Strong Style Evolved (December 15) full card, preview
Main event: NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Mercedes Moné vs Hazuki
Our main event sees Mercedes Moné defend the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship against Hazuki. ‘Wild Heart’ Hazuki emerged from a chaotic four way match in Lowell on November 8 as the new number one contender to the CEO’s crown. Immediately after the match though, Mercedes would give Hazuki a Backstabber for her troubles, and vowed that the CEO’s time on top will continue. Back in 2023, Moné, Hazuki and AZM were in a three way for IWGP Women’s gold, but this will be the first time ever the two women have gone one on one. As 2025, and Wrestle Dynasty along with it looms large, who will end the year as the STRONG Women’s champion?
8th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs Konosuke Takeshita & Jack Perry
A special tag team bout will see Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji face off against Tokyo Dome opposition in Konosuke Takeshita and Jack Perry. January 4 will see Takagi versus Takeshita for the NEVER, and potentially AEW International titles, a night where Tsuji will take on David Finlay for the IWGP Global gold. The next night, Tsuji takes on Jack Perry after a shocking attack from the Scapegoat at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.
Tsuji and Takagi have had their pre-existing teamwork honed by a successful World Tag League campaign. On the contrary, with Perry’s allegiances to HOUSE OF TORTURE in Japan and a fractured ELITE in the US as Takeshita wrestles for the Don Callis Family, will LIJ’s opposition be on the same page?
7th Match: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr, Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) vs Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor
It’s another key preview of the January 4 main event as Shota Umino and Zack Sabre Jr. collide in Long Beach. Meanwhile, as Shane Haste looks to bounce back from tag team disappointments of late, he and Bad Dude Tito support the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion opposite a Dirty Work team who have their own ground to gain following last month’s bloody defeat to the West Coast Wrecking Crew.
6th Match: NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship- Ryohei Oiwa vs Gabe Kidd
Gabe Kidd puts the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship on the line against Ryohei Oiwa in Long Beach. Since winning the STRONG gold in May at Resurgence, Ultimo Guerrero, Lio Rush and Kosei Fujita have all stepped up to challenge, but have fallen at Kidd’s door.
It was a superhuman effort for Fujita against Kidd in a sensational main event at Fighting Spirit Unleashed. Yet after the match was done, Kidd wanted to keep up the punishment on his young challenger. That drew the ire of Fujita’s TMDK teammate and Oiwa hit the ring to issue his own challenge to the Mad Man.
Both champion and challenger have big matches coming up in Japan to start 2025, but want to end their 2024 in the US strong. For Oiwa, the potential to be a double champion come January 4 is real, as he is set to be part of a three way dance for NJPW World TV gold, while Kidd of course hasd Kenny Omega to deal with January 5 at Wrestle Dynasty. Focus now though has to be on the task and title at hand. Will it be Oiwa’s Doctor Bomb versus Kidd’s Mad Man Bomb that determines who ends 2024 with STRONG gold?
5th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titan) vs United Empire (Templario & Jakob Austin Young)
A severe injury to HENARE has put paid to what would have been half a rematch from World Tag League action and a potential sign of things to come over the IWGP Tag Team Championships. Hiromu Takahashi is still in Long Beach as one half of the World Tag League winners, but will be facing a new member on the United Empire side, in the form of Templario.
CMLL’s Templario has a lengthy past with Titan, as well as a recent singles victory over Hiromu Takahashi, in June at Arena Coliseo. TJP’s new pick for UE might well be a golden one, as the faction looks to build back in the wake of losing two members to the injured reserve list.
4th Match: Lio Rush vs Hechicero
As we get in the Wrestle Dynasty mood, it’s not just NJPW and AEW represented in Long Beach. CMLL representation comes in the form of Hechicero tonight. After Lio Rush got his first career win over Mustafa Ali at Fighting Spirit Unleashed, he has a very different task against the llave conjuror himself for a special first time singles bout.
3rd Match: Clark Connors vs KUSHIDA vs Kosei Fujita vs TJP
Ahead of a four way battle over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag team Championships January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom 19, a four way singles bout provides a chaotic preview of the Tokyo Dome. KUSHIDA, Kosei Fujita, TJP and Clark Connors will collide in a bid to set the pace for two weeks later on the biggest stage.
2nd Match: NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
New NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions the Grizzled Young Veterans, James Drake and Zack Gibson, will face the West Coast Wrecking Crew, Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs, for the titles. The GYV defeated Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls for the belts and quickly boasted that they finally have the titles and respect they needed for their careers to flourish. Yet the same night saw the WCWC emerge from a brutal and bloody two out of three falls match showing just what lengths they are willing to go to for victory. Can they secure the titles that have eluded them for so many years?
1st Match: Mina Shirakawa vs Johnnie Robbie
Mina Shirakawa will face Johnnie Robbie at Strong Style Evolved. 2024 has truly been the global breakout year for Mina Shirakawa, and Long Beach fans that have clamoured for more Mina will get one more dose before 2024 is out. She faces the NJPW Academy prospect who’s made her own stamp on the year, and will look for a big win to propel her into 2025.
Kickoff Match: STRONG Survivor- Matt Vandagriff vs Zane Jay
Singles record: 1–0 Vandagriff
Plus, a special kickoff bout will see Matt Vandagriff defending his STRONG Survivor spot against Zane Jay. Vandagriff has held the distinction of STRONG Survivor for well over a year as he’s defended the spot on kickoff matches before NJPW events. That’s given the Aerial Chemist an arrogant air, but after his return from a training excursion to Noge in Japan, Zane Jay wants one more shot to take the STRONG Survivor mantle into the new year.
