2016 winner of the Best of the Super Juniors, Will Ospreay, will face the newest member of Bullet Club, Marty Scurll, on the opening night of the 2017 tournament. Ospreay was the first UK born competitor to win the event last year, and will kickstart this year’s event on Wednesday in Tokyo. BOSJ 2017 will live stream on NJPWWorld.com.

Will Ospreay talks about the stacked 2017 line up, as he seeks to become back to back Best of the Super Juniors!https://t.co/XZUZCGSyMG pic.twitter.com/0OT6emYnXN

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) May 15, 2017

Will Ospreay on the Best of the Super Juniors 2017

Ospreay earned an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship match against Kushida for winning the 2016 BOSJ. Unfortunately for Ospreay, he was not able to turn his BOSJ victory into championship gold.

As for Kushida, he fell out of the title picture recently after losses to current champion, Los Ingobernables’ Hiromu Takahashi. If Kushida is going to get back into the title picture, he will need to a strong showing in the round-robin based tournament this year.

In speaking with NJPW’s english language site, njpw1972.com, Ospreay had this to say:

On his first tournament opponent Marty Scurrll:

“He’s in Best of the Super Juniors? Excellent! He’s so different. Like a comic book super villain. I have a lot of respect for Marty because we’ve travelled up and down the UK and around the world. To bring the Villain against the Aerial Assassin in New Japan is hugely exciting. We’ll take it to a whole new stratosphere.”

On how another match with Ricochet in this year’s tournament will go:

“The same way I did the first time. I go there, I be me, and we show wrestling is an art form. But the result will be the same. I walk in, and walk out a winner.”

On facing Jushin Liger in possibly his last BOSJ:

“Last year we faced each other in England and I dressed up as Liger, Liger versus Dark Liger. I have so much respect and admiration for him. If I could aspire to be anyone, it’s him. He’s a legend, but legends slowly fade out and slowly die. Best of the Super Juniors is a young man’s game and it’s my tournament. I’ll show him what happened last year wasn’t a fluke and I will hit him with the Os Cutter one more time.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the full schedule for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The tournament will be taking place from May 17th to June 3rd.

The two blocks for the opening round are as follows:

Block A

• Jushin Thunder Liger
• Ricochet
• Dragon Lee
• Will Ospreay
• TAKA Michinoku
• Taichi
• Marty Scurll
• Hiromu Takahashi

Block B

• Tiger Mask IV
• Ryusuke Taguchi
• KUSHIDA
• Volador Jr.
• El Desperado
• Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• ACH
• BUSHI

Best of the Super Juniors XXIV Schedule (May 17 – June 3)

May 17 (Live on NJPW World @ 2:30am PDT / 5:30am EDT / 10:30am BST / 6:30pm JST)

• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. TAKA Michinoku
• B-Block: Tiger Mask IV vs. Volador Jr.
• A-Block: Ricochet vs. Taichi
• B-Block: ACH vs. BUSHI
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. El Desperado
• A-Block: Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• A-Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee

May 18 (Live on NJPW World @ 2:30am PDT / 5:30am EDT / 10:30am BST / 6:30pm JST)

• A-Block: Taichi vs. TAKA Michinoku
• A-Block: Dragon Lee vs. Marty Scurll
• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi
• A-Block: Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay

May 20 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• B-Block: ACH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask IV
• B-Block: BUSHI vs. El Desperado
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Volador Jr.

May 21 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• A-Block: Will Ospreay vs. TAKA Michinoku
• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Marty Scurll
• A-Block: Dragon Lee vs. Taichi
• A-Block: Ricochet vs. Hiromu Takahashi

May 22 (Live on NJPW World @ 2:30am PDT / 5:30am EDT / 10:30am BST / 6:30pm JST)

• B-Block: Volador Jr. vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• B-Block: ACH vs. Tiger Mask IV
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI

May 23 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• A-Block: TAKA Michinoku vs. Marty Scurll
• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Will Ospreay
• A-Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taichi
• A-Block: Ricochet vs. Dragon Lee

May 25 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• B-Block: Tiger Mask IV vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• B-Block: Volador Jr. vs. El Desperado
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. BUSHI
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. ACH

May 26 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• A-Block: Marty Scurll vs. Taichi
• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Ricochet
• A-Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. TAKA Michinoku
• A-Block: Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay

May 27 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• B-Block: ACH vs. El Desperado
• B-Block: Volador Jr. vs. BUSHI
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tiger Mask IV
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

May 28 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• A-Block: Ricochet vs. TAKA Michinoku
• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Dragon Lee
• A-Block: Will Ospreay vs. Taichi
• A-Block: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll

May 29 (Live on NJPW World @ 2:30am PDT / 5:30am EDT / 10:30am BST / 6:30pm JST)

• B-Block: Tiger Mask IV vs. El Desperado
• B-Block: BUSHI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• B-Block: Volador Jr. vs. ACH
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. Ryusuke Taguchi

May 31 (Tape Delay – Tournament Matches Only)

• A-Block: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Taichi
• A-Block: Ricochet vs. Marty Scurll
• A-Block: Dragon Lee vs. TAKA Michinoku
• A-Block: Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi

June 1 (Status Currently Unknown)

• B-Block: Tiger Mask IV vs. BUSHI
• B-Block: KUSHIDA vs. Volador Jr.
• B-Block: El Desperado vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• B-Block: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. ACH

June 3 (Live on NJPW World @ 1:00am PDT / 4:00am EDT / 9:00am BST / 5:00pm JST)

• A-Block Winner vs. B-Block Winner

Credit to r/squaredcircle for the full breakdown of matches

Will Ospreay shared an interesting fact on social media while doing his taxes recently. The first ever British wrestler to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament (2016), plans to write-off £10,169.64 in ring-gear related expenses.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTtxc1pjFvl/

Will Ospreay in 2016

While his ring-gear expenses seem unusually high, there can be no doubts that Will Ospreay has raised a lot of eyebrows this year. His performance in the Best of the Super Juniors last spring put a jolt into Japan’s junior heavyweight division.

The Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from last year’s tournament is essential viewing for any fan of the division. It caused some controversy however, as the high-spot focussed match drew the ire of many wrestling purists. If you like high-spots however, this match is arguably one of the greatest of all time.

the 23 year-old has been wrestling since 2012, but debuted in both ROH and NJPW last year.

‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll is beginning to make his mark on the worldwide independent scene. The current Ring of Honor Television Champion will be taking part in Revolution Pro’s British J Cup on July 8th at the Walthamstow Assembly Hall in London, England.

The ‘Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay will also be taking part in the first ever British J Cup alongside his fellow countryman. Scurll/Ospreay are the first two British stars announced for the one day tournament behind New Japan Pro Wrestling’s KUSHIDA & Jushin Thunder Liger.

Both Scurll/Ospreay will also be taking part in this year’s Best of The Super Juniors tournament in New Japan. This will Scurll’s debut for the company and Ospreay will be looking to win the tournament again after his stellar performance in 2016.

Will this be the summer of The Villain? Marty Scurll add's the #BritishJCup to his list of wants https://t.co/LhHedYxXS8 for tickets pic.twitter.com/yPUEQkRYK9

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) May 4, 2017

New Japan posted a tweet today teasing some of the potential competitors in this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.

Several of NJPW’s biggest Juniors stars will be participating in the annual event:

• 2016 Winner – Will Ospreay
• Jushin Thunder Liger
• Ricochet
• Taguchi
• KUSHIDA
• Hiromu Takahashi
• BUSHI
• Dragon Lee
• Tiger Mask

https://twitter.com/newjapaneng/status/858136286208679936

WWE recently announced their newest Pay Per View/Network event taking place in July named ‘Great Balls of Fire.’ New Japan sent out a tweet today appearing to take a dig at WWE for their choice of name:

https://twitter.com/newjapaneng/status/858035817851367424

PROGRESS Wrestling hosted their 46th Chapter event this past Sunday. ‘I Like to Chill out Here and Shoot some Dinosaurs’ took place at a sold out Electric Ballroom in Camden, London and featured one of the most stacked cards in company history. Here are the results:

The Origin (Nathan Cruz & Zack Gibson) b. The Origin ‘Banter Edition’ (Dave Mastiff & El Ligero) – The long standing Origin stable officially imploded in a fun opening bout which ended with a double lung blower from Cruz/Gibson for the win

Natural Progression Series IV Semi Final Match – Toni Storm b. Dahlia Black – Despite TK Cooper’s attempted interference Storm hit a Piledriver to secure a place in the Natural Progression final against Jinny. The winner of that bout will be crowned the first ever PROGRESS Women’s champion. Unfortunately after the match it transpired that Dahlia Black had broken her ankle:

https://twitter.com/blahliadack/status/846333454086213632

Travis Banks b. Jack Sexsmith – Banks took the win after a fantastic back and forth match that further solidifies Jack Sexsmith as one of the rising stars on the UK scene.

Mark Haskins b. Axel Dieter Jr. – After a technical showcase Haskins took the win with his Sharpshooter variant

Loser Leaves PROGRESS Fans Bring The Weapons Match – Jimmy Havoc b. Will Ospreay – Before the bout Ospreay demanded that it be changed to a ‘loser leaves PROGRESS’ match. Company co-owner Jim Smallman agreed and after 3 Barbed Wire Acid Rainmakers Will Ospreay’s PROGRESS Career is seemingly over.

PROGRESS Tag Team Title Match – Trent Seven & Tyler Bate (c) b. The Hunter Brothers  – British Strong Style unveiled a brand new set of Tag Team belts to replace the company’s Tag Team Shields. BSS retained their newly designed belts (which you can see below).

https://twitter.com/LeatherRebels/status/846137253210603520

PROGRESS Atlas Title Match – Matt Riddle (c) b. WALTER – Riddle successfully defended his ATLAS title via submission

PROGRESS World Title Match – Pete Dunne (c) b. Mark Andrews – After a match marred with controversy (and a false finish) Pete Dunne leaves once again with the PROGRESS title around his waist.

Holy heck; that was a show!!! Thank you to every single one of you who spent our 5th birthday with us. Next stop – Orlando#Chapter46 pic.twitter.com/ZIF1Al8t8j

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) March 26, 2017

Here are the results from PROGRESS Wrestling’s latest Chapter event – Galvanize. The show took place at the O2 Ritz in Manchester in front of a sold out crowd:

PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match – British Strong Style (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) b. Travis Banks & TK Cooper – The WWE UK Division competitors Seven & Bate successfully retained their Tag Team Title Shields against the South Pacific Power Trip.

Zack Gibson b. El Ligero – Gibson took the win against his former Origin stablemate using his ‘Helter Skelter’ signature move. Nathan Cruz appeared during the match to distract Ligero leading to the finish.

James Drake b. Jack Sexsmith – Sexsmith continues to prove himself as a viable competitor in PROGRESS even with this loss against Drake. This is Drake’s second win in as many Chapter appearances and he looks set to make a big impact in PROGRESS this year.

Mark Andrews b. Will Ospreay – The Number 1 Contender to the PROGRESS Championship Mark Andrews continues his hot streak with a win over NJPW star Ospreay. After the match Jimmy Havoc appeared to beat down the Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay in an attempt to stop him interfering in the main event.

Ringkampf (Walter & Axel Dieter Jr) b. The Hunter Brothers – wXw heroes Ringkampf continue to prove their worth to the PROGRESS faithful with a win over the Hunter Brothers

Flash Morgan Webster b. Nathan Cruz – Morgan Webster picks up the win in his first singles appearance for the company since his long layoff with injury. Cruz has now lost two in a row at Chapter events and he took his anger out on ‘Flash’ after the bout.

Jinny b. Nixon Newell – Jinny defeated NXT bound Nixon Newell to advance to the final of the Natural Progression series, she looks set to win the tournament and become the first ever PROGRESS Women’s Champion. 

PROGRESS Championship Match – Pete Dunne b. Jimmy Havoc – Dunne retained his championship in an incredible deathmatch that involved thumbtacks, tables, barbed wire and an interfering Will Ospreay. After the bout Ospreay laid out Havoc and screamed ‘THIS HAS TO END.’

Thank you Manchester. Goodness, that was something else. Next stop, Camden #Chapter45 pic.twitter.com/kHtyIFprbm

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) March 19, 2017

WCPW will be hosting their latest live event on Monday 20th from the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England.

