[7.0] "A super long match with a lot of overbooking in the end. Both wrestlers went into hiding waiting to hit counters but in the end we simply got another finisher spam where the first one to invent something new won."
[9.0] "What a great encounter! I'm not much familiar with both men, i only knew Yuya was in Impact before and that's all i've see from him but man he can wrestle and he's SO good - i would never say he's that talented after watching his stuff from Impact - i was very impressed and i'll definitely check out more. Newman is also intriguing, his style is cool and matches his persona perfectly. I'm struggling to enjoy NJPW's main event matches but this one was so good, it was a bit long but they managed to make this a worth watch. ****, 5"
[7.0] "Just like the semi-final contest, Newman slows the pace and goes to the arm in the early exchanges to great effect. Relative to Shota, however, Yuya was visibly keen to up the tempo despite his struggles. Despite this, the first fifteen minutes still went by without a defining moment, again comparable to Newman-Umino. The finishing stretch was excellently crafted, but also unsurprising. Really good, but it didn't match the highs of either semi-final, in my opinion."
[9.0] "A bit of a pedestrian start but this turned into a sure fire MOTY contender. Newman was a very effective heel but Uemura was the obvious star here. A real hallmark performance where he showed great fire and resilience but ultimately came up short. ****3/4"
[8.0] "A real spectacle and a sign of great things to come for New Japan's young talent. Both men really shone here. Newman plays the heel incredibly well, and Yuya is such a hot babyface it's impressive. Massive win for Callum, and I hope this leads to great things for him."
[8.0] "****3/4 A truly magnificent match, the best match of Newman's career and Uemura's best singles match. The chemistry was fantastic; they worked together brilliantly and managed to evolve and showcase their progress as wrestlers, displaying a more intense and hard-hitting side of Newman. Uemura delivered an incredible babyface performance that practically positions him as a main eventer in NJPW. I dare say it's the best match the NJCup has had since the 2022 edition; I don't recall any match from the 2023, 2024, or 2025 Cup being better. The sequences were superb, the intensity was incredible, the pacing was fantastic, building momentum to a great climax that perhaps the Umino vs. Newman match lacked. Uemura's kick-outs to the first and second Prince's Curse were fantastic, as was Newman's to the Deadfall Suplex + High Fly Attack combo. Both wrestlers gave it their all, and that made them look stronger than ever. Never, a truly magnificent finish! Newman avoids another High Fly Attack and delivers a tremendous superkick to Uemura in mid-air, followed by a Kiss The Crown (a full-on lariat) that Uemura kicks out of. Callum then finishes the match with his new Make Way finisher to win the New Japan Cup and become the youngest wrestler to ever do so. Newman's evolution has been tremendous; unlike Uemura, Umino, and Oiwa, Newman didn't seem to have as much potential, but he proved me wrong and has improved immensely in the last year"
[9.0] "Awesome match to end this years New Japan cup. While I wasn't the biggest Newman supporter before the tournament his matches with Shota Umino and now Yuya Uemura really sold his main event status. I thought this match was the second best of this years tournament with Shingo Takagi vs Uemura taking the top spot. This match was at a great pace and really set the standard for the younger generation of New Japan which is really vital to the health of this company long term. Both hit their signature moves and both stayed alive until Newman hit a new finisher sort of Royal Flush style to pin Uemura after every other move of his fell short of the pinfall. Newman is the youngest winner of the New Japan Cup at 23 years old which is awesome. He is only going to grow stronger with more experience under his belt but his ability to put on matches of this quality and win the NJPW Cup at 23 years old is insane. ****.5"
[8.0] "Exactly the banger I knew it would be. Not my favorite match of either man's showing in The New Japan Cup but this had the aggression and relentless explosivity that you'd want for this match. Callum Newman is well deserved in this position and is fitting into his role as monster heel effortlessly which is the one thing I didn't know he was capable of this time last year. Yuya Uemura was also fantastic here but I don't think his babyface fire was enough for him to take the shine in this match. Would've been a bit better if it didn't overkill itself in the final stretch with one too many finish kick outs for me which ultimately lead to the actual finish not being as impactful as I hoped. Still this is the result I wanted and I can't wait to see more of The Prince"
[8.0] "Good match, crowd was super hot. I will say that Newman's ultra generic heel promo afterwards was a pretty crappy way to cap off the night. He then says nothing of importance in the backstage interview besides fuck alot. Need to start seeing some individuality in these foreign baddies."
