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What's the story?
On Friday morning, New Japan Pro Wrestling officially confirmed the first three entrants for this year's Super J-Cup.
As noted, former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee, SHO, and former WWE superstar TJP are the three known participants.
In case you didn't know...
The Super J-Cup is a pro wrestling tournament featuring Jr. Heavyweight wrestlers from all around the world. The tournament was initially conceived by former 11-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger as a showcase of promotions from Asia and North America.
Jr. Heavyweight stars from NJPW, Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, Wrestle Association R, Michinoku Pro Wrestling, and CMLL have all competed in the Super J-Cup in the past. In the following years, wrestlers representing Lucha Libre AAA and ECW would also participate in the tournament. After 1995, the tournament took a five-year hiatus before returning in 2000 (this time hosted by Michinoku Pro Wrestling).
Past Super J-Cup winners include Wild Pegasus, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, Naomichi Marufuji, and Kushida.
The heart of the matter
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Dragon Lee, SHO, and the returning TJP are the first three entrants in this year's sixteen-man Super J-Cup tournament.
Having initially trained at the original American NJPW dojo in Santa Monica in 2001, TJP made his promotional debut in 2002 at the Korakuen Hall. In 2011, he competed in the Best of the Super Juniors but failed to advance to the semifinals.
In February of 2019, TJP was released from WWE and made his return to Impact Wrestling. The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion is now set for another grand return to NJPW, as well.
What's next?
The remaining participants for the Super J-Cup will be announced in the coming weeks. The tournament begins on the 22nd of August at the Temple Theater in Tacoma, Washington, followed by shows in San Fransisco, and the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.
