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Cero Reviews NJPW New Japan Cup 2020, Day 5

Posted: Jun 24th, '20, 16:43
by cero2k
NJPW New Japan Cup 2020, Day 5
June 24, 2020
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

New Japan Cup Second Round Match
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs "Bone Soldier" Taiji Ishimori - 6.5/10
This was a bit of a sleeper, I was expecting something worse. I think this was the type of match that could have been improved by the heat of a live crowd.

There wasn't much to it, Kanemaru jumped Ishimori in the ramp, worked on his leg for a while, Ishimori made a comeback, fought off Kanemaru's dirty tactics, and at the end, won with the Bloody Cross. Simple straight forward match.

New Japan Cup Second Round Match
Togi Makabe vs Tomohiro Ishii - 8/10
A Pitbull and a Gorilla walk into a bar, they proceed to beat the shit out of each other. This was two of the best brawlers in the promotion going at each other, so as expected, a lot of striking battles, a lot of Shoulder Tackles and Clotheslines. There was one of those spots that bent reality and you don't know what's going on anymore, Ishii hit a German where Makabe went neck first into the turnbuckle pad, but Makabe stayed down for a long time clutching his neck, Ishii would try to lift him, and Makabe would say down.

Makabe eventually came back and they continued trying to decapitate each other with Lariats. Makabe came close to winning with the King Kong Knee Drop, but Ishii moved away, from there on, Ishii beat the shit out of Makabe until he hit the Brainbuster and Makabe couldn't do it anymore. Youth prevails! Great short brawl, hard to believe that Makabe is 47 and Ishii 44 in this match.

Suzuki-Gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr, & Douki) vs Golden Aces & Ryusuke Taguchi - 6.5/10
Suzuki-Gun got a taste of their medicine this time around, when Ibushi didn't wait for the introductions, rushed the ring, and attacked Taichi, with Taguchi and Tanahashi trying to catch up and back up Ibushi. This advantage didn't last long.

Tanahashi is still selling his injured leg, so he was easy pickings for the Tekker's double team Dragon Screw, and thus, he was babyface in peril for pretty much 2/3rds of the match until Ibushi and Taichi had their preview, and it was a kick fest. Taguchi defeated Douki with Dodom.

Post-match - Sabre and Taichi attacked Ibushi and Tanahashi once again, killed some Young Lions, and posed with the tag titles. Taguchi made the save and allowed Ibushi and Tana to recover and run off the Tekkers.

New Japan Cup Second Round Match
Toru Yano vs Hiromu Takahashi - 7/Hilarious
If you loved Yano vs Omega, or Yano vs SANADA, or Yano vs White, you're gonna love this, if not, just go ahead and skip it and that will make your day and mine better.

On to the match, well, "match". This will make you experience psycho Yano, not the thug he used to be, but a freaking laughing crazy version of the current Yano. Story was that Yano is fixated with cutting Hiromu's hair, so he had scissors, clippers, and tape hidden all over the arena at his disposal; meanwhile, Hiromu came prepared with a helmet. Everything led to Yano tying up Hiromu's leg with Yota Tsuji's to immobilize him and finally cut some hair, but Hiromu, pulling Tsuji, came back, brawled Yano towards the elevators, taped up Yano's hands and eyes, tossed him into the elevator and pushed down. Hiromu and Tsuji ran to the ring and made it before the 20 count, while Yano wondered around the first floor of Korakuen Hall. Of of those ingenious countout matches that Yano has.

Wrestling-wise, the most I can say was that they had a decent brawl around the ring while Yano was picking up scissors.

New Japan Cup Second Round Match
Kazuchika Okada vs Yuji Nagata - 8/10
Nagata came out with his big match robe, Nogami is here, it's a big night for Nagata, but unfortunately, the match wasn't as epic. It's not often, but this was a match I had in a higher rate while watching, and then the finish was soo underwhelming, that it just went down.

The match itself, well, 98% of it was fucking great. It told a story of a cocky younger Okada that never took Nagata serious, and the rusty old man that took it upon itself to teach Okada a lesson in respect. All throughout the match, Okada would have these little snobby smiles on his face, only to get slapped off by Nagata.

My one big problem is that I'm not sold on Okada's Cobra Clutch that he's trying to get over, and not that I don't like Okada doing submissions, but the locking of it didn't come from a smart position, he was kinda working towards the Rainmaker, hit the Piledriver, lifted up Nagata only to lock in a standing Cobra, completely lackluster.

Post-match - Okada got in the mic and I'm guessing he had nothing prepared, so he said that it's the same to talk to the press here or the back, so since Nogami was there, he told him to interview him since it had been a long time since he had. Nogami, somewhat mad that Okada had been calling Nagata an Old-timer and Old-fart, asked Okada about it. Okada said that Nagata was a cool old-timer and he showed it tonight. Nogami brought up that Nagata was one of Okada's trainers and that Nagata had said before that Okada wasn't just the top of NJPW, but Pro Wrestling itslef, to which Okada brought up that this was only the second time they had wrestle since he became the Rainmaker and that he wanted to show him what the top of the NJPW roster looks like and that he would love to wrestle him again.

Okada said that he is looking past the Cup, his duty is to win the Cup and regain the World Title, he said that he's only interested in one title.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Good show, I can't say there was anything outstanding or epic, but it was a solid show with good wrestling top to bottom.

Quarter matches are Hiromu vs Ishii and Okada vs Ishimori, two considerably interesting pair ups.