New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/7/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 2

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/7/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 2

I skipped 2 matches here:

BULLET CLUB (Gabe Kidd, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb)

Gabe and Newman go at it. Gabe slaps him then pump kicks him. Newman runs the ropes fast and face kicks him. Gabe slams Newman then Kenta kicks Newman. Newman basement dropkicks Kenta. Kenta throws Akira off the buckles then Gabe throws Newman into the rails.

Taiji goes to work on Akira and fist drops him. Akira flying headscissors him. Cobb gets in and Taiji sleepers him, getting on his back. Cobb throws him over then Cobb takes corner attacks. Newman standing spanish flies Kidd and everyone starts going in and out.

Cobb misses a standing moonsault on Taiji then Taiji basement dropkicks him. Taiji handsprings and is caught with a tour of the islands backdrop. Cobb then tour of the islands slams him and wins it.

It was a short waste of time. They kept it moving and it was entertaining, but this was not going to be more than it was due to having 6 people and under 10 minutes to work with.

El Desperado, Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma & YOH vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, Jack Perry, Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

 

Sho comes out on cruches, with a sling and neck brace. He said Naito broke the rules in their match and Sho won't be wrestling tonight due to the injuries.

Shota runs in, goes after the heels and is group stomped for it. Shota's partners eventually come to help with Yoh wearing a backpack. Everyone fights outside then Kanemaru eye rakes Yoh. Yoh trips Kanemaru and baseball slides him. Kanemaru dropkicks Yoh in the knee and takes off the backpack. Kanemaru gives Sho the backpack and Sho walks right off with it. They say the Jr. Heavyweight Title is in it. 

Kanemaru and Despy fight. Despy is thrown into the exposed buckle. Despy is suplexed on the floor outside then slammed on it. Evil chokes Despy with a towel then Jack gets in. Jack suplexes Despy for 2 then Despy blue thunders him.

Shota gets in and beats HoT, hitting a dropkick on Evil. Shota basement dropkicks Ren. Sho fisherman suplexes him. Jack forearms and superkickers Shota then Shota enzugiri's him. Jack dropkicks him. Shota exploders Ren. Ren takes a triple team, with a spinebuster and a headbutt drop. Honma battering rams Naito.

Togo trips Honma from the outside thne Ren hits Honma with a belt and facebusters him. Ren then gets the win.

It was the usual HoT stuff with them cheating and picking up the win. Shota looked good here but it wasn't anything of note.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

 

Taichi and Naito lock up. Taichi clean breaks him. Naito back elbows him then Taichi face kicks him. Naito rolls out and does his tranquillo pose. Douki takes down Hiromu then armdrags him. Douki flying headbutts him and Hiromu blocks his slingshot ddt. Hiromu low dropkicks him.

Douki takes a double shoulder then Shingo drops elbows on him. Douki cartwheel reverse topes Shingo then Sanada hits dropkicks on 3 opponents. Sanada puts Bushi in a paradise lock then trips Hiromu into Bushi's butt. Sanada hits a nice dropkick on Shingo. Yuya gets in and chops Shingo.

Yuya single arm ddt's Shingo and snaps his arm. Shingo back elbows him then ddt's him. Yuya hurricanrana's and dropkicks Shingo then Shingo shoulders him over. Taka and Bushi fight. Taka pump kicks him and escapes a hurricanrana for just facelock. Taka enzugiri's him.

Yota misses a corner splash on Taka then takes knees. Taka takes a 3 person basement dropkick then Yota pumping knees Taka for 2. Yota spears Taka and wins it.

It was an okay throwaway tag and pretty similar to what we always see here. They kept this one fast paced and everyone got a little in before it ended.

New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match - Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chase Owens

Ishii hits Chase while he's doing his pose and sends him into the rails. Chase throws Kato in Ishii's way outside then pushes him into him. Ishii has another wrestler thrown at him as he tries to beat the count in. Chase sends Ishii into the rails.

Ishii is sent into the buckles. He hits chops and is eye raked. Chase chokes him with a shirt. Chase neckbreakers him and hits foots to the face. Ishii hits a hard shoulder out of the corner. Ishii backdrops him then suplexes him. Chase neckbreakers him for 2.

