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AEW Dynamite this past week saw the debut of one of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's top wrestlers, Will Ospreay. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion orchestrated a callous attack on FTR and Trent Beretta alongside his United Empire faction.
Aaron Henare, Kyle Fletcher, and Mark Davis attacked the three men inside the ring. The Brit made his way down the ramp before unleashing his finisher, the Hidden Blade, on Beretta.
Ospreay will make his in-ring debut for AEW this week on Rampage, teaming up with The Aussie Open to face the trio of FTR and Trent in a six-man tag team match. The build for the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view has truly begun.
As one of the top wrestlers in NJPW, a potential match between Ospreay and any of All Elite stars would be a scintillating dream bout. Here are five dream opponents we would love to see the Aerial Assassin face off against in AEW.
#5. Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley is no stranger to NJPW. He is a former IWGP United States Champion who competed in the G1 Climax and battled against Tomohiro Ishii, Tetsuya Naito, and Jay While.
Mox recently had a hard-fought match against Will Ospreay at NJPW Windy City Riot, which took place in Chicago on April 16, and came out on top. In an uploaded promo video from NJPW promoting the bout, the former AEW World Champion acknowledged the Brit's in-ring talents:
"I may have never seen a wrestler in the ring, a performer more talented than Will Ospreay. I just wish I had just a fraction of the talent of Will Ospreay but it might be time to beat some humility into Will Ospreay because he's walking around, acting, talking like a clown. There's no faster way to learn humility than have to vomit up your own teeth after they get knocked down your throat."
Their first meeting inside the squared circle displayed Moxley's toughness and Ospreay's athleticism. It's such a shame that it didn't take place in a bigger setting. A rematch under the AEW banner at a future Dynamite or pay-per-view would be a box-office draw. Now that the Blackpool Combat Club member is slated to challenge for the AEW Interim Championship at Forbidden Door, the bout could even involve world title gold.
#4. Malakai Black
Before achieving wrestling superstardom in WWE, AEW, and NJPW, respectively, Malakai Black once crossed paths in the ring with Will Ospreay back in 2015 at Westside Extreme Wrestling, a German wrestling promotion. Then known as Tommy End, the Dutchman was a veteran while Ospreay was still a fresh-faced rookie.
Since then, both wrestlers have gone on to have wildly different careers. Black starred in NXT and achieved little success on the WWE main roster before reviving his career in AEW. Ospreay, on the other hand, reached the top of NJPW by winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
They are two outstanding pro wrestlers who could have a killer match against each other, given the time and stage. AEW should pull the trigger on this potential dream match, which would be a brutal ballet of strikes and technique.
Black is currently part of a tournament to determine the winner of a brand new title called the All-Atlantic Championship. The belt is meant to represent and celebrate AEW fans all over the world in over 130 countries. A fatal four-way match will determine the winner and the contenders will be decided via a tournament.
One of the qualifiers will see Mexican star Penta Oscuro and Netherlands' Malakai Black go up against each other. Meanwhile, the last contestant will be selected from New Japan Pro-Wrestling via a qualifying round. Could Ospreay make a surprise appearance in the tournament as well? That would be an interesting proposition.
#3. Owen Hart Foundation tournament winner Adam Cole
Speaking of tournament winners, Adam Cole is also looking to have a marquee match at Forbidden Door. He should look no further than 'The Aerial Assassin' himself.
Fun fact: Adam Cole previously faced-off against Will Ospreay in 2016 in his debut match for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and has faced each other numerous times in the independent circuit as well. The two men have displayed amazing chemistry from their many encounters over the years.
Between them, they have 20 titles spanning WWE, NJPW, ROH, PWG, CZW, Progress, and RevPro, and both have been main eventers in every promotion they enter.
AEW should be the stage where the two world-class athletes meet next. At one stage or another, both men have occupied the throne as the world's best wrestlers, and both have a genuine claim to the mantle today. Cole vs. Ospreay could genuinely be a Match of the Year contender.
#2. AEW World Champion CM Punk
Will Ospreay has publicly admitted that he would love to face either CM Punk or Bryan Danielson. During an interview with WRESTHINGS, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion said:
"I mean the obvious ones are like, the clear obvious ones, I think is [CM] Punk and [Bryan] Danielson are my obvious ones [dream opponents]."
The AEW World Champion CM Punk spoke to the media after Double or Nothing 2022 and also named the United Empire leader as someone he would like to face:
"Well, obviously, we got Forbidden Door coming up, so, you know, to me focusing on that, I think Okada, Tanahashi, Ospreay, guys like that I'm looking forward to stepping in the ring with."
Unfortunately, the Straight Edge Superstar's injury prevented what could have been a potential dream opponent, something no fan thought was possible even a year ago. Once the Chicago star heals up, AEW should consider giving the fans this battle on the biggest stage possible.
#1. Former WWE Champion Bryan Danielson
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast reported that Bryan Danielson has made it clear that he is keen to wrestle in Japan, specifically against a top NJPW star like Will Ospreay. This motivated the American Dragon to leave WWE and join All Elite Wrestling in the first place.
He considers a match against Ospreay a "big thing" and that he's actively looking forward to wrestling the Aerial Assassin as and when possible:
"I know that Daniel Bryan really wanted to work with Will Ospreay. I know that, for Bryan, that's a big thing," said Zarian on his podcast
Danielson has had a stellar run in Tony Khan's promotion so far and has excelled as part of the Blackpool Combat Club. As one of the best wrestlers in the world, Bryan will want to test his mettle against the caliber of Will Ospreay.
Given that the Brit is more than a decade younger than the former champion, it will be interesting to see if he can keep up with the younger star. Once Bryan heals from his minor injury, he should definitely aim to make this dream match a reality.
