Two more wrestlers advance in New Japan Cup 2026
Ren Narita and Oleg Boltin have earned their spots in the next round of New Japan Cup 2026.
The second night of the tournament took place at Korakuen Hall on Thursday with Narita defeating Taichi and Oleg defeating El Phantasmo. Their second-round matchups are now set with Narita vs. Satoshi Kojima and Oleg vs. HENARE scheduled for March 12.
Kojima and HENARE are among the wrestlers who randomly received a first-round bye in the tournament. The 55-year-old Kojima was a late replacement to the New Japan Cup field after replacing the injured Tomohiro Ishii.
New Japan Cup 2026 began yesterday with Yuya Uemura and Don Fale advancing to the second round. The tournament runs through March 21, with the winner receiving an IWGP World Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at Sakura Genesis in April.
This Friday, two New Japan Cup first-round matches will be part of the card for NJPW’s 54th Anniversary show. Here is the remaining schedule for the opening round:
Friday, March 6 —
- YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jake Lee (winner faces Hirooki Goto next round)
- OSKAR vs. Callum Newman (winner faces Hartley Jackson)
Sunday, March 8 —
- Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens (winner faces Yujiro Takahashi)
- Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa (winner faces Zack Sabre Jr.)
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.