Next two wrestlers advance in New Japan Cup 2026
Callum Newman and Jake Lee are the latest names to earn their spots in the next round of New Japan Cup 2026.
NJPW celebrated its 54th birthday with an Anniversary event at Ota City Gym in Tokyo on Friday. The card included two New Japan Cup tournament matches, with Newman defeating OSKAR and Lee defeating YOSHI-HASHI to advance. The first round is now nearly over with only two matchups left.
It will be Newman vs. Hartley Jackson and Lee vs. Hirooki Goto in the second round on March 13. Jackson and Goto were two of the wrestlers who randomly received a first-round bye in the tournament.
So far, Yuya Uemura, Don Fale, Ren Narita, Oleg Boltin, Newman, and Lee have advanced out of the opening round. The last two matchups are Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens and Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa. Both of those are happening this Sunday.
The tournament runs through March 21 with the winner receiving an IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot against Yota Tsuji at April’s Sakura Genesis event.
Here is the updated schedule for the remainder of the tournament:
First round —
Sunday, March 8:
- Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens
- Yuto-Ice vs. Ryohei Oiwa
Second round —
Tuesday, March 10:
- Yuya Uemura vs. Drilla Moloney
- Don Fale vs. Shingo Takagi
Thursday, March 12:
- Ren Narita vs. Satoshi Kojima
- Oleg Boltin vs. HENARE
Friday, March 13:
- Callum Newman vs. Hartley Jackson
- Jake Lee vs. Hirooki Goto
Saturday, March 14:
- Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shota Umino or Chase Owens
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuto-Ice or Ryohei Oiwa
Quarterfinals —
Sunday, March 15 and Tuesday, March 17
- Matches TBD
Semifinals —
Friday, March 20:
- TBD
Finals —
Saturday, March 21:
- TBD
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.