SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NJPW CUP 2025: NIGHT 1
MARCH 8, 2025
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Announcers: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton
The NJPW Cup match that were supposed to take place on March 7 have been added to this show.
(a) KATSUYA MURASHIMA vs. DAIKI NAGAI
The announcers said they would fill half of the bracket tonight and another half tomorrow with four first round matches taking place on each show. Murashima worked over Nagai’s arm during the early going. Nagai threw some gorgeous dropkicks during the match.
In the end, Murashima won with a Boston Crab.
WINNER: Katsuya Murashima in 8:00.
(1) TIGER MASK & HIROYOSHI TENZAN & SATOSHI KOJIMA & YUJI NAGATA vs. TOMOAKI HONMA & TORU YANO & HIROSHI TANAHASHI & HIROOKI GOTO
This match was set up to serve as a preview of the upcoming Goto vs. Nagata match on March 15 for the IWGP World Hvt. Championship. Nagata won the match with the backdrop hold on Honma.
WINNERS: Nagata & Tiger Mask & Tenzan & Kojima in 8:00.
(2) ELP & EL DESPERADO & JADO vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Jacob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan)
Young gave Desperado a real run for his money during the closing stretch, but Desperado countered a submission late and submitted him with Numero Dos.
WINNERS: ELP & Desperado & Jado in 10:15.
The lights went out after the match. Clark Connors appeared and challenged him to a match for the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Championship in a Hardcore match. He said he’d take his life. Desperado accepted his challenge after the video was ended.
(3) LIJ (Bushi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. THE UNITED EMPIRE (Callum Newman & Franesco Akira)
This is Newman’s first match back from injury. Akira got the win over Bushi with an inside cradle.
WINNERS: The United Empire in 8:45.
Newman got in Naito’s face after the match to set up their NJPW Cup match tomorrow. Newman sold his leg heavily after the match and walking to the back.
(4) YUYA UEMURA vs. SANADA – NJPW Cup 2025 First Round match
Uemura is looking to solidify himself as the leader of Just4Guys. Sanada kicked the middle rope into Uemura’s crotch to get the upper hand. The announcers said the “still a young lion” text on Sanada’s shirt was a shot at Uemura. Charlton mentioned that Uemura hasn’t ever gotten out of the first round.
Uemura mounted a comeback and hit some hard double chops. He ripped off Sanada’s shirt and the fans fired up. Sanada fired back and knocked Uemura to the outside. He followed up with a slingshot splash over the top to the floor.
The pace picked up and Sanada caught Uemura with Skull End. He let go and went for the Muta Moonsault, but Uemura got his knees up. Sanada grabbed the ref and Ishimori knocked him off the top to the mat. Just4Guys chased Bullet Club off and it was down to Sanada and Uemura one one one.
The 15 minute mark passed and Sanada hit a shining wizard. Uemura countered Death Fall and hit a German. Sanada got right up and went for Death Fall again. Uemura escaped again and got a Superman bridging pin for the win.
WINNER: Yuya Uemura in 15:50 to advance to the second round of NJPW Cup 2025. (***)
(Radican’s Analysis: This started out slow, but the fans got into it late and Uemura got a big win over a rival to advance in the tournament.)
Uemura will face Hashi in the second round of NJPW Cup 2025 on night 3.
(5) EVIL vs. YOTA TSUJI – NJPW Cup 2025 First Round match
Dick Togo attacked Tsuji as he made his entrance. Evil shoved the ref down and put the boots to Tsuji with Togo inside the ring. The fans chanted to home at Evil. Tsuji fended both men off and slammed Togo on top of Evil. He sent Togo to the floor and the match officially began.
The match began officially and Evil caught Tsuji with a sharpshooter. Tsuji flipped out of Everything is Evil and hit a super kick and a headbutt to Evil’s jaw. The announcers mentioned that Togo was at ringside still. Tsuji set up for the Gene Blast, but Togo threw the ref into his path and he hit him instead of Evil. Togo threw powder into Tsuji’s eyes. Evil then hit EIE for the win.
WINNER: Evil in 4:55 to advance to the second round of NJPW Cup 2025. (-*)
Evil got on the mic after and said it was unfortunate that last year’s winner was eliminated. He said they are on different levels.
(Radican’s Analysis: The House of Torture stuff continuing like this into 2025 is depressing, especially after Tanahashi had done something about it already only for it to just keep going.)
