NJPW Reveals New Japan Cup Bracket, Major Matches Announced For First Round

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the bracket for the New Japan Cup. The promotion’s annual single-elimination tournament is set to begin on March 4, 2020.

The following is the full lineup for the tournament:

There will be 32 men participating in this year’s tournament. Unlike in years past, there is no clear favourite to win. While many top stars such as Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi are participating, the New Japan Cup is often where upper-midcard stars get a chance to shine.

There are also some juicy matches set to take place in the first round. Among the 16 matches, Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White, Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., and Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi stand out.

Okada and White have a long history with Okada defeating White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at G1 Supercard in their most recent encounter.

Ibushi and Sabre also have had many matches, often competing in the G1 Climax. Ibushi has gotten the better of Sabre the last two times they have battled. They always have great chemistry and will undoubtedly have another great match.

Takagi and Ospreay will face each other for the first time since last year’s Best of the Super Juniors final. That match was a match of the year candidate, and now both men have entered the heavyweight division. If Ospreay is able to best Takagi again, he would certainly be in line for a NEVER Openweight Championship match.

What match are you most looking forward to in the New Japan Cup? Let us know on Twitter!

• New Japan Cup
• Jay White
• Kazuchika Okada
• NJPW

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