fans fired up. Taguchi took a beating for several minutes. KUSHIDA did a cartwheel and nailed Taguchi with a dropkick for a 2 count, which fired up the fans. Taguchi fired back with a flying hip attack on Liger and tagged in Tiger Mask, who ran wild. Liger caught Tiger Mask with a back breaker and they did a double clothesline spot a short time later and both men were down. Dorada and KUSHIDA tagged in and the pace picked up. KUSHIDA went for a springboard, but Dorado nailed him with a dropkick. KUSHIDA got cut off and took a jumping hip attack off the top from Taguchi, but managed to avoid a senton off the top form Dorada. Dorada fired back and whipped out White with a big dive, but Liger caught him with a running flip dive off the apron. Taguchi went for a flying hip attack off the apron, but Liger got out of the way and he hit Tiger Mask. KUSHIDA then went up top and the fans went nuts after he hit a big flip dive off the turnbuckles onto everyone. White then set up in the ring and nailed Dorada with a missile dropkick for a 2 count. Dorada and White went at it a short time later. Dorada slammed White to the mat and went up top. He walked the ropes and hit a huge moonsault on White. He then lifted White up and hit a modified sit out DDT for the win.

Liger got on the mic after the match and cut a promo. He appeared to challenge Tiger Mask to a NWA Jr. Hvt. Title match. They shook hands and Liger walked away with the title in hand.

Winners: Tiger Mask IV & Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a nice dose of athletic action to begin the show. I really enjoyed Dorada during this match. His ability to walk the ropes and hit high-flying moves is amazing. This crowd seems jacked for this show as well and they provided a good atmosphere for this match.

(2) Yuji Nagata & Sho Tanaka vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yohei Komatsu. Kojima and Nagata started things off. It didn’t take long for them to begin exchanging blows in the middle of the ring. Tanaka tagged in a short time later and they put the boots to Kojima in the corner. Kojima fired back and tagged in Komatsu, who went to work on Tanaka. Komatsu ended up in the ring with Nagata and he took him down with a big forearm. The fans fired up behind Nagata, who decked Komatsu with a punch. Tanaka tagged in and continued to work over Komatsu. Komatsu sold big for Nagata after he nailed him with a kick to the back. Komatsu no-sold a kick from Nagata and hit a jumping elbow off the apron. He made the tag to Kojima, who hit his signature machine gun chops on Nagata in the corner. Kojima went up top after hitting big knee in the corner and hit a diving elbow on Nagata for a 2 count. They went back and forth and Kojima caught Nagata with an ace crusher. Kojima took a German from Nagata, but popped right up and wiped him out with a huge clothesline. Both men tagged out and Komatsu and Tanaka began exchanging punches. Tanaka got the upper hand and applied a Boston crab on Komatsu, but Kojima broke it up. Komatsu decked Nagata with a big slap and got a near fall on Tanaka with a rollup. Komatsu eventually got a single-leg crab on Tanaka, who had no choice but to tap out.

Winners: Satoshi Kojima & Yohei Komatsu

Star rating: (**1/2) – This was a solid match with Komatsu showing he was not afraid of Nagata in the ring. He also got the spotlight in the match by finishing off Tanaka with a single-leg crab.

(3) Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto in a New Japan Cup 2015 Semi-Final Round match. The fans chanted for Makabe after the opening bell rang. The action spilled to the floor quickly and Goto tired up Makabe’s leg around the barricade and nailed it with a running kick. Goto went back to work on Makabe’s leg once he made it back into the ring. Goto nailed Makabe with a kick to the chest and Makabe told him to bring it. Goto continued to kick Makabe’s chest. He nailed him with several forearms and Makabe glared at him and fired back with some strikes of his own. Makabe hit several punches in the corner and then a northern lights suplex for a 2 count. The fans chanted for Makabe. Both men began hitting clotheslines at the same time, but neither man would go down. Makabe finally decked Goto with a clothesline and followed up with an Angle slam for a 2 count. Makabe went up top, but Goto cut him off. Goto lifted Makabe onto his shoulders and hit a DVD into a neck breaker over his knee. Makabe fired back with a double axe handle on Goto as he came off the ropes. He then pointed at Goto and smiled before nailing him with a running clothesline to the back in the corner. Makabe set up for a spider German, but Goto blocked it. Goto hung Makabe upside down and then lifted him back up for a neck breaker off the top turnbuckle and the announcer went nuts. Goto made the cover, but only got a 2 count. The fans chanted for Makabe, who countered a suplex and nailed Goto with a big chop to the neck and a German with a bridge for a near fall. Makabe went for a clothesline, but Goto ducked it. Makabe tried to catch him with a rebound clothesline, but Goto slipped around him, tied his legs up, and got the win with a pinning combination.

