On March 20th, the finals of the New Japan Cup 2024 is set to take place in Nagaoka. Yota Tsuji will be facing Hirooki Goto in the much anticipated final match of the tournament which began on March 7th. This will be Tsuji’s first time in the championship tournament match while Goto has won the New Japan Cup three times during his career. The winner of the finals will earn an opportunity to challenge Tetsuya Naito for his IWGP World Heavyweight Title.
Tsuji and Goto took questions and exchanged final words at a publicly held press conference today ahead of their huge match on March 20th.
They were both asked what they thought of each other heading into the New Japan Cup 2024 finals:
Tsuji: Goto has obviously won the Cup three times before. He has legendary toughness, a lot of originality in the moves he does as well. I can’t afford to let my guard down, but I plan to wrestle my pace and take him out.
Goto: Out of everyone in this new generation people are talking about, Tsuji’s the one with the most momentum, and I think he’s the most capable. But then I don’t really care about this talk of the new generation, and the new era. I still want to forge the Goto Era.
Tsuji was asked about how he felt about the tournament up until now:
First I had Jeff Cobb, and like I said backstage, that was a real power fight. ELP, a lot of high flying, and I won that too. After that, Narita and EVIL, the kind of messed up match HOUSE OF TORTURE creates. And yeah, I had the help of Hiromu, BUSHI and Takagi, but at the end of the day, I was able to win in their style of fight. I’ve wrestled four matches, and Goto, with two byes, only two. But in a clash of wills I promise that mine will come out stronger.
Yota Tsuji
Goto was asked if he’d like to send a message to Tsuji given the comments he made during the press conference:
I’m 45 this year. 21 years in the business. He might have the edge on me physically, but he doesn’t know the depths that I’ve been to, that I can withstand. He’ll know tomorrow the kind of strength I have.
Hirooki Goto
Tsuji closed the press conference with these comments:
I’ve said it since I came back from excursion- I’m here to change the hierarchy in Los Ingobernables De Japon. That’s what I plan to do by winning the Cup and coming for Naito’s head. It’s the perfect story.
Yota Tsuji
The NJPW New Japan Cup 2024 final can been viewed live on MArch 20th on NJPW World subscription streaming service.
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