The LA Dojo takes centre stage this week on NJPW Strong with a special showcase episode.
Quick Results
TJP submitted The DKC in 7:39 (**¾)
Fred Rosser & Ren Narita pinned Kevin Knight & Alex Coughlin in 12:36 (***¼)
Karl Fredericks pinned Clark Connors in 18:19 (***½)
A lot’s been made of the LA Dojo since Katsuyoru Shibata took over as head coach following his retirement… and its very presence has helped New Japan during the pandemic too, with the dojo trainees being the backbone of this NJPW Strong strand. This week, in the fall-out from the New Japan Cup USA final, they get the spotlight all to themselves…
We open with Katsuyori Shibata introducing footage from the drills at the LA Dojo, along with mini promos of the current crop of trainees, before Kevin Kelly (and his New Japan tracksuit jacket) and Alex Koslov open the show.
The DKC vs. TJP
Kevin Kelly notes how DKC perhaps isn’t having the true Young Lion experience, as he’s not shaved his hair…
DKC starts with a wristlock, but he’s taken to the ground as TJP ends up stretching him with a bow and arrow. The usual escape gives us a quick pinning attempt, but no count, as TJP returns with a bridging hammerlock on the mat before he pulled back to yank DKC’s arm and leg at the same time. TJP keeps going with a clothesline for a two-count, before he trapped DKC in a tied-up Kimura. It’s broken up as DKC slips out and tried for a crossface, but he couldn’t get any kind of grip as he instead opts for forearms and chops in the corner. TJP takes control again with face-washing boots in the corner, before a senton atomico misses as DKC rolled away.
A dropkick from DKC gets him back in it, along with a backfist chop… then a low bulldog as DKC looked to push ahead. DKC goes for a triangle choke, but TJP slips out and rolls into a leg lock by the ropes, which of course gets the break… but TJP is quickly back with a leg-capture Saito suplex that almost wins it. A Detonation kick’s countered into a crucifix, then an Anaconda Vise-ish submission by DKC, but TJP rolls out for a near-fall before he tied up DKC in almost a Regal Stretch for the submission. Basic, but effective as DKC showed some flashes, but ended up being outclassed here. **¾
Alex Coughlin & Kevin Knight vs. Fred Rosser & Ren Narita
Koslov jokes that he thought it was he and Kevin Kelly wrestling here. Be careful what you wish for…
Rosser sparks a shoving match before the bell, as Knight and Rosser get us underway. A wristlock grounds Knight early on, but a toe hold attempt from Knight ends up with a break in the ropes. There’s no tag as the pair lock up again, with Knight getting thrown outside… he’s quickly back with uppercuts, but misses a dropkick as Rosser’s sit-down splash gets a quick two-count. Knight fires back with uppercuts, but Rosser clings onto the ropes to avoid a follow-up as he hiptossed free and hits a second sit-down splash. Ren Narita tags in and gets suplexed onto Knight for a two-count, before a tag brings in Coughlin to grapple on the mat. Narita’s side headlock restrains Coughlin, but he’s pushed off as we get shoulder tackles, before a Coughlin suplex gets a two-count.
A double-team hiptoss pushes Narita high into the sky as Knight gets a two-count while Fred Rosser’s attempt to get involved sees him dumped outside by Knight. Another hiptoss and a leaping stomp from Knight get him a near-fall, but Narita recovers and tags Rosser back in to get him some. Rosser keeps Knight grounded as Narita returns… but a dropkick stopped Ren in his tracks as tags get us to Coughlin and Rosser to trade strikes. Headbutts have Rosser ahead, but a flying tackle from Coughlin turns it around as he then found a way in with a side Salto suplex. Knight’s back with a diving shoulder tackle, then a standing splash for a couple of two-counts, before a Boston crab ended with Narita running in to break it up.
The ring fills, then empties as Coughlin turned a leg lariat into a fallaway slam on Narita, as Knight then tried to push on. He’s stopped with a headbutt and a big lariat from Rosser, as the pair resort to more back-and-forth strikes. Knight’s cornered as Coughlin and Narita fought on the floor… which led to Knight fighting out of a superplex, only for a follow-up crossbody to get rolled through as Rosser caught Knight with a Gut Check. From there, a low dropkick follows, and that’s the win for Rosser – a cracker of a tag match, with the Young Lions more than holding their own as Rosser took the spotlight. ***¼
Backstage, Kevin Knight remained frustrated at always losing, but Coughlin’s pep talk talked him out of whatever he was feeling.
Clark Connors vs. Karl Fredericks
Connors is being dubbed a “wild rhino” on commentary, as they put this over as perhaps a battle of someone jealous of not being the first one to graduate… against the man who was the first to graduate from the dojo.
The early grappling sees Fredericks taken into the ropes for a break, before Connors had to deal with a response. A side headlock has Connors on a knee, but he fought free before misdirection led to a shoulder tackle. Connors keeps going with a snap suplex, but only gets a one-count, and ends up taking a crossbody after Fredericks leapt over him. A kitchen sink knee to the gut takes Connors outside, but he leaps back onto the apron… only to get booted back to the floor. Fredericks joins him with a tope, before an attempt to post Connors was blocked… with Clark countering back before he rolled in and out of the ring to break the count. He stays on Fredericks with a suplex on the floor, before he grounded Fredericks with a chinlock back inside.
Connors’ double sledge to the back gets another one-count, then goes back with an overhead wristlock, which turns into a modified full nelson as Fredericks tries to get free, only to get chopped in the back. Fredericks returns the favour with a forearm to the back, but Connors shrugs it off as they go back and forth there, before a back elbow gets Fredericks some two-counts. Fredericks keeps Connors down with a chop, but more misdirection leads to a POUNCE before some unreturned chops forced the referee into a separation. Clark keeps going with a shoulder tackle and an overhead suplex for a two-count, before Fredericks’ splash in the corner looked to give him an opening. Clark tries to block, but gets elbowed as Fredericks’ back suplex and a leaping elbow gets him back ahead for a near-fall.
A spinebuster keeps Connors down ahead of a STF, but that ends in the ropes before an attempt at the Manifest Destiny DDT ends with Connors rolling Fredericks into a Boston crab. Fredericks teases submitting, but pulls his way into the ropes for a break. Connors switches his tactics, climbing the ropes looking for a spear, but gets caught with a gamengiri as Fredericks switches position and brings Clark down with a superplex. Connors tries to fight back with chops, but Fredericks throws uppercuts and another flurry of strikes before Clark tagged him with a left. Fredericks responds with a boot as we inched closer to that 20 minute time limit, with a scoop slam and a German suplex from Connors leading to a spear that got him right back in it…
Fredericks blocks a back suplex though and tries to spin Connors into a Manifest Destiny… before Clark’s counter ended up with him taking a back breaker ahead of the Manifest Destiny for the win. A keenly-fought main-event with Fredericks just about eking the win as Connors looked to be on track. ***½
Backstage, after the match, Connors told us he watched the tape of him growing as a wrestler – and said that it was time for a change, “for real.” He noted the “wild rhino” moniker, as he declared the Young Lion Clark Connors was dead, with the Wild Rhino now in its place.
Next week: days ahead of his IWGP US title shot on AEW Dynamite, we’ve got… Yuji Nagata?! He’s teaming with Ren Narita to take on Jon Moxley and Chris Dickinson.
A very good in-ring episode of Strong, albeit one that felt largely out of canon as the Showcase bridged the gap between last week’s New Japan Cup USA final and next week’s rather newsworthy show…