New Japan today announced the full field for this year’s New Japan Cup, the annual March tournament. As usual it is a Heavyweight single-elimination bracket format tournament with this year’s event having a field of 32-that means 8 wrestlers get a free pass to Round 2. Below is the official bracket:
There will be a new champion this year because 2025 winner David Finlay is not a part of the tournament this year. The winner will likely get an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Yota Tsuji at SAKURA GENESIS in April. All tournament events will be available live and on demand on New Japan World.
In other news, it was announced by Germany-based promotion wXw, and then confirmed by New Japan, that Katsuya Murashima is headed to wXw for his Young Lion training excursion. He will debut there on 3/5 and becomes the third Young Lion to go train there after Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima-now OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby).
Also, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI vs. Master Wato for the title was announced for the annual Anniversary Event on 3/6 at Ota City General Gym in Tokyo. The event will again be held on the date of, and at the location of, the promotion’s very first event.