10 Awesome Modern Wrestlers Who Made Their Name In Japan
4. Will Ospreay
A leading light of the BritWres renaissance, the Aerial Assassin forged what is fast becoming an infamous career largely through an infamous match that blew up Twitter like Triple H ordering Scott Steiner through 18 minutes.
That 2016 Best of the Super Juniors clash with Ricochet infuriated wrestling's old guard. Ospreay and Ricochet updated the old double kip-up spot with a video game gymnastic flourish. Immaculately designed to create parity between both men - i.e., informing the high drama of the finish with great storytelling - the GIF'd-to-f*ck sequence painted Ospreay with the dreaded spot monkey tag.
It is a tag he has rebelled - screamed - against with a spate of unbelievably dramatic performances in which he has sold his damaged neck to near-unbearable anxiety. And some people still reckon he can only generate adrenaline. In an unheralded but important (and bloody good) 2017 match with Katsuyori Shibata, one that acted as a Heavyweight audition, Ospreay sold his struggle to adapt by only just managing to roll his opponent back into the ring at the 19 count.
In storyline; in reality, Ospreay this year formalised his ascension in a minor classic opposite Kota Ibushi, in which he didn't soar but strike the brain cells out of Ibushi - adding a signature move capable of ending any opponent, irrespective of size.
S T O R Y T E L L I N G.