Will Ospreay has arrived in All Elite Wrestling. This past fall, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion put pen to paper with AEW, announcing that he would be joining Tony Khan’s promotion in February 2024 after he wrapped up his commitments with New Japan Pro Wrestling and the British independent scene. Leading up to his arrival, Ospreay’s AEW manager, Don Callis, booked him in a friendly contest against fellow The Don Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Revolution. Ospreay has been represented by Callis in AEW since June 2023 when he sided with the scheming mouthpiece in his feud against Kenny Omega.
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Callis went on to stand in Ospreay’s corner for his AEW pay-per-view matches against Omega and Chris Jericho. Ospreay would fight one of Callis’s battles for him in late 2023 when he teamed with Takeshita and Sammy Guevara to take on Omega, Jericho and Kota Ibushi at AEW WrestleDream.
While Ospreay was a full-fledged heel back then, he has received nothing but positive crowd reactions in the months since, and has even tapped into the babyface mannerisms as well.
Will Ospreay Teases Friction Within The Don Callis Family
The Aerial Assassin’s days in The Don Callis Family might be numbered.
Will Ospreay made his official AEW debut tonight on AEW Dynamite. Entering the arena with his familiar “Elevated” theme alongside some spiced up entrance graphics, Ospreay played up to the hot reaction that the Alabama crowd gave him. The Propst Arena at Von Braun Center gave Ospreay nothing but cheers until he brought up Don Callis.
Callis himself then hit the ring alongside his faction members Powerhouse Hobbs and Konosuke Takeshita, receiving a chorus of boos that carried on throughout the full duration of his promo. Callis continued to sweet talk Ospreay, playing him up as one of his most cherished clients before emphasizing that his upcoming AEW Revolution exhibition against Takeshita will be just that, an exhibition, as the two will shake hands before and after the contest.
Ospreay and Takeshita obliged, shaking hands, but both men attempted to “little brother” the other during it. Neither came close to getting physical, and Callis seemed to enjoy the spirit of competition. That said, general fan expectation going into AEW Revolution is that Ospreay will leave the event as clear singles babyface.
Ospreay vs. Takeshita goes down this Sunday, March 3rd at AEW Revolution.
