Still riding high off his Double or Nothing win over “Smart” Mark Sterling and Tony Neese alongside fellow Hookhausen member Danhausen, Hook has yet to face another opponent on either AEW Dynamite or Rampage.

Now granted, it's not like Hook has been skirting opponents or anything; he's been on Rampage consistently ever since and even picked up a swanky new ATV with some of his DoN purse but hey, the “Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil” has remained undefeated with a 9-0 record not only because he's one of the hottest young prospects in the promotion but because he's yet to be booked against a performer who can really challenge his mettle – no offense to Tony Neese.

Fortunately, Tony Khan and New Japan Pro Wrestling's booker Gedo have lined up a very intriguing bout for the 10th professional match by the man called Hook; a bout versus one of the top prospects at NJPW's LA Dojo.

But who? Which one of the prospects at the LA Dojo is a fun in-ring fit versus Hook and could give the 23-year-old tough time on his way to double-digit wins? Fortunately, on a recent episode of AEW Dark, five of NJPW's top LA-Based performers made their way to Universal Studios on May 1st to take on Q.T. Marshall and The Factory, and all five could theoretically be Hook's foe on the next episode of Rampage.

Five NJPW performers who could be Hook's opponents on AEW Rampage.

5. Kevin Knight

Of the five NJPW wrestlers who appeared on AEW Dark last month, the least experienced performer of the lot is Kevin Knight, a 25-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, with 60 professional matches to his credit.

Joining the NJPW LA Dojo in 2020 after largely wrestling for PPW in British Columbia and WAC in Washington state, Knight made his NJPW debut at the promotion's Super J-Cup in 2020 in a 10-minute loss to Bullet Club members Hikuleo and Kenta alongside Ren Narita. Though he's only recorded a single win as a solo performer for the promotion, a win over The DKC at NJPW STRONG #57 in September of 2021, King is a very interesting performer who is a good talker, a solid worker, and probably not the best in-ring opponent for Hook.

4. Clark Connors

If you've watched an episode of NJPW Strong at any point over the last three years, you've probably seen Clark Connors in the ring.

A native of Snoqualmie, Washington, who went from a Young Lion to a full-on NJPW performer over the course of the promotion's digital-only weekly show, Connors has wrestled 218 matches over his wrestling career and has impressive wins over Alex Zayne, TJP, and Rocky Romero over the last 12 months alone. As he continues to progress further and further along in his wrestling career, Connors' in-ring style has developed too, with his hits now among the hardest on regular NJPW Strong television.

If Connors is Hook's opponent on Rampage, the match would be a legitimately good time indeed.

3. Karl Fredericks

The oldest member of the traveling LA Dojo team, Karl Fredericks is the De Facto leader of the faction and thus, may want first dibs at Hook if Gedo doesn't have a clear opponent in mind for Hook on Rampage.

Though he, like the rest of the LA Dojo, doesn't have a .500 win percentage as a pro, Fredericks has won 78.6 percent of his matches in 2022 and after coming into an unlikely partnership with “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, has a genuine connection in the talent relations department within AEW should he want to showcase his talents for Tony Khan.

While Fredericks is the oldest member of the group and did draw some controversy as of late for going on a Twitter rant following his exclusion from the G 1 Climax, which could negatively affect his standings within the company, if AEW wants to shake things up and put on a barnburner, there aren't many better options on the NJPW roster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgH-zYK8sIY

2. Yuya Uemura 

Yuya Uemura is an incredibly interesting prospect. Though he's only 28, he's appeared in the most matches of the group by far at 330 and has expanded his efforts outside of the NJPW ring to include big-time bouts for Defy, Game Changer Wrestling, Warrior Wrestling, GCW/Josh Barnett's Bloodsport, and even on AEW Dark, where he wrestled Angelico on the very same taping session had featured the bout between NJPW Strong and The Factory. Sure, Uemura lost his bout versus Angelico, but it's pretty telling that the promotion asked him to record a second match, especially when none of his faction-mates were offered the same opportunity.

Uemura is a perfect blend of prospect and ready-made performer and thus would be an ideal first NJPW opponent for Hook on Rampage.

1. Alex Coughlin

If there's one member of the NJPW Strong team who is perfectly suited to wrestle Hook, it's Alex Coughlin. The mustached bruiser who is a big-time striker, a hard hitter, and an eager talker both inside and outside of the ring. He has wins over JD Drake, Yuya Uemura, and Slade and had one of the most memorable NJPW Strong angles in recent memory in his “Alex Coughlin Challenge Series,” where he wrestled everyone from Josh Alexander, to Karl Fredericks, Chris Dickinson, Tomohiro Ishii, and Jonathan Gresham before officially graduating from Young Lion to full-on performer.

Coughlin and Hook could put on a show for the assembled crowd both in the arena and watching from home, and showcase two of the best young wrestlers in the country today, which is sort of the point of Forbidden Door, isn't it?