Stunning main event sees Ospreay pushed harder than ever
The main event of Power Struggle in Osaka November 4 saw Will Ospreay putting both the IWGP UK and US title belts on the line against Shota Umino.
A cautious start had Will Ospreay and Shota Umino jockeying for position, the first opening falling to Shota courtesy of a basement dropkick and STF. An Ospreay tijeras sent Shota to the outside, immediately following up with a huge plancha before tossing Shota into the steel barriers. With the challenger down Ospreay set up a table and had visions of a powerbomb, but Shota escaped with a back body drop and elected to return Ospreay to the ring rather than use the table himself. It was a decision Shota would quickly regret, the United Empire man taking his challenger down with a big boot, thunderous chops to the chest and finally a backbreaker.
Rebounding off the ropes with a flying forearm, Shota then landed a single-leg suplex and hammered down Blackpool Combat Club style shoulder strikes. This time Ospreay hitting the ropes switched the advantage back though, a handstand flip-kick followed up by a seamless springboard forearm. Trapped in the corner, Shota suffered the wrath of two Cheeky Nando’s kicks; Ospreay busting Shota’s nose open in the process and then spitting in his challenger’s face. This only worked to fire Shota up, the challenger hitting back with a single ferocious forearm and a wild draping DDT onto the apron.
Shota, looking more dangerous than ever, hurled Ospreay into the barricades; a remarkable shotgun dropkick then sending the champion flying into the crowd before Shota sent him crashing through the first ten rows of fans and chairs. Dragging Ospreay back towards ringside the challenger continued his assault, smashing Ospreay’s head into a second table before brutally tossing the entire table straight into the Aerial Assassin’s face. The tables now set ominously side-by-side, the action returned to the ring as Ospreay retaliated with a flying forearm to the back of Shota’s head.
The match becoming too quick to call, each man struck rapidly with the sequence culminating in Ospreay catching Shota in mid-air with a crunching powerbomb. The OsCutter follow up, however, would see Shota land his own anti-air as he caught Ospreay with a dropkick. Ignition and the over-the-top cutter landed true, a pop-up knee strike and exploder suplex leading to Shota surprising the crowd with his own OsCutter for a near fall. Urgency in the air, Ospreay found time to recover thanks to a desperation Spanish Fly. Heading to the top rope, Aerial Assassin dazzled with Leap of Faith but was unable to secure the three count.
The bout moving back to the apron, a hook-kick from Ospreay left Shota open for an unbelievable Tiger Driver from the apron and through the two tables; the challenger left folded and broken. With undeniable heart Shota Umino returned to the ring before the count of twenty, only to be met by a top rope dropkick and OsCutter, but somehow the challenge kicked out before three. Able to avoid the Hidden Blade initially, Shota ultimately had his head knocked off by the second attempt. Despite being dead on his feet Shota refused to give up, shooting a spirited series of forearm strikes that simply didn’t have enough power behind them.
A wicked Ospreay thrust kick put Shota on the mat again, and successive hook-kicks had Umino entirely exposed. Mounted by the champion, and unprotected forearms raining down, the defiant Shota spat in the champion’s face, and just as history looked to repeat itself Moxley made his way to ringside to spur his protegé on. Revitalised, Shota caught Ospreay with a smashing lariat and locked in the STF, but Ospreay was able to reach the ropes.
Back on their feet the two countered and avoided, Shota landing an elevated DDT for a nearfall and then another DDT. A tornado DDT and a creative spinning DDT had four successive DDT’s executed, but Will Ospreay refused to let go of his titles and kicked out. A flying knee to the back of Ospreay’s head led to Shota priming the champion on the top rope; the challenger stunning with an astounding avalanche Death Rider. At the 35 minute mark Shota mounted Ospreay and unleashed his own unprotected forearm strikes, a standing ten-count started by the referee which Ospreay answered at nine. Shota instantly attacked with the Blaze Blade and Death Rider, but Ospreay suddenly countered with the Hidden Blade.
Crawling to each other in the centre of the ring the two men collided skulls, returning to their feet to exchange echoing forearm strikes with neither man willing to fall again. Stormbreaker would be countered into a superb frankensteiner roll-up, and another Hidden Blade would see Shota shock with a kick out at one. The end nigh, Ospreay delivered his own lethal Death Rider and the fatal Strom Driver ‘93, yet somehow it still did not mark the end of the match.
Just as the 40 minute mark came around, another Hidden Blade beheaded Shota leading to the inevitable; at last Will Ospreay landed the Stormbreaker to win the match and retain the IWGP US/UK Heavyweight Championship. Post-match saw respect between champion and challenger, both men bowing to the other as Ospreay acknowledged a man who had pushed him harder than any other in his epic run.
