NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Match Card Predictions After G1 Climax
By Tim Sherry
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs Will Ospreay
5-time and reigning champion, KUSHIDA, will certainly have a tough time getting to Wrestle Kingdom with his belt. Fresh off his 2nd win at the Best of the Super Juniors, “The Time Splitter”, parlayed that into a victory over Hiromu Takahashi at Dominion 6.11 to capture his fifth IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Add to that, that KUSHIDA is the current Ring Of Honor Television champion and it looks pretty clear, that the 34-year-old has his hands full.
As much as I believe he won’t make it to Wrestle Kingdom as ROH TV champion, I do believe he’ll make it as Jr. Heavyweight champ. Over the coming months, he’ll have to fight off the challenges of the recently dethroned champ, Takahashi, as well as the returning BUSHI, who was his attacker after the most recent title win.
But when December rolls around, the man that will be standing in front of him in the Tokyo Dome will be the 24-year-old Ospreay. The Englishman, who battled KUSHIDA in the finals of the super juniors in what was the best match of the entire tournament deserves this rematch. Like his style or hate it, “Quicksilver” has a big career ahead of him whether in Japan or somewhere else. And if the two can reproduce the magic they had last time out, the Junior Heavyweight division will be well represented on the biggest show of the year.