[7.0] "Probably the best match of the whole 2026 NJ Cup, which is exactly what you'd hope for from a tournament final. It's still not at the level of peak NJPW from a few years ago, but it's definitely scratching that same sort itch to some degree, and it's great to see the younger crop of guys impressing when called on. This was classic heel-vs-babyface stuff, with Newman's aggression and underhands tactics playing counter to Uemura's slick and intense grappling and arm-targeting, though Newman was capable of being very slick and flashy with his own offence and Uemura was capable of getting aggressive when required to, so it was nice to see the range from both guys. Newman did well with his character work on top of just his heel-based offence, such as his arrogant taunts and poses that did well to play up his villain side without feeling cheesy. While Uemura did well as per usual with his arm-targeting, it was quite cool to see Newman return that favour with his own arm-targeting, allowing Uemura time to work from below and show off his compelling sympathetic selling. Both guys were really athletic and energetic in their trades, doing well to slowly ramp up to bigger and more significant exchanges while still taking time to reset to a baseline level with their respective beatdown work and limb-targeting so that the action never became overwhelming. Newman continued to impress me with the speed and flair he showed with all of his attacks and even just his movements, with it always feeling like he's super light on his feet yet still capable of delivering really damaging offence. I've als got to say how great it is that the Ospreay apprentice doesn't have Ospreay's awful tendency to do goofy, bug-eyed, mouth-agape selling and instead just plays a straightforward character despite being very much a heel. It was really engaging seeing both guys struggle with their arms and slowly pushing each other more and more with their bigger moves while still focussing on their respective arm-targeting, though after a while they definitely both began to drop that selling a bit more that they should've if they wanted to really impress me. For the most part they still dedicated *just* enough time to highlighting how their respective arms were limiting them, so it's not like they were strictly no-selling, but I still would've liked a bit more consistency. The near fall on Newman's second Bloody Sunday (or whatever he calls it) was really good, though it was at this point that the match started veering a bit into classic NJPW overkill territory. They also still had their annoying 'delayed' selling, where they could somehow use their arm perfectly for all their attacks but then, once their was a break in the action, they'd suddenly remember the pain they were in. At least that was better than pure no-selling, but I still expect better. The match continued to stack on more and more exciting offence, featuring some flawlessly time counters and great near falls that made up for how generically 50/50 they almost all were. Newman debuting a new finisher -- sort of a sit-out slam to get the win -- was cool, and at least made up for him having two finishers kicked out of previously, as by wrestling logic they seemingly now been superseded. I'm still waiting for this new generation of NJPW guys to give us some more interesting match stories that aren't just "we go 50/50 with big moves and near falls until the finish", but I can at least still appreciate the slightly different ways these guys present those matches compared to the previous generation. ***1/2"
[9.0] "This tournament aimed to showcase the new generation. Newman did just that. He became the youngest winner of the New Japan Cup at only 23 years old. He did a great job as a heel (running away, spitting at both Tanahashi and Yuya, hiding behind the ropes). After the match, we got a face-off against the champion."
