New Japan Cup | |
---|---|
Promotions | NJPW |
First event | New Japan Cup (2005) |
Event gimmick | Single-elimination tournament for a championship match |
The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax which follows a round-robin format.
Since the 2006 edition, the winner of the tournament, like with the G1 Climax, would receive a championship match, originally, for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. However, unlike with the G1 Climax, the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion could not participate in the tournament (in the case of the champion winning the G1 Climax, he would get to pick the next challenger for his title). In 2014–2018, the winner could choose to challenge for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship instead, while in 2015–2018, the NEVER Openweight Championship was also an option; only the 2014 winner Shinsuke Nakamura chose not to compete for the Heavyweight Championship, challenging for the Intercontinental Championship instead. In 2020, due to Tetsuya Naito being both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, the winner received a match for both titles, and in 2021, after the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships were unified into a new championship, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, the latter became the title the winner of the New Japan Cup would automatically challenge for; like previously with the Heavyweight title, the World Heavyweight Champion cannot compete. However, in 2022, it was once again an openweight tournament and featured all the champions from both the heavyweight and junior heavyweight divisions including the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The first night of the 2022 tournament saw the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion take on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in the first round, a match that usually happens at NJPW's anniversary event.
The number of participants in the New Japan Cup has varied over the years, from a lowest of 14 in 2007 and 2009 to a highest of 48 in 2022; the 2021 tournament features 30 entrants. It is considered a heavyweight tournament, although the 2005, 2008–09, 2020, and 2022 editions were openweight tournaments instead, also featuring junior heavyweights; in 2020, NJPW premiered the New Japan Cup USA, a version of the tournament taking place in the United States to determine a contender for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is both the inaugural winner of the New Japan Cup, and the first wrestler to have won it twice; Hirooki Goto, Yuji Nagata, Kazuchika Okada, and Zack Sabre Jr. have since also become two-time winners. Goto is both the only three-time winner and the only person to have won the tournament two years in a row.
# | Event | Date | City | Venue | Attendance | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Japan Cup (2005): New Japan Openweight Tournament | April 24, 2005 | Osaka | Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium | 5,800 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Manabu Nakanishi |
2 | New Japan Cup 2006 | April 30, 2006 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,200 | Yuji Nagata vs. Giant Bernard |
3 | 35th Anniversary Tour~ Circuit 2007 New Japan Evolution ~ New Japan Cup 2007 | March 21, 2007 | Tokyo | Korakuen Hall | 1,450 | Yuji Nagata vs. Togi Makabe |
4 | Circuit 2008 New Japan Cup ~Who Is The Highest~ | March 23, 2008 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,200 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Giant Bernard |
5 | Circuit 2009 New Japan Cup ~Soul On The Ring~ | March 22, 2009 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,300 | Hirooki Goto vs. Giant Bernard |
6 | Circuit 2010 New Japan Cup ~ The Perfect Generalist ~ | March 22, 2010 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,500 | Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto |
7 | 39th Anniversary Tour ~ New Japan Cup 2011 ~ | March 20, 2011 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,500 | Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura |
8 | 40th Anniversary Tour ~ New Japan Cup 2012 | April 8, 2012 | Tokyo | Korakuen Hall | 2,040 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto |
9 | New Japan Cup 2013 | March 23, 2013 | Tokyo | Korakuen Hall | 2,015 | Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada |
10 | New Japan Cup 2014 | March 23, 2014 | Amagasaki | Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | 5,800 | Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale |
11 | New Japan Cup 2015 | March 15, 2015 | Hiroshima | Hiroshima Sun Plaza | 5,120 | Hirooki Goto vs. Kota Ibushi |
12 | New Japan Cup 2016 | March 12, 2016 | Aomori | Maeda Arena | 2,919 | Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito |
13 | New Japan Cup 2017 | March 20, 2017 | Nagaoka | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | 4,079 | Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bad Luck Fale |
14 | New Japan Cup 2018 | March 21, 2018 | Nagaoka | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | 3,996 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. |
15 | New Japan Cup 2019 | March 24, 2019 | Nagaoka | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | 3,991 | Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada |
