Published: 4 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 10 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
AEW
The United Empire has established an American chapter, with Will Ospreay leaving the faction that is slowly growing in number.
With two new members added at AEW All Out in the form of Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor of The Brawling Birds, there will likely be more stars added to United Empire.
While Callum Newman over in NJPW no doubt keeping an eye on proceedings, United Empire in AEW is only going to grow:
Current Lineup
Led by Will Ospreay, AEW’s incarnation of the United Empire sees Andrade El Idolo joined by Mike Bailey, Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter.
Brought into existence on the September 2 episode of Dynamite, Will Ospreay would add Bailey to the faction on September 26, with the AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions being added at All Out.
Ospreay is the original leader of United Empire when it formed in NJPW, while Andrade El Idolo joined that iteration in December of last year, continuing his association in AEW.
Who really owns United Empire?
One faction name, two leaders and a cross-continent presence, it would be easy to believe that NJPW own the rights to the term “United Empire”.
Back in April of this year, Will Ospreay filed a trademark application for the term “United Empire” with the USPTO, asserting his ownership.
At the time of writing, the application is still “pending” with the status “Published for Opposition”.
AEW stars to be added to United Empire
Callum Newman wasn’t overly impressed with the addition of Mike Bailey, sharing his thoughts on Twitter. He was equally as acerbic towards Francesco Akira, who has teamed with Ospreay and Andrade.
Assuming Ospreay doesn’t bring other members of the NJPW to the fight in AEW, there are names he could recruit closer to home in NJPW.
Zack Gibson & James Drake of Grizzled Young Veterans could follow as fellow stars from the United Kingdom, giving them a new sense of purpose since debuting in AEW back in April 2024.
On the subject of UK born stars, there’s always Kip Sabian, who must be ready to make his in-ring return, with Penelope Ford by his side.
Having undergone a recent tour of NJPW and seen defeat at the hands of Chris Jericho, perhaps there’s an opportunity for Nick Wayne as a member of United Empire, crystalizing the talents of a bright, young star.
Ideally, United Empire should continue to be a counterpoint to Death Riders, with plenty of story still to tell between members.
The United Empire Union
Despite the friction between Will Ospreay and Callum Newman, the AEW star has made it clear that United Empire is, indeed, a union.
Eventually, a threat will loom over both chapters in NJPW and AEW that will need Ospreay and Newman to come together to tackle it.
In the meantime, Ospreay is building an army of his own, and it doesn’t appear that Newman is involved in that particular decision-making process.
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