PROGRESS has announced a huge Tag Team Title match for their upcoming Chapter 84 event.

Swords of Essex (Will Ospreay and Paul Robinson) will be defending against Aussie Open. Ospreay and Robinson shockingly won the titles at Chapter 82: Unboxing. The Unboxing show is an annual event where the card is a complete mystery to fans. Ospreay appeared alongside his longtime friend/rival Robinson just days before Wrestle Kingdom in January. Ospreay and Robinson then took the titles off of Aussie Open, ending their first reign with the belts. Aussie Open won the Championship back at the PROGRESS Wembley show last year.

This will be the Sword’s second defence of the titles, having defeated CCK back at Chapter 83: Remove Child Before Ironing. Ospreay and Robinson defeated Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos in a great match to retain their new belts.

Aussie Open recently defeated the Do Not Resuscitate team to earn this shot at the tag team Champions. Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher have been an electric tag team ever since they joined the UK scene just a few years ago. The two men arrived in England as singles competitors but quickly joined forces to become one of the most beloved tandems in the UK scene.

In the last 2 months: #AussieOpen have lost the tag titles, regrouped, beaten #DoNotResuscitate for a chance to win them back; #SwordsOfEssex have made a huge return to PROGRESS, won the tag titles, and seen off #CCK. Huge title match for #Chapter84 in store! #ThisIsPROGRESS pic.twitter.com/Yk3zb9yrqk

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 11, 2019

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) will be presenting their long awaited High Stakes 2019 event later this week. The company sold out tickets for the show based on one match alone, Will Ospreay vs PAC. The company’s High Stakes 2019 event takes place from the world famous York Hall in London.

Since the announcement UK fans have been anticipating this dream match. Ever since PAC (formerly Neville) left WWE Ospreay has made his intentions to face the high flying star clear.

When the match was finally announced for Rev Pro Ospreay took to Twitter and stated “If I have learnt anything from Rev Pro booking what is being titled a “genuine dream match” is that this is a symbol to show even though some guys in the UK are being locked down in where they can compete, our country can thrive without being part of the system.”

Ospreay has been vocal regarding the recent NXT UK Superstar contract changes. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ is one of the few UK stars signed to NJPW alongside Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. This bout shows that there are opportunities for promotions outside of the ‘WWE bubble’ to thrive on the UK scene.

The match will be available to view on demand over the weekend.

Current New Japan Pro Wrestling NEVER Openweight champion, Will Ospreay, has shared that he has recently sustained an injury. This occurred during a Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) event in Bristol, England.

Thankfully, however, the injury isn’t a major one — though still frustrating enough for Ospreay to tweet about via social media.

Somehow, “The Sky King” managed to break his toe whilst taking an arm drag.

“I broke my toe taking an arm drag. I think God is f***ing with me”

He would follow up with a further update, highlighting that the “Bruising is coming out….as well as the bone not being in the right place”.

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1089641449669488642

This injury hasn’t stymied his enthusiasm over his upcoming match against PAC. The two will clash in a matchup for Rev Pro’s High Stakes 2019 show, which takes place on Friday, February 15th in York Hall, Bethnal Green, London.

A toe injury, though not as serious as others that could be suffered, could still have an effect on Ospreay’s mobility, possibly forcing him to modify his arsenal against the wrestler formerly known as Neville. Despite this, Ospreay promises that “9 toes or 10 I’m gunna be at York Hall”.

“9 toes or 10 I’m gunna be at York Hall” – @WillOspreay @OBEYBrookes has other ideas.#RevProBristol pic.twitter.com/ycfnxJChKx

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) January 27, 2019

Will you be in attendance for this epic clash? Who do you think will come out on top, Ospreay or PAC?

Kota Ibushi took part in a hellacious match against Will Ospreay at this past week’s Wrestle Kingdom event. Opening the show in the Tokyo Dome. Near the end of the bout Ibushi took a patented and violent elbow from Ospreay which many believed may have caused a concussion.

The actual ‘sell’ of the move was all part of the story, however Ibushi did actually suffer from a concussion. Earlier in the bout Ospreay hit a kick in the corner which caused the minor concussion, this lead to Ibushi being taken out on a stretcher. The stretcher spot was used to write off Ibushi from the upcoming tour. Ospreay will be unable to appear on the latest tour due to his WoS/World of Sport commitments, so this should hopefully lead to a further program between the two later down the line.

According to the Wrestling Observer things could’ve been much worse still. Ibushi suffered from an eye injury that was originally believed to be a detached retina. It appears as though this isn’t the case and whilst he is not 100% he is recovering and expected to be training again within the next few days.

PROGRESS has announced that Will Ospreay will once again be returning ‘home.’ The current NEVER Openweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling will be taking part in the 83rd Chapter event ‘Remove Child Before Ironing.’ This takes place on 20th January from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, England.

Ospreay recently returned to the company for the ‘Unboxing’ event in December. Unboxing is a completely unannounced show where anything can happen. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ appeared to join his Swords of Essex teammate Paul Robinson to win the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships. The Essex based team defeated Aussie Open’s Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis.

Ospreay and Robinson will once again be teaming when they take on CCK at Chapter 83. CCK consists of Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos, one of the most revered and tenured teams on the UK circuit. This was one of the first announced matches for the show and could easily be the showstealer.

Kota Ibushi is said to have suffered a concussion during his match with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom. Ibushi was taken out on a stretcher after the match by several of the New Japan young lions.

NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, Tweeted out an update on Ibushi’s condition after the match. “Kota Ibushi suffered a concussion against Ospreay,” Charlton Tweeted. “His condition is not described as serious. More information to come.”

Ibushi lost to Will Ospreay in the opening match of the Wrestle Kingdom main card. With the win, Ospreay is the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Ibushi had defeated Hirooki Goto for the title on the final night of the World Tag league.

Kota Ibushi Vs Will Ospreay

Not long before Ibushi and Ospreay met at Wrestle Kingdom, Ospreay paid tribute to his opponent on Instagram. He posted a photo of the two from April 2016.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br-MImaFZCB/?utm_source=ig_embed

“You have no idea how much you helped me this day,” Ospreay wrote. “Only a few days before this photo/match, I lost a friend who helped me in British Wrestling, Kris Travis.
To be in the ring with a man I would call an inspiration, helped me not focus on grieving but to celebrate his life.
After this moment and how fans reacted to how we were in the ring, I knew that this was the match I wanted.
Now I’m under a week my dream match on the biggest stage of my life. For a championship that has lost its place in New Japan but now shall live up to what it should be, an Openweight Championship.”

New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.

Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi in the opening bout. Ospreay used the Stormbreaker to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Ibushi took a nasty bump against the ring post during the bout and there appeared to be a cut in his mouth. Ibushi was stretched out of the ring following the match.

Here’s the full card for the event:

• NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
• RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
• IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
• Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
• IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year is only a few days away, taking place January 4th at Japan’s Tokyo Dome.

Over the past few months, fans have witnessed the card begin to take shape as feuds were developed and challenges made, leading to what has become a stacked card featuring some of the best performers New Japan has to offer.

It also appears the NJPW want to start as they mean to go once the event gets underway.

NJPW announcer, Chris Charlton, revealed via Twitter that Wrestle Kingdom 13 will begin with Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay. The two will be competing for Ibushi’s NEVER Openweight championship in a match that could steal the show — and that’s on a card featuring a number of matches that could do the exact same thing.

“#njwk13 ‘s main card starts with Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay. An insane match to start that event, but it’s just as much a. Statement of intent for the year as it is for WK13. It’s starting huge and only getting bigger.”

#njwk13 ‘s main card starts with Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay. An insane match to start that event, but it’s just as much a. Statement of intent for the year as it is for WK13. It’s starting huge and only getting bigger.

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) December 31, 2018

Describing it as a “statement of intent” couldn’t be more accurate. There’s no doubt that Ibushi and Ospreay will deliver something special and set the tone straight out the gate.

Wrestle Kingdom 13

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori

IWGP United States Title Match: Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson

IWGP Tag Team Title Match: Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. EVIL and SANADA

RevPro British Heavyweight Title Match: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title Match: Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs. Roppongi 3K vs. BUSHI and Shingo Takagi

IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Match: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will

Pre-Show

Gauntlet Match to determine #1 Contenders for NEVER Six-Man Titles:

Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, and Togi Makabe vs. David Finley, Jeff Cobb, and Yuji Nagata vs. Best Friends and Hirooki Goto vs. Killer Elite Squad and Minoru Suzuki vs. Marty Scurll, Adam Page, and Yujiro Takahashi

PROGRESS are currently holding their annual ‘Unboxing’ event. This event consists of completely unannounced performers and matches, giving the crowd some surprise returns and debuts along the way.