16 | New Japan Cup 2020 | July 11, 2020 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall | 3,318 | Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil |
17 | New Japan Cup 2021 | March 21, 2021 | Sendai | Xebio Arena Sendai | 2,299 | Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay |
18 | New Japan Cup 2022 | March 27, 2022 | Osaka | Osaka-jō Hall | 2,987 | Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. |
19 | New Japan Cup 2023 | March 21, 2023 | Nagaoka | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | 3,384 | Sanada vs. David Finlay |
20 | New Japan Cup 2024 | March 20, 2024 | Nagaoka | City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | 3,003 | Hirooki Goto vs. Yota Tsuji |
New Japan Cup 2005 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | April 19–24, 2005 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Osaka, Osaka, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2005 New Japan Cup was held from April 19 to April 24. The first two rounds were held on individual nights, with round one taking up the entire card on April 19. [5]
Round 1 April 19 | Round 2 April 21 | Semifinals April 24 | Final April 24 | ||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | DQ | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 24:12 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Koji Kanemoto | 17:38 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Koji Kanemoto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Ryushi Yanagisawa | 8:19 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 19:45 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Minoru | CO | ||||||||||||||
Osamu Nishimura | 16:47 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Osamu Nishimura† | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 20:47 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Jushin Thunder Liger | 15:54 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 19:21 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Kendo Kashin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 8:55 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Kendo Kashin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yutaka Yoshie | 15:48 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Yutaka Yoshie | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Scott Norton | 9:07 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Kendo Kashin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 10:20 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Tiger Mask | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Masahiro Chono | 10:29 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Masahiro Chono | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 14:16 [5] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 7:34 [5] |
† Minoru was forced to pull out before his Round 2 match, due to suffering severe dizziness, and was replaced by Osamu Nishimura, who he beat in Round 1. [5]
New Japan Cup 2006 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | April 16–30, 2006 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2006 New Japan Cup was held from April 16 to April 30. [6] Giant Bernard, the winner of the tournament, went on to fail in his challenge against IWGP Champion Brock Lesnar on May 3. [7]
Round 1 April 16, 20, 21, 22 | Round 2 April 23,25,26 | Semifinals April 28,29 | Final April 30 | ||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 8:19 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Riki Choshu | 9:11 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Black Strong Machine | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Riki Choshu | 6:46 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 16:43 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | 11:31 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Ryoji Sai | 14:56 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Ryoji Sai | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Naofumi Yamamoto | 13:59 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 19:40 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Masahiro Chono | 25:12 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 14:27 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Scott Norton | 12:30 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 18:49 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tatsutoshi Goto | 1:24 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 10:50 [6] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 9:57 [6] |
New Japan Cup 2007 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 3–21, 2007 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Tokyo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Korakuen Hall | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2007 New Japan Cup was a 14-man tournament held from March 3 to March 21. [8] Giant Bernard and Hiroyoshi Tenzan received byes to the second round, due to their victories in the 2006 New Japan Cup and G1 Climax respectively. Shinsuke Nakamura was injured in a non-tournament match on March 13, giving Tenzan an additional pass to the semifinals. The winner, Yuji Nagata, went on to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi for the championship on April 13, beginning his second reign with the title. [9] He also became the first person to reach the NJC final twice, and the first to win both the New Japan Cup and G1 Climax.
