Naomichi Marufuji has labelled Will Ospreay a “genius” following their recent bout.
On September 17th, at Naomichi Marufuji’s 25th anniversary event, a highly anticipated match took place between Marufuji and Will Ospreay. The bout was made official on July 15th after Ospreay expressed his desire to face Marufuji during the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door press conference.
In a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Marufuji spoke highly of his opponent, stating that Ospreay is the “perfection of modern wrestling” and describing him as a “great fighter”. Marufuji’s full comments were:
Ospreay was the only one for this match. I think he is the perfection of modern wrestling. He is a great fighter. I think the word ‘genius’ is appropriate for him.
Ospreay, on the other hand, expressed his interest in teaming up with Marufuji for a match against Eddie Kingston and Jun Akiyama.
Ospreay has been actively expanding his wrestling career outside of Japan, having wrestled for promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling, House of Glory, and West Coast Pro.
While it is unclear when Marufuji will make his return to America, he remains open to opportunities that would allow him to increase his fanbase and provide young talents with valuable experiences.
Following the bout, Will Ospreay fired a shot at Bryan Danielson – calling ‘The American Dragon’ “injury prone.”
Has Naomichi Marufuji Ever Wrestled In The United States?
Naomichi Marufuji wrestled in the United States for Ring of Honor from 2005 to 2007. His first match with the company involved himself challenging for the ROH World Championship against Bryan Danielson.
He returned to the company in 2006 to team with Kenta against the team of Samoa Joe and Danielson. Marufuji also appeared at ROH’s first pay-per-view event, Respect is Earned, where he squared off against Rocky Romero.
H/t to Fightful.com