One of the bigger stories coming from the show sees Will Ospreay making his return to the company. Ospreay appeared to re-join his former tag team partner Paul Robinson. Robinson and Ospreay are known as the ‘Swords of Essex’ and were a prominent part of the UK’s tag scene previously. The team were confirmed to be taking on Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis).

Ospreay is due to be part of New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom show next week. The British sensation will be taking on Kota Ibushi in a dream match. Ibushi recently won the NEVER Openweight Championship and Ospreay became the Number 1 contender, leading to this mega bout.

Ospreay recently sent out a message to Ibushi ahead of their match, he stated that:

“You have no idea how much you helped me this day. Only a few days before this photo/match, I lost a friend who helped me in British Wrestling, Kris Travis. To be in the ring with a man I would call an inspiration, helped me not focus on grieving but to celebrate his life. After this moment and how fans reacted to how we were in the ring, I knew this was the match I wanted.

Now I’m under a week from my dream match on the biggest stage of my life. For a championship that has lost its place on New Japan but now shall live up to what it should be, an Openweight Championship. What I’m saying is thank you for helping me all those years ago, but January 4th, 2019, my idol is my rival.”

.@PR_WRESTLING isn't alone at #Unboxing to face #AussieOpen. In fact, he's brought the Sky King, @WillOspreay with him. pic.twitter.com/IuvEs1ViiJ

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) December 30, 2018

We reported earlier on Kota Ibushi speaking with NJPW1972.com ahead of his NEVER Openweight Championship bout against U.K. sensation, Will Ospreay.

Turns out The Sky King has also been ruminating on their impending clash at the Tokyo Dome come January 4th. The two will face off for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 13.

Taking to Twitter, Ospreay uploaded a picture of the two of them together during friendlier, albeit bittersweet circumstances.

He took a moment to thank Ibushi for helping him through a difficult time two years ago when he sadly lost his friend, British independent wrestler, Kris Travis to cancer.
His match with Ibushi — who he refers to as an “inspiration” — helped to disctract him from grieving as the two shared a ring.

“You have no idea how much you helped me this day.

Only a few days before this photo/match, I lost a friend who helped me in British Wrestling, Kris Travis. To be in the ring with a man I would call an inspiration, helped me not focus on grieving but to celebrate his life. After this moment and how fans reacted to how we were in the ring, I knew this was the match I wanted.

Now I’m under a week from my dream match on the biggest stage of my life. For a championship that has lost its place on New Japan but now shall live up to what it should be, an Openweight Championship. What I’m saying is thank you for helping me all those years ago, but January 4th, 2019, my idol is my rival.”

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1078995804113813506

Ospreay was on track for a NEVER Openweight match against previous champion, Taichi, before becoming injured. Since then, Ibushi has bested Goto for the belt whilst Ospreay defeated Taichi to secure his spot as number one contender.

New Japan now has an official match for the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom. Kota Ibushi defeated Hirooki Goto to become the NEVER Champion at today’s World Tag League finals. Will Ospreay also defeated Taichi to become the Number 1 contender to the NEVER Championship. So the dream match is on…Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay for the NEVER Title inside the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.

This bout has been a long time coming. Ospreay was initially expected to win the belt against Taichi but had to forfeit the Championship match due to his ongoing rib injury. Hirooki Goto took his place in that bout and won the belt, he then goaded Ibushi into a match for the title that he then lost earlier today. Ospreay has been in a race against time to be ready for the Tokyo Dome match, having to rehab a difficult and frustrating injury. It does appear as though Ospreay is ready for January, even if he may not be 100%.

This NEVER Openweight Title is Ibushi’s first championship reign since 2014. It is likely that Ospreay will go on to win the belt and establish a new era for the division, going beyond the ‘traditional’ Strong Style roots and bringing in some Junior division flavour. If Wrestle Kingdom wasn’t exciting enough already this might just tip the scale.

Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) recently announced that Will Ospreay will be taking on PAC as part of their High Stakes event in 2019. The pre-sale tickets for the show went on sale December 3rd and they have sold out in lightning quick fashion. Rev Pro confirmed that it was “Officially [the] fastest York Hall sell out ever.“

Since PAC left WWE Ospreay has been begging to be put up against the former Cruiserweight Champion. This bout is being billed as a ‘dream’ match between two of the best athletes on the planet. Ospreay took to Twitter earlier today and commented on the quick sellout. “If I have learnt anything from Rev Pro booking what is being titled a “genuine dream match” is that this is a symbol to show even though some guys in the UK are being locked down in where they can compete, our country can thrive without being part of the system.”

