10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2016 (So Far...)

6. Will Ospreay Vs. Ryuskue Taguchi - Best Of The Super Juniors Finals

Will Ospreay KUSHIDA NJPW
NJPW World

If you'd have told me at the beginning of the year that my half year top 10 New Japan matches would include Ryusuke Taguchi, I would have stopped listening straight away. Ever since losing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 9, Taguchi has slowly moved back to the bottom of the card, concentrating more on his ridiculousness than his Eddie Guerrero impression.

The Best of the Super Juniors was a total shock then, as Taguchi not only put in a series of fantastic performances but also made the final, where we truly got the best of the Funky Weapon. The match took place in his hometown of Miyagi, and whilst Taguchi put in a great performance it wasn't enough to defeat New Japan Pro Wrestling's favourite new plaything, Will Ospreay.

Taguchi worked Ospreay's ankle throughout, as the two cruisers brought a big fight feel to a big fight setting, both desperate to prove their spots at the top of the division. Ospreay picked up the win with his Springboard Cutter, and the post-match included a touching moment where Jushin Thunder Liger helped Ospreay tend to his damaged ankle.

A surprisingly fantastic bout, that wasn't even Ospreay's best New Japan match to date.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.