10 Best British Wrestling Matches Of 2016

8. Mike Bailey Vs. Will Ospreay (RevPro Angle Vs. Sabre)

Will Ospreay has had so many outstanding matches in 2016 that it was inevitable some would slip through the cracks. This match with Mike Bailey is one such example, but ignore it at your peril: this is one of the year's most exciting bouts.

British fans have seen a lot of Bailey this year. The affable Canadian was banned from entering the United States for five years due to visa irregularities back in March, but it hasn't held him back. He and Ospreay put on a tremendous battle here, and while it's likely a shade below Match of the Year level, the two performed all kinds of ridiculous, eye-catching moves.

Ospreay received a hero's welcome. He'd just become the first Brit to ever win NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and Bailey had a point to prove against the newly-minuted international superstar. He didn't let Will's reputation put him off at all, and pulled out all the stops after some slow opening exchanges.

Some of the sequences in this match just have to be believed. Ospreay pulls-off the kind of stunts that just shouldn't be possible in the real world, but Bailey was able to match him right until the very end. A perfect homecoming for Ospreay, and a match that asserted Bailey's status as one to watch in the UK.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.