Don't expect the full aerial arsenal of Will Ospreay to be on display in Best of Super Juniors.
Will Ospreay is known as one of the top junior heavyweights in the world but over the past year, he has changed his style, taking a more grounded and strike-heavy approach. Despite slowly morphing his style, Ospreay remains at the top of the junior heavyweight division and is one of the favorites to win the NJPW Best of Super Juniors tournament. In an interview with NJPW, Ospreay was asked about his evolving style and whether fans can expect to see a return to form that saw him break wrestling Twitter in his 2016 BOSJ match against Ricochet.
"I’m not sure if I would say that," said Ospreay. "You might have noticed, I’m not such an aerial guy anymore. I’ve been knocking guys out, picking them up and driving them to the mat. I can still do that aerial offence, and I can still do it better than anyone on the roster, but I can do everything else now as well, and I’m a lot stronger than I was even a year ago. Everybody needs to see me as the biggest threat in the block."
Ospreay continued, "I have moved up in weight yes, you can see that, but I’m still a junior heavyweight. The guidelines say a junior heavyweight is under 100kg. I’m 92. But what I’m saying is that I’m just as good as the heavyweights, and I’ve proved that every night. I proved it when I picked up Lance Archer and drove him to the mat, or when I knocked out Kota Ibushi, Jeff Cobb, Dalton Castle. I’ve taken Okada to the limit. What does ‘just a junior’ mean? The whole idea is that I’m going to win the junior heavyweight championship and then go on and challenge the heavyweight champion. I want the junior heavyweight championship in one hand and the heavyweight championship in the other. I’m the only one who can bridge that gap."
Ospreay won the NEVER Openweight Title earlier this year, defeating Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 13. He was victorious in his first Best of Super Juniors 26 contest, defeating BUSHI in B Block action.
