New Japan Pro-Wrestling continues to load up the card for NJPW STRONG Fighting Spirit Unleashed.
Aussie Open will defend NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship for the first time against the West Coast Wrecking Crew at the show on August 21. Plus, Tom Lawlor will be in action; he will team up with JR Kratos to face Cody Chhun and Jordan Cruz. Elsewhere on the show, Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura will battle TMDK, and the LA Dojo will continue its feud with Stray Dog Army.
??MATCHES! Fighting Spirit Unleashed!??#njpwSTRONG 8/21 The Vermont Hollywood!
? STRONG Tag Team Titles- Aussie Open? WCWC
? TMDK?@Im_YuyaUemura @facdaniels
? Stray Dog Army?LA DOJO
? Team Filthy?@JordanCruzPro @ClassicChhun?️: https://t.co/4tFFQ0Luab#njpw #njFSU pic.twitter.com/4HNtAqftxA
— NJPW of America (@NJPWofAmerica) August 17, 2022
The preview, courtesy of NJPW’s official website, is as follows:
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson)
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?
Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)
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.
Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor & JR Kratos) vs. Cody Chhun & Jordan Cruz
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.
LA Dojo (Kevin Knight & The DKC) vs. Stray Dog Army (Bateman & Barrett Brown)
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?
The updated card for NJPW STRONG Fighting Spirit Unleashed is as follows:
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson)
- Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste)
- LA Dojo (Kevin Knight & The DKC) vs. Stray Dog Army (Bateman & Barrett Brown)
- Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor & JR Kratos) vs. Cody Chhun & Jordan Cruz
- Robbie Eagles vs. Kevin Blackwood
- QT Marshall vs. Keita
- Misterioso vs. Mascara Dorada
- Bullet Club (Jay White, Juice Robinson, Chase Owens, and Hikuleo) vs. Trent Beretta, KUSHIDA, Taylor Rust, and Rocky Romero
- Che Cabrera vs. Aaron Solo
- Alan Angels vs. Taiji Ishimori
- Adrian Quest vs. Peter Avalon
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