Here are the results from Day 3 of NJPW’s New Japan Cup tournament. The event took place at Aimesse Yamanashi in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, and featured three first-round matches for the yearly tournament.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gedo & KENTA)
- Hirooki Goto pinned Gedo after hitting Shoto to win the match for CHAOS
The clash between CHAOS and Bullet Club went exactly as expected, with the Finlay-led group cheating their way throughout the bout. NJPW booker Gedo attacked Taguchi with a hammer during the match, while the team used all the tricks in the books to get the advantage in the ring.
However, it was CHAOS who picked up the victory. Three-time New Japan Cup winner Goto pinned Gedo to win the match for his side.
El Phantasmo & Tomoaki Honma vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)
- Mikey Nicholls pinned Tomoaki Honma after a Mikey Bomb
The tag team encounter between El Phantasmo, Honma and TMDK showcased ELP as a babyface. The veteran Honma took the bulk of the offence, until tagging in the Canadian for the hot tag to help clear the ring of his two opponents.
He also had some good sequences in the ring with Zack Sabre Jr. TMDK extended their win streak on the tour, with Nicholls pinning Honma after a decent bout.
This match gave us a preview of ELP vs Mikey Nicholls, which will take place in the New Japan Cup next week.
El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH vs House of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL & Jack Perry)
- YOH pinned Dick Togo
Just two days after welcoming Jack Perry into their group, House of Torture suffered defeat at the New Japan Cup Night 3.
The American grappler stepped in for the injured SHO in this bout. However, he failed to make an impact during the out-of-control brawl that was this bout.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi ) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA & Taichi)
- SANADA forced Yujiro Takahashi to tap out
In a HoT doubleheader, the heel faction faced off against SANADA and his “Just 5 Guys” group in six-man tag action.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion won a short match for his team. He made Takahashi tap out to a guillotine choke, handing HoT two losses in two matches this morning.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP)
- Jeff Cobb pinned BUSHI with a Tour of the Islands
In a clash between two of the biggest factions in NJPW, an Ospreay-less United Empire picked up the win over LIJ.
UE isolated Naito early on in the match. However, the match soon descended into an all-out brawl. Eventually, the ring was cleared of everyone but Cobb and Bushi. The Hawaiin hit his Tour of the Islands and pinned Bushi to win the match for his team.
After the match, Cobb and Yuta Tsuji had a stare-down before their match in the New Japan Cup on March 10th.
New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match: Hikuleo vs. Oleg Boltin
- Hikuleo pinned Bolton after hitting him with a chokeslam
Kazakh wrestler Oleg Boltin was given flowers before he debuted in the New Japan Cup at this event. However, it was not enough to help him find the win against the 6’8″ Samoan Hikuleo.
Boltin impressed, hitting some impressive suplexes onto his larger opponent. However, he was pinned following a chokeslam, which saw the Samoan advance to the next round of the cup.
Hikuleo earned a match against former IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL, who received a bye to the second round.
New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match: Gabe Kidd vs. Callum Newman
- Kidd pinned Newman after a lariat, a brainbuster, and a piledriver
Two of NJPW’s top young Gaijans battled out in a great match. It was a fast-paced encounter, with fun offense that got the crowd invested in both men in the bout.
Both men impressed in one of the matches of the night. Newman took inspiration from his former mentor Will Ospreay, hitting a number of his signature moves in an attempt to win in his New Japan Cup debut.
New Japan Cup 2024 First Round Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Yuya Uemura
- Shingo pinned Uemura after a Last of the Dragon
A disappointing end to the show saw a dull match between Shingo Tagaki and Yuya Uemura main event night three.
It was a fairly standard match, with Tagaki picking up the win with a Last of the Dragon, pinning Uemura.
Jack Perry Told Fans To ‘Cry Me A River’ Over Joining House of Torture
AEW’s Jack Perry announced himself as the new member of House of Torture on Night One of the New Japan Cup.
He beat Shota Umino in the first round of the tournament, before being joined by HoT to beat down Umino in the middle of the ring.
The former AEW Tag Team Champion competed for the team the next night, picking up a victory before cutting a promo about joining the group.
“First time with the new team. Undefeated so far with me, ‘Scapegoat’ Jack Perry, on the team. I’ve seen people on the internet talk shit about the House of Torture,” Perry said. “Why?
“I appreciate these guys because they’re not afraid to be themselves, not afraid to do what has to be done,” he added. “So everybody out there complaining, cry me a fucking river.”