[7.0] "Good lord this had way too many false finishes. Like a good four or five. It was better over all than Newman vs. Shota, but definitely a notch below Yuya vs. Boltin. Uemura's right arm just seemed to stop troubling him at some point and both guys' signature offense was made to look strangely ineffective during the protracted closing stretch ***1/2"
[9.0] "I enjoyed the heck out of this one. I thought it was paced really well and both guys came out looking awesome. I continue to really dig Uemura's approach of mixing solid fundamentals while also moving some of those fundamentals forward to better align with modern grappling. I havent been following consistently but was suprised to see how much of a growing movement of fan support hes getting, i noticed during the end of the match a few women in the audience having what I call the "tanahashi response". Callum is superb for his age and only has room to grow. I felt these two had great chemistry and were able to blend their styles in a way that seemed like they were in conflict but also made good aesthtic sense. Really fun match, really really good crowd and great engagement of that crowd, go out of your way to watch this one"
[9.0] "Usually I think that "Omega matches" are not the best place for Uemura to shine, and in fact, it is not. But, he is still a great wrestler who can work with basically whatever they bring him to. Single matches to solidify himself into the roster, tag matches with Shooter, he can do. In my opinion, he was a wrestler way better than Newman here for example. Yeah, Newman was the guy who made the pace excellent, that did some Poisonrannas, but his selling here was so fucking bad that almost ruined it. Like, Uemura spend an good amount of time focusing on his arm just to in mid match he FORGOT to sell that until the ending. I do appreaciate that NJPW see an star on him and is slowly building him to be something better than he was, I do think that he is still raw. Uemura is much better than him, but for storytelling wise, Uemura defeated seeing his idol Tana taking an picture with the guy that beat him (and even had a moment that he mock/provoque Tana during the match) was dope storytelling. Hope to see that rematch on G1."
[10.0] "Newman truly was able to win me over throughout this tournament, and I was already a big fan of Uemura. They put on a classic here, that kept me guessing who'd win until the end. Perfect way to end a solid tournament, I loved this one - incredible action."
[9.0] "This match was really good, both were just doing anything to win this tournament finals with great sequences, reversals, strikes, moves and more. The one thing I hated about this match wasn't even what was done between the ropes or on the outside, it was Newman spitting on Hiroshi Tanahashi, I mean it wasn't needed. I get its heel thing to do to get heat from the crowd, but it was still uncalled for. The speed Callum had running between the ropes before getting arm-dragged by Yuya just shows me how fast he is. That spinning kick to Yuya was brutal sounding, the sound of it caught me off guard. Yuya immediately going for submission holds after Callum kicks out is a smart move. Brutal elbow from Callum, only to get hit with a brutal enziguri by Yuya, then again only to be hit with a brutal clothesline from Callum. These two were going insane, Yuya hit a brutal headbutt to Newman, I was nervous Callum was gonna win after hitting the low-blow & his finisher to Yuya. I didn't see Yuya kicking out of Callum's finisher twice. Callum countering a top splash with a super-kick was insane, and immediately hit the kiss the crowd only to get 2 again. Newman getting the win kinda shocked me."
[9.0] "The opening stretch was genuinely surprising. Yuya Uemura completely controlled the early portions, not just in the expected technical exchanges but also in the transitions and even taking it outside the ring. He was winning the mat wrestling scrambles cleanly and that immediately put Newman in a position he really hasn't been in during this tournament. He was on the back foot and that's where the story gets interesting, because when Newman is at his most vulnerable, that's when he tends to become the most dangerous. There was a point where it felt like Newman had regained his momentum, but you could also see the cumulative wear and tear of the tournament start to factor in. This is something New Japan has always done well, selling the idea that these matches don't happen in a vacuum. The pace evened out and from there it turned into a true back-and-forth struggle where every inch of the canvas mattered. They weren't just doing moves, they were fighting for position. Once they got into deeper waters, Newman started to experiment more, trying to stay a step ahead. He went outside his comfort zone and not everything landed perfectly. But that actually added to the match rather than detracting from it. The key point is that he was able to push through those imperfections and keep himself competitive, which gave the match a sense of urgency. The finish was solid. You had a well-timed false finish that got a real reaction, followed by a beautifully executed suplex from Uemura. It just fit the story they were telling."
[7.0] "A good not great final in my opnion. I prefered both men's semi final matches. Not to say this wasn't good just didn't hit that next level for me. 3.5 stars."
[8.0] "[4.0*] Amazing Finals that solidified Yuya as the tournament's MVP. This was like a better executed version of the Newman vs Shota match. I just love the pacing of Yuya's matches, he's the coolest. I tend to think Newman's early work kinda bland and sauceless but Yuya really helped him here. It's a long match but it's also an easy-watch, the time spent on the ringside really helped them and that Newman bump on the chairs was insane. From the 15-min mark on the match became crazy, pacing got way faster and they went full epic mode. I really liked that Newman beat Shota with the same move Yuya kicked out twice, it made both nearfalls mean more. When Yuya kicked out of the second finisher I went crazy and I legit thought he was going to win. I personally disagree with the result but Nooj seems pretty high on Callum so I need to accept and root for him to do well. Yuya is still miles better than him tho."
[7.0] "this was an ok match in my opinion that had a few moments. None of the kickouts caught me off guard and it was rather bland leading up to the final few minutes"
[6.0] "Newman's offence continues to be relatively bland, there's multiple no-sell sequences in this (none of which add much, for me) and as with many of the matches between the younger guys, there's a lack of connective tissue. There's not enough fighting over executing moves (aside from the deadbolt suplex), grappling or even intriguing selling - this is just largely move-to-move. Both these guys are still very early into their upper card roles so they'll only improve the more main event matches they work but this didn't do much for me. The content of this match is largely fine but I'd put it a step down from Newman vs Umino from the night before which I felt had more entertaining bumps and moments than this one. ***1/4."
[8.0] "Great way to finish the tournament. This tournament was lacking all the way up until the semi finals. Really i think the days of big NJ tournaments are done till they get a more solid roster. This tournament really excelled in the last 3 matches. This match was really good and should be watched."
[10.0] "Fantastic match that elevated both guys. Newman is the new top heel in NJPW (sorry, Ren) and seemingly the top gaijin. I assume Newman vs ZSJ will be a big match down the line and potentially in the G1 this year. The Prince has stepped up his game and it's crazy to see how much improvement he's had since last year's tournament where he lost to Tetsuya Naito in the opening round. He's since shed most of the Ospreay influence that people criticized him for and took inspiration from a former Prince of NJPW. His new moveset has been great and he firmly established the Prince's Curse, Excalibur, and Kiss the Crown as finishers/signatures. He has great chemistry with Uemura--who may be the best tournament wrestler in the company--and they delivered a great final for the new gen. Every counter was great and the dynamic between heel versus face was perfect. Newman couldn't put Uemura away with his finisher but the Heat Storm went for his version of the High Fly Flow one too many times and it cost him. The debut of a new finisher in a big match is always exciting in New Japan. Newman used the Make Way to become the youngest New Japan Cup winner. I'm excited to see these two create a rivalry from this match and run it back at some point down the line."
[7.0] "I am generally not a fan of New Japan's main event style, it's hard to get invested until the last 5ish minutes, especially when you're not watching live. This was good, not great. Congrats to Callum Newman."
[8.0] "A great finals for the NJC, Newman and Uemura both left it all in the ring, with a really punchy and exciting match. These two had surprisingly good chemistry which was not seen in their only previous singles match last year. Newman picked up the win with his new Make Way finisher after a strong final five minutes, this built up really effectively and reached a great conclusion."