Round 1 March 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 | Round 2 March 13, 15 | Semifinals March 18 | Final March 21 | ||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Travis Tomko | 9:29 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | 11:32 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | 14:06 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 12:27 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 10:16 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Forfeit [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 20:05 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 12:12 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Masahiro Chono | 17:25 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Masahiro Chono | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Riki Choshu | 8:44 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 18:22 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shiro Koshinaka | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 10:03 [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 13:05 [8] |
New Japan Cup 2008 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 9–23, 2008 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2008 New Japan Cup was a 16-man tournament held from March 9 to March 23. [10] The winner, Hiroshi Tanahashi, became the first two-time winner of the NJC and went on to fail in his challenge against IWGP Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on March 30. [11]
Round 1 | Round 2 | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 13:03 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin1 | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 18:07 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 10:27 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 12:11 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 20:32 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | 13:42 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Jushin Thunder Liger | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | 11:33 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 18:24 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Koji Kanemoto | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 9:05 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Koji Kanemoto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 9:45 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 10:43 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 10:44 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Milano Collection A.T. | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 11:25 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Rhino | 11:21 [10] | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Rhino | 10:17 [10] |
1This match originally ended in a double countout at 2:35, but it was restarted with Makabe winning via pinfall in 14:49. [10]
New Japan Cup 2009 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 8–22, 2009 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2009 New Japan Cup was a 14-man tournament held from March 8 to March 22. [12] Giant Bernard and Yuji Nagata, the winners of the Cups of 2006 and 2007, received byes in the first round of the tournament. The eventual winner of the tournament, Hirooki Goto, went on to lose the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match to Hiroshi Tanahashi on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2009. [13]
Round 1 March 8 | Round 2 March 15 | Semifinals March 22 | Final March 22 | ||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 11:10 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 19:00 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 15:32 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 14:51 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | DQ | ||||||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | 14:49 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 10:53 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 18:18 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Milano Collection A.T. | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 09:50 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Milano Collection A.T. | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 9:13 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yutaka Yoshie | 08:56 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yutaka Yoshie | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 20:29 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yutaka Yoshie | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 13:38 [12] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | CO1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Wataru Inoue | 12:33 [12] |
1This match originally ended in a double countout at 3:18, but it was restarted with Ishii winning via countout in 9:15. [12]
New Japan Cup 2010 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 14–22, 2010 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2010 New Japan Cup was a 15-man tournament held from March 14 to March 22. [14] As the previous winner of the Cup, Hirooki Goto received a bye in the first round of the tournament. With his victory, Goto became the second two-time winner of the tournament and the first to win it back-to-back. Goto went on to challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on April 4, but would once again fail in his attempt to win the title. [15]
Round 1 March 14 | Round 2 March 20 | Semifinals March 22 | Final March 22 | ||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 15:04 [16] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 13:41 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Masato Tanaka | 11:15 [17] | ||||||||||||||||||
Wataru Inoue | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 7:39 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Wataru Inoue | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Masato Tanaka | 13:05 [16] | ||||||||||||||||||
Masato Tanaka | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 18:01 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 21:42 [17] | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 11:46 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 14:26 [16] | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 10:34 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 15:52 [17] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Strong Man | 8:37 [14] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 23:17 [16] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 9:52 [14] |
New Japan Cup 2011 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 6–20, 2011 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2011 New Japan Cup was a 16-man tournament held from March 6 to March 20. The winner, Yuji Nagata, went on to unsuccessfully challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on April 3. [18]
Round 1 March 6 March 13 | Round 2 March 19 | Semifinals March 20 | Final March 20 | ||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 9:50 [19] | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 8:49 [20] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 13:45 [19] | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 9:55 [21] | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | Sub | ||||||||||||||
MVP | 12:20 [19] | ||||||||||||||
MVP | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 10:41 [20] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 16:01 [19] | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 14:44 [21] | ||||||||||||||
Wataru Inoue | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 10:17 [22] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 11:09 [20] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Takashi Iizuka | 12:50 [22] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 7:27 [21] | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Masato Tanaka | 13:03 [22] | ||||||||||||||
Masato Tanaka | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 16:33 [20] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Giant Bernard | 11:32 [22] |
New Japan Cup 2012 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | April 1–8, 2012 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Tokyo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Korakuen Hall | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2012 New Japan Cup was a 16-man tournament held from April 1 to April 8. [23] With his win, Hirooki Goto, became the first three-time winner of the tournament.