Chase hits a facekick and takes a lariat on the ropes. Chase germans him and Ishii germans him back. Ishii hits a big lariat. Chase hits forearms then takes one. Ishii 2nd rope suerplexes him. Ishii hits a stiff running powerbomb for 2. Chase pepsi twist lariats him for 2. Chase pumping knees him then Ishii headbutts him then Chase pumping knees him. Chase does a styles clash on Ishii for 2. Chase lariats and half-nelson suplexes him. Chase hits a pumping knee on the ropes then Ishii enzugiri's him.

Isii sliding lariats him, is crucifixed then battering rams him for 2. Ishii lariats him then Chase pop-up knees him. Chase package piledrivers him for the win.

Chase put some effort in here and they made it a watchable match. I don't think Chase should be beating or going even with Ishii though since he's been treated as a jobber and one of the weakest members of the roster for a long time. Chase winning also sucks because it means we don't get any more Ishii singles matches, and Ishii makes every match better.

New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match - Tanga Loa vs. Great-O-Khan

Loa hits corner spears then Khan takes him down. Khan goes for an armbar and headlocks him. Loa hits a lariat and a slam. Khan picks him up and throws him over the top. Khan sends him over the rails then slams the rail door into him. Khan sits on his head on the ropes then throws him.

Loa hits shots on Khan then corner lariats him. Loa top rope dropkicks him then Khan hip throws him. Khan monkey flips him then shoulder throws him. They trade forearms and Loa enzugiri's him. Loa powerslams him then misses a top rope headbutt. Khan suplexes him then does a head and arm lock. Loa ropebreaks.

Kha cobra clutch suplexes him then Loa hits a big lariat. Loa fire thunders him then Khan TTD's him. Khan sheep killers him and Loa armdrags him off the claw slam attempt. Loa spears him then hits a v-trigger to win it.

Look, it's Tanga Loa. You are only getting so far with his matches. He tried and they put in some effort, but I thought they did a move or two more than they should have and a few minutes could have been cut off. I would have also liked to have seen the TTD or fire thunder sold better.

New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match - TJP vs. David Finlay

 

TJP dropkicks him through the ropes as he enters then frogsplashes him. TJP dropkicks him off the ropes on the outside and sends him into the post. TJP facewash kicks DF then gets tripped on the top rope. DF throws TJP into the post.

DF sentons him then hits mounted punches. DF throws him on a suplex then throws him hard into the buckles. DF pounds on him hard outside and says this is too easy for him. TJP takes him down and cranks on his arm. TJP crossbodies him over the top rope.

DF and TJP trade and DF's arm is brought down over the top rope. TJP then dives on him while he's on the top rope and top rope flying forearms him. TJP facewash kicks him in tree of woe then baseball slides him. TJP then double stomps him while he's in tree of woe. DF uranage backbreakers him.

DF running dominators him for 2 then does a spinning and swinging side slam for 2. TJP puts him in an octopus. TJP superkicks him then spin kicks him. DF spinning forearms him then TJP spinning lariats him. DF hits oblivion for 2. DF blue thunders him then TJP hits a ddt. Gedo gets on the apron and TJP red mists DF when he goes for the shilelagh.

TJP frogsplashes DF for 2 then does a regal stretch variation. DF blocks a tornado ddt, suplexing him into the buckles. DF powerbombs him for 2. DF hits a knee to the chest out of the suplex and wins it.

The finish didn't look that great here. It started off well with them going a it hard but it went on a little too long and they did too much. I'd still give it a thumbs up and I liked it more than I thought I would due to the aggression and hatred. 

DF gets on the mic after. He said he promised to leave bodies in the ring. He said he will win the NJ Cup this year. He said he will smash Naito then come for Nic Nemeth after. Gedo says he needs a rebel, NJPW needs a rebel and the world needs a rebel.

Overall thoughts: It didn't look like a great card, but they tried in the NJ Cup matches and they were fine. It was the cheese sandwich of wrestling shows. Not real exciting, but it works. I wouldn't recommend it, but it was better than I had expected.