The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at Sakura Genesis will be all LIJ after Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto in the 2024 New Japan Cup final this morning. Tsuji will face his stablemate, Tetsuya Naito for the World Championship on April 6th.
Tsuji and Goto were feeling each other out to begin the match, they exchanged many strikes and holds. This went on until Goto caught Tsuji with a hip toss and shoulder tackle, he then locked in a chin lock. Tsuji broke the hold and caught Goto with a big boot sending him to the outside, he then dove through the ropes hitting Goto with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Tsuji bodyslammed Goto and practically slapped a hole in Goto’s chest. He now locked in a body scissors, but Goto made it to the bottom rope.
Curb Stomp. Credit: NJPW
Goto now responded with a lariat, some stiff forearms, a spinning wheel kick in the corner and a back suplex. Despite that offence, Tsuji bounced back by hitting his signature combination, slamming Goto into his knee, into the mat and a curb stomp into the mat. He then hit a stinger splash in the corner, a shoulder tackle and a leaping splash. Tsuji now delivered a super kick and a forearm, but he then ran into a ushigoroshi from Goto. Both men were now exchanging forearms and it was Goto coming out with the advantage after driving Tsuji’s face into his knee.
With Tsuji reeling, Goto dropped him with a GTW and attempted the GTR, but Tsuji reversed and hit Goto with a falcon arrow. Tsuji now hit Goto with a Curb Stomp and followed that with a double jump springboard Curb Stomp from the top rope. He then hoisted Goto on his shoulders, but Goto slipped behind him to lock in a sleeper hold. He held it in until Tsuji was on the verge of passing out and then hit a PK before attempting the GTR again. Once again Tsuji blocked and hit Goto with a headbutt, but Goto responded with a headbutt of his own.
Gene Blaster. Credit: NJPW
Goto hit a flurry of headbutts and a Shouten Kai, but Tsuji somehow kicked out at two! He then kicked into Tsuji’s chest and Tsuji rolled back onto his feet to drill Goto with a bicycle knee. Tsuji now ran for a Gene Blaster only to be turned inside out by a lariat and Goto then attempted a Rainmaker, but Tsuji reversed into a Gene Blaster. However, Goto managed to kick out at one and this is the first person to kick out of a Gene Blaster. Tsuji powered himself up to connect another Gene Blaster and win the 2024 New Japan Cup!
Tetsuya Naito got into the ring to go face-to-face with his next challenger and as he left the arena he tipped his hat to Tsuji.
New Japan Cup 2024 Night 12 Results
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) vs. Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
BUSHI forced Murashima to submit with a Boston crab.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)
United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) vs. Rysuke Taguchi, Tanga Loa & Tomohiro Ishii
Catch 2/2 hit Taguchi with the 2×2 to get the victory.
Winners: United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP)
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)
Nicholls folded Newman in half with a lariat and hit a Master Blaster to win.
Winners: TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & YOSHI-HASHI
Owens distracted the referee so KENTA could drill Tenzan in the head with the tag title and Owens stole the pin.
Winners: Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA)
House of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. El Desperado, Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata
With the referee distracted, Narita hit Nagata with a low blow and forced him to submit with the cobra twist.
Following the match, Umino told House of Torture everyone is sick of their cheating tactics and on April 6th he has a lesson prepared for them.
Winners: House of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)
YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Despite SHO involving himself in the match, YOH was able to superkick Kanemaru and roll him up for the victory. YOH then stole SHO’s IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship and he wanted SHO to give a title match. However, SHO refused to disgrace his title reign by facing someone like YOH, so YOH left with the title.
Winner: YOH
Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado), Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
ELP hit TAKA with a Sudden Death, Hikuleo hit him with a God Send and ELP finished the job with a Super Thunder Kidd ’86.
Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado), Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano
House of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetusya Naito)
This match was an all-out brawl to begin and all four men battled outside the ring. EVIL took Takagi into the crowd to hit him with a chair and the referee had no choice but to count all four men out. However, LIJ wasn’t satisfied with a draw and they challenged House of Torture to restart this match. After Takagi threatened to steal EVIL’s NEVER Openweight Championship, House of Torture agreed. Naito hit Togo with a pop-up low blow and rolled him up for the victory.
Following the match, LIJ beat down EVIL and Takagi left him down and out following a Pumping Bomber. He then held up EVIL’s championship and challenged him to a title match.
