New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/27/2022 - New Japan Cup 2022 Day 15

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/27/2022 - New Japan Cup 2022 Day 15

This is a very weak final day of the New Japan Cup. I have no idea why but I only thought 2 matches were worth looking at:

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask vs. STRONGHEARTS (CIMA, El Lindaman & T-Hawk) & Tatsumi Fujinami (w/Issei Onitsuka)

Koji and Hawk go at it early. They trade chops and both hit machine gun chops. Kojima then ddt's him and Hawk suplexes him. Hawk tags in Fujinami then Cima gets in and single leg crabs Koji. Koji then takes a triple team basement dropkick form Stronghearts. Hawk backdrops Koji then Koji cutters him.

Tana gets the hot tag in and clears out Stronghearts. He stares down Fujinami and beats up Linda.  Tana then flip sentons Linda for 2. Linda hits a nice dropkick on him. Tana and Fujinami go at it then Tana dragon screws him. Okada dropkicks Fujinami then takes a dragon screw.

Okadas neckbreakers Hawk over the knee. Hawk and Okada go at it and Hawk hits a nice reverse sitout slam for 2. Everyone gets something in as we head towards the finish. Tiger topes Stronghearts members outside then Okada dropkicks Hawk. Okada hits a sitout slam then rainmakers him for the win.

I didn't get this one here. Fujinami was with NJPW a month or two ago and now he is teaming with the outsiders. Beyond that, it had too many people in it and not much time, so it didn't amount to much.

New Japan Cup 2022 Final - Zack Sabre Jr. vs Tetsuya Naito

ZSJ hits armdrags early then Naito tries one at the sasme time and they block each other. Naito then hurricanrana'd him. Zack gets on him like a surfboard then bangs both of his knees into the mat. Naito rolls out and Zack works the knee out there. ZSJ then continues the knee attack in the ring. Naito then comes back with offense and does his corner leg sweep + slingshot dropkick combo.

Naito slaps on a cravate. ZSJ blocks his tornado ddt then twists his neck with his feet. ZSJ octopus stretches him in the ropes. ZSJ hits a running euro in the corner then does a running face kick. Naito 2nd rope hurricanrana's him but ZSJ just rolls with it and triangles him. Naito then tornado ddt's him.

Naito diamond dusts him off the 2nd rope. Zack gets a close pinfall clutch for 2 then sleepers him. Naito then comes back with a brainbuster. ZSJ goes for a sit out driver and Naito kind of destino's him out of it. Zack then michinoku drivers him.

Naito hits some back elbows and basically gets up and tells him to bring it. ZSJ hits some euros. Naito rolls him up and takes a PK for 2. Zack hits a tornado ddt then a sitout spinning driver for the surprise win.

I really didn't like this too much. There just wasn't any great logic to it and Naito didn't really seem to be in the mood here to do the job.