The semifinals of the New Japan Cup were overshadowed by an earthquake on Saturday. Registering 7.0 on the Richter Scale, the earthquake’s epicenter was near the arena in Sendai where New Japan Pro Wrestling was running their event.
https://twitter.com/CiaranRH/status/1373200850567495683
The earthquake struck in the middle of a six-man tag team match between Bullet Club’s Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi. The Bullet Club members retreated backstage during the post-earthquake safety inspection, while the three top stars in NJPW kept the crowd’s spirits up. Hiroshi Tanahashi did the most of the three, playing air guitar, flexing for old ladies, and just being his congenial self.
落ち着いて！ pic.twitter.com/gdiHyRs0aU
— 矢野 通¥??（TORU YANO） (@YTR_CHAOS) March 20, 2021
Luckily no one in the venue was hurt and the show continued on without any issue, and Shingo Takagi & Will Ospreay advanced to the New Japan Cup Finals.
Yes, the 2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award Match of the Year will be the finals of this year’s New Japan Cup. Both men have graduated to heavyweight. Takagi avenged his Best of Super Juniors loss with a win in the G1 Climax, and now their rubber match will be March 21st at 1am ET.
3/20
New Japan Cup Semifinals
Available on NJPWWorld.com
- United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) def. Juice Robinson & Yuya Uemura by pinfall. (8:44)
Jeff Cobb pinned Yuya Uemura via Tour of the Islands - CHAOS (SHO, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) def. Bullet Club (Jado, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) by pinfall. (7:58)
Toru Yano pinned Jado via Schoolboy. - Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito) def. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Douki)
- Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada def. Bullet Club (Jay White, KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi) by pinfall. (10:26)
Kota Ibushi pinned Yujiro Takahashi via Kamigoye.
This match was interrupted by an earthquake. - New Japan Cup Semi-Final Match: Will Ospreay def. David Finlay by pinfall via Stormbreaker. (21:04)
- New Japan Cup Semi-Final Match: Shingo Takagi def. EVIL by pinfall via Last of the Dragon. (22:43)