Dubbed ‘Bulletproof,’ the show is a Bullet Club themed event and several bouts have already been announced including:

• WCPW Title Match: DREW GALLOWAY vs JOE COFFEY
• ADAM COLE vs ZACK SABRE JR
• Magnificent Seven Match: RICOCHET vs DOUG WILLIAMS vs MARTY SCURLL vs BT GUNN vs MARTIN KIRBY vs TRAVIS BANKS vs EL LIGERO
• VIPER vs LANA AUSTIN
• RAMPAGE vs DRAKE
• GRADO vs PRINCE AMEEN

What Culture have now announced that the WCPW Tag Team Titles will be on the line in a very special 4-way bout. The Young Bucks, Swords of Essex, Prospect and the team of Matt Riddle & Liam Slater will be looking to prove they are the best team in What Culture Pro Wrestling.

The event will be available to view live via the What Culture Extra service at 7pm GMT (that’s 3pm Eastern and 12pm Pacific): whatculture.com/extra.

Tag Titles on the line at #Bulletproof on Monday, live on https://t.co/pZZ5bHBJGJ at 7pm UK!

Get tickets: https://t.co/YD2SLjZtEm pic.twitter.com/AhUBVONder

— DEFIANT Wrestling (@DEFIANTwres) March 17, 2017

Fight Club: Pro just held arguably the biggest weekend of the company’s existence with two nights in the illustrious Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, England. Dubbed ‘Rise Against’ and ‘The First Female of Fight Club’ the two nights showcased the best that Fight Club has to offer and made for a fitting farewell for one of the most beloved competitors ever to step foot in the Fixxion.

Here are the results from Friday Night’s Rise Against show:

• ‘Session Moth’ Martina b. Chief Deputy Dunne by Homicide.
• Fatal Four Way Match: The Dunnedertaker (Damian Dunne) (w/Martina) b. Clint Margera, Dan Moloney and David Starr via Pinfall.
• Candice LeRae b. Kay Lee Ray via Pinfall.
• The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter) b.  Joe Coffey & Omari via Pinfall
• British Rounds Match: Jimmy Havoc b. Mikey Whiplash in Round 5.
• Chris Brookes b. Nixon Newell via Pinfall.
• British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) b. Travis Banks, Will Ospreay & Wolfgang via Pinfall.

Before the British Strong Style match the three men (who have recently signed contracts with the WWE) re-enacted Triple H’s entrance in tribute:

We went too far this time. #TripleHouse pic.twitter.com/sKjqt6g4oR

— ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne (@PeteDunneYxB) March 18, 2017

Here are the results from Saturday Night’s First Female of Fight Club show:

UK independent promotion What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) announced back in January that they would be hosting the first ever ‘Pro Wrestling World Cup,’ an event that would take place over several qualifying stages over the coming months that would build up to the finals in August.

The first of the qualifying nights takes place on March 21st at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Nottingham, England and tickets are still available to purchase at Eventbrite.uk.

The brackets for the English Qualifying Round can be found below. The two eventual winners will then go on to compete at the finals in Newcastle, England this August.

Confirmed bracket for England qualifier in Pro Wrestling World Cup. Which two competitors will progress to the finals in August? pic.twitter.com/NxzTRV1dan

— ProWrestlingWorldCup (@prowresworldcup) February 22, 2017

• Will Ospreay vs Martin Kirby
• Rampage vs Nick Aldis
• Marty Scurll vs Zack Sabre Jr
• Jimmy Havoc vs Zack Gibson

Also scheduled to appear on the night are:

• Drew Galloway vs Ricochet
• The Prestige vs Bullet Club (The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Cody Rhodes)
• Joe Hendry
• Joe Coffey
• Travis Banks
• BT Gunn
• Gabriel Kidd
• El Ligero

The event will be taped to air for free on Youtube at a later date.

Just ONE WEEK away… see it live in Nottingham! Airing at a later date on YouTube. Tickets: https://t.co/esF4QYdLo9 #WCPW pic.twitter.com/kkowebT0Pe

— DEFIANT Wrestling (@DEFIANTwres) March 14, 2017

Coming soon. #ProWrestlingWorldCup pic.twitter.com/25wfndSNsk

— ProWrestlingWorldCup (@prowresworldcup) January 17, 2017

PROGRESS have announced the final matches for their Chapter 45 event: ‘Galvanize.’ The show takes place this Sunday at the O2 Ritz in Manchester and will be available on demand within the week.

