New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/17/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/17/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 8

Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuya Murashima

Tana and Koji go at it. They trade wristlocks and Tana trips him into a side headlock. Tana side headlock takeovers him and they stand off. Koji shoulders him over. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Yuji and KM get in.

Yuji wristlocks KM. KM rolls out and is put in a guillotine. KM wristlocks him and Yuji ropebreaks. They trade forearms. KM corner forearms Yuji. They trade forearms. Yuji belly to belly suplexes him.

Yuji boots KM then kicks him in the back. KM takes a double shoulderblock. KM hits shots on Koji then is forearmed several times. Koji stands on KM's back. Yuji boots KM in the corner then stomps on him.

Yuji hits chest kicks on KM. KM dropkicks Yuji. Tana gets in and he dragon screws Yuji. Tana hits shots on Yuji then slams him. Tana 2nd rope swantons Yuji for 2. Yuji exploders Tana. Koji hits machine gun chops on Tana.

Koji corner forearms Tana. Koji 2nd rope elbow drops him. Koji ddt's Tana. Tana slingblades Koji. KM gets in and trades forearms with Koji. KM flying forearms him. KM corner dropkicks Koji then powerslams him for 2. KM crabs Koji.

KM slaps Koji then Koji hits a big lariat on him. Koji then pins him.

Thoughts: It was an okay opener here. KM did good showing some fire and getting his usual whooping. Yuji and Tana looked like they really felt some of the bumps here.

Daiki Nagai, El Phantasmo, Jado, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young, Jeff Cobb & TJP)

Everyone fights to start. Khan is pushed into Jake and shoulders him over. Oleg powerslams Khan. Khan hits a mongolian chop on Jado then bangs his head off the buckles. Khan mongolian chops Jado more. Khan sits on Jado's neck on the top buckle.

Jake hits some shots on Jado then basement dropkicks him in the back of the head. Cobb surfs on Jado's back. Cobb standing moonsaults Jado for 2. TJP corner facewash kicks Jado.

CN footslaps Jado. Jado powers through his forearms. Jado then shoulders him over. Oleg gets in and shoulders over CN. Jake goes for a top rope crossbody but is caught, thrown around and takes a suplex. Oleg double dropkicks Khan and Cobb. Oleg slams CN then splashes him for 2.

CN facekicks Oleg, legsweeps him then double stomps his back. CN superkicks Oleg in the face. ELP and TJP get in and trade shots. ELP rolls up TJP for 2. ELP flying dropkicks TJP. Multiple people get in to hit a move. Oleg takes kicks thne a flying shoulder from Cobb. CN slingshot plancha's Oleg outside.

TJP spin kicks ELP. TJP slaps and spin kicks Nagai. Nagai hits a nice dropkick on him for 2. Nagai crabs TJP and gets a 2 count on him. TJP does an octopus on Nagai and submits him.

Thoughts: It was short and there was more people than there was time. There wasn't anything too special about this and they wasted a bunch of time on Jado getting beaten up which wasn't that interesting. 

ELP shows his belt to TJP after and draws a line with it in the ring. 

Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Everyone squares off before the match. Oiwa and Ishii almost get into it.

Yoshi and Oiwa go at it. Oiwa wristlocks him. Yoshi hits chops then is shouldered over. Oiwa and Ishii trade forearms. Oiwa forearms him down then gutwrench suplexes him. Yoshi nekcbeakers him then Hart hits a double shoulderblock on Honma and Oiwa.

Oiwa elbow drops Yoshi. Zack works on Oiwa's arm then stomps it. Oiwa legdrops Yoshi's arm and ties it up with his legs. Hart then legdrps the arm and Zack stomps the arm. Yoshi chops Zack and take a euro to the arm. Yoshi suplexes Zack.

Yoshi superkicks Hart then headhunters Oiwa. Ishii and Zack go at it. They avoid moves and Ishii backdrops him. Zack rolls up Ishii for 2 then backslides him for 2. Zack pele kicks the arm and kicks Ishii in the ribs. Ishii germans Zack.

Oiwa and Honma trade forearms then spinning forearms. Honma bulldogs Oiwa then misses a headbutt drop on him. Oiwa sleepers Honma. Honma jumping headbutts Oiwa and the pin is broken up by Zack.

Everyone starts getting a move in. Yoshi lariats Oiwa then helps Honma falling headbutt Oiwa for 2. Oiwa lariats Honma for 2. Oiwa spinning lariats Honma and pins him.

Thoughts: It was average and not much of note. Oiwa was in this one for the majority of it and we didn't see much of Hart. I feel like Ishii/Zack is a semi fresh match we haven't seen in a while and I'm interested in it.

Zack and Ishii trade shots outside then Ishii shoulders him over.

Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney & SANADA)

The heels attack before the bell and the faces are thrown out. Sanada bangs Yuya's head off a chair outside. The heels beat up the faces outside and DF gets a 2 count on Tai inside. DF stomps Tai's chest.

Drill and Tai trade chops for forearms. Drilla dropkivcks Tai. Tai is sent out and Gedo face rakes Tai outside. Tai hits chops on DF. DF running low euros him for 2. Tai hits a big lariat on DF. Yuya gets in. He hits armdrags on Drilla and Sanada. He then chops DF over. Yuya dropkicks Sanada.

Yuya backdrops Sanada for 2. Sanada kicks the rope into Yuya's crotch. Sanada does skull end on Yuya but Yuya armdrags him out of it. Yuya hurricanrana's Sanada. Taka gets in and step up knees Sanada in the corner. Sanada backrolls Taka but Taka rolls him up for 2. Taka knees Sanada in the face for 2.

