SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
(7) JACK PERRY (w/Yujiro Takahashi) vs. TORU YANO – NJPW Cup 2024 Second Round match
Perry made his entrance wearing a goat mask. Perry jumped Yano as he was being introduced. Yano fired back and sprayed him in the eyes and rolled him up for a near fall. Perry caught Yano in the snare trap right in the lion mark in the middle of the ring. The fans fired up and Yano struggled to the ropes. Stewart mentioned Yano has never won a single tournament in his career. He struggled, but got to the ropes to break the hold.
Yano got the upper hand on the outside, but Takahashi attacked him from behind. Yano ended up handcuffing Takahshi’s wrist to the guardrail. Kanemaru came down to the ring and the ref got distracted. Perry shoved Yano into the ref. House of Torture then went to work on Yano. Yano hit a double low blow on Perry and Kanemaru, but Takahashi pulled the ref out of the ring. Takahashi showed Yano he had the key.
Yano went after Takahashi and Perry nailed him with a low blow from behind. Perry then hit a running knee to the head and it was good for the win.
WINNER: Jack Perry at 8:28 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NJPW Cup. (*3/4)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was the same match as Narita vs. Taichi except it was shorter. The same ref bumps and pin breakups were used. Just ridiculous.)
(8) SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW Cup 2024 Second Round match
Sanada got a bye being a former IWGP World Hvt. Champion and NJPW Cup winner. The announcers talked about Hashi being an established tag wrestler, but acknowledged he has struggled as a singles wrestler. The winner of this match will face Jack Perry. Hashi has never faced Perry, but Sanada did at Forbidden Door last year when he beat Perry to successfully defend the IWGP World Hvt. Championship.
Hashi got on track and hit a Head Hunter. He got the butterfly lock, but Sanada escaped and hit a TKO and both men were down. Sanada went for the Skull End, but Hashi escaped. Sanada went for it again a short time later and got it on the mat. Hashi got to his feet, but Sanada took him right back down to the ground.
Sanada let go and went for the Muta Moonsault, but Hashi got his knees up and got a small package for a near fall. Both men ended up down. They got to their knees and began to trade blows. They got to their feet and continued to trade and Sanada decked Hashi with a forearm.
Sanada got on track and hit a shiny no wizard. He set up for Deadfall, but Hashi blocked it. Sanada hit another shining wizard and then a Muta Moonsault for a near fall. Hashi fired back and hit a dragon suplex. Sanada got right up and Hashi decked him with a clothesline. Both men were down once again and the fans fired up. They got to go and both men traded blows. Sanada got a roll up for a near fall.
Hashi ducked a shining wizard attempt and hit a meteora for a near fall. Hashi hit a big lariat and Sanada went down. They traded cool there and Hashi hit a superkick. He went for Karma, but Sanada countered it into Deathfall for the win.
WINNER: Sanada at 23:51 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NJPW Cup. (****1/4)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was excellent. The story here was Hashi looking to prove himself as a singles wrestler and win this tournament. He gave Sanada all he could handle, but ultimately he could not put him away and never hit Karma.
This match built from start to finish and featured a number of really good near falls. The counter sequences down the stretch were excellent as well.)
Sanada showed Hashi respect after the match. Hashi was emotional as he went to the back.
Sanada got on the mic and cut a promo in Japanese. He will face Jack Perry in the quarterfinal round.
NJPW Cup 2024 Night 6 (March 12, 2024) Second Round matches
(7) TANGA LOA (/Jado) vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo) – NJPW Cup 2024 Second Round match
Loa ran down the aisle and attacked Finlay as soon as he came through the curtain for his entrance. Loa tossed Finlay into the barricade and he then dragged him into the crowd. Finlay fired back and tossed Loa into the guardrail. He then tossed him into a pile of chairs and short time later.
They ended up back in the ring, but it wasn’t long before Loa took the fight to the floor and whipped Finlay into the guardrail multiple times. They built up to a strike exchange, but Finlay caught Loa with The Irish Curse for a near fall. Loa hit Ape S—for a near fall. He blocked a Kamigoye attempt and a short time later he hit overkill and it was good for the win.
WINNER: David Finlay at 10:42 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NJPW Cup. (***1/2)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was good, but it finished abruptly just as they were really hitting their stride in the ring with a match full of brawling and hard hitting exchanges inside the ring.)
(8) HIROOKI GOTO vs. CHASE OWENS – NJPW Cup 2024 Second Round match
The winner will face Finlay in the next round. Owen’s, despite still suffering the effects of a car accident, controlled the match for most of the early going. Goto mounted a comeback, but it didn’t last long as Owen’s caught Goto with a ripchord lariat.
Goto fired back and hit Owens with the Ushigoroshi and both men were down. Goto got a choke and hit a PK. He then hit GTW for a near fall and the fans fired up. Owens hit a drop kick through the ropes and then he connected with a neck breaker in the floor and both men were down.
Goto blocked a package piledriver attempt on the apron. A short time later he escaped a package piledriver attempt on the exposed floor from Owen’s with a backdrop. Goto went for a clothesline on the floor, but missed and hit the ringpost. Owens hit the Dream Killer inside the ring a short time later, but Goto kicked out at the last second.
Goto hit a draping GTR, but Owens kicked out at the last second. He went for a traditional GTR, but Owens raked his eyes. Owens hit a pair of C-triggers. Goto fought out of another package piledriver attempt. Goto hit a pair of big headbutta Goto measured Owens for a big kick and then hit Goto Revolution for the win.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto at 21:36 to advance to the quarter final round of the NJPW Cup. (***3/4)
(Radicans Analysis: This was very good. Credit to Owens for wrestling after getting into a car accident right before the tournament. This was a war that Goto survived more than won, as he managed to avoid the package piledriver that likely would have put an end to his run in the tournament.)
Goto cut a promo after the match. One of the young lions translated it to English. He thanked the fans. Goto told the fans he would win the NJPW Cup. He said NJPW will be Chaos. The lights then went out to end his promo.
Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.