So, remember how Ricochet and Will Ospreay accidentally lit the internet on fire with their match for New Japan Pro Wrestling? I certainly hope you took the opportunity to watch it while it was posted for free on New Japan World and YouTube. If you somehow missed it, it was part of the round-robin tournament known as Best of the Super Juniors, NJPW’s annual junior heavyweight showcase. I’ve written about it in greater detail here, but just consider that all the aerial insanity from Ricochet/Ospreay was essentially from a qualifying match. If you’re wondering what those two look like in their final form, I’d say you’re about halfway in luck.
The final match of the 2016 Best of the Super Juniors came down to B-block winner Will Ospreay and A-block winner Ryusuke “Funky Weapon” Taguchi. If you’re a longtime NJPW fan, you may know Taguchi as the former tag team partner of Prince Devitt, a.k.a. Finn Balor. A former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in his own right, Taguchi turned heads with a strong run late in the tourney. Spoilers follow after the GIF!
https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/740152498669924352
After a lengthy, back-and-forth match between the finalists, Will Ospreay came out on top. At just 23 years of age, the Aerial Assassin is now the youngest man to ever win Best of the Super Juniors. Additionally, he’s the first Brit to take home the honor. I think it’s safe to say that Dynamite Kid would approve.
https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/740155586109706240
From here, Ospreay will get his highly-anticipated rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against the defending champion, KUSHIDA. His NJPW debut in April was a narrow loss to the champion, so things will probably get even crazier the second time around.
