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Fred Rosser Calls New Japan Run A Dream Come True, Says Hikuleo Will Leave NJPW Strong With ‘Three Boots’

By Bill Pritchard

Fred Rosser is only as good as his last match, and he’s ready to show Hikuleo that he picked the wrong fight.

Fred Rosser recently spoke with WrestleZone ahead of his Monday Night Virtual Signing presented by ’80s Wrestling Con. Rosser talked about his road to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and previewed his upcoming no disqualification match against Hiluleo on May 21. Rosser called his current run a dream come true and explained how he went from being a spectator to finally believing in himself that he could compete there after his WWE run came to an end.

“It’s been an absolute dream come true. Ever since I started loving wrestling, since I came out the womb, it’s always been WWF but I’ve always followed New Japan. I’ve always followed Japanese wrestling,” Rosser said, “but I was always intimidated with the style. I never thought I could keep up or hang in with these guys.”

Rosser says it was Lance Archer who first invited him to a New Japan event to check things out. The two ran into each other at an independent event in September 2019, and Archer invited him to attend NJPW’s Showdown in Los Angeles that fall. Rosser says he wanted to take in the atmosphere and meet everyone to see if he fit in, and after the show, he realized he knew he had what it took.

“After the show I said to myself, ‘that was an awesome show, I can hang with these guys, I can go with these guys!’ So, long story short, I talked to Rocky Romero and told him about my desire to work with New Japan and to try out. I tried out with WWE, years ago and earned my contract, May 4, 2009. At 36 years old at the time, I was willing to try out again,” Rosser explained, “whatever it takes. That was a conversation that went down November 2019 and then the pandemic hit.”

Despite the pause in talks, Rosser pressed on and found himself starring in a Broadway theatre project. Citing Chris Jericho‘s run on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ as an influence in breaking into the show, Rosser was a player in Theality TV: The Making of an off-Broadway Musical until the pandemic shut the entertainment world down. Once things started looking up, Romero reached back out to Rosser last May about another opportunity to come on board.

Read More: New Japan Pro-Wrestling Set To Return To Live Events On 5/22

“I said, Rocky, let me just check with my family and see if it’s a good idea. Because I was with my family and I didn’t want to infect my family, because at the time COVID was rampant. My family ultimately blessed me and said it sounded like a great opportunity and was COVID compliant and said go for it, and in 2020 I had the match of the year with Tom Lawlor. I said all the time, WWE was a dream come true and I did my thing as a Nexus member,” Rosser said, “I did my thing as a tag-team wrestler with Prime Time Players, I tried to do my thing with ‘Make Darren Young Great Again’ with Bob Backlund.

“It’s just unfortunate that people that worked under Vince McMahon didn’t have my back, but with New Japan I was on my own and doing my thing,” Rosser explained, “and to get match of the year with Tom Lawlor was an incredible, incredible accomplishment for me. To get the respect of the fans is amazing, but the respect of your peers is top priority. Tom Lawlor said about our match that he never thought he would’ve got into the ring with someone like me, but he said the minute we touched, he knew it was going to be a classic.”

Rosser pointed to the saying that ‘you’re only as good as your last match’ and he’s continuing to grind away, with his sights set on Hikuleo. Rosser teamed with Lio Rush against El Phantasmo and Hikuleo last week, but now faces the Bullet Club member in a no disqualification on this week’s show. ‘Mr. No Days Off’ says he’s got plenty of love from the Samoan dynasty in wrestling in general, but Hikuleo picked the wrong fight with him.

“This coming week I’ve got Hikuleo. I love the Samoan dynasty family and I love the Samoan family in general. The Usos have always been a night off to fight, ya know, just easy guys to work with, all the Samoans. But Hikuleo picked a fight with the Suntan Superman and I’ve got to stay strong. I’ve had enough of all of his bullying,” he explained. “My whole ‘Block The Hate’ movement is so near and dear to my heart that this Friday, with Hikuleo, he’s leaving that night with three boots on—two on his feet and one up his ass as a lifetime reminder of how bad a whooping that Mr. No Days Off put on his ass.”

Stay tuned for the full interview with Fred Rosser on WrestleZone soon. You can check him out on the Monday Night Virtual live stream along with Erick Rowan (aka Erick Redbeard) on Monday, May 17. The full calendar of upcoming signings (as well as items fans can purchase for each individual signing) can be seen at this link.

Bill Pritchard
Bill Pritchard

Bill Pritchard is the Managing Editor of Wrestlezone.com. He joined the site in March 2010.

If you have a news tip, inquiry or general feedback, please feel free to e-mail him at: bill.pritchard@wrestlezone.com

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