NJPW superstar Will Ospreay responded to a fan on Twitter who shared footage of the former IWGP World Heavyweight champion taking on now WWE sensation, Ricochet, from the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournament in Japan, a matchup that made headlines due to its incredible displays of agility and athleticism from both competitors.
The Aerial Assassin writes, “It’s funny looking back on this and seeing how everyone went so mad back then. Even funnier people still think I wrestle the same back then. Watching this now I can’t actually do 60% of this anymore Face with tears of joyFace with tears of joy. Big Billy.
Ricochet would respond to Ospreay writing, “We changed the game bro. Sometimes change breeds discomfort. I’m still very proud of what we did that day. Thank you. Oh, Being what 5 years older than you, I could still do every one of those moves.”
While the bout mainly received universal acclaim there were some who criticized the contest for being too unrealistic in terms of a pro-wrestling matchup, something that Ospreay refers to in his original tweet. Regardless both men would go on to have much bigger career moments following their encounter, which was the first of many prior to Ricochet signing with WWE.