— How do you feel heading into this year’s tournament?

Ospreay: I’m pretty nervous, to be honest with you. This is the toughest tournament in history with ten members in each block, and it’s all heading to the biggest finals we’ve had in Ryogoku Sumo Hall, the place I debuted in NJPW actually. So I’m a little nervous but at the same time I’m excited, and I’m very confident.

— Obviously you want to win the Best of the Super Juniors, but is there anything else that motivates you this year?

Ospreay: The one thing I want to make is the final. I look in my block and I see a lot of juniors that haven’t done anything outside just being a junior heavyweight. I’ve been out there having matches with heavyweights. There used to be that gap between juniors and heavyweights and I like to think that I’m bridging that gap. So I absolutely want to win, but the idea of sweeping the block and getting all 18 points, that’s pretty attractive. 

— What does being a junior heavyweight in NJPW mean to you?

Ospreay: It’s inspiring. It inspires the next generation. When I was a kid I used to watch The Wrestling Channel on TV. They’d play Liger’s music going to ad breaks. That just stayed with me, and even today I hear Liger’s music and it gives me chills. Think of all the great junior heavyweights; Devitt, Ibushi, Owen Hart, so many guys who have paved a way. We need to honour that tradition, but also pave the way ourselves for the next generation to come. 

— Do you feel there’s anyone in particular you have to watch out for?

Ospreay: You have to watch out for every single one of them. I look at that entire list of people in my block, and there’s not a single one I haven’t beaten before. They might have beaten me, yeah, but I’ve beaten them. If I’ve done it before I can do it again. But Phantasmo, I’m curious. Something’s changed with him. I want to find out more.

— You’ve been in the ring with Phantasmo before, in the UK. Can you tell us more about him?

Ospreay: He’s unpredictable. He can use the ropes like nobody else, and use aerial offense better than most. He’s not better than me though. I have beaten him before, but he has beaten me before. Now that he’s got this new look and he’s hanging round with Bullet Club.. I don’t know what to expect to be honest.

–Fans are expecting a high flying match between you two, and people always talk about your match with Ricochet a couple of years ago. What do you think about that?

Ospreay: I’m not sure if I would say that. 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. 

–Because you’ve competing with heavyweights of yet, some fans are maybe a little surprised that you are in Best of the Super Juniors, having assumed you’d moved up to heavyweight. Any thoughts on that?

Ospreay: What do you mean ‘moved up’? 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.

–We have a great lineup but obviously your rival Hiromu Takahashi is not here. Do you have a message for him?

Ospreay: I miss him. It’s strange because we’re constantly against each other. But without the Joker, there’s no Batman, without Venom there’s noSpiderman. In a way without Hiromu there’s no Ospreay. I feel empty in a way. I almost want to win for him, to show that I’m thinking of him. But I know he’ll get better, and stronger.