After fifteen long years, the Super J-Cup tournament was back home, with New Japan Pro Wrestling. In an effort to reclaim the prestigiousness that once was held by this junior heavyweight talent showcase, NJPW sought to correct some of the wrongs of previous iterations that were held by other companies over the years. While NJPW struggled with its own identity in the mid-to-late 2000s, would it be able to gain a foothold in forward momentum by reviving this legendary tournament, or had time finally passed this tarnished event by? Let’s find out together in this breakdown and review of NJPW’s Super J-Cup: 5th Stage – Land of Confusion!

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS:

I was excited for our journey coming full circle, seeing as this edition of the Super J-Cup, the 5th Stage, was returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Fifteen years after the inaugural tournament seemed like a forever gap to me, as going into this one, I knew the mid-to-late 2000s to be more than a rough patch for NJPW. That said, I expected a lot more out of this one than I did for say the 3rd or 4th Stage (hosted by Michinoku Pro and Osaka Pro, respectively). I was hoping for a real ‘return to form’ of sorts for the tournament I love so much. Super J-Cup being back with its home promotion had to be a plus… right?

BACKGROUND INFO:

Five years had passed since Osaka Pro Wrestling’s Super J-Cup: 4th Stage. Many fans figured that perhaps, we had heard and seen the last of the legendary tournament, as pro wrestling continued to modernize around the country. Shockingly, that wouldn’t be the case by the autumn of 2009. Announced by a founder of the tournament, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, the Super J-Cup would return… and fans wouldn’t have to wait until the spring for it, either! Slated to be a part of NJPW’s holiday celebration shows, Super J-Cup: 5th Stage would be taking place over the course of two nights, inside the hallowed Korakuen Hall. On top of this, the winner of this year’s bracket would be promised an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match about a week later, inside the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom IV!

The tournament was most notably held inside Ryōgoku Kokugikan for prior installments, so Korakuen Hall would be a much smaller venue in comparison for NJPW’s junior heavyweight showcase this time around. Nonetheless, the bracket itself was back to regular size, with sixteen competitors being named for the first round matches to take place on December 22nd, 2009. Seven promotions would provide talent for a chance to lay claim to the newest Super J-Cup winner, a man that would rightly so be named one of the best junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world following their win. Those promotions included New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Osaka Pro Wrestling, and Dragon Gate.

After fifteen years, it was time for NJPW and Jushin Liger to revive their vision, the true form of what the Super J-Cup was always meant to be. Over the course of two cold nights before Christmas 2009, fans inside the tightly-packed Korakuen Hall would expect exactly that… a showcase of talents, having world-class matches, all with that familiar big tournament feel. With a subtitle of “Land of Confusion”, which represented the chaotic state of the Super J-Cup brand lineage while being hosted by other promotions, NJPW was looking to right some of those wrongs done over the years. It was NJPW’s hope, that the namesake and prestigiousness of the original Super J-Cup tournament held in 1994, would be restored by returning its home company.

(NOTE: ALL MATCHES ARE RATED OUT OF 5 STARS.)

– FIRST ROUND –

Taichi vs. Tigers Mask – I was glad to see some representation for Osaka Pro Wrestling with the addition of Tigers Mask in this tournament. I expected some lighthearted sequences in this opening contest between these two guys, with plenty of action sprinkled throughout. When Tigers Mask came limping out as a drunken pirate, I knew I had probably nailed it. Things started off at one-hundred miles per hour, with a flurry of strikes flying from both guys. A low kick behind the referee’s back put Tigers Mask ahead a bit, much to the crowd’s displeasure. Taichi rallied back with some stiff strikes in the corner, even using the referee, by whipping him into the corner face-first into the groin of Tigers Mask who was perched on the top rope. A set of Super Kicks were exchanged that put both men down. A nasty Tiger Suplex was nailed and Taichi looked to be in trouble again. Tigers Mask focused on the arm of Taichi, working several submissions over until he finally got Taichi to tap with an Octopus-style cross armbar on the mat! Tigers Mask will be advancing to the quarterfinals. This was a solid opener to the tournament and I was genuinely surprised to see Tigers Mask go over, as I would’ve pegged Taichi to go much farther in the bracket. I think this was a perfect match to get the crowd warmed up for the night of action ahead.

