MAIN EVENT: New Japan Cup First Round: Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA
They start the match by seeing who is more popular, with the referee acting as the applause-o-meter. Goto seems to win.
They lock up. They trade holds. Goto throws down SANADA. Goto pummels the back of SANADA’s neck. Goto locks in a chinlock. SANADA fights back. Goto corners SANADA. SANADA pummels Goto. Goto counters Paradise Lock.
They go for a lock up but Goto gets a gut kick in. Goto hits a hip toss. SANADA sends Goto out of the ring. SANADA hits an apron run senton. SANADA whips Goto into the barricade. SANADA gets Goto onto the apron and batters him. SANADA gets in the ring and covers Goto for two.
SANADA locks in a chinlock. Goto fights back. SANADA hits a Sliding Dropkick. SANADA covers for two.
SANADA stomps on Goto. SANADA’s strikes start to make Goto mad. They trade chops. They trade brainbuster attempts. Goto hits a lariat. SANADA pummels Goto. Goto slams SANADA into the corner. Goto hits a Saito Suplex. Goto covers for two.
Both men counter their finishers. SANADA hits a dropkick. Goto rolls out of the ring. SANADA hits a plancha. SANADA rolls Goto back in the ring. SANADA covers for two.
They trade elbows. SANADA drops Goto. SANADA corners Goto and delivers a series of elbows. They trade elbows in the corner. SANADA hits Ushiguroshi. SANADA locks in Skull End. Goto gets to the ropes.
SANADA misses a Moonsault. Goto hits a lariat. Goto counters Skull End. SANADA rolls up Goto for two. Goto hits Ushiguroshi. Goto hits a stiff mid kick. SANADA counters GTR. Goto counters a Brainbuster. SANADA hangs Goto on the ropes and hits Magic Killer. Goto hits a headbutt. Goto hits Inverted GTR. Goto covers for two. SANADA counters GTR with Skull End. Goto counters with GTR. SANADA counters with Skull End. SANADA locks in the body scissors. SANADA breaks the hold and climbs to the top rope. SANADA hits a Moonsault for the pinfall in 20:47.
WINNER: SANADA
