Breakout Talent to Set the Stage for 2021 NJPW U.S. Tour

A hungry roster looks to prove they can outwrestle Will Ospreay and Jay White

By: Jeremy Peeples

No major wrestling company has been hit harder by COVID-19 and injuries this year than New Japan. In spite of the hard luck, its President Takami Ohbari has remained optimistic. Following Resurgence in Los Angeles, which marked the return of live events in the U.S., Mr. Ohbari shared some words with Monthly Puroresu about what’s in store – with LA Dojo and New Japan STRONG wrestlers mixing it up with NJPW heavyweight mainstays like Minoru Suzuki and Tomohiro Ishii.

“We at New Japan Pro Wrestling are deeply grateful for all the fans that joined us for our return to live events in the U.S. with RESURGENCE, and shared the joy of professional wrestling with us,” Ohbari said in an email.

“November in San Jose, we have an even more spectacular event planned, with a phenomenal lineup and incredible matches in store for Battle in the Valley. From here on out, you can expect to see the best talent from Japanese rings, and the best U.S. talent from New Japan STRONG joining forces for some dream matches and events that will have the whole world watching. As for our U.S. fans that can be there in person, we invite you to join us and see history made and standards set up close and in person. See you at the matches.” – NJPW President Takami Ohbari, to Monthly Puroresu

Of course, two of Ohbari’s top talents in America, Will Ospreay and Jay White, have gone rogue. White has recruited new members into the Bullet Club from IMPACT Wrestling, and Ospreay revealed a duplicate championship belt to lay claim for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship that was previously stripped away from him.

The U.S. tour is so exciting, in fact, it’s strange to think that New Japan’s entire IWGP World Heavyweight Title picture has been snake bitten from the start. They’ve got a real champion and a self-proclaimed champion, with a collision course TBA.

Ospreay never actually lost his title in the ring. A neck injury forced him out only after he defeated Shingo Takagi, what many have called a Match of the Year contender.

Mr. Ohbari forced him to vacate the title, putting a belt on the winner of a June 7 match between Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada. Takagi’s rise to the top of New Japan comes from a combination of stellar in-ring work and bad fortune of other top contenders. He was brought in as a new member of Los Ingobernales de Japon to fill out the ranks while Hiromu Takahashi recovered from a potentially career-ending broken neck.

History would repeat itself for Takagi when Ospreay suffered the same ill-fated injury – although we know now he took the IWGP World Heavyweight Title back home with him, forcing him out of action for nearly all of summer. At Resurgence, he surprised the crowd by saying that he was never pinned or beaten, sending an open invite to wrestlers in other promotions for the IWGP belt he carries.

“I’m gonna do what I want, legitimately uncensored and reshaping the NJPW in my own image,” Ospreay told Monthly Puroresu. “Don’t like it? Learn to love it.”

Prior to a bout with COVID-19, Osrpeay defended his RevPro Title against Doug Williams in the UK as part of his 2021 world tour. The hard-fought match and injury occurred with Battle in the Valley just a little over two months away, though it doesn’t seem like it will conclude there. How Mr. Ohbari responds to these developments, and to the antics of his top superstars, remains to be seen.

Lance Archer and Minoru Suzuki have been confirmed, teaming up once again to wreak havoc and attempt to enforce the wrestlers’ unwritten code.

That said, the touring roster of New Japan STRONG has a loaded babyface lineup and a match between Ospreay and someone like Fred Rosser –who has completely revitalized his career thanks to New Japan– could have real championship implications. He’s one of the stronger U.S.-based names on the show who’s shown that he can hang with the big cats.

Inoki Dojo original TJ Perkins has also revitalized his post-WWE career in the cerulean blue. Despite being one of the most seasoned roster members, TJP is an incredible workhorse and has yet to rest on his laurels as a freelancer. Ospreay vs. TJP would be a fantastic match and in terms of creativity, one of the best pound-for-pound matches U.S. audiences could expect to see. And TJP says he still has something to prove.

“We often see the term ‘Forbidden Door’ but let’s set the record straight – New Japan STRONG has proven to be the most evenly competitive stage, with an open door not just to superstars but rising stars as well,” Perkins told Monthly Puroresu. “I’d say Ospreay is fashionably late to the party because I myself have been bridging the open door to New Japan STRONG from Impact, MLW and others. Whether it’s being the X-Division champion and representing in the cerulean blue versus surprises like Rey Horus or The Good Brothers, or recruiting guys like Josh Alexander to come across. I’m a step ahead of Will, and I’ll prove it on this tour.”

In theory, the Strong Openweight Champion would be a more natural contender to the “real” World Champion – but “Filthy” Tom Lawlor’s style against Ospreay’s would be an odd fit. Both are arrogant heels believing themselves to be the best in the world, while Lawlor’s Team Filthy allows him backup and interference while Ospreay’s United Empire remain stranded in Tokyo. Granted, they’re both great workers while the more strike-heavy and mat-based submission style Lawlor would bring could be troublesome for Ospreay’s blend of freakish high-flying athleticism, power moves and transition offense.

Consider this: Ospreay vs. Josh Alexander would be a technical dream match, and simply wrestling in a showcase match against Ospreay would elevate Alexander’s stature. Alexander has had a career-best run as Impact X Division Champion and a match against the self-proclaimed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion would help elevate the stature of Alexander’s title and the Impact promotion as a whole. New Japan could even do a mini-series of matches with Ospreay against some of the world’s best just to have him prove that no one else can best him– something akin to an open challenge, but with a heelish twist.

Either way, having Jay White and Will Ospreay on the U.S. tour puts the spotlight on New Japan’s other gaijin stars– including JR Kratos, who shines as a modern-day roughneck in a way that makes him a natural fit as a Stan Hansen-style worker today. And, let’s not forget the burning spirit of Karl Fredericks, who has been perhaps more brilliant on New Japan STRONG than any other LA Dojo original.

“To be honest, I didn’t think too much of Ospreay showing up in the U.S. initially,” Fredericks told Monthly Puroresu. “It was the typical BS we’ve been hearing all year. As soon as he mentioned the LA Dojo is when he had my full attention. As for Autumn Attack in Dallas, this is the biggest match of my career. The biggest opportunity I’ve ever had. But there are levels to it now. The LA Dojo and the relationships I’ve gained from being there mean the world to me. I absolutely meant it when I said I’m out to punch Ospreay in the mouth and make him hurt.”

Clark Connors is another former Young Lion that has shown great skill and intensity, albeit as a Jr. Heavyweight. And Alex Coughlin is a star in the making. His musclebound look and rare foundation of in-ring skill at the tutelage of Katsuyori Shibata has everyone itching for his first big challenge outside the black trunks.

The LA Dojo is turning out an unbelievable roster of young talent and they’re only going to get better with more experience and seasoning. With the pandemic slowing down travel, having Ospreay in alongside a revolving door of other major names will help the dojo talents develop faster. The ones who compete with them on New Japan STRONG will improve and be able to pass that knowledge on to the trainees in a circle of knowledge that has allowed New Japan’s roster to largely be the best-trained in the world for generations.

“Between Ospreay shouting profanities and calling everybody b****** at RESURGENCE, what a charming gentleman he is. Aside from that he’s come to the right place,” said TJP. “New Japan STRONG is almost like pro wrestling’s Champions League and has become the best show from a wrestling flexibility standpoint. I have about 23 years in this business (I’m chasing Jado-san). I think the next time we meet, Ospreay will truly understand the value of my experience,” promised Perkins.

It sounds like Ospreay in particular will have a gauntlet in front of him on this U.S. tour, needing a prayer and a wing to make it in one piece to Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea.