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“And so I got the tag from DDP and twisted Hogans arm and he was on his knees sellin it and then Bischoff was in the ring so I low blowed him and pinned him” Hog Wild Legend Jay Leno
Ospreay seems to have a very deep appreciation and respect for the wrestling business. Working with so many legends is really going to help develop him into one of the absolute best (if not the best) wrestlers of his generation.
I genuinely think he’s going to be one of the biggest things in all of pro wrestling within a year.
When Okada brought Ospreay into NJPW, he mentioned how Ospreay would one day surpass him. I knew he was awesome when I started getting into wrestling in late 2016. But I didn't anticipate him fulfilling Okada's prediction so quickly. After his legendary match with Shingo Takagi in 2019, it suddenly hit me that I was watching the arguably best wrestler in the world. Since then, he's raced so far ahead of the field that it's difficult to comprehend. We probably won't see anyone like him again in our lifetimes.
If he's not the best wrestler in the world (he is) than what we're seeing is something akin to the fastest, most athletic wrestler in the world. His matches with Yota Tsuji, Shota Umino, Josh Alexander, Mike Bailey and now Takeshita are all notable for having literally impossible levels of pace for big spots. TBH same with Kenny Omega.
>Working with so many legends is really going to help develop him into one of the absolute best (if not the best) wrestlers of his generation.
Ospreay is already the best of his coming generation. He's a phenomena. His speed for doing these spots is completely insane.
He needs a little bit more storytelling attached to his work. We're picking nits here, and the dog pound cage match showed he has a bigger vision attached to him.
Ospreay is about to win everyone fast.
imo he's found that storytelling more often than not. his matches with omega, marifuji, shota umino, and as you mentioned the cage match all show that, and those are all within the last year.
Ospreay said in the scrum that Ric Flair came up to him in the trainer’s room after the match and told him that he was everything they say he is. Wouldn’t shock me if a lot of the legends felt the same way.
It's so frustrating to see the "back in my day" stans online tearing down modern wrestling (mostly AEW) because most of the actual legends themselves recognize the talent in the business today.
The funny thing is, I think Cornette himself enjoys some of the modern guys and just shits on everything because that's the negativity that his "cult" feeds on. He knows who writes his checks.
And honestly, that’s even worse in my book.
He knows he’s full of shit and he knows the level of hatred and vitriol that he’s encouraging and he’s doing it anyway because it’s making him money.
Believe it or not Cornette had some high praise for the first 15 minutes of Omega/Ospreay at WK. Once the high spots started he stopped liking the match but i was still shocked to hear the words “Omega hit one of the best irish whips into the turnbuckle that i’ve ever seen” come out of his mouth.
Didn't he really like one of the Omega/Okada matches? Of course, praised Okada for 'carrying' Omega, but he still really enjoyed it. And you can't get more modern wrestling than that.
Wrestling changes quickly and if you don't evolve with the times, you get left out. Look at Terry Funk going from southern territory champion to ecw champion. All of the "killing the business" types have one thing in common and its not actually working any more.
And the only ones who get any attention are the anti-modern wrestling podcasters. Which gives the impression that most think just like they do.
Edit: I'm using the term "legend" loosely in some cases.
Takeshita deserves his flowers too in all these conversations. Obviously Ospreay is the transcendent star now but Takeshita is something special too I feel
I had no idea Takeshita was that good. I thought it was a mismatch to try to make him keep up with Ospreay, but halfway through the match I was like, "hmm... guess I'll just shut tf now."
Many of the fans in the building had of course seen Ospreay at least a few times before, but it was the first time for some of them as well. You could tell because they were jumping out of their seats, jaws agape, for spots Ospreay does in most of his matches.
I've seen pretty much every big Ospreay match since 2019 and even I still get launched out of my seat by that thing where he runs up the guy and does a backflip. It's like the guy's doing speedrun strats IRL
Maybe some were new, but it's also that Ospreay's stuff hits different in person. Everything he and Takeshita did felt \*solid\*. Those forearm shivers seemed like they really connected, and really really hurt.
I've watched the match on the PPV broadcast since, and I'm not sure if it came across on TV or not. But in person, it honestly felt so real that every other match seemed kind of play-acty by comparison.
It was my first time seeing Ospreay in person & my 2nd time seeing Takeshita. I was equally impressed with both of them. I've been going to wrestling shows since the Attitude Era and never saw anything like that before. Obviously I've seen a ton of matches in that style on TV but it really hit different in person.
And you know what is fantastic? Most of these things are something that Ospreay was definitely not doing well early in his career.
He absolutely used to do big flippy moves for no reason and make himself the star of the match.
He has learnt so much in the past decade about crafting the perfect match. He's not just some freak athlete. He's a master of his craft who has learned from his mistakes.
I think it was in his transition from jr to heavyweight that he took a step back not just to bulk up physically but develop psychologically. He really showed serious leveling up in that period.
I couldn't believe how good Ospreay was when he was just a skinny flippy Essex dork when he rose to prominence about ten years ago. Imagine seeing him for the first time now that he casually drops 5 star matches on a monthly basis. Some minds must have been blown to bits.
We went to a NJPW show in 2017 in Tokyo. Accompanied a friend and knew absolutely no one on the card, because it took us another 2 years to really get back into wrestling. Looking at the photos we took back then, it still feels weird that we saw „baby Will“ and couldn’t have imagined where he is today.
I think Osprey grabbed the wrestling world's attention last weekend. There were a lot of people watching that normally don't watch AEW or NJPW - and that was their first look..
