wrestling / TV Reports
Kevin’s NJPW New Japan Cup 3.18.21 Review
Image Credit: NJPW
Loading...NJPW New Japan Cup
March 18th, 2021 | Twin Messe Shizuoka in Magarikane, Shizuoka
We’ve got to wrap up the quarterfinals. I’m hype about one match and not so much about the other. Let’s see how it goes.
New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: David Finlay vs. Jay White
Jay has dominated this historically. Finlay won their first meeting and Jay won every single one afterward, from their Young Lion days to being the United States Champion. The expected quality work from these two. They’ve wrestled so much and have both gotten so much better, so the chemistry was there and everything was crisp. Admittedly, I didn’t love the start of the match. There was a bit much of the distraction stuff and some Gedo antics. Still, it’s often better with Jay than it is with EVIL and Dick Togo. Once Gedo got taken out by Juice Robinson, this kicked into the next gear and turned into something fantastic. Finlay threw himself into some wild bumps, really making you feel like the expected loss was coming at any moment. His confidence seemed to grow as he got the upper hand a few times late. He finally countered Blade Runner, hit Prima Nocta, and added the Acid Drop for the upset in 19:24. A hell of a match that told a great story. [***¾]
New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: SANADA vs. Will Ospreay
They met in the G1 29 (***¾). The match I’m far less interested in since I truly despise Willy and don’t really care for SANADA. I think both guys are far better when being led along by a superior wrestler so putting them together wasn’t a recipe for success. They made it mostly work and put on a highly entertaining match that surprised me. A lot of the early stuff didn’t grab me since it felt way contrived like a lot of their stuff tends to. SANADA went after Ospreay’s nose, which was broken the other day, and I really appreciated that. That aspect of the match worked for me. Some of their exchanges were crisp while others felt forced. Regardless, a lot of it was good. The finish saw Ospreay win with Stormbreaker in 18:56. Another very good match. [***¾]
