Two big matchups, and a hotly anticipated redebut for Karl Fredericks in episode one of Lion’s Break Collision
Lion’s break Collision makes its hotly anticipated NJPW World debut this Friday night! All through July, the future will meet the present, and it all kicks off on July 3 with two big time matchups.
Watch Lion’s Break Collision every Friday night at 10PMe/9c/7p on NJPW World!
Main event: Jeff Cobb & Rocky Romero vs TJP & Karl Fredericks
he main event of week one on Collision will pit Rocky Romero and Jeff Cobb against Karl Fredericks and TJP. Winner of the 2019 Young Lion Cup, Fredericks was also on the winning team of NJPW’s first match of the 2020s, when he teamed with Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors and Toa Henare to emerge victorious on the Wrestle Kingdom 14 night one opening match.
Fredericks was originally scheduled to face KENTA in the opening round of the New Japan Cup; fate intervened and prevented that match from taking place, but both Karl and trainer Katsuyori Shibata decided it was time for him to take the next step. Expect a whole new look and a whole new attitude from Karl Fredericks Friday night as he sets his Young Lion days aside and strikes out on his own.
TJP made his return to NJPW rings in the Super J-Cup last year, and took Clark Connors under his wing in the Super Junior Tag League. This veteran and up-and-comer team could make a huge impact, but Romero and Cobb could present a combination of power and technique too tough for anyone to overcome!
Match 1: Clark Connors vs Alex Coughlin
Clark Connors will take on Alex Coughlin in one on one action. On his way to a 4-3 record in the Young Lion Cup, Connors drew many an eye in Japan and the US. After a loss to TJP in the Super J-Cup, he would be taken under the wing of the ‘Fil-Am Flash’ during the Super Junior Tag League, the two managing to record one victory in their campaign over Tiger Mask and Yuya Uemura.
Yet for the hype Connors has received, a loss to Alex Coughlin in the Young Lion Cup definitely stands out like a sore thumb. Coughlin earned his own tough reputation en route to his own 4-3 record in the Young Lion tournament, with some vicious chops and impressive bridging ability being cornerstones of his offense. They take each other on in a bold new beginning for Lion’s Break and NJPW of America.