GENTARO vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – I knew nothing of GENTARO going into this one, but on the other hand, was very familiar with the ‘Funky Weapon’ himself. I expected a clash of styles here, to say the least. A stalemate followed by a stiff back elbow started things off strong for GENTARO. A dropkick would slow his momentum and send him out to the floor long enough for Ryusuke to move his hips in the center of the ring. On the outside, he payed for his dancing, as GENTARO ran his leg into a ringpost. The leg and knee work continued in the ring, climaxing with a sharpshooter around the ringpost! Taguchi was able to block a Scorpion Death Lock in the ring, but go leg dropped low for his trouble. Just as Taguchi looked to be rallying his way back, he was shaken from the top rope and chickenwing suplexed off for a near fall. A Sasuke Special sent GENTARO up and over the top rope to the floor on a dazed Taguchi! GENTARO then came off the top rope with a picture-perfect elbow drop for another near fall. Taguchi hit his sequence of triple suplexes, with the first one being off the top rope, all for another near fall. Out of nowhere, Taguchi got GENTARO up and hit him with his Dodon chickenwing facebuster finish and picked up a hard-fought three count. A handshake was exchanged after the match. Ryusuke Taguchi will be advancing to the quarterfinals. I walked away from this one a fan of GENTARO and his hard-hitting style. I did expect Taguchi to get the win here, despite the beating he took for most of this match. This was another solid first round match, although maybe not quite as good as the match prior.

AKIRA vs. YAMATO – AKIRA, Akira Nogami, has been around a bit and I knew nothing of Dragon Gate’s offering of YAMATO, but I was intrigued. Neither man could get a good run of offense ahead of one another in the outset of this match, as both went pretty much move-for-move. The action spilled to the floor, with YAMATO coming out for the better there. Back in the ring, AKIRA found himself in a half crab. YAMATO clawed at his opponents eyes and used the ropes to aid him in stepping on AKIRA’s throat with a choke. Some forearm trading ended in a dropkick and clothesline over the top rope in favor of AKIRA. AKIRA then took to the top rope and dove off out to the floor onto YAMATO with a huge crossbody plancha that sent both men into the first few rows of chairs at ringside! Back in the ring, an Ankle Lock had AKIRA grounded but he was able to recover with a Shining Wizard-like kick for a near fall. He then came off the top rope with a big splash for another near fall. On a second attempt, YAMATO got his knees up and rolled AKIRA up for a near fall of his own. After the pin failed, YAMATO grabbed a leg and applied a modified Calfkiller submission hold that forced AKIRA to tap out almost immediately! YAMATO will be advancing to the quarterfinals. Though I was slightly pulling for AKIRA here, I wasn’t surprised to see the younger, heel competitor go over. YAMATO seems like he will be a big hurdle for opponents in the tournament matches to come. This one was okay, but less still than the two matches prior.

Jado vs. Danshoku Dino – I wasn’t sure how this one was going to play out, as Jado is typically no-nonsense and I think Danshoku Dino is almost exclusively nonsense. This was shaping up to be the comedic relief I was looking for, as Dino entered through the crowd, force-kissing gentlemen along the way… including our ring announcer once he made it to the ring. Danshoku is a term for homosexual fantasies in Japanese, by the way. Jado came out looking furious and I then I was really excited for this one to get going. Before any action started, Dino proposed no match on the microphone, to which Jado slowly removed his shirt to signify the match was on. Dino ‘fainted’ and the match was started after he got back to his feet. In a test of strength, Dino leaned in for a kiss but was chopped to oblivion instead. Chops continued to rock Dino, with Jado not letting up a bit. Dino attempt to string some chops together of his own, ending in a tap of Jado’s package to no effect. At ringside, Jado brought a chair down hard across Dino’s back a few times, with Dino ending up face-first in the crotch of a standing trainee young boy at ringside. Jado continued the punishment once in the ring, hitting a hangman’s DDT for a near fall. Chops continued to blister Dino, until he took Jado’s hand, put it down the front of his trunks, and hit an STO. Back on his feet, Jado continued the punishment with a big running clothesline for a near fall. A crossface was then slapped on and I thought it was it… until Dino got to the ropes to break the hold! Jado, done playing around, then got Dino up for a superplex off the top rope and again Dino was able to kick out before a three count! Dino then fired up, ducked one punch after another, planted two kisses on Jado, pulled his own tights down to show his thong, and pinned Jado with his signature Gaydo Clutch roll up for a shocking three count! Danshoku Dino will be advancing to the quarterfinals. This was absolutely insane in the best way possible. Both guys played their role perfectly, with Dino shocking the hell out of me with how funny he is. As my first exposure to Danshoku Dino, I walked away from this one super entertained. For what it lacked in technicality, it made up for in spades with comedy. Say what you want, but this was my favorite match of the tournament thus far… and I can’t believe Dino is moving on!

