Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega: The Complete History of This Multi-Year Feud

By Liam Crowley

Four days before the company's flagship pay-per-view takes place, All Elite Wrestling is giving fans a taste of a highly-anticipated dream match on weekly television. AEW Dynamite will host The Elite vs. United Empire in the semifinals of the AEW World Trios Titles tournament, pitting Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay on opposite sides. While they've been distant since January 2019, Omega and Ospreay have never been shy about verbally sparring at each other on social media. AEW provided a glimpse of the two's animosity towards each other after Dynamite went off the air last week, with Omega criticizing Ospreay for being unable to fill his shoes in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

These barbs fell on mostly deaf ears, as not only did that segment not air as part of the Dynamite broadcast, but it made reference to events that took place outside of AEW. Despite barely interacting on television and emphasizing that their issues are not part of a long-term storyline, Omega and Ospreay have inadvertently built one of the more intricate feuds in professional wrestling that has remained untapped, until now.

First Encounter

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As can often be the case in professional wrestling, an anticipated match has already happened, albeit with significantly lower stakes. Just as CM Punk and Dean Ambrose wrestled for weeks on end in 2013 with only bragging rights on the line almost a decade before they would be unifying a world title or how Cody Rhodes wrestled Chris Jericho on a random episode of WWE SmackDown long ahead of their AEW World Championship match at AEW Full Gear 2019, Ospreay and Omega first locked up at PWG All-Star Weekend XI in 2015, going over 16 minutes in what was dubbed by many as the match of the night.

On a weekend that also featured Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano vs. the Young Bucks, Omega got the 1-2-3 on Ospreay after putting him away with a One-Winged Angel. This match would go down just three months before Ospreay began regularly working for New Japan where he would join Kazuchika Okada's stable, Chaos. Simultaneously, Omega had risen the ranks of his faction, excommunicating AJ Styles to become the new leader of Bullet Club at a time when the stable was seeing industry-changing levels of popularity.

Summer 2016

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Ask anyone to recall a fond time period, and nine times out of ten they will respond with Summer '16. Whether it be the music, the movies, or just the overall vibes, there was something in the air for those three months six years ago.

That positive energy extended to Japan, as both Ospreay and Omega won their respective tournaments that summer. Ospreay became the youngest winner of the Best of the Super Juniors while Omega became the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the G1 Climax.

In more notable parallels, both Ospreay and Omega would go on to lose the championship matches they earned as a result of their tournament victories. Ospreay lost his title shot to then-IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kushida at Dominion 2016, while Omega was defeated by then-IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11.

Ships in the Night

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Following their monumental Summer 2016s, Ospreay and Omega's quests for singles gold would run parallel, but never cross. Ospreay surged up the juniors division but had difficulty dethroning Kushida. At the same time, Omega was teetering in the world title scene, but was never able to put away Okada.

Ospreay finally defeated Kushida for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title in October 2017, 547 days after his first shot at that title. In more perfect harmony, Omega's long-awaited crowning moment came at Dominion 2018, 521 days after his first world title match. While those journeys last for a near identical duration, they started roughly nine months apart. The aforementioned Dominion 2018 is when the two would find themselves on even timelines again, as hours before Omega dethroned Okada, Ospreay had lost his title to Hiromu Takahashi.

Paths Cross

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Dominion 2018 would prove to be a symbolic evening for both men. Omega's world title victory would start the beginning of his final run with NJPW, while Ospreay's junior title loss commenced his journey towards the heavyweight division.

Three years and three days after their lone singles encounter, Omega and Ospreay would meet each other in the squared circle once again. IWGP World Champion Omega and NEVER Openweight Champion Kota Ibushi took on their upcoming Wrestle Kingdom challengers, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ospreay, respectively, in tag action. This NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome bout received rave reviews, garnering a five-star rating for its high-octane offense and memorable spots throughout.

Just like their first match in 2015, Omega was on the winning side.

Wrestle Kingdom 13

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The final night that Ospreay and Omega shared a locker room would prove to be pivotal for both men. Hours before Omega wrestled his final match in NJPW, Ospreay captured his first NJPW title outside of the juniors division. That said, his victory was not without controversy.

Ospreay defeated Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight Championship with a combination of the Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker. The Hidden Blade, a back elbow strike to the head, concussed Ibushi, and he was forced to leave the Tokyo Dome on a stretcher. According to Ospreay, Omega wanted Ibushi to be in his corner for his farewell match that night, but his injury prevented that from happening.

Passing The Torch

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With Omega leaving for AEW, New Japan had a massive opening in its main event scene. While it's unclear when this conversation went down, Ospreay revealed that his last face-to-face with Omega concluded with the Cleaner passing him the torch.

"The last thing Kenny ever said to me, we were in this big meeting and he pulled me to one side and said with the Bucks and Cody, 'Alright, you've got to take the reins now. It's all on you,'" Ospreay said in April 2020.

Omega expanded on this, adding that current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White was also in that exchange.

"Before I left New Japan, I pulled aside Ospreay and Jay White. I don't even know if I should tell this story, but I will. I told both, 'This company, at least the western expansion and the pride of the foreigners, it's all in your hands. They're going to look to you to carry this thing, so you've got to do it,'" Omega said in May 2021. "I said it to Jay and Ospreay knowing it was a likely scenario. But also hoping to light a fire under both of them."

Since The Elite's departure from NJPW, Ospreay continued to rack up accolades. He won another Best of the Super Juniors in 2019, carried that momentum to another IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title victory that summer, and entered his first G1 Climax.

2020 was even more successful for Ospreay, as he opened the year by winning the British Heavyweight Championship, which kickstarted a record 919-day reign with that title. Following that victory, Ospreay officially ascended into the heavyweight division. He continued to carve out his legacy by leaving Chaos and forming his own stable: The United Empire. Momentum continued to surge for the Commonwealth Kingpin, as he went on to win the 2021 New Japan Cup and successfully use that subsequent title shot to defeat Ibushi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. That reign would be cut significantly short, as a neck injury forced Ospreay to vacate New Japan's top prize just a month after winning it.

As this was happening in Japan, Omega had reached the pinnacle of AEW, capturing the AEW World Title in December 2020 and holding it until November 2021.

Online Feud

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Despite Omega's apparent faith in Ospreay as a future face of New Japan in 2019, the Best Bout Machine began to change his tune in 2021. While he remained complimentary of Ospreay as a competitor, he played up his belt collector gimmick by casting doubt on Ospreay's ability to fill his shoes.

"For Ospreay, he'd really came into his own. He made a complete career shift, and he was going to be a fantastic champion. He made changes to his body, he made changes to his style, his look, his demeanor, He became the person that he needed to be the champion of that company. Unfortunately, becoming champion wasn't enough for him. He tried to fill my shoes," Omega said in May 2021. "Physically, even though he is one of the most gifted performers to ever step foot in the ring, there is only one Kenny Omega. And you can't fill those shoes. Thus, now his belt is vacant, so perhaps it was always meant to be my belt and my belt alone. That's not me making a firm statement as to whether I'll make a venture out there, just that there is no one there that can fill my shoes or override my legacy. When Ospreay comes back, he'll have to re-analyze who he is and who he's meant to be, because he's not meant to be me."

The tension between Omega and Ospreay escalated later that fall. Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers List put Omega in the top spot in 2021, while Ospreay sat at No. 7. Responding to a fan, Ospreay claimed that he could beat Omega "any day of the week and twice on Wednesdays," to which Omega heavily disagreed.

"Your promotion has been so ice cold since I left that not even [Dave] Meltzer can convince his followers that you were part of any BITW conversation," Omega wrote to Ospreay It hurts me, bruv. One of you dorks should have been the guy. Turned out a bigger dog was my only competition."

"Last chat we had was 'you need to be the guy,'" Ospreay replied. "Since then, you left, we sold out MSG, sold more tickets at the Tokyo Dome than ever before, and put on banger after banger. A pandemic put the breaks on & you know it. Open that door, let's have this conversation."

Ospreay would once again comment on Omega the following month, saying he would "embarrass" the former Bullet Club leader if they met in the ring again.

"Kenny Omega was the guy in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but when he left, I took over and I made my own stance and no one could compete with me back in 2019," Ospreay said in October 2021. "If I got into a room with him, I'd embarrass him."

Like clockwork, Ospreay and Omega would resume the online spattering every couple of months. 

At this point, Omega was out of action with various injuries and had begun his road to recovery. Ospreay teased the idea of a singles match between himself and Omega at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, but Omega remained uncleared for competition.

Things Heat Up

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If Summer '16 was the exposition and the online feud was the rising action, Summer '22 is the climax. One month after teasing a Forbidden Door match with the Best Bout Machine, Ospreay revealed that he was "not on good terms" with Omega.

"We're not on good terms right now. When you leave the building and leave New Japan and pull me aside and say, 'You need to step up for this company, I believe in you,' and gas you up and gas you up hard, and you put your heart and f--king soul in trying to make this... the bar was high. For both myself and [Jay White], the bar was high. I actually care and want the fans who watch New Japan to be like, 'This is professional wrestling.' I'm doing it and destroying my body to do it, and then you cut me off online?" Ospreay said in May. "I look at you and actually hold you in high regard, actual high regard, and I respect everything you've done. It's one of those things where I prefer him to stay away from me at this point. It's not even funny. You can destroy guys like that. You're saying this and you're saying that, I don't like two-faced people."

While Omega did not directly respond to those comments, he did qualify his criticisms of Ospreay one month later. 

"When I left, if I were a betting man, I would have put everything I owned in my name, so couple of retro consoles and five dollars, I would have put that on knowing that Jay White and Will Ospreay were going to be the go-to international talents that they would heavily push," Omega said in June. "Ospreay, he's doing great in his role, not my thing so much. Jay White, he's become the star that they needed. I can't say one over another, but they do work quite well harmoniously. A guy like Will, who is great at moves and has a list of 20 very forgettable five-star matches (laughs). I'm going a little too hard on Will."

