Match Point: Ospreay vs. Moxley vs. Finlay For the NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship, WrestleKingdom 18 (1/4/24)

Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. This edition will focus on the for the inaugural NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship match. 

Will Ospreay will leave New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) after eight years with the Japanese promotion following WrestleKingdom 18 on January 4, 2024. His final match will be against Jon Moxley and David Finlay in a three-way bout for the inaugural NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay will join AEW in 2024.

The NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship will replace the IWGP US/ UK Heavyweight Championship which has been the source of feuding between the three men. The ambiguity surrounding the championship has also created a lot of confusion. Let’s take an in-depth look at this match.

NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship To Replace IWGP US (UK) Heavyweight Championship

The IWGP US Heavyweight Championship was launched in 2017 as part of NJPW’s expansion into the US. Will Ospreay is the current holder of the title in his second reign as champion.

Ospreay lost the championship to Kenny Omega at WrestleKingdom 17 in a match of the year contender. Omega only defended the championship twice in 2023. First, a victory over Jeff Cobb on AEW Dynamite. Then, he lost the championship to Ospreay at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door in June.

Ospreay claimed he had no attachment to the US gold. So he re-christened it the IWGP UK Heavyweight Championship along with a new belt. He kept the old belt and carried both US and UK straps with him.

Moxley, who like Ospreay has two reigns with the title, appeared at NJPW Power Struggle in November to challenge for the gold. But David Finlay attacked both men and destroyed both the UK and US belts.

As a result, NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi announced the NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship will replace the titles to clear up the confusion.

The IWGP US Heavyweight Championship title has also been held by Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Lance Archer, SANADA, Jay White, KENTA, and Juice Robinson.

.@WillOspreay vs @JonMoxley vs @THEdavidfinlay

POWER STRUGGLE～ (Nov. 4th, 2023) Backstage comments!

Watch FREE｜無料公開中
⇒ https://t.co/QLWq3ExF3O

11/4(日) #njpst #njsjtl のBSコメントを #新日本プロレスワールド で無料公開中!#njwk18 #AEW #NJPW #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/FonpmCdnyZ

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) November 5, 2023

Ospreay, Moxley, or Finlay To Win the NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship

Sugabayashi said the new title was ‘more fitting’ as NJPW works to grow its presence not just in the UK and the US, but throughout all of Europe, the rest of Asia, and Oceania. 

With Ospreay and Moxley both holding the title twice both men would love to get one over the other. But don’t overlook the addition of David Finlay. So who is the right person to carry this title and honor? 

Ospreay

It would be a pretty weird time to bestow Ospreay with a brand-new shiny NJPW belt. You know, it is his last match for NJPW and all. If the title had the IWGP acronym it could be more likely that Ospreay would win the new belt. But it doesn’t, so he probably won’t. 

But anything can happen with the AEW/ NJPW relationship. It would be a big win for Ospreay and help send him into AEW with something to crow about. He’s had a pretty incredible 2023, with wins over Chris Jericho at AEW All In Wembley, Zack Sabre Jr at NJPW Royal Quest III, and Kazuchika Okada in the G1 Climax and the aforementioned Omega match. 

2024 could be the year Ospreay truly globally dominates the wrestling industry. A NJPW Global Heavyweight Championship would make sense around his waist.

Moxley 

Moxley is currently top of the Gold League in the AEW Continental Classic. This means by the time WrestleKingdom 18 comes around he could be walking into the Tokyo Dome with AEW Continental Championship. Moxley would be a good choice to be the inaugural champion of the new AEW title as it immediately gives it credibility and star power.

Likewise, he would be someone that NJPW would see as a choice for its Global Championship. He’s well-known across the world and a true megastar. Plus his matches always garner attention and big names will want to face him. On paper, he’s the best bet.

David Finlay

Sometimes the best bet on paper isn’t always the best bet. Do not be surprised to see Finlay winning the match at WrestleKingom 18. Ospreay leaving NJPW follows a trend for its major foreign stars seeking opportunities elsewhere. Jay White left before Ospreay. Aussie Open has pledged its time to AEW. NJPW will never get Kenny Omega back full-time, and probably never have Mox full-time either. 

It is time for NJPW to put its support behind who it wants to be its next top foreign heel. That person is David Finlay. Born in Germany to Irish parents. Yes, he’s the son of Fit Finlay if you haven’t put two and two together. Finlay has committed himself to NJPW since 2015. 

Finlay destroyed the IWGP US and UK belts at Power Struggle because he felt rejected by both nations. Laying out Ospreay and Moxley was his shining moment of the year.

2023 has been his year. He established himself as the leader of the Bullet Club faction. Won feuded for the NEVER Openweight Championship with Tama Tonga. The Bullet Club under Finlay is perfect for global dominance. 

Gabe Kidd and Drilla Moloney are from the UK; Alex Coughlin, Chase Owens, and Clark Conners are from the US; Bad Luck Fale is of Tongan/ New Zealand heritage, and Kenta, Gedo, and Taiji Ishimori are from Japan.  

Gado claims that NJPW and the world need Finlay and that he deserves his own belt. Defeating both Moxley and Ospreay in one night and taking the Global Heavyweight Championship could be Finlay’s Jericho Vengeance 2001 moment.