Yuya Uemura and Callum Newman will meet in the final of the New Japan Cup on Saturday after winning their semi-final matches.
On Friday in Nagaoka, the two advanced to the final and ended the show with a faceoff. The match on Saturday will determine who challenges Yota Tsuji for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on April 4 at Sakura Genesis.
The booking showcased an emphasis on New Japan’s youth with 31-year-old Uemura and 23-year-old Newman advancing past Oleg Boltin (33) and Shota Umino (28).
Newman defeated Umino in a thirty-minute main event in front of 1,906 fans. Umino fought with a bloody nose as the United Empire leader attacked his arm throughout the match. The big moment of the match featured Umino taking a powerbomb from the ring through two tables on the floor. It wasn’t enough as Umino stopped the Prince’s Curse and mounted a comeback by connecting with a Poisonrana and a lariat. Newman stopped the Second Chapter and, after another failed attempt at the Prince’s Curse, finally hit his finisher to win.
Uemura and Boltin had a spectacular match and would be on par for the best of the entire tournament. Boltin’s right shoulder and left elbow were wrapped and targeted. Uemura ascended to another level in this match through his facial expressions, fire, and overall top babyface tendencies that were impossible to ignore.
Boltin survived a Dragon suplex and managed a powerbomb and hit the Verdict, but Uemura kicked out. Uemura tried a Frankensteiner off the top and was the only blemish, and he barely got it. There was an amazing struggle by Uemura, and he had to use all his power to hit the Deadbolt, but Boltin landed too close to the rope. Uemura climbed and hit two Aces High as his tribute to Hiroshi Tanahashi and scored the pin.
With Uemura exhausted and lying on top of his foe, Boltin patted him on the back for a job well done, and this match was simply excellent.
After the show, the full card for Saturday’s New Japan Cup final was confirmed:
- New Japan Cup – Final: Yuya Uemura vs. Callum Newman
- Yota Tsuji, Knockout Bros. & Daiki Nagai vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita
- Oleg Boltin, Aaron Wolf & Toru Yano vs. Ren Narita, Don Fale & Dick Togo
- Shingo Takagi, Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young
- Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. HENARE & Great O-Khan
- YOH, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. DOUKI, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- El Desperado, Satoshi Kojima & Taichi vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tatsuya Matsumoto
- NJPW World TV Championship: Konosuke Takeshita © vs. TBA
- Masatora Yasuda vs. Taisei Nakahara