Ospreay has been vocal regarding the recent NXT UK Superstar contract changes. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ is one of the few UK stars signed to NJPW alongside Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. This bout shows that there are opportunities for promotions outside of the ‘WWE bubble’ to thrive on the UK scene.

Officially fastest York Hall sell out ever. #HighStakes2019 pic.twitter.com/fnyK6EAs0t

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) December 3, 2018

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion PAC (better known as Neville) has been booked in another high-profile match-up. He will now face Will Ospreay at the Revolution Pro Wrestling “High Stakes” event in London, England from the York Hall on February 15, 2019.

This comes shortly after it was announced PAC will also be facing Zack Sabre Jr. in 2019. RevPro made the announcement official on their Twitter page over the weekend.

Whilst we are at it don’t forget HIGH STAKES 2019 mailing list pre-sale starts tomorrow & you probably don’t want to miss it… pic.twitter.com/M3zQdQsvo4

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) December 2, 2018

We noted last week that PAC would be appearing on the show, however, now his opponent has been finalized. He recently appeared at RevPro’s Portsmouth show, where he faced Mike Bailey. PAC will also be a part of their “Live At The Cockpit” show from The Cockpit Theatre in London, England on January 6, 2019.

He’s also slated to perform for Dragon Gate in a huge championship match against Masato Yoshino for The Dream Gate Championship. That will go down on December 4th from Korakuen Hall. Last month, PAC participated in his first match since leaving WWE. He faced Flamita in an International Special Singles match at the “The Gate Of Destiny” event for Dragon Gate. He picked up the victory in only 18 minutes after hitting the “Black Arrow.”

What do you think of PAC’s indy run since he left WWE?

UK based promotion Fight Forever’s huge debut show will be taking place this Thursday. The new promotion will be bringing the co-creator of ALL IN Cody Rhodes and New Japan’s Will Ospreay to Birmingham’s Pryzm Nightclub on December 6th.

‘Phenomena’ will be the first date of Fight Forever’s huge tour. With dates also lined up for London (7th), Bristol (8th) and Liverpool (9th). Here’s the full card for their first show in Birmingham:

• Mark Haskins vs El Phantasmo
• Chris Ridgeway vs Jimmy Havoc
• Fight Forever Women’s Championship Match – Kay Lee Ray vs Viper vs Millie McKenzie
• Brandi Rhodes vs Bea Priestley
• 15 Man Rumble With Ladder Finale for the Fight Forever Championship

The company has also confirmed that there will be a ‘Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard’ live podcast and The Godfather’s ‘Pimp Party.’ Here’s some info from the company’s press release:

“Brand New UK Professional Wrestling Promotion ‘Fight Forever Wrestling’ Announce Debut Tour featuring ‘Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard Live’, ‘The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes’, WWE UK Tournament Winner Zack Gibson. WWE Hall of Famer, Charles Wright, will also be appearing on the tour as a special guest and the host of after show party events, ‘Papa Shango’s Voodoo Party’ and ‘The Godfather’s Pimp Party’.”

Tickets are available via the tweet below:

This Thursday ?!!!

Fight Forever Wrestling’s debut show #Phenomena is coming to PRYZM Birmingham

Featuring a special appearance from @CodyRhodes

PLUS @PrichardShow LIVE!

Tickets from just £20 ?
?https://t.co/Jth9qRtNPH pic.twitter.com/lzZiaDblb4

— Fight Forever Wrestling (@fightforeveruk) December 3, 2018

Enzo Amore caused quite a scene at Survivor Series this past Sunday. The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion appeared in the crowd and was quickly ejected by security.

Enzo was spotted ringside during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. He was attempting to disguise himself but WWE fans on Facebook and Twitter quickly realised it was Real1. During the Authors of Pain versus The Bar tag team match, the former NXT and WWE Superstar removed his hoodie, stood on his chair and started to make a scene.

Several stars on the independent scene have given their take but Will Ospreay may have summed it up perfectly. The British born NJPW star mused on Twitter; “Imagine you use to work at Tesco. Then you got fired from Tesco. Then you show up embarrassing yourself at Tesco. Then being kicked out of Tesco by its security team. I genuinely can’t think of anything more tragic. Maybe if you did it in front of 13,000 people on live TV.”

For context Tesco is a supermarket in the UK, along the lines of Walmart.

You can check out the Amore being taken out by security here

You can check out Amore’s reaction to the situation here

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1064354600449392642

The WoS/World of Sport promotion will be heading out on tour in early 2019. The ITV show will be taking the stars of Saturday Nights across the UK starting January 18th.

