2019 New Japan Cup Final Set

It has been confirmed that former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will face SANADA in the final of the 2019 New Japan Cup on March 24th. The winner will then go on to face current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Jay White for his title at ROH-NJPW G1 Supercard on April 6th, the day before WrestleMania 35.

Coming up March 24th Sunday, NEW JAPAN CUP 2019 FINAL will take place in Niigata!https://t.co/fUI23HUqXW #njcup #njpw

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) March 23, 2019

Okada won the New Japan Cup back in 2013, and will hope to repeat the feat six years later, ensuring he is one step closer to reclaiming his IWGP Heavyweight title. To get to the final Okada had to defeat Michael Elgin, Mikey Nicholls, Will Ospreay and Tomohiro Ishii.

This will be SANADA’s first New Japan Cup final and to get to this position he has to best Hirooki Got (the man Okada beat in the final in 2013), Minoru Suzuki, Colt Cabana and Hiroshi Tanahashi, the man Jay White beat for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the beginning of 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcJe9ZVAMrs

Okada will certainly be feeling confident ahead of his bout with SANADA. The pair have battled four times in one-on-one competition throughout their respective careers, with Okada besting SANADA in each. The last of their encounters was in February 2018 when Okada successfully defended his title against the two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.