NEW JAPAN CUP Day 6: Hirooki Goto vs EVIL, Kota Ibushi vs Taichi
By: Mike Murray
Mike’s Match Ratings:
YOSHI-HASHI vs. BUSHI 2.75*
SHO vs SANADA 3.75*
Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Yota Tsuji vs Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi 3*
Kota Ibushi vs Taichi 3.5*
Hirooki Goto vs EVIL 3.5*
YOSHI-HASHI VS BUSHI
BUSHI comes out in a black suit with a skeleton screen printed on. He also has a cool new entrance mask that has a red light-up eye and reminds me of something out of the Kamen Rider TV show.
BUSHI attacks YOSHI-HASHI before the bell rings and chokes him with his t-shirt. YOSHI-HASHI lays into BUSHI with forearms in the corner. Chin lock by YOSHI-HASHI leads to a rope break. With BUSHI in the corner, YOSHI-HASHI runs into the corner and BUSHI dropkicks him. YOSHI-HASHI’s leg goes out awkwardly from underneath him. The rest of the match, his leg is either bothering him or he does a good job selling it.
BUSHI hits a missile dropkick and then a suicide dive. YOSHI-HASHI is gingerly running on that right leg. BUSHI tries for MX but YOSHI-HASHI hits him with a clothesline. Powerbomb attempt by YOSHI-HASHI is answered with a slap by BUSHI who then eats a clothesline from YOSHI-HASHI. After a prolonged butterfly lock, BUSHI gets a rope break. The end of the match comes in the middle of the ring as YOSHI-HASHI hits Karma for the win.
WINNER: YOSHI-HASHI in 10:22
A decent opener to today’s show but there is no reason to go out of your way to catch this match.
SHO VS SANADA
SHO’s facial expressions before the match were great. The weight of the opportunity in front of him as he looked across the ring at SANADA was written clearly across his face.
The match starts with both guys trying to get wrist control by using a series of wrist lock attempts and counters. They grab a Greco-Roman knuckle lock and SANADA forces SHO down into a bridge, SHO then transitions into an armbar attempt. SHO focuses on SANADA’s arm with an arm breaker across the top rope and a kick to SANADA’s arm. SHO wraps the arm around the ring post outside the ring. SANADA dropkicks the back of SHO’s leg as he is on the apron trying to get back into the ring. SANADA then wraps SHO’s leg around the barricade.
Back in the ring, SANADA shakes off a series of forearms by SHO and kicks at SHO’s leg. Both guys lay into each other with forearms. Big clothesline by SHO is followed by a vertical suplex. SHO tries for an armbar and SANADA gets out of it. SANADA hits a plancha to SHO on the floor. German suplexes by SHO leads to another armbar attempt that SANADA powerbombs out of. SHO hits some big forearms on SANADA and a jumping knee strike. SANADA tries for a hurricanrana which SHO blocks into a Power Breaker.
SHO tries to hit Shock Arrow but SANDA gets out of it. SHO tries for a german suplex that SANADA flips out of into a Skull End and SHO turns that attempt into a rollup. Another attempt to hit Shock Arrow leads to another Skull End submission attempt. SHO hits an impressive deadlift German suplex. The end of the match comes with SANADA on the second rope, he backflips over SHO who is standing on the mat. As SANADA lands the backflip he slaps on Skull End and gets the leg scissors around SHO who taps out.
WINNER: SANADA at 14:42
Very good match. Lots of excellent mat-based wrestling. These two guys worked really well together. SHO continued to show that he is ready to graduate to the heavyweight division with another strong match. Having SANADA beat someone that Shingo Takagi could not, opens the door to some possible dissent in LIJ, especially because SANADA is the only member without a belt.
TOMOHIRO ISHII, TORU YANO & YOTA TSUJI VS TETSUYA NAITO, SHINGO TAKAGI & HIROMU TAKAHASHI
Hiromu Takahashi submits Yota Tsuji with a Boston crab in 13:06. Solid 6 man tag with some decent comedy with Yano and Hiromu. Yano had a bag of Hiromu’s hair that he kept in his tights. Tsuji looked good when he was in with Shingo. I am looking forward to Ishii vs Hiromu tomorrow!
