13 Ups & 1 Down From NJPW's 47th Anniversary Show

11. The New Japan Cup Build

Kazuchika Okada Hiroshi Tanahashi Hirooki Goto
NJPW

Though the New Japan Cup is never a throwaway tournament, it rarely feels as important as it does this year. This is down to a number of factors, including the now monster-bracket featuring 32 wrestlers, but also the sterling work the promotion put into building towards the tournament on this 47th Anniversary Show.

Undercard bouts carried extra importance as tournament participants squared off and stood out. Kevin Kelly spent the entire evening putting the competition over, as did his cohorts. After the pre-main event, Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi all got on the microphone to promise victory, ensuring the Cup was still in our minds as we headed into the Jay White/Will Ospreay main event.

Kudos to the promotion for putting such effort into making the tourney feel as important as it should, with the winner set to challenge White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Supercard. Let's hope for a story as awesome as Zack Sabre Jr.'s rise to prominence in the 2018 tournament.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.