5 Biggest Surprises Of The NJPW G1 29 Tournament So Far

2. Will Ospreay’s Ridiculous Hot Streak

Many of us thought a reality check was in store after a grueling Best of Super Jr.’s tournament that crowned Will Ospreay in an incredible finale against Takagi, merely four days before he defeated Dragon Lee for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.

Some strange ramblings in the post-match pressers combined with awkward in-ring promos indicated Ospreay had been fighting through injury (and some personal issues outside of the ring), which led many to believe an inevitable crash was about to follow the high highs of his lights-out BOSJ tournament.

Honestly it’s more my personal life.I think I have a hard time separating “Will Ospreay” the wrestler & Billy.And when Billy comes down it effects Will. This weeks was hard but yesterday I completely just opened up & told how I felt. It has really helped.

— ᵂⁱˡˡ ᴼˢᵖʳᵉᵃʸ • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) March 23, 2019

But, per usual, Ospreay’s doubters have been silenced in the G1 following several more 5-star matches and what appears to be a legitimate shot at carrying the briefcase when it's all said and done.

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Thom Fain is a journalist with more than a thousand bylines across the web. He's written for 155+ publications from local to international, covering topics like politics and sports. Thom enjoys the athletic spectacle of NJPW, and the excellence of its Japanese tradition.