Earlier this week, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) announced their upcoming schedule after the state of emergency in Japan relating to COVID-19 was lifted. At the press conference featuring Chairmen Naoki Sugabayashi and Hiroshi Tanahashi, NJPW pro wrestling announced the following schedule.
Together Project Special
Monday June 15 7:00PM *No spectators
New Japan Cup 2020
Tuesday June 16 7:00PM *No spectators
Wednesday June 17 7:00PM *No spectators
Monday June 22 7:00PM *No spectators
Tuesday June 23 7:00PM *No spectators
Wednesday June 24 7:00PM *No spectators
Wednesday July 1 7:00PM *No spectators
Thursday July 2 7:00PM *No spectators
Friday July 3 7:00PM *No spectators
Saturday July 11 5:00PM Osaka Jo Hall (1/3 capacity)
Dominion in Osaka Jo Hall
Sunday July 12 3:00PM Osaka Jo Hall (1/3 capacity)
Each event will be streamed live on New Japan World, and the June 15th event will feature a surprise card that will be announced at the top of the event. As noted in the above, only the two events in Osaka will feature a live audience.
Some of the interesting names featured in the left bracket are former 5x NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii, former 1x NEVER Openweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Minoru Suzuki, current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, and former 5x IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada.
The tournament is highlighted by the fact that it heavily features the junior heavyweight division for the first time and the left bracket rekindles an old rivalry between Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki which led to six physical singles matches between the to from January 2011 – August 2013. Either could make a surprising run in the New Japan Cup, which commonly features a dark horse or two that make their way through the tournament.
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Taiji Ishimori has a favorable path to the quarter-finals with a first-round contest against Young Lion, Gabriel Kidd. But, a likely matchup against crafty veteran Yoshinobu Kanemaru awaits him in the second round. This could be where Ishimori makes significant noise in singles action after an impressive run as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with fellow Bullet Club member El Phantasmo.
Hiromu Takahashi has the opportunity to make his way through the bracket, names like Ishii possibly wait for him in the quarter-finals and Okada in the semi-finals. If Hiromu can win the New Japan Cup, he will face IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight ‘Double Champion’ Tetsuya Naito in a match that was previously scheduled for NJPW’s Anniversary Show back in March, that was canceled due to COVID-19. The winner of the tournament will face Naito on July 12th at Dominion and challenge for the ‘Double Championship.’
The left bracket will bring fresh singles matches as NJPW returns to action.
