Karl Fredericks on NJPW’s Emergence in the US, WWE NXT Tryouts Compared to NJPW LA Dojo

– Speaking to the Shining Wizards podcast, NJPW Strong regular Karl Fredericks discussed NJPW’s emergence in the US, working for the company during the pandemic, comparing NXT tryouts to the NJPW LA Dojo and more. Below are some additional highlights provided by the show:

Karl Fredericks on NJPW’s emergence in the US: “It’s crazy to see because I signed in 2018, and it wasn’t until July 2019 that I had gone to Japan. The whole New Japan of America – when we first started doing those tours, it was just labeled New Japan of America. Now we have The (New Japan) Strong show. We have a “Strong” locker-room cast that we tour with, but it’s really cool. We started in an empty arena in front of no one. And then our first show with people, we were wrestling at the Colosseum. And I’m a huge college football fan, so for me, to be match one on that card, and plus, I got to do it with Alex. For us, it’s very much taken on, in our own mindset, and our own work ethic, and our attitude, we’ve taken it upon ourselves. We have to build the show. For a while, a lot of the guys were stuck in Japan, and it was a mix of LA Dojo. Some of the shows were LA Dojo showcase, and when we do those shows, we come in with a fire under our ass because we’ve been here since the start of this whole thing and now it’s been going on four years, and we’re all big boys now. We care deeply about this company and the brand, especially the strong brand alone. It feels like we’re finally getting really big levels of momentum. Especially with all the big stuff we’re going to be doing moving forward in the show. It’s exciting that it’s finally happening as opposed to always thinking this is the plan and something that we’re hoping for. Now we’re in the midst of doing these tours. We got exciting stuff, and cross-brand stuff, so we’re doing good.”

Karl Fredericks on working NJPW Strong during the pandemic: “It’s been a long process, you know? I really felt like I was riding a good wave. I was on every tour from the G1 up through WrestleKingdom that year, January 2020. I was on every tour in Japan. I was very comfortable because I was in there every night with the full roster. I got to do Tag League and that was huge for me. I was feeling very ready. Aside from the shoulder injury I was rehabbing, trying to make that happen before the Cup, and I’m sure to an extent, that was a blessing in disguise as well. It’s still something I’m dealing with to this day so I’m sure that tour would have been nothing but an opportunity for me to maybe hurt it in a more serious way. I think the hardest part for me has been just waiting. Like 2020, before New Japan Strong really got going in the summer there, just feeling like the rug was pulled out and I had nothing going on. I’ll be completely honest with how it’s been mentally. The other guys have since then graduated, and Clark (Connors) has won a tournament since. Alex (Coughlin) did that challenge series, and Alex has had crazy matches on the show all last year. Clark worked his ass off on that show last year. I think he was genuinely one of the biggest workhorses because he was out there having singles matches and singles matches. At times it left me feeling like maybe I had been forgotten, or at least not looked at in the same light as I was pre-pandemic, coming into 2020. But now, with the show rolling and the amount of travel we have at the end of this month through April. We have Chicago coming up. We have a lot of stuff that I’m really excited for and big opportunities here. And it looks like things are starting to relax a little bit in Japan as far as mandates and things like that. So hopefully I’ll be getting a damn visa here again soon, and it’s time to go back to work and hopefully step back up and take all the stuff I planned on taking when the sh*t hit the fan.”

Karl Fredericks on the differences between NXT and NJPW LA Dojo tryouts: “I’d say night and day, strictly because of my time in the dojo, it was the three of us and Shibata-san. It was three of us in their quiet dojo. They have an office in there and there’s some staff in and out, but just that massive gym to ourselves. It’s very quiet, and it’s in a warehouse district. You drive across LA and go into that warehouse, walking in there, and you have the key. It’s me and my two homies, and Shibata-san. We’re in here working here to take over the world. No one even knew the work we were doing in there. Me, especially at the time, at 28, I was much more full of piss and vinegar. I’m a lot more relaxed nowadays. I’d be telling the boys every day in they’re working, and these motherf*ckers don’t even know what we have here. These fans don’t know who we are yet. I knew Alex was going be everything that he’s become and going to become. I knew Clark (Connors) was amazing. He was the first guy in the dojo at my tryout. I imagine with NXT, because they have so many people, and you have the promo classes and things like that, their schedule probably seemed much different. I think one of the coolest comparisons I’ve heard, and what I would say the big difference is when I tell people here, who might not be familiar with Japanese wrestling, is WWE is very much like Marvel & Disney. We’re (Quentin) Tarantino. We’re the same business, but ours is a little bit grittier. Even the way it’s cut. Our product looks different in Japan. We’re a little bit spicier, I would say.”