Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Your hosts are Kevin Kelly, Alex Koslov, and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor.
Kevin tells Alex that he has a gift for him and it is Tom Lawlor. Alex says he has a gift and Kevin tells him he can get it later. Tom says he looked through every match this year and he has a pick.
Alex’s favorite match of 2021 was Tom Lawlor versus Chris Dickinson. Alex says it shows how great Tom was as champion. Kevin asks if it was a surprise to have Chris as a challenger. Tom says they aim to make history and to be the first champion, that was history. The second has not happened yet. The first to lose to the champ, that is a historiacl fact you can be proud of.
Match Number One: Chris Dickinson versus Tom Lawlor for the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship (from Episode 42 [May 28, 2021] )
Lawlor with a kick to the leg and Dickinson goes for the leg and takes Lawlor down. Dickinson with a front face lock. Lawlor backs Dickinson into the corner and he gives a clean break. Dickinson goes for the leg but Lawlor with a head scissors while JR Kratos and Danny Limelight come to ringside.
Dickinson escapes and he works on the knee. Both men with knee bars and then they go with heel hooks.
Lawlor with a Sharpshooter but Dickinson gets to the ropes. Lawlor with a kick to the leg and then Dickinson with strikes and Lawlor gets to the ropes. Dickinson with kicks and Lawlor with a take down and Dickinson with a front face lock into a triangle. Lawlor with a Gator roll and Dickinson gets on Lawlor’s back. Lawlor goes for a rollup and then he tries for a double wrist lock and applies it.
Lawlor kicks Dickinson in the leg. They get back to their feet. They go to a Greco Roman Knuckle Lock and Dickinson with a drop kick. Lawlor misses a spinning heel kick and Dickinson with a clothesline and Lawlor goes to the floor.
Dickinson pulls Lawlor to the apron and slams the leg on the apron. Dickinson with an uppercut to the leg and a dragon screw leg whip. Dickinson kicks the leg on the floor. Lawlor rolls into the ring to break the count and then he goes back to the floor. They fight to the apron and Lawlor with forearms and Dickinson with chops. Lawlor blocks a kick and then ties the leg in the ropes and hits a cutter. Lawlor with forearms in the corner. Dickinson with chops and Lawlor with a chop of his own. Lawlor with another chop and Dickinson chops back and continues the flurry. Dickinson with an Irish whip and clothesline into the corner. Lawlor catches Dickinson in the corner and hits a spinebuster. Lawlor kicks the hamstring and then applies an ankle lock. Lawlor with a figure four leg lock on Dickinson. Dickinson tries to roll over and he is able to reverse it and Lawlor gets to the ropes to force a break. Lawlor with a kick and forearm followed by a European uppercut.
Dickinson backs Lawlor into the corner to escape a choke. Lawlor with forearms and he reapplies the choke. Dickson chops Lawlor on the turnbuckles and then Dickinson with forearms and he sets for a superplex and hits it. Dickinson with a running clothesline into the corner follwoed by a second one. Lawlor with an Irsih whip and Dickinson with a clothesline out of the corner. Lawlor goes for a sleeper and Dickinson with a Death Valley Driver.
Limelight gets on the apron and Dickinson punches Limelight. Kratos gets on the apron and Brody King comes out and takes care of Kratos. Lawlor with a rear naked choke but Dickinson with a suplex for a near fall. Dickinson sets for a power bomb but Lawlor blocks it and Lawlor with forearms. Dickinson with foerarms and then Dickinson with a sunset flip. Lawlor with a kick but Dickinson with a spinning heel kick for a near fall. Dickinson with an STF but Lawlor rolls over and gets a near fall. Lawlor gets to the ropes to force a break.
