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NJPW: The 5 New Japan Cup Matches You Need To See

By Corey Collins

NAGAOKA,JAPAN - MARCH 23: SANADA celebrates the victory in the Semi Final bout during the New Japan Cup of NJPW at Aore Nagaoka on March 23, 2019 in Nagaoka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
NAGAOKA,JAPAN - MARCH 23: SANADA celebrates the victory in the Semi Final bout during the New Japan Cup of NJPW at Aore Nagaoka on March 23, 2019 in Nagaoka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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4. Zack Sabre Jr vs Kota Ibushi, Round 2

Not surprisingly, Zack Sabre Jr shows up more than once on this list. His match with Kota Ibushi was both a revelation and a heartbreak for many, myself included.

With the announcement that Ibushi had signed an actual contract with New Japan and would no longer be operating as a freelancer, my pick for the New Japan Cup was clear as day. There was no one better, in my mind, to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Title than the Golden Star himself.

Ibushi doesn’t come into things without some history with Jay White, at least tangentially. White stepped into the shoes of former Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega and beat the man who beat Omega for the championship to kick off the Cutthroat Era. A reinvigorated Ibushi seemed like a shoo-in.

I was foolish to have doubted The Submission Master. I should have listened to TAKA Michinoku.

I watched this match with the idea that Ibushi would come out on top. After a stunning victory over Tetsuya Naito in the first round, it felt like the rocket ship was officially strapped to Ibushi and he was ready to blast sky-high.

Unfortunately for Ibushi, you can’t fly to the skies if ZSJ has you tangled up on the canvas, and that’s exactly what happened here. Sabre used his sinewy frame to tie Ibushi into the ridiculous and painful holds he’s become famous for.

With TAKA yelling on encouragement from ringside, Sabre stretched Ibushi to the brink of tearing his body in two as he locked in Orienteering With Napalm Death. Nearing the ropes, it looked like Ibushi would be able to make his way to the bottom rope to break the hold.

What wound up happening, instead, was Ibushi visibly giving up as he realized he couldn’t break the hold or move any closer to the ropes.

I’ve watched wrestling for a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone tap out with as much emotion and self-imposed guilt as Ibushi carried here.

As Ibushi tapped himself out, I gasped from my couch at home. With Ibushi out of the New Japan Cup, there had gone my pick to sweep the whole thing. And with Zack Sabre Jr left standing tall, could we be on the verge of seeing the first-ever Westerner win the New Japan Cup in back-to-back years?

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