New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/20/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 9

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/20/2025 New Japan Cup 2025 Day 9

ELP gets on the mic before his match and asks if they are ready for NJPW. He asks who will step up to him.

NJPW World Television Title Match - El Phantasmo (c) vs. TJP

They shake hands. ElP gets out of a wristlock and armdrags him. They trade wristlocks. TJP cartwheels out and hits a spinning headstand headscissors. TJP handstands during a headscissors but ELP blocks it.

TJP flying snapmares him then hurricanrana's him. ELP flying headscissors him then plancha's him outside. TJP bridging ddt's ELP. TJP indian deathlocks him. TJP fliyng back elbows him then does facewash kicks. ELP avoids it, TJP goes out and ELP top rope moonsaults TJP outside.

ELP hits a top rope splash into an asai moonsault for 2.  TJP does an octopus and they superkick each other. ELP hits a UFO neckbreaker for 2. ELP misses a top rope splash and is flying knee'd from behind. TJP tornado ddt's him then springboard diving ddt's him for 2. TJP does a regal stretch on ELP.  ELP starts selling the shoulder hard. TJP hits a spin kick and a spinning heel kick. ELP sunset flips him for 2. They trade pin attempts and ELP wins.

Thoughts: It was the usual ELP match. I'm not sure what the shoulder stuff was about but it didn't really factor into the finish. They kept it moving and did their usual junior stuff in this one.

They shake hands after and Khan jumps Jado and ELP after. Khan TTD's him and tell him he did a good job in working his neck. Khan then challenges him and hits another TTD.

Satoshi Kojima vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tana side headlock takeovers him and Koji headscissors him. They get back up. Koji shoulders him over. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Tana hits dropkicks to the knee. Koji hits machine gun chops.

Koji hits a corner forearm then a 2nd rope elbow drop for 2. Koji ddt's him. Tana hits a dragon screw. Koji hits a cutter on him. Tana slingblades him then Koji brainbusters him.

Tana and Koji trade forearms. Koji running lariats Tana.  Tana lariats him. Tana hits a to prope crossbody. Tana then wins with a high fly flow off the top.

Thoughts: It was a decent and inspired match here. Tana did some stuff he doesn't usually do and they had an abbreviated version of a match they would have had 10 years ago. 

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & SANADA) vs. Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya's team is beaten up before the bell. Yuya is sent into the rails then his head is banged off a chair. Tai is stood on. Fale stands on Tai's back for 2. Chase punches Tai and forearms him in the back. Chase then backbreakers him for 2.

Sanada hits punches on Tai. Sanada dropkicks him in the knee. Tai running lariats him. Tai throws Chase and then throws Fale. Yuya hits chops on Sanada then armdrags and chops him. Yuya then does it to Chase.

Yuya backdrops Sanada. Sanada armdrags Yuya then plancha's him out. Sanada flips into a skull end on Yuya but Yuya armdrags him. Yuya enzugiri's him and dropkicks him.

Taka eye pokes Chase then running knees him for 2. Taka facelocks Chase and Fale breaks it up. Taka pump kicks Chase then Chase foots him for 2. Chase knees Taka in the head then hits a package piledriver for the win.

Thoughts: It was short and basically a waste of time. There was little of interest here and no one got much time in this.

Taka is beaten up after. Yuya tries to save him but gets low blowed.  Fale elbow drops Yuya. Sanada goes to it Yuya with a guitar by the NJPW main unit saves Yuya. Tana offers to shake Yuya's hand after and he does.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb)

HT = Hiromu Takahashi, CN = Callum Newman

Naito and Cobb are about to go at it. Bushi and Naito hit Cobb from behind and Cobb isn't hurt. Cobb and CN take double lariats and Jake is headscissored by Bushi. Cobb is stomped on by his opponents. Cobb throws Naito down. HT is then thrown into the rails. Cobb flying corner spears Naito. Cobb then hits his own combinacion cabron variation.

Cobb standing moonsaults Naito. Jake trips Naito then works his leg. Jake does an indian deathlock variation. CN knees Naito in the gut. CN runs the ropes and is dropkicked in the knee. HT flying headscissors CN. HT throws Jake onto Cobb then crossbodies both.

HT corner lariats CN then basement dropkicks him. CN gets superkicked by HT then hits a gamengiri. Jake hits forearms on HT then HT chops him. Jake 2nd rope dropkicks HT. Cobb corner euros HT. Cobb spin cycle backdrops HT.

Naito step up enzugiri's Jake. CN takes a double team shot. Bushi topes Cobb into the rail. CN's knees are banged off the mat. HT dragon screws Jake. HT does a figure four variation on Jake and submits him.

Thoughts: It was another average match here that was mostly just a way to get people on the card and maybe build up some future matches. It didn't get a lot of time and no one did anything too wild here.

Naito gets on the mic after. Naito says Cobb and Newman want a shot at the tag titles to Hiromu. They seem to agree to it.

House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori)

TI = Taiji Ishimori

They all brawl outside to start. Gabe is hit with a chair and sent into the seats. TI chokes Sho with something. The match then officially begins.

TI chokes Sho with his foot. TI hammerlocks him. They pull each others hair and TI is sent into the exposed buckle. TI gets his legs split then gets leglocks put on him. Ren stomps on TI. TI's head is banged off the exposed buckle.

Yujiro bites YI's fingers then they eye rake each other. TI takes a stun gun. TI then hits a handspring corkscrew kick. Gabe gets in and gets offense on Ren. Gabe pounds on Ren. Gabe drops Ren chest first then running lariats him.

Gabe slams Ren. Ren rubs Gabe's face on the top rope and is stomped on. Gabe fights off a 2v1 and slams Sho. Drilla gets in. He hits forearms and chops on Sho. Drilla blocks Sho's spear. Sho then spears him.

Drilla takes corner attacks then Yujiro headbutt drops Drilla in the nuts. TI hits a top rope la silla on Yujiro then Gabe rebound lariats Sho. TI drops Sho onto his own knees then Drilla hits an over the shoulder piledriver on Sho to win.

Thoughts: I never like the logic of "you can beat up people before the match starts" especially since weapons were involved. We got some cheating here but it wasn't over the top and it was an average match.

Drilla gets on the mic after. He laughs at the idea of them being kicked out of Bullet Club. Drilla says you can't kick them out of Bullet Club because they are Bullet Club. Drilla challenges them to a trios title match at Sakura Genesis.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (EVIL & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

LIJ get hit before the bell. Yota is sent into the rail and knocks the timekeeper over. Evil sharpshooters Yota outside. YK dropkicks Yota in the knee then bangs his knee off the mat. YK yanks on Yota's leg.

Evil throws Yota out. Togo chairs Yota in the knee outside. Evil single leg crabs Yota. YK kneebreakers Yota then Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Shingo hits forearms on Evil then shoulders him over. Shingo slams and sentons Evil.

Shingo corner lariats Evil then suplexes him. Shingo dragon screws Evil. Yota corner splashes Evil then Evil suplexes him. Yota's knees are banged off the mat then YK boots Yota in the knee. Yota forearms him then takes a dropkick to the knee. Yota gets his crotch chopped by Togo for 2.

Yota does a curbstomp combo on YK. Shingo lariats Evil. YK rolls up Yota and cradles him for 2. Yota pumping knees him. Togo chokes Yota. YK tries to spit whiskey at Yota but gets speared. Yota then pins him.

Thoughts: I suppose it was okay with the heels working over Yota's knee then Yota kind of getting a surprise spear in to win. But it was the usual HoT match and nothing must see.

Evil tries to hit Yota with a belt after and gets stopped. Yota holds up the title at him then is choked from behind by Togo. Yota then is hit with a title belt from Evil. Evil holds the title up after.

El Desperado, Hirooki Goto & Oleg Boltin vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Oleg throws Oiwa around and headscissors him. They then stand off. Oiwa grabs the arm and they shoulder battle. Oiwa shoulders him over. Oiwa takes a double shoulder. Oleg and Goto club on Zack's back. Despy takes a double shoulder then is armlocked.

Oiwa armdrags Despy and armlocks him. Hart chops Despy for 2. Despy takes corner attacks. Despy rolls up Zack for 2 then switches to a stretch muffler. Zack does an octopus variation out of it. Despy spinebusters Zack. Oleg throws Zack and Zack goes for a guillotine. Oleg rams Zack into the buckles. Zack hits euros on Oleg then is chopped over. Oleg karelin's lifts Zack for 2.

Oleg slams Zack and Zack gets his knees up on Oleg's splash. Zack rolls Oleg into a triangle. Oleg powerbombs him out of it. Hart comes in and shoulders over Goto. He then low crossbodies him. Goto then takes a dropkick and a senton for 2.

Hart hits a double lariat then trades with Goto. Goto lariats Hart. Zack gets in and Goto ushigoroshi's him. Goto GTR's hard and wins.

Overall thoughts: It was another midcard style match. What we got was fine but it didn't get a chance to become anything great.

New Japan Cup 2025 Final Match - David Finlay vs. Shota Umino

They lock up. Shota clean breaks him. DF shoulders him over. Shota shoulders over DF and dropkicks him in the knee. DF stunguns Shota then russian legsweeps him. DF pounds on Shota. DF sends Shota into the buckles.

Shota hits forearms and takes a double throat thrust. DF stomps on Shota in the corner. DF pops-up Shota into the buckles then backbreakers him. DF chinlocks Shota. Shota hits elbows and chops.

Shota dropkicks DF in the knee then neckbreakers him. Shota hits euros then fisherman suplexes him. Shota leg locks him then stf's him. Shota tries pins on DF and DF uranage backbreakers him. DF lariats him over the top and goes with him. DF running shoulders Shota into the rails. DF rams Shota into the post. DF then uranages Shota through a table.

DF then powerbombs Shota into the post. DF hits euros inside then throws him on a suplex. DF powerbomb lifts him into a slam but they say Shota ddt's DF. DF meteora's him from behind in the corner. Shota hits a top rope superplex on DF for 2.

Shota dropkicks DF then enzugiri's him. DF hits lariats on Shota then Shota half-nelson suplexes him three times for 2. DF spears Shota. DF buckle bombs Shota. Shota dropkicks him and hits 2 powerbombs for 2.

Shota hits a lariat on DF for 2. DF hits a dominator. Shota hits a cutter on him. DF hits forearms on Shota. Shota headbutts him. DF goes for a spear but takes a pmping knee. Shota running lariats DF for 2. DF hits oblivion for 2. Shota hurricanrana's DF off a powerbomb attempt. DF then hits 2 powerbombs on him for 2.

Shota cradles DF then DF hits overkill and wins.

Thoughts: It was okay but not great. These two were only going to produce up to a certain level. What we got was better than expected but it went a little longer than it needed to and was in no way great. I'm not a fan of DF using all these big power moves and I'll never really understand why NJPW loves this guy so much. It almost makes Shota further look bad here as he shaved his head, has been getting booed and still lost in the end.

DF takes the trophy from the guy giving it to him and DF tells Shota that if he wants to get ahead, he's gotta do things his way.  DF says he's the NJPW Cup champ and asks Goto to get in. DF calls the Goto Revolution BS and says you can't have a revolution without a rebel. DF says the revolution is his. Goto tells him he can't stop the revolution and says he will prove it at Sakura Genesis. They then stare down.

DF talks more and says Goto's cinderella run is over. He says he is taking his title as hate always finds a way. Gedo then talks on the mic.

Overall thoughts: The main was okay enough but not great. I liked Tana and Kojima and wished we could have gotten more out of that. The midcard matches were all just average with them not getting a ton of time and having too many people in them. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 as it wasn't NJPW's effort and they probably actually tried to have a less than optimal card with how little time they gave the matches.