Will Ospreay recently spoke with NJPW’s official website at NJPW1972.com for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling.
During the discussion, “The Aerial Assassin” spoke about the current working relationship between AEW and NJPW, which AEW stars could succeed in NJPW and more.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his return to NJPW and the current relationship between AEW and NJPW: “It is a difficult one. I can understand there can be a certain perception because a lot of guys did go from New Japan into AEW, myself included. But NJPW has always been exceptional at creating new stars; it just took time for New Japan to really identify who was going to be the top guy carrying things forward. And if you just looked at Wrestle Kingdom this year, Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, Andrade as well on that card were all major moments that could only really happen with the AEW relationship. At the same time I do think there could be more guys sent from AEW into NJPW, and not just big names to pop a house but for a tour, or longer than that. Especially with the sheer size and the number of people AEW has under contract, I think it would be a great chance for AEW talent to grow and come back even better. And vice versa as well.”
On how he underestimated the extent of his neck injury until informed of the severity of it: “I’d always said to myself that I would be back in NJPW after two years away, but being back in Ryogoku was so special, especially to do it with the United Empire boys. I didn’t know how bad my neck really was until they told me I couldn’t wrestle. Coming back, the key thing for me was I didn’t want to be a shadow or a parody of myself in any way, so it made it all the more important to be able to show I could hang in Japan, at the same level of work ethic, both physically and in terms of my psyche.”
On the flow of events and new talents in NJPW during his time away from the promotion: “There’s a huge shift in young blood now. The Knockout Brothers have been great, Shota Umino is finally coming into his own skin. Getting in the ring with Uemura was cool, and then you had Tsuji as the captain of the ship, now getting taken down by Callum Newman, it’s a young person’s game now.”
On how AEW stars would fare in AEW: “On the top end, obviously Moxley, Omega would pull in big houses. I would love to see Swerve Strickland in Japan. I really would. And MJF- is he just a great American TV wrestler, or would he be really successful in Japan as well? That’s a whole different animal he’s never done. And then as well, I love Mike Bailey and I think he could do more in the junior heavyweight space, because he is such an exciting wrestler in that mould. And Daniel Garcia I think could learn so much from a good few months in Japan.”
Speaking of Ospreay, he will join Great-O-Khan and HENARE this to face Tatsuya Matsumoto, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto and Andrade El Idolo will be challenging Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the first night of NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2026. Night 2 will also feature AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita defending his NJPW WORLD TV Championship against Chase Owens.
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サインの“差別化”についても語る！https://t.co/cXJp57u1ev pic.twitter.com/hmSCKvtYwY— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) May 1, 2026