• Zack Gibson vs El Ligero

The ‘Origin’ stable continues to implode as ‘Liverpool’s Number 1’ Zack Gibson challenges El Ligero. After his impressive win against Nathan Cruz the ‘Lucha Otter’ El Ligero looks to re-establish himself in the PROGRESS singles scene and a win against one of the company’s most impressive talents (in Gibson) would certainly go a long way towards gaining an eventual PROGRESS title shot.

.@Ligero1 knocked off Nathan Cruz at #OMYAC; this Sunday he faces @ZackGibson01 as the #Origin continue to implode… pic.twitter.com/GwmTDgULU7

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) March 13, 2017

• Will Ospreay vs Mark Andrews

Two of the world’s premier high-flyers collide when NJPW star Will Ospreay takes on WWE UK Division competitor Mark Andrews. Ospreay has not stepped foot in a PROGRESS ring since his beatdown of Jimmy Havoc and reformation of the Swords of Essex with Paul Robinson so expect his reception in Manchester to be extremely hostile. Andrews has a PROGRESS championship match in his future after winning the Thunderb*stard match so this one could go either way.

Ospreay/Andrews IV. Sunday. Manchester. #ThisIsProgress pic.twitter.com/wHzoTMYas2

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) March 13, 2017

WCPW have announced that their Bullet Club themed March 20th event ‘Bulletproof’ will now be moving to a larger room in the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester. The venue change has prompted the company to release more tickets for sale in what promises to be a star-studded event. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wcpw-manchester-march-20th-live-wrestling-tickets-31029100876.

The announced performers and matches for the event are as follows:

• WCPW World Title Match – DREW GALLOWAY vs TBC
• Ring of Honor World Title Match – ADAM COLE vs ZACK SABRE JR
• WCPW Women’s Title Match – BEA PRIESTLEY vs TBC
• WCPW Internet Title Match – CODY RHODES vs TBC
• WCPW Tag Team Title Match – SWORDS OF ESSEX (Will Ospreay/Scott Wainwright) vs TBC

Plus…

• The Young Bucks
• Ricochet
• Matt Riddle
• Marty Scurll
• Martin Kirby
• Joe Hendry
• Joe Coffey
• BT Gunn
• Travis Banks
• Rampage
• Grado
• Doug Williams
• Gabriel Kidd

BULLETPROOF! We're switching rooms within the current venue in Manchester and more tickets are now on sale! https://t.co/YD2SLjZtEm pic.twitter.com/tu7BdO9wl6

— DEFIANT Wrestling (@DEFIANTwres) March 8, 2017

Fight Club: Pro have announced the full cards for their March 17th/18th events that take place at the Fixxion, Wolverhampton. Tickets for the two events are still available to purchase from the Fight Club: Pro website: fightclubpro.bigcartel.com/products

If you’ve never had the opportunity to see the unique underground style of Fight Club: Pro then it is definitely worth taking a look at their On Demand Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/ondemand/fightclubpro/153536277. Their shows are available to purchase for a cheap one off fee (around 5$).

‘Rise Against’ takes place on March 17th and the following matches have been announced:

• British Strong Style vs Team Buzzsaw (Travis Banks, Will Ospreay and Wolfgang)
• British Rounds Match: Jimmy Havoc vs Mikey Whiplash
• Mark Haskins vs David Starr vs Clint Margera vs Dan Moloney
• Candice LeRae vs Kay Lee Ray
• Nixon Newell vs Chris Brookes
• Dream Tag Team Invitational Qualifier 1

Tickets are now incredibly limited for this. Don't miss out…

Tickets: https://t.co/rXwZRGJiTf pic.twitter.com/l1SE5DTp6c

— Fight Club: PRO (@Fightclubpro) March 5, 2017

The second night of the FCP Weekender is being billed as the ‘First Lady of Fight Club’ event (named after fan favourite Nixon Newell), the announced card for this event is as follows:

• Fight Club: Pro Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) vs Travis Banks
• Nixon Newell vs Candice LeRae
• Will Ospreay vs Mark Haskins
• Moustache Mountain are signed to appear
• Dream Tag Team Invitational Qualifier 2

Join us to celebrate "The First Female of Fight Club". Be sure to be there for this truly epic occasion.

