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From Niigata, Japan:
1 - NJPW World TV Championship Open Challenge: El Phantasmo vs. TJP
ELP and Jado welcome the crowd and ask who will answer the challenge.
United Empire's music plays. TJP and Great O-Khan make their way to the ring. O-Khan opens the ropes for TJP.
Good wrestling match. TJP got the momentum. TJP applied the Pinoy Stretch. ELP got the rope break, but ELP was selling the right shoulder. TJP punched the right shoulder and ELP screamed in pain. They exchanged reversals and two counts. ELP wrapped up TJP in a La Magistral Cradle for a pin.
El Phantasmo retains the NJPW World TV Championship
After the match, ELP and TJP shake hands. TJP leaves the ring and glances at O-Khan. O-Khan attacks Jado and ELP. He punched ELP in the right shoulder and hit a TTD (Tenzan Tombstone Driver). O-Khan takes the mic and thanks TJP for hurting ELP. He tells ELP that he will be the next challenger for the TV Title. O-Khan picks up ELP for another TTD. Lots of boos for the United Empire.
2 - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima
Tanahashi pins Kojima after a High Fly Flow.
Potentially, their last singles match ever, both men bow to each other in the ring and then shake hands.
Tanahashi engages the fans at ringside. The fans offer him towels and Tanahashi uses them to wipe his sweat and he gives his thanks.
3 - TAKA Michinoku, Taichi and Yuya Uemura vs. CHase Owens, Bad Luck Fale and SANADA
TAKA applies Just Face Lock on Owens. Owens screams for Fale's help. Fale stomps on TAKA. Taichi and Fale brawl to the floor. Owens hits a C-Trigger on TAKA and follows with Package Piledriver.
Owens pins TAKA.
Bullet Club beat down TAKA. Uemura and Taichi make the save. SANADA low blows Uemura. Owens slams Taichi and Fale drops a huge elbow. SANADA grabs his guitar and is about to hit Uemura over the head.
Hontai (El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Hiroshi Tanahashi) comes to the ring to make the save. Bullet Club escape the ring.
Tanahashi offers his hand to Uemura. Uemura shakes his hand. Tanahashi shakes Taichi's hand. Tanahashi shakes TAKA's hand. Everyone hugs in the ring and shake hands.
Just 4 Guys are no more. The babyface faction of Hontai just got stronger.
This needed to happen. New Japan has so many heel groups, and "tweener" groups, which can be confusing to fans. Now, with Hontai led by Tanahashi, we know Just 4 Guys are babyfaces now. Hontai is now stronger to face House of Torture, Bullet Club, etc.
4 - BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb
Hiromu applies Maximum Beholding on Young and gets the submission win.
Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman had words with Naito after the match. United Empire is in line for a IWGP Tag Team title shot.
Naito and Hiromu address the crowd and they accept the challenge from United Empire.
5 - Taiji Ishimori, Drilla Moloney and Gabe Kidd vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi and Ren Narita
They all brawl into the crowd. Another wild match. House of Torture double teams Ishimori in the ring. Kidd makes a hot tag. Big pop from the crowd for Kidd. Kidd fights all House of Torture members and pushes the referee aside. Moloney tags in and House of Torture triple teams him. War Dogs fight back. Kidd hits a Rebound Lariat on SHO. Ishimori hits a Cypher Utaki on SHO. Moloney picks up SHO and hits a Drilla Killa.
Moloney pins SHO.
Moloney gets the mic. He challenges House of Torture for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Titles at Sakura Genesis on April 5.
Gabe Kidd is getting popular with the crowd and getting loud cheers. Whether that also include the rest of the War Dogs remains to be seen.
6 - Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and EVIL
Tsuji pins Kanemaru after a Gene Blaster.
After the match, EVIL grabs Tsuji's Global Title. Togo chokes out Tsuji with a wire. EVIL hits Tsuji with the Title belt. Togo chokes out Takagi, while EVIL poses with the Title.
7 - El Desperado, Boltin Oleg and Hirooki Goto vs. Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr.
Goto pins Jackson after a GTR.
New Japan Cup 2025 Finals:
8 - Shota Umino vs. David Finlay
There was dual chant for Umino and Finlay. Slightly more for Finlay, which is interesting.
Good wresting match. The match goes to the floor and Finlay slams Umino's head in the steel post, then hits a urange through the floor. Finlay hits a powerbomb on Umino into the ringpost. The crowd popped for Finlay. Umino beats the count back in the ring. Umino hulked up and hit 3 half nelson suplexes. Two count. Finlay with a spear, but he hurts his shoulder. Finlay with a buckle bomb. Umino with a powerbomb. Two count. Umino hits a lariat. Two count. Finlay hits a Dominator. Finlay goes for Into Oblivion but Umino reverses into a Cutter.
They trade strikes. Umino hits a headbutt. Finlay went for a spear, but Umino hit a wicked knee strike to the head. Umino hits a massive lariat. Two count. Finlay hits Into Oblivion. Two count. Finlay hits two powerbombs. Umino kicks out. Finlay hits Overkill.
Finlay pins Umino.
David Finlay wins the 2025 New Japan Cup and earns an IWGP World Title match against Hirooki Goto at Sakura Genesis on April 5.
After the match, Finlay tells Umino "My way. If you want to be like me, follow my lead". Umino nods and leaves the ring.
Finlay calls Hirooki Goto into the ring. Finlay says he hears about the Goto Revolution. He says you cannot have a revolution without a Rebel. Goto says the Revolution is now, it is his time, and he will prove it to him in Ryogoku.
Goto leaves the ring.
Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd and Taiji Ishimori comes to the ring to celebrate Finlay's win.
War Dogs celebrate the New Japan Cup win.
Coming soon on New Japan World:
April 4: Road to Sakura Genesis with the main event of El Desperado defending the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Clark Conners.
April 5: Sakura Genesis with the main event of Hirooki Goto defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against David Finlay.
3/20 Thank you for reading.
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