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

1. SANADA vs Minoru Suzuki, Round 2

Though it was tough to narrow the list down to just 5 and even harder to put them in order, there was never a doubt in my mind about which match should sit atop the list.

Proving that I’ll never have any idea what New Japan is thinking, SANADA was my pick to win the New Japan Cup once we got down to the semifinal round. Maybe if I stop mentally picking these guys they’ll stop being cursed and actually win something?

In any event, this match with Minoru Suzuki was absolutely one for the ages. Going into it, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of these two. Their previous encounter at The New Beginning in Sapporo was fairly disappointing. It never felt like the match got off the ground and, knowing what these two are capable of, felt wholly underwhelming.

What a beautiful surprise this rematch wound up being.

SANADA was able to withstand everything Suzuki threw at him. While the leader of Suzuki-gun leveled his long-time rival with blow after blow and horrific leg submissions, SANADA kept coming back for more.

Although there were moments where it looked like SANADA could be beaten, there wasn’t a second where it looked like he had given up.

SANADA struggled to keep Suzuki on the mat which is no surprise to anyone who has followed Suzuki at all. Suzuki, while a terrifying striker and brawler, is also a pure wrestler and grappler who can put someone into any hold and, more often than not, find a way out of any predicament.

In the final moments of the match, both men traded submissions back and forth in the center of the ring, alternating between SANADA’s Skull End and leglocks from Suzuki. Just when it seemed like the life had been squeezed out of one of the wrestlers, they would spring back to life to counter the hold.

After SANADA finally had Suzuki worn down after repeated applications of the Skull End, he limped to the corner. His chest heaving and the effects of the near 30-minute match being felt, Cold Skull scaled the top ropes.

Exhausted from the war, Suzuki could go nowhere. Instead, the lasting image of Suzuki on his back reaching toward and screaming at SANADA as he ascended is one that will stay with me for quite some time.

With one last movement, SANADA struck with the Mutoh-inspired moonsault and finally got the monkey off of his back. In their third singles meeting in a New Japan ring, SANADA was finally able to defeat The King of Pro Wrestling.

This match absolutely made SANADA a main event star whenever New Japan wants to pull the trigger. It’s no surprise that he can turn out incredible matches – he’s been doing that for a while. Defeating Suzuki so conclusively put SANADA on an entirely new level.

It was easy to see why so many bought into the SANADA hype after this contest and further bought in after he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in the semifinals.

Ultimately, Cold Skull would fall to Okada in the finals but even in defeat, this New Japan Cup felt like the seeds of a future Ace being planted.

SANADA is now en route to Madison Square Garden with EVIL to compete for the IWGP and ROH Tag Team Titles, but I’m hoping that this isn’t a permanent move back to the tag team division for him. As much as anyone has deserved it, SANADA deserves a big G1 run and a Tokyo Dome main event.

If it doesn’t happen this year, it’s merely a matter of time.