Will Ospreay vs AR Fox (EVOLVE, 4-5-2018)

EVOLVE 102, Kenner, LA

AR Fox working the IWGP junior champion in NOLA, second on the show. (I would have done an Austin Theory-DJZ review, but my stream crapped out. Terrific WWN servers as usual.)

Ospreay mocked by AR Fox’s crew before the match. Ospreay backs Fox to the ropes, gives a clean break. He’s still banged up from his recent NJPW match with Marty Scurll, which I will watch at some point.

Ospreay was questionable to compete in NOLA, but he’s here, and looking sharp. Out to the floor, and we get some gYmNaStIcS rOuTiNe stuff, which to be clear I do not mind if done well, and as dopey as I think Ospreay can be, he does it exceptionally well, and Fox is maybe the level below.

Great dropkick from Ospreay, Fox goes to the floor where his crew protects him from a potential Ospreay dive. Fox’s squad distracting Ospreay on the aprons, while Fox comes back in. Fox gets just enough of a distraction to change the momentum of the match, then does one move and celebrates.

Ospreay’s bad neck is the target for Fox, including a running rope assisted Mike Enos through the ropes, to the back of Ospreay’s head. Ospreay will be selling the neck all weekend.

Fox in full control, staying on the neck. This new era of AR Fox is good stuff. I used to not dig him, then I started to dig him, now I dig him more than ever.

Ospreay comes back with a chinbreaker and a kick to the chest. Neck still hurting him, even during his squealing, trying to get FIRED UP. Ospreay with a 619, then he takes out the Fox crew at ringside, all four of them. That gives Fox time to recover, though, and he hits the kick flip moonsault.

Fox rolls Ospreay back in, hits the apron, and hits half of a springboard codebreaker. Fox going for a stunner, but gets thrown off in the corner. Ospreay with a dropkick in the corner, didn’t look great, a little bit of a weird setup to how they did it, with Fox going into the corner and springing up to get kicked.

Ospreay hits the space flying tiger drop, a pretty crazy move to even bother with if his injuries are as notable as advertised, which they probably aren’t, to be fair. He’s a wrestler, and he’s working a full schedule this weekend. Tanahashi is supposedly half dead every G1, too.

Ospreay looking for something to finish with. Fox shoves him out when Ospreay goes for the Oscutter. Fox with a kick to the chin, superkick, then then a slingshot stunner from the apron into the ring. Two count on that.

Ospreay setting for a full nelson here, Fox fights it and gets out. Ospreay with a side kick to the face. Fox evades the follow-up, hits an enzuigiri, Ospreay back with one of his own, then Fox catches Ospreay with a big German suplex. Off the ropes, and Ospreay hits Spanish Fly, both men down!

Trade of forearms on the knees. Both laying it in, but tired-like. Up to their feet and they throw everything they have at each other, with Fox connecting on a high knee. Ospreay goes for Spanish Fly again, floats over instead, and hits a wicked power bomb. It gets two.

Ospreay gets distracted again, allowing Fox to hit Lo Mein Pain. Fox up top, 450 connects! AR Fox gets the wi–TWO COUNT! Ospreay comes back, dives onto Fox’s crew, and takes out everyone! Corkscrew kick and the Oscutter! 1, 2, 3!

Rating: 4/5. These two may have something even better in them when Ospreay can do more of his normal stuff, but it wasn’t bad at all watching him work a slightly more toned down pace. Really good finish and a really good match.