NJPW New Japan Cup – Night One
Date: March 5, 2021
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Time: 6:00pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld (Japanese live, English to follow)
Note: I won’t be previewing the undercard on these New Japan Cup shows unless something really interesting pops up or a trend worth monitoring begins.
New Japan Cup 2021 First Round
Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
New Japan Cup Bracket Challenge Picks
Toru Yano: 70.7%
Bad Luck Fale: 29.3%
New Japan Cup History
Toru Yano
- 16th New Japan Cup Appearance, 16th consecutive
- 2020: Eliminated by Hiromu Takahashi in the second round. 2019: Eliminated by Colt Cabana in the second round. 2018: Eliminated by SANADA in the second round. 2017: Eliminated by Bad Luck Fale in the second round. 2016: Eliminated by Tetsuya Naito in the semi-finals. 2015: Eliminated by Kota Ibushi in the second round. 2014: Eliminated by Minoru Suzuki in the first round. 2013: Eliminated by Kazuchika Okada in the semi-final. 2012: Eliminated by Hiroshi Tanahashi in the first round. 2011: Eliminated by Yuji Nagata in the semi-final. 2010: Eliminated by Togi Makabe in the second round. 2009: Eliminated by Milano Collection AT in the first round. 2008: Eliminated by Giant Bernard in the semi-final. 2007: Eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round. 2006: Eliminated by Giant Bernard in the first round.
Bad Luck Fale
- Seventh New Japan Cup Appearance
- 2019: Eliminated by Will Ospreay in the first round. 2018: Eliminated by Hiroshi Tanahashi in the second round. 2017: Eliminated by Katsuyori Shibata in the Final. 2016: Eliminated by Michael Elgin in the second round. 2015: Eliminated by Tetsuya Naito in the second round. 2014: Eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura in the final.
- No surprise here, Toru Yano has the shortest average match length among wrestlers with over 5 New Japan Cup Matches.
- Yano has averaged 1.93 matches per tournament through his first 15 New Japan Cup appearances.
- Through his first six tournaments, Bad Luck Fale has averaged 2.5 matches per tournament.
- Fale is one of eight wrestlers who have appeared in more than one New Japan Cup Final. He joins Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Yuji Nagata, Giant Bernard, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Togi Makabe with the honor.
- Fale has only been eliminated in the first round once (2019 – Will Ospreay)
- Toru Yano has been limited in the first round 5 times, or 33.3% of his New Japan Cup appearances.
Recent History – Last 365 Days
Head To Head History
- Toru Yano and Bad Luck Fale have met three times in one on one singles matches. Yano leads the head to head series between the two 2-1 and Yano has the most recent victory in a KOPW Bodyslam or Last Cornerpad match this past December in Korakuen Hall.
History in Korakuen Hall
- Toru Yano’s eliminations in the last three New Japan Cups have occurred at Korakuen Hall. He has been eliminated from 6 total New Japan Cup tournaments in this building. He is 3-6 in the tournament in Korakuen Hall.
- Bad Luck Fale has lost his last five singles matches in Korakuen Hall, dating back to the 2017 G1 Climax.
- Fale is 1-1 all-time in New Japan Cup matches in Korakuen
New Japan Cup 2021 First Round
Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi
New Japan Cup Bracket Challenge Picks
Hirooki Goto: 25.3%
Taichi: 74.7%
New Japan Cup History
Hirooki Goto
- 13th New Japan Cup Appearance, third consecutive. Three time winner: 2009, 2010, 2012
- 2020: Eliminated by EVIL in the second round. 2019: Eliminated by SANADA in the first round. 2016: Eliminated by Tetsuya Naito in the final. 2015: Eliminated by Kota Ibushi in the final. 2014: Eliminated by Minoru Suzuki in the second round. 2013: Eliminated by Kazuchika Okada in the final. 2012: Defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in the final to win the tournament. 2011: Eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round. 2010: Defeated Togi Makabe in the final to win the tournament. 2009: Defeated Giant Bernard in the final to win the tournament. 2008: Eliminated by Hiroshi Tanahashi in the first round. 2005: Eliminated by Manabu Nakanishi in the first round.
Taichi
- Fourth New Japan Cup Appearance, fourth consecutive
- 2020: Eliminated by SANADA in the quarter finals, 2019: eliminated by Tomohiro Ishii in the second round. 2018: Eliminated by Hiroshi Tanahashi in the first round.
- Nobody has won more more New Japan Cup matches than Hirooki Goto. Hirooki Goto’s 23 New Japan Cup Matches are the most all-time. His 32 New Japan Cup matches are also the most all-time.
- On average, you could say that Goto has been eliminated in the third round. He has averaged 2.67 matches per tournament.
- Goto is the only wrestler to win the New Japan Cup three times. He has appeared in the finals six times.
- Taichi has participated in 6 New Japan Cup Matches all-time. His 3-3 record is the same record that Hirooki Goto has produced in New Japan Cup Finals.
- Hirooki Goto has been eliminated in the first round of the New Japan Cup four times (2005, 2008, 2011, 2019).
- Taichi was eliminated in the first round of the New Japan Cup once, in 2018 against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Recent History – Last 365 Days
- Hirooki Goto and Taichi are both 6-6 in the last 365 days.
Head To Head History
- Hirooki Goto and Taichi have wrestled 4 times in singles action. They are have split the four matches, including splitting two Never Openweight Championship matches in 2018 and most recently, a Taichi victory over Goto in the 2019 G1 Climax Tournament.
History in Korakuen Hall
- 13 of Hirooki Goto’s 32 career New Japan Cup matches have occurred in Korakuen Hall. He is 10-3 across those 13 matches
Four of Taichi’s six New Japan Cup Matches have occurred in Korakuen Hall. He is 3-1 and three of those four matches were during the 2020 New Japan Cup.