NJPW has announced the bracket for the New Japan Cup 2023 tournament.
The tournament will begin on Sunday, March 5 at the NJPW 51st Anniversary show. There will be 24 competitors this year, with the winner receiving a match with IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada on Saturday, April 8 at Sakura Genesis.
The following wrestlers will receive first round byes: KENTA, Chase Owens, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto, Great-O-Khan, NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga, NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr.
Below are first round bouts:
Sunday, March 5 at the NJPW 51st Anniversary event:
* SANADA vs. Taichi
* Tetsuya Naito vs. El Phantasmo
Monday, March 6:
* 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 tournament quarterfinals will be held on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, with the semi-finals planned for Sunday, March 19. The tournament finals will be held on Tuesday, March 21.
Below is a look at the bracket:
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.