| Super J-Cup | |
| Nicknames: | Land of Confusion (2009) |
| Createdby: | Jushin Liger |
| Promotions: | NJPW (1994, 2009, 2016, 2019, 2020) WAR (1995) MPW (2000) OPW (2004) |
| Firstevent: | Super J-Cup: 1st Stage |
| Lastevent: | Super J-Cup: 8th Stage |
| Gimmick: | Single elimination tournament for junior heavyweight wrestlers |
The Super J-Cup is a periodically held professional wrestling tournament featuring junior heavyweight wrestlers from all over the world promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). This tournament differs from NJPW's annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament in that it is single elimination, while Best of the Super Juniors has a round robin format.
The Super J-Cup was originally conceived by Japanese wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger as a showcase for promotions from Asia and North America, including Liger's home promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (who hosted the first tournament in 1994), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, Wrestle Association R, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, and the Social Progress Wrestling Federation. In the following years, wrestlers representing various other NJPW partner promotions would also participate.
Since the original Super J-Cup in 1994, the tournament has taken place sporadically (1995, 2000, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2019, and 2020). The original is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestling shows of all time. Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, called the 1994 Super J-Cup "the most incredible single night of wrestling ever".[1]
| Event | Host promotion | Winner | Times won | Date(s) | Runner-up | City | Venue | Main Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super J-Cup: 1st Stage | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | Wild Pegasus | 1 | April 16, 1994 | The Great Sasuke | Tokyo, Japan | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | The Great Sasuke vs. Wild Pegasus in the 1994 Super J-Cup final | [2] |
| 1 | December 13, 1995 | Jushin Liger vs. Gedo in the 1995 Super J-Cup final | [3] | ||||||
| 2 | April 1, 2000 | Jushin Liger vs. Tiger Mask in the 2000 Super J-Cup first round | [4] | ||||||
| April 9, 2000 | Cima vs. Jushin Liger in the 2000 Super J-Cup final | ||||||||
| 1 | February 21, 2004 | Takehiro Murahama | Naomichi Marufuji vs. Takehiro Murahama in the 2004 Super J-Cup final | [5] | |||||
| 2 | December 22, 2009 | Jushin Liger vs. Naomichi Marufuji in the 2009 Super J-Cup first round | [6] | ||||||
| December 23, 2009 | Naomichi Marufuji vs. Prince Devitt in the 2009 Super J-Cup final | [7] | |||||||
| 1 | July 20, 2016 | Kushida vs. Taiji Ishimori in the 2016 Super J-Cup first round | [8] | ||||||
| August 21, 2016 | Kushida vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the 2016 Super J-Cup final | [9] | |||||||
| 1 | August 22, 2019 | Amazing Red vs. Will Ospreay in the 2019 Super J-Cup first round | [10] | ||||||
| August 24, 2019 | Sho vs. Will Ospreay in the 2019 Super J-Cup quarter-final round | [11] | |||||||
| August 25, 2019 | Dragon Lee vs. El Phantasmo in the 2019 Super J-Cup final | [12] | |||||||
| 2 | December 12, 2020 | Oceanview Pavilion | A. C. H. vs. El Phantasmo in the 2020 Super J-Cup final | [13] |
The popularity and success of Super J-Cup has led various promotions to create J-Cup tournaments showcasing junior heavyweight wrestlers. Some of their examples include Revolution Pro Wrestling's British J-Cup,[14] Jersey Championship Wrestling's Jersey J-Cup and the J-Cup Tournament.