Will Ospreay has had some ups-and-downs in New Japan Pro Wrestling this year, such as winning the IWGP NEVER Openweight title at Wrestle Kingdom and then dropping it at the huge Madison Square Garden show; however, the ‘Aerial Assassin’ isn’t dwelling on the past and is only focusing on the present, which is the Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
The competition officially began on Monday and the former NEVER Openweight champion was successful in his first outing. During his interview with New Japan, Ospreay speaks about his goals in the promotion and reveals that in addition to changing up his style, that he’s looking to capture both the IWGP Junior and Heavyweight titles:
"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."
Check out the
full interview , in which Ospreay talks about what being a junior heavyweight means to him, his feelings regarding this year’s tournament, and much more.