The semi-finals of the New Japan Cup have been decided.
On night ten, Yuya Uemura and Boltin Oleg have already moved on and will be facing each other. It just remained to be seen if Callum Newman, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr., Shota Umino would move on.
In their match, Callum Newman and Hirooki Goto, Newman infuriated Goto by backing him into the ropes and slapping him. Goto fired back with forearm smashes. Both men traded forearms. Goto knocked Newman down with a shoulder tackle off the ropes. Newman hits Goto with a knee to the ribs that sends him rolling out to the floor. The official checks on Goto on the floor. Newman throws Goto into the ringside barricade twice and then slides into the ring waiting for a countout victory.
A clothesline off the ropes flips Newman over head over heels. Goto hits back with a German Suplex for a two count. They trade blows again with Goto putting his hands behind his back and daring Newman to strike him. Newman kicks him in the face instead. Goto goes down. Newman then puts his hands behind his back mocking Goto.
Goto catches Newman off the ropes with his Ushigoroshi backbreaker. Zane Jay appears distracting the official. Newman tosses the official into Goto. When the official goes down Newman kicks Goto in the “lower abdomen”, clotheslines him and pins him with the Prince’s Curse.
In the main event of the evening, “Mister Excitement” Zack Sabre Jr. took on Shota Umino. As Umino caught ZSJ’s leg, ZSj slapped him over and over. Umino fired back but a hit by ZSJ brought him to his knees. After the usual roll-up-this and roll-up-that from ZSJ, Umino gets a two count with a big clothesline but pins ZSJ with Second Chapter.
The semi-finals of the tournament are now set. It will be:
Yuya Uemura versus Boltin Oleg
Callum Newman versus Shota Umino
The winner of the tournament gets a shot at Yota Tsuji’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
New Japan Cup Night Ten
Taichi, Satoshi Kojima & Masatora Yasuda vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
To his credit Yasuda kicks out of a C Trigger by Owens and a running kick from Yujiro. Yujiro pins him though with his Pimp Juice DDT.
Winners: Taichi, Satoshi Kojima & Masatora Yasuda
Aaron Wolf, Toru Yano & Tatsuya Matsumoto vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo)
Narita pushes Matsumoto’s leg into the official. As they bumble around in the confusion, Narita puts Matsumoto in a leg lock finisher.
Winners: HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo)
Knockout Bros. (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR, IWGP Tag Team Champions) vs TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson)
Oiwa breaks up a Knockout Brothers double team. Ice takes him down with a flurry of knee strikes. Jackson drop kicks Ice right out of the ring. Jackson runs and splashes Oskar. Oskar though slips out of a Jagged Edge putting Jackson in his Nightmare Sleeper hold.
Winners: Knockout Bros. (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR)
Unbound Co. (Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) vs United Empire (Jake Lee, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young)
Shingo and Henare batter and bash each other but neither will go down. Henare misses with a head butt and Shingo DDTs him. Henare no-sells it as he gets up clotheslining Shingo down. Gedo is being double-teamed by Akira and Young but Ishimori dives off the top rope taking them out. Khan prevents Gedo from pinning Young with the Gedo Clutch. He puts Gedo in the claw hold and then pushes him off to Young. He pins Gedo with his DDT,
On the floor, Tsuji takes Lee’s glove from him and sticks his hand in his mouth.
Winners: United Empire (Jake Lee, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young)
Yuya Uemura & Tomoaki Honma vs Boltin Oleg & YOSHI-HASHI
Hashi clotheslines Honma to the mat. Honma kicks out though. Hashi puts Honma in the Butterfly Lock. Honma taps out. Uemura and Oleg have a staredown as they prepare for their New Japan Cup match.
Winners: Boltin Oleg & YOSHI-HASHI
New Japan Cup Quarterfinal – Callum Newman vs Hirooki Goto
Winner: Callum Newman
New Japan Cup Quarterfinal – Zack Sabre Jr. vs Shota Umino
Winner: Shota Umino