This is an interesting move for the television brand. Whilst the current ratings for the Saturday Night broadcast are repeatedly below the 1 Million mark ITV appear to be keeping their sports entertainment brand ongoing to test the waters for a touring schedule.

WoS has now announced the first two matches for the tour. Rampage will be taking on Will Ospreay at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen. Justin Sysum will also be defending his WoS Championship against former Champion Rampage at the Spa Grand Hall in Scarborough on February 1st.

Touring Schedule

Here’s the full schedule:

• Friday, January 18 – Southampton O2 Guildhall
• Saturday, January 19 – Newport Centre
• Sunday, January 20 – Bournemouth International Centre
• Friday, January 25 – Stoke Victoria Hall
• Saturday, January 26 – Blackpool Tower Ballroom
• Sunday, January 27 – Aberdeen AECC
• Friday, February 01 – Scarborough Spa Grand Hall
• Saturday, February 02 – Northampton Derngate
• Sunday, February 03 – London York Hall

With dates across Southern England, Wales and Scotland the company appears to be hitting as much of Mainland UK as they can. Several names have now been announced for the tour including the following:

• Will Ospreay
• WoS Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray
• WoS Champion Rampage
• Robbie X
• Crater
• Nathan Cruz
• Joe Hendry
• Justin Sysum
• Adam ‘Flex’ Maxted
• Grado
• Viper
• Sha Samuels

https://twitter.com/WOSWrestling/status/1064489655519887361

https://twitter.com/WOSWrestling/status/1064548861476257792

NJPW star Will Ospreay has announced the next show for his Frontline Wrestling promotion.

CHAOS Restored will be taking place on 10th January at the Stratford Circus in London, England. The main event for the show has already been confirmed, it will be Mark Haskins versus David Starr.

Frontline revealed their new On Demand streaming service via the Pivotshare platform earlier this year. The service is available at a $4.99 per month cost and features the first two shows from the company. ‘Build Me An Empire’ and ‘S.P.I.R.I.T’ took place earlier this year and feature a stellar line up of talent.

Bulld Me An Empire is certainly worth the cost alone. The main event featured an outrageous bout between Chris Ridgeway and Japan’s KENOH. Ridgeway is an accomplished ‘strong style’ combatant in his own right but this match at the top of the card will be the bout that catapults him into the upper echelons of both the UK scene and, hopefully, Japan (much like how Ospreay’s bout against Okada for Rev Pro got him on a plane going East). We spoke to Ospreay earlier this year and he discussed his want to bring ‘puroresu‘ to the United Kingdom, this big time main event and the reaction from the crowd in attendance seems to solidify that strong style/puroresu has truly arrived in Britain.

Thursday 10th January 2019 • Stratford Circus, London •

Haskins Vs. Starr.https://t.co/3gSMUXiMYa pic.twitter.com/THEnQKWRNw

— Frontline Wrestling (@FrontlinePuro) November 17, 2018

UK and New Japan based star Will Ospreay has bolstered his Frontline Wrestling promotion. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ confirmed via Twitter that he would be taking over the running of the RCWA promotion. RCWA is based in his hometown of Rainham, Essex.

Ospreay confirmed that RCWA will be re-branded as Frontline. Ospreay stated that “starting in 2019, Frontline Wrestling will open up ‘Frontline: NEXGEN’ to open more opportunities for the Young Lions, J-1 League & Wrestlers that we’d like to give a run on our shows.”

Will Ospreay has been sidelined with an injury and has been pulled from several events recently. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was expected to take on Taichi for the NEVER Openweight Championship in November but this has since been scrapped. Taichi will be defending his title against Hirooki Goto. Ospreay has confirmed that the Frontline promotion will also be hosting shows across the UK, their initial 2 events were held in London.

Reloaded Championship Wrestling Alliance (RCWA) has been running for nearly 11 years. The company will be celebrating their last ever show on December 8th.

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1056925201089417216

Unfortunately, it appears that the injury sustained by The Sky King, Will Ospreay, may be more serious than initially thought.

Ospreay was pulled from a number of events since first becoming injured at the NJPW/RPW Global War show on October 14th, including NJPW’s Road To Power Struggle tour. This was done to help Will rehab and recover for his match against Taichi on November 3rd.

According to NJPW, despite the time taken to try and heal, the treatment that Ospreay has been undertaking has “not progressed as quickly as we [NJPW] had hoped.”

