We’re almost at the home stretch of the second round of the 2019 New Japan Cup tournament.
This time, Hiroshi Tanahashi’s journey to becoming the nine-time IWGP Heavyweight champion continues thanks to his victory over Ryusuke Taguchi. Tanahashi has previously won the New Japan Cup in 2005 and 2008, will 2019 be added to his already impressive resume?
In perhaps the shocker of the second round thus far, Kota Ibushi is officially out of the competition. There was heavy speculation that the former NEVER Openweight champion would go on to face Jay White at Madison Square Garden; however, Zack Sabre Jr. put an end to those rumors by defeating Ibushi.
Tanahashi and Sabre Jr are expected to clash in the quarterfinals. Tomorrow will be the final night for the second round as SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki and Colt Cabana vs. Toru Yano are penciled down for the final match-ups.