NEO Japan Cup begins

NEO has revived the NEO Japan Cup mainly to come up with a sacrificial lamb to challenge Kyoko Inoue for the NEO Singles & NWA Pacific Titles at Kyoko's 20th anniversary show on Oct. 10. This is one of those overly complicated round robin tournaments that is too much of a time waster to mean anything. Especially when the prize is jobbing to Kyoko on an anniversary show. A title match on that kind of show is very unusual. The opener on the Aug. 3 Itabashi Green Hall show was Yuki Miyazaki vs rookie Nozomi Dai. Not much to this. Miyazaki armdrags Dai and applies an armbar. Dai gets a front facelock and rolls Miyazaki over. Dai tries a body scissors but Miyazaki powers out and applies a Boston crab. Miyazaki hits a flying elbow to the corner. Dai's dropkicks are swatted away. Miyazaki wins with a Barbarian drop at 7:45. It's similar to a Michinoku driver.

Next was Etsuko Mita & Aya Yuki vs Tanny Mouse & Kazumi Shimouna. Yuki bodyslams Shimouna and Mita follows up with a double toehold. Shimouna escapes and rolls up Mita for two. Tanny tags in and headbutts Mita below the belt followed by a double team lariat. Yuki tags in and Tanny walks the ropes and chops Yuki in the chest. Shimouna tags in. Yuki gets her up in a fireman's carry but Tanny breaks it up. Tanny holds Yuki but Shimouna's forearm smash misses and nails Tanny. The end comes when Yuki nails Shimouna with a vertical suplex and follows it with a Samoan drop for the win at 11:22. Next was Kyoko Inoue vs Kana. Not much to this either. Kana works on Kyoko's arm but Kyoko works on Kana's back with a Boston crab and then a camel clutch and an Argentinian backbreaker. Kana tries to come back but Kyoko goes back to the camel clutch. Kana's sunset flip attempt is squashed. Kana tries a hip attack followed by an armbar but Kyoko's avalanche style brainbuster is followed by a power bomb for the win at 10:29.

Now we have the NEO Japan Cup matches. You have the Red Zone and the Blue Zone and one point for a win. You get the idea. The first Red Zone match is Natsuki*Taiyo vs Haruka Matsuo. Matsuo starts by flying around and landing on Natsuki. Natsuki does the step over toehold kick the leg routine. Matsuo gets a double toehold but Natsuki gets to the ropes. Matsuo bodyslams Natsuki followed by a Boston crab. She turns it into a half crab and then an STF. Natsuki gets to the ropes but Matsuo stands on her hands and then traps her in the ropes with a foot to her head. Matsuo applies an armbar. Natsuki escapes and they exchage blows and then dropkicks. Matsuo hits a running high knee to the corner followed by a snap suplex. Natsuki hits a low dropkick. Matsuo hits a dropkick followed by a Northern Lights suplex for two and a victory roll for two. Matsuo's German suplex sets up her frog splash but no one is in the pool and Natsuki*Taiyo wins the match with her Natsuki*Bomb at 11:03. Yes, it is a minor upset but remember it's a round robin tournament.

The first Blue Zone match has Nanae Takahashi vs Atsuko Emoto. Emoto's headlock is reversed. Emoto comes of the ropes with a hip attack followed by a flying elbow drop. Takahashi picks up Emoto in a body vise and slams her into the corner. An attempted flying body press is met by Emoto's knees. Emoto applies a Boston crab but Takahashi reverses it with a neck crank. Emoto gets to the ropes. Emoto backdrops Takahashi followed by a running knee to the corner. Emoto half drags her to the apron and Tomoka Nakagawa nails Takahashi with a steel chair. Emoto picks up Takahashi on the ring apron and drops her face first to the floor. Emoto brings the chair into the ring and hits Takahashi over the head. Takahashi comes back with a missile dropkick. Emoto goes for a brainbuster on the chair but Takahashi counters and wins with a Shining Wizard followed by the Nanaracka at 14:31.

The next Blue Zone match has Yoshiko Tamura vs Hiroyo Matsumoto. Tamura shows contempt for Matsumoto by refusing to shake hands. Matsumoto begins with a shoulder block followed by a surfboard. Tamura kicks Matsumoto and traps her in the corner with a foot to the face. Matsumoto comes back with a forearm but Tamura traps her in the corner again. Tamura continues to punish Matsumoto with an abdominal stretch followed by kicks and punches. Then she traps her in the corner with a facewash. Matsumoto comesback with a missile dropkick, a Boston crab, an Argentinian backbreaker and a facebuster. Tamura hits a backdrop suplex for two. Tamura tries another but Matsumoto blocks it and hits a backdrop suplex. Tamura's leg takedown and rollup gets two. While Tamura argues with the ref, Matsumoto comes off the ropes with a back elbow for the win at 14:22. Tamura is stunned by this upset and Matsumoto is overjoyed. This could be the beginning of a very interesting feud.

The final Red Zone match is Misae Genki vs Kyoko Kimura. Kimura is doing her best Dump Matsumoto impression by ripping at Genki with a fork. Genki is busted open as Kimura continues to rip at her. Kimura's attempt at the Big Boots is caught by Genki and Genki hits two lariats. But Kimura grabs Genki in a rear naked choke and rips at her forehead with her other hand. Genki rises and tries to break the hold by slamming Kimura into the corner. But Kimura holds on and turns it into a sleeper. Genki gets to the ropes. Genki hits a vertical suplex and then Kimura hits a brainbuster followed by a knee attack. Genki hits a lariat and goes to the top. Kimura follows her but is unable to knock her off and Genki hits a choke slam. Kimura again tries the Big Boots but Genki wins with the G Driver at 11:30. The tournament will continue but remember that Genki is winning NEO's website poll. She's retiring anyway and might as well get one last title shot.