paul sosnowski Posted January 5, 2020 Report Share Posted January 5, 2020 Will Ospreay defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. Talk about it here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted January 6, 2020 Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 These two could have just settled for the high-octane spotfest we all expected, and while we more or less got that, it was the storytelling that took everything to the next level. Hiromu is the returning hero who is still struggling to adjust after such a long layoff due to injury. Meanwhile, Ospreay is the confident hotshot who's ruled the roost in Hiromu's absence. Ospreay seemed one step ahead almost the entire time and yet Hiromu just would not be denied. He held on just long enough each time to find an opening and he made the most of each one. Simple yet effective storytelling. And oh yeah, the spots were insane. ****3/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted January 6, 2020 Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 It's pretty rare for me to really care who wins and who loses. WK 14 night 1 had two such matches. This was one of them. I exhaled with genuine relief after every one of Ospreay's nearfalls. I marked out pretty hard for the ending. It's a great feeling to be taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride like that. As I said, it's pretty rare for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted January 6, 2020 Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 Awesome back and forth with Ospreay controlling things really well in the driver's seat. Do wish that Takahashi had sold the neck a little bit more but they compensated on that front with everything looking awesome. Surely there'll be some back and forth on the Sasuke Special spot but I thought it was awesome. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makai Club #1 Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 This had to deliver. Ospreay’s dominance all lead to Hiromu Takahashi returning from his neck break and challenging him for this show. You can only have high expectations for it. And it delivered on that. Ospreay going for Hiromu’s neck is scary. He’s been cleared so the neck is healed but it still sends shivers down my spine. Every kick, every submission, every piece of offence Ospreay used on the offence made that feeling a little worse. The hidden blade being in Ospreay’s pocket as well definitely increased the drama tenfold. Hiromu’s selling of the neck was perfect for this type of match. Hiromu was excellent as the underdog. His offence is pitch perfect his counter style approach to the match as were the nearfalls he got out of that style. Hiromu and Ospreay had some incredible counter exchanges as well. Mainly the Sasuke Special counter sequence which was incredible. Hiromu moving out of the way of the 1st Sasuke Special to hit the German which in turn got countered, Ospreay somehow ending back in the ring and finally hits the Sasuke Special. It came together perfectly as well. The finishing stretch with tons of counters, tons of big nearfalls and the crowd going crazy made for the perfect peak. Hiromu picks up where he left off and Ospreay continues his great form. Fantastic match that came together excellently from every angle, except the Hidden Blade got brushed off after it being teased a killer move and Hiromu having the perfect injury to maximise that effect. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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