New Japan Cup 2024 finals live results: Hirooki Goto vs. Yota Tsuji
Hirooki Goto faces Yota Tsuji today in the New Japan Cup 2024 finals.
Goto is the only three-time New Japan Cup winner, although he has not won the tournament since 2012. Goto also has three runner-up performances to his credit, making him the most decorated New Japan Cup competitor in the tournament’s 20-year history.
This is the first New Japan Cup finals appearance for Tsuji.
The winner of today’s finals will face IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito for the title at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6.
Naito will be in action in the semi-main event of today’s show, teaming with Shingo Takagi against EVIL & Dick Togo from Bullet Club’s House of Torture.
In a 10-man tag, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, Toru Yano, Jado & Boltin Oleg will take on SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku of Just Five Guys.
YOH will face Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a special singles match on today’s show in the other featured bout.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
This was a decent outing from the Young Lions. They were firey heading into the finishing sequence, but BUSHI was able to secure the win with a crab.
United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Tanga Loa & Tomohiro Ishii
This was a step up from what I expected. It almost felt like a decent effort was made in this match. Catch 22’s tandem offense led to the UE finish.
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)
This was a highly competitive undercard tag. The closing sequence went back and forth, with a handful of nearfalls between Nicholls and Newman. In the end, Mikey landed his finish to secure the win.
BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe & YOSHI-HASHI
Most of this match’s disorder came from the babyfaces. By the end, BULLET CLUB was taking full advantage of this chaos. KENTA hit Tenzan with his belt, leaving Owens free to secure the pinfall win.
After the match, BC tried hitting YH with the belt, but YH escaped. Makabe and Kidd also continued to brawl after the closing bell.
House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata
This was fine.
The crowd was really into this match throughout its runtime, and most of the cheating wasn’t insulting. The closing sequence saw Narita hit Nagata with a low blow before forcing him to tap with the cobra twist.
YOH defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This match kicked off with Kanemaru and SHO jumping SHO before the opening bell. From here, the typical HoT match played out, complete with distracted referees and outside beat downs.
After spending an extended amount of time in Kanemaru’s Boston crab, YOH escaped to the bottom rope. He then took advantage of an attempted distraction, leading to Kanemaru spitting his whiskey in SHO’s face. YOH then rolled up Kanemaru to win the match.
After the match, YOH left with the junior title in hand.
Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado), Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This wasn’t a good match, but it didn’t try to be one.
Everyone had their moment to shine, but this was totally lighthearted bell-to-bell. In the end, ELP hit his finish and pinned TAKA to win the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL)
This was a by-the-book HoT tag.
The action worked its way into the crowd early on, with EVIL utilizing chairs to establish a lead. The fighting continued so long that the referee’s count reached 20, resulting in a double count-out.
Shingo grabbed the microphone and asked for a restart with EVIL’s belt in hand. HoT accepted the challenge, and the match restarted.
This was the second EVIL match to be thrown out and restarted in the past two days.
Once the match restarted, the fighting returned to the floor. EVIL and Togo isolated Shingo on the outside, hitting him with the turnbuckle cover and whipping him into the barricades. Once the match returned to the ring, the isolation continued.
Eventually, Naito tagged in and turned the match around for his team. HoT challenged Naito’s lead by choking him with a shirt, hitting a low blow, and bumping the referee. With the referee down, Togo choked Naito with his wire.
Once Naito escaped Togo’s wire, he used it himself. Naito then dropped Togo with a low blow and used a jackknife pin to win the match.
Shingo challenged EVIL to a match for the NEVER Openweight Championship after the match.
New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated Hirooki Goto
This match was a lot of fun, especially in the closing stretch. It’s easily one of the best matches of the tournament.
The match opened with a standard feeling-out process. This led to Goto leaving the ring, which Tsuji followed with a tope. Back inside the ring, Tsuji utilized body scissors to maintain his control.
A ushigoroshi reset the match, leading to a back-and-forth strike exchange. Goto won out, establishing control for the first time in the match. He tried for GTR but missed, leaving Tsuji free to drive him onto the mat.
Tsuji landed a pair of stomps for a nearfall. When Tsuji tried to follow up, Goto secured the sleeper hold. Goto then tried for GTR again, but Tsuji answered with a headbutt. Goto responded with eight headbutts of his own, maintaining his lead.
Goto landed Shouten Kai for one of the nearest nearfalls I’ve ever seen. After Tsuji kicked out, Goto paused, buying Tsuji enough time to respond with a knee. Tsuji went for Gene Blast but was cut off by a lariat.
Goto tried for a rainmaker, but Tsuji reversed into Gene Blast; Goto kicked out at one. Tsuji didn’t waste any time before hitting another Gene Blast. He then pinned Goto to win the New Japan Cup.
Tsuji cut the show ending promo, declaring himself the face of a new era. Naito joined him in the ring after Tsuji promised to take his belt. Naito questioned his readiness before having a friendly stare down.
Once Naito left the ring, Tsuji promised to take New Japan to greater heights.
Tsuji is set for action against his faction mate and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito, at Sakura Genesis.