Friday, March 31, 2023
NEARFALLS Media
  • Home
  • Features
    • All
    • Champion's Corner
    • Diamonds In The Rough
    • Lists
    • Meaning of the Mask
    • Opinions
    • Poetry
    • Reader's Choice
    The Chronicles of a Wrestling Nobody

    The Chronicles of a Wrestling Nobody

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    Insane Championship Wrestling: Three Breakout Stars for 2023

    Insane Championship Wrestling: Three Breakout Stars for 2023

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    CM Punk is better than you, and that’s the problem.

    CM Punk is better than you, and that’s the problem.

    “At THAT point I realised I can do this” – Eddie Edwards, IMPACT Wrestling

    “At THAT point I realised I can do this” – Eddie Edwards, IMPACT Wrestling

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Dethroning Roman Reigns: 7 Pop Culture Contendors

    Dethroning Roman Reigns: 7 Pop Culture Contendors

    Wrestling’s Most Unique Championships

    • Opinions
    • Champion’s Corner
    • Meaning of the Mask
  • Event Coverage
    • All
    • Show Previews
    • Show Reviews
    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Rika Tatsumi vs Shoko Nakajima: Making Humans of Us Monsters

    Rika Tatsumi vs Shoko Nakajima: Making Humans of Us Monsters

    CM Punk and The Elite of AEW: A Timeline

    CM Punk and The Elite of AEW: A Timeline

    Josh Alexander has Eric Young’s respect – because he’s done things the right way

    Josh Alexander has Eric Young’s respect – because he’s done things the right way

    Introducing… HAYATA

    Introducing… HAYATA

    Pro Wrestling NOAH’s History With England

    Pro Wrestling NOAH’s History With England

    Hot Off the Tess: Yet Another WOW Update

    Hot Off the Tess: Yet Another WOW Update

    • Show Previews
    • Show Reviews
  • Join the Team
  • Meet The Team
  • The Game of 2 Halves
    Football Manager 2022: 10 Teams To Start Your Save

    Football Manager 2022: 10 Teams To Start Your Save

    What is happening at Burnley Football Club?

    What is happening at Burnley Football Club?

    La Liga Santander Matchday 1 & 2 (21/22 Season)

    La Liga Santander Matchdays 5 – 7 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 1 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 4 – 6 (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 1 & 2 Round Up (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 6 – 8 (21/22 Season)

    Bundesliga.1 Matchday 2 (21/22 Season)

    Bundesliga.1 Matchday 5 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 1 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 3 (21/22 Season) Roundup

    La Liga Santander Matchday 1 & 2 (21/22 Season)

    La Liga Santander Matchday 4 (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 1 & 2 Round Up (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchday 5 (21/22 Season) Roundup

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
    • All
    • Champion's Corner
    • Diamonds In The Rough
    • Lists
    • Meaning of the Mask
    • Opinions
    • Poetry
    • Reader's Choice
    The Chronicles of a Wrestling Nobody

    The Chronicles of a Wrestling Nobody

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    Insane Championship Wrestling: Three Breakout Stars for 2023

    Insane Championship Wrestling: Three Breakout Stars for 2023

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    CM Punk is better than you, and that’s the problem.

    CM Punk is better than you, and that’s the problem.

    “At THAT point I realised I can do this” – Eddie Edwards, IMPACT Wrestling

    “At THAT point I realised I can do this” – Eddie Edwards, IMPACT Wrestling

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Dethroning Roman Reigns: 7 Pop Culture Contendors

    Dethroning Roman Reigns: 7 Pop Culture Contendors

    Wrestling’s Most Unique Championships

    • Opinions
    • Champion’s Corner
    • Meaning of the Mask
  • Event Coverage
    • All
    • Show Previews
    • Show Reviews
    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    TJPW – Everything You Need To Know, In One Match

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    20 Matches under 20 Minutes, 2021

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Whose Generation Is It? The Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade Story

    Rika Tatsumi vs Shoko Nakajima: Making Humans of Us Monsters

    Rika Tatsumi vs Shoko Nakajima: Making Humans of Us Monsters

    CM Punk and The Elite of AEW: A Timeline

    CM Punk and The Elite of AEW: A Timeline

    Josh Alexander has Eric Young’s respect – because he’s done things the right way

    Josh Alexander has Eric Young’s respect – because he’s done things the right way

    Introducing… HAYATA

    Introducing… HAYATA

    Pro Wrestling NOAH’s History With England

    Pro Wrestling NOAH’s History With England

    Hot Off the Tess: Yet Another WOW Update

    Hot Off the Tess: Yet Another WOW Update

    • Show Previews
    • Show Reviews
  • Join the Team
  • Meet The Team
  • The Game of 2 Halves
    Football Manager 2022: 10 Teams To Start Your Save

    Football Manager 2022: 10 Teams To Start Your Save

    What is happening at Burnley Football Club?

    What is happening at Burnley Football Club?

    La Liga Santander Matchday 1 & 2 (21/22 Season)

    La Liga Santander Matchdays 5 – 7 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 1 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 4 – 6 (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 1 & 2 Round Up (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 6 – 8 (21/22 Season)

    Bundesliga.1 Matchday 2 (21/22 Season)

    Bundesliga.1 Matchday 5 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 1 (21/22 Season)

    Serie A Matchday 3 (21/22 Season) Roundup

    La Liga Santander Matchday 1 & 2 (21/22 Season)

    La Liga Santander Matchday 4 (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchdays 1 & 2 Round Up (21/22 Season)

    Ligue 1 Matchday 5 (21/22 Season) Roundup

No Result
View All Result
NEARFALLS Media
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Chris’s New Japan Cup Round 2 Review

Chris Harris by Chris Harris
April 12, 2021
in Uncategorized
0 0
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Traditionally, the second round of the New Japan Cup has produced some of the best matches of the tournament. Whether it is Goto vs Shibata, Ibushi vs ZSJ or Suzuki vs SANADA, many classics have taken place in the second round. So how was 2020’s second round? Here’s my take:

(Credit NJPW)

TAIJI ISHIMORI VS YOSHINOBU KANEMARU

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the second round pit Kanemaru against Ishimori, two men who have a long history in NOAH, with Ishimori never beating Kanemaru one-on-one before. New Japan just completely ignored this history by having Ishimori win, but as for the match, it was good. Ishimori acted as the babyface really well against the grimy Kanemaru, who jumped Ishimori before the bell. Kanemaru looked nasty, and whilst it would have been nice to see the Heel Master get one over, I understand that Ishimori vs Okada is the better match. Just let Ishimori wrestle instead of employing heel tactics all the time, and he’ll be fine. 6/10

(Credit NJPW)

TOGI MAKABE VS TOMOHIRO ISHII

As expected, 90% of this match consisted of stiff forearms, chops and slaps. Makabe has looked great since New Japan made its return, harking back to 2015 in this match with Ishii, who was great as usual. Whilst not as good as those wars, Makabe and Ishii beat the hell out of each other, setting up at tasty quarter final between Hiromu and Ishii. 7/10

(Credit NJPW)

TORU YANO VS HIROMU TAKAHASHI

How the hell do I grade Toru Yano matches? This match was a brilliant Yano match, probably his best since Mox, but I can’t grade it highly, surely? Hiromu was great at portraying genuine fear of getting his head shaved, as this match was a great palate cleanser for the main event. This was probably my second most enjoyable match of the tournament, and the creative finish made me chuckle. 7/10

(Credit NJPW)

KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS YUJI NAGATA

This was, as the commentators built it, New Japan’s past vs present. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Yuji Nagata is good enough to be a regular IWGP Heavyweight Championship contender. If Suzuki is put in the position of legit contender to titles, why isn’t Nagata? The match itself was excellent, with Okada reverting back to the cocky young Rainmaker of 2012 by going for cocky pins and working a heel style in this match. It’s looking likely that Okada will be going to the finals, which is fine, but it feels like the Rainmaker needs a shakeup, similar to 2018. Maybe a tag run? Maybe a NEVER run? Whatever it is, Okada needs something different. This match was great though. 8/10

(Credit NJPW)

YOSHI-HASHI VS BUSHI

What a dead matchup. YOSHI-HASHI is a mediocre wrestler with no personality, and BUSHI is a decent wrestler with a mask as a personality. Seriously, I physically couldn’t have cared less about this match. The in-ring action was fine, but I knew that YOSHI-HASHI was winning and thus didn’t get invested. Neither man seemed to care all that much about the match and it showed, and now I have the misfortune of sitting through another YOSHI-HASHI singles match. At the very least, he isn’t in the G1. 4/10

(Credit NJPW)

SHO VS SANADA

Whilst the 1/7 show wasn’t as good as the 24/6 show, this match was probably the best of the bunch. With that being said however, I still was not a huge fan of it. I’m a huge fan of SHO, and Roppongi 3K has officially run its course, but in this match he seemed slower than usual. As for SANADA, he just seemed like he was going through the motions, and whilst I understand that he’s the ‘Cold Skull’, you need to show some form of emotion rather than a blank stare for the whole match. That’s why people like Naito, even though he tries to make it seem like he doesn’t care, he does. SANADA genuinely doesn’t care, which is a bore to watch. 6/10

(Credit NJPW)

KOTA IBUSHI VS TAICHI

It’s such a shame. This was Taichi’s chance to prove the naysayers wrong, to prove that he is a good wrestler, but this match couldn’t do that. This was a dull match. Whilst some of the strike exchanges were quality, large stretches of the match were filled with dead air. Whilst Taichi pinning both Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi makes Dangerous Tekkers a serious threat to the Tag Team Championships, the match itself wasn’t all that. A tag run could do Taichi the world of good, as he is not yet at the level of upper midcarders such as Ishii or ZSJ. 6/10

(Credit NJPW)

HIROOKI GOTO VS EVIL

Like I said about the previous two matches, this was fine, but not great. I feel like these empty arena shows are running out of steam, and once fans are allowed back into the shows on 11th July, the matches will seem great once again. The forearm exchanges in this match didn’t really do anything for me, but if a crowd was behind it cheering every strike, I might have been more invested. As it stands, the match itself was ok, but not spectacular, setting up a lukewarm at best match between YOSHI-HASHI and EVIL. Can we just do Okada vs SANADA now and be done with it? 7/10

CONCLUSION

And so we go from 16 down to 8. Like I said previously, these matches seem to be running on fumes at the moment, without the familiar backing noise of a crowd. The novelty has worn off significantly, and I can’t wait for Dominion.

Tags: 2020BUSHICoronaDesperadoEVILGedoGotoHiromuHonmaIbushiIshiiIshimoriJadoKanemaruKiddKojimaMakabeNagataNew JapanNew Japan CupNJCNJPWOkadaSANADAShingoSHOSuzukiTaguchiTaichiTakagiTanahashiTenzanTournamentTsujiUemuraYanoYOHYOSHI-HASHIYujiroZSJ
Previous Post

RAW / SmackDown ‘MyWay’ – First Bits, Ground Rules and Admin.

Next Post

Chops, Kicks and Nearfalls Ep. 2 – The STARS of the Future.

Chris Harris

Chris Harris

Next Post

Chops, Kicks and Nearfalls Ep. 2 - The STARS of the Future.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Us




Founded in 2020 (as Chops, Kicks & Nearfalls), Nearfalls Media aims to bring genuine, enjoyable content in audio and written form. No news. No clickbait. Nothing inauthentic. Our content will always be provided by passionate individuals, who follow and understand the subject they write about.





© 2021 Nearfalls Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Features
    • Opinions
    • Champion’s Corner
    • Meaning of the Mask
  • Event Coverage
    • Show Previews
    • Show Reviews
  • Join the Team
  • Meet The Team
  • The Game of 2 Halves

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In