3/20 & 3/21 NJPW Cup 2022 Quarterfinal round report: Radican’s results & analysis of all four Quarterfinal round matches

NJPW CUP 2022 QUARTERFINAL ROUND REPORT
MARCH 20, 2022 AND MARCH 21
NAGAOKA, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

MARCH 20 NJPW CUP QUARTERFINAL ROUND RESULTS

Announcer: Kevin Kelly

(7) TETSUYA NAITO vs. JEFF COBB – NJPW Cup Quarterfinal Round match

These two met at Wrestling Kingdom: Night 2 on Jan. 5. Naito won that match and employed the strategy of working over Cobb’s leg to get the win. Yoshi-Hashi faced Cobb in round three of the NJPW Cup and fell short employing the same strategy. Naito is coming off a third round win over Tanahashi. He has won via rollup every round in the tournament so far. He countered Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow and rolled him up to get the win in the last round.

The fans were hot to start the match clapping as loudly as they could given the restrictions. Cobb hit Naito’s pose, so Naito, who was on the floor, ran into the ring and nailed him with a dropkick. Cobb fired back with a Roll of the Dice and went to work on Naito on the floor. Cobb targeted his attack on Naito’s back and midsection. Cobb eventually went for a deadlift superplex on Naito and connected after lifting him from the apron and Naito landing inside the ring.

Cobb went for Tour of the Islands, but Naito held onto the ropes. He then hit a spinning DDT. Naito went for Destino, but Cobb blocked it and turned it into a suplex. The fans fired up with claps and they went to a strike exchange. Naito hit a flying forearm and Cobb didn’t go down. Naito then hit a basement dropkick to the knee. Cobb fired back and launched himself into Naito with a shoulder tackle. He followed up with a gut wrench powerbomb for a nearfall. Cobb went for TOI, but Naito countered it into Destino. Cobb kicked out at the last second. Naito let out a yell and the fans applauded. Naito went for Destino, but Cobb blocked it and went for TOI. Naito managed to slip over Cobb and he rolled him up with a leverage pin for the win.

WINNER: Tetsuya Naito at 19:04 to advance to the 2022 NJPW Cup Semi-Final round. (****)

Naito will face either Kazuchika Okada or Cima in the semi-final round.

(Radican’s Analysis: This was a really good match. It was different than their Wrestle Kingdom match and Naito never really got on track working over Cobb’s leg. Both men ended up working towards landing their finish, but Naito got the win with his fourth rollup of the tournament.)

(8) IWGP WORLD HVT. CHAMPION KAZUCHIKA OKADA vs. CIMA – Non-Title NJPW Cup Quarterfinal Round match

Kevin Kelly said CIMA became a household name through his work in Dragon Gate. He mentioned CIMA had gone to China, AEW, and was not working for GLEAT. Both men spent time in the Mexican gym training under Ultimo Dragon while training, but both men ended up going on different paths to achieve stardom. Okada has rolled through his opponents in this tournament so far. This is a first time match and the fans were fired up and clapped loudly after the opening bell rang.

They went at it at a slow pace during the early going. Cima hit a meteora from the apron to the floor and Okada had a hard time getting back into the ring, but beat the 20 count. Cima sold his knees after hitting the Meteora to the floor. Okada mounted a comeback after hitting a flapjack. He sent Cima to the floor and hit a DDT. Okada got a running start and went all the way around the ring and nailed Cima with a dropkick to the chest. This spot was hurt by the crowd only being able to clap.

Okada got the Money Clip, but Cima got his foot on the ropes. Cima gained a brief advantage, but Okada cut him off with a dropkick as he came off the ropes. Okada dropped an elbow off the top and hit tbe Rainmaker pose. Cima ducked a Rainmaker attempt and eventually hit a diving clothesline for a two count. Cima hit another Meteora off the ropes to the back of Okada’s head. That is how he beat Goto in the tournament. Cima went for a front facing Meteora, but Okada got out of the way and hit a spinning tombstone and both men were down.

Cima gained some momentum and went up top. He connected with a Meteora, but did not make the cover. The fans fired up as Cima set Okada up. He took his knee pads down and went for a Meteora, but Okada rolled out of the way. Okada got the MC. He took Cima down and applied it again. The fans tried to clap and rally behind Cima, but he couldn’t get to the ropes. Cima finally lunched forward and got his foot on the ropes to break the hold. Okada rolled Cima right into a Rainmaker at the 20 minute mark. He hit another Rainmaker, but Cima blocked a third one. Cima went for another Meteora, but Okada turned it into a landslide tombstone. He then hit a Rainmaker for the win.

WINNER: Kazuchina Okada at 20:52 to advance to the 2022 NJPW Cup Semi-Final round. (***3/4)

Cima and Okada shook hands after the match.

(Radican’s Analysis: I really enjoyed this match, but it was hard to get into the big spots because of the limitations on the crowd due to Covid. This was one of the better Cima matches I’ve seen in recent years.)

