New Japan Cup 2025

Let’s try this again.

After Friday’s New Japan Cup show was unable to proceed as scheduled due to a broken ring post, tonight’s show will now feature the tournament kickoff with four first round matches set.

Tag Matches

TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata defeatedHirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma & Toru Yano

***

Thumbs Up

Legends clashed in mighty fashion, with Nagata’s team hampered by Goto’s. Tanahashi’s heroics were thwarted by a wily combination of Kojima and Tenzan. Honma nearly ended the match with a Rocket Kokeshi to Nagata. With a Backdrop landing a resounding thud, Nagata earned the pinfall.

El Desperado, El Phantasmo & Jado defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb)

***

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Khan held the opposing team at bay, with special harmful treatment focused on Jado. Young and Cobb continued this, but when Khan returned to the ring, Jado earned a reprieve with a lariat. Phantasmo, dispatching each active United Empire member in the match, nearly ended the match with a middle-rope moonsault to no avail.

Desperado sought to counter the newly legal Young, only to be met with the American’s spry offense and additional reinforcement by Cobb. On the cusp of victory, Young nearly tapped Desperado out with a submission hold. Desperado evaded this, and Young succumbed to the Junior Heavyweight Champion’s Numero Dos.

— Clark Connors promo video threatened Desperado as he challenged him to a hardcore match with a venue and date yet to be announced.

United Empire (Callum Newman & Francesco Akira) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito)

***

Thumbs Up

Newman began the match in excellent form, leaving Naito prone, setting Akira up for a dropkick. Naito battled out, targeting the neck of Akira, who was still feeling the knee issues from the 53rd Anniversary Show. BUSHI struggled against the high-flying antics of Akira, but was saved by Naito. BUSHI attempted to wear down Akira, punctuating his sequence with a roll-up, but Akira reversed it into one of his own for the win.

New Japan Cup: First Round

Yuya Uemura defeated SANADA

***

Thumbs Up

SANADA initially maintained control, but Uemura reversed his mat-work with some of his own, twisting and spinning for extra torque. Through the crowd, SANADA slowly regained momentum, using the environment to his advantage. Back in the ring, however, Uemura’s comebacks flashed into fruition courtesy of an arm drag + chest chop combination.

This renewed vigor ran out of steam, capitalized by a dropkick to the outside barricades by an arrogant SANADA. A spirited Uemura staggered but endured SANADA’s Skull End. Attempting a top rope moonsault, SANADA suffered from Uemura’s knees at the last second. Hoping for a dive on a prone SANADA, Uemura’s aspirations were thwarted by his opponent snatching the ref as Taiji Ishimori toppled him off the top rope. Taichi chased Ishimori away. Springing himself off of the middle rope, Uemura hit a Superman Pin on SANADA, gaining the first win of the New Japan Cup’s first round.

Every so often, SANADA teases his babyface attitude of the past. These small flourishes add a nice layer of detail. Contrasted by the dynamic and exciting style of Uemura, they executed this perfectly. Where he goes from here after this victory, I’d like to see. Hoping for a final round.

EVIL defeated Yota Tsuji

**

Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Down

EVIL interrupted Tsuji’s entrance, smashing him against the barricades and tossing the referee across the ring. Dick Togo joined him in stomping Tsuji. He fired back, slamming both men and tossing himself on top of their stacked bodies. Tsuji dragged himself out of EVIL’s Texas Cloverleaf, extending it shortly after a rope break. Tsuji mounted a comeback, shifting the momentum with a sound headbutt.

Tsuji aimed for a Gene Blaster, but Dick Togo shoved referee Marty Asami into his path and threw powder into his face. EVIL gloated as Tsuji was left reeling. He finished the match with Everything is Evil as Tsuji helplessly lay beneath him.

Deflating. Not that this was an exciting match; it had no narrative other than EVIL doing his usual schtick. At least we got this out of the way.

Ryohei Oiwa defeated Chase Owens

***

Thumbs Up

Owens did not appreciate Oiwa’s playful nature in the opening lock-up, and attempted a low-blow during a second lock-up. Oiwa held onto Owens with a series of headlocks and wristlocks, but the BULLET CLUB member sent him to the outside where he had better luck. A Jewel Heist back in the ring kept the trajectory of the match in his favor. Evoking the style of TMDK teammate Zack Sabre Jr., Oiwa slammed Owens to the ring apron and stretched him on the ring post.

Owens angered Oiwa by an admittedly impressive projectile spit, causing him to momentarily lose focus. He could only capitalize on it for so long, as Oiwa met him with a nasty lariat. Oiwa narrowly escaped a package piledriver, positioned so threateningly. Transitioning into a wristlock, a determined Oiwa tapped Owens out for the win.

I need every subsequent Owens match in this tournament to be as brief as possible. Oiwa deserves better. Credit to him for making the most of this match.

Gabe Kidd defeated Ren Narita

***1/4

Thumbs Up

Narita attempted to ambush Kidd en route to the ring, but was unsuccessful. Kidd’s offense, unforgiving and blunt, left the House of Torture member stunned. Brawling into the first row seats, Narita gained the upper-hand with benefit of the environment. They even made it into the halls of Korakuen Hall. Kidd regained control, slamming Narita into the barricade. A child handed a grateful Kidd a can of alcohol.

Borrowing chairs from the east side’s ground floor crowd, Kidd nearly dropped Narita on its strewn contents had SHO not distracted him. Narita intercepted a sprinting Kidd, flipping him over onto the steel of them and followed with another flip onto the wreckage. Back in the ring, Narita wrapped Kidd’s neck with his legs, letting go a few seconds after the resulting rope break. Tossing Kidd into the English commentary area, precariously close to Chris Charlton.

The war returned to the ring, resurrecting Kidd who yanked control of the match. Subjecting Narita’s chest to the terrors of his chops, a spiteful Kidd bullied and flipped Narita onto the cerulean square. Capitalizing on this, he sought a moonsault but it bore no fruit, much to his frustration. Narita’s top rope Hell’s Guillotine all but ended Kidd. Believing Narita to be in sight, he threw a lariat but landed it on referee Red Shoes Umino, courtesy of Narita’s shenanigans. Narita took advantage of this distraction with his push-up bar. House of Torture flocked to the ring, bloodying and assaulting Kidd’s lifeless body. War Dogs came to Kidd’s aid dragging away Narita’s stablemates. Hoping for one more strike from his bar, Kidd met him instead with a slap so strong that it flattened Narita. Kneeing Narita in the face, Kidd then proceeded with two Piledrivers for the win.

Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up