New Japan Pro Wrestling sent out the following:

New Japan Cup USA returns on NJPW STRONG

Eight man elimination tournament to take place; Qualifying matches start Friday

Alongside the New Japan Cup in Japan, NJPW STRONG will see the return of New Japan Cup USA in the coming weeks. The eight man tournament will kick off on NJPW World, April 2 running for four weeks, with its winner being given a future championship opportunity against IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley, who retained his title against KENTA Friday on STRONG.

To determine the eight man field, qualifying matches will take place over the next month on NJPW STRONG, starting Friday March 5.

The participants for each match will be revealed in the days leading up to each week on the Strong Style Evolved series, with the first two qualifiers as follows:

Tom Lawlor vs The DKC

Team Filthy has become one of the most talked about forces in NJPW STRONG over the last several months, and after the group’s leader missed out on action at the start of 2021, he’s looking to make his presence felt in New Japan Cup 2021. His opponent Friday will be the LA Dojo’s new acquisition, the DKC. With Dylan Kyle Cox very early in his Young Lion journey, he will be the heavy underdog here on night one of the Road to Strong Style Evolved, but any thing can happen on any given night within the squared circle. Will Lawlor move on, or will his cup hopes end before they begin?

Rocky Romero vs Lio Rush

The second qualifying bout tonight will emphasize that New Japan Cup USA, unlike its Japanese counterpart this year, will be an openweight tournament. We are guaranteed to have at least one junior heavyweight in the running, as Rocky Romero and Lio Rush do battle with much to prove. Rocky has talked long about having one more solid singles championship run in his career in NJPW, while Rush is just starting his NJPW journey. After Rush had to suck up painful defeats to El Phantasmo in the Super J-Cup and at New Beginning USA, can he reset and make his way through New Japan Cup USA to prove he is still indeed the Man of the Hour?