Dickinson with a German suplex and then he hits another one but Lawlor is able to apply a Kimura. Dickinson with punches but Lawlor with Emerald Frosion. Lawlor with a forearm and chop but Dickinson with chops. Lawlor with kicks and a cravate followed by more knees. Lawlor with an exploder and an torture rack into a neck breaker. Lawlor with a guillotine. Dickinson gets to the ropes to force a break. Lawlor goes for the rear naked choke but Dickinson with elbows and kicks. Lawlor avoids a kick and Dickinson with a choke. Lawlor with a rear naked choke and body scissors. Dickinson with a belly-to-back suplex but Lawlor returns to the rear naked choke. Lawlor with a sleeper supelx for the three count.
Winner: Tom Lawlor (retains championship)
Kevin mentions that Tom Lawlor has had a fantastic year in 2021. Kevin asks Tom if he is comfortable. Tom says it is the holiday episode and him and the title should be front and center so he moves into the center of the shot. Kevin says 2021 had great challengers for Tom and some great rivalries. The first time they left the confines of the ring was a No Disqualification match between Hikuleo and Fred Rosser.
Match Number Two: Fred Rosser versus Hikuleo in a No Disqualification Match (from Episode 41 [May 21, 2021])
Hikuleo waits for Rosser to come through the entrance but Rosser comes up behind Hikuleo and hits him from the apron and then hits a clothesline off the turnbuckles. The referee starts the match.
Rosser with forearms and punches. Hikuleo with a boot and power slam and then he follows with forearms. Hikuleo chokes Rossesr. Hikuleo with a kick and Rosser with a forearm. Hikuleo with a forearm and elbow. Rosser is sent into the turnbuckles. Hikuleo with a chop and he gets Rosser up for a slam but Rosser gets back to his feet and he punches Hikuleo. Rosser gets Hikuleo up but Hikuleo grabs the ropes to get off his shoulders. Hikuleo with forearms and then he sends Rosser over the top rope to the floor. Hikuleo follows Rosser to the floor and he connects with a forearm. Rosser chokes Hikuleo with a cable but Hikuleo punches Rosser and sends him into the apron. Hikuleo looks under the ring and gets a chair but when he swings he misses a few times and Hikuleo hits the ring post instead. Rosser is sent into the ring post a few times. Hikuleo finds a table under the ring and sets it up but Rosser throws something and hits Hikuleo in the back of the head. Hikuleo with a forearm and punches. Rosser with elbows and punches. Hikuleo goes for a choke slam onto the edge of the table but Rosser escapes and he rakes the back. Rosser with a punch and they go into the back.
Hikuleo is sent into a stack of boxes. Rosser chokes Hikuleo with his wrist tape and he punches Hikuleo. Hikuleo sends Rosser through a door and they fight outside the building. Rosser with a kick and Hikuleo with a forearm that sends Rosser into the back of a truck. Hikuleo sends Roser into the inside walls of the truck. Rossser with chops and punches. Hikuleo sends Rosser into the wall again but Rosser with a punch. Rosser with elbows to Hikuleo’s head. Rosser with boots to the back of the head followed by a leg drop but Rosser appears to have hurt his hip. Rosser tries to close the back of the truck onto Hikuleo but Hikuleo with a low blow. Hikuleo pulls the back of the truck down but misses Rosser. Rosser kicks Hikuleo and then hits a running forearm out of the truck. Rosser chokes Hikuleo with a hose. Hikuleo with a forearm to the back of the head. They exchange punches and Hikuleo with forearms before they return to the building. They exchange punches as they return to the ringside area. Rosser with a clothesline but Hikuleo with boots and then he sends Rosser face first into the ring post. Hikuleo hot shots Rosser on the guardrails and then he sets up the table on the floor. Hikuleo goes to the apron and he pulls Rosser up as well. Hikuleo with a chop and he gets Rosser on his shoulders but Rosser gets to his feet and he bulldogs Hikuleo off the apron into the table.
Rosser gets to his feet first and he punches Hikuleo. Rosser with another punch and he pulls Hikuleo back into the ring. Rosser gets Hikuleo on his shoulders and he hits a double knee gutbuster followed by a sliding kick to the head for the three count.
