The NJPW annual New Japan Cup Tournament kicks off on March 5th in Tokyo, Japan at the Korakuen Hall.
Two first round match ups are scheduled as Tetsuya Naito meets El Phantasmo and SANADA faces off against Taichi.
The New Japan Cup, which began in 2005, is a round robin tournament and considered to be the second most important tournament in NJPW behind the G1 Climax. The winner will go on to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
The New Japan Cup 2023 runs through March 21st.
Here is the full line-up for the opening night of the New Japan Cup 2023:
- New Japan Cup First Round: Tetsuya Naito vs. El Phantasmo
- New Japan Cup First Round: SANADA vs Taichi
- Kazuchka Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii
- Lio Rush, YOH, & Toru Yano vs. Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
- Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yuto Nakashima vs. KENTA, Chase Owens and Gedo
- Shota Umino, Ren Narita, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. EVIL, SHO, Dick Togo & Yujiro Takahashi
- Tama Tonga & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Zack Sabre Jr & Kosei Fujita
This event will air live on NJPW World streaming service.
