Two members of the United Empire were in action for their respective second-round matchups of the New Japan Cup. Kyle Fletcher battled Hirooki Goto and Aaron Henare went head-to-head with Tama Tonga.
Henare tried to attack Tonga before the match, but he leaped off the second rope with a crossbody onto him. Henare then rolled to the outside and Tonga leaped over the top rope onto him on the outside, he followed that by throwing him into the barricade.
Henare catching Tonga with quite the kick. Credit: NJPW
Tonga then leaped onto Henare, but Henare caught him and slammed him into the ring post. He then threw Tonga into the barricade again before getting him back into the ring to start the ground and pound. Henare maintained control until Tonga connected a forearm and then an exploder suplex. He then ran at Henare, but he springboarded off the second rope with a stiff kick and then hit a PK.
Both men then traded forearms with Tonga getting the advantage and hitting a rolling fireman’s carry, he then went to the top to hit a diving splash. Tonga made the mistake of not going for the pin and Henare started attacking his left knee before locking him in a knee bar. Henare went for a spine buster, but Tonga reversed into a DDT and then hit a brainbuster.
Gun Stun. Credit: NJPW
Henare reversed a Gun Stun from Tonga into a pop-up Samoan drop and then hit the rampage, but only got a two-count. He then locked him into Ultima and let go to go for Streets of Rage, but Tonga reversed into a Gun Stun and then hit a second Gun Stun right after for the victory.
Fletcher and Goto were closing the show and they wasted no time getting into the match, trading shots from the opening bell. They then took the bout outside the ring, but when they tried to get back in the ring Fletcher hit Goto with a running enzigiri knocking him back outside. He then threw Goto into the barricade and then over the barricade into the crowd.
Goto couldn’t seem to get control, but he was finally able to hit a discus lariat to take Fletcher off his feet. He then hit him with a spinning heel kick in the corner and a side suplex for a two-count. Fletcher rolled to the outside so Goto hit a diving crossbody to the outside and then back in the ring he hit a diving elbow drop from the top rope.
Goto landing a stiff forearm. Credit: NJPW
However, he then went back to the top, but this time Fletcher jumped up and kicked him to the outside. He then dropped him on the hardest part of the ring with an apron bomb and then went to the top rope to hit a diving moonsault onto Goto on the outside. In the ring, he hit Goto with a running enzigiri and then a brainbuster, but Goto kicked out at two.
Fletcher hit Goto with a running enzigiri to the back of the head this time and then landed the spinning tombstone piledriver, but Goto still kicked out at two. He next wanted the superplex, but Goto blocked and hit a sunset bomb from the top rope. Goto then hit another ushi-goroshi, and followed it instantly with a GTR to secure the win.
Goto will now meet Tonga in the quarter-finals.
New Japan Cup 2023 Night Six Results
Tomoaki Honma & Oskar Leube vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Ren Narita
Narita makes Leube submit with the figure four leg lock.
Winners: Ryohei Oiwa & Ren Narita
Shota Umino & Yuto Nakashima vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Umino makes Fujita tap out to the STF, while Nakashima held Sabre from breaking up the hold.
Winners: Shota Umino & Yuto Nakashima
Just 4 Guys (Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Douki & Taka Michinoku) vs. Bullet Club (David Finlay, El Phantasmo, Chase Owens & Kenta)
Prior to the match, ELP wanted the arena to sing happy birthday to Kenta, but Just 4 Guys attacked all of Bullet Club before the bell. Michinoku had ELP in a cross-face, so Finlay returned the favor to ELP by not breaking up the hold and telling Michinoku to tighten it. Despite that ELP still broke the hold and hit Michinoku with Sudden Death for the win.
Winners: Bullet Club
United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay) vs. House of Torture (Evil, Yujiro Takahashi, Sho & Dick Togo)
House of Torture did not waste any time by attacking the United Empire before the bell. But in the end, Great-O-Khan locked Togo in an iron claw hold and made him submit.
Winners: United Empire
Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi & Lio Rush) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Sanada, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)
Takagi hit Yano with a lariat and Naito rolled him into a victory roll to get the win for LIJ.