Because of this, Will Ospreay will sadly have to miss the event, and will no longer be competing for the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship at Power Struggle.

NJPW has not replaced Ospreay, however, instead simply canceling the matchup entirely against Suzuki-Gun’s Taichi.

The Sky King Stakes His Claim

Ospreay recently put himself into title consideration against Taichi, leading his CHAOS stablemates to victory against Suzuki-Gun at NJPW’s King Of Pro Wrestling event.

Ospreay pinned the current champion before cutting an impassioned promo backstage staking his claim at the title – one that Taichi was quick to dismiss.

Official Statement

The full official statement from NJPW1972.com can be read below:

“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that Will Ospreay will miss the event in Osaka on November 3rd (Sat). As such the NEVER Openweight Championship match has been canceled.

Having become injured in the UK, Will Ospreay has been undergoing treatment. However, his treatment has not progressed as quickly as we had hoped and unfortunately, he will have to miss the event on November 3 (Saturday) in Osaka Prefectural Gym (Edion Arena Osaka).

As a result, the NEVER Openweight Championship match (Taichi vs Will Ospreay), scheduled for the same event, will be canceled.

We offer our sincerest apologies to our fans who were looking forward to this championship match. Good luck Will, we look forward to your return at upcoming events.

New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd.”

NJPW Star Will Ospreay has been announced for a big international bout in November. The former Best of The Super Juniors winner will be heading to the OTT promotion in Ireland on November 10th. OTT confirmed that Ospreay would be part of a tag team bout alongside NXT UK star Jordan Devlin to take on WALTER and Timothy Thatcher of Ringkampf.

Ospreay was initially injured in a bout for Rev Pro. Fans in attendance initially reported that Ospreay appeared to have landed on his neck after a missed Pele kick. This led to a hastily improvised finish soon after, with Chris Ridgeway picking up the victory over the Aerial Assassin. Since then, speculation has indicated it could be a potential intercostal/rib injury.

We recently reported that Ospreay had been pulled from a bout against Cody Rhodes in December. This would’ve been for the debuting Fight Forever promotion in the United Kingdom. Fight Forever sent out the following message earlier this week:

“Some unfortunate news. @WillOspreay has suffered an injury and will not be able to compete at Phenomena on Dec 6th. Let’s band together to send Will our best wishes, and hope he takes the time to rest up and recover. We will soon be announcing a new opponent for @CodyRhodes.”

Ospreay was also recently pulled from the New Japan Road to Power Struggle tour. Ospreay was expected to take part in a NEVER Openweight Championship match against Taichi. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ took a pinfall win over the NEVER Champion and thus gained a future bout for the belt.

Mega Main Event as Will Ospreay returns !
Ospreay/Devlin Vs Thatcher/Walter
Nov 10th The Arena on Suir Road !
Tickets selling fast ! https://t.co/FwQBu2aBJu #OTT #?? #OnlyTheBest pic.twitter.com/uM3Ot7OYUV

— OTT WRESTLING (@OTT_wrestling) October 18, 2018

New UK promotion Fight Forever has announced the new main event for their first ever show. The company will be heading to the PRYZM Nightclub in Birmingham on December 6th. NJPW star Will Ospreay was expected to be taking on the Cody Rhodes in a huge international bout. Unfortunately Ospreay had to pull out of the bout due to a rib injury. This was sustained at Rev Pro’s Global Wars event.

The company has confirmed that El Phantasmo will be taking on Cody at ‘Phenomena.’ Phantasmo recently won the Rev Pro British J Cup and is a star on the rise. This will be one of his biggest tests to date when he faces the ‘American Nightmare.’

Fight Forever will be announcing a second main event this coming Friday.

Brandi Rhodes will also be taking on Bea Priestley as part of the debut show. Priestley is one of the stars of the WoS/World of Sport re-boot alongside her partner Will Ospreay. Priestley has been on the UK scene for a number of years working as a top star in promotions such as Pro Wrestling: EVE. Brandi has been building her own brand over the last year with several high profile bouts and appearances alongside Cody Rhodes.

You can purchase tickets for Phenomena and all upcoming events over at fightforeverwrestling.com. Fight Forever will also be heading to London on December 7th with a co-branded show alongside ‘Something to Wrestle’ starring Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard.

?Breaking Main Event News?

The American Nightmare @CodyRhodes vs El Phantasmo @elpwrestling is one of your main-events for Phenomena on December 6th at PRYZM Nightclub Birmingham ??

