10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2017 (So Far...)

4. KUSHIDA Vs. Will Ospreay - Best Of The Super Juniors 2017 Final

In a year that has seen the heavyweight division put on classic after classic, the incredible performances of the junior heavyweights in New Japan may well have gone unnoticed. The division is positively stacked right now, full of incredible talent from top to bottom.

As we enter the middle of July, KUSHIDA is still on top of the division. The Timesplitter hasn't had it all his own way - quite the opposite. For most of 2017, KUSHIDA has been on the road to redemption, a road he was forced onto by the force of nature that is Hiromu Takahashi.

KUSHIDA entered the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors a broken man, but he managed to come through his block to face Ospreay in the final. The Brit was out for his own redemption, having fallen short against KUSHIDA on two previous occasions.

This was a perfect storm: two men for whom failure simply wasn't an option. Health was no longer important. Whatever it took to win this match, both men were willing to do it. This was pro wrestling as a competitive sport, and it was thrilling.

This was junior heavyweight wrestling as its absolute best. Guts, pride, determination, athleticism and no small amount of high-flying merged perfectly with the story both men were trying to tell. It was KUSHIDA who found his redemption, following two sickening Back to the Futures.