Will Ospreay was set to be professional wrestling’s hottest free agent in 2024. The current IWGP United States Champion has been on the radar of many western promotions for years, impressing during his early years on the independent scene due to his unique move-set and viral matches against fellow high-flyers. WWE would court Ospreay for its Cruiserweight Classic tournament in Summer 2016, but Ospreay ultimately declined in favor of taking his talents to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Over the next seven years, the Aerial Assassin would accomplish everything under the rising sun related to the junior division and eventually bulked up to become an NJPW heavyweight, a change that led to him capturing the IWGP World Championship.
Ospreay’s success reached a fever pitch in 2023, as he continued to add gold to his résumé. This past June, Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega to win the aforementioned IWGP United States Title, and he parlayed that victory’s momentum to wins over Kazuchika Okada and Chris Jericho later in the summer. All of this furthered the London native’s stock, as just about every wrestling company has expressed interest in becoming Ospreay’s exclusive home come next year.
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Will Ospreay Signs With AEW
The Aerial Assassin is #AllElite.
Will Ospreay officially put pen to paper with AEW on AEW Full Gear, revealing himself as AEW President Tony Khan’s mystery “blockbuster signing.”
While the only other company that could match AEW’s finances is WWE, Khan’s promotion offers something that Vince McMahon land does not: freedom of schedule. AEW has allowed its roster to compete on both the independent circuit and for partners Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and NJPW.
That said, Ospreay told ComicBook.com in October that he is keen on narrowing his focus on one company going forward.
“I really would just like to harken in on just one promotion. I think I’ve proven my point in terms of going out there and taking on the world’s best and coming out on top and doing it almost consistently now,” Ospreay said. “There hasn’t been, as of recent memory, anybody that’s done that. I don’t work for any of these companies, I work solely for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and I keep getting brought out over my talent and my merit of testing if I am really the best in the world. For me to be in that conversation, it is extremely gratifying because it does come a lot from just hard work.”
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for continuing coverage of AEW Full Gear.
