Semi Final Match: Hiromu Takahashi v. Kazuchika Okada
New Japan Cup History
- Kazuchika Okada’s three victories via the Cobra Clutch in this year’s New Japan Cup leave him with four total submission victories in New Japan Cup history, second only to SANADA and Zack Sabre Jr’s five.
- Okada should enter tonight’s New Japan Cup Semi Finals relatively fresh, his three New Japan Cup matches have averaged 17:32. Okada’s singles match average in 2019 was 24:05 and he went 18-3.
- This will be Okada’s third trip to the Semi-Finals of the New Japan Cup. He has never lost past the first round.
- Hiromu Takahashi’s average match length of 15:50 may seem short, but his grueling match against Tomohiro Ishii last night is likely to drain him. Ishii was the heaviest competitor Hiromu has ever faced in a singles match at 220 pounds. Okada, at 236 will be another hurdler for Hiromu to jump on his way to the New Japan Cup Finals.
Recent History
- In 2020 Singles competition Okada and Hiromu’s statistics line up pretty closely. Hiromu has been dominant, going 5-0 on the year with a 19:12 average match length. It’d be tempting to discard Hiromu’s success as he competes in the Junior division, but only one of his matches this year was against a true junior (Will Ospreay, Dragon Lee, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii).
- Kazuchika Okada remains dominant and methodical. Okada’s average winning match time over the past three years has been between 24:09 and 24:33.
- Hiromu will be a different kind of opponent for Okada. Before Okada’s victory over Taiji Ishimori, his last Junior Heavyweight opponent was Will Ospreay at the 2018 Anniversary Event. Before that, his last Junior opponent was Cedric Alexander on a Ring Of Honor Tour in 2015.
Head To Head
- This will be Okada and Takahashi’s first singles match.
Quarter Final Match: EVIL v. SANADA
New Japan Cup History
- EVIL’s 2:00 victory last night over YOSHI-HASHI was the third shortest match in New Japan Cup History.
- SANADA’s 22:50 victory last night over Taichi was the 15th longest match in New Japan Cup History.
- Of the semi-finalists, EVIL’s 13:31 average match length in this year’s tournament is by far the shortest.
- Of the semi-finalists, SANADA’s 17:47 average match length in this year’s tournament is the longest.
- This will be SANADA’s third New Japan Cup semi-final. He lost in the semi-finals to Zack Sabre Jr in 2018 and he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in last year’s tournament to advance to the finals.
- This will be EVIL’s second New Japan Cup semi-final. He lost in the semi-finals to Bad Luck Fale in 2017.
Recent History
- EVIL and SANADA both enter tonight’s semi-final matches with three wins in 2020 and 7 in the last 365.
- SANADA is more successful in longer matches, averaging 17:47 in his wins, while EVIL averages 13:31 and a whopping 21:14 for his losses.
Head To Head
- EVIL and SANADA have faced each other twice in singles competition, both in G1 Climax Tournaments. SANADA defeated EVIL in 15:48 during the 2017 G1 Climax. EVIL defeated SANADA in 18:11 during the 2019 G1 Climax.
- While not head-to-head, EVIL and SANADA have participated in the same match 398 times before tonight. It’s safe to say they are likely intimately aware of each other’s strengths, opportunities, and strategies. I’d anticipate the winner of this match to have something new up their sleeve to drive their success.