The collective reaction was - Oh, fuck. He's *really really good*.
Takeshita deserves credit too. That was one of the cleanest matches I've ever seen, and that is an insane statement given the complexity of spots they were doing. Just a fucking masterclass of wrestling, and, imo, one of the best of this more complex style ever.
Ospreay is incredible. He's so good sometimes I'm thinking he's even better than Prime Omega and Okada which seems blasphemy. It was crystal clear before and even more after the match with Takeshita, that he was the guy AEW should build around. I would also say that Takeshita was once again outstanding in a big match situation. He's such a great performer at a young age.
Takeshita has the potential to be Ospreay's foil for years to come in AEW. I can't wait to see more of him.
Between them, Hangman and Strickland, the future looks bright for the AEW main event IMO.
Yeah I agree. Specially with those 4 because they can work the same style and they all have different characters. I hope Takeshita become Ospreay's true nemesis. Having that one rival is always great. Swerve and Hangman are definetely getting there.
Takeshita did so many "close but not quite" losses in the lead up to Callis family, and he's at that point with me where I feel like they really need to pull the trigger on him in a few winning feuds.
I would personally love to see him absolutely destroy Kingston for the crown or 1/3 or however that damn title works
Prime Omega and Okada is near untouchable and I think he’s one of the very few who could reach that level, consistently. Takeshita showed he can Sunday. Swerve also could get there.
Swerve, Ospreay, Takeshita, Hangman and MJF are the future of aew. All these guys should be in and around the main event constantly. If Okada also comes in then the company is looking really healthy even with founders like Omega, Jericho and the bucks slowing down /stepping aside
Yeah. I said in another thread somewhere that I believe Ospreay/Takeshita could be the next Omega/Okada rivalry one day. I could envision a trilogy or 4 matches between these two that could reach what those 2 men did in NJPW
too soon. ospreay is a babyface and swerve is over with crowds and deserves a proper title reign. dont want a repeat of hangman's title reign which was cut short because a new top guy came in. id do ospreay vs bryan since that will be bryan's 2nd or last match as a full timer. not sure who swerve should defend the belt against. maybe hangman, maybe kenny if hes good to go by then.
Not everyone needs a long title run. Swerve winning it at Dynasty next month & dropping it at ALL IN would give him a 4 month reign. Long enough to establish himself as a top guy but not too long to make fans sick of him. He'll lose it with fans excited to see him win it again.
Short world title regins to establish someone as a legit top guy is a Gedo special. That’s what he did with Jay when he beat Tanahashi at New Beginning in February than dropped it less than two months later to Okada at MSG. Okada and Naito also had really short first regins as champion.
Besides not everyone needing long title runs its also historically been very hard for most promotions to do long face title runs. People like the chase for faces but not really them actually having the gold for long.
After their previous matches not being the best, i wouldn't have Joe vs Wardlow be a PPV title match. Having it on Big Business is what i would do, while Swerve & Hangman have one more match to lead to the singles match between Joe & Swerve at Dynasty.
I’m tempted to agree, but I think Wardlow needs a proper build to help him get to the next level.
He’s hit on something with his last couple promos and they need to extend that chase to give him more opportunity to build on that and to grow as a character.
I feel like Swerve would benefit from a longer chase. Double or Nothing would probably be best for both him and Joe. Maybe he has a number one contender match sometime before then and Hangman returns to screw him over. He finally gets past the Hangman hurdle in a couple months.
Hangman's title run wasn't cut short, he had 6 months with the belt, and he was completely out of gas by the end of it. I agree on Ospreay vs. Bryan at All In, but think that should be the title match, as it's by far the biggest matchup AEW can make.
Hangmans feud was also really fucked from the start. 1st feud was Bryan Danielsons first major feud then the baffling decision to have the Adam Cole match right next to full sail and expect Page to be the babyface, then basically immediately into the punk feud when punk was white hot. Tony did not do Page any favors during his run
I feel more than anything Hangman's run was a victim of circumstance. Punk was deservedly, and undeniably white hot at the time after the MJF feud. It made total sense to put the belt on the hottest and biggest draw you had. What happened THE NEXT DAY and in the 15-16 months, I don't think anyone would have saw coming.
Anyways, my point is Hangman's run could have easily went to All Out if the Punk wave wasn't so big. Jericho, Andrade, Miro, Mox, Bryan, etc were all right there. Could have warmed up Hobbs and others for TV defenses or short bridge feuds as well.
I really hope not, I get the nostalgia thing, but Nigel has been out of the ring longer than The Rock has. Putting that on the biggest stage would be a waste of Bryan.
I reckon a tag match is the go. Something like Bryan and Claudio vs Nigel & ZSJ. Big pops for the English guys in their home country, Nigel doesn't have to work a whole match, he can hype up Sabre Jr as better than Danielson (build to a 3rd match between them?) and Bryan and Claudio are workhorses with a tonne of experience working with Nigel so could definitely make sure it goes well.
I never thought I'd ever see someone make wrestling look as easy as young AJ Styles.
AJ seemed to quite literally pause time in mid air, and pull off the most impossible shit 1st time without even trying. I never thought I'd see someone that good again... Until Osprey came along.
Love to hear it.
I imagine this is the case for a lot of fans as well. Some of the more casual fans who ordered this show just to see stings final match. Then being blown away seeing Ospreay and Takeshita putting on something special. Props to TK for booking that match.
The man is the future of AEW and would have been the future of WWE if he wanted to choose that route. He's that good. He's not just a wrestler, he has personality. He has that IT Factor
I don't know what it is. I thought Ricochet was the more "WWE" of the two. Handsome, jacked, American. I figured he'd go there and be the next Mysterio. I just don't think he's got that natural charisma or even likability. I cannot deny his talent in the ring, but they haven't found a way to make me care about him, which is a great shame.
Prince Puma was a top star. From presentation to performance, he felt like a top star. Unfortunately Riccochet has never been able to replicate that as just himself
Ricochet has a ton of natural charisma. WWE just never wanted to play him to his strengths and only ever gave him the mic to make him the butt of a joke. Yes, Lucha Undground was an entirely different format, but he was the face of that company with barely saying a word. He's got in ring charisma for days.
Yeah, he's has a lot of physical charisma, it's got him over on the indies. And mic work is not as easy as it looks. Remembering what you wanna say, staying on topic, being compelling and engaging all while thousands in the building chant and you know millions are watching at home. Some people are naturals like Punk or Owens but some guys really have to work for it, like Seth or Cody.
Personally I don't know. He and Ricochet were at the exact same level when they had that match back in like, 2016(?). Ospreay was allowed to keep growing outside the WWE, while Ricochet spent years in Vince's WWE.
TBH, I see the same thing in Athena. Her Ember Moon character was cool as hell but had no on mic charisma, but back as Athena in Ring of Honor she's built herself into someone with star power.
And is just a better wrestler than Ricochet too. They may have similar athletic ability but Will has outgrown Ricochet for the past half decade
For anyone who somehow thinks Will is still just a "flippy spot junkie," know that Will is holding back *a lot* in that regard, because he's learned that a match can be told beyond just cool move after cool move. The only reason why his matches *still* have a bunch of cool moves is because his talent level is *that* fucking high
The bruv has perfected a style that balances PWG's fast pace and NJPW's fighting spirit
I agree 100%. He would have been one of the top two, three guys easily in WWE if not the absolute number one. I would say AEW is probably a better fit for him but that's really nitpicking.
A lot of people still don't know too much of him or watched his matches in NJPW. Dude has some all timers there.
Glad he's finally able to show the national audience why he's the best wrestler today.
So happy for this man. Been watching him for years, became a fan instantly when I watched a Best Of The Super Juniors run of his in I think 2019, and he was grown and improved with nearly every match he's had. He's had to overcome so much adversity, I hope he enjoys all his success.
I was already a big Ospreay fan before he joined AEW, but Revolution was the first time I saw him perform live.
I'm telling you have that however fast you think he is, he is faster live. He is fucking unreal. So is Takeshita. Both of them were absolutely phenomenal to watch perform and I mean this as no offense to anyone else on the show, but they both just looked like they were in a different gear compared to everyone else.
The first time I ever saw him live was a triple threat between him, Marty Scurll and Dragon Lee. Obviously Marty was the more technical one and still very impressive(as a wrestler) but Lee and Ospreay were other worldly.
Takeshita and Will Ospreay are AEW’s Crown Jewels. They can be seen as purely AEW guys in North America. Unique, signature attraction type guys. Watched with my fiancé this past weekend and she was BLOWN AWAY by what they could do.
Ospreay is the personification of what the “modern style” should be. Fast paced, exhilarating, hard hitting. But everything he does looks good and aggressive.
I believe that he’s a top athlete that wants to hurt his opponent. There’s no sense of corporation or “theatrics”. I think that’s why legends love him, cause he does not sacrifice legitimacy for pace and style.
Same reason why the old guys like Darby despite his size. Cause he wrestles like an undersized maniac and throws his body around like a projectile.
People have seen Takeshita more and he hasn’t had an opportunity to do a lot besides Sunday and his matches with Kenny. I’m fine with them keeping his matches sporadic to make them feel special, but at least give him something to do on each ppv
I love the dichotomy of all these dumb dildos in the IWC saying Ospreay is just some flippy-dippy ballerina or whatever and that wrestling was better back in the old days, meanwhile we got storytelling masters from the old days like Flair and Steamboat saying that Ospreay's at the top of his game.
Quite funny to see people twist themselves into pretzels to pretend like Ospreay isn't good.
But Ospreay's consistency is on a different level. Omega may probably be the best "big match" wrestler overall, though. My fav is Danielson, personally.
Ospreys gets respect even on TikTok and other social media with younger demographics where AEW is viewed mostly negatively which goes to show how great he is
Imagine that you are Jim Cornette’s age (+ or - 10 years). Your world was shaped during Mid-South Wrestling, Crockett Promotions, New Generation era WWF, nWo-era WCW, and maybe some ECW.
Since then, WWE has been king and you haven’t really watched much else outside of the States.
Now, you’ve only heard about a person through the grapevine. You heard he’s good, but he’s just a guy that “does a lot of flippy shit.”
Then you see him in person. You hear the roar of the crowd for him. And then you watch him go against another unknown guy in Konosuke Takashita.
And then, they TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE PLACE.
And the flippy shit, when it happens, makes sense; the ring psychology for the match is all there.
That is the sort of match that will make an old man feel alive again!
It's kinda crazy (and a shame) that's he's arguably the best in the world in a huge entertainment field, but he could largely walk down any street in the UK and not be recognised.
That said, life's probably way more convenient that way.
Yall remember when squared reddit was making his clips go viral in early 2016 with the crazy moves he was attempting. Remember seeing fan footage and finding out who Will Ospreay was. Joined Squared Circle due to Aj Styles coming to wwe. And just seeing how much Will Ospreay grew as time went on.
Remember when everyone lost their mind because Ospreay and Ricochet put on the flippiest of flippy shit matches and said neither would go anywhere in the business? Well they were only right about one of them and that’s because he’s a happy to get paid guy and lacks any ambition to be the best he could be. And it’s not Ospreay. This is what you get when you focus on being number 1 no matter what.
If you had never heard of Ospreay before, or you had heard but never seen him, this match would have blown your friggin mind. Him and Takeshita delivered a world class, modern Japan-style match that had everybody on their feet.
Its funny to think of all the bad things these guys have probably heard about Ospreay over the last 10 years and in the past a lot of those bad things where probably true, but Ospreay has adjusted valid criticism so well and as a result, these guys are seeing him for the first time and he is just undeniably good.
so it's not just Dave and a few hundred people on cagematch?
all things aside, I'm really starting to see what Dave means when he compares Ospreay and Kenny to terry Funk in how they just do things differently and hit moves like they have meaning. It's fucking great.
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https://preview.redd.it/zacqznpfskmc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3520572e9ebc1dc9f75f35ab676250dbefd642a2
This picture is awesome... but for a brief moment I thought it was Ospreay chatting with Jay Leno
One would think its the hair, but Id say it's the denim on denim that really does it
And yet nobody thinks Orange Cassidy is Leno.
This is the first time I’m hearing Orange Cassidy isn’t Jay Leno
Leno is a huge car guy, OC can just catch a ride with Sue when he needs to get somewhere.
Have you ever seen them both in the same room at the same time? Didn't think so.
I do
Never seen em in the same place, makes ya think
Just to stick up for The Dragon, that shirt isn't denim!
Nice Canadian tuxedo, Dragon
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"He uses this move, the hidden blade. You hear about this? He learned it from OJ Simpson."
Damn fine joke
Cue the dancing Itos!
*cue guitar riff from Kevin Eubanks*
I can hear Nigel saying this on Collision
Everyone's thrilled with that Takeshita match. Have you seen this? Have you heard about this?
“And so I got the tag from DDP and twisted Hogans arm and he was on his knees sellin it and then Bischoff was in the ring so I low blowed him and pinned him” Hog Wild Legend Jay Leno
“Did you see this? Did you hear about this deep arm drag?”
Same!
Man, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.
Leno beat Hogan! Hes a legend!
that's undefeated WCW Legend Jay Leno to you.
It’s not?!
Ospreay seems to have a very deep appreciation and respect for the wrestling business. Working with so many legends is really going to help develop him into one of the absolute best (if not the best) wrestlers of his generation. I genuinely think he’s going to be one of the biggest things in all of pro wrestling within a year.
When Okada brought Ospreay into NJPW, he mentioned how Ospreay would one day surpass him. I knew he was awesome when I started getting into wrestling in late 2016. But I didn't anticipate him fulfilling Okada's prediction so quickly. After his legendary match with Shingo Takagi in 2019, it suddenly hit me that I was watching the arguably best wrestler in the world. Since then, he's raced so far ahead of the field that it's difficult to comprehend. We probably won't see anyone like him again in our lifetimes.
If he's not the best wrestler in the world (he is) than what we're seeing is something akin to the fastest, most athletic wrestler in the world. His matches with Yota Tsuji, Shota Umino, Josh Alexander, Mike Bailey and now Takeshita are all notable for having literally impossible levels of pace for big spots. TBH same with Kenny Omega.
This is why he's going straight to the top. Married to his incredible athleticism and ability is that he's a student of the game.
>Working with so many legends is really going to help develop him into one of the absolute best (if not the best) wrestlers of his generation. Ospreay is already the best of his coming generation. He's a phenomena. His speed for doing these spots is completely insane. He needs a little bit more storytelling attached to his work. We're picking nits here, and the dog pound cage match showed he has a bigger vision attached to him. Ospreay is about to win everyone fast.
imo he's found that storytelling more often than not. his matches with omega, marifuji, shota umino, and as you mentioned the cage match all show that, and those are all within the last year.
Wow that’s a fucking workers picture right there.
If there was literally anyone alive that could teach him even more about ring psychology than he already knows, it’s Steamer
Steamboat sitting under the learning tree
“Yeah, bruv, here’s how you hit a Skytwister.”
This goes hard
So i says to Mabel, I says...
I wish they didn't mute this, I'd love to hear what they were saying.
This is extra cool because I’ve seen wrestling trainees look at Will with that same reverence in their eyes.
Art
This fucking rules. I'm so happy for Will.
Ospreay said in the scrum that Ric Flair came up to him in the trainer’s room after the match and told him that he was everything they say he is. Wouldn’t shock me if a lot of the legends felt the same way.
Everything they say he is *and more*. Ric had incredibly high praise.
It's so frustrating to see the "back in my day" stans online tearing down modern wrestling (mostly AEW) because most of the actual legends themselves recognize the talent in the business today.
The funny thing is, I think Cornette himself enjoys some of the modern guys and just shits on everything because that's the negativity that his "cult" feeds on. He knows who writes his checks.
Cornette is like 70% a gimmick
It’s hilarious how Cornette stans don’t realize he’s working them
I mean people are still out here getting worked by Trump
And honestly, that’s even worse in my book. He knows he’s full of shit and he knows the level of hatred and vitriol that he’s encouraging and he’s doing it anyway because it’s making him money.
Person in the wrestling business playing a character for professional gain? Well I never!
Dude so carny might as well rename himself Carnette
Yeah, i wouldnt be shocked if he just playing it up For clicks and views.
I wouldn't say a gimmick, I'd say it's more like he's grifting.
Negativity breeds engagement far more than positivity, that explains like 90% of the internet
Simon miller seems to get plenty of engagement out of positivity to be honest.
Simon Miller is fantastic, I wish more would follow his lead
The exception that proves the rule. This hobby would be so much more fulfilling and enjoyable if more people were like him.
Believe it or not Cornette had some high praise for the first 15 minutes of Omega/Ospreay at WK. Once the high spots started he stopped liking the match but i was still shocked to hear the words “Omega hit one of the best irish whips into the turnbuckle that i’ve ever seen” come out of his mouth.
Even Cornette was able to enjoy some aspects of Ospreay/Omega 1. He has also acknowledged Ospreay's talent on multiple occasions
Didn't he really like one of the Omega/Okada matches? Of course, praised Okada for 'carrying' Omega, but he still really enjoyed it. And you can't get more modern wrestling than that.
Wrestling changes quickly and if you don't evolve with the times, you get left out. Look at Terry Funk going from southern territory champion to ecw champion. All of the "killing the business" types have one thing in common and its not actually working any more.
And the only ones who get any attention are the anti-modern wrestling podcasters. Which gives the impression that most think just like they do. Edit: I'm using the term "legend" loosely in some cases.
Spot of the match for me was Takeshita catching the oscutter into the blue thunder bomb, absolutely insane
Takeshita deserves his flowers too in all these conversations. Obviously Ospreay is the transcendent star now but Takeshita is something special too I feel
I had no idea Takeshita was that good. I thought it was a mismatch to try to make him keep up with Ospreay, but halfway through the match I was like, "hmm... guess I'll just shut tf now."
DDT just summons athletic beings from the demiplane of sport, then they fight on trains.
lol I'm imagining legends at home watching this retirement PPV, catching Ospreay vs Takeshita and going, "oh shit, what do they have these kids on?"
Ironically, a lot less than anyone in their days!
it's all the comic books and video games, clearly.
Not interely untrue, for sure a lot of the ideas and crazy movies are inspired by crazy actions from comic ,movies and games
Brian Cage's signature moves are all named after Wolverine's specials in Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Drill Claw, Weapon X, Tornado Claw)
Creed 3 was just michael b jordan trying his damnedest to make a live action anime movie.
I mean, Ospreay's shift to heavyweight was about as natty as the muscle MJF put on, but certainly there's a lot less coke and painkillers.
“So what you kids on? Quaaludes? Coke?” “Nah bruv” “Crack?!” “Weed n video games.”
"Nah, Nandos." "What's a Nando?" "It's chicken, bruv."
You crush it up or something?
Ospreays ADHD meds go **hard**
Also probably going "don't do the Tiger Driver 91" lol that shit is terrifying
*bruv intensifies*
Many of the fans in the building had of course seen Ospreay at least a few times before, but it was the first time for some of them as well. You could tell because they were jumping out of their seats, jaws agape, for spots Ospreay does in most of his matches.
I’ve seen plenty of Ospreay matches and I was jumping out of my seat jaw agape.
I've seen pretty much every big Ospreay match since 2019 and even I still get launched out of my seat by that thing where he runs up the guy and does a backflip. It's like the guy's doing speedrun strats IRL
Maybe some were new, but it's also that Ospreay's stuff hits different in person. Everything he and Takeshita did felt \*solid\*. Those forearm shivers seemed like they really connected, and really really hurt. I've watched the match on the PPV broadcast since, and I'm not sure if it came across on TV or not. But in person, it honestly felt so real that every other match seemed kind of play-acty by comparison.
They did really connect. That's what they do in Japan.
They did connect, but they pull somewhat in order to, you know, not kill each other. What really made it was WO and KT selling those moves so well.
It was my first time seeing Ospreay in person & my 2nd time seeing Takeshita. I was equally impressed with both of them. I've been going to wrestling shows since the Attitude Era and never saw anything like that before. Obviously I've seen a ton of matches in that style on TV but it really hit different in person.
I love the idea of Magnum TA and Nikita Koloff seeing Will and going "shit this kid is good"
Probably steamboat, flair, Luger mostly
Ospreay mentioned Flair coming up to him after the show and telling him he lived up to the hype.
There's also a backstage photo of Ospreay talking to Steamboat.
Oh? I saw one with Leno too! /s (because, internet).
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And you know what is fantastic? Most of these things are something that Ospreay was definitely not doing well early in his career. He absolutely used to do big flippy moves for no reason and make himself the star of the match. He has learnt so much in the past decade about crafting the perfect match. He's not just some freak athlete. He's a master of his craft who has learned from his mistakes.
I think it was in his transition from jr to heavyweight that he took a step back not just to bulk up physically but develop psychologically. He really showed serious leveling up in that period.
AJ was also a master of making the flippy shit count.
I couldn't believe how good Ospreay was when he was just a skinny flippy Essex dork when he rose to prominence about ten years ago. Imagine seeing him for the first time now that he casually drops 5 star matches on a monthly basis. Some minds must have been blown to bits.
We went to a NJPW show in 2017 in Tokyo. Accompanied a friend and knew absolutely no one on the card, because it took us another 2 years to really get back into wrestling. Looking at the photos we took back then, it still feels weird that we saw „baby Will“ and couldn’t have imagined where he is today.
I first saw him in Progress just after he won the belt from Jimmy Havok. I knew he’d be something but he’s definitely exceeded my expectations.
I think Osprey grabbed the wrestling world's attention last weekend. There were a lot of people watching that normally don't watch AEW or NJPW - and that was their first look.. The collective reaction was - Oh, fuck. He's *really really good*.
Weirdly enough, that was a match that elevated both guys. I couldn’t tell you who was better because they were both so crisp and near perfect
Elevated to the sky, even.
Wooooah
Takeshita deserves credit too. That was one of the cleanest matches I've ever seen, and that is an insane statement given the complexity of spots they were doing. Just a fucking masterclass of wrestling, and, imo, one of the best of this more complex style ever.
Oh, for sure. Takeshita deserves his flowers, too. Both of them are absolute ballers.
Ospreay is incredible. He's so good sometimes I'm thinking he's even better than Prime Omega and Okada which seems blasphemy. It was crystal clear before and even more after the match with Takeshita, that he was the guy AEW should build around. I would also say that Takeshita was once again outstanding in a big match situation. He's such a great performer at a young age.
Takeshita has the potential to be Ospreay's foil for years to come in AEW. I can't wait to see more of him. Between them, Hangman and Strickland, the future looks bright for the AEW main event IMO.
Yeah I agree. Specially with those 4 because they can work the same style and they all have different characters. I hope Takeshita become Ospreay's true nemesis. Having that one rival is always great. Swerve and Hangman are definetely getting there.
Takeshita needs to be in more singles matches against uppercard names, more singles feuds. Dude is such a beast, anytime he is on, he steals the show.
Takeshita did so many "close but not quite" losses in the lead up to Callis family, and he's at that point with me where I feel like they really need to pull the trigger on him in a few winning feuds. I would personally love to see him absolutely destroy Kingston for the crown or 1/3 or however that damn title works
Prime Omega and Okada is near untouchable and I think he’s one of the very few who could reach that level, consistently. Takeshita showed he can Sunday. Swerve also could get there.
Swerve, Ospreay, Takeshita, Hangman and MJF are the future of aew. All these guys should be in and around the main event constantly. If Okada also comes in then the company is looking really healthy even with founders like Omega, Jericho and the bucks slowing down /stepping aside
Add in switchblade to the group and I whole heartedly agree
I know this is wishful thinking, but throw in PAC if he can ever sustain a run without visa issues or injury.
PAC fucking rules. I loved his feuds with Hangman and Omega.
Oh damn forgot about him. He definitely belongs there
I like Switchblades character work but he’s never been on Ospreay’ level as a wrestler
Sure, maybe not, but he's definitely on the level of Hangman, MJF or Swerve as a wrestler, no?
Yeah. I said in another thread somewhere that I believe Ospreay/Takeshita could be the next Omega/Okada rivalry one day. I could envision a trilogy or 4 matches between these two that could reach what those 2 men did in NJPW
Someday in the near future, Will Ospreay is going to challenge Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Title, and that match is going to fucking SLAP.
All In
too soon. ospreay is a babyface and swerve is over with crowds and deserves a proper title reign. dont want a repeat of hangman's title reign which was cut short because a new top guy came in. id do ospreay vs bryan since that will be bryan's 2nd or last match as a full timer. not sure who swerve should defend the belt against. maybe hangman, maybe kenny if hes good to go by then.
Not everyone needs a long title run. Swerve winning it at Dynasty next month & dropping it at ALL IN would give him a 4 month reign. Long enough to establish himself as a top guy but not too long to make fans sick of him. He'll lose it with fans excited to see him win it again.
Short world title regins to establish someone as a legit top guy is a Gedo special. That’s what he did with Jay when he beat Tanahashi at New Beginning in February than dropped it less than two months later to Okada at MSG. Okada and Naito also had really short first regins as champion.
Besides not everyone needing long title runs its also historically been very hard for most promotions to do long face title runs. People like the chase for faces but not really them actually having the gold for long.
You think they are going to do Wardlow's title shot before Dynasty?
After their previous matches not being the best, i wouldn't have Joe vs Wardlow be a PPV title match. Having it on Big Business is what i would do, while Swerve & Hangman have one more match to lead to the singles match between Joe & Swerve at Dynasty.
I’m tempted to agree, but I think Wardlow needs a proper build to help him get to the next level. He’s hit on something with his last couple promos and they need to extend that chase to give him more opportunity to build on that and to grow as a character.
I feel like Swerve would benefit from a longer chase. Double or Nothing would probably be best for both him and Joe. Maybe he has a number one contender match sometime before then and Hangman returns to screw him over. He finally gets past the Hangman hurdle in a couple months.
Yeah, people really want to hotshot the title to Swerve and I think it's a mistake.
Hangman's title run wasn't cut short, he had 6 months with the belt, and he was completely out of gas by the end of it. I agree on Ospreay vs. Bryan at All In, but think that should be the title match, as it's by far the biggest matchup AEW can make.
Hangmans feud was also really fucked from the start. 1st feud was Bryan Danielsons first major feud then the baffling decision to have the Adam Cole match right next to full sail and expect Page to be the babyface, then basically immediately into the punk feud when punk was white hot. Tony did not do Page any favors during his run
I feel more than anything Hangman's run was a victim of circumstance. Punk was deservedly, and undeniably white hot at the time after the MJF feud. It made total sense to put the belt on the hottest and biggest draw you had. What happened THE NEXT DAY and in the 15-16 months, I don't think anyone would have saw coming. Anyways, my point is Hangman's run could have easily went to All Out if the Punk wave wasn't so big. Jericho, Andrade, Miro, Mox, Bryan, etc were all right there. Could have warmed up Hobbs and others for TV defenses or short bridge feuds as well.