Kota Ibushi vs. Gedo – I was expecting this one to be awesome. A young Ibushi and the grizzled, J-Cup veteran Gedo promised a killer battle, I had high hopes. A set of lockups with clean breaks set the tone to start us off here. Kota then flexed his speed on Gedo, staying a step ahead of him at several passes. Gedo then turned up the aggression with a face scrub and some pointed fists. A sleeper hold only further slowed Ibushi. On the outside, Gedo whipped Ibushi hard into a post. While Ibushi stumbled around, Gedo got back into the ring and removed a turnbuckle pad, only to whip Ibushi into hard, not once but twice, moments later. The exposed turnbuckle was continuously used, as Ibushi was rammed into it by Gedo. Gedo choked his opponent over the bottom rope, further putting Ibushi in danger of losing. Out of nowhere, a hurricanrana sent Gedo out to the floor but Ibushi wasn’t able to hit is Golden Triangle Moonsault, as Gedo dodged out of the way. Instead, Gedo sent Ibushi crashing into the guardrail and out into the chairs of the first few rows. Ibushi was able to escape a DDT onto a pile of chairs with a handspring pele kick. Then, he climbed the scaffolding of the entrance curtain and hit a nice dive off the top onto Gedo in the aisleway! Back in the ring, Ibushi landed his Standing Corkscrew Moonsault for a near fall. Ibushi was in firm control when he went up for his Phoenix Splash, but Gedo rolled out of the way at the last moment! Several near falls came and went in rapid succession at this point in the match. The referee was then bumped, Gedo hit a pop up low blow on Ibushi, and rolled him up with his Gedo Clutch roll up for a stolen victory. Gedo will be advancing to the quarterfinals. Man, once Ibushi gets on a roll, he’s so fun to watch… a shame he won’t be advancing in this tournament. This was all I expected it to be, a killer battle, except the wrong guy won and it was over a little quicker than I wanted!

Prince Devitt vs. Atsushi Aoki – So, Devitt is the man, that I know. I don’t really know Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Atsushi Aoki, though. So, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised, as these guys looked excited to square off here. Some great, technical stalemates started this one off. A dive attempt was stopped by Aoki and then he ran Devitt’s shoulder into one of the corner pads. The shoulder work continued with arm trap arm breaker. Devitt’s shoulder was then driven down to the mat with a knee off the top rope! Devitt tried to get back into the fight with a dropkick that sent Aoki off the apron to the floor. Out on the floor, a signature shotgun dropkick sent both Devitt and Aoki into the chairs at ringside. Devitt was able to hit his running dive over the top rope onto Aoki at ringside, followed by a delayed missile dropkick inside the ring for a near fall! Out of nowhere, Aoki locked in a Kimura Lock that had Devitt desperately grasping for the ropes. He then barely escaped a bridging Northern Lights Suplex. A huge Frog Splash off the top almost put Devitt away for another near fall. Near fall after near fall was next, climaxing with a nice Brainbuster on Aoki. Devitt was then able to hit his diving double foot stomp off the top, followed by his Bloody Sunday DDT that put Aoki away for a three count. A handshake was refused by Aoki following the match. Prince Devitt will be advancing to the quarterfinals. This match was another one where workers focused on the arm to tell the story, which hurt my enjoyment a bit as we’d already seen this tool used earlier on tonight. That said, these guys worked their asses off in the time they were given.

