The New Japan Cup is NJPW's annual spring knockout tournament, to determine the #1 contender for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The original tournament, scheduled for March, was cancelled due to the pandemic. Last week NJPW announced that the show would go on, and the NJPW Cup would happen, starting June 16th.

The finals will take place on July 11th. On July 12th, at the Dominion show, the winner will challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito. Both titles will be on the line.

The bracket has been kept as close to the one announced in February 2020, but  many of the non-native talent cannot make it due to travel restrictions. Most notably, Jay White has been replaced by Gedo as Okada's first round opponent. KENTA is also not present - I guess he still lives in the USA. These absentees have been replaced by Japanese young boys and junior heavyweights, making this an openweight tournament. Surprisingly, Zack Sabre Jr. is able to make the tournament. I don't know the reason, but I'm certain not complaining as he is by far my favourite gaijin.

Every wrestler in the tournament has not wrestled for over 100 days. That's a lot of collective ring rust. This would certainly benefit a wrestler like Tanahashi, who perhaps has been able to fully recover from his various health issues. It would also be a good mental reset for wrestlers who are coming off a bad spell. Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi are notable examples. ZSJ's last match saw him losing the British Heavyweight Championship to Will Ospreay in London. Kota Ibushi, while he is one half of the reigning IWGP Tag Team Championships, is coming off two losses in a row at the two day Wrestle Kingdom show in January. In general, we could see wrestlers underperforming and overperforming, with large upset potential.

On paper, Tomohiro Ishii is the favourite to win the first bracket (June 16th), but you can bet Hiromu Takahashi is coming in with a lot of motivation. Besides wanting to prove himself as a legit top wrestler, not just a legit top junior heavyweight wrestler, COVID-19 deprived him of his exhibition match against Naito at the March 3rd Anniversary show.

The second bracket (June 17th) looks like Okada's to win and reach the semifinals, especially with the absence of Jay White, but Minoru Suzuki will have something to say about that.

The third bracket (June 18th) is clearly the most stacked. Tanahashi vs Taichi and Ibushi vs ZSJ in the first round, as well as the presence of SANADA and Shingo Takagi. What's fascinating to me is that ZSJ has a very similar path to victory as he did when he won the tournament in 2018. Two years ago he beat Naito, Ibushi, SANADA, and Tanahashi to win the cup. He could very well face Ibushi, Tanahashi and SANADA in the first three rounds.

The fourth bracket (June 19th) looks like jobber central, with Goto and EVIL being the biggest names. Goto has a knack for overperforming in tournament situations, when no title is directly on the line, so I'd put him as clear favourite. The top half of the bracket is hard to call. Maybe it's finally YOSHI-HASHI's time to shine?

Is anyone going to follow the tournament? What are your thoughts?

I'm so excited that NJPW is back. Of all the existing feds, they're not only my favourite, but I feel they will be hurt the least by not having a crowd present. NJPW is all about the action in the ring, which is pretty easy to get over even without a crowd.

I'm sad KENTA isn't there, but it'll make for a nice surprise return when he can get to Japan. Maybe he shows up at Dominion in some fashion.

I kinda love that Okada is fighting Gedo in the first round. I do NOT love that either Ibushi or ZSJ will be out in round 1.

My picks:
Makabe
Ishii
Yano
Takahashi
Okada
Suzuki
Kanemaru
Ishimori
Tanahashi
Ibushi
SANADA
Takagi
Tenzan
BUSHI
EVIL
Goto

Ishii
Takahashi
Okada
Ishimori
Tanahashi
SANADA
BUSHI
EVIL

Ishii
Okada
SANADA
EVIL

SANADA def. Okada

I could strangely see Gedo beating Okada for the lols.

Only Toru Yano beats top guys for the lolz.

Jun 14, 2020 21:56:57 GMT Emperor said:

Only Toru Yano beats top guys for the lolz.

Perfectly okay with him winning it all.

Me too, as long as he jobs to Naito in a 75 minute classic.

With all the juniors and old fogies padding out the bracket, the first round is just going to be the stars eliminating these guys, one by one.

Yano vs Jedo was awful. Takahashi vs Honma was...acceptable.

However, this is a chance for those juniors and old fogies to make a name for themselves. To make an impression. El Desperado certainly achieved that in his opening round match.

El Desperado vs Ishii - awesome. This wasn't just a magical Ishii carry job either. Desperado was so fucking good in this match. Like Edge, I have a new found respect for his ability. He needs to ditch that joke Kanemaru and get back on the singles path.

The Recount did the 2013 New Japan Cup. This is a great video and I forgot how great this event was. I wish I paid more attention back then.

LOOK AT HOW GANGSTER OKADA’S ENTRANCE IS AT 1:33

Posting in spoilers because people might not be caught up yet:

SPOILER: Click to show

fuck you Gedo.

Shingo & Tanahashi both out in the first round. What the hell.

Lotta upsets happening. Personally I like the fact that some fresh faces are getting a chance to shine

SPOILER: Click to show

Nagata beat Suzuki. Taichi beat Tanahashi. SHO beat Shingo.

