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.
[LOS INGOBERNABLES de JAPON]
Aōre NAGAOKA.
アオーレ長岡。
Calendario futuro de NJPW.
新日本プロレス今後のスケジュール。 pic.twitter.com/Dyskz6RPK0
— 内藤哲也 naito tetsuya (@s_d_naito) March 20, 2024
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.