–> NEW JAPAN CUP 2013 (3/11/13 to 3/23/13) <--

NJPW, 3/17/13 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium
5,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask beat Captain New Japan & BUSHI (8:22) when Tiger used a crucifix hold on BUSHI.
2. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Takashi Iizuka, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo (11:58) when Kojima used a lariat on Gedo.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura & Jado beat Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku (9:34) when Nakamura used the Boma Ye on TAKA.
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Davey Boy Smith Jr. beat Yujiro Takahashi (11:43) with a jumping powerbomb.
5. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hirooki Goto beat Tomohiro Ishii (18:46) with the Shouten Kai.
6. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata beat Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (11:13) when Sakuraba used a triangle choke hold on Nakanishi.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley beat Tama Tonga, Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:18) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Tonga.
8. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Toru Yano beat Minoru Suzuki (10:14) with the Akakiri.
9. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Kazuchika Okada beat Karl Anderson (15:27) with the Rainmaker.

* Kazuchika Okada won the 2012 G1 Climax final rematch today against Karl Anderson to move one step closer of completing a hat-trick of IWGP Heavyweight Title, G1 Climax, and New Japan Cup since his return to Japan 14 1/2 months ago. The Rainmaker sunk the Machine Gun before a sold out crowd of 5,500 to set up a semi final against CHAOS comrade Toru Yano who pulled off a big win over Minoru Suzuki to continue a great month for him that also saw him pin Takashi Sugiura to win the GHC Tag Team Title for he and Iizuka.

* Hirooki Goto has a big chance of making it 4 New Japan Cup tournament wins in 5 years after beating Tomohiro Ishii in a close match. Ishii had beaten Kojima in round one, which itself was a major overachievement, and he came close to doing it again today but Goto had just too much and dropped him with the Shouten Kai. Goto will meet Davey Boy Smith Jr., who defeated Nakamura in round one and added another CHAOS scalp to his collection today with a win over Yujiro.

* Laughter7 met tough opposition in their latest return to New Japan, facing former IWGP Tag Team Champions and third generation veterans Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi. This wasn’t as overwhelming a win as some of their tag matches have been but they were victorious when Sakuraba choked out Nakanishi with a triangle choke. Saku and Nagata slapped hands out of respect after the match with a future rematch suggested.

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NJPW, 3/23/13 (WPW/iPPV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Hirooki Goto vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
2. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
3. New Japan Cup – Final:

–> “NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ NEW JAPAN CUP 2012” <--

NJPW, 4/1/12 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium
5,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. New Japan Cup – Round 1: La Sombra beat YOSHI-HASHI (9:41) with the Paquera Tapatio.
2. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Karl Anderson beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan (8:00) with the Gun Stun.
3. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto beat Yujiro Takahashi (9:55) with the Shouten Kai.
4. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Shinsuke Nakamura beat MVP (9:45) with the Boma Ye.
5. Ryusuke Taguchi, Captain New Japan & KUSHIDA beat Kazuchika Okada, Jado & Gedo (14:35) when Captain used the Caribbean Death Grip on Gedo.
6. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe beat Lance Archer (8:47) with a King Kong kneedrop.
7. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Minoru Suzuki beat Yuji Nagata (15:31) with a Gotch-style piledriver.
8. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Tetsuya Naito beat Satoshi Kojima (17:53) with the Polvo de Estrellas.
9. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Toru Yano (17:25) with the High Fly Flow.

* Some interesting results today at a packed Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium set up a couple of huge second round matches. Naito scored yet another career boosting win over Kojima, meaning he will face a man he is known to have great matches with, Tanahashi, who defeated long-time enemy Yano. Minoru Suzuki bested his rival Nagata to set up a second round confrontation with Makabe that has been in the making for a while. CHAOS leader Nakamura is trying to ensure he doesn’t slip into Okada’s shadow too much and his win over the returning MVP means he will meet Karl Anderson in the second round. Anderson’s post-Bad Intentions career (now that gaijin mainstay Giant Bernard has been confirmed as the WWE’s latest superstar Lord Tensai) is showing promising signs as he beat Tenzan to secure passage to the next round. The final second round match will put La Sombra against IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Hirooki Goto.

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NJPW, 4/5/12 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hirooki Goto vs. La Sombra
2. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Karl Anderson vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
3. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Togi Makabe vs. Minoru Suzuki
4. New Japan Cup – Round 2: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito

NJPW, 4/8/12 (WPW)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Winner of Goto/Sombra vs. Winner of Makabe/Suzuki
2. New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Winner of Tanahashi/Naito vs. Winner of Anderson/Nakamura
3. New Japan Cup – Final:

–> “CIRCUIT 2009 NEW JAPAN CUP ~SOUL ON THE RING~” <--
Hirooki Goto today moved one step closer to the top, following up on his shocking G1 Climax win last August by capturing the fifth annual New Japan Cup. A hot crowd in Amagasaki saw Goto do the seemingly impossible and beat two of New Japan's upper tier. Before that, Giant Bernard ended Yutaka Yoshie's good run in the tournament, cradling him to reach his third NJC final. The other semi final then saw Goto avenge his Sumo Hall loss with a huge win over Nagata, using the modified armlock he has been favouring recently for the win.

This set up the final of Goto vs. Bernard, a match with history as you might recall, AFTER Goto won the G1 last year, Bernard scored two successive wins over him in what remained of the year. Goto again had trouble with the bigger and stronger gaijin ace, but his improving submission techniques made a big difference, as he got Bernard in a cross armbreaker and transitioned into the same modified armlock for the tap and win! Goto has now earned a shot against the winner of Tanahashi vs. Angle for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on May 3rd at the Fukuoka International Center. Tanahashi, ahead of his match with Angle, defeated another American star in the form of former WWE Intercontinental Champion, Val Venis, landing the High Fly Flow in this non-title match.

NJPW, 3/22/09 (Samurai! TV)
Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium
5,300 Fans - No Vacancy

0. Kazuchika Okada beat Nobuo Yoshihashi (5:50) with a crab hold.
1. Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt beat Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari (9:00) when Devitt pinned Ishikari after a Dodon & Prince’s Throne combination.
2. Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Karl Anderson, Black Tiger & Jado (10:01) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Jado.
3. New Japan Cup - Semi Final: Giant Bernard beat Yutaka Yoshie (8:56) with a horizontal cradle.
4. New Japan Cup - Semi Final: Hirooki Goto beat Yuji Nagata (14:51) with a modified armlock.
5. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Super Strong Machine beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomoaki Honma (12:21) when Choon used a Shining Yakuza kick on Honma.
6. New Japan Cup Special Tag Match ~ Soul of AMAGASAKI: Shinsuke Nakamura & Wataru Inoue vs. Togi Makabe & Tomohiro Ishii went to a draw (13:22) when Nakamura & Makabe were counted out.
7. New Japan Cup Special Singles Match ~ Soul of AMAGASAKI: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Val Venis (12:50) with the High Fly Flow.
8. New Japan Cup - Final: Hirooki Goto beat Giant Bernard (18:18) with a modified armlock.