10 Major Predictions For NJPW Dominion 2018

3. Will Ospreay Vs. Hiromu Takahashi - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match

Tetsuya Naito Chris Jericho
NJPW1972.com

It's almost difficult to look forward to a match as potentially terrifying as this one, irrespective of how excellent we know it will be.

Both men are on an inexorable march to in-ring immortality, the irony of which threatens their mortality. Hiromu Takahashi somehow emerged unscathed following his ultra-violent Best Of The Super Juniors win over Taiji Ishimori on Monday. Will Ospreay didn't emerge unscathed following his near Darwin Award Winner of a botched Spanish Fly at Sakura Genesis, but simply ignored the resultant neck injury, his appetite for self-destruction left unsatisfied.

As for the story of the match itself, it will reflect the grim reality of the situation. Both men will court the crowd by weaving a narrative in which whomever doesn't kill themselves through taking the insane risks required to end the other will emerge victorious. Those risks are d*mn scary in the mind's eye. With no steep flight of stairs down which to bump - and out-do Takahashi's frightening Frankensteiner - how many sickening neck-first bumps are we going to witness?

Prediction: Takahashi wins; Ospreay has already courted antipodean promoters on Twitter, all but confirming he is set to spend the summer months away from Japan. Even if that wasn't the plan, the megastar reaction afforded to Takahashi following his BOSJ final should force Gedo into a re-think.

Whomever wins the fictional battle will endure a real-life pyrrhic victory.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!