Tony Khan has confirmed that New Japan fans will still get to see Will Ospreay perform in the promotion.
Will Ospreay was revealed as the major AEW signing at Full Gear, but things were not as straightforward. Ospreay was announced as All Elite on the night but is still contracted to NJPW until Spring 2024, with The Ariel Assassin declaring that Revolution will be his start date.
Ospreay has to finish up things in Japan, including a match at Wrestle Kingdom 18 before becoming a full-time competitor in the United States. However, according to his new boss, Ospreay will return.
Speaking with BBC West Midlands about the Ospreay signing, Khan elaborated on how pleased he was to have signed the British star and confirmed that Ospreay can be factored into future NJPW storylines if he chooses:
“I was very pleased with that. One of the great things we’ve been able to do with AEW is build a great relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I think Will Ospreay’s been one of the great New Japan Pro-Wrestling stars of this era. With Will Ospreay coming up in free agency, he made it clear that he wanted to get out and have new experiences. But he’s had a great time in New Japan, and he has a great relationship with them.
So that’s why I thought it would be good to go to New Japan and preemptively try to sign Will with their blessing, trying to keep him in our family so that everything they’ve built together, all those great moments, will still live on, that the traditions Will Ospreay has built, he can bring to AEW, and he’s able to go back to New Japan virtually anytime.
We can always work that out any time he want to go back. I know that is something he will want to do. He’s going to finish out there the right way and then come to AEW full-time, and we’re so excited he’ll be with us at Wembley Stadium on August 25, 2024, for AEW All In,”
All Elite Wrestling have a strong relationship with New Japan that has been established for a number of years. Major NJPW stars such as Kazuchika Okada and Zack Sabre Jr. have previously competed at events and Eddie Kingston is the current holder of the NJPW Strong Championship.
Tony Khan Has Bad News For UK Fans
The interview with the BBC mainly focused on All In 2024, which will be hosted at Wembley Stadium for the second consecutive year. Some fans may have been hopeful that a second UK show could be announced due to the popularity of American wrestling in the country. Unfortunately, Tony Khan’s latest AEW update might not be one that UK fans want to hear. During the same interview, Tony Khan gave an insight into how he books Sting’s opponents.
H/t to Fightful.