(6) RYOHEI OIWA vs. CHASE OWENS – NJPW Cup 2025 First Round match
Owens got on a roll early and hit Jewel Heist for a two count. They went to the apron and OIwa hit a divorce court. Owens sold his arm heavily at this point. The pace began to pick up.
Owens hit a big running knee, but OIwa wiped out Owens with a clothesline for a near fall. Owens hit a C-trigger. He then hit a sinning C-trigger out of the corner for a near fall. OIwa escaped a package piledriver attempt and submitted Owens with a top wrist lock.
WINNER: Ryohei Oiwa in 9:40 to advance to the second round of NJPW Cup 2025. (**)
(7) GABE KIDD vs. REN NARITA NJPW Cup 2025 First Round match
This could go either way in terms of being a mess or being a fun match. Hopefully it’s not another House of Torture special. Just as I wrote that Narita tried to jump Kidd from behind as he made his entrance. Kidd was ready and he cut him off and tossed him into the ringpost. He got on the mic and yelled at Narita.
Charlton said he was going to teach Narita the lessons he had forgotten from the LA Dojo under Shibata. Kidd hit a moonsault off the second turnbuckle to the floor. He tossed Narita into the ring and the bell rang. Kidd hit a drop kick in the corner and hit Shibata’s pose.
Charlton talked about how close Narita and Kidd were in the LA Dojo. They went back to the floor and brawled into the crowd. The fans fired up with Kidd in control on the outside. Kidd was about to suplex Narita into a pile of chairs on the floor when Sho ran out. He chased Sho away and charged at Narita, but Narita backdropped him into the chairs.
Narita turned the tide and hit another suplex into the chairs. He tossed Kidd into the ring and covered him for a 2 count. Kidd got choked with a chair and barely beat the ref’s 20 count. Kidd finally caught Narita with a belly to belly suplex to stall his momentum. Kidd hit an exploder a short time later and both men were down as the fans fired up.
Kidd sprang up suddenly and hit a Moonsault for a near fall. The announcers said Kidd had done everything but win a match this year. Kidd put Narita on the top rope and nailed him with some big chops. Narita knocked Kidd to the mat and hit Hell’s Guillotine for a near fall.
Narita got a choke and went for a X Factor, but Kidd countered it and hit a PK. Kidd hit a brain buster and held on and hit a release Saito Suplex for a near fall. Kidd went for a lariat, but Narita dragged the ref in the way and Kidd wiped him out. Didn’t we see this same exact spot in another match tonight just with a different move?
Narita hit Kidd with the steel push up bar. Sho and Takahashi came out and put the boots to Kidd. They held Kidd up and Narita blasted him with a chair shot to the head. Maloney and Ishimori ran down to make the save. They brawled to the back with Sho and Takahashi. Kidd blocked Narita’s attempt to hit him with the push up bar and he tossed it to the floor.
Kidd was bleeding from the head at this point. He blasted Narita with a punch. Kidd hit a the O-knee and a piledriver. Kidd held on and hit another piledriver for the win.
WINNER: Gabe Kidd in 22:15 to advance to the second round of NJPW Cup 2025. (****)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was really good despite the interference and other House of Torture shenanigans. They told a good story during the match of two former friends from their days at the LA Dojo who are two different men today even though they are both in heel factions.
The crowd ate this up and even though the announcers called Kidd a dark hero, he’s going to be a huge face for NJPW if he keeps delivering in the ring like this.)
Kidd got on the mic after the match and spoke in Japanese. He said he doesn’t know Japanese, but everyone can understand f—k HOT. He said lot of people were claiming to lead NJPW. He said it’s none of them.
Kidd said look at the blood on his head, he said he bleeds NJPW. He said f—- AEW and WWE. The fans went crazy. He said he was going to win the NJPW Cup and had words for Taichi in Japanese. He slammed the mic down and posed for the fans.
Kidd grabbed his belt and bowed down to the NJPW logo.
Kidd was shown backstage and he said he needed help for his neck. He sat cross legged like Shibata with his title in front of him. He said you can only name one wrestler that was sent to a psych ward by police and his name is Gabe Kidd.
Walker said TJP would join him on commentary tomorrow with Charlton staying in Tokyo.
Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on Bluesky @seanradican.
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