5 opponents for Will Ospreay's IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in NJPW Strong
To the shock of many fans, Will Ospreay made his return to NJPW at their Resurgence event in Los Angeles on Saturday. The leader of the United Empire made it clear that he was none too pleased with New Japan Pro Wrestling's decision to strip off the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and showed that he still had possession of the original title.
In a scathing promo, Ospreay called AEW and their forbidden door a bunch of dorks and questioned why NJPW never stripped Jon Moxley of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship when he didn't defend it for a year during the pandemic. He also declared that Shingo Takagi was an interim champion.
Will Ospreay also made it clear that he wasn't returning to Japan despite being medically cleared. Instead, he will be defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the United States at NJPW Strong. He called out the New Japan LA dojo students and confronted TJP before leaving the ring.
Following his return, Will Ospreay has injected a great deal of intrigue and instantly becomes the top star of New Japan Pro Wrestling of America. With that in mind, let's take a look at five potential opponents for Ospreay's IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Strong.
#5 Will Ospreay vs. TJP
During Will Ospreay's return promo, he made disparaging remarks about the LA Dojo students. This brought out Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors to confront the self-proclaimed "real" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. After security failed to hold the two men back, former LA Dojo graduate TJP came down to talk reason to the students.
Following Ospreay's trash talk about TJP, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion went face-to-face with the Aerial Assassin and appeared to set up a showdown between the two men. TJP has been a standout in IMPACT Wrestling, winning the X-Division Championship and putting on a Match of the Year candidate against Josh Alexander in an Iron Man bout earlier this year.
This could be a battle of premier athletes. Both Will Ospreay and TJP would be considered junior heavyweights, but they can mix it up and beat the very best heavyweights due to their vast array of skills.
Ospreay is the better high flyer and striker, while TJP might have an advantage in the technical wrestling and submission department. It will be an excellent clash that will be a show stealer.