Tony Khan discusses his decision to sign Will Ospreay to AEW.
The company president spoke about the Aerial Assassin joining his team during a recent interview with BBC West Midlands. Khan states that snagging Ospreay pleases him as he’s always considered the former world champion one of NJPW’s greatest wrestlers. He adds that working with Ospreay has been one of the many benefits of AEW’s relationship with NJPW.
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.
Later, Khan states that Ospreay will have the option to return to Japan and wrestle for NJPW anytime he wants under his AEW contract.
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.
AEW star Lee Moriarty gave his thoughts on Ospreay joining the roster, where he claimed that he will only add to the promotion’s already high-bar of in-ring competitors. You can read about that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)