Hayato Fujita vs. Koji Kanemoto – Koji was one of my favorite juniors of NJPW’s 1990s (and one of the most underrated guys ever, in my opinion) but I was unfamiliar with Michinoku Pro’s Hayato Fujita. So, I didn’t know what to really expect with this one. if I’m being honest, I was pulling for Kanemoto to win the whole thing so it was Tiger Mask versus former Tiger Mask at Wrestle Kingdom! The bell rang and these guys went toe-to-toe with forearms right out of the gate. Kicks were up next and Koji’s are deadly. Fujita bit off more than he could chew when it came to striking with Kanemoto! Some mat-based work was up next, with both guys looking to gain any sort of hold to wear down the other. Back to their feet, more kicks were thrown by both men, until Fujita ended up in a corner and slapped hard across the face. Fujita answered back with a dropkick, but it had little effect on the determined Kanemoto. Some kicks in the corner led to two running facewash kicks that had Fujita seeing stars. At ringside, Fujita was body slammed onto the first row of chairs, but Kanemoto would be whipped into the next set by his smaller opponent! Both guys met on the apon and again exchanged forearms until Kanemoto dropped from the apron and was nailed with a soccer ball kick to the chest! Back in the ring, a set of three kicks to the head put Kanemoto down for a near fall. Fujita ended up in an Ankle Lock that Kanemoto grapevined but he was able to dive under the bottom rope to break the hold. Shockingly, Fujita took a Brainbuster and a Tiger Suplex and was able to kick out! Out of desperation, kicks were thrown wildly by both guys until again Kanemoto was able to lock on a grapevined Ankle Lock! This is what would ultimately cost Fujita the match, as he tapped out. After the match, Kanemoto raised the arm of Fujita and Fujita took bows for the crowd. Koji Kanemoto will be advancing to the quarterfinals. Well, that one turned out a lot better than I thought it was going to. At first, I was worried that it was going to be hard to buy into this match with the much weaker, smaller offense of Fujita throwing me off. Toward the end, once Kanemoto had been worn down, everything worked a lot better. I really enjoyed the drama and hard-hitting action of this one… plus, I was pumped to see Kanemoto advance.

Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Naomichi Marufuji – Two former Super J-Cup winners going at it? Two junior heavyweight legends squaring off? One generation colliding with the next? Yeah, I was excited for this one to say the least and it made sense that this match would be the main event of our night one of Super J-Cup: 5th Stage event. Having to follow Kanemoto and Fujita made for an electric atmosphere… and this one was still just a first round match! The bell rang and these guys circled, soon Liger would go right to work on Marufuji’s knees and legs, slapping on a signature Prison Lock. A modified Romero Special was next. Back on their feet, action was lightning quick, with Liger missing two shotei palm strikes but nailing a third. Marufuji then seemed to target the head and neck of Liger, cranking on hold after hold to wear Liger down. Another huge palm strike knocked Marufuji off the top rope to the floor, which Liger followed up with a baseball slide, and a diving plancha off the top rope! Adding to the damage, Liger then planted Marufuji with a powerbomb at ringside that kept him out for a nineteen count! Back in the ring, Liger kept the pressure on the knees of his opponent, applying a Figure Four Leglock. Marufuji began to fire up, hitting a nice clothesline and running corner elbow in the corner on Liger. A curb stomp got him a two count. Back up, Marufuji attempted a dive off the top that ended up with Liger turning it into a gutbuster. A stiff powerbomb followed by a Liger Bomb kept Marufuji down for a set of two counts. A Liger Brainbuster was reversed into Hook Kick followed by a Shiranui for a near fall for Marufuji. Both men were pretty spent at this point in the match. Back on their feet, Marufuji intercepted a palm strike and planted Liger with a snapmare driver. A groggy Liger was then put away with Marufuji’s signature Pole Shift for a three count. After the match, both men were slow to get to their feet but mutual bows of respect were shown. Naomichi Marufuji will be advancing to the quarterfinals. This one definitely delivered on expectations. Marufuji advancing was the right move and the battle being hard-fought only made his win that much bigger here. The momentum will definitely be in Marufuji’s corner heading into the next round of matches in this edition of the tournament. He is so buttery smooth with his moments and despite this, his offense stays looking totally devastating. If you can only watch one match from night one, watch this one.

