New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the brackets for their annual New Japan Cup. The New Japan Cup is a single elimination tournament, in which the winner receives a championship match against the heavyweight champion of their choice. The tournament is set to run from 3/9-3/21.
This year’s bracket features Suzuki-gun’s Taichi & Bullet Club’s Yujiro Takahashi entering the heavyweight division. The two have flirted with the heavyweight division and now find themselves in one of the biggest tournaments of the year. Taichi even finds himself facing a huge opponent in the first round, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The New Japan Cup will mark Hiroshi Tanahashi’s first match back since suffering a knee injury at the hands of Minoru Suzuki at New Beginning In Sapporo. Also returning to NJPW will be Zack Sabre Jr.
Tanahashi returns for the New Japan Cup. pic.twitter.com/fMjMHbAqFw
— Ross W Berman IV (Oscars™️ Crisis Team Leader) (@RossWBermanIV) February 26, 2018
The New Japan Cup will also feature the NJPW singles debut of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion Chuckie T.
https://twitter.com/SexyChuckieT/status/967966285924589568
Last year’s New Japan Cup winner was Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata went on to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis, where he suffered a career-ending subdural hematoma.
New Japan Cup season is bringing back painful memories. #njcup pic.twitter.com/NyxswCnZxr
— Ross W Berman IV (Oscars™️ Crisis Team Leader) (@RossWBermanIV) February 26, 2018
WrestleZone will be providing full preview and coverage schedule in this week’s New Japan Pro Wednesday.
