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Top 5 NJPW matches to watch at Wrestle Kingdom 14

By Sonal Lad

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 05: Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi pose for photographs during NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome press Conference on November 05, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 05: Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi pose for photographs during NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome press Conference on November 05, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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Will Ospreay v Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship) – 4th January

After Will Ospreay beat Bushi to retain his IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship at the climax of the Power Struggle Jr Tag League, it seemed as if the Aerial Assassin had gone through pretty much the entire Jr division. Who was left to challenge Ospreay?

The answer came on that night from the ever eccentric Hiromu Takahashi who was returning to New Japan after a neck injury that put him on the shelf for over 500 days and was seen as career ending. Los Ingobernables’ de Japon Ticking Time Bomb returned in a very Hiromu-esque fashion and put out the challenge for the title he had to reluctantly vacate in 2018.

Unlike many of the other title matches during the weekend, this one is slightly different in the fact that there is no real animosity and hatred between the two. On the contrary, it’s as far from that as humanly possible. They’re frenemies in some way, but more friends that enemies, if that makes sense? Whether it’s during the press conferences, or on Twitter, these two can be described as major flirts with each other from the teasing, the compliments and the gifts (I mean everyone remembers New Beginning press conference where Hiromu cooked Will chicken).

However, even with all this love, there’s no denying the fact that these two are pure magic when they’re in the ring together. Hiromu and Ospreay have this in-ring chemistry that people could only dream about. Both men have a very similar high risk and sometimes reckless offence.

They have crowds on the edge of their seats and sometimes hiding behind a pillow with the things they do. No matter how serious Hiromu’s injury was, he doesn’t seem to have changed that style and is still as unpredictable as ever before.

Will Ospreay, on the other hand, has evolved during Hiromu’s absence. He still has this aerial offence but is now a lot stronger and more brutal using the Hidden Blade and Storm Breaker finisher.

This match is going to be everything you love about this style of wrestling: high risk, dangerous and full of action!

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