New Japan Cup 2016

[TCMitchell]

The bracket for this year's New Japan Cup has been released! Any early predictions? Anticipated matches?

First night of the New Japan Cup is March 3rd.

Round 1 Match ups:

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale

Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Michael Elgin

Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga

Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto

Tomoaki Honma vs. Satoshi Kojima

Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito

[Rich Kraetsch]

[Rich Kraetsch]

If you guys ask nicely we can do a pick'em game again

[Frank Olson]

Round 1 Match ups:

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale

Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Michael Elgin

Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga

Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto

Tomoaki Honma vs. Satoshi Kojima

Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito

Round 2:

Bad Luck Fale vs. Michael Elgin

Tama Tonga vs. Hirooki Goto

Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito

Round 3:

Michael Elgin vs. Tama Tonga

Tomoaki Honma vs. Tetsuya Naito

Finals:

Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito

I could see the result of the final going either way, but my logic for picking Elgin as the winner is that I figure it's more important to give Omega a title defense at Invasion Attack than Okada (since Okada is already a well-established top guy and they need to keep Omega's momentum going) and I doubt that both top titles get defended on that show. I guess there's an outside chance that Ishii could make it to the finals and win to set up another NEVER title match with Shibata, but it seems like he's got his own thing going with the ROH TV Title now.

[Goat]

Omega vs Elgin would draw like 3,000 people to Sumo Hall. It would a disaster.

Actually I have been pretty bummed out since the exodus and today more so with Ibushi, but looking at how dire that bracket is and their utter lack of options it has really sunk in how much trouble this promotion really is in.

[aivaz]

That looks absolutely dire. They need new native heavyweights so badly.

[Chismo]

Poor Tenzan. Poor, POOR Tenzan.

Tanashi/Fale and Y-H/Naito look like best matches of the Round 1.

[Drew Wardlaw]

Kojima vs Nagata in the finals, NAGATA WINS

[Rob McCarron]

That looks absolutely dire. They need new native heavyweights so badly.

It's pretty similar to last year's show, actually.

11 participants return.

Not in this year...
Gallows & Anderson (WWE) / Sub in Tenzan & Elgin - Pretty even swap, if not an improvement with Elgin
Kazuchika Okada (Champion) / Sub in Tomohiro Ishii - Obviously a drop in star power, but match wise not a huge loss
Katsuyori Shibata (NEVER) / Sub in Tama Tonga - A bit of a drop, but hungry Tonga in prime role has been interesting
Kota Ibushi (Injury) / Sub in EVIL - Obviously a huge drop, but 1 name in 16 does not a tournament make

Is it a drop from last year? A tiny bit. Nothing dire, by any means.

[Rob McCarron]

First Round
Tanahashi vs Fale

Tenzan vs Elgin

Makabe vs Tonga

Nagata vs Goto

Honma vs Kojima

Yano vs Takahashi

Ishii vs EVIL

YOSHI-HASHI vs Naito

2nd Round
Tanahashi vs Elgin

Makabe vs Nagata

Kojima vs Yano

Ishii vs Naito

Semi Finals
Tanahashi vs Makabe

Kojima vs Naito

Final- Satoshi Kojima def. Togi Makabe

[Chismo]

Goto vs. Naito in the Final, Naito wins, Naito vs. Okada in Sumo Hall.

[Goat]

Then what do you do in Osaka?

[Chismo]

Something else? Maybe Shibata can get a heavyweight title shot now that Nakamura left.

Shibata vs. Okada (c)
Tanahashi vs. Omega (c)
Naito vs. ???

Damn, New Japan's midcard has suddenly become rather thin, there's very little room for fresh storylines and starpower is thin. What can you do with Goto after all this crap?

EDIT: It's time to move Nagata and Kojima up the card now.

[pol]

Omega vs Elgin would draw like 3,000 people to Sumo Hall. It would a disaster.

What does Sumo Hall have to do with anything?

That looks absolutely dire. They need new native heavyweights so badly.

It's pretty similar to last year's show, actually.

11 participants return.

Not in this year...
Gallows & Anderson (WWE) / Sub in Tenzan & Elgin - Pretty even swap, if not an improvement with Elgin
Kazuchika Okada (Champion) / Sub in Tomohiro Ishii - Obviously a drop in star power, but match wise not a huge loss
Katsuyori Shibata (NEVER) / Sub in Tama Tonga - A bit of a drop, but hungry Tonga in prime role has been interesting
Kota Ibushi (Injury) / Sub in EVIL - Obviously a huge drop, but 1 name in 16 does not a tournament make

Is it a drop from last year? A tiny bit. Nothing dire, by any means.

Dear god the narrative. Okada/Shibata/Ibushi/Anderson/Gallows for Ishii/Tonga/EVIL/Tenzan/Elgin is a HUGE dropoff in star power and a substantial drop in match quality.

[jesse]

New Japan do not do HW title matches outside of Tokyo and Osaka anymore. The HW title was defended 5 times last year.

Wrestle Kingdom
New Beginning in Osaka
Invasion Attack
Dominion at Osaka Jo
King of Pro Wrestling

So Sumo Hall has a lot to do with it. They can certainly have Tanahashi win and challenge Omega but Okada is going to need someone to have a title match against because if you take that match away the belt will be defended 4 times. You could say this isn't an issue but without Nakamura, Styles and Ibushi (he hasn't resigned from the company but he is no longer a "New Japan" wrestler) they can't afford to not have the HW belt defended.