[9.0] "Excellent final match between Callum and Uemura. I wish I could rate this a 9.5 or 9.8 because that reflects my true feelings about it more than just a 9. It was so close to being a masterpiece but in my opinion something about it just did not click compared to Newman's match against Umino. That match seemed to be pitch perfect with it's pacing, slowly building into an absolute frenzied finish. And that match featured a lot more creativity, where as this match was stunningly similar to the Umino bout, only entirely in the ring and just not quite as good. The final sequence was phenomenal, with a blistering back and forth of kickouts that definitely elevated the level of excitement. The crowd was fully behind Yuya in a way that perhaps might not have been for Shota, which contributed to an awesome atmosphere in the building. Ultimately this is a ****1/2 to ****3/4 match that just lacked that tiny little bit of juice to take it over the top to true masterpiece status, and it was a bit too similar in construction to the previous nights main event for me. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have to give it up to Callum, working matches like this on back to back nights is simply awe inspiring and he has taken a step forward to being one of the best in the world this tournament."
[5.0] "This was not very good, and was Uemura's worst match of the tournament by a country mile. Even with a super hot crowd it's a fairly dull affair until the last few minutes. It didn't go as long as Newman vs Umino did, but it still felt too long. Newman's a great seller and bumper, but his offense feels so poorly paced, like he's rushing through trying to get his shit in. They trade some arm work (that Newman drops very quickly for no discernible reason) and each guy's arm selling is neither good enough to warrant praise or bad enough to be worth criticisng. That sort of sums up the whole match, really. A real nothing, mid-ass, okay match."
[9.0] "[****1/2] Very Good! It actually surprised me as this match was somewhat shorter than the Shota vs Newman match but I still enjoyed it. Newman has a certain ferocity to his style and that makes his offense believable and enjoyable. Uemura was fun, but Newman was the standout of this match and the tournament. Newman is now the top heel and gaijin on New Japan. Unfortunately, the chances fo him winking at Sakura Genesis are basically zero."
[7.0] "Good match but I liked both of their semifinal matches more. This one doesn't go the extra mile like the previous ones in the Cup. I'm also feeling a bit iffy about the winner here as that would be a second title shot in a year all while Yuya has challenged for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title exactly zero times. But I generally like the direction that Callum is moving into, becoming more vicious in the ring and moving out of Ospreay's shadow. Let's see how it plays out in the future."
[8.0] "8.5 - I was unimpressed in the early goings, completely enraptured in the closing stretch. Those late near falls and reversals were outstanding. It made me forget that the two guys in the ring are so unproven. Callum Newman is vastly improved, and he gets the in-between aspects of a match the same way his NJC-winning predecessor, David Finlay did."
[10.0] "A Masterpiece of the New Generation" If you told me at the start of the year that these two would main event the New Japan Cup final and deliver a 10/10 classic, I'd have called you crazy. But here we are. This was everything NJPW needed to signal a true shift in the landscape. Callum Newman has undergone one of the most incredible character evolutions I've ever seen. He's completely shed the "Ospreay Junior" skin and become a genuinely hateful, calculated heel. His limb work on Uemura's arm was visceral, and his speed is now used not just for flashy spots, but for cutting off Uemura's hope spots with surgical precision. Yuya Uemura, on the other hand, was the perfect "Stoic Ace." He sold the damage like a seasoned veteran, making every comeback feel earned. The final sequence--reversing the Prince's Curse into a desperate Deadbolt Suplex attempt--had the entire arena (and me at home) standing up. This didn't feel like a "young talent" match; it felt like a main event anywhere in the world. New Japan has finally handed the keys to the future. With Tsuji vs. Uemura set for Sakura Genesis, the Reiwa Three Musketeers era (plus Newman) has officially arrived."
[9.0] "? [4.75 Stars] This was close to a perfect final--two young talents destined for great things who treated us to a match filled with insane suspense. I can't wait to see what's next in their careers. And honestly, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give the G1 Climax to Yuya."
