Here are the results from Day 4 of NJPW’s New Japan Cup tournament. The event took place at the Item Ehime in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan, and featured two second-round matches for the yearly tournament.
Oleg Boltin & Shoma Kato vs TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Mickey Nicholls)
- TMDK force Kato to tap out.
TMDK continued their winning streak as a team on this tour with a victory over two of NJPW’s best young stars in Oleg Boltin and Shome Kata.
Oleg continued to be presented as the toughest of the current Young Lion contingent. He impressed against a top team like TMDK, and did not look out of place grappling against one of the world’s best in Zack Sabre Jr.
Yuya Uemura, Taichi, & DOUKI) vs El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii, & Tomoaki Honma
- Uemura forced Honma to tap out to an armbar.
This was a match between the losers in the first-round of the New Japan Cup and wrestlers who didn’t enter.
Because of this, it was a rather meaningless trios bout. It was a competitive back-and-forth, although there is very little to speak about.
Bullet Club (KENTA & Chase Owens) vs Hirooki Goto & Togi Makabe
- KENTA pinned Makaba after a GTS
This match could be a preview for a future tag team title match. Bullet Club picked up a big win over Goto and Makaga. The BC controlled most of the match, successfully fighting off a flurry from Makabe before KENTA put him away to win the bout.
Shota Umino, Tanga Loa & Jado vs Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo)
- Umino pinned Gedo after hitting a Death Rider. This match was a decent six-man tag team match. It showed a simple face vs heel story and helped build towards a future match between Umino and Finlay.
There was little action in particular to talk about, and it was not a match that you’d ever rewatch. Umino picked up the win after a Death Rider.This was the move taken from his mentor and former AEW Champion Jon Moxley.
Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOH vs House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Toshinobu Kanemaru
- Narita pinned Taguchi with a double-cross
If you could possibly imagine it, this match consisted of the good guys dominating the bout until HoT used cheating to get an advantage in the bout.
ELP even took to commentary halfway through the match, watching in delight as Hikuleo cleared the field and almost picked up the victory for this side. This shows how well his side were doing before the trickery turned the tide, although he soon got more involved in the bout.
Sadly, cheaters prevailed. Narita hit Taguchi with his wooden push-up bar before using his finisher, the double-cross. He pinned Taguchi to win the match for the House of Torture.
After the match, they destroyed Hikuleo’s knee with steel chairs. This makes him a doubt for his clash against EVIL in the New Japan Cup.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Tagaki, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman)
- Great-O-Khan forces BUSHI to tap out.
The LIJ vs UE clash was the best match of the night up to this point, with IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito starring for his faction.
The match ended after all ten men brawled in the ring, hitting all their biggest moves on one another. It ended when Great-O-Khan forced BUSHI to tap out.
Callum Newman was given a lot of time in the ring. He impressed when grappling with Naito and Tagaki, with commentators noting his similarities with Will Ospreay. This could be the start of a big future for the youngster, based on that.
New Japan Cup Second-Round Match: Jack Perry vs Toru Yano
- Jack Perry pins Yano after a knee trembler.
In a fun match, Perry picked up another win during a new era in his career in Japan.
His antics included spraying Perry’s eyes with mist, tying him up in his robe and attacking him with the corner protectors. His constant attempts to roll up Perry confused the American star, and made for an entertaining bout.
Interference from HoT soon got Perry in control of the match. However, Yano would have won the bout if not for the referee being pulled from the ring. A low blow from “The Scape Goat” and a knee trembler gave Perry the win and a trip into the quarter-finals of the New Japan Cup.
New Japan Cup Second-Round Match: YOSHI-HASHI vs SANADA
- SANADA pinned YOSHI-HASHI after hitting a Dead fall
Despite the big names involved, this was a largely forgettable main event match.
It was a fairly standard, boring bout for the bulk of the match. It was entirely expected, formulaic and by-the-numbers bout that left a lot of the table.
SANADA went through in the end, although his credibility as a former champion took a hit with this poor performance in the main event.