Taichi pretty much destroyed Tanahashi. He got a jump start and cheated a lot, but at the end of the match he hit five or six big moves in a row, with no resistance. Taichi even stood around for a minute or two to set up a superkick.

4 for 4 on the left side in round 2. Don’t read my previous post if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Only one I got wrong on that side was Suzuki over Nagata in round 1.

My right side is a fucking train wreck that Gedo pissed on.

Oh and the finish to Takahashi and Yano is officially legendary status.

Toru Yano with another ***** masterclass. GOAT finish.

I regret to announce that I can no longer support Toru Yano. His treatment of a long-haired man is despicable and beyond forgiveness.

So this is awesome.

Since NJPW is allowing a live audience now, the semi-finals are being shown live on prime time TV next Friday night. It will be the first time they are live on prime time in 34 years.

Also NJPW World is streaming the semi-finals for free to celebrate this.

Quarter Finals are ready. No particularly good matches from today. Taichi vs Ibushi was probably the best of a mediocre lot.

SPOILER: Click to show

Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiromu Takahashi

Kazuchika Okada vs Taiji Ishimori

Taichi vs SANADA

YOSHI-HASHI vs EVIL

SPOILER: Click to show

well I’m glad we aren’t getting Okada vs SANADA again but I don’t think EVIL stands a chance in hell. I picked SANADA to win it all because I thought this would finally be his redemption, but apparently not. We pushing EVIL now.

SPOILER: Click to show

When the Quarter Finals were set I was going for Ishii to make the finals, probably facing Taichi. That went out of the window pretty quickly. Once the semifinals were set, I predicted Okada vs EVIL, because Okada vs SANADA is boring and has been done to death.

Some wrestlers have really stepped up this tournament. Takahashi is killing it, wrestling a slightly more reserved but still entertaining style against the heavyweights. Amazing match against Okada. Okada has introduced the Cobra Clutch and has won all his matches with it, refraining from using the Rainmaker.

However I am most impressed by EVIL. That's not to say he's having the best matches, but for the first time he's actually living up to his gimmick. He is wrestling like an evil bastard, even against his own tag team partner. This makes him interesting.

HUGE news from the New Japan Cup final.

SPOILER: Click to show

EVIL defeats Okada to win the NJPW with a huge Bullet Club assist. He then turns on Naito, joining Bullet Club the night before he challenges Naito for both of Naito's championships.

Tragic.

SPOILER: Click to show

EVIL CLUB

What? Like seriously?

Naito is becoming the new Kenny (not Omega) the way he keeps getting laid out.

A bold and completely unexpected move, but when you think about it, the pieces line up. EVIL wrestling super heelish, including against his own friend and tag partner SANADA. EVIL repeatedly saying he will do whatever it takes to win. EVIL falling under the shadow of SANADA and Shingo, who have had more singles success in the last year.

Jul 12, 2020 15:20:23 GMT PB said:

What? Like seriously?

Yep yep. Milano is in shambles.

Jul 12, 2020 15:48:55 GMT Emperor said:

A bold and completely unexpected move, but when you think about it, the pieces line up. EVIL wrestling super heelish, including against his own friend and tag partner SANADA. EVIL repeatedly saying he will do whatever it takes to win. EVIL falling under the shadow of SANADA and Shingo, who have had more singles success in the last year.

Yeah I knew something big was coming after his match with SANADA. But if I'm being honest I expected him to beat Okada and then have some kind of power struggle with Naito over control of LIJ. I never expected this.

And I watched the Dominion main event this morning....

SPOILER: Click to show

I'm not super shocked they pulled the trigger on EVIL after he joined BC, but it was still crazy to see.

Hiromu screaming at the end was the most anime villain shit I've ever seen. Poor guy is heartbroken. Remember when EVIL used to carry around his jacket when he was out injured? They've been friends for years, even before LIJ.

I think we're finally getting Heavyweight Hiromu.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
I can't buy into Evil as the champ. I was just starting to believe him as a top mid card guy

I'm not happy.

I mean, at least the match could have been good, but it wasn't.

Jul 14, 2020 23:01:24 GMT Emperor said:

I mean, at least the match could have been good, but it wasn't.

Yeah this. The match was very underwhelming. And the twist ending didn’t really cover for that.

So now what? We get six months of EVIL defending in mediocre matches while Bullet Club runs shenanigans to keep the title on him? Boring.

Although this opens the door for Hiromu and/or SANADA to bring EVIL down, which could be cool.

I will say this though: we’re going to get an EVIL CLUB t-shirt with scythes on it and I’m probably gonna buy it.

In restrospect, I don't see Naito vs EVIL as an attempt to have a great match, just the crux of the whole angle. Both men are capable of better, but EVIL is finding his feet in a new role, and Naito was selling the emotion of his character. The match was really just a means to an end. Would have been nice if the match were good, but not essential.

Evil as double champion feels like Jinder as WWE champion to me - just too random for me to get at all invested. ZSJ matches only for me for the next while.