Here are the results from Day 11 of the New Japan Cup tour. This event took place in Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan from the Big Palette Fukushima. It features two New Japan Cup semi-final matches.
Oleg Boltin & Shoma Kato vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)
- ZSJ forced Kato to tap out
Another fantastic performance from TMDK, as they brought out the best match so far from the young lions. Boltin’s power moves brought a good contrast from ZSJ’s technical wizardy.
It was a great clash of styles, with ZSJ showing why he is one of the best in the world right now.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) vs El Desperado, Togi Makabe & Tomohiro Ishii
- Uemura forced Makage to tap out to an arm bar
Another dull six-man tag team match with very little to speak about. The classic Ishii striking sequences were the highlight, but those were few and far between.
Ryusuke Taguchi & Tanga Loa vs United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan)
- Loa forced Newman to tap out to a cross face
This is one of the worst matches on the tour so far. None of the wrestlers gave it their all, clearly wanting to be anywhere but the Big Palette Fukushima.
BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) vs CHAOS (Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
- KENTA pinned Tenzan after hitting him with the belt
It is the same Bullet Club match we’ve seen for the last few years. Isolating the faces, distracting the referee and cheating to win.
Boring. Another dull New Japan Cup six-man tag match that might as well as not happened.
Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo), Shota Umino & YOH vs House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)
- Umino forced Takahashi to tap out to a cross face.
If you can believe it, HoT attacked Hikuleo before the match! The originality in these matches in breathtaking (it is not breathtaking).
Umino forced Takahashi to tap out after a nothing match, adding to an already disappointing show so far.
New Japan Cup Semi Final: Yota Tsuji vs EVIL
- Tsuji pinned EVIL after a Gene Blaster
This match began immediately after a HoT brawl. The crowd were right behind Tsuji, wanting nothing more than to see him destory EVIL to reach the cup final.
This was the first time the pair have ever met in singles action, and Tsuji played the sympathetic babyface throughout.
It was actually quite a good match until HoT reared their ugly heads again. LiJ eventually ran in to make the save, helping Tsuji win the match and advance to the New Japan Cup final.
New Japan Cup Semi Final: Hirooki Goto vs SANADA
- Gota pins SANADA after a GTR and GTW
In a shock result, Goto reached the final of the New Japan Cup as he tries to win a record fourth trophy.
The match was the best one of the night, with a back-and-forth encounter having the crowd on their feet throughout.
While SANADA was the favorite to win, Goto shocked the world by booking a place in the New Japan Cup final against Yota Tsuji on Wednesday.
