Brackets Revealed For NJPW Cup USA Tournament

The second annual New Japan Cup USA kicks off at the beginning of April, as eight entrants will vie for a future shot at the IWGP United States title.

Chris Dickinson and Clark Connors earned the final two spots in the tournament on Friday night's episode of NJPW Strong, defeating Blake Christian and TJP, respectively.

The quarterfinals for the tournament include the following matches:

* Clark Connors vs. Lio Rush

* Brody King vs. Chris Dickinson

* Ren Narita vs. Tom Lawlor

* Hikuleo vs. Fred Rosser

The tournament kicks off on the April 2 edition of Strong, and runs through the entire month of April.

The first annual New Japan Cup USA tournament was won last August by KENTA. Due to travel restrictions relating to the pandemic, KENTA was unable to challenge United States champion Jon Moxley for some time, and the match didn't take place until February. While waiting to face Moxley, KENTA successfully defended his future title match (represented by a briefcase) in five different matches.

Moxley defeated KENTA, and is presently still the US champion, having reigned with the belt since January 4 of last year.