– QUARTERFINALS –

YAMATO vs. Gedo – Gedo wasted no time here and jumped YAMATO before the bell. He worked over the ankle, trapping him in an Ankle Lock for a few minutes. Gedo then dropped out to the floor to wrap YAMATO’s knee around the ring post twice. Back in the ring, YAMATO slapped on a sleeper hold out of desperation. It wouldn’t last though, as Gedo got YAMATO in a Figure Four Leglock. After struggling for a few moments, YAMATO made it to the ropes to break the hold but the damage may have been done. Gedo got YAMATO with a low blow and then YAMATO was able to give him one right back as the referee was knocked to the side. A spear followed by a T-bone suplex put Gedo down for a near fall. A Gedo Clutch was reversed into a sleeper hold that put Gedo in trouble. Shockingly, Gedo’s arm fell three times when checked by the official, winning the match for YAMATO via submission passout! YAMATO will be advancing to the semifinals. This one was kept short and the jump before the bell basically took YAMATO out of this one from the beginning. I liked the finish but other than that, I found this one a little dull with more limb work and a basic story being told. Kind of a weak way to start night two of the tournament, in my opinion.

Danshoku Dino vs. Prince Devitt – Dino again made his way through the crowd for his entrance here tonight, molesting more random men on his way, including the ringside commentary team. Dino offered a handshake to kick things off here, to which Devitt accepted, and then was kissed on the hand for doing so! An arm wrench was reversed by Dino and he then took Devitt’s hand and placed it down the front of his tights. A testicular claw was then applied with Dino risking a blatant disqualification. Dino then got pelted with a huge dropkick for a near fall. Devitt seemed to be done with the games as he threw some stiff kicks Dino’s way. Dino tightened up his offense with some big punches and a snap suplex for a near fall. Dino then caught Devitt on the top rope, laid a fat kiss on him, was pushed away briefly, took that moment to remove his tights down to his thong, jumped back up to to meet Devitt on the top, and took him up and over with a Super Hurricanrana off the top! Before the pin, he took the thong down to reveal a SECOND THONG to drop onto Devitt, but he reversed it and rolled through. With both back up, Dino hit his Shining Hump and a spinning kick on Devitt that dropped him. Back up, Devitt sidestepped Dino, who ran into the referee with kiss that dropped him momentarily as the two collided. Devitt then hit an overhead kick to drop Dino long enough for him to get to the top and come off with a double foot stomp directly onto the groin of Dino! This was enough to finish Dino off, with Devitt picking up the three count. Prince Devitt will be advancing to the semifinals. I don’t think this Dino match was as well executed as the one with Jado last night. I did feel as though Devitt was giving away a little too much offense to Dino, who was obviously not going to win. That said, I still laughed out loud at some points and had plenty of fun watching this one. See you down the road, Danshoku Dino!