A second huge main-event will be revealed this Friday!

Tickets ?https://t.co/iiSo2g80eA pic.twitter.com/cAsD4BVm8O

— Fight Forever Wrestling (@fightforeveruk) October 17, 2018

Unfortunately, New Japan Pro Wrestling officials have decided that it’s best for Will Ospreay to being removed from the Road to Power Struggle tour due to a rib injury.

The promotion made the announcement overnight as it was noted that Ospreay will miss the tour to “focus on the NEVER Openweight Championship match” that will see him take on Taichi at Power Struggle in Osaka on November 3.

It should also be pointed out that as a result of this, Taichi won’t be competing on the tour due to Ospreay’s absence. This means that the scheduled matches between Ospreay and Taichi from October 19 to November 1 won’t be taking place.

The injury that the young rising wrestling star suffered was when he landed badly during his match against Chris Ridgeway for Revolution Pro Wrestling this past Sunday. After getting an x-ray on his ribs, it showed that he didn’t suffer any breaks, according to longtime pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. Now, he just needs time to heel up.

Ospreay tweeted about having to miss this tour when he wrote, “Once again I’m really sorry guys. This is up there with the worst pain I’ve ever been in. Promise once I’m ready to come back, I’m picking up where I left off.”

Ospreay has also been pulled from the December 6th Fight Forever Wrestling event as the promotion wrote the following on their official Twitter account:

“Some unfortunate news. @WillOspreay has suffered an injury and will not be able to compete at Phenomena on Dec 6th. Let’s band together to send Will our best wishes, and hope he takes the time to rest up and recover. We will soon be announcing a new opponent for @CodyRhodes.”

Some unfortunate news. @WillOspreay has suffered an injury and will not be able to compete at Phenomena on Dec 6th. Let’s band together to send Will our best wishes, and hope he takes the time to rest up and recover. We will soon be announcing a new opponent for @CodyRhodes pic.twitter.com/FsjaLaHLQg

— Fight Forever Wrestling (@fightforeveruk) October 16, 2018

During last night’s Revolution Pro Wrestling/New Japan Pro Wrestling joint show, Global Wars, Will Ospreay suffered an unfortunate injury during his match against Chris Ridgeway.

Fans in attendance initially reported that Ospreay appeared to have landed on his neck after a missed Pele kick. This led to a hastily improvised finish soon after, with Ridgeway picking up the victory over the Aerial Assassin. Since then, speculation has indicated it could be a potential intercostal/rib injury.

It was noted that Ospreay was immediately assisted to the back by the referee. Paramedics then rushed to evaluate him before taking him to hospital.

Since then, Will Ospreay has taken to Twitter in order to update his fans about his condition.

Thankfully, he claims to be “ok,” before adding that he needs some “time to myself and to rest for once. Much love to everyone backstage that looked after me.”

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1051742913842044928

NEVER Openweight Contender

Ospreay’s recent win at King Of Pro Wrestling, picking up a pinfall over NEVER Openweight champion, Taichi, has propelled him into contender consideration for that belt. A title Ospreay is eager to take.

A lot has been said about his fast-paced, impactful, high flying style, but it’s good to hear that Ospreay is alright, considering what the injury could have entailed. Hopefully, he takes the time needed to rest and heal up, coming back at 100% in order to stake his claim to Taichi’s title.

The Sky King, Will Ospreay, has made his intentions clear after leading his CHAOS stablemates to victory yesterday over the Suzuki-Gun team of Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka. Ospreay would hit his signature move, The Stormbreaker, onto current NEVER Openweight Champion, Taichi, before securing the win.

Speaking backstage post-match, Taichi was dismissive over the loss and, in particular, the man who gave it to him.

“We don’t have to fight again. I beat you twice. We are done” Taichi said. “So don’t get carried away. You aren’t on my list.”

Ospreay was later interviewed and could barely contain his excitement over what he had just achieved, his attention firmly towards the future.

“I Want To Take That Championship And I Want To Take It Forward”

“You guys see that? I just pinned the Never Openweight champion. That makes me the challenger, right?”

The Aerial Assassin pressed on, demonstrating a knowledge of not only New Japan history but also of the belt he held aloft at the end of the match.

“Every single one of those letters in NEVER means something, but the ’N’ is the most important. The ’N’ means New Blood. And that’s what that title was built upon. It was built on the next generation, the guys that will carry the company forward.”

“But imagine what we could do with that now, imagine what that championship could be like in the hands of me,” he proclaimed. “[…] I want the best. I want to take that championship and I want to take it forward. They say a Junior Heavyweight can’t last with a Heavyweight – I just picked a Heavyweight up and gave him the Stormbreaker and pinned his shoulders one, two, three.”

“[…] Right now I’m 91 kilos. I’m still a Junior Heavyweight right now,” he stressed. “But in time I will progress, progress, progress, evolve and I will do my best to carry that championship to newer heights. To make it what it really is, and that is an Openweight champion.”

Bulking Up

It’s worth noting that it is still a rarity for Junior Heavyweights to be able to come out on top over their Heavyweight opponents, despite Taichi only recently making the switch in weight classes.

That being said, Ospreay has noticeably bulked up over the past few months, and looks prepped to eventually leave the Junior Heavyweight division. Winning the NEVER Openweight championship may be the first step in that journey – a journey that previous Juniors like Kenny Omega have already taken.

Death Before Dishonor
September 28th
Orleans Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada

1. Kenny King defeated Jushin Liger

Liger appeared to suffer a back injury and it looked as though he wouldn’t be able to continue. As the ref was checking on Liger, King started to lead the crowd in chants for Liger. He then reached out to shake Liger’s hand but then gave him a spinebuster instead. King then covered him and got the pin.

As King was leaving he thanked Austin Aries and said he now “gets it.” Basically, he learned he should cheat from his rivalry with Austin Aries.

2. ROH World Tag Team Championships
The Briscoes (c) defeated SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) w/Scorpio Sky

The Briscoes improved to 4-0 against Daniels and Kazarian when Jay pinned Daniels after multiple Jay Drillers.

The commentary team talked about how with the Addiction’s expiring contracts, they’ll need to win titles or Joe Koff won’t re-sign them.

3. WOH Championship
Sumie Sakai (c) defeated Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood came into the match with her shoulder heavily bandaged. She started favoring it after hitting Sakai with a punch midway through the match. Dashwood kicked out of Smash Mouth but ultimately tapped to an armbar from the champion.

Later in the show, Dashwood was shown beat up in the back and favoring her arm even further.

4. ROH TV Title
Punishment Martinez (c) defeated Chris Sabin

Sabin got a few near falls but ultimately Martinez retained the title with a South of Heaven Choke-Slam.

After the match, Martinez kept up the attack on Sabin. This led to Jeff Cobb making the save. Martinez looked like he was going to leave without incident but then attacked Cobb with a chair. Cobb then gave him a suplex and stood tall in the ring to end the segment.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1045861598705963008

5. Tables Match (Elimination Rules)
Bully Ray and Silas Young defeated Flip Gordon and Colt Cabana

Cabana was eliminated via powerbomb through the announce table for the first elimination.  Bully then eliminated himself when he missed an attack on Flip Gordon. There was a ref bump and then Flip came off the top rope and put Silas through a table. Since the ref didn’t see it though, Bully made it look like it was Flip who went through the table and the ref called for the bell when he came to. Bully then continued to whip Flip with a chain after the match was over.

6. Cody, Marty Scurll, Adam Page, and the Young Bucks (Bullet Club) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Chuck T, Beretta, Rocky Romero, and Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)

Nick Aldis provided guest commentary for the match. While doing so he announced that his NWA title rematch with Cody will be contested under best 2 out of 3 rules.

This was a crazy 10-man but eventually, Marty Scurll was able to make Rocky Romero tap to the Chickenwing for the victory.

After the match, Cody joined the commentary team and said he accepts the best 2 out of 3 falls stipulation.

7. ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) defeated Will Ospreay

Ospreay came into this match after gaining 20lbs. Riccaboni said Ospreay said the weight gain has made him a better wrestler. The commentary team mentioned how serious he looked in comparison to his usual fun-loving demeanor.

Lethal kicked out of the Oscutter and got the victory with Lethal Injection. The victory is Lethal’s 4th successful title defense since winning the title 91 days ago. It’s his second reign as champion. Lethal is now just over 4 months away from passing Samoa Joe has having spent more combined days as ROH Champion than anyone. He’s at 517 days between his two reigns and is behind Samoa Joe’s 645 days. Joe only held the ROH World Championship once.

Following the victory, the Kingdom’s Red Balloons floated to the roof and they attacked Lethal. Jonathan Gresham attempted to make the save but he too was taken out.

A new freshly mohawked Matt Taven then hit Lethal with a purple-strapped ROH World Title replica belt. The show closed with Taven claiming he was the real ROH World Champion.