Four more bouts complete Vermont card
This Sunday August 21 sees NJPW STRONG return to its Hollywood home in the Vermont for Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2022. Four more bouts have rounded out the card, with a title match topping the list.
NJPW STRONG Taping: Fighting Spirit Unleashed TICKETS (Ringside A, C, Balcony SOLD OUT)
The NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships will be defended for the first time in the Vermont, when Aussie Open face the challenge of the West Coast Wrecking Crew. Jorel Nelson used a rollup and a handful of tights to gain victory over Shane Haste in Charlotte at High Alert, and didn’t wait to capitalize on the opportunity it created, instantly confronting Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher the moment they headed backstage with their freshly won STRONG tag gold. With the United Empire duo determined to be fighting champions and to carry the tag belts and STRONG into a new era, will they start strong against tough competition, or will their reign end at V0?
Just barely falling short of being the first STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions, Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura’s Cinderella story in the deciding tournament was highlighted by a win over TMDK. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls were pre tournament favourites to at least make the final, but after Uemura’s Frankensteiner upset, TMDK is refusing to kneel to this combination of youth and experience. Sunday, Uemura and Daniels will face a different TMDK combination of Haste, and Bad Dude Tito, who wants to make a victorious return to the States after an impactful first tour of Japan with JONAH during the G1.
Tom Lawlor is another figure making a return to NJPW STRONG after action in the G1. Having completed his debut G1 Climax with an impressive 3-3 record, he combines with JR Kratos tonight to take on Jordan Cruz and Cody Chhun. Cruz made his debut on STRONG the last time we hit the Vermont, but things didn’t go… exactly as smoothly as Cruz would have liked. He now seeks revenge, and partners with Chhun to do so; having already pushed Hikuleo hard early in the year, the Seattle favourite will try to do the same against another giant in Kratos, and a G1 monster slayer in Lawlor.
The LA Dojo continue a long standing issue with Stray Dog Army in the Vermont. Kevin Knight and the DKC have defeated Barrett Brown and Bateman in the past, but after the Army had a strong semifinal showing in the STRONG Openweight Tag Team Tournament, and with Misterioso also looking to make a statement at the expense of Mascara Dorada, will the Stray Dogs stand tall?
