Ricky Knight Jr shocked the world with 5 star match against Will Ospreay

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Hamish Woodward

Revolution Pro Wrestling‘s 10th Anniversary show saw long time British Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay vs Ricky Knight Jr in an incredible main event.

Dave Meltzer even awarded the championship match a 5 star rating in the Wrestling Observer.

The bout took place at Rev Pro’s Ten Year Anniversary – Night 2 and was just one of many major matches on the show. However, it was the biggest match on the show and was rightfully the main event.

Will Ospreay is the biggest star in the promotion and has held the title for nigh on 3 years, with fans considering him one of the greatest champions the promotion has ever had.

Meanwhile, Ricky Knight Jr may be a name that is strangely familiar yet completely alien to you, and for good reason.

While he isn’t the biggest name on the indies, Knight Jr is the son of Ricky Knight, the patriarch of the legendary Knight wrestling family.

Previously, the crown jewel of the family was Britani Knight, who later found fame in WWE as Paige and AEW as Saraya. However,the youngest Knight has all the talent to challenge her for that crown.

Ricky Knight Jr battled Will Ospreay in the main event of the show, with Ospreay’s Rev Pro World Heavyweight Champion on the line.

With a lineage featuring some huge stars like Zack Sabre Jr, Minoru Suzuki and Hiroshi Tanahashi, it is one of the most prestigious champions in British wrestling today.

Coming off the back of a huge defeat to Kazuchika Okada at the G1 Climax Finals, Ospreay had everything to prove as he tried to keep his grip on his British Heavyweight Championship, but it seemed the time for Ricky Knight Jr to ascend to the top of wrestling in the UK and capture the championship for the first time in his short career.

Ricky Knight Jr vs Will Ospreay took place at RevPro’s tenth anniversary show

Before the match against his young opponent, Ospreay held the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship belt for 919 days – an incredible achievement for a company just 10 years of age.

He won the title from Zack Sabre Jr at RevPro High Stakes 2020, and both men have since ascended to become two of the biggest stars in New Japan and some of the most impressive wrestlers in the world.

The duo helped make the Rev Pro British Heavyweight Championship one of the biggest titles in the UK.

However, the time was right to pass it on to the new generation and give Ospreay the chance to focus on his New Japan Pro Wrestling career, rather than stay tethered to the championship.

Ospreayhad kept the title active even during the pandemic, doing his best to promote the promotion worldwide while he could not defend the belt in front of a paying audience.

He achieved Seven successful defences, including one against opponent Ricky Knight Jr, and showcased the belt at both Wrestle Kingdom and during Forbidden Door, as well as multiple episodes of AEW Dynamite.

However, the time was right to pass the championship on to the next generation. Ricky Knight Jr defeated Will Ospreay after 30 minutes to win his first Rev Pro British Heavyweight Championship and become the top star in the promotion.

Ospreay got cocky during the match, hitting the moves of former NJPW stars like AJ Styles and Kenny Omega. His downfall came as he tried to emulate Omega and use the One-Winged Angel on Knight Jr, which was cleverly reversed by the young Knight.

Knight Jr soon reversed the move to hit his own Powerslam-Driver move and pinned his opponent to win the match and the title.

The match was rated five stars by Dave Meltzer and was Will Ospreay’s second five-star match just that week.

Will Ospreay’s time in the UK has ended

Despite doing his best to carry the British wrestling scene in recent years, it is finally time for Will Ospreay to move on.

He was one of the few wrestlers to turn down the WWE in recent years, opting to turn down both NXT and NXT UK in recent years.

The English star even chose All Elite Wrestling over the company in 2024, and will move to the United States after finishing up his dates in the UK and Japan later this year.

Ospreay’s last match for RevPro will take place on February 18th 2024 at RevPro High Stakes 2024, and will do battle with Michael Oku in a rematch of their five-star match in 2022.

Meanwhile, Ospreay will bow out of New Japan Pro Wrestling at their New Beginning in Osaka show, in a huge five-on-five steel cage match against the Bullet Club.

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