Round 1 April 1 | Round 2 April 5 | Semifinals April 8 | Final April 8 | ||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 17:25 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 18:21 [25] | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 17:53 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 12:36 [26] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 8:00 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 15:22 [25] | ||||||||||||||
MVP | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 9:45 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 25:25 [26] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | 8:47 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 13:34 [25] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 15:31 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 9:22 [26] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 9:55 [24] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
La Sombra | 9:51 [25] | ||||||||||||||
La Sombra | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 9:41 [24] |
New Japan Cup 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 11–23, 2013 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Tokyo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Korakuen Hall | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2013 New Japan Cup was a 16-man tournament held from March 11 to March 23. [27] The winner of the tournament, Kazuchika Okada, went on to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Invasion Attack on April 7.
Round 1 March 11 | Round 2 March 17 | Semifinals March 23 | Final March 23 | ||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 10:45 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | 11:43 [29] | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | 13:06 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 8:14 [30] | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 13:37 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 18:46 [29] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | 9:37 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | 23:52 [30] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 8:42 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | 15:27 [29] | ||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | 10:14 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 10:42 [30] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 10:24 [28] | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 10:14 [29] | ||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 6:18 [28] |
New Japan Cup 2014 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 15–23, 2014 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2014 New Japan Cup took place between March 15 and 23. [31] The winner of the tournament got to choose whether to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight or the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. [32]
Round 1 March 15 | Round 2 March 22 | Semifinals March 23 | Final March 23 | ||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 9:36 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 11:29 [34] | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 12:55 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shelton X Benjamin | 4:13 [35] | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 9:14 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shelton X Benjamin | 10:06 [34] | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shelton X Benjamin | 6:21 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 15:20 [35] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Doc Gallows | 6:59 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 12:27 [34] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 8:01 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | 13:12 [35] | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | 14:59 [33] | ||||||||||||||
Shinsuke Nakamura | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Prince Devitt | 10:23 [34] | ||||||||||||||
Prince Devitt | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | 7:57 [33] |
New Japan Cup 2015 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 5–15, 2015 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Hiroshima Sun Plaza | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2015 New Japan Cup took place between March 5 and 15. [36] The winner of the tournament got to choose whether to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental or the NEVER Openweight Championship at Invasion Attack 2015 on April 5. [37]
Round 1 March 5 | Round 2 March 8 | Semifinals March 15 | Final March 15 | ||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 2:47 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | 2:44 [39] | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Doc Gallows | 8:49 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 14:14 [40] | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Karl Anderson | 12:10 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 12:51 [39] | ||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 16:34 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 17:31 [40] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 10:10 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 10:13 [39] | ||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 8:02 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 8:11 [40] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 11:24 [38] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | 17:18 [39] | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | 8:53 [38] |
New Japan Cup 2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 3–12, 2016 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Aomori, Aomori, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: New Aomori Prefecture Sports Park Maeda Arena | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2016 New Japan Cup took place between March 3 and 12. [41] The winner of the tournament would once again get to choose whether to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental or NEVER Openweight Championship at Invasion Attack 2016 on April 10. [42]
Round 1 March 3 | Round 2 March 4 | Semifinals March 12 | Final March 12 | ||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 13:55 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | 10:10 [44] | ||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | 8:22 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 9:28 [45] | ||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | 7:40 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 9:24 [44] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 11:28 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 20:15 [45] | ||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 11:50 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 5:41 [44] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | CO | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 1:13 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 2:32 [45] | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Evil | 15:20 [43] | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 16:21 [44] | ||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 13:42 [43] |
New Japan Cup 2017 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 11–20, 2017 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Aore Nagaoka | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2017 New Japan Cup took place between March 11 and 20. [46] Unlike previous years, this tournament was held across eight events in 10 days. [47] Tomoaki Honma was originally announced for the tournament, but was pulled out and replaced with Yuji Nagata after suffering a spinal cord injury. [48]
Round 1 March 11, 12 | Round 2 March 13, 14, 15, 17 | Semifinals March 19 | Final March 20 | ||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Evil | 22:55 [49] | ||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 13:33 [50] | ||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tanga Loa | 11:45 [49] | ||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 12:20 [51] | ||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 10:32 [49] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 8:33 [52] | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | 3:46 [49] | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | 18:48 [53] | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 19:44 [54] | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | 11:23 [55] | ||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 10:21 [54] | ||||||||||||||
Katsuyori Shibata | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 22:32 [51] | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Kenny Omega | 29:45 [54] | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Sanada | 14:02 [56] | ||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Sanada | 13:57 [54] |
New Japan Cup 2018 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 9–21, 2018 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Aore Nagaoka | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2018 New Japan Cup took place between March 9 and 21. [57] The winner of the tournament, Zack Sabre Jr., challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Sabre also became the second non-Japanese wrestler, after Giant Bernard, to win the New Japan Cup.
