NJPW: Previewing the Best of the Super Juniors Finals

BOSJ Finals: Shingo Takagi vs Will Ospreay

There is nobody like Shingo Takagi. Since debuting for Los Ingobernables de Japon last year, he has run roughshod through his opponents in singles action and has remained un-pinned and un-submitted in tag team matches. Teetering on the brink of crossing over from Junior to Heavyweight, Takagi’s power and explosiveness set him apart from everybody else in the division.

Will Ospreay has made some waves for himself by attempting to bridge the gap between New Japan’s weight classes, but he’s operating on a completely different level than that of Shingo. Ospreay’s high-flying style lends its way to both divisions – he can match other Junior Heavyweights who fly just like he does and he can throw larger Heavyweight wrestlers off their game by dancing around them.

While both men are easy picks to make the eventual transition from Junior to Heavyweight full-time, they each operate on completely different planes. On June 5, Ospreay will need to rely on his speed and sudden strikes while Shingo will need to use his power and resolve in order to make it to Dominion and challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.

One of the main factors setting Shingo apart from Ospreay and everybody else in the Junior Heavyweight division is his impressive Best of the Super Juniors block run. In the largest-ever Best of the Super Juniors, Shingo continued his winning ways by remaining undefeated to the tune of an insane 18 points at the close of the A Block.

Only two men in history have gone undefeated in their blocks – Jushin Thunder Liger in 2001 and Prince Devitt in 2013. In those tournaments, Liger walked away with 10 points and Devitt with 16 in their Block efforts which eventually led both men to winning the tournament overall. Shingo has the opportunity to add his name to an exclusive list in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

When Ospreay won his Best of the Super Juniors in 2016, he did so after earning a meager 8 points out of a possible 16 in his block before pinning Ryusuke Taguchi in the finals. On June 3, Ospreay once again defeated Taguchi – this way on his road to the finals topping the Aerial Assassin off with 14 points.

The winner of the Best of the Super Juniors is awarded a Junior Heavyweight Title shot against current champion Dragon Lee. But, whenever the Junior Heavyweight Title is discussed the conversation always circles back to one name: Hiromu Takahashi.

After breaking his neck in a successful Junior Heavyweight Title defense against Dragon Lee, Hiromu was forced to vacate the championship. Since then, fans have speculated as to just when and where he would return to the ring. It’s the question that has clouded the Junior Heavyweight Title scene for months as every turn seems like an opportunity for Hiromu to make his glorious return.

What does the future hold, though, if Shingo or Ospreay defeat the reigning champion Dragon Lee at Dominion on June 9?

For Ospreay, a feud would be reignited. Hiromu and Ospreay have a storied past built at least partially on Hiromu’s insistence that Ospreay is, in fact, a cat. Perhaps more importantly, this year’s Dominion would be the one-year anniversary of the day Hiromu defeated Ospreay for the Junior Heavyweight Title stemming from his own Best of the Super Juniors tournament win.

With Shingo as champion, though, a whole new slew of questions spring to mind. With both men being members of LIJ, what would it spell for the faction as Hiromu, who was never defeated for the championship, would seek to reclaim his place on the Junior Heavyweight throne?

We’ve already seen that LIJ are able to support one another through whatever is thrown their way. Despite some rockiness in last year’s G1 Climax between SANADA and Naito, all seemed right in the world of the Los Ingobernables de Japon once their block match had wrapped up. Perhaps Shingo and Hiromu can still co-exist in the group while also building to what would, undoubtedly, be one of the biggest matches of the year.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. On June 5, Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay will clash in a war between two men who, more than anyone else on the roster, can marry the two worlds of Juniors and Heavyweights. Can Ospreay be the man to finally knock Shingo from his perch, or will The Dragon continue to scorch everything around him as Dominion inches ever closer?

The Best of the Super Junior finals airs live on June 5 at NJPWWorld.com.