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3/18 NEW JAPAN CUP RESULTS FROM TOKYO, JAPAN

A Champion injured, 3/18/22 Results from Round 3 the New Japan Cup 2022 from Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Japan:

Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton said that the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion SANADA suffered a fractured left orbital bone.  This happened against the match with Will Ospreay when Ospreay went for a flipping splash and Ospreay's knee hit SANADA in the eye.  SANADA will be sidelined for the rest of the New Japan Cup tour.  There is no timetable for his return.  The status of the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Title has yet to be determined.

Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOH, Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe

Tanahashi forces Honma to submit to a Texas Cloverhold.

DOUKI and El Desperado vs. Yujiro Takahashi and SHO

Yujiro pins DOUKI after hitting Big Juice.

Jado, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga vs. El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori and Bad Luck Fale

Bullet Club make their way to the ring and Guerillas of Destiny attacks them from out of nowhere.  Wild match.  Gedo comes to ringside.  Jado is distracted.   Gedo gets triple teamed by G.O.D.  Tama takes the brass knuckles and gives them to Jado.  G.O.D. holds Gedo while Jado puts on the brass knuckles.   The referee stops Jado's punch and takes away the knuckles.   ELP hits a straight fist to the the crotch of Jado.  ELP hits Sudden Death on Jado.

ELP pins Jado.

After the match, Gedo, Ishimori and ELP stomp on Jado.   Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi make the save, returning the favor from last night. They chase the three Bullet Club members from the ring.   Fale comes from behind and grabs them by the throats.  Tanga Loa hits Fale who falls to the ring floor.  Bullet Club is in full retreat. 

Taguchi extends his hand to Tama Tonga.  Tama shakes Taguchi's hand.  There was an audible gasp of surprise by the Korakuen crowd.   G.O.D. now has friends in their feud with Bullet Club.

Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Minoru Suzuki

Goto and YOSHI-HASHI hit Shoto on TAKA.

YOSHI-HASHI pins TAKA

BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay and Jeff Cobb

This was a great preview of Naito vs. Cobb.   Naito went for a tornando DDT which Cobb turned into a vertical suplex.  Naito went for a Destino, but Cobb reversed it into a Spincycle.  Good stuff.

Ospreay hits BUSHI with a Hidden Blade.  Ospreay pins BUSHI.

Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi

Taichi hits Yano with a Sumo elbow.  Taichi pins Yano.

New Japan Cup 2022 Round 3 Matches:

Shingo Takagi vs. Chase Owens

Bad Luck Fale comes to the ring with Owens.  Kevin Kelly asks Owens why he needs Fale.   Owens said he needs his "emotional support buddy".  Takagi comes out ready to fight.   His neck was taped up.  Both have bragged about beating each other in five minutes.

They battle on the floor.  Fale distracts Takagi.  Owens his a running dropkick from the ring to the floor sending Takagi into the guardrail  Owens with a side Russian leg sweep sending Takagi neck first on the ring apron.  Owens with neckbreaker on the ring floor.

Two count on Takagi in the ring.  Owens attacks with strikes to Takagi's neck. 

Five minute time limit has passed. 

Owens tried a Package Piledrive on the ring apron.  Takagi wiggles out and hits a Death Valley Driver on Owens on the floor.  Takagi hit a superplex.  Both men were selling the effects of that move. They hit each other with strikes.  Takagi blocks a C-Trigger and turns it into Made in Japan.   Two count. 

Fale jumps on the ring apron.  Takagi is distracted.  Owens runs to hit Takagi but he hits Fale instead.  Takagi knocks Fale to the floor.  Owens a quick roll up on Takagi.  Two count.  Takagi misses a Pumping Bomber but Owens hits a C-Trigger to Takagi's head.  Owens goes for a Package Piledriver.  Takagi wiggles out.  Owens resets and hits a normal piledriver.  Takagi kicks out at two. 

Owens goes for another Package Piledriver but Takagi turns it into a Frankensteiner.  Takagi levels Owens with a Pumping Bomber.  Takagi picks up a staggered Owens and hits Last of the Dragon.

Takagi pins Owens.

Shingo Takagi moves on to the next Round in the New Japan Cup.

This was a fun match.  Takagi and Owens built up to this match with the 5 minute challenge, Owens attacking Takagi's neck with the Package Piledriver and even bringing in Fale to the story.   The damage that Owens did to Takagi should make things easier for EVIL if he should beat Hiromu.  Great story telling enhances what the wrestlers do in the ring.   Also, after the match,Takagi was selling the neck by looking at his fingers if they were tingling. 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL

Hiromu attacks EVIL on his way to the ring.  They beat on each other outside on the floor.  This is a car crash type of match, with both men killing each other with big bumps against the ring and guardrails.  They reverse out of each other's moves.  Hiromu hits Time Bomb.  EVIL kicks out.  The referee bumps.  Togo jumps in and EVIL hits a Magic Killer.  EVIL goes for the pin.  Hiromu kicks out.  EVIL with a lariat.  Hiromu kicks out at two.  Hiromu rolls up EVIL for a pin, but Togo grabs the referee's leg.  Hiromu is frustrated and lets go of the hold. EVIL tries for Everything is Evil but Hiromu pushes him off.  EVIL bumps Togo off the ring apron.  Hiromu catches EVIL off the ropes and hits his own version of Everything is Evil. 

Hiromu pins EVIL

Wow!    Hiromu Takahashi moves on to the next Round to face his LIJ teammate, Shingo Takagi!

The announcers and the crowd popped huge.

Damn, this bracket buster by Hiromu surprised me.   I expected EVIL to take Bullet Club into the next Round.  But Hiromu changed all of that.  I think it also shows what Hiromu means to the New Japan company as a whole.  He beat SHO in Round 1, took a wicked beating by Minoru Suzuki and won in Round 2, then beat the NEVER Openweight Champion with his own finisher. This was a fun match, and my recap cannot do it justice.  Please check it out on New Japan World.   

Hiromu takes the mic and teases EVIL that he lost to his own move.  He tells EVIL that House of Torture is done.  He looks at the crowd and he is happy to see all the bodies in the seats.   He thanks everyone for coming.  He says he will beat Shingo.  He will be the one to face El Desperado for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title.

Predictions of the Elite 8 in the New Japan Cup:

Kazuchika Okada vs. CIMA

CIMA has not been present on the undercard matches, while Okada has been wrestling consistently.  I do not see Okada as World Champion losing to a wrestler who may not be officially with New Japan.   Okada wins the match.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb

Naito already faced Okada last month for the IWGP World Title and Okada won.   This should be Cobb's time.  I can see them telling a story of Cobb's leg injury from his match with Naito at Wrestle Kingdom.  I see Jeff Cobb winning here.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay

This is a hard pick to make, but I will go with Ospreay.  These men know each other well and should be a great match.  Ospreay still like to mix an aerial style (as a Jr.) with his heavyweight style.  Ospreay is bigger and heavier than he was as a Jr., which is one reason why SANADA got injured.  SANADA took a Heavyweight knee to the face which cracked his skull.  I think the match should be a technical wrestling match, limit the aerial moves, keep it on the mat.  Too much high flying by Ospreay could lead to more injuries.  

Shingo Takagi vs. Hiromu Takahashi

After the main event of this night, this match becomes harder to pick.  Both Takagi and Hiromu fought tough battles tonight.   This is a toss up as well, but I will go with Hiromu Takahashi.  Shingo Takagi has been in the mix with Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada before.   But Hiromu has not.  I will be interesting to see if Hiromu can play the underdog role and make his way towards winning the New Japan Cup. Kevin Kelly kept pointing out that in the 2020 New Japan Cup, Hiromu beat 3 Heavyweights and made it to the Semi-Finals where he lost to Okada.  Hiromu may extend his streak this year. 

The Quarterfinals start on Sunday March 20 and continue on Monday March 21.

Thank you for reading.

 

 

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