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New Japan Cup USA
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''. Tournaments History The New Japan Cup was first held in April 2005. 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, 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 Champi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV Asahi and Amuse Inc. owning minority shares of the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the promotion's Chairman since September 2013, while Hiroshi Tanahashi has served as the president of the promotion since December 2023. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, NJPW is the largest and longest-running professional wrestling promotion in Japan. Their biggest event is the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show (currently promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom banner) held each year since 1992. In addition to promoting professional wrestling matches, NJPW has also showcased mixed martial arts fights on some of its live events. The promotion was owned by Yuke's from 2005 until 2012. It was then sold to Bushiroad in 2012, which parlayed its entry to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWGP tournament. It was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on March 4, 2021, to form the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The championship was represented by four different belts from 1987 to 2021. The fourth and last generation belt was introduced in March 2008. The title formed what was unofficially called the along with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and the NEVER Openweight Championship. Title history An early version of this championship was introduced in 1983 for the winner ( Hulk Hogan) of the IWGP League 1983. Since then, the championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year. A new IWGP Heavyweight Championship arrived only in 1987, replacing the old version. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tama Tonga
Alipate Aloisio Fifita Leone (born October 15, 1982), better known by his ring name Tama Tonga (), is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand where he is a former WWE Tag Team Champion. Leone is the adopted son of professional wrestler Haku. He is currently inactive due to an undisclosed injury. From 2010 to 2024 he was in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a founding member of Bullet Club alongside Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson and Prince Devitt. He was also a founding member of Guerrillas of Destiny (G.O.D.) alongside his brother Tanga Loa. The Guerrillas of Destiny won the IWGP Tag Team Championship seven times, the 2020 edition of the World Tag League tournament and, due to the collaboration between NJPW and Ring of Honor, the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Leone made his WWE debut as a member of The Bloodline following WrestleMania XL. As a singles wrestler, Leone held the NEVER Openwe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chase Owens
Steven Owens, better known by the ring name Chase Owens (チェーズ・オーエンズ ''Chēzu Ōenzu'', born March 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture. He is a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, having won the belts twice with Kenta and once with Bad Luck Fale. Owens has also won the provisional KOPW trophy once. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2007–2019) Owens made his debut for Championship Wrestling Alliance (CWA) on February 17, 2007, at the age of 16, where he was defeated by Tony Givens. Owens participated in the 2007 CWA Best of the Best tournament, but he was defeated in the first round by The Jin. On November 14, 2008, Owens competed in his first title match, but was defeated by the defending AWA World Heavyweight Champion Tony Givens. He participated in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the CWA Best of the Best tournament, but was unsuccessful, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Finlay (wrestler)
David Stephen Finlay (born 16 May 1993) is a German-born American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former two-time IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion. Although NJPW recognises Finlay as the fifth leader of Bullet Club, he predominately acts as the leader of the List of Bullet Club members#Sub-groups, War Dogs sub-group. Born in Germany to Northern Irish parents, he is a fourth-generation professional wrestler; his father, Fit Finlay, trained him before he received additional training from Satoshi Kojima and the NJPW Dojo. He frequently partnered with Juice Robinson as the team FinJuice; they are one-time IWGP Tag Team Championship, IWGP Tag Team Champions. Along with Ricochet (wrestler), Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima, he is also a former NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. Since joining and leading Bullet Club, Finlay h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanga Loa
Tevita Tu'amoeloa Fetaiakimoeata Koloamatangi Fifita (born May 7, 1983) is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. As of May 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tonga Loa, as a member of The Bloodline stable. As of November 2024, he is out of action due to a torn bicep. Fifita started his professional wrestling career in WWE's farm territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2009 as at first Tonga, then later known as Agent T and Donny Marlow. He was promoted to the main roster in 2011, where he worked as a Mexican character named Camacho in a tag team with Hunico. They worked on the undercard on the SmackDown and NXT brands for a few years. After he left WWE in 2014, he worked for two years in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the name Micah, where he won the 2015's Gut Check. Later, he left the promotion and joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Tanga Loa, joining his brother Tama Tong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Cobb
is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. As of May 2025, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name JC Mateo and is a member of The Bloodline. He is best known for his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performed under his real name and was a member of United Empire. In NJPW, he is a former one-time NEVER Openweight Champion, one-time IWGP World Television Champion, and a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He also wrestled for various promotions, such as Lucha Underground (as the masked wrestler Matanza Cueto) where he is a former one-time Lucha Underground Champion, Ring of Honor (ROH) where he is a former one-time ROH Television Champion, as well as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) where he is a former one-time PWG World Champion, one-time World Tag Team Champion and is also the winner of the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles. As an amateur wrestler, Cobb represented Guam at the 2004 Summer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenta (wrestler)
, known mononymously as Kenta (stylised in all caps), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. A former amateur kickboxer, Kobayashi's wrestling style is based upon strong kicks and strikes. Kobayashi pioneered both the '' Go 2 Sleep'' and '' Busaiku Knee'' kick finishing manoeuvres, later popularized by CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, respectively. Kobayashi started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), before moving to Pro Wrestling Noah; through Noah's involvement in the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA), a global organization of cooperative promotions that allow their competitors to travel abroad to other companies, he has wrestled extensively in American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). In Noah, he was a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and one-time GHC Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 2012 Global League and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Fredericks
Karl Fredericks (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in the WWE, where he performed under the ring name Eddy Thorpe. Fredericks is also known for his stint in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performed under his real name and was the winner of the 2019 Young Lion Cup. Professional wrestling career New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2015–2022) Fredericks debuted on May 17, 2015. In 2018, Fredericks entered the New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo, along with Clark Connors and Alex Coughlin. He visited Japan for the first time as a representative of the LA Dojo at the 2019 Young Lion Cup and won the tournament with 12 points. Fredericks teamed with Hirooki Goto for the World Tag League in the same year, finishing with 3 wins and 12 losses. On January 4, 2020, at Wrestle Kingdom 14, Fredericks, Connors, Coughlin and Toa Henare defeated Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan), Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura in an eight-man t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bushiroad
is a Japanese entertainment company, producer of collectible card games and trading cards, and publisher of mobile apps and games, which was founded in 2007 by Takaaki Kidani and is headquartered in Tokyo. Bushiroad created and owns various media franchises such as '' Tantei Opera Milky Holmes''. Since 2019, Bushiroad is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and has traded on the TSE since its launch on July 24, 2019. On January 29, 2012, Bushiroad announced that it had fully acquired New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a major professional wrestling promotion, for ¥500 million. In October 2019, Bushiroad acquired World Wonder Ring Stardom, a ''joshi'' ''puroresu'' promotion. At the 2012 Tokyo Game Show, Bushiroad announced Bushimo, a new social gaming platform for smartphones, which was released in Winter 2012. In March 2013, Bushiroad announced the revival of the media franchise '' Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road'', with an anime television series that aired on December 31, 2013, as a collabo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Summer Struggle In Jingu
Summer Struggle in Jingu was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on August 29, 2020, in Tokyo, Japan at Meiji Jingu Stadium. Background On March 1, 2020, NJPW suspended all future live events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, many of their annual tours and tournaments, such as the New Japan Cup, Best of the Super Juniors, and a summer tour scheduled in Hokkaido, in place of where the G1 Climax would normally be (which was moved to September, due to the upcoming, now postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics) were canceled. To make up for the lost dates, on June 26, 2020, NJPW announced the Summer Struggle tour to run from July 27 to August 29. On July 25, 2020, NJPW announced the culmination of the Summer Struggle tour to take place in Meiji Jingu Stadium, the first NJPW event inside the stadium since 1999 with last event being Jingu Climax. Storylines Summer Struggle in Jingu featured professional wrestling matches th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Behind Closed Doors (sports)
The term "behind closed doors" is used in several sports to describe matches played where spectators are not allowed in the stadium or venue to watch. A match played in this manner is also referred to as a crowdless game. Because ticket sales generally constitute a substantial proportion of total revenues in most professional sports as well as in certain elite competitions of many amateur sports, it is rare for such games to be off limits to paying members of the general public. When such instances do occur, it is usually for reasons outside the participating teams' control. These may include as a punishment or remedy for a participating team, stadium safety problems, preventing potentially dangerous clashes between rival supporters, wider safety concerns like a riot or other civil disturbances, or public health concerns like the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples Brazil In Brazil, the practice of games without public access is known as "closed gates" (in Portuguese, ''portões fechado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