Winner: Hirooki Goto to advance to the NJC 2015 Finals

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was really good for the time it was given. Goto did some work on Makabe’s leg early, but the pace picked up and they had some really good exchanges leading into the finish. Goto’s pinning combination to finish the match was impressive.

(4) Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi in a New Japan Cup 2015 Semi-Final Round match. A big chant broke out for Naito after the opening bell. They had a big exchange off the ropes early and both men went for a dropkick at the same time before coming to a stalemate. Naito fired up on Ibushi and nailed him with a combination of moves capped by a basement dropkick to the back. Naito continued to work over Ibushi methodically inside the ring targeting the neck. Ibushi fired back and hit a missile dropkick and the fans fired up. Naito ducked a kick, but Ibushi went right into a standing corkscrew press for a 2 count. Naito countered Ibushi in the corner and hung his feet on the ropes and followed up with a neck breaker. He then returned the favor and hit a big missile dropkick and then his signature slingshot dropkick in the corner for a 2 count. The fans chanted for Naito with Ibushi down on the mat. Ibushi went for a clothesline, but Naito got a German with a bridge for a 2 count. Naito hung on and Ibushi shook his head. Ibushi tried to break free and managed to land on his feet when Naito went for a dragon suplex. Both men went back and forth. Naito went for a diving forearm off the ropes, but Ibushi caught his arm and hit a dragon suplex and both men were down. Wow!

The fans fired up with both men slow to get up. Ibushi got to his feet first and hit a big slam on Naito. He went up top, but Naito cut him off. Naito set up on the top and hit an inverted hurricanrana off the top, but Ibushi kicked out at the very last second and the fans gasped. That was one heck of a spot. Naito made it to his feet first. They began exchanging big punches in the middle of the ring. The fans gasped with each punch. Both men began going back and forth at a faster pace exchanging punches. Naito fired up with several big forearms, but Ibushi caught him with a huge lariat off the ropes! Both men were down as the fans fired up once again. Ibushi set up Naito for the last ride, but Naito turned it into a dragoncanrana for a near fall. He then hit a dragon suplex with a bridge for another near fall. Naito went for a leaping forearm again, but Ibushi ducked it. Naito went for a leaping rollup, but Ibushi blocked it and dumped him head-first into the mat. Naito sold his head big time and Ibushi signaled for the finish. Both men got up and began exchanging blows, but Ibushi nailed Naito with a huge roundhouse kick to the head. Ibushi then hit the sit out last ride for the win. Holy smokes that was amazing.

Winner: Kota Ibushi to advance to the NJC 2015 Finals

Star rating: (****1/2) – This was a fantastic match with both guys going back and forth the entire time. Ibushi was able to counter Naito’s signature offense several times throughout the match. The spot where Ibushi blocked a victory roll and held on to Naito and dumped him right on his head was amazing. They went to a lot of really good near falls down the stretch before Ibushi put Naito away with the sit-out last ride. Go out of your way to see this one.

The announcers previewed the NJC 2015 Finals between Goto and Ibushi. They then went to highlights from matches earlier in the show.