Winner: Fred Rosser
Kevin says the war may not be over between Tom and Fred Rosser. Tom says one of them is standing here with the championship and a full head of hair and it is not Fred Rosser. Kevin asks Tom for his favorite match of the year not involving him. Tom says he looked through every tape and read through his notes. Tom says the match of the year is Masked Strong Spirit versus Sinn Bodhi. Kevin points out that that did not happen on Strong. Kevin asks for his second favorite match. Tom says two men who were stalwarts in New Japan came to the US and that match is El Phantasmo versus Juice Robinson. What other match is going to get a purple nurple chant from the crowd.
Match Number Three: El Phantasmo versus Juice Robinson (from Episode 65 [November 6, 2021])
Juice poses before the match and then he taunts Phantasmo. They lock up and Phantasmo with a side head lock and he goes for a shoulder tackle but bounces off Juice. He tries again and get the same result. Phantasmo with an eye poke and leg sweep. Robinson’s knee gives out as he goes off the ropes but he recovers and hits a reverse atomic drop and then he hits an atomic drop that sends Phantasmo over the top rope. Robinson with a pescado.
Robinson sends Phantasmo into the ring. Phantasmo wants a time out but Robinson with an Irish whip and back body drop. Robinson punches Phantasmo in the corner. Robinson sets for the Hand from God but Phantasmo falls to the mat. Phantasmo slaps Robinson. Phantasmo with a forearm and Robinson with a forearm of his own. Phantasmo with a forearm and Robinson fires back. Robinson wants Phantasmo to punch him and Phantasmo with a back heel kick instead. Phantasmo with a back rake. Phantasmo with cartwheels across the ring and back rake. Phantasmo with a wrist lock and he teases a move off the ropes but he comes to the mat and does a back rake. Robinson with punches and forearms but Phantasmo sends Robinson to the mat. Phantasmo with a reverse chin lock.
Robinson gets back to his feet and he connects with jabs. Robinson goes for the Hand from God but Phantasmo stomps on the foot and gives him a back rake. Phantasmo grabs Robinson’s nipples but Robinson with a forearm and both men go down. Both men get back to their feet and Robinson with a clothesline in the corner followed by a cannonball for a near fall. Robinson with a full nelson slam and a back senton for a near fall. Robinson gets Phantasmo up but Phantasmo gets back to his feet and he punches Robinson. Phantasmo comes off the ropes and Robinson tries to catch him but both men go to the mat. Robinson gets Phantasmo up for a double knee gut buster.
Robinson goes up top and Phantasmo hits the ropes to crotch Robinson. Phantasmo with a Frankensteiner and a frog splash for a near fall. Phantasmo sets for a piledriver but Robinson with a back body drop and Phantasmo holds on and rolls through for a Styles Clash and he gets a near fall. Robinson goes to the floor and Phantasmo rolls Robinson back into the ring. Phantasmo with a knee and he sends for a One Winged Angel but Robinson escapes. Phantasmo pushes Robinson into the referee and the referee is knocked down momentarily.
Phantasmo with a low blow and inside cradle but the referee is down and cannot make the count. Phantasmo sets for Sweet Chin Music but Robinson blocks it and hits Pulp Friction for a near fall. Robinson with a clothesline and a wrist clutch fisherman’s buster for the three count.
Winner: Juice Robinson
After the match, Juice takes the mic. He says he wants to talk about Moose. Juice tells Moose he knows that brain power ain’t his thing. I don’t have the internet so you can’t tweet me. He tells Moose to come to San Jose to show me you are a wrestling God, that sounds like wrestling bulls***. The Juice wants some Moose, and that rhymes.
Alex says he got Kevin a gift certificate for a sparring session with Kevin and JR Kratos. Kevin says that it already expired but JR shows up and Kevin is ‘excited’. Kevin says we will have new matches in two weeks.
We go to credits
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
