Tag: Will Ospreay

Daily Update: Ted Turner, Will Ospreay, new WWE production hire

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • A look at the WWE releases, reasons, prospects for the future, who should AEW or TNA be interested in
  • Nick Khan speaks to WWE employees about Paul Levesque, WrestleMania, social media, Saudi Arabia and AI
  • WWE Backlash and AEW Double or Nothing updates, including interest levels for both shows
  • Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom show looked at
  • How the latest Nielsen ratings change affects pro wrestling and where it affects it the most
  • Dragon Gate has its annual big Nagoya show this week
  • A look at the career of Gran Markus Jr.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings for pro wrestling and MMA programming this past week
  • The 70th anniversary of pro wrestling at Arena Mexico
  • Who is coming for Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • Big match planned for AAA television
  • Champion Carnival update
  • NOAH major show update
  • New Japan has Dontaku with Andrade and Will Ospreay this week
  • Wrestling Red Zone coverage
  • A look back at the original Tiger Mask and his influence on pro wrestling and MMA
  • Who are the most famous wrestler in the ten largest cities in the world, and top 50 cities in the world
  • Biggest moments in NCAA wrestling tournament history over the past 60 years
  • Former pro wrestling booker heading up a unique promotion
  • Updates on Real American Freestyle
  • More UFC stars coming to RAF
  • Advance ticket sales for all the major pro wrestling events over the next two months and the story that it tells
  • Two relatives of major pro wrestling stars signing with NFL teams
  • Remembeing David Allan Coe, the country singer of Great American Bash fame
  • Jimmy Valiant retires
  • Former WWE star says she’s making a comeback
  • Carlos Silva on why TNA won’t let its talent work with AEW talent and examining what he said
  • AEW May television schedule changes
  • WWE television schedule changes
  • Ronda Rousey wants to be a promoter
  • Puck breaks a notable story on Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon
  • More on when the next lawsuit against WWE goes to court
  • More notes on TNA expanding domestic exposure
  • More on new WWE signings
  • NXT house show notes

This Week’s Back Issue

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Wednesday Update

WWE Logo

WWE

  • Jim Rodriguez announced that he has joined WWE as a Senior Associate Producer. His past work experience includes production roles for DAZN, Univision, and ESPN. He also has on-air hosting experience and speaks both English and Spanish:
    • Bucket list job! I’ve joined the WWE as a Senior Associate Producer. Gonna be involved with RAW, Smackdown, NXT productions and making trips to Mexico for AAA. Beyond excited.
  • WWE uploaded the full Lola Vice & Mr. Iguana vs. Izzi Dame & Niko Vance mixed tag match from NXT last night.
  • On May 5, WWE filed a trademark for “Naraku,” which is EVIL’s new NXT name.
  • John Cena continued to show support for new NXT addition Mason Rook (Will Kroos) by sending out another tweet after Rook laid out Tony D’Angelo last night.
  • To promote Backlash, Paul Heyman appeared on ESPN’s First Take and Get Up today.
  • WWE’s Pete Dunne will face off against Leon Cage for indie promotion Attack! Pro Wrestling in Cardiff, Wales on June 19.
  • Andscape and ESPN put together a video documenting Lash Legend’s WrestleMania debut.
  • WWE has a pre-Backlash vlog focused on Jacob Fatu.