Koji Kanemoto vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – This was sure to be interesting, as I didn’t think Taguchi was going to be able to play around much with a pretty focused Kanemoto. This one started off with clean breaks all around as these guys felt each other out in some mat-based work. By the time Kanemoto found the Ankle Lock, Taguchi was already in the ropes. Kicks started up and Kanemoto started to get on a roll, hitting his famed, running facewash. Strikes continued as Kanemoto was beginning to pull away in offense. So thunderous kicks to the base of the spin of a seated Taguchi shuddered him. With some luck, Taguchi was able to roll through an Ankle Lock and apply one of his own for a minute, some of his first significant offense in the match thus far. Kanemoto was making light work of Taguchi here, with kicks that looked and sounded awful. A set of Dragon Screws cooled Kanemoto off a bit, allowing Taguchi to recollect himself momentarily. He nearly got all three of his triple suplexes out, but his last one was reversed. For this, Taguchi hit an enziguri on Kanemoto, who then rolled out to the floor. Taguchi came off the top with a crossbody on Kanemoto that kept him down on the outside until a count of seventeen! Back inside, Taguchi rolled out of the way of a moonsault and went to the top himself. He was able to hit a turning Frog Splash onto the knee of Kanemoto not once, but twice! He then applied a Figure Four Leglock that stunningly made Kanemoto tap out! Ryusuke Taguchi will be advancing to the semifinals. I was absolutely shocked that Taguchi was advancing over Koji Kanemoto, as Kanemoto had an awesome showing in the tournament thus far. Obviously, NJPW planned on going with the younger talent in this case, but then to have Kanemoto tap out on top of it!? Insane win for Ryusuke Taguchi here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a nice run in the junior heavyweight division following the Super J-Cup. Taguchi took his beating here, though I didn’t find the match nearly as entertaining as some other ones in the tournament thus far, it was relatively short, too.

Tigers Mask vs. Naomichi Marufuji – No doubt Tigers Mask had something to prove in this last quarterfinals match tonight. I was interested to see how he was going to do against Marufuji. The bell rang and neither man wanted to give an inch to the other, as they approached offense carefully. Marufuji found success first with a surfboard stretch on the mat. Tigers Mask found a knee bar momentarily then both returned to their feet following a rope break. Mask then hit a nice snap suplex. Some thrust kicks found their mark on Tigers Mask, seeing Marufuji get on a small offensive roll. A modified gogoplata choke was synched on by Marufuji, followed by a nice fisherman’s back suplex for a near fall. In a confusing spot, a Super Kick landed nicely on Tigers Mask, then he reversed one Shiranui, then kind of reversed another one by stumbling through (a mistake I’m thinking), and then was Tiger Suplexed super slowly and forced to stay down for a three count (even though it was a sloppy pin). Very odd finish here. Nonetheless, Naomichi Marufuji will be advancing to the semifinals. Just not a great match for either guy here, with Tigers Mask looking a lot worse off than he did in the opening of this tournament. The finish was bizarre and seemed to be rushed. Plus, I feel like Naomich was only going at half-speed here. Weakest match of the tournament thus far, in my opinion.

– SEMIFINALS –

YAMATO vs. Prince Devitt – YAMATO jumped Devitt before the bell, putting the boots to him in a big way to kick off this semifinal match. In an effort to stop Devitt from diving out of the ring onto him when he found himself on the outside, YAMATO threw a chair in the ring that nearly hit Devitt! Back in the ring, YAMATO worked Devitt over with a half crab. The beatdown on Devitt continued, as YAMATO stepped on his knee and laid in a bunch of kicks as Devitt rolled around on the mat. Devitt then ducked a running corner attack, sending YAMATO up and over the top rope. This allowed Devitt to come off the top to the floor on YAMATO, getting Devitt back into the fight instantly. Back in the ring, he found further success with a delayed missile dropkick off the top. A Brainbuster got him a near fall. An exploder suplex then put Devitt down for a near fall. Devitt was then able to cut YAMATO off on the top rope and hit him with a superplex. YAMATO popped back up and the two hit each other with a few moves until both dropped after Devitt landed a lariat. Devitt then hit a Codebreaker for a near fall! Out of nowhere, YAMATO applied a sleeper hold that spelled disaster for Devitt, until Devitt climbed to the second rope with YAMATO on his back and dove off! With YAMATO dazed, he came off the top with his double foot stomp and still only got a two count! In rapid succession, Devitt pulled YAMATO up and absolutely SPIKED him with a Bloody Sunday DDT to finally pick up the three count over his tough opponent. Prince Devitt will be advancing to the finals. This one started off one-sided and slightly by the numbers, with more limb work being the primary focus on the part of YAMATO. Then, all hell broke loose and these guys really started to bring it. The who match led up to the last five minutes or so that was dynamite. Great start to our semifinal matches here, with the right man going over in the end!

Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Naomichi Marufuji – Taguchi was really needing to pull out all the stops if he had any hopes of besting Marufuji in this one. Could he pull off the upset of the tournament? Forearms started this one off, with the action quickly ending up on the floor outside. Marufuji was sent into the chairs and then drop kicked further back into them. Marufuji was then sent head-first into the ring post before being thrown back into the ring. Back in, he ran into a back elbow for a near fall. Back in the ring, an arm drag into a seated submission kept Taguchi in control for another few moments. Taguchi was able to avoid a Shiranui and instead, put Marufuji in the tree of woe to hit a basement dropkick. Chops found their mark on both chests, until Taguchi ate a few kicks to the head. A double foot stop to the head from a seated position, followed by a Hook Kick put Taguchi down for a two count. Taguchi hit two german suplexes, bridging with the second one for another near fall. His triple suplexes were landed, with the first one being a Superplex off the top rope, but still only a two count. A signature turning Frog Splash for another two count. Then it was Dodon for ANOTHER two count! Back up, Marufuji came alive with thrust kicks to the face and back of the head of Taguchi, followed by a straight jacket suplex for a near fall! Slaps and more thrust kicks staggered Taguchi enough for him to fall victim to the Shiranui that finally ended up winning Marufuji the match! After the bell, mutual respect was shown. What a battle! These guys laid it all out there in this semifinal match, too. Taguchi did what he had to do to finish the tournament with a strong performance, but again, the right man walked away with the win here. Great finishing sequence and a fun match overall, though I found the prior match just a little bit more entertaining.

– SPECIAL EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH –

AKIRA, Kota Ibushi, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, & Taichi vs. Jado, Atsushi Aoki, GENTARO, & Hayato Fujita – I expected total chaos for this one. The heels argued amongst each other, unable to decide who would start for their team. Finally, it would be Jushin Liger and GENTARO to kick this one off. Liger got the better of GENTARO, but not for long, as GENTARO worked Liger over in the corner with some strikes. Then it was Liger who was slapping the taste out of his opponent’s mouth! Liger begged GENTARO to bring it, which he did with more offense. Ibushi tagged in next, sticking GENTARO with some solid forearms. Fujita then tagged in and he got a surprisingly good reaction from the crowd. He and Ibushi traded stiff kicks back and forth, with Fujita coming out on the better end of the exchange before tagging in Aoki. Aoki hit a running forearm on Ibushi in the corner and found a Kimura Lock before it was broken up by Liger who ran in. Ibushi got to the corner to tag in AKIRA. He was able to get a bit of offense in before tagging in Taichi to continue the punishment on Aoki. Kicks and forearms were traded, leading Aoki to the heel corner. Jado refused a tag, so it was GENTARO back in for the heels. Taichi got the tag in with Liger and all four babyfaces pummeled GENTARO in their corner. Another tag brough Taichi back in for a sleeper hold on a worn down GENTARO. A double underhook suplex bought GENTARO some time for Jado to tag himself in. Jado went to work on Taichi with chops before the heels traded quick tags in their corner. GENTARO was the one who ended back in, falling victim to a running hurricanrana and a nice kick to the head. Ibushi got the hot tag and he cleaned house, even hitting his Golden Triangle Moonsault on three of the heels on the outside! A snapping german suplex kept GENTARO down for only two. A nasty back suplex rocked Ibushi enough for GENTARO to get back to the heel corner and tag Jado back in. Jado and AKIRA then went at it, with Jado landing a nice german suplex of his own. All eight men were then in, hitting moves one after the other, until all eight men were laid out in and around the ring. AKIRA attempted a diving splash off the top, but Jado got his knees up and immediately got AKIRA into a Crossface that almost ended the match until it was broken up by Liger. Ibushi then hit an awesome top rope Asai Moonsault that again took out multiple heels on the outside. Inside the ring, AKIRA fired up with a series of dropkicks and caught Jado with a magistral cradle to pick up the victory for his team. An easy watch here, perfect for a cool down before the Super J-Cup finals. Nothing crazy, except for Ibushi who really shined in this match. GENTARO did most of the heavy lifting for his time in this one, so points to him as well. As fun as this one was, I was just itching to get to our main event of the evening!

