In a move that has been coming for a long time now, one of the top stars of the Junior Heavyweight division in New Japan Pro Wrestling is moving on. He will be remaining with the company, but Will Ospreay will no longer be part of that division. Despite having competed in both the New Japan Cup & G1 Climax in 2019, Ospreay was still part of the Junior Heavyweight division, despite proving himself to be able to hang with the bigger members of the roster. After losing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, and gaining the British Heavyweight Championship, he decided it was time.
Could Will Ospreay Become IWGP Heavyweight Champion?
Will Ospreay is no stranger to holding gold in NJPW, having held the Junior Heavyweight championship 3 times and the NEVER Openweight Championship once. He has also taken former IWGP World Heavyweight Champions Jay White & Kazuchika Okada to their limits in non-title matches in 2018 & 2019 at NJPW Anniversary shows. Once he gets more adjusted as a heavyweight, his speed and technical prowess could make it very possible that he could be the first British born holder of the top prize in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He has shown great commitment to the company, even moving to Japan to work with them full time. NJPW might be skeptical of pushing someone not from their dojo system as a top champion after Kenny Omega, but Ospreay has shown his loyalty.
Will The Junior Heavyweight Division Suffer?
This news means that the Junior Heavyweight Division in NJPW will be short a competitor, and without much time until the annual Best Of The Super Juniors tournament, someone will have to step up to fill that gap. The division is stacked with talent even without Ospreay invovled, with names like Hiromu Takahashi, Ryu Lee, Taiji Ishimori, & El Phantasmo more than capable of holding down the title picture while stars are built. Both SHO & YOH of Roppongi 3K have great singles potential, and you have veterans like Ryusuke Taiguchi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru who can turn back the clock and give insane performances if needed. Ospreay moving up to heavyweight will take some adjusting, but they will be fine in the end.
Are you excited to see Will Ospreay work full time as a heavyweight in NJPW? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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