The semi-finals in the New Japan Cup have arrived. On the fourth night of the tournament Taichi battled Gabe Kidd and Shota Umino took on The Great-O-Khan. Gabe Kidd’s dream of winning the New Japan Cup would be crushed though as the emerging feud between Bullet Club and The House of Torture escalates. A part of the Just Four Guys Faction, Taichi was gifted a tournament win by the devious House of Torture but we are not sure why.
Kidd stormed into the ring right away. He walked up and butted heads with Taichi. Nobody won a battle of the shoulder tackles. Both men then switched things up to a forearm smash duel. Taichi tried to end it with a kick to the stomach. Kidd caught his foot kicking him in the face. Taichi knocked Kidd to the mat with a running boot. Kidd took Taichi down with a clothesline. Kidd took control chopping down Taichi in a corner.
Kidd powerslammed Taichi into a corner and onto the mat.
“This is Terry Gordy, Doctor Death, motherf—-r!” said Kidd to the cameras about himself.
Taichi broke a Boston Crab by reaching the ropes. Taichi connects with his devastating kicks. Kidd connects with his devastating chops. Kidd dares Taichi to kick him in the chest. He does. Kidd goes down. Taichi piledrives Kidd. An Axe Bomber flattens Kidd again. A bridging suplex scores Taichi a two count. Kidd charges on. Taichi just super kicks him in the face.
Kidd piledrives Taichi. As Kidd goes for the pin Ren Rarita pulls Red Shoes out of the ring. Kidd runs out to the floor and attacks Narita. Sho and Yujiro Takahashi come running out. They blindside Kidd. While he is distracted with them, Narita smashes Kidd in the head with his push-up bar. With Taichi still in the ring and Kidd out on the floor Red Shows awakens, surveys the scene and begins a count on Kidd. Kidd doesn’t beat the count so Taichi wins.
The Great-O-Khan and Shota Umino continued their feud in their tournament match. Khan eventually takes the match to the floor. He slams Umino into the ringside barricade by the throat then slams him on the apron spine-first. Umino shotgun drop kicks Khan over a barricade. Khan gives Umino a Tombstone Driver on the floor. Back in the ring, a clothesline off the ropes gets Umino a two count. Running knee to the face and a scoop driver of sorts pins Khan.
The rest of this week’s tournament matches looks like this:
Friday
- Jeff Cobb vs. Tetsuya Naito
- TJP vs. Drilla Maloney
- Shingo Takagi vs. Oleg Boltin
Saturday
- 2025 New Japan Cup quarterfinal: David Finlay vs. Yuya Uemura
- 2025 New Japan Cup quarterfinal: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Taichi
- 2025 New Japan Cup quarterfinal: Shota Umino vs. Jeff Cobb or Tetsuya Naito
- 2025 New Japan Cup quarterfinal: TJP or Drilla Maloney winner vs. Shingo Takagi or Boltin Oleg
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 Four Results
Yuya Uemura and Taka Michinoku versus Yoshi-Hashi and Daiki Nagai
Taka makes Nagai submit to a face lock submission.
Winners: Yuya Uemura and Taka Michinoku
Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuya Murashima versus Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Tomohiro Ishii
Katsuya batters Kojima with a forearm barrage and a slap to the face. Katsuya bounces off the ropes. Kojima pins him with his lariat. Goto and Nagata share some unpleasant words after the bell.
Winners: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Tomohiro Ishii
TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson) versus United Empire (TJP, Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman)
Cobb gets a two count with an arm-trap suplex on Jackson. Cobb clotheslines him and pins him with a Tour of the Islands.
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)
Yano is ripping off a turnbuckle within minutes. Yano and Naito throw the turnbuckle back and forth to each other. Naito throws it out of the ring. Naito knocks Jado down to his knees. Tsuji nails him with the curb stomp.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji and Bushi)
House of Torture (Evil, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) versus Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, SANADA, Drilla Moloney, Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens)
Owens is just mauled by House of Torture. Kanemaru spits whiskey in his eyes. Narita pins him with a Double Cross. Sanada didn’t do anything the entire match. Some of the other War Dogs are upset with him.
Winners: House of Torture (Evil, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Taichi versus Gabe Kidd – New Japan Cup
Winner: Taichi
Shota Umino versus Great-O-Khan – New Japan Cup
Winner: Shota Umino
