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3/22 NEW JAPAN CUP SEMI-FINALS FROM OSAKA, JAPAN

The Finals are set, 3/26/22 Results from the New Japan Cup 2022 from Osaka, Japan:

Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga and Hiroshi Tanahashi, with Jado

El Phantasmo had his LED jacket lit up with a green DX logo, in honor of Triple H.

The baby faces attacked Bullet Club as they came to the ring.   Wild match.  When everyone was laid out, Gedo hit Tama with brass knuckles.  Jado jumped in the ring to attack Gedo.  The referee saw Jado attacking Gedo and disqualified the baby faces.   Bullet Club gets the win.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki and Taichi vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii

Yano hits Kanemaru with a low blow and rolls him up for a pin.

SHO, Yujiro Takahashi and EVIL, with Dick Togo vs. El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku and DOUKI

EVIL pins TAKA after hitting Everything is Evil.

CIMA, T-Hawk and El Lindaman vs. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma and Hirooki Goto

T-Hawk pins Tiger Mask with Night Ride.

Wow!  The GLEAT wrestlers get a win over New Japan talent.   It was a good showcase for them in front of a New Japan crowd.  We shall see if they continue to have a presence in New Japan in the coming months.

YOH and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb and Great O-Khan

O-Khan pins YOH after hitting the Eliminator.

O-Khan and Cobb have words with YOSHI-HASHI after the match.  They tease him calling him a “young boy”.  They want a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.

BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay and Aaron Henare 

Ospreay grabs the mic and screams that he wants to face Shingo Takagi.   He swears at Zack Sabre Jr saying everyone know he did not tap out.   He tells the audience that there is no tag match tonight and he will face Shingo tonight.   Hiromu hits Ospreay with a shotgun dropkick.  The match starts and the four men battle all around ringside.  

Henare pins BUSHI with Streets of Rage.

Ospreay harasses the announcers on his way back to the locker.

Hiromu and BUSHI go back to the locker room and they get jumped by EVIL and Dick Togo.  They drag Hiromu to the ring.  Togo chokes out Hiromu in the ring with his wire, while EVIL talks crap in his face.  EVIL is still pissed because Hiromu beat him in the New Japan Cup with his own finisher.

This may be a preview for EVIL vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the NEVER Openweight Title.

New Japan Cup 2022 Semi-Final Matches:

Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

ZSJ immediately went after Takagi’s neck, which was hurt against Chase Owens who hit a Package Piledriver on a chair.   ZSJ caught Takagi in a neck twist.    Takagi fought back with strikes and power moves.   

ZSJ attacked back with a hammerlock stomp on his left arm.  Takagi counters with a left punch and a DDT.   ZSJ traps Takagi in a double hammerlock submission.   Takagi fights to the ropes.   Takagi with a Death Valley Driver.   Takagi with a Superplex which hurts them both.   Pace picks up.   Lots of near falls.   Takagi hits his power moves.  ZSJ traps Takagi in a sleeper.   Takagi powers up and carries ZSJ on his back up the ropes.  Takagi falls back on the mat, breaking the hold.   ZSJ immediately goes back to the sleeper.    ZSJ twists his body with Takagi’s face on the mat.    He locks the sleeper in.   The referee checks and stops the match as Takagi is not responding.

ZSJ is the winner.

Zack Sabre Jr. moves on to the Finals.

Wow!  Good match.   Zack stuck to his submission strategy and it worked out.  He absorbed the power strikes of Takagi but he kept going for the submissions.  Great stuff!

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito 

They exchanged headlocks to start the match.  The pace picks up and Naito attacks Okada’s neck with a vice lock and a Frankensteiner.   Okada takes the match to the floor.   Okada hits a draping DDT off the guardrails.   Naito was selling the neck and teasing a stinger by shaking his left arm and hand.    Okada continues to attack the neck.  Naito counters with a basement dropkick to Okada’s knee then a dropkick to the spine and neck.  Naito takes Okada to the floor.  He drapes Okada on the guardrail trapping his left leg.   Naito runs full speed and dropkicks the leg.  Okada screams in pain.   Okada gets back in the ring and Naito attacks the knee and neck of Okada.    

They exchange offensive moves and Okada goes for the Money Clip.  Naito gets the ropes.   Okada with a dropkick and the Money Clip again.  Naito gets another rope break.   Okada with a top rope elbow and the Rainmaker pose.    Okada goes for a Rainmaker, but Naito counters with a swinging neck breaker.  Naito with a springboard DDT and a Super Rana.  Naito hammers Okada with elbows to the neck.  Naito hits Esperanza and finally Destino.   Okada kicks out!!!

Naito hits Gloria and goes for a Stardust Press.   Okada moves and Naito hits the mat hard.   Okada hits a lariat and a dropkick.   Naito avoids a tombstone.  They reverse out of each other’s pinfall attempts.   

Naito catches Okada in Polvo De Estrella and pins Okada.

Tetsuya Naito moves to the Finals to face Zack Sabre Jr.

Great match.  Naito won all his matches in the New Japan Cup with roll up pins.    He avoided the tombstone and Landslide which has been a setup for the Rainmaker.   

Tetsuya Naito thanks the fans for coming.  He tried to get Zack Sabre Jr. to come out.  ZSJ comes out and acknowledges his opponent for tomorrow.  Naito told him to come to the ring, but ZSJ would not take the bait.   They wished each other luck before their match tomorrow night.

New Japan Cup 2022 Finals Prediction:

Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 

When these men met in the G1 Climax last year, also in Osaka, ZSJ injured Naito’s leg, which took him out of the G1.  Naito still has his left knee taped up.   I am sure ZSJ will go after the left knee in tomorrow’s match.   Naito’s strategy of quick roll ups may not match well against a grappler like ZSJ.  I predict Zack Sabre Jr.  will win the New Japan Cup 2022.

Thank you for reading.

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