The arguable best wrestler in the world today just competed on the biggest stage of his career. IWGP United Kingdom Champion Will Ospreay wrestled a one-off match against Chris Jericho at AEW ALL IN: London this past weekend, defeating the future Hall of Famer in convincing fashion. Going into this match, Ospreay proclaimed that wrestling in Wembley Stadium would “change [his] life,” making note that a strong performance at the historic event would increase the lucrativity of his next contract tenfold. Ospreay is currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling, with that deal set to expire in February 2024.
What’s Next For Will Ospreay?
Speaking to Cultaholic ahead of AEW ALL IN: London, Will Ospreay provided a brief update on his headspace going into free agency next year.
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“I’m open to all options, that’s all I can say,” Ospreay said.
In the past, Ospreay has expressed a desire to remain with NJPW due to the fact that he does not want to move to the United States.
“I am very confident that me and New Japan are going to work something out because I just don’t want to live in America,” Ospreay said in May. “That’s my full-stop thing. I just don’t want to.”
The only companies that could out-bid NJPW, AEW and WWE, are both based in the United States, specifically running many of their operations out of Florida. Ospreay has a long-running relationship with AEW at this point, as he has wrestled on AEW TV seven times and has wrestled singles matches on three AEW pay-per-views, emerging victorious in each.
“Tony Khan, I love him,” Ospreay said in a recent interview. “He’s just got all of his money. He’s just like, ‘[I’m going to start] a wrestling company,’ and he’s going to support everyone.”
The one company Ospreay has yet to compete in is WWE. Ospreay had ties to WWE early in his career and was even close to working the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. Ospreay was contacted about the tournament by William Regal, who revealed that WWE wanted him full-time following his participation in the tournament.
“I talked to my mom, and obviously my mom’s like, ‘Well I know WWE. I don’t know what a New Japan is.’ But I know. I know where Finn Balor came from, I know where like all these guys are come from,” Ospreay said regarding his decision to sign with NJPW over WWE in 2016. “In my mind, my best bet is to go there, learn the tricks of the trade, see what happens. And in my first year, I was like, ‘This is the place for me.’”
