Will Ospreay continues his fantastic 2023 by earning another six-star match from Dave Meltzer.
Following on from his incredible matches against Kenny Omega this year, Will Ospreay added a third 6-star match in 2023, and his third overall.
His match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 18 was his first of the year, while the Forbidden Door rematch added a second.
The first 6-match of Will Ospreay’s career was his clash against Shingo Tagaki from 2021 – whereas this was Naito’s first 6-star match ever.
The Stardust Genius became the 12th man ton to join the “6 star club”, joining incredible wrestlers like Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega and Ric Flair.
Tetsuya Naito vs Will Ospreat was the best match in the 2023 G1 Climax, although Naito’s final bout again Okada also gained over 5-stars.
They were rated by Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer.
Tetsuya Naito’s six-star match against Will Ospreay is his best match ever, according to Dave Meltzer, although it is his third highest-rated match on Cagematch.
Will Ospreay vs Tetsuya Naito (6-Stars)
In a match that has been rated 6-stars by Dave Meltzer, Tetsuya Naito defeated Will Ospreay in an incredible G1-Climax semi-final
Naito controlled the pace early on, using his Tranquilo style to slow the pace down and frustrate the British star.
He locked Ospreay in a series of submission to apply torque to his shoulder, trying to nulifiy his variety of finishing moves that rely on it.
Naito even tried to hit the Stardust Press, after feeling the admiration coming from the crowd. Of course, he did not hit it, but this did set up the chance that he could use the move to beat Okada in the final.
.@s_d_naito “DDT”
Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA#NJPW #njpwworld #G1CLIMAX33 pic.twitter.com/BGBuuxFflK— njpwworld (@njpwworld) August 12, 2023
The final stretch of the match was incredible, but saw Ospreay accidentally knock Naito out with a kick that Naito failed to dodge.
Instead of avoiding the kick, a miscommunication lead to Testuya Naito leaning into the kick. Ospreay’s boot hit Naito’s head with a clunk, and he collapsed three times trying to continue with the match.
Every the professional, Will Ospreay took control of the match and loudly handed instructions to Naito on how to finish the match.
In the end, he ended up doing various versions of the Destino to himself, with the dead weight of Naito not knowing where he was while perched on Ospreay’s shoulders.
Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito was a ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE today!pic.twitter.com/oNSUudmUdm— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) August 12, 2023
It was a scary ending to a wonderful match, that is already gaining plaudits as one of the best matches in this year’s G11 Climax.