The NJPW Cup is underway with the winner getting a chance to challenge champion Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The finals of the tournament are on March 21st. Both Evil and Hiroshi Tanahashi received byes into the second round. Evil is the defending NJPW Cup winner and Tanahashi is the current NEVER Openweight Champion. Here is today’s update, minus the extraneous tag team matches that are on every card.
NJPW Cup Night 8
Event Happenings
- David Finlay and Yoshi-Hashi have some words after their opening tag team match.
- Kenta and Suzuki then share some unpleasantries during their Bullet Club and Suzuki-gun match. Bad Luck Fale steps in between them.
Results
Yuji Nagata versus Sanada
Sanada spikes Nagata. Courtesy: NJPW.
Sanada’s speed makes all the difference in this match. Nagata is outmatched in that regard. The match goes to the floor and Sanada surprisingly throws Nagata into the ringside barrier. He takes things one step further by piledriving Nagata on the arena floor. Nagata barely gets back in the ring after that. Nagata rolls out of the way and Sanada misses his moonsault and splatters on the canvass. Sanada and Nagata battle on the ropes in a corner. Nagata absorbs all of Sanada’s shots refusing to fall. Nagata suplexes Sanada off the second rope. Sanada leaps over Nagata backwards and locks on Skull End. When Nagata goes to sleep, Sanada pins him with his moonsault off the top rope.
Winner: Sanada
Will Ospreay versus Zack Sabre Jr.
Ospreay ends up with a bloody nose after a Zack Driver. Ospreay snaps after seeing his own blood. Ospreay pins the Most Electrifying Wrestler in the World with a Stormbreaker.
Winner: Will Ospreay
In Round Three we now have:
Will Ospreay versus Sanada
Shingo Takagi versus Kenta
Evil versus Toru Yano