Lio Rush to challenge for NJPW Strong Openweight Championship

The next challenger is set for “Filthy” Tom Lawlor’s NJPW Strong Openweight Championship. 

Lio Rush will face Lawlor for the title at the Fighting Spirit Unleashed NJPW Strong tapings on Monday, August 16 at Thunder Studio in Long Beach, California. The match will air on an episode of Strong at a later date. 

Following Lawlor’s last title defense against Satoshi Kojima on the July 23 episode of Strong, Rush confronted Lawlor in a post-match backstage segment. Rush and Karl Fredericks then scored a tag team victory over Lawlor and Danny Limelight on the August 13 edition of the show. NJPW then announced the match. 

In addition to Lawlor vs. Rush, appearances from Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii have been advertised for the sold out August 16 tapings in Long Beach. The Strong shows will be the first in the history of the series to be held in front of live fans.