The Young Lion Cup began in 1985 as the premier competition for Japan’s up-and-coming pro-wrestling stars. Legendary athletes like Keiichi Yamada, Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Yamamoto (Hiroyoshi Tenzan), Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi, and Ryusuke Taguchi can trace their careers back to this very tournament. For 10 years the tournament’s champions would go on to make their mark on the pro-wrestling world, in many ways thanks to the impact of one man: Kotetsu Yamamoto. His dedication as the manager of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Dojo and Japanese pro-wrestling in general left an indelible mark on his students and fans around the world.

Thus, it’s with great honor to announce the return of the Young Lion Cup after 12 years! Witness the birth of tomorrow’s legends in The Kotetsu Yamamoto Memorial Young Lion Cup!

6 contenders will vie for this year’s Cup in a round-robin style tournament:

•Hirai Kawato (Debut: January 3, 2016)
•Tomoyuki Oka (Debut: January 3, 2017)
•Katsuya Kitamura (Debut: March 13, 2017)
•Shota Umino (Debut: April 13, 2017)
• Tetsuhiro Yagi (Debut: May 9, 2017)
• Ren Narita (Debut: July 4, 2017)

Matches will begin at Lion’s Gate Project 7 on October 12th at Shinjuku FACE, and be broadcast live on NJPW World! 

Check out the match lineup here! https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/13945?showCards=1

Tournament Rules :
• 6 entrants compete in a round-robin league format. 
• Official league matches are 15 minutes in length. 
• Points are awarded as such: win – 3 points, draw – 1 point for both wrestlers, loss – 0 points, disqualification – 0 points for both wrestlers 
• ‎The champion is the wrestler with the most points after all league matches have completed. 
• ‎A tie-breaking match/es will be held if 2 or more wrestlers have the most points at the end of league matches.