10 Must-See Matches That ALREADY Make 2018 Wrestling’s Greatest Ever Year

9. Will Ospreay Vs. Marty Scurll (NJPW Sakura Genesis)

Johnny Gargano Tomasso Ciampa
NJPW1972.com

A product of their in-built chemistry after years of working together for countless independent promotions on all sides of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll proved their worth in saving their best effort for their biggest stage. The scale of the contest added crucial ingredients to the drama within the match - Osprey hadn't been able to win the big one against 'The Villain', and looked a long way from home after splattering his own neck during a reckless Spanish Fly from the apron to the floor.

It elevated the contest from energetic to epic, with Scurll seemingly in permanent command over the 25-year-old with the broken body thrice his age. Ospreay's selling can still sometimes veer across the believability spectrum, but he found a perfect middle ground between pantomime and pathos with his pained wails and gutsy comebacks against his fierce and focussed foe.

It was almost inconceivable when he won, in fact, but stayed on the right side of credible thanks to a stirring final third dominated by the devious Bullet Club d*ckhead. Too cocky and confident for his own good, Scurll fell to the 'The Aerial Assassin' once and for all, confirming his place as the new kingpin of the revered NJPW Juniors Division.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett