After an excellent third night, hopes were high for the final night of round one action. Would the New Japan Cup stay strong after gaining some serious momentum? With the lineup of SHO vs. BUSHI, Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tenzan, Goto vs. Takahashi and Kojima vs. EVIL, it wouldn’t be easy to match the previous night, but you have some serious talent like always.
YOH vs. BUSHI
After his Roppongi 3K partner SHO had put on a clinic on Night Three, hopes were high for YOH to do the same with his match. However, BUSHI is no Shingo, and YOH showed why SHO is the expected breakout star of the group. This was a perfectly serviceable match, but one where you wait for it to hit another gear, which never happened. A decent ending sequence was all that brought this dull match up in the end. BUSHI would win after 15 minutes and 42 seconds of action with MX.
2.75/5(** 3/4)
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
You never know what to expect from the perpetual loser that is YOSHI-HASHI. He has never won a single accolade in his career, but he has notched major victories with fantastic matches in the past. He’d show up against the legendary Tenzan in this match, putting on a very gutsy performance. If he could be this consistently good, he’d atleast have won the 6 man tags by now. YOSHI-HASHI would win after 17 minutes and 35 seconds of action with the Butterfly Lock.
3.25/5(*** 1/4)
Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
It’s been a hot minute since Yujiro Takahashi got a major singles role, and it just took the NJPW roster being gutted by a pandemic to give him a chance. Sadly, the hard hitting Hirooki Goto would be too hard a target for him, and despite a strong effort, he’d squander this chance. It was an average match, keeping in line with the rest of the show and tournament as a whole. Nothing remarkable, but both men had a good match. Hirooki Goto would win after 16 minutes and 40 seconds of action with the GTR.
3/5(***)
Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL
Kojima & EVIL are two of the heaviest hitters on the NJPW roster, and despite his age, Kojima will always show up big in a tournament setting. They brought out all their biggest shots, and EVIL cheated as much as he could, but the leader of Bread Club fought on until the bitter end hitting as many big moves & lariats as he could. EVIL would win after 20 minutes and 8 seconds of action with EVIL.
3/5(***)
New Japan Cup Night Four Comes In At An Average Rating Of 3
Nothing on this show exactly stood out as a must see match, but everything was simply solid. Some matches like YOH vs. BUSHI were letdowns due to high expectations, but this was a fine way to end the first round. The show in the end was simply average. It sets up EVIL vs. Hirooki Goto & BUSHI vs. YOSHI-HASHI for the next round, which both should be great matches.
What match was your favorite from Night Four? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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