NJPW Dominion 6.9: Star Ratings For All 9 Matches
3. Will Ospreay (C) Vs. Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title)
Five days removed from hosting a berserk violence party with Taiji Ishimori to conclude this year's Best of the Super Juniors tournament, Hiromu Takahashi met IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay in a rematch of February's New Beginning In Osaka bout, firmly re-establishing himself as the division's ace with another world-class performance.
The bout started with hellfire. The duo rushed each other at the bell, and they were soon battering each other all over ringside, delivering the kind of high-octane thrill-ride fans have come to expect from New Japan's two most suicidal juniors. At one point, 'The Aerial Assassin' left Hiromu at the bottom of the ramp, retreated, then darted all the way down, delivering a lightning-quick flip dive that should've left both with shattered vertebrae. It was breathtaking.
The action slowed down thereafter, with Takahashi smartly targeting the champion's injured neck while taking a typically inhuman volume of punishment himself. Hiromu survived a brutal head-drop. Then, he pulled out the big guns, Sunset Powerbombing Ospreay to the outside, nailing the Dynamite Plunger, then working towards an awesome conclusion that saw him transition from triangle hold, to Piledriver, to Time Bomb, finally putting Ospreay away.
High, spots, psychology, wild athleticism, and a complete disregard for health and safety, this was a delicious Junior Heavyweight cocktail.
Star Rating: ****1/2