Will Ospreay Confirms NJPW Contract Expiry Date

Written by Craig Ballantyne • Published 26th April 2023
Will Ospreay and the United Empire

Will Ospreay has revealed when his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling will come to an end.

Ospreay is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Since joining NJPW in 2016, he has engaged in acclaimed feuds with the likes of Hiromu Takahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Kazuchika Okada.

Along the way, he captured the Junior Heavyweight title three times as well the NEVER Openweight title and finally, in 2021, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He has also amassed an incredible 25 5-star plus matches from the Wrestling Observer, tying with Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa.

However, all good things come to an end, and during an interview with Christopher Walker of DAZN, Ospreay revealed his contract with New Japan will expire in February 2024.

“My contract with New Japan is up next February so from that point who’s not gonna want this kid who’s dedicated to being a hard worker and wanting to put on the best quality of matches.”

“There’ll be a fight for who wants the best five-star wrestler” – Will Ospreay

When asked if star ratings matter to him, Will Ospreay said “Yes and no”, explaining that they don’t affect his paycheque, but he knows they could be important when it comes to his next contract.

“The reason why I say no is because they don’t impact my paycheque. I still get paid the same regardless.

“In my humble opinion, [star ratings] don’t matter in terms of financial gain, but in terms of viewership, because I’m this British kid who has done it on Indy shows, I know that when my contract comes up, there’ll be a fight for who wants the best five-star wrestler right now.”

While the United Empire leader is aware other stars don’t think of the ratings in the same way, he says it’s “done wonders” for him.

“If you ask somebody like Jay White, he hates it, and Bully Ray, he hates it as well. I can’t help but say that it’s done wonders for me.

“My contract with New Japan is up next February so from that point who’s not gonna want this kid who’s dedicated to being a hard worker and wanting to put on the best quality of matches.”

Most recently, Ospreay has been wrestling in the UK’s 1PW promotion, where on April 22nd, he defeated Lance Archer, Cara Noir, and Mark Haskins to become the 1PW World Heavyweight Champion.