NJPW Strong
Episode 14
Road to Showdown
#njpwstrong
Original Air Date: November 6, 2020
Event Date: ?
(uploaded to NJPW World)
City: Port Hueneme, CA (unconfirmed)
Venue: Oceanview Pavilion (empty arena) (unconfirmed)
Series: Road to Showdown
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Alex Koslov
Ring Announcer: Adnan Kureishy (ringside)
Intro Video
Ring Area
Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov welcome us tonight’s show.
Match 1
“The Golden Boy” Jordan Clearwater vs “Mr. No Days Off” Fred Rosser
(referee: Nick Bonanno)
Result: Fred Rosser wins via pinfall after a running one-legged dropkick
Time: 5:29
Match Thoughts
Good match. Rosser continues to provide very entertaining matches on Strong. Clearwater hit a big move on the apron that staggered Rosser, but that was really the only challenge Clearwater posed tonight. Rosser managed to keep fighting, and once he got all of his senses back the match was pretty much over. This was a very dominant performance from Mr. No Days Off.
Backstage
Fred Rosser says he works best by speaking from the heart, and he loves that NJPW allows him to do that. He’s also excited and nervous for the opportunities that NJPW are giving him.
Match 2
Danny Limelight vs Chase Owens
(referee: Justin Borden)
Result: Chase Owens wins via pinfall after a package piledriver
Time: 8:25
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was an interesting match-up between someone who is rising in NJPW (Limelight) and a mainstay of NJPW who is more well-known for his tag team prowess (Owens). Limelight was by far the quicker of the two, and he used that speed to keep Owens off balance for much of the first half of the match. Limelight took more risks than Owens, and the risks paid off well… up until they didn’t. Owens caught Limelight a few times with some nice counters off of high risk moves, and that allowed the more experienced Owens to somewhat methodically pile on the punishment. Limelight looked like he might have a few comebacks in him, but Owens kept his focus and ultimately shut Limelight down. This was a really fun match, and it was a good match for both guys.
Backstage
After the match, Chase Owens says that when he decides to go back to Japan, everyone will be on notice.
Match 3
JR Kratos & Rust Taylor vs Rocky Romero & Jeff Cobb
(referee: Jeremy Marcus)
Result: JR Kratos pins Rocky Romero after Game Changer (wheelbarrow suplex)
Time: 13:20
Match Thoughts
Very good match. The commentators made Kratos out to be a big deal, and he was definitely impressive in this tag match. Rust Taylor probably had more ring time for his team than Kratos did, but that allowed Kratos to come in at the most opportune time and distill his move set down to some of his biggest and most powerful throws and slams. It was a nice debut for him, and it was a really fun match to watch.
Backstage
After the match, Jeff Cobb has a good think about what just happened in the ring. He then talks about knowing a guy named Kratos long ago. This isn’t the first time someone has come into Cobb’s yard to try to claim it. Cobb hopes Kratos is ready for war.
Show Impressions
This was a really good show. The matches got increasingly better throughout the night, and they were all a lot of fun. With they way the commentators were talking about JR Kratos, it feels like they have some big plans for him. He definitely had a good showing in the ring tonight.
Match of the Night
JR Kratos & Rust Taylor vs Rocky Romero & Jeff Cobb
This was a strong debut for Kratos, and it was a nicely exciting match with a whole bunch of different wrestling styles working very well together.
Official Results: https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/84085?showResult=1