Months of speculation regarding the wrestling future of Will Ospreay ended at AEW Full Gear earlier this month where The Assassin signed a full-time contract with the promotion. However, Ospreay isn’t fully All Elite just yet as he is set to finish up his commitments with New Japan Pro-Wrestling through to early next year before joining AEW officially. At the time, details were sparse on the specifics of the current IWGP United Kingdom Champion’s contract but now Tony Khan has provided some new details on the signing.
Speaking to BBC West Midlands recently, Khan revealed that Ospreay will still be able to compete for his long-time home of New Japan whenever he wants and that he’s open to working with Ospreay down the line regarding a NJPW return, which is something the AEW President admitted was something he knows Ospreay will want to do.
“I was very pleased with that,” he began. “One of the great things we’ve been able to do with AEW is build a great relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling,” Khan explained. “I think Will Ospreay has been one of the great New Japan Pro-Wrestling stars of this era and with Will Ospreay coming up in free agency, he made it clear he wanted to get out and have new experiences.
“But he’s had a great time in New Japan and 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 built together, all those great moments, will still live on, that the traditions Will Ospreay’s built, he can bring to AEW, and then he’s able to go back to New Japan virtually anytime.
“We can always work that out, anytime he wants to go back, and 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.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling and credit BBC West Midlands.