(5) The Bullet Club (Cody Hall & Tama Tonga) vs. Tomoaki Honma & Katsuyori Shibata. Honma and Shibata didn’t seem to be on the same page before the match started. Both men argued about who would start the match. Honma shoved Shibata into the corner and slapped his chest. Shibata tossed Honma out of the ring to face off with Hall. Honma did not look happy on the outside. Hall was wearing the same gear his father wore as a member of the NWO Wolfpack. Shibata worked a headlock on Hall early that he had a hard time escaping from. Hall finally got his foot on the ropes to break the hold. Tonga tagged in and slithered around the ring. Honma tagged himself into the match and the fans went nuts chanting his name. Honma hit a slam on Tonga and went for his diving headbutt, but Tonga got out of the way. Tonga put the boots to Honma and then choked him. Hall and Shibata went at it on the floor and Tonga went to the outside to save Hall from a beating. Hall tagged in and went to work on Honma. The fans tried to rally behind Honma, as Hall worked him over with an abdominal stretch. Hall lifted up Tonga and brought him over the apron before slamming him on top of Honma for a 2 count. Honma fired back and went for another running headbutt, but Tonga got out of the way and nailed him with a series of punches. Honma fired up again and hit a suplex on Tonga. He teased a tag to Shibata, but waved him off and went back after Tonga. He went for another running headbutt, but missed it and Tonga went back to work on him again.

The fans tried to rally behind Honma, who got wiped out by a huge lariat from Hall. Shibata had to run into the ring to make the save. Tonga and Shibata ended up brawling on the floor. Hall hit a scorpion death drop on Honma, but he kicked out at the last second and the fans applauded. Hall signaled for the finish. , but Shibata kicked Hall to avoid the razor’s edge on Honma. The fans chanted for Shibata as he worked over Hall. Shibata then nailed Honma with a big slap to the back. Shibata held Hall, but he got out of the way and Honma nailed Shibata with a lariat. Hall then wiped out both men with a double clothesline. Honma ducked a splash in the corner from Hall. Shibata then whipped him into a diving headbutt on Hall. Shibata nailed Hall with a combination of moves. Honma hit another running headbutt on Hall, but Tonga broke up the pin. Shibata wiped out Tonga and he rolled to the floor. Shibata held Hall up once again. Hall blocked a headbutt with a kick, but Honma shook it off and nailed him with a leaping headbutt. Shibata choked Hall out and nailed him with the penalty kick. Honma then went up top and connected with the diving headbutt for the win. This was insanely fun.

Honma and Shibata went head-to-head after the match before celebrating.

Winners: Tomoaki Honma & Katsuyori Shibata.

Star rating: (***1/4) – The story of the match was Honma and Shibata not getting along. Hall was impressive hitting some big power moves during the match. Honma and Shibata finally got on the same page in the end and Honma finished off Hall with his signature headbutt off the top. The fans ate up the odd couple tag team of Honma & Shibata. They are now my favorite tag team of all time.

(6) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Captain New Japan vs. Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba. Yano beat Tanahashi earlier in the tournament before he was eliminated by Ibushi. Tanahashi wanted to get after Yano, but he ducked through the ropes. Yano then tagged in Sakuraba and went to the floor. Tanahashi and Sakuraba went back and forth on the mat with neither man being able to get the upper hand. Sakuraba went for a head stomp, but Tanahashi got out of the way and they came to a stalemate. Captain New Japan tagged in and went at it with Sakuraba. Sakuraba backed Captain New Japan into the ropes and offered a clean break. Sakuraba grabbed Captain New Japan’s leg and backed him into the ropes and offered another clean break. He got an arm bar a short time later, but Tanahashi broke it up. Yano ran into the ring and brawled to the floor with Tanahashi. He tossed him into the guardrail and brawled with him into the crowd. Sakuraba then took Captain New Japan to the floor and began kicking him in the chest against the guardrail. Captain New Japan struggled to get to his feet, but managed to beat the ref’s count. Yano and Sakuraba began tagging in and out to work over Captain New Japan. Yano tossed him into the exposed turnbuckles. He then tossed Tanahashi into the exposed turnbuckles as well. Sakuraba nailed Captain New Japan with several kicks to the chest and back and told the ref to check on him.

