The finals of the Young Lion Cup are set for February 1, following Tuesday’s Road to New Beginning event.
Shoma Kato and Katsuya Murashima advanced from Tuesday’s semi-finals with their respective wins after each received an opening round bye.
Kato was victorious against Masatora Yasuda after surviving a Boston Crab and a modified Lion Tamer version. Kato applied a Fujiwara armbar and rolled to the center of the ring to secure the victory in a high-intensity seven-minute affair.
Katsuya Murashima advanced by defeating Daiki Nagai, where the latter showcased a lot of offense before falling. Nagai hit a no-hands monkey flip but was caught with a big overhead belly-to-belly suplex and powerslam before a Boston Crab ended the bout.
Kato and Murashima will meet to determine the winner of the Young Lion Cup on February 1 at Korakuen Hall.
The Young Lion Cup was first held in 1985 and was won by Shunji Kosugi, with thirteen versions of the tournament occurring. The last time New Japan hosted the tournament was in 2019, and won by Karl Fredericks.
