So this review is going to be similar to the reviews I've done for the G1 Climax shows in the past. I won't be giving each show an individual review with a breakdown of each match. Instead, this review will feature the three shows from this tour which hosted all of the matches that were part of the New Japan Cup itself (in this case, those are Night 1, Night 3, and the Finals). I'll have star ratings for the matches on each night, and then I'll give my thoughts on the show in general.
NJPW New Japan Cup 2015
NJPW New Japan Cup 2015: Night 1
Tokyo, Japan 3/5/15
1.) Eight-Man Tag - Jay White, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, KUSHIDA, & Yohei Komatsu vs. Mascara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi, Sho Tanaka, & Tiger Mask: **3/4
2.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Yoshi-Hashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi: *1/2
3.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma: ***1/2
4.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Satoshi Kojima vs. Katsuyori Shibata: ***1/2
5.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata: ***3/4
6.) Six-Man Tag - CHAOS (IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, & Kazushi Sakuraba) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, & Captain New Japan: ***
7.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Doc Gallows vs. Kota Ibushi: ***
8.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito: ****
9.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano: *1/2
10.) New Japan Cup 2015 - First Round - Bad Luck Fale vs. “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada (with Gedo): ***
Overall: 7.75/10
I thought this was a pretty solid start for the New Japan Cup. The majority of the tournament matches were really good, with Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata being the standouts. The only tournament match that was actively bad was Yoshi-Hashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi (and I’d put the blame for that one more on Yujiro). While the rating may lead you to believe that Tanahashi vs. Yano was bad, it really wasn’t. It was your typical short Yano match, where he pulled out every trick of the book, and in the end, got one over on Tanahashi (which would lead to a feud between the two that would last a number of months). While I understand why Okada vs. Fale was the Main Event (Fale’s victory continues the big storyline of Okada’s “downward slide” after losing at the Tokyo Dome), it paled in comparison to some of the other tournament matches. The two non-tournament multi-man tags were fine, but nothing that you’ll really remember.
NJPW New Japan Cup 2015: Night 3
Tokyo, Japan 3/8/15
1.) Yoshi-Hashi vs. Jay White: **
2.) Ten-Man Tag - Satoshi Kojima, Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, KUSHIDA, Tomoaki Honma, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, & Captain New Japan: ***
3.) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Yuji Nagata & Sho Tanaka: ***3/4
4.) Eight-Man Tag - CHAOS - (“Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, & Kazushi Sakuraba) vs. The Bullet Club (IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows, Tama Tonga, & Cody Hall): ***1/4
5.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Quarter-Finals - Togi Makabe vs. Yujiro Takahashi: ***
6.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Quarter-Finals - Kota Ibushi vs. Toru Yano: *1/2
7.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Quarter-Finals - Bad Luck Fale vs. Tetsuya Naito: ***
8.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Quarter-Finals - Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata: ****
Overall: 7.5/10
While this show, which featured the Quarter-Finals of the New Japan Cup, wasn’t quite as good as Night 1 of the tournament, this show was a little bit more consistent. The best match on the show was easily the Main Event, which saw Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata rekindle their rivalry. As far as the rest of the tournament matches go, they were all fine, but nowhere near as good as the Main Event. Once again, while the rating may suggest that Ibushi vs. Yano was a bad match, it really wasn’t, as Yano tried to pull off the same tricks he did against Tanahashi, but in the end, was unable to overcome Ibushi. The non-tournament matches were all pretty solid. One match in particular really stood out, was Tanahashi & Komatsu vs. Nagata & Tanaka. Firstly, the fact that we had two veterans, particularly a high-profile star like Tanahashi, each teaming up with a young lion for this match was in of itself. The match itself actually really good, bordering on great. It was easily the second best match of the night. That, and Goto vs. Shibata are definitely worth checking out on this show.
NJPW New Japan Cup 2015: Finals
Hiroshima, Japan 3/15/15
1.) Six-Man Tag - Jay White, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, & KUSHIDA vs. Mascara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Tiger Mask: ***¼
2.) Satoshi Kojima & Yohei Komatsu vs. Yuji Nagata & Sho Tanaka: ***1/4
3.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Semi-Finals - Hirooki Goto vs. Togi Makabe: ***
4.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Semi-Finals - Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito: ****1/4
5.) Katsuyori Shibata & Tomoaki Honma vs. The Bullet Club (Tama Tonga & Cody Hall): ***1/2
6.) CHAOS (Kazushi Sakuraba & Toru Yano) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Captain New Japan: **1/2
7.) Eight-Man Tag - CHAOS (“Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, & Yoshi-Hashi) vs. The Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, & IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows): ***
8.) New Japan Cup 2015 - Finals - Hirooki Goto vs. Kota Ibushi: ****
Overall: 8.0/10
This was definitely the best show of the tour which featured tournament matches. The first Semi-Final Match, Goto vs. Makabe, was good, but could have been better. Ibushi vs. Naito, which was the second Semi-Final Match, was fantastic, and was not just the best match of the night, but easily the best match of the whole tournament. If there’s one match to check out from the 2015 New Japan Cup, it’s that one. The Finals, which saw Ibushi win the New Japan Cup by defeating Goto, was also great, and one of the best matches of the tournament. Ibushi would end up deciding to challenge AJ Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Title at Invasion Attack. The undercard on this show was probably the most solid undercard of the three shows, in my opinion, with Shibata & Honma vs. Tama Tonga & Cody Hall being (surprisingly) the best of those matches. A very solid conclusion to the 2015 New Japan Cup.
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