Round 1 March 9, 10, 11, 12 | Round 2 March 14, 15 | Semifinals March 16, 18 | Final March 21 | ||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 29:02 | ||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | 17:04 | ||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 16:08 | ||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 29:53 | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Taichi | 23:53 | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | CO | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 14:36 | ||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | 11:02 | ||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 34:02 | ||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | 22:23 | ||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Stop | ||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 21:02 | ||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 22:43 | ||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Sanada | 26:36 | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 12:52 | ||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | CO | ||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Sub | ||||||||||||||
Sanada | 4:51 | ||||||||||||||
Chuckie T. | Pin | ||||||||||||||
Sanada | 21:31 |
New Japan Cup 2019 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 8–24, 2019 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Aore Nagaoka | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2019 New Japan Cup took place between March 8 and 24. [58] Unlike the previous year, the tournament featured 32 wrestlers instead of 16 and marks the New Japan Cup debut of 7 wrestlers. After David Finlay was pulled out of the tournament due to an injury, Ryusuke Taguchi was announced as his replacement. [59]
Round 1 March 8, 9, 10, 11 | Round 2 March 13, 14, 16, 17 | Quarterfinals March 20, 21 | Semifinals March 23 | Final March 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 21:34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 22:55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 17:54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 20:25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Manabu Nakanishi | 12:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | 14:10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | 24:36 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 21:10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Elgin | 24:06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Mikey Nicholls | 17:25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Mikey Nicholls | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hikuleo | 08:55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | 20:10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 11:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | 18:08 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Toa Henare | 11:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Lance Archer | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | 33:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Shota Umino | 16:48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | 17:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 12:08 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 21:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 20:38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | 16:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | 15:33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 24:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 07:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Colt Cabana | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Colt Cabana | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 7:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Davey Boy Smith Jr. | 05:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Colt Cabana | 14:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 13:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 28:45 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 20:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin |
New Japan Cup 2020 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | June 16 – July 11, 2020 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Osaka, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Osaka-jō Hall | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2020 New Japan Cup took place between June 16 and July 11. It was originally going to take place from March 4 until March 21, but was postponed when New Japan Pro-Wrestling suspended all of its activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [60] [61]
On June 9, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that it would resume its activities, beginning with the 2020 edition of the New Japan Cup, which would now be an Openweight tournament and take place from June 16 until July 11, with the final being held at Osaka-jō Hall in Osaka. [62] [3]
Due to both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles being held by Tetsuya Naito, the winner of the tournament would earn a match against him for both titles at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall, instead of choosing one title to challenge for. [63]
Round 1 June 16, 17, 22, 23 | Round 2 June 24, July 1 | Quarterfinals July 2 | Semifinals July 3 | Final July 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | 08:41 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 13:28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
El Desperado | 20:17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 19:12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Jado | 09:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 09:17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | CO | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 18:45 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | 27:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Stop | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gedo | 15:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 20:14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 20:35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taiji Ishimori | 16:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuya Uemura | 09:32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshinobu Kanemaru | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 09:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taiji Ishimori | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gabriel Kidd | 08:53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taiji Ishimori | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | 31:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 21:51 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | 18:08 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 15:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 22:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | 15:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sho | 14:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sho | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | 17:06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | 20:13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 17:35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Sub | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bushi | 10:22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoh | 15:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bushi | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 2:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Stop | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 20:08 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 18:25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 16:40 |
The original card for the New Japan Cup, when it was scheduled to take place from March 4 to March 21, had to be completely re-worked for the eventual final card, as several wrestlers who originally planned to participate could not go to Japan when NJPW resumed its activities due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic.
Of the 32 wrestlers included in the original card, 14 were not a part of the eventual tournament in June–July: Alex Coughlin, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Colt Cabana, David Finlay, Karl Fredericks, Jay White, Kenta, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, Tanga Loa, Toa Henare, and Will Ospreay. [64]
Day 1 (March 4) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Togi Makabe vs Jeff Cobb | Tomohiro Ishii vs Toa Henare | Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens | Colt Cabana vs. Bad Luck Fale |
Day 2 (March 7) | |||
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White | Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki | Juice Robinson vs. Alex Coughlin | David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa |
Day 3 (March 8) | |||
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi | Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. | Mikey Nicholls vs. Sanada | Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi |
Day 4 (March 9) | |||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yoshi-Hashi | Karl Fredericks vs. Kenta | Satoshi Kojima vs. Evil | Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi |
New Japan Cup 2021 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 4–21, 2021 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Xebio Arena Sendai | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2021 edition's schedule was announced on January 13. [65] The tournament ran from March 4, on NJPW's anniversary event, to March 21. The final night was NJPW's first show held at Xebio Arena Sendai. [65] Evil and Hiroshi Tanahashi received byes on account of being the previous edition's winner and the reigning NEVER Openweight Champion respectively.
At the semifinals on March 20, the match between Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi and Bullet Club's Jay White, Kenta and Yujiro Takahashi was stopped due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Miyagi prefecture. While Bullet Club went backstage; Okada, Tanahashi, and Ibushi stayed in the ring area to calm the crowd and pose for pictures while New Japan employees were performing safety checks throughout the arena, which took about half an hour. After the safety checks were made, the match was able to continue with ring announcer Makoto Abe informing attendees shortly beforehand the rest of the event would be canceled if they were any additional aftershocks. [66]
Round 1 March 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 | Round 2 March 11, 13, 14, 15 | Quarterfinals March 16, 18 | Semifinals March 20 | Final March 21 | |||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | 23:08 | ||||||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 11:50 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 7:54 | ||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 20:20 | ||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | Stop | ||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | 13:02 | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | CO | ||||||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 5:50 | ||||||||||||||||||
Evil | 22:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 22:43 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 23:51 | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | 23:58 | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Kenta | 23:47 | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 14:54 | ||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 16:50 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kenta | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Juice Robinson | 17:17 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kenta | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | 30:06 | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | 13:37 | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 21:23 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gabriel Kidd | 17:21 | ||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | 18:56 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | 13:42 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 18:18 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 25:18 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | 21:04 | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | 11:20 | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 13:12 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 15:50 | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jay White | 19:24 | ||||||||||||||||||
Toa Henare | 24:46 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jay White | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jay White | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 19:54 |
New Japan Cup 2022 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 2–27, 2022 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Osaka, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: Osaka-jo Hall | ||
Event chronology | |||
| |||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2022 edition's schedule was announced on December 28, 2021, and the tournament ran from March 2 until March 27. [67] The 2022 edition featured 48 participants which included wrestlers from both heavyweight and junior heavyweight divisions including the champions.
