Will Ospreay has got his vengeance. The Aerial Assassin defeated Kenny Omega at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door to avenge his loss to The Cleaner at this past January’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 and reclaimed the IWGP United States Championship in the process. His victory came in the co-headlining match of the pay-per-view, as Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada was also on the marquee. Considering the injuries that plagued last year’s Forbidden Door, AEW President Tony Khan took no chances with his two top AEW stars in Omega and Danielson as neither man wrestled a single match leading up to the event. The same could not be said for their New Japan opponents.
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Okada had a handful of multi-man matches in the Far East while Ospreay was wrestling on a full-time basis leading up to June 25th. The United Empire leader had eight matches in the month ahead of Forbidden Door in five separate promotions, despite just coming off a shoulder injury this past March.
Responding to a question from ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door press conference, Ospreay noted that he packs his schedule because that is what he believes it takes to be considered the best.
“The term best in the world is thrown around almost religiously in any type of promotion. I don’t allocate myself just to one place. I think to truly be the best in the world, you test yourself in every company’s position,” Ospreay said. “You go anywhere and everywhere. That’s how you find and discover new talent.”
That said, Ospreay’s schedule goes beyond a desire to prove himself. As he alluded to, competing against up-and-coming opponents in his home country puts a spotlight back on the British independent scene.ย
“I’m very passionate about my own country’s scene, the British wrestling scene. They got hit real hard through the pandemic,” Ospreay continued. “I took it upon myself to kind of like, try and get it back to how it was.”
Ospreay will continue to compete in the UK for the foreseeable future, but he did reveal that he expects to stop working independent dates before the end of 2023.
“I still don’t think the job’s done in England yet, but I do feel like my time is coming up, especially with doing like all the independents. My body is starting to break down,” Ospreay added. “I think it is time for me to be a little bit more sensible. I probably will wrap up doing all the independents this year.”
Exiting the independent circuit would be a major shift in Ospreay’s career, as he has competed for smaller promotions like PROGRESS and RevPro for nearly a decade. As he alluded to, the British circuit was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic as crowds did not return until late 2021. Ospreay’s second home in Japan also felt an emphasized effect of the pandemic, as fans were not allowed to verbally cheer until just this past January. Before then, NJPW audiences were solely allowed to cheer by clapping.
“The energy was spectacular. It’s the best drug in the world. You can’t take anything that would get that type of high,” Ospreay said of the Scotiabank Arena’s atmosphere compared to the clap crowds he had been used to. “It’s an incredible feeling. When me and Kenny done did that first match, the vocal side of Japan just only came back. I kind of think that threw me a little bit, but this time I kind of was like, expecting [it]. I never want to be egotistical about it by saying I’m expecting a reaction, but I knew what we created in the Tokyo Dome was special. To try and not only live up to that match but try and top it, I feel like we’ve done that today. I feel completely amazed by it.”
