NJPW Strong: Ignition episode 46 results and review
If there is one thing I know, New Japan is good at making special events and building roads to them. The Road to Ignition was the last three episodes and now we are in the eye of the storm at NJPW Strong. Karl Fredericks will challenge Filthy Tom Lawlor for the Openweight Title in the main event.
NJPW Strong: The DKC/ Kevin Knight v. Fred Yehi/ Wheeler Yuta
Summary: Yehi and DKC lock-up. Yehi hits an impressive one-hand pancake slam. Knight gets tagged in and hits a double hip toss with DKC. DKC gets tagged in and he and Knight hit a double shoulder tackle. Yehi hits an exploding suplex. Yuta gets tagged and cleans house. Yuta works on Knight’s arm. Yehi gets tagged in and hits some vicious knees in the corner. Wheeler snaps on a chin lock, but Knight fires back with a tall dropkick. DKC gets tagged in and starts scrapping with Yehi. DKC goes for a crucifix pin. Knight and DKC exchange splashes and forearms on Yehi. Wheeler hits a waterfall slam on DKC. Knight hits a tilt-a-whirl scoop slam, but Wheeler turns it into a pin for three.
Positives: I knew DKC and Knight would lose to these up-and-comers, but I am impressed that they looked so credible in this match. DKC got in his patented karate kicks, while Knight was a beast with his grapples. Yehi has a smooth and flavorful wrestling style that is starting to grow on me.
Negatives: Still can’t get behind Yuta and DKC’s style as much as Yehi and Knight.
Winner: Fred Yehi/ Wheeler Yehi via a roll-up pin technique
Grade: B
NJPW Strong: Rocky Romero v. Clark Connors
Summary: Two episodes ago, Romero and Connors got into fisticuffs after Romero and Lio Rush won the tag match. They are going to settle it here. Both men size each other up. The tie-up dance starts up. Two minutes of jockeying for position pass and finally Connors challenges Romero to a leg kick exchange. Connors gets the first knockdown with a shoulder tackle. Connors hits a snap suplex and a 2-count. Connors knocks him down a second time with a back elbow. Romero fights his way out of a grapple and hits a breadbasket kick. He then escapes Connors’ running charge and hits a clothesline. Romero gets Connors tangled in the rope and hits him with a dropkick. Romero fends off Connors from charging and hits a second turnbuckle spinning DDT. Rocky takes Connors’ arm and drives his knee into it from the top rope. Romero then goes on the offensive. Romero hits a running head-scissor, which puts Connors out on the floor. Romero hits a running sliced bread and then hits an armbar. Connors goes for a vertical suplex, but Romero turns it into a rollup. Romero misses a running sliced bread from the corner and Connors hits the spear and the powerslam. Connors drops him with a big slam and gets the pin.
Positives: The intensity and heat between the wrestlers was spot on. Connors has a very impressive moveset.
Negatives: This match started slowly despite being billed as a rivalry match between two begrudging wrestlers. Most of the spots were an exchange of strikes. It took four minutes before any of the men were selling bumps and it took eight minutes before they were pulling out the high-end moves.
Winner: Clark Connors via a power slam and a body slam
Grade: C+
The power of NJPW is that it knows how to make long and artistic matches that can easily fill 10 minutes. The problem is that sometimes the pacing and setup take too long to get to the exciting part. Connors and Romero both have a devastating ring ability that flows, but this match did not show it off
Connors is ready to move up, defeating an NJPW former world champion. Romero was there to help him get over. I am guessing the next step is a title match for Connors.
Backstage: Clark Connors tells a story about his underdog career. Now times are changing and his time is now.
Resurgence: Aug. 14 at The Torch in the LA Coliseum. Before a live audience? NJPW Strong is long overdue for one.
NJPW: Karl Fredericks v. Filthy Tom Lawlor (Strong Openweight Championship)
Summary: Kratos Jr. will be in Lawlor’s corner for the match. Tom Lawlor pulls down his jean shorts to reveal even smaller jean shorts. Hilarious. Fredericks and Lawlor start sizing each other up. They jockey for position. Fredericks hits the first throw with a wristlock takedown. Fredericks tries to speed up the match with his momentum, but Lawlor escapes. Lawlor gets the upper hand with some back strikes. Fredericks mans up and knocks him down with a shoulder charge and a splash. Fredericks runs at Lawlor, but the champion flips him out of the ring on his arm. Fredericks is nursing his shoulder. Lawlor clotheslines Fredericks over the barricade. Fredericks gets back into the ring at the 16-count. Fredericks and Lawlor exchange forearms and chops. Lawlor confines Fredericks with a chokehold submission. Fredericks almost blacks out. Fredericks gets Lawlor into a spinebuster, but Lawlor turns it into a leg-torso lock submission. Lawlor hits an over-the-shoulder throw on Fredericks. More jab exchanges from the two, then Fredericks eats a launching elbow from Lawlor. Fredericks hits a Pele kick and both men are down. Fredericks hits a running forearm and backs it up with a hangtime dropkick. More fists are exchanged. Fredericks blocks a discus and turns it into a running spinebuster. Lawlor is put into an STF. Lawlor escapes and hits a crossface. Fredericks escapes that and hits the Manifest Destiny. Lawlor gets his foot on the rope before the 3-count. Fredericks tries again, putting Lawlor in a headlock as he scales the turnbuckle. Lawlor denies him the slam and puts on the forearms and chops. Lawlor drives Fredericks’ head into the mat and hits the PK for three.
Positives: Fredericks was a trooper in this match, fending off Tom’s strike and submission style. The story of Tom torturing him for the majority of the match and then Fredericks getting a glimmer of hope near the end was entertaining.
Negatives: If you break down the bulk of this match, most of it consisted of forearms, chops, and leg kicks. The action got serious around the eight-minute mark. Lawlor’s head driving move to finish the match looked sketchy. Not sure what happened. Lawlor is a complicated champion. He doesn’t have a set of signature moves (at least none that I have seen in Strong) and excels in moderate to slow-paced matches. He puts it on the challenger to make the match zippy and fast. I love his heel work, but I would rather see him in a quick three-minute match than a 15-minute drawn-out one.
Winner: Filthy Tom Lawlor via the PK
Grade: C+
After the match: Lawlor picks up Fredericks and raises his arm to grant him respect. Fredericks goes to shake his hand and Kratos and Lawlor ambush him. Satoshi Kojima comes to the aid of Fredericks. Kojima issues a challenge to Tom Lawlor for his title.