We’ve finally arrived at the end of the first round of the New Japan Cup tournament at this show in Amagasaki. Tonight’s show features my most anticipated match of the first round and also my least anticipated match of the first round. Let’s start with the bad news first.

New Japan Cup: Chase Owens [House of Torture] vs. Shota Umino

It’s Japanese commentary only on this show – Chris Charlton suggested this might be the case, since he doesn’t tend to travel outside of Tokyo for commentary and Walker Stewart hasn’t arrived because of his family emergency. 

Oh man, I forgot how bad Owens’s “cowboy” theme is. Wow, it’s just God-awful. The match starts off slow, with brawling on the outside and multiple guard-rail shots for each guy. Owens took control in the ring with methodical offense, but Umino eventually cut him off with a dropkick. They went back and forth for a while, and it just felt like delaying the inevitable. Owens eventually hit a lariat on the apron for the near-countout and then tried the Last Testament on the apron, but it got countered into a DDT on the apron, and then one on the floor. At this point, Dick Togo came out and took the ref while Yujiro Takahashi beat up Umino on the outside. Owens got a couple near-falls with C-triggers (it pains me just to type that), but Umino pulled out a lariat for a near-fall of his own. Togo tried to choke out Umino, but Umino countered and took both he and Takahashi out. Owens tried to hit Umino with his branding iron, but Umino countered and hit the Second Chapter for the win. Pretty low-energy effort for the House, I have to say, but it’s Owens, so… you know. They’ll probably step it up when Umino faces Takahashi in the next round in Nagoya on March 14. This was fine, and absolutely, positively nothing more.

New Japan Cup: Ryohei Oiwa [TMDK] vs. Yuto-Ice [Unbound Co.]

This is Yuto’s third singles match since returning, after losses to Yuya Uemura in October and Tanahashi in the “Ace vs. Ice” match in November, which was notable for the post-match angle where Kazuchika Okada returned to NJPW and challenged Tanahashi for Tanahashi’s retirement match.

This match started with a striking battle, and before long, they were brawling in the crowd, where Yuto threw Oiwa into a seating section and got a near-countout. Yuto briefly had the upper hand, but then he challenged the more powerful Oiwa to another striking battle, which Oiwa won. Oiwa got a near-submission with an armbar, but Yuto got out of it with a Greco-Roman eye gouge. Yuto tried a PK, which Oiwa caught, but Yuto yanked him down by the hair and then hit a kick to the head and the PK for a near-fall. Yuto tried another kick but got countered by a lariat for a double-down. Yuto got the best of a striking battle and laid Oiwa out with a headbutt, but Oiwa countered that with a lariat, then hit short Grip for a near-fall. Yuto countered the Grip with an elbow strike, then hit a head kick for one, followed by the Takayama knee and a front suplex, but Oiwa dodged Cruella and pinned Yuto with a leg-capture roll-up. Of course, Yuto was pissed as hell by this. He stood over Oiwa with his tag belt – which Oiwa subtly reached for, indicating that perhaps a rematch of the New Year Dash!! title match is in the offing – and then pointedly walked up the ramp like he won. This was very good, and the crowd was into both guys. Yuto hasn’t had enough time in singles matches to get his offensive flow down, and that showed a bit here, but, honestly, he looked like he belonged. And, obviously, the flash pin was meant to protect him.

Next up for Oiwa is his faction-mate and tag-team partner, Zack Sabre Jr., on March 14 in Nagoya, which is in Oiwa’s home prefecture. That is the most interesting match of the second round (Boltin/HENARE is a close second for me, as a big-meaty-men-slapping-meat enthusiast). Next up for the tour is Okayama on Tuesday, which features Drilla Moloney vs. Yuya Uemura, which should be fun, and Shingo Takagi vs. Don Fale, which should be… well, poor Shingo, is all I got to say.