| New Japan Cup USA | |
| Firstevent: | 2020 |
| Gimmick: | Single-elimination tournament for a championship match |
New Japan Cup USA is an annual professional wrestling tournament produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament is a spin-off of NJPW's annual New Japan Cup introduced in 2020. The tournament was promoted under NJPW's North American branch, New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.
New Japan Cup USA is an eight-man, single-elimination tournament. Matches are contested through NJPW's weekly television show, Strong.
| Year | Tournament | Aftermath | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Times won | Participants | Challenged for | Match | Result | |
| 1 | 8 | IWGP United States Championship | vs. Jon Moxley on Strong February 26, 2021 | |||
| Tom Lawlor | 1 | Strong Openweight Championship | vs. Brody King on Strong April 23, 2021 | |||
The New Japan Cup was first held in April 2005.[1] The event then became an annual tradition for NJPW and was held every year around mid-March to mid-April, with the winner receiving a match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. After the 2020 edition of the New Japan Cup was delayed until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[2] [3] [4] it was announced during a press conference on July 31 that the New Japan Cup USA would take place from August 7 to August 21 of that year, with the winner receiving a shot at the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. It was also reported that the matches would be televised on NJPW's new television show, Strong.[5] The next day, the eight-man bracket was announced.[6]
| New Japan Cup USA 2020 | |
| Date: | August 7–21, 2020 |
| City: | Port Hueneme, California |
| Venue: | Oceanview Pavilion |
| Attendance: | 0[7] |
| Liveevent: | y |
| Lastevent: | Summer Struggle |
| Nextevent: | Summer Struggle in Jingu |
| Event: | New Japan Cup USA |
| Lastevent2: | First |
| Nextevent2: | 2021 |
It commenced on August 7, 2020 and concluded on August 21, 2020.
| New Japan Cup USA 2021 | |
| Date: | April 9–23, 2021 |
| City: | Port Hueneme, California |
| Venue: | Oceanview Pavilion |
| Attendance: | 0[8] |
| Liveevent: | y |
| Lastevent: | Sakura Genesis |
| Nextevent: | Road to Wrestling Dontaku |
| Event: | New Japan Cup USA |
| Lastevent2: | 2020 |
New Japan Cup USA 2021 commenced on April 9 and concluded on April 23.[9] Eight qualifying matches were held from March 5–March 26 to determine the eight participants. The bracket was revealed after the eight participants were determined.[10] Originally, the winner of the tournament would receive an IWGP United States Championship title match, but this was changed when NJPW revealed the Strong Openweight Championship on April 2 and announced that the winner will become its inaugural champion instead.[11]