10 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Star Ratings Dave Meltzer Got Wrong
5. Will Ospreay Vs. Ricochet - NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors Day 6 (2016)
Actual Rating: ****3/4, Revised Rating ****1/4
The most controversial match held in 2016, Ospreay vs. Ricochet divided the wrestling fandom. For some, it was the pinnacle of the athletic style developed over the last few years. For others, and most infamously the man they call Vader, it was a gymnastics routine devoid of story and logic. These guys were meant to want to best each other, after all.
The now-notorious synchronised handspring elbow spot isn't what makes this match overrated. On the contrary, it was a jaw-dropping update on the double kip-up or the test of strength - an inventive method of establishing the two men as equals, essentially. The moves themselves, if a little too collaborative, were executed flawlessly, but there was little connective tissue stringing them together. They seemed to get a little too carried away with the crowd heat, too, resulting in a few rushed sequences. Most vexing was the lack of conviction with which the Death Valley Driver spot to the apron was sold.
It was a fabulous exhibition of the modern cruiser style. But it wasn't near-perfect.