WILL OSPREAY:
ELEVATED TO THE SKY
By Jas Olan
He is widely regarded as one of the best junior heavyweight wrestlers of his generation. Only about half way into his twenties, the Aerial Assassin, Will Ospreay has already achieved global stardom and earned the respect of the entire industry. The talented and passionate young brit has conquered the international wrestling scene and won championship gold all over the world. His high flying style has been a hit with fans and critics for, and he’s been part of some of the greatest junior rivalries of the modern era of professional wrestling. A two time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion And now two time BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS winner, Ospreay has gone head to head with some of the industry’s finest and had some absolutely incredible matches along the way.
The Aerial Assassin made his debut in 2012 at the age of eighteen, competing in his home country of England. Throughout his career, Ospreay would go on to play an important role in the rise of the British wrestling scene that has been taking place over last several years. He quickly gained big momentum with critically acclaimed matches in promotions like Progress and REVPRO. That momentum would also carry over as he made a name for himself in other promotions across the world.
In 2016, Ospreay made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling where some of his biggest matches would take place. His rivalries with the likes of Junior Ace, KUSHIDA and Ricochet quickly put the world on notice, and he became a major fan favorite. He would even make history as both the first ever British born and youngest winner of the BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS tournament. His star would continue to rise over time as he also feuded heavily with other junior mega stars like Hiromu Takahashi, Marty Scurll, and Taiji Ishimori. That continued momentum would ultimately lead to two runs as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
After finding major success as a junior heavyweight, the Aerial Assassin decided to begin testing the waters against many of New Japan’s best heavyweight competitors in early 2019 as well as debuting some great new additions to his signature move set. Fans around the world watched with their hearts in their throats when he challenged the Golden Star, Kota Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight Championship at WRESTLE KINGDOM 13 and win. It was an absolutely brutal encounter that left both hurting end. Ibushi would be sidelined until the start of the New Japan Cup tournament in March.
2019 continues to be a banner year for Will Ospreay with a great run with the NEVER Openweight Championship and huge matches against top heavyweights. He also had a fabulous showing in the 2019 New Japan Cup despite not winning the tournament. He then went to win BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS for a second time, defeating Shingo Takagi and breaking the dragon’s undefeated streak in an absolute barn burner of a match. With that win, Ospreay is now set to challenge current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Dragon Lee for the prestigious title at DOMINION in Osaka-jo Hall in just a matter of days. His sights are set on a third run as junior champion, and the Aerial Assassin is ready to win.
One thing that really stood out about this year’s BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS win is the bond Ospreay has been building with the Japanese audience since he first arrived in NJPW. They’ve grown to love him as an adopted son similar to the way they had with Kenny Omega years before. They cheered happily when he announced his plans to move to Japan with longtime girlfriend, Bea Priestley. There’s a definite relatability factor with Will Ospreay.
In the ring he is often the underdog in many of his matches but fights from the ground up and gives it everything he has each time. That relatability factor in how open he has been about his mental health struggles. Seeing that humanity in one of their favorite performers is always a positive thing for wrestling fans. His passion is infectious, and his talent always leaves the world awe struck. In the end it’s his humanity that truly makes fans love him.
With his heart currently set on being a junior that can also go to war against heavyweights, Will Ospreay is more focused then ever. We could even see a blurring of the lines between weight classed in NJPW some time in the future. It is safe to say he’ll continue to be one of the industry’s premier juniors. The future is truly looking bright for him and filled with limitless possibility. As we all wait excitedly to see how far the Aerial Assassin will go, all we’ll have to do is look to the skies.
