NJPW: 5 burning questions we have after Wrestle Kingdom 14
By Sonal Lad
Is it time for Will Ospreay to move to the Heavyweight Division?
Will Ospreay has dominated the New Japan Jr division since the moment he stepped foot into the company in 2016. Since debuting for the company, Ospreay has won the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship three times and won the Best of Super Jr tournament twice. For many, he has been the staple and standard bearer of the Jr division consistently putting on match of the year candidates.
During this time, he has also participated in the New Japan Cup and the G1 as well as winning the NEVER Openweight title at Wrestle Kingdom beating Kota Ibushi. It seems as if Ospreay is able to stand toe to toe with not only the best Jr’s in the world but also the best Heavyweights with wins against the Golden Star, Lance Archer and Bad Luck Fale. He has been bridging this evident gap between Jr’s and Heavyweights that’s existed for a long time in New Japan.
After losing the title to a returning Hiromu Takahashi on the first night of Wrestle Kingdom, is it time for the Aerial Assassin to make a permanent move to the Heavyweight division?
It feels like the perfect time for Will to make the move. Not only has Ospreay said time and time again that he’s beaten pretty much everyone in the division, but after the events of New Year’s Dash, it proves that the division is stacked as ever.
With the likes of Hiromu, El Phantasmo, Roppongi 3k, Robbie Eagles, Bushi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado, there is no shortage of talent amongst the Juniors. When Kushida left, Ospreay wanted to take that role as a leader but with so much potential in all of the division’s wrestlers, they don’t need a leader figure but the opportunity the opportunities.
The move will also be really refreshing for not only Ospreay, but the fans as seen by Shingo Takagi’s move to the Heavyweight Division in September. There is the potential for so many amazing matches against the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Minoru Suzuki.
Matches that we may have only seen on odd occasions or within a tag team scenario. Over the past few months, Ospreay has expanded his repertoire and skills by adding more muscle and using more power moves.
It seems like a move to the heavyweight division will be the perfect way to showcase that and also to show a different type of heavyweight wrestling combining strength, speed, athleticism and agility. It will also give the other Jr’s a chance to shine in a division where Ospreay has been a major contender.