[10.0] "I will admit I did not have Callum Newman getting past probably the second round of the cup. But I now get the vision because he put on two bangers in the span of a day. Great match that personified strong style and what is to come in the future for NJPW. Yuya looked like someone who has all the makings of being a great future Ace of the company and Callum Newman the great foreign heel. Great tournament end and will be looking foward to Tsuji Vs Newman though I doubt he'll win. Completely awesome ***** - Stars"
[9.0] "A great back and forth match and Callum Newman is the youngeset New Japan cup winner. Probably my favorite match of the tournament and I was really rooting for Yuya, but this allows him to win this years G1 hopefully. A great match start to finish and they were kicking out of seemingly everything towards the end I thought this match was over numerous times. ****.5"
[9.0] "Callum Newman won the New Japan Cup 2026 and i'm happy about it. I woudln't believe it even 2 weeks ago, but this Tournament was really awesome for him. Hé worked hard to show how much he can improve himself, this final against a huge Babyface As Yuya Uemura was memorable."
[9.0] "Although not as good as Umino/Newman from yesterday, Yuya and Newman had a very good match, with their only other singles encounter being at last year's G1. They both put in the work throughout the tournament to get to this spot, and both men deserved it, but I feel that this solidifies Newman as a top star in New Japan. The limb work was awesome, the spots were awesome, and the match was very good. I get why people will like/dislike the match, but I liked it. I believe the biggest issue was that it was right after the insane match between Umino/Newman, and people were still buzzing about that. Either way, I find that they had a good winner, the tournament was one of the better New Japan Cup's since 2022/2023 and I can't wait for Sakura Genesis in April."
[8.0] "The coronation! Not to the level of the epic from yesterday but another fantastic effort from Newman. Yuya though capped off a great tournament and his crowd connection is near the top of the company now. A fitting final with a surprising winner. The path forward for NJPW has a lot more life coming out of this."
[10.0] "This was tremendous from start to finish with an incredible Uemura underdog performance, who overcame Callum Newman in this match including everything that beat everyone who faced Newman before as the crowd was electric, but in the end it wasn't enough"
[9.0] "Amazing match with an excellent finishing sequence that was also very good at taking advantage of emotional investment through pacing, just like the Newman vs Umino semifinal. Uemura was by far the MVP of this tournament and this was the cherry on top."
[9.0] "From a booking standpoint, this final was the perfect call for me because it allowed them to establish both their new top gaijin (Newman) and their new top babyface (Uemura) - who has absolutely everything it takes to be the true successor to Tanahashi that Umino had hoped to be in recent years - and the way the match unfolded proved exactly that. I saw in the crowd's support for Yuya a real ability to carry this company on his shoulders for the years to come. The match's story was very good, the action was great too, and the final minutes were completely insane. Best match of this New Japan Cup."
[7.0] "Callum and Yuya are both good workers but neither man has the experience or vision required to break away from the NJPW Big Match Formula (TM). The end result is a good bout that nevertheless feels a little too paint-by-numbers and is not quite as good as either of the ones they worked in the semis. After the halfway point they just start doing moves on one another with no rhyme or reason and my eyes glaze over. Callum does an alright job of selling the arm whenever he isn't doing the obligatory strong style no-sells and Uemura's inclusion of the High Fly Crossbody in his moveset still feels tacked on and hokey when he already has a perfectly great finsher in the Deadbolt suplex. Live crowd loved it so what do I know?"
[9.0] "Yuya looked like a star here. Great match, felt like a final and the crowd were behind the Heat storm, Newman seems to be getting better with every match and delivered again, Great young NJPW talent giving a fantastic final match! Shout out to Zane Jay for launching a chair into the front row!"
[9.0] "What a very very strong end to the tournament the Semi Finals and Final have been, it is a shame that given the current wrestling landscape i think all three matches will fly somewhat under the radar. I would personally have liked to see Yuya win here but it was great all the same."
[10.0] "I mean what can I say? Once again I am stunned at how far Callum has come. But Yuya man what a run for him in this tournament. Real awesome stuff here from the get go escalating into an absolutely bombastic finishing stretch. Just the kind of main event I'm into. Maximalism done right in my opinion. One of the best of the year for sure"
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