Tickets: https://t.co/rXwZRGJiTf pic.twitter.com/7O1TSCMcQY

— Fight Club: PRO (@Fightclubpro) March 5, 2017

UK Independent promotion What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) have announced that their latest ‘PPV quality’ event ‘Exit Wounds’ will be available to view live and for free on their dedicated YouTube channel. The event takes place on March 6th at 7:15pm UK Time (that is 11:15am Pacific and 2:15pm Eastern).

Currently announced matches for Exit Wounds are as follows:

WCPW World Championship Match
Drew Galloway [Champion] Vs Will Ospreay [WCPW Tag Team Champion]

WCPW Internet Championship Match
Cody Rhodes [Champion] Vs Liam Slater

Ring of Honor Showcase Bout
Delirious Vs Silas Young

Revolution Pro Wrestling Showcase Bout
Marty Scurll Vs David Starr

Martin Kirby Vs BT Gunn

Check out the Tweet below for more information on the event:

NEW TIME! #WCPW Exit Wounds will now start broadcasting 15 minutes earlier at 7.15pm GMT https://t.co/a8A6FSZzkl pic.twitter.com/Nmi6EaEb4d

— DEFIANT Wrestling (@DEFIANTwres) March 1, 2017

The WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup looks set to be one of the biggest events of the year and the entire event will be available to watch for free via the WCPW Youtube channel.

There will be 8 nations represented in the tournament and the performers in the English, Scottish, Mexican and German qualifying rounds have been revealed:

England – March 21st in Nottingham, England

• Rampage
• Zack Sabre Jr
• Marty Scurll
• Will Ospreay
• Martin Kirby
• Zack Gibson
• Jimmy Havoc
• Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis.

Scotland – March 23rd in Motherwell, Scotland

• Drew Galloway
• Joe Coffey
• Lewis Girvan
• Kenny Williams
• Joe Hendry
• Mark Coffey
• BT Gunn
• Liam Thomson

Mexico – April 30th in Coventry, England

• Rey Mysterio Jr
• Alberto El Patron
• Caristico
• Penta El 0m
• Rey Fenix
• El Hijo del Dos Caras
• Drago,
• El Ligero

Germany – July 2nd in Berlin, Germany

• Bad Bones
• Axel Dieter Jr
• Juvenile X
• Crazy Sexy Mike
• Cash Money Erkan
• Lucky Kid
• Tarkan Aslan
• Pascal Spalter

The US, Japanese, Canadian, and Rest of the World groups will be revealed at a later date.

The Easter Weekend Fight Club: Pro events were already looking like some of the most must see shows in the UK this year, and now they have announced that Will Ospreay will be appearing on Friday 14th April at the Fixxion in Wolverhampton and Sunday 16th April at the Bush Hall in London.

Other stars announced for these shows are:

• Pentagon Jr
• Sami Callihan
• Moustache Mountain
• Travis Banks
• Zack Sabre Jr
• Rey Fenix
• Pete Dunne
• Chris Brookes
• Shane Strickland
• Marty Scurll
• FSU – Mark Andrews and Eddie Dennis
• Kenny Omega
• The Young Bucks
• Mark Haskins
• Dan Moloney

Guess you can't put on one of the best shows in the country without one of the best fighters in the country… pic.twitter.com/MmFWe0tVK6

— Fight Club: PRO (@Fightclubpro) February 14, 2017

Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ event that took place in Osaka, Japan to a gate of around 5,500 people:

We reported earlier in the week that Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks would be making their way to Ireland’s biggest Independent promotion this April. OTT have now announced their opponents for the Scrappermania event that takes place April 15th at the National Stadium in Dublin.

Omega and Bucks will taking on the team of Will Ospreay, Ryan Smile and Ricochet (being billed as the Uptown Funkers). The match announcement has been a huge hit among the OTT faithful and further shows the International reach that New Japan Pro Wrestling is garnering.

