New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/2/2022 - New Japan Cup 2022 Day 1
New Japan Cup - CIMA vs Taka Michinoku
Fast paced action to start. Cima does an up and over, hip tosses him, dropkicks him then tope's him through the ropes. Cima ties him up with the moss covered 3 handed family gradunza and Taka ropebreaks.
Taka tries an armbar on Cima, but Cima ropebreaks. Taka then goes for his facelock but Cima ropebreaks. Cima then backcrackers Taka and drops double knes on him from the buckle. Taka knees Cima to the face or 2 then step kicks him. He hits a reverse enzugiri then a usperkick for 2. Taka then facelocks him.
Taka put him in another submission but he got out and crosslegged brainbustered him. He then hit a top rope meteora and won it.
They only had about 10 minutes here but it was fast paced and fine.
New Japan Cup - YOSHI-HASHI vs Tomoaki Honma
They trade forearms to start and Honma misses a falling headbutt. Yoshi hits some weak forearms in the corner on him. Honma ends up laying on the ropes and Yoshi dropkicks him on them. Honma then ddt's him.
Honma hits some chops then bulldogs him. Honma then misses a falling headbutt. They trade forearms then Honma headbutts him and hits a falling headbutt. He went for a 2nd rope shoulder but Yoshi moved. Yoshi then hit a blockbuster from the second rope for 2.
Honma hit a flying shoulder then headbutted him fron the 2nd rope for a close 2. Honma lariated him down then they traded forearms. They slapped each other then did a quick lariat battle with Yoshi getting a 2 count. Yoshi then hit a messy driver for the win after.
Neither guy is that great but they did try here and while it did go a little long, I thought it was alright and a good effort.
New Japan Cup - Yuji Nagata vs Hirooki Goto
They go to the mat to start. Nagata hits a boot to the face and goes out with him. Goto gets thrown into the rails then accidentally lariats the post.
Nagata hits some kicks on him and armbars him. Nagata armbreakers him over the shoulder then kicks him in the shoulder more. Goto fights back with a headbutt to the chest. Goto spinning heel kicks him then bulldogs him. He then kicks him in the back. They went outside again and Goto lariated him out there.
They went up top and traded forearms then Nagata explodered him from the top. They traded more forearms then both ran the ropes with Goto hitting a lariat. Goto hit the ushigoroshi over the knee neckbreaker. Nagata hit a twister brainbuster.
They traded more forearms then Goto chest kicked him. Nagata crossfaced him then armbarred him. Goto came back with a weird indian deathlock to win it in a sudden ending.
The match was alright with them trading strikes and doing basic heayweight stuff, though the finish was random. Yuji worked the arm for a bit here and it maybe could have been a minute or two shorter.
New Japan Cup - Jeff Cobb vs Togi Makabe
Togi took him outside early and hit him off the rails and apron. Cobb then threw him into the rails. Jeff picked him up and rammed his back into the post then stood on him.
Jeff picked him up and reverse slammed him then Togi came back with a lariat. Togi hit some corrner punches on him then another lariat. Jeff then came back with a running backdrop. They traded forearms then lariats. Togi came off the top and got nothing but mat.
Cobb hit some more forearms then hit a spinning slam for the win.
It was okay but the match was really slow here for some reason from start to finish and there really was no reason why.
New Japan Cup - Taichi vs Toru Yano
They argue and Taichi walks away then Yano tries to roll him up. Yano takes off the turnbuckle pad then throws him into the rail outside. He then grabs an empty sack outside and tries to put it over Taichi, but the girl he is with is in the way. Yano than tries to put it on her and Taichi nails him for it. Taichi then puts the sack on Yano.
Yano wonders around and enters the ring with the sack on him and takes a 2 count. The ref helps Yano take the sack off then Taichi puts it on the ref. Yano then rolls up Taichi but there's no ref available. Yano then takes the sack off the ref.
Taichi gamengiri's Yano then Yano rips off Taichi's pants. He rolls him up for a quick 2 count then Yano goes into the exposed buckle. Taichi then wins it with a bad running forearm.
This was quick but Yano's comedy was entertaining.
New Japan Cup - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs YOH
Slow start here as they battle over a headlock. Tana punches him in the gut in the corner then is armdragged and knee dropkicked. Yoh leg locks him and works the knee more. Tana tries to dragon screw him and kind of fails then does it for real.
Tana slams him then somersault sentons him from the 2nd rope. Tana then knee dropkicks him and texas cloverleafs him. Yoh then came back with a dragon screw then dragon screwed him from behind and from the side. Tana comes back with a twist and shout then his own dragon screw. Yoh hits a german for 2.
Naito gets stungunned early and takes a baseball slide. Naito then comes back a little later with a neckbreaker then dropkicks him in the back. Naito hit his corner dropkick and traded forearms with Yujiro. Yujiro took back control as he booted him while he was tied up in the ropes then suplexed him. Yujiro then hit an olympic slam for 2.
Naito hit a diamond dust on him from the corner then Yujiro put him up for a fireman's carry and swung him back like a reverse death valley driver. They traded forearms with Yujiro really hitting a bunch. Naito koppo kicked him then hit a flying forearm. Yujiro rushed Naito in the corner and squashed the ref, so the House of Torture attacked Naito while the ref was out. They beat him up for a bit and Yujiro told them to stop so he could take him one on one. Yujiro then low blowed Naito anyway to Evil's delight.
Yujiro hit a lariat for 2 then Naito low blowed him and rolled him up to win. Naito fought off HoT after.
As expected, this went too long at around 16 minutes and really wasn't that great. Yujiro turning face would have maybe explained it, but that was just a swerve. Yujiro is just not a great worker and this looked like a bad idea on paper and was a bad idea in execution.
New Japan Cup - Kazuchika Okada vs El Desperado
They start off fast with some armdrags and pin attempts. They go outside and Okada gets rammed into the post. Despy stomps him in the knee then Okada comes back with a flapjack. Okada then throws him into the rails outside. Despy throws chops at Okada but Okada drops him with a euro. Despy starts to go to work on the knee and works it a while. He goes up top and gets caught with a dropkick and goes to the floor.
Okada ddt's him on the floor and despite him being down for like 3 minutes, he doesn't get counted out. Okada then ddt's him in the ring. Despy spinebusters him and does the rainmaker pose and pisses off Okada. He hits chops but Okada just fires up and shotgun dropkicks him. Despy takes another shot at the knee then blue thunders him. He then frogsplashes him for 2. Okada hits his over the knee neckbreaker and dropkicks him. Okada hits his top rope elbow then Despy comes back with a dragon screw.
Okada goes for a dropkick but Despy catches him with a dragon screw in mid air which was cool. Okada money clips him and he seems out but Okada just releases the hold. He hits some lariats then Despy hits a double underhook piledriver. Despy drops him with a forearm then Okada dropkicks him. Okada rainmakers him and wins it.
I liked the idea of Despy trying to prove something to Okada and fighting as an underdog. It went way too long though at over 26 minutes, it was hard to believe Despy was going to win and it just wasn't a great match.
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