Karl Fredericks (born July 15, 1990) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

signed with

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

, where he performs on

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

. He is known for his stint in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

(NJPW), where he was the winner of the 2019

Young Lion Cup __NOTOC__ The is an infrequent professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a means of showcasing the younger talent on their roster. The tournament is the successor to the Karl Gotch Cup that NJPW promoted in t ...

Professional wrestling career

Fredericks made his debut on May 17, 2015, having worked in American independent promotions such as

All Pro Wrestling All Pro Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion and training school, based in Hayward, California. The company was founded by Roland Alexander and managed by him until his death on November 5, 2013. It is located 45 miles so ...

. In 2018, Fredericks entered New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo, along with

Clark Connors Connor Deutsch (born October 6, 1993), better known by the ring name Clark Connors is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the winner of the 2020 Lion's Break Crown. Profession ...

and

Alex Coughlin Alex Coughlin (born December 3, 1993), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), mainly competing on their American show, NJPW Strong. Professional wrestling career Early career (2018) Coughl ...

. He visited Japan for the first time as a representative of the LA Dojo at the

held in September 2019 and won the tournament with 12 points. Fredericks teamed with

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...

for the World Tag League in the same year, finishing with 3 wins and 12 losses. In August 2020, Fredericks competed in the inaugural

New Japan Cup USA New Japan Cup USA is an annual professional wrestling tournament produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament is a spin-off of NJPW's annual New Japan Cup introduced in 2020. The tournament was promoted under NJPW's North American ...

tournament, with the winner receiving a match for the

IWGP United States Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The current champion is Will Ospreay, who is in his first reign. History Backg ...

. He lost to

Kenta Kenta (written: , , , or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese film director *, Japanese kickboxer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese profession ...

in the first round. From this time on, he changed the colors of his shorts from black to red. At the main event of "Ignition" on June 25, 2021, Fredericks challenged

Tom Lawlor Thomas Joseph Lawlor (born May 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and podcast host. He is best known for his time in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a former one-time MLW World Heavyweight Cham ...

for the

Strong Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was officially announced on April 2, 2021. The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's American television program ''NJPW St ...

and lost. On August 1, 2022, Fredericks' contract with New Japan expired and he announced he would not renew it. In January 2023, it was reported he signed a contract with

Championships and accomplishments

APW Worldwide Internet Championship The APW Worldwide Internet Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the independent professional wrestling promotion All Pro Wrestling. Title history As of , , there have been 53 reigns between 39 champions ...

(1 time) **

APW Tag Team Championship The APW Tag Team Championships were introduced on November 20, 1996, when Michael Modest and Steve Rizzono became the first to win the titles. They defeated Frank Dalton and Joe Applebaumer in the finals of an eight team tournament to win the tit ...

(1 time) - with Styker *

(

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) *Pro Championship Wrestling **PCW Inter-California Championship (1 time) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' ** Ranked No. 287 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' in 2021

References

External links

*
Karl Fredericks'
Japanese

profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fredericks, Karl 1990 births Living people People from Reno, Nevada American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Nevada Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan American expatriate sportspeople in Japan 20th-century American people 21st-century American people