Inside Wrestle Kingdom 14 looks at the featured matches from both days of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) upcoming Wrestle Kingdom events on January 4th and January 5th. This article highlights the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match where champion Will Ospreay makes his v4 defense against the returning Hiromu Takahashi.
After being away from wrestling since July 7, 2018, Hiromu Takahashi made his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) on November 3rd of this year after Will Ospreay defeated Hiromu’s Los Ingobernables de Japon unit mate, Bushi in the v3 defense of his current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship reign. During the friendly confrontation the two agreed to meet each other at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in a IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match. Hiromu was the reigning champion at the time of his injury, and was forced to vacate due to being unable to defend the title.
Rumors state that Hirmou has been healthy since June, but was being held back until he could make a Wrestle Kingdom 14 splash, which gave him more time to rehab and come back well-rested and perhaps in the best shape of his career.
Will Ospreay will be IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for over 200 days once Wrestle Kingdom 14 kicks off on January 4th. His historic run in the New Japan Cup, Best of the Super Juniors (2019 winner), and the G1 Climax showed just how much potential Ospreay has to become a major draw in NJPW.
Hiromu’s Return
Hiromu’s official return match headlines the December 19th Road To Tokyo Dome Show, where he and Bushi team up to face Birds of Prey (Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles). Hiromu will also wrestle on the 20th and 21st before his Wrestle Kingdom 14 match against Ospreay.
While some have questioned Hiromu wrestling prior to Wrestle Kingdom, his doing so is unlikely to negatively affect ticket sales. Currently, both Wrestle Kingdom 14 events are selling at a record pace.
Due to the extra time off, Hiromu is likely physically ready for his return and shouldn’t have any problems wrestling near the level fans are accustomed to seeing from him.
What To Expect From Ospreay
Some feel Ospreay has ‘outgrown’ the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, others share rumors that Ospreay wants to lead a unit of junior heavyweights that will challenge the heavyweights for supremacy in NJPW, and a portion of his fanbase simply refer to him as “sex pig.”
Hiromu and Ospreay share an interesting rivalry where they call each other “friendemy” due to their light-hearted banter and hard-hitting matches. Fans of NJPW have grown to expect Ospreay to have a great match whenever he steps into the ring; Hiromu was developing a similar reputation for himself before his serious neck injury.
Hiromu and Ospreay may have many fans ‘match of the night’ which could go a long way in raising the value of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Inside Wrestle Kingdom 14 Series:
1. Both Nights On Better Pace Than Last Year, A Look At The Featured Matches
2. Jyushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match I
3. G.O.D. Face FinJuice For The IWGP Heayweight Tag Team Championship
4. Lance Archer and Jon Moxley IWGP US Heavyweight Texas Death Match
5. Will Ospreay Defends His IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Against Hiromu Takahashi
6. Double Gold Dash, Jay White And Tetsuya Naito For The IWGP Intercontinental Championship
7. The Tanahashi and Jericho Match Has An Added Stipulation
8. Double Gold Dash, Kazuchika Okada And Kota Ibushi For The IWGP Heavyweight Championship
9. Jyushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match II
10. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Contest
11. Zack Sabre Jr And Sanada For The RevPro British Heavyweight Championship
12. KENTA And Hirooki Goto Battle Over The Never Openweight Championship