The fans fired up and tried to get behind Captain New Japan, but Sakuraba lit him up with several kicks. Yano then knocked Tanahashi off the apron. They went at it on the outside, but Tanahashi broke free and broke up a front choke on Captain New Japan. Captain New Japan fired back and hit a gut wrench suplex on Sakuraba and made the tag to Tanahashi and the fans applauded. Sakuraba hit several kicks on Tanahashi, but he nailed him with a dragon screw. Tanahasi went for a Texas cloverleaf, but Sakuraba caught him with a triangle. Tanahashi countered it and got a Boston crab, but Yano broke it up. Tanahashi tossed Yano to the floor and went after Sakuraba. Sakuraba countered Tanahashi and got a standing kimura, but Tanahashi got the ropes. Yano tagged in and Tanahashi nailed him with a big punch and a flying forearm off the ropes. Tanahashi hit a big slam on Yano and hit his signature flip senton off the second turnbuckle for a 2 count. The fans chanted for Tanahashi. Yano thought he had tossed Tanahashi to the floor, but he skinned the cat and hit a sling blade. Tanahasi went for the high fly flow, but Yano got his knees up and rolled him up for a near fall. Tanahashi fired back, but Yano grabbed the ref and hit a low blow for a near fall. Captain New Japan ran into the ring, but Yano twisted his mask around so he couldn’t see. Yano hit an awkward slingshot into a kick from the head from Sakuraba on Tanahashi. He then rolled him up for the win.

Winners: Toru Yano and Kazushi Sakuraba

Star rating: (**) – There wasn’t much to the match, but it was solid. Tanahashi was looking for revenge on Yano after he beat him during the NJC 2015 Tournament to eliminate him, but once again Yano got a pinfall on Tanahashi here.

(7) IWGP IC Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada & NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. The Bullet Club (IWGP Hvt. Tag Team Champions (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) & Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi) in an 8 Man Tag match. Okada and Fale glared at each other in the middle of the ring before the match began. The match began with the faces going right after the Bullet Club. Everyone brawled to the floor except for Okada and Fale. Fale fired back on Okada and whipped him hard into the turnbuckles. Okada fired back, but Fale drove him into the Bullet Club corner. Gallows tagged in, but Fale and Okada continued to go after each other until they were separated. Ishii tagged in and the fans fired up as he hit several big chops on Gallows. Gallows shrugged them off and nailed Ishii with a big chop. Gallows eventually took Ishii down with a shoulder tackle as he came off the ropes and began working him over. Both men went back and forth going for a suplex, but it was Anderson who connected with one before tagging in Takahashi. Ishii fired back on Takahashi and tagged in YOSHI-HASHI. Takahashi got the upper hand and began working over YOSHI-HASHI in the corner. YOSHI-HASHI fired back and hit a hurricanrana and went on the attack. Anderson tripped HASHI from the floor and the action broke down with everyone brawling in the ring and on the floor. Fale was shown choking Okada on the floor with a tie he took from one of the announcers. Takahashi stood in the ring and flexed with the Bullet Club taking care of business on the floor. The ref’s count got close to 20, but HASHI managed to dive back into the ring.

HASHI continued to take a beating as various members of the Bullet Club tagged in and out to work him over. The fans tried to rally behind HASHI, but Anderson cleared the apron so he couldn’t make a tag. HASHI countered a brainbuster attempt and flipped Anderson over before hitting a neck breaker and the fans fired up. He made the hot tag to Nakamura, who cleared the apron of Bullet Club members before going to work on Anderson with a series of kicks to the head. Nakamura did the vibration boot in the corner and the fans fired up. Nakamura followed up with his signature running knee in the corner or a 2 count. Anderson ducked a charge in the corner and nailed Nakamura with a big knee lift. The Bullet Club cleared the apron and Anderson hit a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Nakamura countered the gun stun and hit his signature reverse powerslam. Nakamura went for the Boma Ye, but Anderson caught him with a spinebuster and both men were down. Nakamura tagged in Ishii, who tried to take Gallows with a clothesline several times, but he wouldn’t go down. Gallows finally caught Ishii with a clothesline to send him down to the mat. Gallows hit a big side slam for a 2 count and the fans chanted for Ishii. Gallows continued to work over Ishii in the ring. Ishii fired back on Gallows and eventually nailed him with a big headbutt to the chest. Ishii then lifted Anderson and hit a big brainbuster. The announcer freaked out, but Gallows kicked out at 1. Ishii tagged in Okada and the fans fired up. Okada hit a big DDT and kipped up to his feet. Gallows fired back and hit a superkick on Okada before tagging in Fale. Okada and Fale began exchanging forearms. Fale finally took Okada down with a shoulder tackle, but missed a big running splash off the ropes.

