The New Japan Cup rolled on into Night Three with Evil and his House of Torture faction who are no longer associated with Bullet Club taking on the leader of Bullet Club, David Finlay. Yup, there is a lot of bad blood here.
Both baddies brought back-up down to the ring and it wasn’t long before Bullet Club and House of Torture went at it, started brawling in the ring and on the floor. Drilla Maloney even left his commentating position to jump into the fray.
Evil and Finlay fought out onto the floor. Evil pitched Finlay through six rows of chairs then choked him with one of those chairs. They threw haymakers at each other as fan left the scene in a hurry leaving their empty seats behind. Evil smashes a water bottle over Finlay’s head.
Finlay mauls Evil on the floor ripping at his face. Finally, both men enter the ring and the match begins. Finlay stomps Evil in a corner. On floor, Dick Goto loosens a turnbuckle. When Finlay charges in, Evil side-steps him. Finlay crashes into the exposed buckle.
Evil takes Finlay to the floor and nails him with his own version of the Conchairto. Finlay spears Evil through a table that has been propped up against a ringside barricade. Evil tries to spray something into Finlay’s face. Finlay bites Evil’s hand. As Red Shoes wrestles with Evil over the spray can, Finlay bounces off the ropes. Togo hits him with a steel chair in the back.
Evil puts Finlay in the Scorpion Death Lock. Finlay reaches the ropes but Evil won’t break the hold. Finlay goes to kick Evil. Evil blocks the kick sending it into Red Shoes. Evil low-blows Finlay. Togo climbs up onto the apron with powder in his hands. Gedo moves to stop him. During their scuffle, Red Shoes gets the powder in the eyes.
Sanada saunters down to the ring. Sanada seems to mistakenly hit Finlay and then Gedo as Evil ducks. Finlay shoves Sanada. Evil pushes them into each other.
Finlay his the Cactus Jack Clothesline with both men going over the top rope to the floor. As the official lays in the count, Finlay picks up Togo and throws him into Evil. Evil gets counted out.
Sanada walks off to the back. Finlay and Sanada stare at each other. Sanada shakes his head.
The rest of this week’s New Japan Cup schedule looks like this:
Wednesday
- Taichi vs. Gabe Kidd
- Shota Umino vs. Great-O-Khan
Friday
- Jeff Cobb vs. Tetsuya Naito
- TJP vs. Drilla Maloney
- Shingo Takagi vs. Oleg Boltin
Saturday
- David Finlay vs. Yuya Uemura
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs either Gabe Kidd or Taichi
- Two more matches to be determined based on this week’s results.
The New Japan Cup is NJPW’s annual single-elimination tournament. The winner is rewarded with an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match.
New Japan Cup: Night Three Results
Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Daiki Nagai versus Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuya Murashima
The Nagata Lock forces Murashima to submit.
Winners: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Daiki Nagai
United Empire (TJP, Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman) versus Drilla Moloney, Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens
Cobb battles through two C-Triggers to deliver a Spin Cycle and a Tour of the Islands to pin Chase Owens. TJP and Drilla trade some nasty words after the match.
Winners: United Empire (TJP, Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman)
Boltin Oleg, El Phantasmo, Toru Yano and Jado versus Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji and Bushi)
Naito forces Jado to tap out to his new leg lock. Even after the bell sounds, Naito continues to crank down on Jado’s ankle.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji and Bushi)
Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Sanada) versus Just Four Guys (Taichi and Taka Michinoku)
Sanada forces Taka to submit to Skull End. Taichi and Kidd have a staredown.
Winners: Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Sanada)
Shota Umino and Tomohiro Ishii versus United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jakob Austin Young)
Umino returns, minus his hair. He clotheslines both Khan and Young. Ishii pins Young with the Brainbuster.
Winners: Shota Umino and Tomohiro Ishii
Yuya Uemura versus Yoshi-Hashi – New Japan Cup
Hashi hits Uemura with a wicked clothesline. While locking Uemura up Hashi gets wrapped up. Uemura traps Hashi’s arms head butting him over and over. He pins Hashi with his Deadbolt Suplex.
Winner: Yuya Uemura
Zack Sabre Jr. versus Ryohei Oiwa – New Japan Cup
The two TMDK members go to war. Sabre goes for an arm bar and then shifts Oiwa around for a pin.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
David Finlay versus EVIL – New Japan Cup
Winner: David Finlay
