NJPW is returning, and they’re bringing the New Japan Cup with them! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has effected the entire world, New Japan Pro Wrestling had to cancel all of their shows. Over fifty of them, to be exact. The last event was held on February 26th.
Early tonight, NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi held a press conference. He announced their action plan on how they will be returning, and it was a big one. From June 15-17, June 22-24, and July 1-3 there will be shows held with no fans in attendance. Every show will stream on NJPW World. The June 15th show will be a Together Special Project. The matches will not be announced until the beginning of that show (much like New Japan’s New Year’s Dash shows).
As if this set of announcements wasn’t big enough: The New Japan Cup is back on. It will take place from June 16th to July 3rd. A tournament that is normally reserved for the heavyweights of NJPW, will now be opened to the junior heavyweights as well. The finals will take place at Dominion on July 11th at Osaka-Jo Hall. The winner will challenge Tetsuya Naito for both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships! That show will also see NJPW’s first crowd, as they will run at on-third capacity.
This is very exciting news, and even more exciting that NJPW is taking the proper precautions to make sure that wrestlers, talent, and staff are being taken care off.
You can watch the press conference in it’s entirety below:
