Top 7 New Japan Cup 2021 Matches

2. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi – March 6, 2021

After New Japan first revealed the bracket for this year’s tournament, the match between Kazuchika Okada and Shingo Takagi was one many circled as a possible MOTY candidate. Both men were firm favourites for the tournament.

From the minute the bell rang, it was all systems go. It was a fast start where both men were trying to show who was the better athlete. Shingo seemed to start the match with an initial focus on upper body strength. He then moved to a more mat-based and methodical style. Before long, Okada realised that his best bet was to dictate the match’s pace and increase the speed.

With this decision, it felt like Shingo just became more motivated to prove that he could beat Okada at his own game. At one point, the Dragon imitated the classic Okada pose and attempted his version of the Rainmaker. It felt like every second of the bout was full of action. Both men kept finding sudden surges of adrenaline.

In the closing moments, fans could see that both men were physically exhausted. At one point, Okada was so desperate for the win that he even tried a roll-up. After 23 minutes, Shingo finally managed to hit the Last of the Dragon to get the win. It was a match with many layers and changes of speed and style throughout.

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1. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay – New Japan Cup Final – March 21, 2021

When the final two were confirmed for the New Japan Cup final, fans could not help but be excited. Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay had put on a MOTY candidate for the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors final. Many hoped that they would see something similar out of two of the best in the company. Luckily, their expectations were all met in one of the best matches in the tournament.

With two men who have changed since their last encounter, the match started with a series of strikes. It felt like they both wanted to prove how much they had grown! After a feeling-out period, the match moved outside the ring, showcasing the wrestler’s more brutal sides. Shingo was targeting Ospreay’s nose whilst Ospreay was pulling at the tape supporting Shingo’s back injury.

Despite the obvious changes in the men’s style, there was an abundance of high-risk offence. One of the more brutal spots was the 450 that Ospreay hit on Shingo, who was lying on a table outside of the ring. There were glimpses of the Aerial Assassin and fans even saw a rare high-risk move in the form of a poison-rana from Shingo. In the closing moments of the match, it was anyone’s game.

Ospreay finally managed to hit a high kick and rolling elbows to set up for the Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker that got him the win! The match went over 30 minutes and was the perfect mixture of wrestling, story-telling and psychology. Despite the controversial promo after the show, it should not tear away from the spectacle the two men put on in the ring!

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• New Japan Cup
• Shingo Takagi
• NJPW
• Will Ospreay

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