Round 1 March 2, 6, 7 | Round 2 March 9, 10, 12, 13 | Round 3 March 14, 15, 17, 18 | Quarterfinals March 20, 21 | Semifinals March 26 | Final March 27 | ||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
El Desperado | 26:21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Master Wato | 18:34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 24:17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 6:25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Forfeit [lower-alpha 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cima | 20:52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuji Nagata | 12:37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dick Togo | 9:50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 17:20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cima | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cima | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taka Michinoku | 9:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cima | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 14:46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kazuchika Okada | 27:42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoh | 16:50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bad Luck Fale | 15:01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiroshi Tanahashi | 18:41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 18:11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gedo | 14:18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | 19:04 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Togi Makabe | 8:10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Satoshi Kojima | 15:36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 17:22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomoaki Honma | 9:45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kosei Fujita | 9:20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 24:43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Ibushi | Forfeit [lower-alpha 2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taiji Ishimori | 16:43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | 20:03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryohei Oiwa | 10:35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Douki | 15:03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Sub | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | 23:04 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yuto Nakashima | 8:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Aaron Henare | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Aaron Henare | 25:07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | 16:56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Stop | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bushi | 12:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
El Phantasmo | 17:31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | Stop | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | 19:24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 23:32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tanga Loa | 12:31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | 16:41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jado | 7:13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tiger Mask | 10:33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | 23:43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryusuke Taguchi | 7:26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | 14:21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Evil | 15:52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sho | 15:45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiromu Takahashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Minoru Suzuki | 19:27 |
New Japan Cup 2023 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 5–21, 2023 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Nagaoka, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2023 edition's schedule was announced on January 7, 2023, and the tournament ran from March 5 until March 21. [69]
Round 1 March 5, 6, 8, 10 | Round 2 March 11, 12, 13, 15 | Quarterfinals March 17, 18 | Semifinals March 19 | Final March 21 | |||||||||||||||
Kenta | 29:12 [70] | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 24:27 [71] | Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | 24:41 [72] | ||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | 18:07 [70] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tetsuya Naito | Pin | Tetsuya Naito | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
El Phantasmo | 17:32 [71] | Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Mark Davis | 13:20 [73] | ||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | 17:42 [74] | ||||||||||||||||||
Ren Narita | 18:44 [75] | Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | Evil | 15:30 [72] | ||||||||||||||||
Mark Davis [lower-alpha 3] | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Will Ospreay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 12:33 | Mark Davis | 20:01 [74] | ||||||||||||||||
Mark Davis | Pin [75] | Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | 19:56 [77] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 20:06 [78] | Kyle Fletcher | 20:43 [79] | ||||||||||||||||
Kyle Fletcher | Pin | Hirooki Goto | 16:38 [80] | ||||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tama Tonga | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | 20:46 [78] | Aaron Henare | 16:34 [79] | ||||||||||||||||
Aaron Henare | Pin | Tama Tonga | 18:27 [73] | ||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | 13:07 [81] | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 18:40 [82] | David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Shota Umino | 17:50 [80] | ||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 26:12 [81] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shota Umino | Pin | Shota Umino | Pin | ||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 9:47 [82] |
New Japan Cup 2024 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
Date | March 6–20, 2024 | ||
City | Various, Japan Final: Nagaoka, Japan | ||
Venue | Various Final: City Hall Plaza Aore Nagaoka | ||
New Japan Cup chronology | |||
|
The 2024 edition's schedule was announced on December 27, 2023, and the tournament will run from March 6 until March 20. [83]
Round 1 March 6, 7, 8, 10 | Round 2 March 11, 12, 13, 15 | Quarterfinals March 16, 17 | Semifinals March 18 | Final March 20 | |||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | 23:51 [84] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yoshi-Hashi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Kenta | 10:55 [85] | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack Perry | 16:02 [86] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shota Umino | 12:20 [85] | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack Perry | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack Perry | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | 8:28 [84] | ||||||||||||||||||
Toru Yano | Countout | ||||||||||||||||||
Yujiro Takahashi | 2:56 [85] | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanada | 19:05 [87] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
TJP | 16:17 [88] | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Tanga Loa | 16:42 [89] | ||||||||||||||||||
Tanga Loa | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Great-O-Khan | 15:50 [88] | ||||||||||||||||||
David Finlay | [lower-alpha 4] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Forfeit | ||||||||||||||||||
Tomohiro Ishii | 16:20 [88] | ||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Chase Owens | 21:36 [89] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Hirooki Goto | 23:01 | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Hikuleo | 14:32 [91] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hikuleo | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Oleg Boltin | 9:21 [92] | ||||||||||||||||||
Evil | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | 17:33 [93] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yuya Uemura | 23:22 [92] | ||||||||||||||||||
Shingo Takagi | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Gabe Kidd | 18:20 [91] | ||||||||||||||||||
Callum Newman | 14:10 [92] | ||||||||||||||||||
Gabe Kidd | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Evil | 16:50 [87] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Jeff Cobb | 21:41 [94] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
El Phantasmo | 21:56 [95] | ||||||||||||||||||
El Phantasmo | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Mikey Nicholls | 13:21 [94] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yota Tsuji | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Ren Narita | 18:08 [93] | ||||||||||||||||||
Taichi | 18:54 [94] | ||||||||||||||||||
Ren Narita | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Ren Narita | Pin | ||||||||||||||||||
Zack Sabre Jr. | 23:08 [95] |
Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and podcaster. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler.
