Fred Rosser vs Tom Lawlor voted STRONG fans’ match of 2021
This month saw fans vote for the best match of 2021 on STRONG. This was the second year of the fan poll, but one that gave fans even more choices than in 2020. Unlike in STRONG’s debut year, there was a full year of matches to choose from, many of which conducted before crowds as NJPW action returned to live audiences in August.
After a week of competitive polling, the top five are as follows:
5/ Tomohiro Ishii vs Brody King: Detonation, Riverside California
This brutal heavyweight war between Big Bad Brody King and the NEVER Openweight Champion was quick to earn plaudits from fans as two of the toughest no-nonsense fighters brought the action.
4/ STRONG Openweight Championship: Ren Narita vs Tom Lawlor- Autumn Attack, DFW Texas
Ren Narita’s first career championship match saw him bring heart and fight to STRONG Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor in an effort that brought memories of mentor Katsuyori Shibata strongly to the fore.
3/IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: KENTA vs Jon Moxley: New Beginning USA 2021
After over a year, Jon Moxley returned to an NJPW ring to halt KENTA’s months long hunt for the IWGP United States gold, as the ‘Forbidden Door’ between NJPW and AEW was burst open for the first time.
2/ STRONG Openweight Championship: Chris Dickinson vs Tom Lawlor: Collision 2021
Filthy Tom Lawlor’s first defence of the STRONG Openweight Championship was against a former Filthy Teammate, who wanted to strike out as his own Dirty Daddy.
1/STRONG Openweight Championship: Fred Rosser vs Tom Lawlor: Detonation, Riverside California
The final STRONG match of the year turned out to be fans’ favourite, as the Filthy champion and the Suntan Superman challenger made the match of the year grade for the second year in a row!
Comment from STRONG Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor:
How fitting that the more things change, the more they stay the same! 2 years in a row, 2 matches with Fred Rosser and most importantly 2 wins that showcase exactly who the STRONGEST on the roster is. There can be an empty arena, a coliseum full of fans, or a back alley with some dogs: I’ll fight Fred until one of us can’t any longer.
Comment from Fred Rosser
