New Japan Cup USA (2020) was a single-elimination tournament produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling's sub-brand New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America (NJoA). The tournament started on August 7, 2020 and was concluded on August 21, 2020. The New Japan Cup USA was a spin-off of NJPW's annual New Japan Cup, with the 2020 version being the inaugural edition. The winner receives an opportunity at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The tournament matches were contested through NJPW's weekly television show, NJPW Strong series.
Background
Since 2005, NJPW began holding the New Japan Cup, becoming NJPW's second most prominent tournament, after the G1 Climax, which is held in a round-robin format, being held usually in March or April. Since 2006, the winner, receives an opportunity at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. On March 10, 2020, NJPW announced that the remainder of the tournament would be canceled as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, under the recommendations of the Japanese Ministry of Health. On July 31, during an online press conference, NJPW of America CEO Takami Obari announced the New Japan Cup USA, the American version of the New Japan Cup, to be held between August 7 and August 21, featuring the foreign talent working in NJPW, with the winner receiving an opportunity for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. The following day, NJPW annnounced the participants for the tournament, an outside entrant included Brody King from Ring of Honor (ROH).
Dates, Venues and Locations
| Dates | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 7–21, 2020 | Oceanville Pavillion | Port Hueneme, California, United States | 0[Note 1] |
Tournament
| Year | Tournament | Aftermath | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Total won | Participants | Championship | Match | Result | |
| 2020 | KENTA | 1 | 8 | IWGP United States Heavyweight | Faced Jon Moxley at The New Beginning in USA | Loss |
Results
Night 1
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KENTA defeated Karl Fredericks | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament | 9:59 |
| 2 | Jeff Cobb defeated Tanga Loa | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament | 8:45 |
| 3 | David Finlay defeated Chase Owens | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament | 9:46 |
| 4 | Tama Tonga defeated Brody King | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament | 7:14 |
Night 2
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrett Brown and Logan Riegel defeated Clark Connors and Jordan Clearwater | Tag team match | 7:03 |
| 2 | Blake Christian, Misterioso and PJ Black defeated ACH, Alex Zayne and TJP | Six-man tag team match | 7:55 |
| 3 | David Finlay defeated Tama Tonga | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament semifinals | 7:10 |
| 4 | KENTA defeated Jeff Cobb | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament semifinals | 14:38 |
Night 3
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Romero and Adrian Quest defeated Danny Limelight and The DKC | Tag team match | 9:57 |
| 2 | Villain Enterprises (Flip Gordon and Brody King) defeated Bullet Club (Chase Owens and Jay White) | Tag team match | 8:44 |
| 3 | KENTA defeated David Finlay | Singles match for the 2020 New Japan Cup USA tournament finals | 13:35 |
Bracket
| Round 1 (August 7) |
Semifinals (August 14) |
Final (August 21) | |||||||||||
| Karl Fredericks | Pin | ||||||||||||
| KENTA | 9:59 | ||||||||||||
| KENTA | Pin | ||||||||||||
| Jeff Cobb | 14:38 | ||||||||||||
| Jeff Cobb | Pin | ||||||||||||
| Tanga Loa | 8:45 | ||||||||||||
| KENTA | Pin | ||||||||||||
| David Finlay | 13:35 | ||||||||||||
| David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||
| Chase Owens | 9:46 | ||||||||||||
| David Finlay | Pin | ||||||||||||
| Tama Tonga | 7:10 | ||||||||||||
| Brody King | Pin | ||||||||||||
| Tama Tonga | 7:14 | ||||||||||||
Aftermath
After KENTA won the tournament on August 21, he was handed a contract, which gave him the right to challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, in which he would have to defend it, similar to the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate. On February 26, 2021 at The New Beginning in USA, KENTA unsuccesfully challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
See also
Notes
- ↑ The tournament was held behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in the United States.