Huge main event set. Tickets on sale this thur at 10am. April 15th National Stadium Dublin Ireland https://t.co/Nh4CDWeGmP pic.twitter.com/puMUJlX0R2

— OTT WRESTLING (@OTT_wrestling) February 7, 2017

Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ show that took place in Sapporo, Japan:

Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato – Desperado hit the Guitara de Angel on Kawato to take the win for his team. He now looks set to join the Junior ranks in NJPW following a staredown with KUSHIDA after the match.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata b. Yoshitatsu, Henare & Tomoyuki Oka – Nagata took the submission win with the Nagata Lock 2 on Oka.

Will Ospreay, Jado & Gedo b. Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – Ospreay hit the OsCutter on Tiger Mask to take the pinfall victory. He stated after the match that he would defeat Shibata for the Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship on February 11th

YOSHI-HASHI b. Takashi Iizuka – YOSHI-HASHI took the win in around 7 minutes with the Karma

Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi – Dragon Lee won the bout following the Death Nukadora in around 13 minutes, he and Takahashi had a staredown after the bout ahead of their clash over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight belt on February 11th.

IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: Rocky Romero & Barreta b. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku – Barretta hit the Strong Zero on TAKA Michinoku to retain the belts for Roppongi Vice in their 1st defence as champions.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto b. Juice Robinson – Goto successfully defended his NEVER title after hitting the GTR for the pinfall victory. This was his first defence since winning the title from Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom.

IWGP Tag Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. – Yano rolled up Makabe in a schoolboy for the pinfall victory, this was also Ishii/Yano’s first title defence.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada b. Minoru Suzuki – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Suzuki for his third successful title defence. No one appeared after the match to challenge Okada for the belt however Okada hinted that Tiger Mask W may be his next feud.

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??????????????W???????!!
2.5???????????(https://t.co/7xh3nqaLQZ)???????#njnbg #njpw pic.twitter.com/mwXlqWwLYH

— ?????????????? (@njpw1972) February 5, 2017

PROGRESS Atlas Champion Matt Riddle has been announced for the PROGRESS ‘Freedom’s Road’ tapings on March 6th/7th. This will be the second bout of tapings for the company’s new concept that launched last month as an alternative to their previous ENDVR shows.

Although traditionally PROGRESS tend to focus heavily on UK based talents Riddle has been a revelation since debuting at Chapter 39 ‘The Graps of Wrath’ against Will Ospreay. He followed this up by answering Rampage Brown’s open challenge for the ATLAS title and won the bout to become the 2nd ATLAS Champion in PROGRESS history.

#Atlas champ @riddletuf7 will be at @DomeTufnellPark for #FreedomsRoad, 6th/7th March! Tix: https://t.co/JqyqGsHDcG pic.twitter.com/lvkohDnQUH

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 1, 2017

Here are the results from the third and final day of the CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania shows, the event is available to view on the NJPW World service now:

Cavernario, Jado & Gedo b. Blue Panther Jr., Soberano Jr. & Henare – Cavernario took the win for his team following the Cavernaria on Blue Panther Jr

Stuka Jr., Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Hechicero, OKUMURA & Raziel – Tiger Mask took the win for his team after hitting a Tiger Suplex on Raziel

Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI b. Dragon Lee & Titan – BUSHI took the win after catching Titan in the BUSHI ROLL. After the match Takahashi took Dragon Lee’s mask

Ephisto, Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay b. Maximo Sexy, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Taguchi to take the win via pinfall

Rush, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & EVIL b. Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & David Finlay – Naito took the pinfall win over Finlay

Mistico b. Euforia – Mistico took the win after hitting the La Mistica in just over 11 minutes

Volador Jr. b. Ultimo Guerrero – Volador Jr took the win after hitting an incredible Avalanche Spanish Fly 

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1.22????????????????????(https://t.co/7xh3nqaLQZ )??????!!#njcmll #njpw #cmll pic.twitter.com/K33QqzX8ak

— ?????????????? (@njpw1972) January 22, 2017

What Culture Pro Wrestling will be presenting ‘True Destiny’ live on iPPV next month from Milton Keynes (UK). The show will be headlined by a huge international bout between Alberto El Patron and soon to-be-inducted WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.

WCPW have now announced another bout for their third iPPV event and it will be a rematch from one of the most talked about bouts of 2016. Will Ospreay will once again be taking on Ricochet in what promises to be a high-flying affair.

