New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/12/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 6

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/12/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 6

I skipped two matches here:

United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Taichi and Khan start us off. They lock up and Taichi backs him up on the ropes then smacks him on the head. Khan forearms him then Taichi hits leg kicks. Khan mongolian chops him then Taichi spin kicks him. Khan punches him in the gut then takes an enzugiri.

Khan pump kicks him then Taichi face kicks him. Khan bangs Taichi's knee off the mat then ties his legs up. Yuya is tripped onto Taichi. Khan works Taichi's leg, putting it over the bottom rope. CN gets in and works on Taichi's leg. CN ddt's Taichi's leg then Cobb does too.

Taichi side kicks Cobb then Sanada gets in. Sanada gets the edge on United Empire and paradise locks Khan. Sanada trips CN into Khan's butt. Sanada dropkicks Khan then slams Cobb. Yuya shoulders battle with Cobb. Cobb blocks his armdrag then Cobb crossbodies him. CN running boots Yuya then PK's him for 2.

Yuya backdrops CN then UE is knocked off the apron. CN takes corner attacks then a triple boot. Yuya and CN are left in the ring then CN rolls up Yuya for 2. CN face kicks him and takes an enzugiri. Yuya uranages him for 2 then top rope crossbodies him. Yuya hits a front suplex and wins it.

They didn't have enough time and had too many people to really do anything with the work on Taichi's leg. They worked it when he was in, they he got out and that was the end of it as other people were in. It was kind of a waste of time to do that kind of match here. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Yota Tsuji) vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Zack hammerlocks and cravates Yota then Zack escpares a wristlock. Yota armdrags him hten Zack is pinned down for 2. Their legs are tied up together and they headstand out of it. Yota gets out of a bow and arrow then boots him.

Mikey trips Yota then Zack twists Yota's neck with his feet. Mikey delay suplexes Yota then cranks his neck. Yota pushes Mikey's head down into the mat. Bushi avoids a 2v1 in the corner then hits a dropkick + bulldog combo. Bushi topes Zack into the rails then Zack cobra twists him in the ring.

Yota and Mikey get in and Mikey shoulders him over. Both then exit. Zack blocks Bushi's hurricanrana with an ankle lock then Zack does an indian deathlock with a crossface + armhold and wins it.

It was a quick sub-10 minute match. Zack and Yota had some promising sections here and it made me want to see how that one would work out.

House Of Torture (EVIL, Jack Perry, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) (w/Dick Togo) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo), Shota Umino, Togi Makabe & YOH

The heels beat up the faces before it starts. All buy 2 wrestlers fight outside. ELP atomic drops Ren into a russian legsweep. All of the faces hit corner punch flurries at once then throw the heels all into each other. Ren takes a triple basement dropkick.

Yoh boots Ren then Ren eye rakes him. Yoh is sent into the exposed buckle then into the rails. Kanemaru slams Yoh then cobra twists him. The heels hold onto Kanemaru for more pressure on the abdominal stretch with Sho even helping from the commentary booth.

Jack basement dropkicks Yoh in the back then Yoh flying forearms him. Shot gets in and hits armdrags and a dropkick. Shota hits a low shotgun dropkick on Kanemaru. Shota fisherman suplexes Jack for 2. Shota spinning forearms Jack then exploders him. Jack flying lariats him.

Evil and Hiku go at it then Hiku grabs his throat. Hiku full nelson slams him then Evil takes corner attacks. Togi lariats Evil then Togo trips Togi from the outside. Togo chokes Togi with a chain then the ref grabs the chain. Togi hits a double lariat on the heels and then Kanemaru spits whiskey at him. Evil hits everything is evil on Togi and wins it.

I liked the beginning here with the faces all teaming up against the heels. It wasn't the worst ever HoT match but as usual, nothing really must see.

Yoh takes Sho's Jr Heavyweight title after and runs away with it. Hiku takes a group beating then Hiku's buddies come and make the save. Hiku chokeslams Evil.

BULLET CLUB (Gabe Kidd, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)

Shingo and Kidd trade forearms. Kidd corner lariats him then slaps him. Shingo corner lariats him and they trade more forearms. Shingo shoulders him over then Kidd takes a double back elbow. Naito goes for combinacion cabron in the corner but Kidd stops it with a boot. Kidd then bites him.