Other Wrestling

  • The NWA posted a tribute to Ted Turner:
    • The National Wrestling Alliance mourns the passing of Ted Turner.
    • His vision helped shape the landscape of professional wrestling and brought the NWA to a national stage, creating moments that will live forever.
    • Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who were impacted by his legacy.
  • MLW wrote: “RIP Ted Turner. A true American tycoon and media maven.”
  • Matt Hardy tweeted: “RIP Ted Turner. Thank you for your investment into pro wrestling/sports entertainment and giving it a platform to grow & sprawl into pop culture.”
  • Turner Classic Movies posted a tribute to its founder:
    • We say goodbye to our founder, the visionary Ted Turner. Ted’s love of classic films inspired him to create a channel dedicated to preserving them. He considered TCM one of his greatest accomplishments.
    • His passion continues to inspire us all as we work to fulfill his mission.
  • CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, CBS News, and ABC News did segments covering Turner’s death.
  • Eric Bischoff appeared on both The Ariel Helwani Show and Busted Open Radio to share his memories of Turner.
  • In an interview with Forbes, Will Ospreay said he doesn’t feel comfortable doing the Shooting Star Press anymore following his return from neck surgery:
    • It’s mainly my range of motion right now. There are so many things where I just don’t feel comfortable doing certain tricks anymore, so I’ve kind of knocked them on the head. For example, I won’t do a shooting star press anymore because that required me to really put my head back and get a good arch, and I just can’t do it anymore.
  • Ospreay also told Forbes that he would love to see Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods join AEW:
    • I mean, I would love it. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about them. I loved watching Kofi Kingston win the WWE Championship and seeing what that meant to so many people. I think that’s powerful stuff.
    • I’ve only really spoken with Xavier Woods on Twitter, and I think it’s mostly been about costumes more than anything. He’s messaged me quite a lot about how he loves my jackets.
    • Everybody’s said they’re wonderful human beings, so if the avenues are there, of course I’d love to f****** wrestle them.
  • Leilani Kai shared an update on her Glamour Girls tag team partner Judy Martin after announcing that Martin was in the hospital:
    • I had a chance to speak with Judy [last night] on the phone. She wasn’t feeling well and we don’t have the test back yet to know what’s going on. I wrote her on the phone today and hadn’t heard back. I was getting nervous and the phone rang and it was her. I don’t know how she got ahold of it as she’s still in the hospital but she wanted to let me know she was ok. 
    • She bought me this jacket when my bag was lost flying to NJ. She didn’t want me to be cold and she even bought herself one so we could match. I’ve always been lucky to have my Judy in my corner. 
    • We are still waiting on further test and results. I’ll update you guys. Please keep my best friend in your prayers.
  • TNA put together a three-plus hour video with matches from the entire Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe series.
  • CMLL sent out a statement acknowledging the passing of Guillermina Zarzosa, a superfan who was known as “La Cavernaria.”
    • CMLL deeply mourns the passing of Ms. Guillermina Zarzosa ‘La Cavernaria,’ recognized as one of the most passionate and loyal fans in the history of our institution.
    • We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and loved ones, and wish them strength in coping with this irreparable loss.
    • May she rest in peace.
  • GCW has announced Joey Janela vs. Hook for its Race Against Time event in Cincinnati on June 19.
  • Leah Van Dale (former WWE wrestler Carmella) is launching a new podcast called “Hot Mom Sh!t”:
    • Hot Mom Sh!t is the podcast that lives in the AND — because you can look good and be a good mom. You can love your kids fiercely and still need to be more than just their mom. 
    • Hosted by Leah Van Dale, this is the show for the mom who is done pretending to have it all together, all of the time.
    • Hear the real stories, honest conversations, and the moments Leah probably should have kept to herself but didn’t. This isn’t a show about doing it perfectly.
    • It’s about the raw side of motherhood exactly as it is — hot and messy.

Will Ospreay reveals Tony Khan covered cost for neck surgery: ‘It was more expensive than my f**king house’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Will Ospreay revealed restrictions on in-ring moves after his neck injury and gave Tony Khan a shoutout for covering the surgery cost.

Ospreay told Forbes that following his surgery he has certain limitations on his in-ring agility. He explained that they prevent him from performing high-risk moves like the shooting star press, or any move that requires significant arching that could apply pressure on the neck area. 

“It’s mainly my range of motion right now. There are so many things where I just don’t feel comfortable doing certain tricks anymore, so I’ve kind of knocked them on the head. For example, I won’t do a shooting star press anymore because that required me to really put my head back and get a good arch, and I just can’t do it anymore.”

Ospreay admitted that the fear of never wrestling again crossed his mind during recovery. 

“I mean, that always kind of creeped in, but I knew I was going to do everything physically possible to make this go as quickly as possible and get back in the ring. It was always a conversation, and I had great phone calls with my surgeon, Dr. Wallace, who deserves the biggest shoutout because he’s given me a second chance at having a career doing this.”

He expressed how years ago an injury of this magnitude was sufficient to sideline a wrestler for good. Ospreay extended gratitude to AEW President Tony Khan for covering the cost for his neck surgery. 

“I mean, 10 years ago, this was the type of thing that medically disqualified you from wrestling. So the fact that medical science has come so far, man, I’m just grateful and so blessed. And I must give the biggest shoutout to Tony [Khan] for paying for that surgery because the moment I saw that f**king bill — bro, it was more expensive than my f**king house. It was crazy.”

After undergoing surgery for two herniated discs, Ospreay returned to AEW Revolution after six months away. He targeted Death Riders and competed in his first match back on the March 18 edition of Dynamite against Blake Christian. 

Will Ospreay credits Adam Copeland for guiding him through recovery struggles 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Will Ospreay disclosed how Adam Copeland and other AEW stars supported him during recovery from neck injury.