WINNERS: LIJ
TAICHI VS KOTA IBUSHI
Zack Sabre Jr and Hiroshi Tanahashi are both out to corner their respective partners for the match. Taichi has Takashi Iizuka’s iron glove with him and places it down in his corner. Taichi tries to get Ibushi to shake his hand by Kota won’t fall for it. Sabre Jr is on the ring apron and Taichi takes advantage of distracted Ibushi. Tanahashi comes over to help his partner and both tag champs are run into the barricade. Taichi drags Ibushi over to the stands and runs him into the bleachers. Then Taichi grabs some cables and chokes Ibushi with them. Back in the ring, Taichi grabs Ibushi by the throat and tries to hide it from the ref that he is choking Ibushi.
In the middle of the ring, both guys lay in some leg kicks to each other. After a few, Taichi goes upstairs and kicks at Ibushi’s chest. Each guy then takes turns to see if they can take each other’s best shot. Ibushi kicks Taichi in the chest and Taichi drops to his knees. Ibushi tells him to get up and Taichi then delivers a kick to Ibushi’s chest that drops him. Taichi lays in the Kawada style face kicks to Ibushi. Taichi tries for the Last Ride, but Ibushi gets away and delivers a head kick. Ibushi hits a Golden Star powerbomb for a two count. Ibushi grabs both wrists and sets up for Kamigoye but Sabre Jr distracts the ref and Taichi hits a low blow and goes for a pin but only gets a two count.
Ibushi misses another Kamigoye attempt, Taichi kicks him in the head and drops Ibushi. A thrust kick by Taichi is blocked by Ibushi, who picks him up and hits an inverted cradle tombstone piledriver for a two count. Ibushi grabs both of Taichi’s wrists again to hit Kamigoye, but Taichi shoves him into the ref. Sabre Jr comes back into the ring and chokes Ibushi. Tanahashi comes in to save his partner. Taichi corks Ibushi with Iizuka’s iron glove and then gets him up for Black Mephisto and the win.
WINNER: TAICHI at 18:09
Pretty good match. The kicking exchange between both guys was great. I like the story that has been going on throughout NJPW’s return with Sabre Jr and Taichi chasing Tanahashi and Ibushi for a tag team title shot. There was a lot of outside interference from Sabre Jr, but I was ok with it as it is part of that bigger story. I assume that Taichi (who has now pinned both tag champs during the New Japan Cup) will lose to the winner of Goto and EVIL and at Dominion, we see Taichi and Sabre Jr challenge Tanahashi and Ibushi for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
HIROOKI GOTO VS EVIL
Big spot for two solid wrestlers on this card. EVIL waits for Goto by the stairs to enter the ring and blocks his path. Both guys lay in some forearms outside the ring and the bell rings to start the match as both guys are still outside the ring. EVIL bounces Goto’s head off the apron and chops him a few times. Goto reverses an Irish whip and throws EVIL into the barricade. Lots of brawling by both guys. EVIL wraps a chair around Goto’s neck and runs it into the ring post. EVIL gets in the ring and tells Red Shoes to count out Goto. The ref gets to 17 before Goto gets back into the ring. EVIL beats down Goto and dares him to do something about it.
Goto hits an Ushikoroshi. There is a big forearm strike exchange. Reverse GTR by Goto. Goto lays in some strong kicks to EVIL.
Goto tries for a GTR that is blocked and Goto is shoved into Red Shoes who is dead in the corner. Big clothesline by EVIL who then stomps Goto below the belt into his bits. EVIL pins Goto and Red Shoes miraculously wakes up and it’s just a two count as Goto kicks out. EVIL grabs Goto and hits Everything Is Evil and get the win.
WINNER: EVIL at 18:26
Lots of strong strikes and big suplexes by both guys. This was a good match but I feel like they missed the chance to elevate it to the next level. EVIL shows that he will sink to some low depths to win and get a chance to challenge for both belts and with Hiromu taunting Naito after the 6 man tag match and pointing at Naito’s belts, looks like LIJ are chomping at the chance to face Naito at Dominion.
Overall, a decent quick show. No match was a “gotta see” but all the matches were very easy watches.
After today, the Right side of the bracket is set for Round 3 with
YOSHI-HASHI vs SANADA
TAICHI vs EVIL
Tomorrow NJPW is back with round 3 of the Left side of the bracket with two interesting Heavyweight vs Jr Heavyweight matches:
Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiromu Takahashi
Taiji Ishimori vs Kazuchika Okada
Hope everyone has a good Canada Day, even if you are not Canadian! Let me know what you thought of today’s New Japan Cup show in the comments below or on twitter @ScarboroughDad Thanks for reading.
