Tag: NJPW New Japan Cup

Yota Tsuji wins New Japan Cup 2024, calls himself face of the new era

Yota Tsuji will now face his LIJ teammate Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis.

The Rainmaker era has ended. Can it be the time of the Gene Blast next?

Yota Tsuji made his claim to be the face at the forefront of whatever is next for New Japan Pro-Wrestling on Wednesday, winning the New Japan Cup 2024 final in Nagaoka.

Tsuji claimed the trophy for the first time in his career by defeating Hirooki Goto, who was looking for an unprecedented fourth New Japan Cup triumph. Goto was already the only man to claim the honor three times.

It was an interesting tournament for fans trying to read the tea leaves for the championship picture in NJPW as both men defeated wrestlers who figure to be players at the top of the card with the recent departures of Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. Goto got by former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada in the semifinal and also received a forfeit victory over David Finlay, while Tsuji took down both EVIL and Ren Narita on his way to the final.

Tsuji’s victory also sets up an all-Los Ingobernables de Japon main event at Sakura Genesis, as he’ll face LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito for New Japan’s top prize. Naito always backed one of his teammates to win, first favoring Shingo Takagi and later suggesting Yota would avenge Shingo’s loss to EVIL.

Naito also made sure everyone knew the upcoming NJPW schedule and its heavy LIJ influence.

It’s one thing to declare yourself the “face of a new era” and another to prove a company has the faith in you to embody that phrase, so it will be interesting to see what NJPW does with Yota next. Sakura Genesis 2024 is scheduled for Saturday, April 6 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, with only Naito vs. Tsuji announced for the card so far.

Hirooki Goto, Yota Tsuji set for New Japan Cup final

Hirooki Goto will look for his fourth New Japan Cup trophy on Wednesday, while Yota Tsuji hunts for his first.

The 2024 New Japan Cup final could have been another showdown between two former tag team partners and teammates whose paths have diverged completely over the past few years. Instead, NJPW sent the other semifinalists through, setting up an intriguing clash between past and present this Wednesday in Nagaoka.

Hirooki Goto and Yota Tsuji will meet in the final after both were victorious Monday in Fukushima. Goto defeated Sanada in one semifinal, while Tsuji was able to overcome the usual copious amounts of House of Torture interference to take down EVIL in the other.

The victory for Goto means the 44-year-old can potentially add to his own bit of company history. He’s already the only three-time New Japan Cup winner (he also won in 2009, 2010 and 2012), and can add to his record with a fourth triumph.

In contrast, this is uncharted territory for Tsuji, who is being counted on as one of the performers to carry the banner for New Japan after the recent departures of stars like Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay.

Tsuji would also arguably have the more interesting storyline if he won the Cup, as it would set up a showdown for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis against his LIJ teammate Tetsuya Naito. Fans might be invested in Goto getting that shot too, though it’s worth noting that he didn’t capitalize on the world title opportunities he received from any of his three prior New Japan Cup wins.

The New Japan Cup 2024 final will take place Wednesday at Ao-re Nagaoka. The only other match currently announced is YOH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru.