10 HUGE AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 Predictions You Need To Know

3. Kenny Omega (c) Vs. Will Ospreay

Kazuchika Okada Bryan Danielson
AEW

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay contested what many fans considered the 2023 Match Of The Year on January 4th.

Their Wrestle Kingdom 17 classic wasn't just the first serious contender for the honour, but an extremely realistic one considering the fact that the year was less than a hundred hours old. Revealing itself from a build positioning Ospreay as the man that had supplanted Omega on the biggest stage, the story of the match quickly sought to prove the opposite.

The physically exhilarating bout was an exhibition of both mens' incredible arrays, but a reminder for Will Ospreay that 'The Best Bout Machine' was back at his best, and good enough to regain an IWGP United States Title he'd launched when Ospreay was still just aggravating bad faith actors for flipping sequences with Ricochet.

With Don Callis promising a massive security detail for his new "Bruv" following Ospreay's remarks about Canada, expect this one to skew more North American stylistically, with the former Champion regaining the crown as a way to set up the rubber match and give Callis and Omega yet more fuel for a brimming fire still teasing to set all of AEW ablaze.

Winner - Will Ospreay

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett