12 Biggest Stories From New Japan's Power Struggle And What They Mean Going Forward
12. Will Ospreay Injured And Out Of Championship Match
— ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) September 16, 2018
Will Ospreay was seemingly set for a marquee match at the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 13 event. Unfortunately, before Power Struggle or even its Road To shows could take place, Ospreay suffered an injury during a match in the UK. Gone was his opportunity at Taichi’s NEVER Openweight Championship, and former champion and fellow Chaos stablemate Hirooki Goto was chosen to take Ospreay’s place against Taichi.
Furthermore, it was speculated and assumed by many that Power Struggle would see the UK high-flyer take the NEVER belt en route to a match with Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom. Ospreay had been calling out the Golden Star for the past few months, and while initially reluctant to answer the call, Ibushi was likely to accept the challenge for the Tokyo Dome.
Now, with Ospreay currently sidelined, those plans have been derailed. If he can return in time for 4 January, the match with Ibushi may still take place - though likely not for the NEVER title. Hirooki Goto did state after Power Struggle that the UK star should receive the next shot at the belt. If Ospreay can return in time for Wrestle Kingdom, perhaps he'll face Goto instead, delaying the inevitable meeting with Ibushi.