Hiromu Takahashi defeated Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 14 to recapture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The match was a hard hitting, brutal affair between two of the best performers in New Japan, nay, the global stage.
Hiromu Takahashi’s Injured Neck
Throughout the match Ospreay would work on Takahashi’s previously injured neck. An injury that many believed could’ve signalled the end of Takahashi’s in-ring career.
Highlights
You can check out some of the highlights from the incredible match below. These include a fantastic Sasuke Special from Ospreay and a huge Destroyer from Hiromu. You can order NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Nights 1, 2 and New Year Dash right now over at FITE.TV.
Hiromu Takahashi will now head into Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom to face Jyushin Thunder Liger in his official retirement match. Liger joined fellow legends Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask to open Wrestle Kingdom this year. This was the penultimate retirement match for the Juniors legend, wherein he took the pinfall loss. Jyushin Liger will be heading into his final ever match in a New Japan ring tomorrow night when he teams up with Naoki Sano to take on Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi. With Hiromu being IWGP Junior Champion it adds special precedence to the match, with Liger being the first man to ever defend the belt at the Tokyo Dome.
You can check out the full results from Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom right here.
*Credit to @MrLARIATO for the highlights below:
