Karl Fredericks has become the first American to win the Young Lion Cup.
Over the last several weeks, New Japan Pro Wrestling has been showcasing the rising stars of the promotion through the Young Lion Cup tournament, which is a round-robin style competition – like the G1 Climax - that showcases the stars of tomorrow. Fredericks won the tournament with a 6-1 record (12 pts.) against the rest of the field, winning his final match at NJPW Destruction in Kobe.
Going into Destruction in Kobe, Fredericks, Ren Narita, and Shot Umino were all tied for first place with 10 points; however, Narita lost his match earlier in the night and Fredericks picked up the victory over Unimo in order to be declared the winner.
Below are the final standings for the 2019 Young Lion Cup:
Karl Fredericks (6-1), 12 pts.
Ren Narita (5-2), 10 pts.
Shota Umino (5-2), 10 pts.
Alex Coughlin (4-3), 8 pts.
Clark Connors (4-3), 8 pts.
Yota Tsuji (2-5), 4 pts.
Michael Richards (1-6), 2 pts.
Yuya Uemura (1-6), 2 pts.