Okada ducked a charge in the corner and hit a big neck breaker on Fale over his thigh. The other participants in the match brawled to the floor leaving Okada and Fale alone in the ring. Takahashi grabbed Okada’s foot when he went up top and Fale slammed him to the mat. The Bullet Club took turns hitting big moves on Okada in the corner. Okada continued to take a huge series of moves capped by a big splash from Fale, but his partners made the save. Okada sold like he was on his last legs as Fale stalked him from behind. Okada kept getting saved from certain doom by his partners. The action broke down and everyone hit big moves. Okada caught Fale with his signature dropkick and then a big elbow off the top. The fans fired up as Okada did the rainmaker pose, but Fale countered it into a rainmaker of his own and hit the pop-up thumb to the throat. He made the cover on Okada, who kicked out at the last second. Holy s---! The fans chanted for Okada as Fale set up for the bad luck fall. HASHI and Ishii broke it up and wiped out Fale. Okada stumbled to his feet and fought Okada, but Nakamura nailed him with the Boma Ye. Okada then finished off Fale with the rainmaker for the win. Holy crap!

Winners: Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a bit pedestrian to start, but the self-contained story of Okada trying to avoid taking another pinfall loss to Fale post-Wrestle Kingdom really added some fire to the second half of the match. Okada was nearly finished off several times and the fans went nuts as his partners saved him from Fale finishing him off after taking several big moves from The Bullet Club. The finish was awesome with the crowd going crazy as Nakamura connected with the Boma Ye and then Okada finished him off with the rainmaker for the win.

Kota Ibushi came out first for the main event to determine the NJC 2015 winner. Hirooki Goto was out next. The fans politely applauded the formal ring introductions before the main event. Ibushi got a good pop. Goto got a smaller pop.

(8) Hirooki Goto vs. Kota Ibushi in the New Japan Cup 2015 Finals – Winner earns a future title shot of their choice. The fans chanted for Ibushi after the opening bell rang. Ibushi offered a clean break and hit a light double chop to Goto’s chest. Goto fired back and they began exchanging strikes. Ibushi got the upper hand briefly, but Goto decked him with a shoulder tackle. Ibushi charged at Goto and walked right into a headlock. Ibushi freed himself and eventually sent Goto to the floor with a dropkick. Ibushi set up for his signature moonsault to the floor, but Goto ran into the ring and clotheslined him inside out on the apron. Ibushi spilled to the floor and Goto went to the outside after him. Goto whipped Ibushi into the guardrail and he collapsed to the floor. Goto went up top and hit an elbow on Ibushi a short time later. The fans tried to rally behind Ibushi as Goto worked him over. Ibushi popped up after taking a sustained beating from Goto. He tried to trade forearms with Goto, but Goto floored him with a huge forearm. Ibushi finally caught Goto with a hurricanrana off the ropes and Goto spilled to the floor. Ibushi set up for his signature moonsault to the floor and nailed it this time as the announcer went crazy. They went to a replay off the moonsault and it was amazing to see the height Ibushi got on it. Ibushi set up on the apron and hit a springboard missile dropkick on Goto for a 2 count.

Ibushi continued to work Goto over for several minutes, but couldn’t put him away after a series of kicks and a standing moonsault. Goto fired back and surprised Ibushi with a clothesline off the ropes. Goto went on the attack and began working over Ibushi once again. Ibushi and Goto began trading shots and Ibushi hit a snap German, but Goto popped up and hit him with a clothesline to the back. Ibushi fired right back with a Pele kick variation and both men were down. Ibushi got up and nailed Goto with a running kick in the corner. They battled up top. Goto knocked Ibushi to the apron with a clothesline. Ibushi fired back and hit a springboard hurricanrana off the top for a good near fall. The fans fired up with both men slow to get up. Goto ended up lifting Ibushi and he nailed him with a big back breaker over his knee and both men were down once again. Both men got to their knees and began exchanging forearms. They picked up the pace and continued to trade forearms from their knees. Ibushi went down and Goto set him up for a lariat. He connected, but Ibushi looked at him and smiled. Ibushi hit a lariat and Goto didn’t go down. Both men hit clothesline at the same time twice and then Goto finally hit a discus clotheslined and got a leverage pin on Ibushi for a near fall. Goto hit a spinning face buster on Ibushi, but he kicked out once again.