Other names announced for the Milton Keynes event are:

• Drew Galloway
• Zack Sabre Jr
• Pentagon Jr
• Drago
• Travis Banks
• Tessa Blanchard
• Joe Hendry
• Martin Kirby
• Moss & Slater
• Bea Priestley
• Primate
• Rampage
• Swords of Essex

Rematch… it's ON. #TrueDestiny Tickets: https://t.co/VcDTOd71me pic.twitter.com/8dL0RQ79Tl

— DEFIANT Wrestling (@DEFIANTwres) January 17, 2017

Here are the results from Revolution Pro Wrestling’s first York Hall show of the year. The promotion has been growing rapidly in popularity over the past year and with this absolutely stacked card that trend looks set to continue:

RPW Interim British Cruiserweight Championship Match: Josh Bodom b. Ryan Smile – Bodom took the win via pinfall to become the Interim Crusierweight Champion. The Interim title has been introduced as current champion Will Ospreay is tied up with New Japan & Ring of Honor commitments

RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Championship Match: Joel Redman & Charlie Sterling b. War Machine – Redman and Sterling took the win to retain their titles after hitting a spinning tombstone on Rowe

YOSHI-HASHI b. Pete Dunne – YOSHI-HASHI took the win after hitting the Karma

Zack Sabre Jr. b. Marty Scurll – Sabre took the win after avoiding a Crossface Chickenwing attempt and rolling Scurll up for the three count 

Trent Seven b. Trevor Lee – Seven took the win after hitting his second Snap Piledriver of the match to take the pinfall

Jay White b. Martin Stone – NJPW Young Lion Jay White took the upset win after making Stone tap with a Boston Crab

RPW Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship Match: Katsuyori Shibata b. Matt Riddle – In what was easily the MOTN Shibata retained his title using a rear naked choke. Shibata will now defend his belt against Will Ospreay at the NJPW New Beginning show in February

We are sold out here at York Hall! It might be cold outside but the action is heating up in here #britishwrestling #revpro #london pic.twitter.com/OrkTD4NVb2

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) January 21, 2017

Here are the results from CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s co-branded Fantasticamania show that took place at the world famous Korakuen Hall (01/21- Day 2). If you are unfamiliar with Lucha style wrestling then this show (available on NJPW World) is certainly worth a watch.

Ephesto, Raziel, Jado & Gedo b. Blue Panther Jr., Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Ephesto pinned Blue Panther to take the win for his team

Stuka Jr. b. OKUMURA – Stuka took the win in just under 8 minutes with a Torpedo Splash

Barbaro Cavernario, Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay b. Soberano Jr., KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi – Cavernario took the win for his team after hitting a Cavernaria on Soberano

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI b. Dragon Lee, Titan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson & David Finlay – SANADA took the win for Los Ingobernables after hitting the Skull End on David Finlay

Ultimo Guerrero & Euforia b. Mistico & Volador Jr. – Ultimo took the win for his team with the Guerrero special on Volador Jr

Rush b. Atlantis – Rush hit the Rush Driver to secure the pinfall win in just under 11 minutes

CMLL World Heavyweight Championship Match: Maximo Sexy b. Hechicero – Maximo retained his CMLL World Heavyweight title after hitting an Avalanche style Frankensteiner on Hechicero

#njcmll Day2 of The Korakuen 3-day show starts in about 3 hours! Sign up or Login & Get ready for Gong! https://t.co/cEFFsYKcrQ pic.twitter.com/uAmLL8p6SB

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 21, 2017

FloSlam.Tv have announced that new UK promotion Lucha Forever will be joining their on demand roster. The debut event for the promotion takes place April 17th in Birmingham at a yet to be named venue.

For the past couple of weeks Lucha Forever have been slowly revealing more information regarding their live events and roster, some of the talents that you will be able to see live at their Birmingham and Cardiff events are:

• Pete Dunne
• Will Ospreay
• Mark Andrews
• Zack Sabre Jr
• Marty Scurll
• El Ligero
• Travis Banks
• Ryan Smile

Check out luchaforever.com for more info.

https://twitter.com/FloSlam/status/821417455142764544