Rating:

– FINALS –

Prince Devitt vs. Naomichi Marufuji – This was it. It was time to crown the newest Super J-Cup winner. Devitt, the rising superstar, versus Naomichi Marufuji, the battle-tested winner of the previous tournament held back in 2004. Could Marufuji repeat, or was this going to be Devitt’s night for the home team? Either way, I was pumped. The bell rang and the crowd was at a fever pitch. Clean break to start us off. Some fancy footwork was shown off by both men, ending in a stalemate. Forearms were up next, with each one landing harder than the last. Both men proved they were just as quick as one another with another stalemate. Devitt then took control of the bout with an arm wrench, nearly into a Kimura Lock that had Marufuji fighting for the ropes. Out on the floor, Marufuji rallied, hitting a rebound clothesline after using the bottom rope as a launching pad! He followed this up with a Brainbuster onto the apron from the floor. Devitt returned to the ring after a count of eleven, but was draped over the second rope setting up for Marufuji’s running driveby dropkick on the outside. Devitt tried to chop his way back into the match, but a thrust kick put him back down quickly. A running double foot stomp to the face landed, putting Devitt down for a near fall. Devitt then showed signs of life when he was able to kick Marufuji off the top rope to the floor. Devitt then hit a huge suicide senton from the top onto Marufuji on the floor! Back in the ring, Marufuji hit a lariat in traffic. With Devitt on the apron, Marufuji hit his signature springboard dropkick followed by a flying missile dropkick from the ring to the outside that wiped both men out! Devitt barely made it back into the ring at nineteen and ate a coast-to-coast for his trouble, with Marufuji getting another near fall. Devitt then fought out of the Shiranui and hit and overhead kick instead. He was able to get a double foot stomp off onto Marufuji for another near fall. Marufuji’s nose was bleeding at this point, but that didn’t seem to slow him down. Devitt planted Marufuji with a nasty back Superplex off the top for yet another near fall! Bloody Sunday was then reversed into a Shiranui that left both men laying. A series of thrust kicks landed, but Devitt got Marufuji with a kick of his own followed by a double-knee Codebreaker for another near fall! Marufuji cut Devitt off on the top rope to hit a stunning Spanish Fly off the top! Nothing seemed to keep Devitt down until, in a flurry, Marufuji was able to bust out his Pole Shift fisherman buster! This kept Devitt down for a count of three and it was official, Marufuji was able to win his second consecutive J-Cup, this time, Super J-Cup: 5th Stage! He and Devitt embraced after the bell as the fans cheered them both on. What a heck of a finish to this installment of the Super J-Cup tournament. These guys were in the finals for a reason, only furthering their stock as individuals and as opponents. Having a Pro Wrestling NOAH guy win this return edition was surprising, yet well-earned. Marufuji was one of the best wrestlers in the world in 2009, junior heavyweight, or not.

Rating:

FINAL THOUGHTS AND OVERALL OPINION:

As Naomichi Marufuji was awarded the gold jacket and confetti rained down, I wasn’t really sure to begin with this tournament. I know one thing, this was the best edition since at least the 2nd Stage in 1995, maybe even since the 1st Stage in 1994! This 2009 installment blew me out of the water and far surpassed my somewhat low expectations. There was such a healthily balance variety of matchups here, with some great talent chosen. Guys like GENTARO, Hayato Fujita, Danshoku Dino, Koji Kanemoto, and Kota Ibushi really shined here without even having to make it very far in the tournament. Quality was pretty consistent throughout, barring some repetitiveness with by-the-book limb work across all the matches. Do I think this helped NJPW springboard into 2010 with a refreshed sense of identity connected to their rich history? My vote is, yes… absolutely.

This edition of the Super J-Cup was a huge turning point for the tournament’s brand and legacy. Once again, across two cold December nights, the Super J-Cup tournament felt like a collection of some of the best talent in the world, each looking to break through as the world’s next great junior heavyweight. Did the 5th Stage really return some of the prestige that New Japan Pro Wrestling was hoping for? Were past wrongs indeed corrected? Had this legendary single-elimination style tournament been successfully revived from the ashes?

Undoubtedly, the Super J-Cup was back!