Taka is pushed into the ref then takes a low blow. Sanada puts skull end on Taka and submits him.

Thoughts: It was just average. Yuya didn't really hit his stuff clean here and Taka took the loss as he usually does.

Yuya and Sanada fight after and Yuya gets low blowed.  

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Gabe Kidd) vs. House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

YK = Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Gabe facekicks Ren off the apron before the bell and sends him into the rails. Gabe gets sent into the rails.  Chase hits shots on YK in the ring and forearms him over. Chase is kicked while running the ropes by Sho then pulled out and sent into the rails.

Sho bangs Chase's face off a seat. Ren chokes Gabe with a chair. Sho foot chokes Chase. Chase's legs are split. YK boots Chase in the corner. Chase makes Sho powerbomb YK. Chase then underhook suplexes Sho.

Gabe and Ren go at it. Gabe corner lariats him then bangs his head off the buckles. Gabe hits a hard lariat.  Gabe hits forearms on Ren. Ren flying facekicks Gabe then he eye rakes him. Gabe release backdrops Ren. 

Gabe hits headbutts on Ren then suplexes him. Gabe hits a 2nd rope moonsault onto his opponents outside. Gabe sends Ren into the rails. Gabe is then sent into the post. Ren stops Gabe from getting back in and we go to a double countout.

Thoughts: It was just another average match with the heels fighting with each other and generally disregarding the rules. The double countout finish wasn't ideal, but whatever.

Gabe and Ren fight after and Ren gets away through the back.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi)

HoT attcks before the bell. Evil eye rakes Yota outside.  Togo misses a corner charge on Bushi then Bushi hits a bulldog + dropkick combo on him and Yujiro. Yujiro is stomped on by Bushi and Naito. Natio neckbreakers Yujiro then cravates him. Evil trips Naito from the outside. Evil then sends Naito into the rail, knocking the timekeeper over.

Yujiro hits legdrops on Naito. Evil boots Naito's gut in the corner then stomps on the knee. Evil pulls the knee. Evil ankle locks Naito and Naito ropebreaks. Naito gets his legs split. Togo hits punches on Naito. Togo eye rakes Naito. Naito armdrags him and dropkicks him in the knee.

Yota gets in and shoulders over Togo. Togo eye rakes Yota. Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Yota splashes, slams and splashes Togo for 2. Togo punches Yota in the head. Yota takes a double shoulderblock for 2. Yota forearms Evil.

Yota then hits his curbstomp combo. Bushi comes in and dropkicks Evil and Yujiro in the knee. Bushi topes Evil.  Bushi dropkicks Evil in the leg then Evil superkicks Bushi in the gut. Bushi takes corner attacks. Togo 2nd rope chops Bushi in the crotch.

Yujiro headbutts Yota in the crotch. The ref is thrown into Bushi then Bushi is lwo blowed. Bushi takes a magic killer and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was the usual HoT match with them grabbing the ref and cheating in various ways before getting the win. This was a slower match and wasn't real interesting.

Evil tries to attack Yota after but is low blowed, as is Yujiro.

New Japan Cup 2025 Semi Final Match - Shingo Takagi vs. Shota Umino

Shingo wristlocks him then side headlock takeovers him. Shota headscissors him. Shingo side headlocks him then Shota puts it on him. They shoulder battle. Shota drops him throat first on the top rope and shoulders him over.

Shota bangs Shingo's knee off the mat then wraps it around the ropes. Shota pulls on Shingo's leg. Shingo hits a punch then a ddt. Shota is lariated over the top. Shota's back is driven into the apron edge then Shota is sent into the rails. Shingo stands on Shota's gut. Shingo shoulders him over.

Shingo suplexes him for 2. Shingo facelocks him then sentons him. Shota hits forearms. Shingo tries to walk the ropes but Shota stops him. Shota back body drops him. Shota then neckbreakers him. Shota suplexes him for 2.

Shota kneebreakers Shingo on his own knee then stf's him. Shota hits knees to Shingo's chest then clubs him. Shingo hits a twist and shout. Shota hits forearms, is thrown backwards then hits more forearms. Shingo lariats him.  

Shingo hits short arm lariats then slams him. Shingo hits a top rope elbow drop then does a praying powerbomb for 2. Shingo then STF's Shota. Shota is sat up top and Shingo superplexes him.

Shota hits euros then half nelson suplexes him.Shingo no sells it and half-nelson suplexes him. Shota germans him then Shingo hits a lariat. They collide with lariats in the middle of the ring. Shingo lariats him from behind then Shota tornado ddt's him. Shingo no sells it then is lariated.

Shota powerbombs him. Shota shotgun dropkicks him then is lariated over. Shingo hits a made in Japan for 2. Shingo then hits like a ganso bomb for 2. Shingo sliding forearms him. Shingo lariats him for 2. 

Shota lariats him and hits an enzugiri. Shota spinning forearms him and takes a punch. Shota hits a dropkick. Shingo hits a landslide. They collide with lariats and Shingo goes odwn. They get back up and Shota hits another lariat for 2. Shota flying knees Shingo then hits a fisherman's suplex for the win.

Thoughts: It was a good match. There were lots of hard shots here and Shota took two hard bumps on his neck. It wasn't great as the crowd just wasn't that loud but they tried and I was happy with what we got.

Overall thoughts: I liked the main but there wasn't much else to this one. It was a night of average matches that didn't really stand out except for the main. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it.