NEVER Openweight title match set for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

After an injury temporarily derailed plans, the Wrestle Kingdom 13 NEVER Openweight title was set tonight at the World Tag League finals as new champion Kota Ibushi will challenge Will Ospreay.

Ospreay won a number one contender’s match on the show, defeating Taichi with the stormbreaker. In the next match, Kota Ibushi defeated Hirooki Goto to win his first championship since 2014, putting away Goto with two kamigoyes. 

After the title match, Ospreay came out and officially challenged Ibushi to a match on January 4, noting how this was a dream match that everyone wanted. They shook hands, confirming the match for the Tokyo Dome.

Ospreay was originally supposed to challenge then champion Taichi to a match at Power Struggle for the championship. However, Ospreay injured his ribs and was sidelined until tonight’s match. Goto filled in for him and ended up winning the championship on 11/3. He ended up holding the title for around 36 days.