NJPW Strong
Episode 10
Lion’s Break: Crown – Final
#njpwstrong
Original Air Date: October 9, 2020
Event Date: ?
(uploaded to NJPW World)
City: Port Hueneme, CA (unconfirmed)
Venue: Oceanview Pavilion (empty arena) (unconfirmed)
Series: Lion’s Break: Crown
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Alex Koslov
Ring Announcer: Adnan Kureishy (ringside)
Intro Video
Ring Area
Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov welcome us to the finals of Lion’s Break: Crown.
Video
A look at the competitors in the Lion’s Break: Crown tournament.
Match 1
Blake Christian & Logan Riegel & Misterioso vs Barrett Brown & Adrian Quest & Fred Rosser
(referee: Sparky Ballard)
Result: Blake Christian pins Barrett Brown after Elia (diving reverse twisting splash)
Time: 10:30
Match Thoughts
Good match. The pace was high throughout, and everyone had a few chances to make an impact on the match. Riegel got isolated for a long time in the first half of the match, and it looked like Rosser’s team was going to dominate. Riegel tagged out though, and that led to a nice sequence between Quest and Misterioso. From there, things got a bit chaotic, but it all wrapped up nicely after a bunch of dives and some fast action.
Video
A look at Danny Limelight and Clark Connors as they head into the final match of the Lion’s Break: Crown tournament.
Match 2
Lion’s Break: Crown Final Match
Danny Limelight vs Clark Connors
(referee: Justin Borden)
Result: Clark Connors wins via submission with a Boston crab and wins the first-ever Lion’s Break: Crown
Time: 12:36
Match Thoughts
Great match. This was a very fun mix of Connor’s intense aggression and Limelight’s showmanship and agility. Both men started rather cautiously, but the action picked up rather quickly. Connors seemed to have an edge early with his strikes, but Limelight’s speed became difficult for Connors to keep up with. Limelight was looking good, but Connors can change the tone of a match very quickly with his hard-hitting attacks. I think this was definitely a good way to finish off the tournament.
Intermission
The ring is cleaned and sanitized during a brief intermission.
Ring Area
Starting next week will be the NEVER tour on NJPW Strong.
Match 3
12-Man Elimination Tag Team Match
Hikuleo & Chase Owens & Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga & KENTA & Jay White vs Rocky Romero & Karl Fredericks & ACH & TJP & Jeff Cobb & David Finlay
(referee: Jeremy Marcus)
Result: David Finlay is the sole survivor
Time: 15:53
Eliminations
1. Jay White eliminated by Rocky Romero (over the top rope) 7:10
2. ACH eliminated by Tanga Loa (over the top rope) 8:30
3. Tanga Loa eliminated by Karl Fredericks (over the top rope) 8:59
4. Karl Fredericks eliminated by Tama Tonga (pin after Gun Stun) 9:42
5. Tama Tonga eliminated by Jeff Cobb (over the top rope) 10:05
6. Jeff Cobb eliminated by Hikuleo (over the top rope) 11:02
7. Rocky Romero eliminated by Hikuleo (over the top rope) 11:56
8. Hikuleo eliminated by TJP (over the top rope) 12:31
9. TJP eliminated by Hikuleo (over the top rope after being eliminated) 12:38
10. Chase Owens eliminated by KENTA (over the top rope with an accidental big boot) 15:44
11. KENTA eliminated by David Finlay (over the top rope) 15:53
Match Thoughts
This was pretty fun. With at least six guys to get eliminated (at the very least), I figured there would be a lot of quick eliminations in this match. The match started with a nice amount of back-and-forth wrestling, but just after the seven-minute mark people started dropping out very, very quickly. Eliminations could occur vis pinfall, submission, or by going over the top rope to the floor, so quick eliminations were understandable. In fact, only one of the eliminations didn’t happen because of the top rope rule. There wasn’t much of a story throughout the match, and with so many guys in and out of the ring I think that was fine. This was a bunch of fun chaos for nearly sixteen minutes.
Show Impressions
This was a fun show. I would have put the finals of the Lion’s Break: Crown tournament as tonight’s main event, but regardless, I still enjoyed everything.
Match of the Night
Danny Limelight vs Clark Connors
The result wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was still a highly entertaining match.
Official Results: https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/80721?showResult=1