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New Japan's Lions Roar, Episode 7
Opening credits.
The Exhibition.
The show opens with Andrew "A.V" Villalobos. He says the one thing he learned in wrestling is that nothing is guaranteed. If you want to be successful, you have to be self aware. He wants to commit himself to New Japan and their ideology. He says he is devoted to this.
The Night Before.
The recruits are cleaning and setting up the ring and seats at the NZ Dojo, where their first Exhibition event will take place. A.V. explains that they have been training hard the past few days to get ready for this event. He has seen big improvements from the recruits. A.V. says the biggest thing that the recruits had to learn about psychology was eliminating the "indy style". You have to understand that this is Japanese Strong Style and it is a "fight". He says that the ring work will be stripped to its core and be a young lions style of match and sticking to the basics. (meaning no high spots).
Lloyd Morgan was interviewed as he was getting the ring mat set up. He was absent from the school because he had jury duty on a murder case. If he did not attend, he would have been fined $1,000. But he finished the trial and he is happy to be back in the Dojo with his brothers.
Michael Richards runs down what is going to happen at the Exhibition. He says there will be sumo style takedown matches, single count pin or submission matches and a couple of regular pro wrestling matches. He said he is disappointed that he cannot participate due to his leg injury.
Dan Peru speaking on his family coming to see him perform in the ring. He knows that they will be proud of him and what he is choosing to do.
A.V. says the atmosphere should be fun. They are setting up 50 chairs in the Dojo for the audience who will be attending. The recruits are getting hyped up for this as they prepare the Dojo.
Morning of the Show
The recruits wake up with energy, at 6:55 am, ready to start the day. They get themselves ready for training and preparation before the event. They are dressing and shaving their bodies.
Tim Hayden was interviewed saying that he did not understand at first what Fale-san or Tony-san wanted for the event. But yesterday he understood that the matches should be treated like a "fight". He says it should be fun.
The scene moves to the Pool and Leisure Centre in South Auckland. The recruits are dressed in New Japan sweats and gear. Toks Fale explain that they come here for recovery and rest. Fale thinks that a spa or sauna will help the recruits relax their minds and bodies before the event.
Como Pedro Por Su Casa
The camera switches to shot of Botota, Columbia. A.V. says he was born in Sidney Australia, but his parents are from Columbia. He explains he was always a fan of pro wrestling. He was a physical therapist in his early 20's. At 27, he decided that he would join the Fale Dojo.
A.V. explains that it was a bit hard at first when they were establishing the Senpai/Kohai (leaders) dynamics in the Dojo House. He does not want to be someone "in charge" but he wants to show them how to do the job the proper way. He said this group of recruits are "his guys".
The Warmup
40 minutes before the show, the recruits are warming up. Richard Mulu is interviewed saying that he is treating this like a big show, even if others are not.
Michael Richards is a bit bummed that he cannot participate. He has not been in front a live crowd since January 2020. However, he does not want to take the chance to further injure his ankle. He is looking forward to the match between A.V. and Jake Taylor, but is jealous a bit of them.
One of the recruits (no name is mentioned) was working the merchandise booth. He said he was supposed to be in the events tonight but they made a last minute change. He was a bit hurt by this decision and he is questioning whether to continue in this group of recruits or not.
Takedown Tournament
This is the sumo style event. Two men pair off and whoever takes down the opponent wins. Eli wins this tournament.
The Dojo is filled with family, friends and guests. The recruits gather around the ring as each one competes. They cheer each other on. Fale sits at the back of the audience and quietly watches it all.
Dan Peru says that this was a learning experience. Even though, he lost to Eli in the final, you learn to pick yourself up and try again.
A.V. explains the training that is involved with the squats, push ups and other exercises. As he speaks to the camera, they show A.V. during the Exhibition showing his flexibility in the ring. He is on his head and he is moving his body into different positions on the ring mat. He says all that repetition gets your body calloused to the pain and stress, until it is all normal.
By Pinfall or Submission
Tony Kozina explains the rules of the next event to the audience. He will be the referee and the recruits will pair up again. He is looking for a one count pin of the shoulders to the mat or a submission. Fale looks on from the back. He applauds and cheers his recruits as they perform. The recruits continue to surround the mat and cheer each other.
The Final is again Eli vs. Dan. Eli takes down Dan and pins his shoulders for a one. Eli wins again.
Tumanako "T" Te'i smiles for the camera after the match and pats Eli on the shoulder praising him. Eli smiles but does not want to show off.
Fale tells everyone that this is the New Japan style. He tells them you don't need fancy moves or high spots. All you need is this, as he points to his head and heart.
A.V. says the best feeling he gets is the feedback from your peers or trainers who tell you "good match". When they recognize your work, he says that is a great feeling.
Wrestling
Tim Hayden vs. Richard Mulu is the first match. They wrestle a typical pro wrestling style match. The sound of Richard hitting Tim with a lariat is sick. They are hitting each other with elbows. Richard hit an avalanche on Tim in the corner which shook the entire ring. Mulu hit powerslam and pinned Tim.
Next match was Sebastian Matters vs. Mitch Schoemaker. Sebastian gets the submission with a Boston Crab.
Young Lion vs. Young Lion.
The main event was Andrew Villalobos vs. Jake Taylor. As they wrestled, the camera showed the recruits all focused on the match, watching every move. The audience was quiet and paying attention. Lots of chain wrestling and smoother transitions between moves between A.V. and Jake. A..V. rolls up Jake for a pinfall.
Kozina calls all the recruits to the ring. They gather in the ring. They kneel in a respectful position and they thank the audience and trainers and bows to them. Fale bows back. They get in a circle in the ring. They thank each other in unison and bow to each other. Fale bows again.
After the match, Jake says the poster for this event says "Andrew vs. Jake". It does not say "Andrew has a dance with Jake". Jake says this is a fight. Jake is limping around the ring after the match, with athletic tape on his left leg.
A.V. explains that after the match he is asking himself was his performance worthy of Korakuen Hall or the Tokyo Dome, and says "no". After tonight, A.V. says he can rest tonight, then it is back to positive thinking, the sun rises again, more things to work on, back to the drawing board. That is the cycle of a match, whether it is a win, draw or loss.
As A.V. speaks, the recruits clean the Dojo and put all the chairs away.
A.V. says the most important thing wrestling has taught him was discipline. It taught him how to be a man, an adult.
Trainers:
Toks Fale
Tony Kozina
Mark Tui
Tangi Ropati
Recruits:
Tumanako “T” Te’i (new)
Perenise “Eli” Taito (new)
Warren Walters (new)
Will “Southside” Averil (Returning student)
Dan Peru (Returning student)
Michael Richards (Young lion)
AJ Visage (Returning student)
Lloyd Morgan (Returning student)
Richard Mulu (Returning student)
Andrew “A.V.” Villalobos (Young lion)
Jake Taylor (Young lion)
Sebastian Matters (Returning student)
Tim Hayden (new)
Mitch Schoemaker (new)
My review:
Toks Fale did not speak too much in this episode, but we got to see what the recruits could do in the ring.
The audience who arrived to the Dojo were very respectful and were not acting like typical crowds from the States. They were respectful and quiet as they watched the matches, very similar to a New Japan crowd. I am sure the trainers and recruits explained the rules to the audience as well.
Not all of the recruits were shown on camera in the ring, but the episode highlighted a few.
Dan and Eli showed their toughness in the first two events. Eli's lack of charisma is something he will have to work on, but he is a powerful looking man.
Richard Mulu is a big dude, with lots of power. You can see he has a passion for wrestling.
A.V. is built like a pro wrestler and he could easily move to the States for a career in wrestling. He is a good looking guy and he could be popular. A.V. was also a good interview. You can hear his experience from New Japan in his words. When you hear him speak, you hear the words of Toks Fale. A.V. buys into the values that Fale, Kozina and Mark Tui are teaching. While some recruits were giddy at performing that night, A.V. knew that tomorrow there will be more training, more to work on and more to learn. I hope that A.V. continue with his path to New Japan, like Michael Richards, and keep Fale's training in his mind.
Please check out New Japan World and http://www.njpwworld.com, to see this documentary.
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