It is that time of the year again and what better way to kick off the month of March than with the return of the New Japan Cup! This time for 2019, instead of the usual 16 man, it is now bigger and better with 32 men involved! Been a while since I posted so here is my return post for you all, my ENTIRE predictions for NJ Cup 2019! Let's go through every match and their implications for all the men involved! Hopefully you have a good time reading and feel free to share your thoughts & predictions as well. ROUND 1Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata Ever since post Wrestle Kingdom, a rivalry started brewing between Tomohiro Ishii and Yuji Nagata. The two alumni of the New Japan Dojo have constantly butted heads ever since and were scheduled to have a 1 on 1 match at the New Beginning USA Tour but was discontinued due to visa issues and whatnot. However the two of them will finally be able to clash at the first round of this year's New Japan Cup! Every year it seems like Ishii is a favorite to win but does not actually get all that far, Nagata on the other hand is looking for that "one last hoorah" perhaps at this point of his career. Pick: Tomohiro Ishii It could really go either way but I think Ishii would take the win on this one, granted it won't be an easy victory as him and Nagata would surely beat the living piss out of one another! Tomoaki Honma vs. Taichi About two years ago Tomoaki Honma suffered a neck injury that seemed to have been career ending, but the man's perseverance and fighting spirit was too strong for the world to take away what he loves and that is wrestling! In the middle of the previous year, Honma finally made his return to the ring and ever since then has been involved in multi-men matches, mainly tags. This is however his first singles match ever since receiving that drastic injury, and is looking to gain back some momentum as his career is obviously on a slump right now. Unfortunatey for Honma he is gonna take on one of the rising stars of the roster right now, the pesky student of Toshiaki Kawada; Lord Taichi himself! It was not so long ago when Taichi had an Intercontinental Championship match against Tetsuya Naito, although he loss despite the devious tactics, it is clear that his momentum within the company is still on a rise ever since moving up to the heavyweights division! Pick: Taichi A win for Honma would certainly be beneficial for him, unfortunately though, I think Taichi's dirty tactics would work for him this time, probably with Takashi Iizuka's Iron Glove too which he now owns after the madman's retirement. Manabu Nakanishi vs. YOSHI-HASHI Nagata vs. Ishii is not the only New Japan Dad vs. CHAOS member matchup that we will be seeing for this tournament, but also Manabu Nakanishi vs. YOSHI-HASHI. And yes, if you're a new fan YOSHI-HASHI is the CHAOS member here despite looking like the same age as the New Japan veterans but I digress. YOSHI-HASHI also made his return from injury at the New Year's Dash show teaming up with the Dream Team of Kazuchika Okada and then IWGP Heavyweight Champion; Hiroshi Tanahashi. He was the one to eat the L that time from Switchblade and gang, would not be the first time he suffered a loss from Jay White though as his aforementioned injury was due to the hands of the current World Champ. Speaking of World Champions, some of you might have forgotten but Manabu Nakanishi is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. I do not think he is in a position or will ever be to win the belt again, but nobody can take away that fact from him. Obviously advancing in the tournament will help him with that cause, but Monster Morning's glory days are behind him at this point. Pick: YOSHI-HASHI I feel like his bad luck will finally end here, until he probably gets beat in the upcoming rounds that is... Juice Robinson vs. Chase Owens At Wrestle Kingdom 13, Juice Robinson finally beat the odds and won back the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship from Cody! The loss was so impactful in fact that Cody left the company and make his own promotion, what a loser right?! (obvious sarcasm is obvious...) Anyway, Juice has got some momentum back ever since losing it after back to back defeats the G1 tournament last year. He is now the leader of his own faction over at ROH called "Lifeblood" consisting with a bunch of who's who from the ROH roster: David Finlay, Bandido, Mark Haskins, Tracy Williams, and Tenille Dashwood fka Emma of WWE! Chase Owens on the other hand is still in the same position, being Bullet Club's lower midcard guy. Earlier this month at New Year's Dash, him and Yujiro formally left The Elite and re-joined the OG Bullet Club, gaining back his Honorary Tongan nationality! A win for Chase here would be monstrous and will guarantee him a shot at Juice's US Title in the future too! But I think we're getting too ahead of ourselves now. Pick: Juice Robinson Knowing Juice, he could very well lose this match despite the opposition, but I think it is important for him to start racking up on some wins especially with his current status right now at ROH. Also I've spoken of Yujiro earlier, where the hell is he in this entire thing? Total disrespect on the Tokyo Pimps! Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin While Juice was able to take back his loss momentum at Wrestle Kingdom 13, it was an entirely different story for The Rainmaker; Kazuchika Okada. He finally ditched the old look and the balloons, the remix of his theme song, got back to the classic trunks receiving awe from the crowd, and yet seemingly going back to his former self was not just enough to beat "Switchblade" Jay White! Of course Gedo being on the opposition's side did not help too but Okada has certainly been away from the World Title picture ever since. He was predicted to win the G1 last year after losing the belt to Kenny but Okada changed into a "weird" or "broken" man if you will, but now that he has his shit together, at least it looks that way, he is expected to do well by many in the tournament and even going as far as to win the whole thing and face Switchblade once again, this time however, for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which we all know means the whole world to Okada! His opponent though won't be an easy one, that is Michael Elgin who is also another man returning from injury. We have seen Big Mike and Okada battle before, with the former even taking some wins, so it will not surprise me if Elgin takes an upset victory! He is in need of some momentum too as he loss all of that especially after the controversies he has faced over the past two years or so. One thing is for sure, these two will surely have another barn burner! Pick: Kazuchika Okada Like I said, things could really go either way, but I'll enjoy the match no matter the result. Mikey Nicholls vs. HIKULEO From the leader of CHAOS, we get to the newest member of the faction that being Mikey Nicholls! Some of you might know him as former NXT wrestler: Nick Miller. Being 1/2 of the tag-team TM-61 with his long time partner Shane Haste aka Shane Thorne. Their tag-team have found previous success in Japan, mainly from NOAH being 2x GHC Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions! Just last year though, Nicholls has been released from the WWE and is looking to get back on top and has returned to Japan, this time however on a much larger scale! On the same day the brackets were announced, Rocky Romero also made it official on Twitter that the Australian superstar is a member of their faction. With the leave of Beretta and Chuckie T for AEW, Nicholls is certainly a wonderful addition to the gaijin crew of NJPW altogether! His opponent is the returning HIKULEO! The biggest yet also the youngest son of Haku. He made his return at one of the Honor Rising shows, accompanying his brothers; GoD, who are now once again your IWGP Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions beating EVIL & SANADA and will face The Briscoes at MSG for both the IWGP and ROH World Tag Belts! Anyways, I doubt HIKULEO's chances but he can pull off an upset for sure, though at this stage of his career, he is still somewhat of a young lion. Pick: Mikey Nicholls Should be a strong debut for the new guy beating one of New Japan's big guys! Will Ospreay vs. Bad Luck Fale Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is probably the first time a Junior Heavyweight will participate in the New Japan Cup! Obviously Ospreay is on his way to being a heavyweight himself but as of right now he is still categorized with the juniors. Ospreay just keeps on solidifying his career in New Japan and in the world as a whole! His match against Ibushi, beating him for the NEVER Openweight Championship at WK13 is still one of the greatest matches I've seen of both men's careers! Ever since then Ospreay has continued to be on the rise, being successful at his first two defenses of the NEVER belt too against Chris Brookes at RevPro and Dalton Castle, former ROH World Champion at one of the Honor Rising shows! But he will not be facing any ordinary man in his first round of the tournament, oh no sir. He will be facing The Rogue General of the Bullet Club; Bad Luck Fale! Despite never really being in the World Title picture in a very long time, Fale is one of the most unpredictable wrestlers in the New Japan roster. He will surely always get upset wins at any tournament you place him at, and is a top proponent of the "size does matter" ordeal in wrestling. While Ospreay has beaten guys twice his size before, Fale is a whole new individual altogether! Pick: Bad Luck Fale I'm a Will Ospreay fan myself and do believe now that Kenny has left, is the top babyface gaijin of the company. But he is facing Bad Luck Fale of all people, I believe the big man will pull off one of his upsets in this one and will gain a NEVER Openweight Title shot in the future. Toa Henare vs. Lance Archer We go from teacher to student, as Fale Dojo alumni Henare will take on 1/2 of KES: Lance Archer! Ever since moving away from his young lion days, Toa Henare has taken the gimmick in tribute of his traditional islander mauri bloodline and has had two high profile singles matches of his career so far: one against his teacher Fale and the other being Tomohiro Ishii. He loss to both of them obviously, but he has shown trinkets if you will of what he can do in the ring. He just needs a strong push to get to the next level! After failing to win the World Tag League last year, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. found themselves loss in the shuffle at New Japan. They did have a match at the Tokyo Dome, in the WK13 Pre-Show where they teamed up with their leader Minoru Suzuki for the gaunlet no. 1 contender NEVER Openweight 6 Man Belts, they managed to reach the last team but loss ultimately to the odd trio of Yano, Makabe, and Taguchi! Ever since then, KES has been taking some L's from left and right and are looking to gain back some momentum. Pick: Toa Henare Yes call me crazy, but I think another upset victory is on its way this time for Toa Henare! Archer has a history of losing all of his first round matches at New Japan Cup and I think the trend continues this year. Henare facing his teacher Fale at the second round sure does sound an enticing story to me! Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shota Umino Past Ace vs. Future Ace. This is actually one of the matches I am looking forward to just for the mere fact that Shota Umino is wrestling the once in a century talent himself; Hiroshi Tanahashi! At the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega both gave it their all for the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship! The story and history behind that match was wonderfully concluded (for now) in the ring which saw Tanahashi gaining his 8th reign of the belt! Sadly though, his run wouldn't be as long like his past ones as "Switchblade" Jay White pulled off an upset at the New Beginning in Osakada, beating Tanahashi clean in the middle of the ring, for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship! Tears were certainly poured down at the eyes of many fans that day, but Tanahashi is looking to gain back once again what was once his at this tournament! He will be facing at the first round the top prospect out of all the batch of young lions right now; Shota Umino, son of everyone's favorite referee: Hiroyuki Umino aka Red Shoes! Umino has had some impressive singles matches over the course of his early career, just recently he gave Zack Sabre Jr. a run for his money at one of the Honor Rising shows! Some fans have speculated that this will be Umino's final match before going off to excursion and I cannot think of a better way to go out than against Tanahashi! New Japan certainly sees Umino as a future top guy and pitting him against Puroresu's biggest star of the modern era certainly solidifies that! Pick: Hiroshi Tanahashi A gimmie win for Tana, but certainly won't be an easy one that is for sure as Umino will get to show off more than usual this time I'd bet! Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. David Finlay (injured) Originally this spot was supposed to be Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. David Finlay, but as I am writing this blog, Finlay was unfortunately taken out of the match due to a shoulder injury. What bad luck isn't it? A lot of wrestlers are making their in-ring returns from injuries but it had to be him that was taken off the card due to injury, oh well. Maybe in his inevitable return we will see a whole new revamp David Finlay??? It's wishful thinking so probably not but I digress. Tenzan on the other hand, just like Nakanishi, is a shell of his former self in the ring. His knees are pretty much held on tape by this point and could barely walk right but hey he is still a legend and being a former 4x IWGP Heavyweight and record 12x IWGP Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion surely does help that resume! His most recent high profile match was at Takashi Iizuka's retirement match, with the two of them being former partners and just for a glimpse second Iizuka returned to his former self and shook hands with Tenzan, only to continue biting him like the madman he went out to be! Pick: Hiroyoshi Tenzan I had David Finlay to win here but now that he is out, maybe we'll get a replacement like Ayato Yoshida or Yujiro Takahashi and Tenzan might take the win there. A "one last hoorah" as well perhaps? Probably not. Would be cool to see someone like Jeff Cobb though, who I think deserved a spot in this tournament! Maybe even Matt Taven, even though I'm not really a fan of his, just someone interesting. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito We are actually getting THIS match on the first round! This could have very well be a finals match in itself but yes, Kota Ibushi and the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Tetsuya Naito will be facing each other, with one of them getting an early elimination! This is Ibushi's return match after losing the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13 and seemingly received an injury in the process. He made his initial return at one of the New Beginning shows announcing that he has signed a long term deal with NJPW so him and Kenny will be on different sides of the world once again, with his the other half of the Golden Lovers joinins his Elite friends at AEW. Tetsuya Naito on the other hand has received non stop success ever since beating Chris Jericho at WK13 in what was a hellacious match for both men! It was certainly action packed right from the get-go, but Naito won in the end with the help of the belt he once despises! His first title defense was also a win against another one of his recent rivals Taichi. Pick: Kota Ibushi Last year at the cup, Naito got knocked off the first round with an upset pulled by ZSJ, and I think we are looking at a similar scenario this time by Ibushi. As much as it saddens me as an LIJ fanboy, I won't be taking a bias side this time and picking Ibushi to win, possibly getting an IC Title match in the future too if he does not make it all the way to win the whole tournament. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL One of the recent rivalries that I think is being slept on by most fans is between Zack Sabre Jr. and EVIL! Both men have been on each other's tails since last year. It was a successful WK13 for both of them as ZSJ won back the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship from Tomohiro Ishii while EVIL became a 2x Tag-Team Champion with SANADA after a great run at the World Tag League as well! ZSJ won last year's New Japan Cup after getting back-to-back upset wins at some of NJPW's biggest stars: Naito, SANADA, Ibushi, and lastly Tanahashi! He would ultimately fight Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to a losing effort. But that entire run solidified ZSJ amongst the New Japan roster. He also always had EVIL's number, that is until at one of the New Beginning shows where EVIL was finally able to beat ZSJ for the first time! For the duo of EVIL & SANADA, it seemed like they were on track to hold on to the IWGP Tag-Team belts for a long run, but that was halted once again by the Guerillas of Destiny at the 2nd day of Honor Rising show. Pick: EVIL This one was another match that is hard to pick a winner, it could really go either way, and before making a final decision, I ultimately led my bias LIJ fanboy side get in me and pick EVIL. Plus I think out of both of them, he is the one that is in need of a win even though he just recently won agaisnt ZSJ. Either way, I wouldn't mind seeing either man advance. Togi Makabe vs. Colt Cabana BOOM BOOM! It's Colt Cabana's debut in the New Japan Cup Tournament and it won't be an easy match up for him against the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion; Togi Makabe! One of the fun little tidbit of stories at the recent Honor Rising shows was between the ROH guys, specifically Colt, Delirious, and Cheeseburger and also the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag-Team Champions: Taguchi, Makabe, and Yano. During their match for said title at Day 1 of Honor Rising, the champs managed to successfully defend the titles with Yano getting a sneaky lowblow win over Delirious! Colt did not see this act and shook hands with the opposition later on, which Delirious disapproved of and showed just that when he lowblowed Colt himself. The next night Colt & Yano teamed up in what I call this generation's Mega Powers! (Sorry Okada and Tana.) They took the win over Delirious and Cheeseburger in what was a fun match. Colt is beloved in Japan and has had matches at other promotions like DDT and NOAH but this is his first time getting some sort of actual recognition in NJPW outside of ROH integrated shows. Meanwhile, despite out of his prime anymore, Makabe is still one of the fan favorites among the Japanese audience. His TV show featuring him eating sweets is popular on a nationwide scale which is why he is more often than not featured in promotional posters even if he isn't even on the shows itself! Yes, he is on the same level as the "Four Pillars" of NJPW in terms of popularity. Plus having a historic run with the company helped a lot too. Pick: Togi Makabe I personally want Colt to win and face Yano in the next round, but I think this is a one and done for him. Some fans are even complaining that there are other ROH wrestlers more deserving than Colt, but I beg to differ. They love his style in Japan and while certainly someone like a Jeff Cobb would be cooler from a match quality stand point, some entertainment aspect from the former 2x NWA Worlds Champion is appreciated as well! Toru Yano vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. The True Ace of New Japan will be taking on the son of The British Bulldog for the second time in a row at the 1st round of the New Japan Cup! As mentioned already Yano is 1/3 of the current NEVER Openweight 6 Man Champs, he won the no. 1 contender gaunlet at Wrestle Kingdom, although they failed at their first attempt to win the belts, they managed to do so at the second time around beating Bullet Club's GoD and Taiji Ishimori! Speaking of tag-team success, Davey Boy Smith Jr. along with his cousin Teddy Hart and their family friend Brian Pillman Jr. have been wrecking havock recently at Major League Wrestling (MLW) and have captured the promotion's World Tag-Team titles beating Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix.) Here's hoping this is the start for at least a solid singles run for Davey Boy at the New Japan Cup as he has certainly improved tremendously since his days at the WWE. One of the best big men in the sport today! Pick: Davey Boy Smith Jr. Last year Yano won gaining an upset, but I think it would be pretty cool if at least the other half of KES advance and I've always been wanting a singles run from Davey Boy in New Japan. Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki Now this is an interesting and historic matchup between two of the greatest veterans in the New Japan roster today. For the unaware or newer fans, Suzuki-Gun was originally Kojima's faction and was called "Kojima-Gun." The team consisted of Kojima as the leader with members Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Nosawa Rongai, and the inaugural IWGP IC Champ himself; MVP! However after losing to Makabe in 2011, Kojima was attacked by Taichi and TAKA, then came out Minoru Suzuki to join in the fray and so a new faction was formed out of betrayal! I guess they never really liked one another but after such an act, I'm sure there is no any form of love or respect flowing in their veins between Kojima and Suzuki. Both of them are already at their late ages but the two are still capable of delivering intense matches! Suzuki is the reigning RevPro British Tag-Team Champions with ZSJ and Kojima is looking to bounce back ever since he returned from an injury he suffered earlier last year. Pick: Minoru Suzuki Once again it could go either way, but I'd prefer if Suzuki were to win this one. Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA Both men who are in dire need of a major victory, Hirooki Goto and SANADA are currently on a slump in their careers. Goto is really doing nothing right now ever since losing the NEVER Openweight Championship last year to Kota Ibushi. His team loss at the gaunlet match at WK13 and both of those guys (Best Friends) are gone in the company now. SANADA on the other hand just loss the tag titles from GoD. There is really no underlying storyline involved here other than it is a match up that will surely deliver in terms of match quality. The thing is, who needs to win it more? Pick: SANADA I'm a bias LIJ fanboy so I'm choosing SANADA, but once again if Goto wins, I would not even be mad. ROUND 2Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi Certainly an interesting match ups, a contrast of styles. One is a no-non sense "ima beat you up till you're knocked out" fighter while the other is a sleazy cheating bastard. Should be a nice one. Pick: Tomohiro Ishii I might already be at a disadvantage picking Ishii since historically he never really goes far into tournaments like these but to hell with it, I'm siding with the Stone Pitbull! Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI Again, just another solid match up from two underrated performers I feel like. I'm still not a YOSHI-HASHI fan as I have no connection to his gimmick (or lack thereof) whatsoever but hey, he can deliver a 4 star or higher match if his life depends on it! Juice is also one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world today so it's a nice pairing of opponents. Pick: Juice Robinson This is where YOSHI-HASHI's short lived luck ends. The Juice Train will just keep on going! Kazuchika Okada vs. Mikey Nicholls Its battle of the CHAOS mates. I guess you can say this is Nicholls' "unofficial" initiation in the faction. Will certainly be a great match and already facing off one of the top guys of the company, this is huge for Mikey Nicholls first run with New Japan! Pick: Kazuchika Okada RAINMAKER WINS! That's just how it is. Bad Luck Fale vs. Toa Henare Its Teacher vs. Student. But the student is still a noob in comparison to his well experienced senpai. Plus he is bigger and badder too. Too much for Henare. Pick: Bad Luck Fale Maybe we'll see Henare join BC afterwards? Maybe??? Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan Another battle of the company Aces, this time its Tanahashi vs. Tenzan. No hatred between these two men, just mutual respect. Real Recognizes Real as they say. Pick: Hiroshi Tanahashi An easy first two rounds for Tana so far. Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL Another great match up between two of the best! Not much else to say other than I'm looking forward to this match up if it were to happen, if not then Naito vs. EVIL would be an even better match up if Ibushi were to lose the first round but alas that is not what I predicted. Pick: Kota Ibushi Togi Makabe vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. Just two big boys beating the hell out of one another! As the classic Gorilla Monsoon line goes "the irresistable force meets the immovable object!" Pick: Davey Boy Smith Jr. Like I said, I'm rooting for a nice singles run from Bulldog Jr.! I doubt it'll happen, but it will be nice to see. Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA These two have already faced before at one of the New Beginning Shows with Suzuki getting the better of SANADA, but the latter did manage to lock in his opponent with the Paradise Lock, much to Milano Collection AT's joy! This time however I think will play a different story with SANADA finally beating the terrifying boss of Suzuki-Gun. Pick: SANADA QUARTER FINALSTomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson These two certainly have more in common that one may think. Both men are often overlooked by many and are underrated in terms of being "top guys." Ishii and Juice will deliver a banger of a match that is for sure as they are both capable in doing so! Pick: Tomohiro Ishii Is The Stone Pitbull really gonna make it this far in the tourney? God, I hope so! Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale Another match to be added in the seemingly never ending series between Okada and Fale. Of course Rainmaker wins again, its a no-brainer! (I think...) Pick: Kazuchika Okada Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi Its a re match from last year's G1 Climax Final and boy what a match that was! Serve me another bout between both men please and thank you! Pick: Kota Ibushi It may be a rematch, but a different result this time around! SANADA vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. Probably the oddest of the bunch here, but I believe it should be a good one too! Two of the best in the tag-team division, going at it for a singles push. Pick: SANADA SEMI FINALSKazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii Finally, a match up between these two CHAOS stablemates. Its been a long time coming, in every G1 they seem to be on opposite blocks. Now Rainmaker can no longer avoid the bite of The Stone Pitbull! This is the match up I'm most excited for if my bracket turns out to be right. One is already a decorated champion at such a young age and will continue to gain more gold as he continues with his path, while the other is a grizzled veteran still hungry for success. Pick: Kazuchika Okada While he is already a made man, Okada will be solidified even more if he were to beat Ishii at this point of their careers. While they certainly respect each other outside of the ring, don't expect this one to be hugs and laughs inside the ring! Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA Both men are looking to gain some momentum back for their respective careers. One was left alone again by his bestfriend, while the other is back on the losing chopping block ever since his tag title run with EVIL ended. A high flying and technical bout will be witnessed between two of the best and future of New Japan Pro Wrestling! Pick: Kota Ibushi FINALSKazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi The Rainmaker vs. The Golden Star. These two have had a trilogy of singles matches already before, but that was years ago. Ever since then, both of them have went on to carve their careers even more and became successful in their own rights! Okada wants his revenge on Switchblade after the devastating loss at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Arguably, Okada is the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champion in modern history and is looking to win the New Japan Cup to possibly gain his 5th title reign with the belt that is pretty much synonymous in his entire career, after all it is the ONLY championship he ever held in his career so far. Ibushi is once again a man alone in an island. With Kenny Omega leaving New Japan for All Elite Wrestling to join members of The Elite. He also suffered a devastating loss at Wrestle Kingdom 13, though at the hands of Will Ospreay for the NEVER Openweight Championship and has since then suffered an injury and went on a short hiatus. But now he is back and seemingly better than ever, with a lot of weight in his shoulders. Two of the best bright young stars seeing each other in the finals of the bigger New Japan Cup. I couldn't think of a better way to conclude it with these two wrestlers. Pick: Kota Ibushi It could go either way, but I am picking Kota Ibushi to win it all and eventually face Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Supercard event in Madison Square Garden! Well there goes my entire predictions on what will take place at the New Japan Cup 2019. Knowing Gedo I could be very wrong and we might see Chase Owens in the finals for all we know! I'd either look back in this post and look like the Nostradamus of wrestling or just facepalm all the way through, the higher chance is the latter probably.
But anyway it will be a fun tournament for sure and is a great way to kick off the month of March for New Japan and wrestling fans in general! The tournament starts at March 8, 2019 catch the entire run over at njpwworld.com I am Super Mastodon and Thanks For Reading. Follow on Twitter: @SuperMastodon & Like on Facebook |
AuthorSuper Mastodon. Spent countless of hours throughout my life watching professional wrestling. Now I write about it, because I like that too. Archives
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