Eric Bischoff absolutely loved Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay at this past Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2 pay-per-view.
The WWE Hall of Famer spoke about the epic match during the latest edition of his 83 Weeks podcast, where he broke the match down and explained how brilliantly Omega and Ospreay utilized “Verne Gagne-esque psychology.
I did see it. I will also admit that I have not seen much it Will Ospreay’s work, or Omega’s, for that matter. I was blown away. I hate to make comparisons because everybody’s unique and different in their own way, but Ospreay reminds me of a tougher Shawn Michaels. He’s got the look. His in-ring capabilities are just otherworldly at this point. It was like the new school, the very athletic, physical, dynamic, incredibly difficult and high-risk type of offense, it had all of that, but it also had Nick Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne-esque psychology.
Bischoff later reiterates that the excellent storytelling was present in the matchup, as well as the incredible athleticism that both men are known for in their in-ring styles. He ends his rant by saying that he “overdosed” on pro wrestling.
So the story was there, the psychology was there, the dynamic presentation, the athleticism, the things that people clearly dig nowadays, that was there in spades. There was more than enough of that for anybody who loves that style and that presentation, but it still had great psychology, and the pacing and the story, it was so good. I don’t know that I’ve seen anything better, in terms of a match. They don’t have a Rock-like popularity with the audience. That audience, they did. That’s why I don’t like comparing. But in terms of the story and the action and the believability, all the things that make me excited to watch a wrestling match, I got overdosed on it, and I was there for it. It was awesome.
Ospreay went on to defeat Omega at Forbidden Door 2 to reclaim the IWGP United States Championship. Both men reportedly received a standing ovation when they returned to the backstage area.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)