Yuji Nagata is a Japanese professional wrestler, and former mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Considered one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, he is the fifth longest-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion with a reign of 392 days, and formerly held the record for most successful title defenses with 10, until Hiroshi Tanahashi broke the record at Wrestle Kingdom VI. He is the only wrestler to have won Japanese professional wrestling's three biggest singles tournaments; New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax, All Japan Pro Wrestling's Champion Carnival and Pro Wrestling Noah's Global League. In addition, he is the only man to have held all four major heavyweight championships in Japanese professional wrestling, the IWGP, World, GHC and Triple Crown heavyweight championships, making him the only "Grand Slam" champion.
The World Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of a regular tag team tournament held since 1980, gaining the name G1 Tag League in 1999. In 2012, NJPW's new owners, the Bushiroad company, renamed the tournament to its current form. Since the tournament acquired its current name, the winning team earns the right to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at the following year's Wrestle Kingdom, assuming the team does not hold the title at the time of their victory.
Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Ryusuke Taguchi is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, seven-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 2012 Best of the Super Juniors.
Shinya Makabe, better known by his ring name Togi Makabe is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time NEVER Openweight Champion and one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion.
Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenure with New Japan-Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
Taichiro Maki is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Taichi, shortened from his previous ring name Taichi Ishikari. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Just 5 Guys stable.
Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his record-tying second reign and is the leader of the Los Ingobernables de Japón stable.
Kazuchika Okada is a Japanese professional wrestler. As of March 2024, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Elite stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his 18-year tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling where he was a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his fourth reign being the longest in the company's history at 720 days. He also holds the record for most successful title defenses with 12. After the title was unified into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Okada went on to hold the new championship a record two times.
Toru Yano, is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the KOPW 2020 and the KOPW 2021. He is one of the first NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, a record 6 time and current holder of the titles. He is also a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and two-time GHC Tag Team Champion.
Chaos is a professional wrestling stable performing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The group was formed in 2009, when nearly all the members of the Great Bash Heel (G.B.H) stable turned on leader Togi Makabe and reformed under new leader Shinsuke Nakamura. Soon after, the new group was named Chaos, with Nakamura as the leader. As the leader of Chaos, Nakamura was one of NJPW's top wrestlers, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as the 2011 G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup.
Seiya Sanada, better known by his mononymous ring name Sanada, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Just 5 Guys stable. He is a former and longest-reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
The Super Junior Tag League is a professional wrestling tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He also makes additional appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Conglomeration stable. He is also known for his work with the independent Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, where he worked backstage as the chairman.
Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Spring Showdown at Ryōgoku". Originally known as Invasion Attack, the event was renamed in 2017 after the sakura, in English "cherry blossom", which blooms in early April.
Los Ingobernables de Japón, also shortened to L.I.J. or Los Ingos, is a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion and led by Tetsuya Naito. An offshoot of the Mexican stable Los Ingobernables from the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, the group was formed in November 2015 by Naito, Bushi and Evil, but came to also include Sanada, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Titán and Yota Tsuji. Through NJPW's working relationship with other companies, they have also appeared in CMLL and in the American Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion.
Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2017, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 26th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.
Taguchi Japan is a professional wrestling stable in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The group was formed the night after Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 5, 2017. Starting out as a trio, the stable named Ryusuke Taguchi as their leader, and have gone on to primarily feud with Los Ingobernables de Japón over the IWGP Intercontinental, IWGP Junior Heavyweight, and NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships.