New Japan Cup 2018
Event Date: March 12, 2018 (19:00 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan
Venue: Takamatsu City Gymnasium
Attendance: 1,365
Series: New Japan Cup 2018
Commentary (Japanese): Milano Collection AT, Haruo Murata, Hirooki Goto (matches 6-8)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki, Makoto Abe
Click here for the WHS mini wrap-up episode for this show!
Video
The same package video from the previous nights of the New Japan Cup is shown. It highlights the history of the New Japan Cup as well as this year’s participants.
Match 1
Ren Narita & Ryusuke Taguchi vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champs)
(referee: Kenta Sato; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: El Desperado forces Ren Narita to submit to Numero Dos (stretch muffler)
Time: 8:49
Match Thoughts
A good opener. Narita looked good, and Taguchi looked like he cared for his young lion partner more this time than he did last time he teamed with one. This was a fairly standard young lion match format though. Narita started and ended the match, and Taguchi had a burst of offense somewhere in the middle.
Match 2
Yujiro Takahashi & Tanga Loa (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) & Bad Luck Fale (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) vs Tetsuhiro Yagi & Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata
(referee: Kenta Sato; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: Yujiro Takahashi pins Shota Umino after Pimp Juice (kneeling DDT)
Time: 7:54
Match Thoughts
I liked this match. Bullet Club worked well as a unit (as they should), and the young lions each got some nice moments in a struggle for momentum. Nagata had a burst of offense in the middle of the match, but he deferred to the young lions since both Yagi and Umino wanted to prove something.
Match 3
Tomoyuki Oka & Michael Elgin vs YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto (NEVER Openweight Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: YOSHI-HASHI forces Tomoyuki Oka to submit to a butterfly lock
Time: 9:38
Match Thoughts
Good match. Oka took a beating from both Goto and YOSHI-HASHI early in the match. Elgin helped swing the momentum in his team’s favor, and Oka was able to get a measure of revenge with a hard strike on Goto and a few big moves on YOSHI-HASHI. Ultimately it wasn’t enough, but this was a good match for Oka.
Match 4
TAKA Michinoku & Zack Sabre Jr. vs BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki)
Result: BUSHI pins TAKA Michinoku after MX (diving double knee facebreaker)
Time: 8:49
Match Thoughts
Good match. Naito seemed more in his element in this match than he did last night. His actions worked against Sabre tonight, and except for one sequence where Sabre started getting a few holds, Naito was able to keep the pace up which helped him a lot. Naito and BUSHI might have worked slightly better as a team once they got on a roll, and that led to a nice, though not entirely unexpected finish.
Match 5
Toa Henare & David Finlay & Juice Robinson & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Taichi & Takashi Iizuka & Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki (IWGP IC Champ) w/ El Desperado (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Lance Archer pins Toa Henare after Blackout (inverted crucifix powerbomb)
Time: 11:41
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. It started with the required Suzuki Gun brawl in and around the ring. The brawl even continued happening on the outside when the legal men made it back into the ring. The main focus of the first two-thirds of the match was definitely Minoru Suzuki fighting Hiroshi Tanahashi, whether they were in the ring or not. Tanahashi got some offense, but he mostly got beat up. Towards the end of the match, Lance Archer was the legal man versus Toa Henare. It was pretty clear how that was going to end. So, not a surprising match, but it was fun enough, and it was another tease for Suzuki versus Tanahashi.
Match 6
Chase Owens & Kota Ibushi vs Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champ) w/ Gedo
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Kazuchika Okada forces Chase Owens to submit to a Cobra Clutch
Time: 9:46
Match Thoughts
Good match. I liked how both teams worked well enough as teammates. There was some decent teamwork, and both teams had saves made by the partner outside the ring. Okada started and ended the match, so it wasn’t a huge surprise who won, but I did enjoy the action. Okada and Ibushi started the match with a nice, quick sequence that ended with Ibushi ducking out of the way of Okada’s Rainmaker. That set a good tone for the match.
Match 7
New Japan Cup 2018 First Round Match
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Toru Yano
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: Toru Yano wins via count out
Time: 12:52
Match Thoughts
This was a pretty fun match. It was a Toru Yano match, so it wasn’t extremely exciting or athletic, but there were some amusing moments. Davey Boy Smith Jr. seemed to appreciate and get into the comedy aspect of of the match which helped a lot. Smith tried to use his power on Yano, but Yano tried everything he could think of that didn’t involve actual wrestling. It was fun, but it wasn’t even close to being my favorite match of the tournament so far.
Match 8
New Japan Cup 2018 First Round Match
SANADA (IWGP Tag Champ) vs Chuckie T
(referee: Red Shoes Unno; ring announcer: Makoto Abe)
Result: SANADA wins via pinfall after a diving moonsault
Time: 21:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. I don’t think tonight’s main event was quite as entertaining as last night’s but it was a very good final match for tonight’s show. There were some ringside shenanigans involving chairs and a table towards the middle of the match, and this bout was bookended by some nice exchanges in the middle of the ring. The final sequences featured some nice counters by both men and at least a few good near falls. I liked the finish itself. It was was an interesting way for the winner to get the victory. It was something that he doesn’t normally do, and I liked the spontaneity of it.
Show Impressions
Overall this was a good show. The tag matches were kind of up and down as far as my enjoyment of them, and the first of tonight’s tournament matches wasn’t as good as some of the previous tournament matches, but I liked the main event. I think this was a pretty good way to end the first round of the New Japan Cup.
Match of the Night
SANADA vs Chuckie T
SANADA and Chuckie T managed to bring something a little different to these tournament matches, and I appreciate that. Good match.