New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/11/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 5

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/11/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 5 

Oleg Boltin & Shoma Kato vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)

They put up the wrong name graphics here, switching Oleg and Shoma.

Zack takes Kato down and gets his back, then they stand up. Zack rolls and does a snapmare, then Kato hammerlocks him. Zack hipthrows him then snapmares him. Kato tries forearms and is euro'd over. Zack boots him and takes a flying forearm.

Oleg gets in and shoulders over Zack. He then is holding him in mid-air and suplexes him. Oleg suplexes Zack and Mikey. Oleg deadlifts Zack and powerbombs him down. Oleg belly to belly suplexes Mikey then Kato dropkicks Mikey several times.

Kato slams Zack. He hits forearms on Mikey then Mikey lariats him down for 2. Mikey hits a lariat and wins it.

It was a short but fun opener. Kato got some offense in here and Oleg got to throw people around a bit. It could have just been a lame vets vs young lions match but they made more out of it and I liked it.

El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Taichi and Despy go at it. Taichi face kicks Despy. They trade foreamrs for leg kicks then Taichi spin kicks him. Taichi hits Kawada kicks then is dropkicked in the knee. Douki gets in and takes offense from Despy and Ishii. Yuya fights off a 2v1.

Honma and Taichi get in and Honma works the leg. Ishii chops Taichi then Taichi side kicks him. Douki gets in and flying headscissors Ishii. Douki dropkicks him then slingshot armdrags Despy. Douki topes Despy outside and springboard back elbows Ishii.

Douki dropkicks Ishii then is shouldered over. They trade forearms. Douki hits pump kicks and is forearmed down. Douki gets a suplex in on Ishii in a cool momnet.

Honma and Yuya shoulder battle. Yuya armdrags him. Honma running shoulders him then hits chops. Honma bulldogs Yuya then misses a falling headbutt. Yuya double chops Honma for 2. Honma flying shoulders Yuya then Yuya dropkicks him. Yuya top rope crossbodies Honma then taps him out with the armbar.

It went a little long. Douki's section was good here and Yuya seemed somewhat inspired. I would have cut the Yuya/Honma segment short here.

Ishii and Douki argue outside after then trade forearms. 

Guerrillas Of Destiny (Jado & Tanga Loa) & Shota Umino vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo)

Everyone fights before the bell rings. DF double axe handles Loa off the apron then beats him up in the crowd. Kidd sends Shota into the rails and Gedo chokes Jado. Loa is thrown over the rails by DF. DF stomps on Jado then backbreakers him for 2.

Jado and Kidd go at it. Kidd bites him then Jado shoulders him over. Loa gets in and back elbows Kidd. Loa lariats Kidd then backdrops him. DF clubs on Loa's back then DF hits corner lariats. Loa lariats DF.

DF uranage backbreakers Shota then DF jawbreakers him. Kidd bites Shota then Gedo superkicks Shota for 2. Shota basement dropkicks Kidd then Shota hits ignition on Gedo. DF forearms Loa then Loa lariats him over the top. Shota death rider ddt's Gedo and wins it.

This was nothing special as expected. They didn't have a lot of time here and did basic stuff until the finish.

House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo), Ryusuke Taguchi & YOH

They fight before the bell like usual and all but 2 go outside to fight. Yujiro forearms ELP then ELP dropkicks him. Yujiro takes hip attacks from all of his opponents. Yujiro stun guns Yoh then YK leg lariats Yoh. Yoh takes a chair to the gut outside then Evil beats up on Yoh. Yoh backflips to avoid a charge then neckbreakers Evil.

Hiku comes in and beats up HoT. Ren takes snake eyes and a face kick. Hiku splashes and slams Evil. Evil chairs Hiku in the back of the leg then Hiku takes corner attacks. Togo gets caught on the ropes then Evil low blows Hiku while Hiku grabs Togo. Hiku suplexes Evil.

Taguchi misses a hip attack on Ren then rolls into a hip attack on him. Ren takes corner attacks then a hip attack from Taguchi for 2. Taguchi hits more hip attacks on Ren and tries to do a drive by hip attack outside. Taguchi tries to go back in but gets crotched. Ren hits Taguchi with the push up bar then Ren facebusters him. Ren gets the win.

It was shorter multi-man and nothing special. HoT didn't cheat here as much as they normally do though. Yoh's backlip > neckbreaer was something different. ELP also joined the commentary both here for a bit.