Naito is worked on in the corner. Taiji fistdrops Naito then Naito is eye raked in the corner by Kenta. Kenta running knees Naito for 2. Naito tornado ddt's Kenta. Hiromu and Taiji get in. Hiromu hits forearms then flying headscissors him. Hiromu corner lariats him then basement dropkicks him.

Hiromu falcon arrows Taiji for 2. Kidd gets in and takes shots from Shingo. Taiji taks corner lariats then a triple basement dropkick for 2. Taiji eye rakes Hiromu then pops him up, hitting a low blow. Taiji wins it.

It was a pretty quick match. The little we saw of Kidd vs Shingo looked good and that's one to keep an eye on in the future.

Shingo throws a chair in the ring after then Kidd throws it back out at him.

New Japan Cup 2024 Second Round Match - Tanga Loa vs David Finlay

 

Loa jumps Finlay right out of the entrance way and throws him into the wall. They fight outside and DF is sent into the rails. DF is thrown into chairs and Loa stands on DF's gut. DF's head is banged off the apron. Loa rips off DF's shirt then chops him. Loa samoan drops DF then DF lariats him over the top, going with him.

DF slams him on the floor then spears him into the rails. DF then throws him into chairs. DF stomps Loa then DF suplexes him. DF butt drops Loa's back then DF does a cobra clutch variation. DF sleepers Loa then Loa backdrops him.

DF is pushed off the top to the floor then sends him into the rail. Loa backdrops DF on the apron. Loa top rope crossbodies DF for 2. Loa goes for the 619 but slips then hits it on the 2nd attempt. Loa goes for a slingshot swanton and DF gets his knees up. DF ddt's him. DF hits forearms on Loa then Loa forearms him back. DF uranage backbreakers Loa for 2.

DF hits corner lariats on Loa then short arm lariats him. Loa hits corner spears and corner lariats. loa swinging side slams him for 2. Loa avoids oblivion and powerbombs DF for 2. DF hits oblivion for 2. Loa fire thunders him then DF powerbombs him for 2. DF hits a knee to the gut from the suplex position and wins it.

We knew going into this it wouldn't be a classic. They tried some here but it went longer than it needed to and that hurt it. It wasn't as bad as some thought it would be, but there was nothing memorable about it. I don't really get why this was the semi-main here and I don't get why they booked this one. 

New Japan Cup 2024 Second Round Match - Hirooki Goto vs. Chase Owens

Chase goes out to stall to start. Chase's head is rammed into the buckles early then Goto corner stomps on him. Goto hiptosses and shoulders him over, then Chase goes back out. Chase shoulders Goto over then lariats him.

Chase double axe handles him off the apron then hits punches. Goto is sent into the rails. Inside, Goto is shouldered over. Chase throws Goto backwards onto the mat. Chase runs the ropes just to put a chinlock on.

Chase drops him with an uppercut in the corner then Chase hits a shot to the throat. Goto lariats Chase off the ropes then hits forearms. Goto corner spinning heel kicks him and backdrops him for 2. Goto forearms Chase over. Chase STO's him into a senton.

Chase lariats him then Goto lariats him. They collide with lariats and Goto goes down. Goto ushigoroshi's Chase and they trade forearms. Goto forearm flurries him. Goto sleepers him then PK's him. Goto does a fireman's carry slam with a slice then Chase rolls him up for 2.

Chase sends him out then dropkicks him through the ropes. Chase neckbreakers him on the floor then sends him into the rails. Chase is back body dropped on the exposed floor then Goto lariats the post when Chase moves. Chase running knees him in the ring and neckbreakers him for 2.

Chase bridging ddt's him for 2. Chase forearms him down and is driven into the buckles. Chase is pulled down off the 2nd rope. Goto puts him on the 2nd rope and elbow slices him down. Chase rakes the eyes and pulls him over. Chase enzugiri's him then hits a pumping knee. Chase pumping knees him again on the ropes then Goto headbutts him twice. Goto chest kicks him then hits Goto revolution for the win.

It was an okay 20+ minute match. Not great or anything and it could have been a little shorter and faster. But nobody got hurt and it made enough sense. I never want to see it again though and I think you could swap anyone for Chase here and you would probably get a similar or better match.

Overall thoughts: This was a super weak card on paper. The two NJC matches weren't as bad as they looked, but still weren't that great. The undercard were throwaway and unimportant tags for the most part. But we did see encouraging battles between Zack and Yota and Shingo and Kidd. I wouldn't recommend this.