The New Japan Cup 2023 bracket has been revealed by NJPW.
The tournament will kick off on March 5th. This year’s tournament will feature 24 competitors, with the winner receiving a match against IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada on Saturday, April 8 at Sakura Genesis.
The wrestlers listed below will be given first-round byes: KENTA, Chase Owens, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto, Great-O-Khan, Tama Tonga, NEVER Openweight Champion, Zack Sabre Jr.
The following are the first-round fights:
Sunday, March 5:
* SANADA vs. Taichi
* Tetsuya Naito vs. El Phantasmo
Monday, March 6 at the NJPW 51st Anniversary event:
* EVIL vs. Ren Narita
* Toru Yano vs. Mark Davis
* David Finlay vs. Tomohiro Ishii
* Shota Umino vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Friday, March 10:
* YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kyle Fletcher
* Shingo Takagi vs. Aaron Henare
Below are second-round bouts:
Saturday, March 11:
* SANADA or Taichi vs. KENTA
* Tetsuya Naito or El Phantasmo vs. Chase Owens
Sunday, March 12:
* YOSHI-HASHI or Kyle Fletcher vs. Hirooki Goto
* Shingo Takagi or Aaron Henare vs. Tama Tonga
Monday, March 13:
* Toru Yano or Mark Davis vs. Will Ospreay
* Ren Narita or EVIL vs. Jeff Cobb
Wednesday, March 15:
* David Finlay or Tomohiro Ishii vs. Great-O-Khan
* Shota Umino or Yujiro Takahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
The quarterfinals of the tournament will be held on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, with the semi-finals scheduled for Sunday, March 19. The tournament finals will take place on March 21.
