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What's the story?
New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed the second set of participants for this year's Super J-Cup. Former WWE superstar Caristico (formerly known as Sin Cara) has been added to the 16-man field along with Taiji Ishimori and Ryusuke Taguchi.
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 winners of the Super J-Cup include Wild Pegasus, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, Naomichi Marufuji, and Kushida.
The heart of the matter
CMLL sensation Caristico along with former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori and Ryusuke Taguchi have all been confirmed for this year's Super J-Cup. The three Jr. Heavyweight stars will be joining the likes of Sho, Dragon Lee, and the debuting TJP in this year's 16-man field.
This will mark Caristico's first Super J-Cup entry, whereas Ishimori and Taguchi have competed in the tournament in the past, with the latter even reaching the quarter-finals in 2009.
NJPW provided an official announcement confirming the same:
What's next?
The Super J-Cup will kick off in Tacoma, Washington at the Temple Theater on August 22. As of writing, only six competitors have been confirmed for this year's tournament, but we can expect NJPW to announce a few more big names in the coming days.
