Published: 8 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 9 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
Will Ospreay’s incarnation of United Empire in AEW is growing, with the recent addition of Speedball Mike Bailey to the faction.
The September 23 episode of AEW Dynamite saw Speedball Mike Bailey wearing green, joining United Empire alongside Will Ospreay and Andrade, with NJPW star Francesco Akira continuing to be a presence.
With the faction no doubt growing and the feud with Death Riders growing, Ospreay will no doubt want to add more members to the United Empire, but who could he recruit?
Motor City Machine Guns
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin have been absent from AEW since their victory over The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson) on the September 5 episode of Collision.
Past runs in NJPW have seen the pair as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, with the pair likely wanting to make an impact on their return to in-ring action.
Placing them in AEW’s United Empire would add much experience to the faction, along with a dedicated tag team to handle business where necessary.
Wardlow
Still out of action and last seen at AEW Dynamite Big Business back in March 2024, Wardlow must be gearing up for a return to the ring and could be the heavy hitter that United Empire needs.
Wardlow was backstage at Double or Nothing earlier this year and featured on the American Gladiators reboot as Fang.
A member of the Don Callis Family, it wouldn’t be beyond possibility for the star to walk out on that faction, seeing a future under Will Ospreay.
Kip Sabian
Will Ospreay and Kip Sabian are no strangers to each other and would make an effective combination in United Empire.
Last seen competing on the ROH YouTube Special back in April, Sabian remains under AEW contract and would be a strong addition to any faction, potentially beside Penelope Ford.
Including Sabian in Ospreay’s United Empire would also present an opportunity to add an edge to the star, particularly should the faction rub shoulders with their NJPW counterparts.
The NJPW Issue
AEW World Champion Will Ospreay heads to All Out on September 26 to face Jon Moxley, with United Empire and Death Riders no doubt likely to make their presence felt.
Going forward, it’s likely that United Empire and Death Riders will face each other in an AEW ring down the line, particularly with the growing tension between Ospreay and Moxley.
Meanwhile, over in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Callum Newman is less than impressed with the formation of United Empire in AEW. The leader of the NJPW faction, Newman recently dismissed the addition of Bailey, tweeting:
“Cool
“The group is a joke again
“Can’t wait to be asked to lock in and make it good again”
Newman was also unhappy with Akira being alongside Ospreay, with the Italian star being a member of NJPW’s United Empire. As for Andrade, Newman has a much less hostile attitude towards the star, reaching out in the hope of bringing the stars together.
At some point, Newman and Ospreay will have to sort out their differences, either faction vs. faction or one-on-one, and there’s a chance that some members of Death Riders may be on hand to stir the pot; after all, Gabe Kidd, in particular, is the current IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion and has a storied history with the Aerial Assassin.
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