Hiroshi Tanahashi has heaped praise on Will Ospreay, his opponent at Sunday’s NJPW Resurgence event.
The winner of the match will advance in a tournament to determine a challenger for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Championship.
Speaking through a translator with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, Tanahashi said he is fully recovered from a rib injury he sustained at NJPW Capital Collision in April:
The last thing I have to do is get my power and speed back, but I am going into Long Beach at 100%.
Will Ospreay is one-of-a-kind. There’s never been anyone like him, and there never will be. Ospreay has amazing speed and athletic ability, but it’s his power that worries me most. His raw strength is off the charts.
A win over Ospreay would bring the 46-year-old one step closer to a rematch with Kenny Omega. The pair have not faced off since Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January 2019, when Tanahashi beat Omega to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The winner of Sunday’s match between Ospreay and Tanahashi will go on to face Lance Archer at NJPW Dominion for the US Title shot.
