New Japan Stat Day

By Ryan Joy
Updated: June 13, 2020
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New Japan Stat Day

In celebration of New Japan Pro Wrestling returning to action on Monday, I’m having a New Japan Stat Day! I prepared several images below with statistical information pertaining to the New Japan Cup. Join the conversation with others as I share these images on Instagram from 9AM – 7PM today.

I have a lot of observations, so let’s get started.

Los Ingobernables de Japón

LIJ holds most of the gold in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Naito holds the IWGP HeavyWeight and Intercontinental Championships. Shingo Takagi has the NEVER Championship and he has partnered with Evil and Bushi to capture the NEVER Six-Man championships. Hiromu Takahashi holds the IWGP Junior HeavyWeight Championship.

The only belts to elude LIJ are the United States Championship held by Jon Moxley, the IWGP Junior HeavyWeight Tag Team Titles held by Sho and Yoh, and the IWGP Tag Team Championships currently held by Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The winner of the New Japan Cup advances to face Naito at Dominion, and LIJ has some strong contenders in the field. That includes Sanada who went all the way to the finals last year, Shingo Takagi who was absolutely unstoppable prior to the pandemic, and Hiromu Takahashi who actually had a non-title match with Naito canceled.

Out of 32 participants, five are members of the LIJ faction. That makes for a good chance Naito may face someone from his own stable.

Zack Sabre Junior

The 2018 New Japan Cup winner is undefeated in New Japan Singles competition this year (his loss to Will Ospreay was at a Rev Pro event). Considering he is without the British Heavyweight Championship, Zack is sure to be gunning hard to repeat his 2018 victory and challenge Naito. The only problem. . .he faces G1 Winner Kota Ibushi in the first round. Kota is in a bit of a slump though losing all of his singles matches so far in 2020.

14 People Without A Singles Match in 2020

WOW. Can you believe that almost half of the field didn’t have a singles match in the first two months of the year?

Missing Persons

Jay White, Juice Robinson, Will Ospreay, and several other wrestlers won’t be competing in the New Japan Cup. One can only assume travel restrictions prevented their ability to perform. Will this provide an opportunity for some new faces to shine in New Japan?

So Much More to Unpack

Take a look at the below images and let me know what you think. You can join the Minutes to Bell Time Public Facebook Group or check out the Minutes to Bell Time Instagram to join in on the conversation.

Body Slam Brigade

If you love Pro Wrestling and enjoy stat based conversations, sign up for my weekly newsletter by joining the Body Slam Brigade. You’ll also get invited to Private Members Only Facebook Group. You can join here.