AEW’s Will Ospreay Says NJPW Tag Team Gold Has ‘Eluded’ Him Ahead Of Challenging For NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship

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Having returned to the NJPW ring at April’s Sakura Genesis, AEW star Will Ospreay has shared a message ahead of Dontaku on May 4.

During his absence due to injury, Will Ospreay promised he would return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling for a limited number of events once healed.

April 4 would see him reunite with his United Empire teammates Great-O-Khan and HENARE in a victory over El Desperado, Taichi & Yuya Uemura, marking the first time Ospreay had competed in an NJPW ring since February 2024.

With his next match set to take place on May 4, Ospreay has set his sights on the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship, with the AEW star declaring his intent on claiming the title

In a video shared by NJPW, Ospreay reflected on his eight-year career in NJPW, noting the absence of a tag team championship on that record, saying:

“What’s up, New Japan Pro-Wrestling? This is Will Ospreay. I am returning to that beautiful blue canvas in Fukuoka in May and I’m teaming up with my old bandmates, the Great-O-Khan, HENARE, the original members of the United Empire, coming together once again and finally challenging for the NEVER Six-Man Titles.

“In my eight years that I was in New Japan, I made a pretty damned good singles wrestler: two-time Best of the Super Juniors winner, three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, IWGP United States Champion, and I was the first British boy to ever win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

“But, the thing that has eluded my career. I’m a tag specialist. I came into wrestling in a tag team. Yet, New Japan tag team championships have eluded me.

“So, that’s why I’m teaming up with HENARE. That’s why I’m teaming up with the Great-O-Khan. Just to show everybody, once again, the power of the United Empire.”

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The NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship is currently held by Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & Oleg Boltin.

The Unstoppable Evolution Of Will Ospreay

Long before he first signed with NJPW in 2016, Will Ospreay was already a prominent name on the independent wrestling scene.

Fans of British wrestling would recognize the star as a valuable component in Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro, with appearances across the country’s independent scene.

2016 was a standout year for the star, though, with an Evolve debut, long before WWE took ownership of that promotion, leading to a contract offer landing at a similar time to his NJPW signing. He would also debut in TNA Wrestling, with conversations about his direction in the United States taking place.

Looking back to that time period, the Will Ospreay that fans see today is a different beast.  Even through the short glimpses of his early career in NJPW in the above video, the two-time AEW International Champion looks a world away from the star we see today.

Injury may have tempered some of the more reckless moves in Ospreay’s arsenal, but his work in NJPW, arguably, has to be credited with creating a star who clearly recognizes the importance of all aspects of ring psychology when it comes to delivering highly regarded matches. Even listening to Ospreay cutting promos in recent years has shown an increase in intensity and conviction, without losing any of his charm.

Ospreay may not have picked up tag team gold in NJPW, but with the current evolution of the AEW star, complete with the assured confidence that has long been a hallmark of his career, a look that shows he means business and agility that is still likely the envy of many on the independent scene, the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship would certainly look at home around his waist.

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• Will Ospreay
• United Empire
• wwe
• NJPW

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