The fight continues after then Hiku takes a group beatdown. Hiku's leg is buried under chairs and Evil chairs the chair pile.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP)

Cobb and Yota start us off. Yota's flying headscissors is caught by Cobb. Yota armdrags Cobb then Cobb shoulders him over. Hiromu shoulders over Akira then Akira flying headscissors him. Akira knees him in the gut then Hiromu low dropkicks him. Naito armdrags Akira then Naito hits combinacion cabron in the corner.

Akira hits forearms and chops on Naito. Naito takes a double hiptoss into a fist drop and headhunter. TJP hits corner punches on Naito then indian deathlocks him. TJP facewash kicks Naito then Khan mongolian chops Naito in the back of the neck. Khan sits on Naito's neck.

Naito armdrags CN then CN takes a sunset flip into a sliding knee from Naito. Shingo comes in and hiptosses TJP. Shingo exploders Cobb then lariats CN. CN running boots Shingo. Khan mongolian chops Shingo and is knocked over. Bushi top rope dropkicks Khan. Everyone starts coming in for a move then leaves. Khan sheepkillers Bushi and wins it

They had too many people and not enough time for this one. It was rushed and people were constantly coming in and out here. 

New Japan Cup 2024 Second Round Match - Toru Yano vs. Jack Perry

Yano uses his spray then Jack running knees him. Yano sprays Jack in the eyes then puts his rube over Jack's head and tries to pin him. Yano throws a turnbuckle pad at Jack and tries to roll him up off of it.

Yano is thrown out and Yujiro beats up on Yano outside while the ref isn't looking. Jack sends Yano into the rails and both trip while doing it. Jack snapmares Yano then basement dropkicks him in the back.

Yano hits Jack in the back of the head. Jack then trips him into an STF. Yano ropebreaks. Jack grabs the ref then Jack is thrown over the rails by Yano. Yujrio beats up Yano when the ref isn't looking. Yujiro grabs handcuffs but Yano ends up cuffing him to the rails.

Jack eye rakes Yano then Yano belly to belly suplexes him. Yano rolls up Jack then Jack superkicks him. Yano atomic drops Jack and catapults him into the post. Yano rolling spears Jack in the back for 2. Kanemaru comes down and Jack pushes Yano into the ref. Yano is 2v1'd then low blows both guys at once. Yujir pulls the ref out, and somehow slingshots him into the rails hard.

Jack low blows Yano and lariats him in the back of the head. Jack running knees Yano and wins it.

It was a BS match as usual with HoT with interference, incompetent refs and refbumps. It was mostly all shenanigans.

Yano is handcuffed after and stomped on.

New Japan Cup 2024 Second Round Match - SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI

Yoshi armlocks and hammerlocks him early. Yoshi headlock takeovers him, Sanada headscissors him and they stand off. Yoshi sunset flips him then Sanada paradise locks him. Sanad hits suplex then chinlocks him. Yoshi dropkicks him in the knee then hooks the leg.

Yoshi snapmares Sanada and chinlocks him. Yoshi hits chops, hang him on the top rope then dropkicks him as he hangs. Sanada russian legsweeps him then hits a dropkick after leapfrogs. Sanada plancha's him outside. Yoshi headhunters him then sitout powerbombs him. Yoshi butterfly locks him. Sanada TKO's him then 2nd rope moonsaults him into skull end. Yoshi rolls him up for 2.

Sanada puts him in skull end then Yoshi gets his knees up on Sanada's moonsault. They trade forearms for euros then Sanada bridging twisting neckbreakers him. Sanada shining wizards him. Yoshi codebreakers him then Sanada shining wizards him. Sanada top rope moonsaults him for 2. Yoshi dragon suplexes him then lariats him.

Yoshi superkicks him then takes an enzugiri. Sanada backrolls him, then Yoshi hits a superkick and meteora for 2. Yoshi hits a brainbuster for 2. Yoshi superkicks Sanada then Sanada deadfall ddt's him to win.

Sanada and Yoshi are two pretty bland guys for the most part personality wise. I didn't think we'd get a real spirited affair here and we didn't. I thought they maybe kicked it up a notch here a little during the end, but it was an average main event. Nobody did anything too special here and Sanada picked up the win as expected.

Overall thoughts: I saw all but one match here. It was not NJPW's best work and there's nothing I'd recommend seeing from this one. I can't even say I really liked anything that much here. Skip it.