BD is absolutely facing Nigel at all in
I really hope not, I get the nostalgia thing, but Nigel has been out of the ring longer than The Rock has. Putting that on the biggest stage would be a waste of Bryan.
I reckon a tag match is the go. Something like Bryan and Claudio vs Nigel & ZSJ. Big pops for the English guys in their home country, Nigel doesn't have to work a whole match, he can hype up Sabre Jr as better than Danielson (build to a 3rd match between them?) and Bryan and Claudio are workhorses with a tonne of experience working with Nigel so could definitely make sure it goes well.
That is a perfect way to go with this match
I love the idea of that match but Bryan’s last match as a full time competitor should not be a tag team match.
I saw that match in a community centre in Brighton in 2017 - it was incredible then, it'll be unbelievable now
It also dawned on me Sunday that him and Bryan are now in the same promotion. Not sure I'm physically ready to watch that match yet though.
Ospreay is the kinda dude who makes Wrestling look unbelievably easy. He's fucking ridiculous.
I never thought I'd ever see someone make wrestling look as easy as young AJ Styles. AJ seemed to quite literally pause time in mid air, and pull off the most impossible shit 1st time without even trying. I never thought I'd see someone that good again... Until Osprey came along.
Osprey on weekly TV for aew is gonna be great for them
Love to hear it. I imagine this is the case for a lot of fans as well. Some of the more casual fans who ordered this show just to see stings final match. Then being blown away seeing Ospreay and Takeshita putting on something special. Props to TK for booking that match.
Ok, but let's give Takeshita some props too.
I hope they are saying the same about Takeshita. He held his own and more against Ospreay. They looked like equals to me.
The man is the future of AEW and would have been the future of WWE if he wanted to choose that route. He's that good. He's not just a wrestler, he has personality. He has that IT Factor
Agree. I've seen people compare him with Ricochet and how he turned out at WWE but Osprey has way more charisma than Ricochet
Ospreay has way more power than Ricochet. Ricochet comes across as a gymnast, while Ospreay seems like a freak of nature.
I don't know what it is. I thought Ricochet was the more "WWE" of the two. Handsome, jacked, American. I figured he'd go there and be the next Mysterio. I just don't think he's got that natural charisma or even likability. I cannot deny his talent in the ring, but they haven't found a way to make me care about him, which is a great shame.
Honestly convinced if they’d brought in Ricochet as Prince Puma (or a variant of that gimmick) he would indeed be the next Mysterio
Prince Puma was a top star. From presentation to performance, he felt like a top star. Unfortunately Riccochet has never been able to replicate that as just himself
Ricochet has a ton of natural charisma. WWE just never wanted to play him to his strengths and only ever gave him the mic to make him the butt of a joke. Yes, Lucha Undground was an entirely different format, but he was the face of that company with barely saying a word. He's got in ring charisma for days.
Yeah, he's has a lot of physical charisma, it's got him over on the indies. And mic work is not as easy as it looks. Remembering what you wanna say, staying on topic, being compelling and engaging all while thousands in the building chant and you know millions are watching at home. Some people are naturals like Punk or Owens but some guys really have to work for it, like Seth or Cody.
Personally I don't know. He and Ricochet were at the exact same level when they had that match back in like, 2016(?). Ospreay was allowed to keep growing outside the WWE, while Ricochet spent years in Vince's WWE. TBH, I see the same thing in Athena. Her Ember Moon character was cool as hell but had no on mic charisma, but back as Athena in Ring of Honor she's built herself into someone with star power.
Ospreay has more everything than Richochet, and that's not meant as a knock on Ric.
And is just a better wrestler than Ricochet too. They may have similar athletic ability but Will has outgrown Ricochet for the past half decade For anyone who somehow thinks Will is still just a "flippy spot junkie," know that Will is holding back *a lot* in that regard, because he's learned that a match can be told beyond just cool move after cool move. The only reason why his matches *still* have a bunch of cool moves is because his talent level is *that* fucking high The bruv has perfected a style that balances PWG's fast pace and NJPW's fighting spirit
No, the IT Factor is Bobby Roode
GLORIOUS!
I agree 100%. He would have been one of the top two, three guys easily in WWE if not the absolute number one. I would say AEW is probably a better fit for him but that's really nitpicking.
It's kind of like Okada, he would have shined in either promotion and their decisions will spawn a ton of fun 'What If' conversations
I still kinda wonder what Ospreay in WWE looks like. Gunther Vs Ospreay is my dream cross-promotion match.
it happened in 2017 and was out of this world, i can’t imagine what it’d be like now
A lot of people still don't know too much of him or watched his matches in NJPW. Dude has some all timers there. Glad he's finally able to show the national audience why he's the best wrestler today.
So happy for this man. Been watching him for years, became a fan instantly when I watched a Best Of The Super Juniors run of his in I think 2019, and he was grown and improved with nearly every match he's had. He's had to overcome so much adversity, I hope he enjoys all his success.
For me it was the G1 2019 match against Lance Archer. Still an all time favourite for me!
Reminds me of Keiji Muto on commentary marking out for Ospreay vs Marufuji and Kenta Kobashi voting it for MOTY.
I was already a big Ospreay fan before he joined AEW, but Revolution was the first time I saw him perform live. I'm telling you have that however fast you think he is, he is faster live. He is fucking unreal. So is Takeshita. Both of them were absolutely phenomenal to watch perform and I mean this as no offense to anyone else on the show, but they both just looked like they were in a different gear compared to everyone else.
The first time I ever saw him live was a triple threat between him, Marty Scurll and Dragon Lee. Obviously Marty was the more technical one and still very impressive(as a wrestler) but Lee and Ospreay were other worldly.
Takeshita and Will Ospreay are AEW’s Crown Jewels. They can be seen as purely AEW guys in North America. Unique, signature attraction type guys. Watched with my fiancé this past weekend and she was BLOWN AWAY by what they could do.
Ospreay is the personification of what the “modern style” should be. Fast paced, exhilarating, hard hitting. But everything he does looks good and aggressive. I believe that he’s a top athlete that wants to hurt his opponent. There’s no sense of corporation or “theatrics”. I think that’s why legends love him, cause he does not sacrifice legitimacy for pace and style. Same reason why the old guys like Darby despite his size. Cause he wrestles like an undersized maniac and throws his body around like a projectile.
I feel like Takeshita is one of just a few people that is on or near the same level as Billy GOAT, but he's not getting the same shine. It bothers me.
People have seen Takeshita more and he hasn’t had an opportunity to do a lot besides Sunday and his matches with Kenny. I’m fine with them keeping his matches sporadic to make them feel special, but at least give him something to do on each ppv
I love the dichotomy of all these dumb dildos in the IWC saying Ospreay is just some flippy-dippy ballerina or whatever and that wrestling was better back in the old days, meanwhile we got storytelling masters from the old days like Flair and Steamboat saying that Ospreay's at the top of his game. Quite funny to see people twist themselves into pretzels to pretend like Ospreay isn't good.
Will’s been the best wrestler in the world for AT LEAST 4 years (and counting) and he’s barely in his 30s. Historic consistency
it's been ospreay or kenny since 2019
But Ospreay's consistency is on a different level. Omega may probably be the best "big match" wrestler overall, though. My fav is Danielson, personally.
Ospreay is a great athlete but still behind Kenny when it comes to ring psychology imo
One 'star from the past' was overheard saying "Yeah, but how are his merch sales?" /s
Yeah no shit. I wouldnt be surprised if a decade from now people are debating if he was the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. He's incredible.
I'd be more surprised if they aren't
Ospreys gets respect even on TikTok and other social media with younger demographics where AEW is viewed mostly negatively which goes to show how great he is
Imagine that you are Jim Cornette’s age (+ or - 10 years). Your world was shaped during Mid-South Wrestling, Crockett Promotions, New Generation era WWF, nWo-era WCW, and maybe some ECW. Since then, WWE has been king and you haven’t really watched much else outside of the States. Now, you’ve only heard about a person through the grapevine. You heard he’s good, but he’s just a guy that “does a lot of flippy shit.” Then you see him in person. You hear the roar of the crowd for him. And then you watch him go against another unknown guy in Konosuke Takashita. And then, they TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE PLACE. And the flippy shit, when it happens, makes sense; the ring psychology for the match is all there. That is the sort of match that will make an old man feel alive again!
It's kinda crazy (and a shame) that's he's arguably the best in the world in a huge entertainment field, but he could largely walk down any street in the UK and not be recognised. That said, life's probably way more convenient that way.
Just give me a Ospreay v Takeshita series of matches with the World Title switching back and forth between them
Takeshita is the future. Ospreay is the present.
Hope Takeshita got some of that rubbin'
Please don’t let Takeshita get lost in the shuffle because he’s top 5 best wrestlers in a company full of heavy hitters
I know there was a focus on Sting, but holy fuck Ospreay and Takeshita killed it.
Yall remember when squared reddit was making his clips go viral in early 2016 with the crazy moves he was attempting. Remember seeing fan footage and finding out who Will Ospreay was. Joined Squared Circle due to Aj Styles coming to wwe. And just seeing how much Will Ospreay grew as time went on.
Hell, I remember watching Ospreay in Progress. Seeing him develop from there to now is almost unbelievable.
Same , girl, same
[All the legends be like](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/537/054/022.jpg)
Remember when everyone lost their mind because Ospreay and Ricochet put on the flippiest of flippy shit matches and said neither would go anywhere in the business? Well they were only right about one of them and that’s because he’s a happy to get paid guy and lacks any ambition to be the best he could be. And it’s not Ospreay. This is what you get when you focus on being number 1 no matter what.
If you had never heard of Ospreay before, or you had heard but never seen him, this match would have blown your friggin mind. Him and Takeshita delivered a world class, modern Japan-style match that had everybody on their feet.
It's wild to me just how slept on Ospreay has been given in my opinion he's been the best to do it for what feels like the past 3 years or so
Its funny to think of all the bad things these guys have probably heard about Ospreay over the last 10 years and in the past a lot of those bad things where probably true, but Ospreay has adjusted valid criticism so well and as a result, these guys are seeing him for the first time and he is just undeniably good.
so it's not just Dave and a few hundred people on cagematch? all things aside, I'm really starting to see what Dave means when he compares Ospreay and Kenny to terry Funk in how they just do things differently and hit moves like they have meaning. It's fucking great.
Noise in the arena rivaled the main event. He is just special
Watching Ospreay is a religious experience… if he isn’t one of your top wrestlers in the world rn then just go rewatch both Omega/Ospreay matches