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In order to prepare for her match with KAIRI at Battle in the Valley, Mercedes Moné has been spending her time in the New Japan Pro Wrestling LA Dojo, where she's been training under head trainers KUSHIDA – of NJPW, AEW, and Impact fame – and Fred Rosser, who is currently the second-ever NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion after beating “Filthy” Tom Lawler for the honor.
Speaking with NJPW online about the opening of the LA Dojo, KUSHIDA complemented the former WWE Superstar for her impressive efforts in preparing for her first-ever match in the promotion.
“She is such a great model to follow,” KUSHIDA said. “She’s at the top of the world when it comes to being a female pro-wrestler and just an entertainer in general, but she has such a love for this that she comes in to share and figure different stuff out.”
Asked if Moné is a model that his students could and should follow, KUSHIDA agreed in a major way.
“Yeah,” KUSHIDA said. “There are countless people around the world who can’t make a living just through wrestling, that work part time jobs during the week and wrestle at weekends. And if you’re in that spot and you want to make yourself more known, more marketable, then we want you. And as well, I think guys that have that interest in Japanese pro-wrestling puts you in a certain niche and gives you a unique sense.
“Like, I say this to Kevin (Knight) all the time, but when he came into the Dojo, chose NJPW and became one of Shibata’s students, he already had a natural knack for things. I think there’s a lot of guys and girls in America that have the same sense of ambition and drive that he has. There are in Japan as well, but this role in the States works best for me. I never came up through the Noge Dojo, my learning was in these other schools around the world, and that’s what I want to tap into.”
Will Moné's practice make perfect in NJPW? Will she be able to elevate her game and best KAIRI, another former WWE Champion, in her first indie match in years? Or will KAIRI retain her strap and remain the first-ever IWGP Women's Champion? Fans will have to tune into Battle in the Valley to find out – *spoiler alert* it's gonna be a good one.
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KUSHIDA stresses that there's no one way to make it in pro wrestling.
Elsewhere in his interview with NJPW online, KUSHIDA stressed that there isn't one correct way to make it in professional wrestling and that training at the LA Dojo doesn't necessarily mean you will or even have to become a Young Lion.
“Pro-wrestling is hard, man (laughs)!” KUSHIDA said via Fightful. “It’s a hard thing to teach. Even just answering that question ‘what is pro-wrestling’, there’s no right or wrong answer and everybody will tell you something different. When I was coming up, a lot of it was ‘figure it out yourself’, but I came through my career learning so much from so many different coaches and teachers. Some might give you a lecture, some might teach you practically. I feel I’ve had a more diverse learning experience than just about any other wrestler ever. At the end of the day it comes from loving the whole thing, all of wrestling. And I’ve always been inquisitive, so I’ve always had that desire to deconstruct why things are a certain way. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole career. I think a diversity like I’ve had, that’s the key for pro-wrestling to prosper in the future. So with this, I think for the students coming into the Academy with the end goal to be a Young Lion, to be in the NJPW system, then they’re more than welcome to take their experience here and then go try out for that. But it isn’t necessary.”
“Wrestlers don’t learn from one coach and then that’s it, finished product. There’s more to it than that. So what I want are people who have that inquisitive nature and open minded approach. I’m not going to say I’m about teaching people everything, or creating a group of wrestlers in my image. But I’ll be looking for people with potential, you know? But we also have that pipeline, and guys like Rocky (Romero) that can help connect people to promotions all over the world. if your goal is Japan, or America, or Mexico, we can help get you there, if you’re skilled enough and able enough to navigate this world once we send you off. It’s this great chance to have a bunch of young wrestlers bringing NJPW with them out into the world, or simply helping the people that have the resolve to go ‘OK, I’m going to be taught by Shibata-san now’.”
Though the current iteration of the LA Dojo hasn't produced any international wrestling superstars just yet, what with the current concept being relatively new, Karl Fredericks just signed with NXT – even if he hasn't officially debuted just yet – and who knows, maybe his star power will be the same as Moné's at some point down the line?
