Liam Fury recently returned from the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in Tokyo where he underwent the three-month training programme. Fury and fellow young lion, Patrick Schischka graduated together from Fale Dojo’s professional wrestling course in May of this year. Following the completion of their training, the two graduates were chosen to advance to the NJPW Dojo. However, before their endeavour to Tokyo (and this applies to every intake), the lions are drilled by founder and Head Trainer Toks ‘Bad Luck’ Fale at the start of the programme that although the training at Fale Dojo is incredibly challenging, it would be a small taste of what’s expected at the New Japan Dojo as Fury quickly discovered.
“Training at the New Japan Dojo was straight up the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Fury. “It was a mix of amazing and miserable. I injured my back two months in and am still suffering from it.”
“But I learned a lot not just about wrestling but about myself as cheesy as it sounds.”
“I’ve never experienced such a soul-destroying heat,” Fury continued. “From the moment I’d wake up to going to sleep it was just hot, I only started to acclimatise to it in the last month.”
“Fale Dojo prepared me a little in terms of training and culture, but I don’t think anything can prepare you for the NJPW Dojo.”
Of the challenges that Fury had faced at the New Japan Dojo, his biggest obstacle was maintaining his mental toughness. Nonetheless, Fury remained persistent, he explained.
“I think the biggest challenge was trying to stay out of my own head,” the young lion revealed. “There were many days that I wanted to quit and go home, I just had to keep talking to myself, ‘one day at a time’. ‘Just get through to bedtime’. ‘Just eight more Sundays’, things like that.”
“The other challenge was my back. I just kind of had to deal with it and do what I could until our time was up.”
The ‘Rogue General’ checking up on his young lions during a visit to the NJPW Dojo.
It was also the presence of his fellow young lion Patrick Schischka that helped Liam Fury keep going. Fury and Schischka joined the advanced professional wrestling class at Fale Dojo in 2018 prior to going onto the three-month professional wrestling course – the young lions’ programme that eventually led the lions to the NJPW Dojo. Fury, an experienced grappler, also gained valuable insight into his discipline during his time in Tokyo.
“It helped a lot having Pat there with me,” explained Fury. “We were both going through the same thing and having someone you could very easily communicate with made life at the NJPW Dojo that little bit easier.”
“I definitely think being there by myself would have added a whole other challenge in of itself. I would have had to dig down that much deeper to get through those three months over there.”
“My submission and ground game got some good upskilling which I was very happy about,” he stated. “Just some tiny details and submissions, it helped up my aggression.”
In addition to the New Japan Dojo training system, the young lions take part in ringside duties during NJPW events. Certain responsibilities involve setting up the ring, clearing the ringside area and maintaining space between the wrestlers and the fans when the matches move beyond the ring. Great emphasis is put on the lions to serve their elders on the main roster. The young lions are also afforded the privilege of being present at major events to watch and analyse matches from a personal perspective (while on duty) to enhance their knowledge and understanding of what makes a good match and to pick up tips they could take into their own bouts in the future. The lions on occasion would also find themselves at the receiving end of a beating from the wrestlers as Fury found out first hand.
“Being at ringside during the G1 Climax was amazing,” described Fury. “Seeing some of those matches in person taught me a lot, but it was also incredibly nerve-wracking.”
“You have duties when you are ringside and you don’t want to get in anyone’s way. Getting smacked in the face a lot was an experience too.”
Fury’s initial training at Fale Dojo gave him the experience, knowledge and skills to progress to the NJPW Dojo. All the training he has gained through his hard work, dedication and passion for professional wrestling have paid off as he has emerged with a higher-level of skill and knowledge and a deeper understanding of New Japan’s respected traditions which will be of tremendous benefit throughout his wrestling career. Fury battled through some tough times along the way most notably his back injury and the stifling heat to complete his training, and he has picked up some valuable life lessons.
“There is very little in my day to day life that I can even be bothered getting worked up about,” Fury noted. “After spending hours upon hours in the NJPW Dojo through the summer, I don’t think there is anything ahead of me I won’t be able to deal with. There might be more but that’s the one that really sticks out.”
Fury’s final thoughts are brought to light where he states that: “The path of the Fale Dojo has helped me achieve a dream of training at the NJPW Dojo and I wouldn’t go back on it one bit. The only thing I would change would be doing it sooner.”
“’You can do it’ or ‘give it a go’ shouldn’t be a reason to do it,” Fury advised in closing. ”If you are on the fence about it you need to look deep down inside yourself and ask is this something I truly want and am I willing to go through whatever is thrown in front of me to achieve it.”
Liam Fury is deservedly proud of achieving a lifelong dream in completing his NJPW training after receiving his formal training at Fale Dojo. Throughout this article, Fury has had to overcome some serious obstacles in his young lion’s journey. He has acknowledged the support from Fale Dojo and others in helping him to get to the NJPW Dojo. But what has helped him achieve this more than anything is his own hard work, his passion and his fighting spirit to deal with the challenges. He also offers words of advice for the next generation by talking about the preparation that is necessary to achieve your dreams and if anyone has proven this it is the success story of Liam Fury.