It didn't take long for Ospreay to get wind of those words. In July, Ospreay decided to shine light on why he believes Omega consistently belittles his accomplishments.

"This whole thing has generated from back in 2019. It was Kenny's last match and I guess he wanted Ibushi out there to second him. I f--king blew Ibushi's brain out with the hidden blade. He's super f--king mad at me," Ospreay said in July. "The thing is, I'm mad at myself when those situations happen. I don't want to brain somebody, but it's a legal wrestling move. I'm allowed to do it. I'm allowed to do blows to the back of the head, 12-6 elbows down. This is a 9-3 elbow strike, I'm allowed to do it. Obviously, the repercussion is he got knocked out and it was a bad concussion. Since then, myself and Ibushi, we have gone out for drinks. We don't talk anymore, but after that point, we went for drinks and meals, we're fine, but Kenny is [upset] off of an accident."

Ospreay also implied that Omega prevented him from debuting with AEW earlier.

"Apparently, the rumor was that I was meant to be there a year ago, just doing 'forbidden door' stuff and somebody is putting the block on it," Ospreay said in the same interview. "It doesn't take two and two to realize who it is. One person who has not been there for a while and all of a sudden, I'm welcomed in with open arms." 

Shots Fired

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Ospreay is no stranger to online feuds, and the 29-year-old wrestler knows how to cash in on them. He transformed Twitter beef with WWE Hall of Famer Vader into a match, sold merchandise based on Rip Rogers's "...dive" comments, and created "little guy" shirts after Seth Rollins called out his size.

Ospreay took his issues with Omega to the ring, nailing his opponent with Omega's One-Winged Angel at a RevPro event. Rather than let that maneuver finish the match, Ospreay pulled his opponent's arm up, implying that the famously un-kick-out-able finisher was easily escapable. Following suit with his past online feuds, Ospreay made merchandise out of this moment, but was sent a cease and desist warning 24 hours after they were made available.

Face To Face

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After three years of digital bickering, Omega and Ospreay finally locked eyes on the August 24th edition of AEW Dynamite. Ospreay and Aussie Open defeated Death Triangle in the first round of the AEW World Trios Titles tournament, setting them on a collision course with Omega and the Young Bucks come the semifinals. 

Shortly after Ospreay got the 1-2-3, "Battle Cry" echoed throughout the Wolstein Center, and The Elite emerged from the entranceway to confront United Empire. Omega specifically stood in front, teasing an in-ring confrontation with Ospreay, but was held back by manager Don Callis.

After Dynamite went off the air, Omega took to the microphone and cut into Ospreay. While this promo was not part of the broadcast, AEW uploaded it in full to its YouTube channel.

"[Let's] see if you can handle responsibility, Will," Omega said to Ospreay as he offered him a chance to speak. "Hopefully you can handle it a little better than filling my shoes in New Japan."

"Filling your shoes?" Ospreay replied. "The way I see things, in the short time that I've been in New Japan, I've done everything you've done and more you fragile little b---h."

Ospreay is referencing the fact that in his six years in NJPW, he has already collected two Best of the Super Junior tournament wins, three IWGP Junior Heavyweight Titles, a NEVER Openweight Title, and an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. By comparison, Omega never won a Best of the Super Juniors tournament, held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title on two occasions, did not win the NEVER Openweight Title, and took eight years to win his first IWGP World Heavyweight Title compared to Ospreay's five.

All these statistics are relative, as Omega points out their respective accomplishments came in very different eras.

"That could be true, except the only difference is I did it in front of full sold out crowds and you did a G1 final in front of what, 3,000 people?" Omega responded. "After the hardships I faced to give people like you an opportunity, Will, you would think that maybe you'd be able to do a little more with it."

The verbal sparring nearly turned physical once Omega resurrected his long-running criticism of Ospreay's matches' memorability.

"None of these people know any of your matches. None of these people even know you. I introduced them to you a lot like how I introduced you to the heavyweight scene in New Japan. I never got one thank you from you, Will," Omega continued. "You see Will, I gave you the impossible task of filling my shoes. But maybe I shouldn't have given you a pair of shoes when you still haven't grown out of your diapers."

United Empire vs. The Elite

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For the first time since December 2018, Ospreay and Omega find themselves on opposite sides of the squared circle. While it's not the heavily-anticipated singles match that fans are impatiently awaiting, it is the first meeting of the two since the online feud began.

With nine different combinations of one-on-one match-ups within this trios bout, there will likely be limited in-ring time between Ospreay and Omega. That said, the two titans will certainly clash at some point, and will give fans a teaser trailer of what's to come when they eventually have their inevitable singles match.

Ospreay and Aussie Open battle Omega and the Young Bucks tonight on AEW Dynamite.

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