MARCH 21 NJPW CUP QUARTERFINAL ROUND RESULTS

(7) HIROMU TAKAHASHI vs. SHINGO TAKAGI – NJPW Cup 2002 Quarterfinal Round match

This is a first time singles match between these two. Takagi lost to Ospreay in the finals of the NJPW Cup last year. Takahashi has beaten Sho, Suzuki, and Evil. Takagi barely got by Ishii in the first round. He then had competitive matches with Tanga Loa and Chase Owens in the tournament. Takahashi went after Takagi’s let’s during the early going. Kelly mentioned that only Dick Togo interfered in Takahashi’s match against Evil. Takagi dominated the action until Takahashi caught him with a flying head scissors. Kelly mentioned that Owens did a lot of work on Shingo’s neck in their third round match.

They built up to an exchange on the apron. Shingo blocked a sunset bomb attempt, but Takagi came back and hit a powerbomb to the floor. Takahashi fired up and hit a DVD into the corner. Takagi mounted a comeback and hit a dragon screw. He hit a powerbomb and stacked Takagi up. When he kicked out he went right into the STF. The fans tried to clap behind Takahashi, as Takagi pulled his neck back as far as he could. Takagi then let got and made a cover for a two count right before the 15 minute mark.

Kelly talked about how Takahashi just kept coming back against Suzuki earlier in the tournament and he was doing it again here. The crowd tried to rally behind Takahashi, but Shingo tossed him down to the mat. Takahashi ducked a pumping bomber, but ran right into one a short time later. Shingo followed up with Made in Japan for a nearfall. Takagi popper Takahashi up, but he turned it into a Destroyer for a two count. Takagi favored his neck that had been worked on earlier in the tournament. Takahashi hit a sloppy looking Timebomb for a nearfall.

Shingo hit his own version of GTR with Takahashi draped on the ropes. He followed up with another pumping bomber for a near fall. Takagi hit a flurry of offense capped by Last of the Dragon for the win.

WINNER: Shingo Takagi at 23:43 to advance to the NJPW Cup 2022 semi-final round. (***3/4)

(Radican’s Analysis: This was a really good match. The atmosphere dragged it down a bit. Takahashi absorbed a ton of punishment and kept coming back, but he couldn’t put Takagi away.)

(8) WILL OSPREAY vs. ZACK SABRE JR. – NJPW Cup 2022 Quarterfinal Round match

The announcers mentioned Ospreay had shown a much tougher side during the tournament and mentioned that he beat Sanada via ref stoppage. They had a fast exchange to start the match and Ospreay ended up rolling to the floor. Sabre had the upper hand, but Ospreay hit a big boot and ZSJ rolled to the floor. Ospreay measured ZSJ and hit him with a big right before talking some junk.

Sabre and Ospreay traded counters until Sabre stood up and used his feet to twist Ospreay’s neck. Ospreay came out of the corner a short time later, but his knee buckled. Sabre went after his leg and eventually rolled Ospreay onto a huge PK. ZSJ hit some kicks to Ospreay from his back and taunted him. Both men traded slaps to the face from the seated position. They got up and confined to trade slaps. Ospreay ended an incredible exchange with a spinning back breaker and the fans fired up with claps with both men down.

Ospreay hit some huge chops and eventually Ospreay chopped Sabre off the apron to the floor. Ospreay whipped ZSJ into the apron and then hit an Os-Cutter off the guardrail. Sabre ducked a dropkick and grabbed a leg submission leaning off the side of the apron for extra leverage. Ospreay hit a German, but could only hold a bridge with one leg and Sabre kicked out. Sabre slipped out of a Stormbreaker attempt and got an Octopus. Sabre went over Ospreay’s back, but he dropped Sabre’s head right into the mat with a crunchie for a nearfall. They traded pinning combinations and Sabre got a nearfall. He got up and ran right into a STIFF clothesline from Ospreay and then a sit out powerbomb for a two count.

Sabre blocked a Hidden Blade attempt and got a heel hook. Sabre then wrenched Ospreay backwards while holding his leg in a high ankle submission and Ospreay tapped out.

After the match, Ospreay acted like he hadn’t tapped out. Ospreay motioned to the ref and said he wasn’t tapping. Kelly said this might have played into when Red Shoes didn’t stop the match soon enough for Sanada. Ospreay said he was punching his leg and not tapping out.

WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. at 23:04 to advance to the 2022 NJPW Cup Semi-Final round. (****1/2)

(Radican’s Analysis: Excellent match with Ospreay showing off his newly found more aggressive side. Sabre took some brutal shots from Ospreay, but in the end his technical prowess got him the win. I didn’t mind that they went with a controversial ref stoppage at the end given that Ospreay is a heel and it also played into the same ref not stopping Sanada’s match quickly enough against Ospreay in the previous round when Sanada suffered what is reported to be a legit injury to his orbital bone.)

Sabre now advances to face Shingo Takagi in the semi-finals. Ospreay won the NJPW Cup last year.

After the match, Sabre spoke in Japanese to the fans. Sabre said Ospreay tapped up. He said he would win the 2022 NJPW Cup and then the world title. Sabre said when he wins the title, they can have a title match in this city.

Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on Twittter @SR_Torch