First-Ever NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Crowned On NJPW Strong

The first-ever NJPW Strong Openweight Champion has been crowned.

On Friday's NJPW Strong, Tom Lawlor became the inaugural NJPW Strong Openweight Champion by defeating Brody King in the finals of the New Japan Cup USA tournament.

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The finish saw Lawlor lock King in a rear-naked choke to secure the victory

Lawlor not only won the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion, but he is also the 2020 New Japan Cup USA winner. KENTA won the 2020 New Japan USA Cup and received a shot at the IWGP United States Championship for his tournament win.

Highlights from "NEW JAPAN CUP 2021 USA” (Apr 24th)
WATCH NOWhttps://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP

Will it be Brody King or Tom Lawlor becoming the first STRONG champion?

3rd Match: @Brodyxking -- @FilthyTomLawlor#njpwSTRONG #njcupUSA pic.twitter.com/8DwsZ7TLFu

— njpwworld (@njpwworld) April 24, 2021

Cattle Mutilation ?!?

How will this match end?

Watch NOW: https://t.co/IwqNWvuNp8#njcupUSA #njpwSTRONG pic.twitter.com/bdclcMG5DE

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 24, 2021

#andFIRST

Congratulations, @FilthyTomLawlor!#njcupUSA #njpwSTRONG pic.twitter.com/wMwosNQ3ev

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 24, 2021

The tournament saw King defeat Lio Rush in his semifinal matchup while Lawlor picked up a victory over Hikuleo on the other side of the bracket in his semifinal round. King defeated Bateman in the qualifying round before defeating Chris Dickinson in the first round. Meanwhile, Lawlor knocked off The DKC in the qualifying round before scoring a win over Ren Narita in the first round.

If you missed anything from Friday's NJPW Strong, check out full results from the show by clicking here.