10 Live Observations From NJPW’s FIRST EVER UK Tour

7. "Billy No Brains"

Kazuchika Okada Zack Sabre Jr
Robyn Goding/Beyond Gorilla

Bodied by Zack Sabre Jr with the above nickname in the show's closing gabfest, Will Ospreay was also shockingly pinned by Suzuki-Gun sh*t-stirrer Taichi in a result that tacitly foreshadowed the show-long storyline signposting their success.

After entering to chants of "Ospreay's Coming Home" from locals optimistically gripped by World Cup fever, the 'Aerial Assassin's loss left almost all of the crowd stunned save for the pockets of support Taichi has galvanised with his ludicrously entertaining act.

Constantly derailing the attacks of the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, the miming buffoon (sans "muse" Miho Abe) got the requisite pop for tearing away his baggy bottoms before coming out on top of the home country hero after walloping him with his portable microphone.

As banter-centric as it sounds, the match took unique advantage of Taichi's infuriating gimmick as well as the narrative thread that weaved the show together. The most unlikely of wins gave ZSJ his killer nickname for his fellow Brit, and Suzuki-Gun yet another standout win on one of their biggest ever weekends.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 almost 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 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL 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