In an exclusive interview with Rob Wolkenbrod of Forbes, Ospreay recalled Copeland telling him of his experience with a triple fusion neck surgery. He comforted and encouraged Ospreay to reach out to him if it became mentally challenging. He also cited support from Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong and Bryan Danielson during the trying recovery period. 

“Yeah, I spoke with Adam Copeland quite a lot about it, just because I guess he’s kind of the godfather of this surgery. He’s had three of them. I think he’s had a [triple fusion neck surgery]. I remember when I got told how severe it was because I didn’t realize how bad it actually was. I’d been wrestling on it for like 10 months. It only really started getting bad around May, and then it started f****** destroying me.”

“But I spoke to him, and he gave me the whole backstory of when he found out about his surgery and what was going to happen. He gave me his number to keep in contact because he knows it can get really depressing at times. So if I ever needed to vent or bullshit, he was always a great person to call or text about stuff.”

“There were a lot of times he was in London too, so I got to chat with him during good hours. I never felt like I’d text him and have to wait until the next morning because of the time zones. So he was really good.”

“I spoke with Kyle O’Reilly as well. He was great. I spoke with Roddy and Bryan Danielson a little bit, but not much. Everybody’s just been super cool because it really is such a good group of people backstage. I feel like news got around very quickly, and it was one of those things where it was really lovely having the support of my peers and everybody wishing for me to come back.”

Ospreay suffered two herniated discs and was written off AEW TV from August 2025 until his return at Revolution this year. He continued to wrestle through the injury which worsened over time forcing subsequent surgery and time off.

New champions crowned at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two titles changed hands at Wrestling Dontaku.

The IWGP Junior Tag Team titles were the first to change when Mistico and El Desperado defeated the Ichiban Sweet Boys (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles) to win the titles for the first time as a team. The duo scored a double submission win, with Mistco applying the la mistica while Desperado applied a stretch muffler.

Originally, the match was set to be non-title. But Eagles ended up accepting a title match after Mistico made the challenge following their multi-man tag match a day prior.

In the co-main event, the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Championship changed hands when Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, and HENARE defeated Bishimon and Oleg Boltin to win the titles for the first time as a trio. Ospreay scored the win for his team, connecting with an assisted hidden blade on YOSHI-HASHI for the victory.

Callum Newman retains IWGP Heavyweight title

The main event saw Callum Newman retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship over Shingo Takagi, defeating him with the make way. After the match, all of United Empire circled around Takagi and Yota Tsuji, who tried to help his Unbound Co. stablemate. Newman laid out Tsuji and went to strike Takagi but Ospreay attempted to stop him. Newman instead goaded Ospreay into doing the deed, with the AEW star reluctantly obliging.

Konosuke Takeshita retained his NJPW World Television title, defeating Chase Owens. After the match, however, a returning SANADA laid him out, establishing himself as the next challenger.

Carlos Silva responds to Will Ospreay’s criticism: ‘Business is business’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Will Ospreay is not a fan of TNA’s decision to pull its talent out of scheduled matches during WrestleMania week. Carlos Silva, however, is standing by his decision. 

Silva, the president of TNA Wrestling, discussed the issue in an interview with Josh Martinez of Z100 New York. 

Silva began by saying he didn’t need to respond to Ospreay’s comments. “Business is business,” he said. “Every pro wrestling business is going to protect themselves, and we’re going to continue to do that. What I would say to the fans is, I got a lot of heat, and it’s okay. The fans can bring the heat, but there is only one reason that I did it, and that was to protect TNA and have our house protected.”

With TNA World Champion Mike Santana by his side, Silva implied that he was still bothered after Warner Brothers Discovery moved an episode of AEW Collision to Thursday night, head to head against TNA Impact on AMC.  

“If people are going to come at us, we’re going to do thing to protect TNA,” he said. “We were asked when we were looking at our TV deal, ‘What would be the best night?’ We started looking at all the nights and we said, ‘Everyone has their nights. We’re on Thursday night. We should be on Thursday night.’ So, if someone is going to come onto Thursday night against us, we’re going to take that seriously.” 

Silva then suggested that an unnamed rival organization was maneuvering TNA from running in certain buildings. 

“If someone is going to block us from going into a venue because they are not allowed to talk to us because another organization is there, we’re going to take that seriously,” he said. “That’s the kind of stuff that happens. When I hear all of the chatter, I smile. It’s okay. Will Ospreay and everyone can come at me, but we’re going to do what’s best for TNA, our champions, and the fans.

Ospreay spoke out on the subject while talking with Martinez a few weeks ago. 

“TNA, of all people, who the f*ck do you think you guys are?” he asked. “I’m sorry. All the f*cking talk they were giving about being number two and you want to get permission for these guys to do that match and then pull them? I think that’s cowardly sh*t. I think that says everything about what you view your talent as. You view them as less than AEW talent, and that they don’t want to grow and they don’t want to develop and they don’t want to give back to fans.” 

Wrestling Weekly: WWE’s cuts & call-ups, Kevin Knight’s big Wednesday win

Posted on by Victor Sosa

On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa give their thoughts on the recent WWE releases, the arrival of Fatal Influence to WWE SmackDown, and Kevin Knight (pictured above) defeating MJF to earn an AEW World title shot this Wednesday.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Will Ospreay: ‘Didn’t know how bad my neck really was until they told me I couldn’t wrestle’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Will Ospreay revisited his neck injury that kept him out of in-ring action for nearly six months. He also touched points on his NJPW return and the current talents on the promotion.

In an exclusive interview with NJPW, Ospreay discussed his in-ring return to the promotion in April, a month after his AEW comeback. 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.”

Ospreay gave insight on the flow of events and new talents in NJPW during his time away from the promotion, focusing on AEW. 

“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.” 

Ospreay was asked about AEW wrestlers who he thought would fare well in NJPW. He instantly responded with Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland and MJF. 

“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.”

Ospreay returned to AEW at Revolution in March. He targeted the Death Riders which ultimately led to a singles match against Moxley for the Continental Title at Dynasty. 

AEW stars confirmed for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2026 this weekend

Posted on by Jake Skudder

New Japan will be presenting Wrestling Dontaku 2026 this weekend from Fukuoka International Center, and there are some major AEW stars set to be performing on Night 1 and Night 2 of the event.

Will Ospreay will be joining 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.

Night 2 will also feature Konosuke Takeshita defending his NJPW WORLD TV Championship against Chase Owens.

FAQ and Context

When and where is NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2026?

Wrestling Dontaku 2026 runs across two nights this weekend at the Fukuoka International Center in Japan. It’s one of NJPW’s annual marquee events, traditionally held over Japan’s Golden Week.

How can I watch Wrestling Dontaku?

The show streams worldwide on NJPW World, New Japan’s official subscription platform. Both nights are available live with English commentary, and the platform retains the shows on demand afterwards.

Which AEW stars are appearing at Wrestling Dontaku?

Three major AEW names are on the card: Will Ospreay, Andrade El Idolo and Konosuke Takeshita. Ospreay is in a six-man tag on Night 1, Andrade challenges for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship the same night, and Takeshita defends his NJPW WORLD TV title on Night 2.

Will Ospreay talks relationship between AEW and NJPW

Posted on by Jake Skudder

AEW star and former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay recently spoke to NJPW1972.com about his upcoming return to the company. Ospreay would also discuss the current relationship between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan, seemingly helping to further build the storyline tension for the upcoming Forbidden Door PPV.

“It is a difficult one” Ospreay would begin. “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.”

Will Ospreay on AEW to NJPW ‘excursions’

Ospreay also indicated that more AEW stars could make their way over to New Japan, almost as a quasi-excursion due to the size of the All Elite roster:

“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.”

Ospreay will be joining Great-O-Khan and HENARE this weekend at Wrestling Dontaku 2026 to face Tatsuya Matsumoto, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto.

WOL: WWE releases, WrestleMania fallout & news

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

Andrew Zarian is back with another episode of Wrestling Observer Live, talking about the latest news in professional wrestling.

He starts with a quick recap of last Sunday’s second night of WrestleMania 42 and the aftermath, Brock Lesnar’s match with Oba Femi and his pending retirement, and whether CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns was the best WrestleMania main event of all time.

WWE did its annual post-WrestleMania releases on Friday and he discusses all the departures, including some big names like Aleister Black, Zelina, and Kairi Sane. Where do they go, and in the case of Sane, does she return based on the negative backlash?

I also talk about the interaction between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay that happened on AEW Dynamite, involving the Death Riders abducting Ospreay, and the follow-up on Collision in which Ospreay was given a choice by Moxley.

Plus, he looks ahead to Double or Nothing, security issues at WrestleMania weekend, and more!

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

B&V: AEW Dynamite and NXT TV with backstage notes!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about including a largely excellent edition of Dynamite with the exception of the Will Ospreay’s Decapitated Head storyline, and an NXT that was just sorta there with the exception of the phenomenon that is Jackson Drake. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Right Click Save As

WOR: Van Hammer, Flair on Helwani, Dynamite and NXT, Ali Act

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more on Van Hammer, the WrestleMania ESPN ratings, Ric Flair on Ariel Helwani, the Ali Act, the AEW Dynamite TV report, NXT recap, plus all the rest of the news. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: More on Van Hammer, why the Pat McAfee story was dropped, WWE WrestleMania ESPN numbers
13:33: Ric Flair on Ariel Helwani
21:30: Ali Act gets Senate hearing
32:26: CMLL notes, Dave’s thoughts on Ronda Rousey/Gina Carano build
39:51: AEW Dynamite recap
1:08:37: More ratings analysis, WWE NXT recap

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Will Ospreay: AEW Dynasty proved I’m ‘still one of the best wrestlers in the world’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Will Ospreay wanted to reassure fans that he is still one of the best wrestlers in the world at AEW Dynasty.

Ospreay lost a Continental Championship match to Jon Moxley at the April 12 pay-per-view in Vancouver. The match lasted just over 18 minutes and was rated 4.75 stars by our own Dave Meltzer. It was Ospreay’s first pay-per-view match since Forbidden Door 2025 and the neck surgery he underwent following that event.

Ospreay recently told The Sportster that he is still adjusting to his “new neck,” but has been able to do all the moves he was doing before surgery.

Ospreay said:

“I set such a high volume of pay-per-view standard and pay-per-view quality matches before I got hurt. I wanted to come back and still be able to reassure people that pay-per-view Billy Goat is still one of the best wrestlers in the world.

And undeniably, I feel like I proved it once again.

It’s super scary because it still doesn’t feel like my head. I’m still like getting used to like this new neck that I’ve got now. So, it is a test, but so far I feel like I’ve been able to do all the old things that I did beforehand.”

Ospreay was also asked about the possibility of facing Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship at All In this summer. Ospreay said he is unsure whether he will be entered into this year’s Owen Hart Cup, but noted that winning the AEW World Championship at Wembley Stadium would be something he could look back on and be proud of.

“I could never imagine what Wembley Stadium would look like and now I’ve been in there and I felt winning a championship in that venue. To win the most coveted prize in all pro wrestling, I think honestly it would just be one of these moments where like I finally did something cool in my life that I could actually look back on and be proud about.”

Up next for Ospreay is tonight’s episode of Dynamite. He is scheduled to wrestle Mark Davis on the show. Ospreay’s full interview with TheSportster is available below:

Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis, Darby Allin appearance set for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

A clash between former United Empire teammates and the first appearance by new AEW World Champion Darby Allin will headline this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from Portland, Oregon.

After Mark Davis jumped Will Ospreay after the latter’s win over Hechicero this past Wednesday as Don Callis’ “plan B,” the two will go one-on-one. The longtime allies became enemies following Davis’ post-injury return in late-2024 after he turned on Ospreay.

This will be their third-ever singles match with Ospreay going 2-0 (NJPW Cup in 2023, Dynamite in February 2025).

Returning to his home region of the Pacific Northwest, Allin will be on hand to celebrate his upset win over MJF this past Wednesday in a short match with a strong likelihood the former champion also makes an appearance.

The current lineup is rounded out by former AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Mina Shirakawa for the first time ever. Shirakawa confronted Shida and Kris Statlander during Thursday’s Collision, telling Statlander she doesn’t trust Shida.

Current AEW Dynamite lineup | This Wednesday | Portland, Oregon

  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Hikaru Shida
  • Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis
  • Darby Allin appearance

Will Ospreay files for ‘United Empire’ trademark

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Will Ospreay recently made a trademark filing for the name of his NJPW faction.

On April 10, Ospreay applied to trademark the term “United Empire” for merchandising and wrestling purposes. The faction was founded by Ospreay in NJPW and still exists today with Callum Newman serving as the leader following Ospreay’s departure to AEW.

The trademark is intended to cover the following goods and services:

  • Shirts; Sweatshirts; Hooded sweatshirts; Hats; Bandanas; Socks
  • Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes

Ospreay is no longer with NJPW full-time, but he intends to return to Japan more often now that he’s back in the ring following neck surgery. United Empire also crossed over into AEW last week with Newman, HENARE, and Francesco Akira helping Ospreay deal with the Death Riders.

The 23-year-old Newman defeated Yota Tsuji this month to become the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, potentially paving the way for an eventual split with Ospreay and subsequent title feud.