Karl Fredericks has become one of the top names on NJPW STRONG, working his way up from a Young Lion to competing against a legend like Christopher Daniels.
In 2018, Fredericks went to a NJPW tryout in Los Angeles hoping to secure a spot with the company despite interest from WWE.
Appearing on the Shining Wizards podcast, Fredericks explained why he went with NJPW over WWE after the tryout.
"The three-day tryout in LA was awfully hard. As opposed to, both times I went to Florida, it was hard, but different. The whole nature of what type of pro wrestling it is obviously dictates that style. I had the nerves I would like if I was going to a big football camp, 'Alright, you have to play well. If you want to be seen by one of these coaches, you have to play well.' Being in that environment, I performed and showed more in that sparring. I assumed the whole reason they were going into that camp is because they were trying to sign people and opened a Dojo. I was going in there to get a job. I had already been in the hiring process with WWE for a full year. February 2017 was the last tryout I had. September is when they called me, 'Hey, we're gonna try to bring you in and do the background checks.' Then it was 'play it by ear,' waiting for them to say, 'Come report to Florida.' They were cool about it. They called me every three months or so and kept in touch like, 'Maybe after Mania.' A year had passed, now it's summer 2018, I happened to be in LA for four days, I wrestled two shows and did three days at the camp," recalled Fredericks when discussing his decision to go to the NJPW camp in LA.
Fredericks continued, revealing how he felt being on the Independent scene and waiting for his break.
"I was waiting forever and I knew I had to make something happen because I was starting to feel stagnant. On the Indies, all the guys I came up with like Jungle Boy, Brody King, Jacob Fatu, Jake Atlas, those guys were on the Indies and thriving huge. I was sitting in a spot, knowing I was on my way out, allegedly, thinking, 'It's a matter of time and my ship will take off.' It wasn't happening, so I had to do something. Went to the camp, it was easy knowing the way I felt and enjoying what we were doing. Meeting Katsuyori Shibata and him telling you on the spot, 'I want you on the team.' It felt like, I could win the National Title at Alabama, sit for four or five years and maybe play the last season or go somewhere else, start, and win the National Title myself. When discussing things with WWE, it was still projected like another six months. Maybe in January. 'Guys, I can't do that. I'm broke. I have no money.' I had to take a leap and it was an easy leap to make. When anyone says, 'we want you,' you have to do it. It's the best thing that ever happened to me," he said.
Fredericks would represent the LA Dojo in the Young Lion Cup in 2019 and team with Hirooki Goto in the 2019 World Tag League.
He is now one of the top talents on NJPW STRONG, taking on the likes of Daniels, Tom Lawlor, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay, and more.
You can find results from past episodes of NJPW STRONG at Fightful's results section.
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