Goto sold intensity as he stood over Ibushi. Ibushi countered a suplex and turned Goto inside out with a lariat. Ibushi went for the sit out last rights, but Goto dropped down to block it. Goto powered out, but Ibushi nailed him with a big overhand slap to the face. Goto fired back with a headbutt to catch Ibushi by surprise. Ibushi countered a powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana and rolled Goto up right away for a near fall. Ibushi got up and nailed Goto with a roundhouse kick to the head. He followed up with the sit-out last rights powerbomb, but Goto kicked out at the last second. Ibushi then went up top and hit the phoenix splash for the win. Wow. Amazing final stretch.

Winner: Kota Ibushi to win the New Japan Cup 2015

Star rating: (****) – The first half of the match was a bit slow to start, but the second half of this match was excellent with both guys going back and forth with some great strikes exchanges and power moves. They did some good near falls down the stretch and both men sold great intensity showing fighting spirit at times.

After the match, Ibushi was presented with a check for $500,000 yen and a huge trophy for winning the NJC 2015. Ibushi took some pictures with the trophy. One of the announcers came into the ring and interviewed Ibushi. The fans applauded. The fans chanted for Ibushi after he answered a question. Ibushi was asked which title he was going after and he said he was going after Styles and the IWGP Hvt. Title. The fans gasped and applauded when he made the announcement. The camera panned to thousands of fans standing and applauding.

The announcer left Ibushi in the ring alone to cut a promo. The fans chanted for Ibushi and he paused. The fans seemed to like what he had to say. Confetti then shot into the ring as Ibushi’s music played to end the show.

Overall thoughts: (8.5) – This was a really good show from top to bottom. The Hiroshima crowd was enthusiastic throughout the night and provided a good atmosphere for nearly every match. The show clicked from top to bottom and forwarded several ongoing storylines, although the big story here is the rise of Kota Ibushi during the NJC 2015.

The show began with a fun six man tag and quickly transitioned into the semi-final round of the NJC 2015. Both semi-round matches were fun. Goto-Makabe was very good, but Ibushi vs. Naito stole the show. They had a fantastic back and forth match with great crowd heat that is well-worth going out of your way to see.

In other happenings, Yano continued his reign of superiority over Tanahashi pinning him for the second time during the tournament in a tag match after beating him in the earlier rounds to eliminate him from the NJC 2015. Okada also was once again faced with a thorn in his side as he squared off with Bad Luck Fale, which was the focus of the eight man tag in the semi-main event. The semi-main event started off as the standard Bullet Club filler multi-man tag match, but quickly got good once Okada and Fale were in the spotlight. It looked like Fale was going to go over on Okada several times, but Okada’s partners continually saved him from doom. The fans got really hot down the stretch as Okada finally put Fale away with the rainmaker after Nakamura nailed him with the Boma Ye.

The NJC 2015 Finals started off slowly between Goto and Ibushi, but they really picked up the pace and intensity during the second half of the match. Goto and Ibushi put together some really good back and forth striking and fast-paced sequences building towards the finish, which had a lot of good near falls. I liked how Goto kicked out of the sit-out last rights powerbomb, which had put away Naito earlier in the show. Ibushi then finished him off with a phoenix splash to win the NJC 2015.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Styles vs. Ibushi draws at NJPW’s first big PPV since Wrestling Kingdom next month. Ibushi is looking better and better as the months go by and coming off his fantastic match against Nakamura at WK for the IWGP IC Championship, he had a really good run in this tournament and the crowd in Hiroshima responded to him well during his post-match announcement that he would be facing Styles for the IWGP Hvt. Title.

Overall, this show is well-worth going out of your way to see with a lot of storyline development on the undercard and a fantastic conclusion to the NJC 2015 Tournament. Ibushi’s work is well-worth checking out right now and he got a big spotlight during this tournament.

***

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