Welp, it's officially official: Will Ospreay has arrived in AEW.
That's right, after wrestling around the United States for much of the last year, delivering big-time bouts at Warrior Wrestling, West Coast Pro, and NJPW Strong, Ospreay has finally made his way to All Elite Wrestling, where a whole new world of matches suddenly come become a possibility. Could the leader of the United Empire make a run at the interim world championship belt, either against Jon Moxley – who he wrestled at NJPW Windy City Riot and at NJPW Capital Collision – or Hiroshi Tanahashi, who he also wrestled at Capital Collision? Or what about the long-rumored trios title alongside fellow faction members Aussie Open? Could Ospreay and Kenny Omega finally share the ring together for the first time since a Golden Lovers match in 2018?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKOCxmoTlJw
Only time will tell, but first, Ospreay needs an opponent for Forbidden Door, which will be his first time wrestling on a major American Pay-Per-View since he won lost to Jeff Cobb in a title-versus-title match at the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard in 2019. These three bouts would fit that bill indeed.
Will Ospreay could deliver an AEW classic in these Forbidden Door matches.
3. Trent Beretta
Ospreay debuted in AEW at the end of a segment where Trent Beretta challenged FTR to another match for the Ring of Honor tag team championships and made his in-ring debut in a match versus that trio alongside his United Empire stablemates Aussie Open, so maybe Tony Khan is telling us something. Maybe he knows that an Aussie Open-FTR match is a money angle between two of the best tag teams in the world and that Beretta's vast experience in New Japan, when coupled with in-ring veteran savvy, could deliver a fun yet relatively pressure-free win before turning his attention a bigger time opponent, be that Jon Moxley or someone else.
Though Beretta was a fixture of NJPW for much of the last decade, including four IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship runs and a single run as the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship alongside his fellow Chaos members Toru Tano and Tomohiro Ishii, he never shared the ring with Ospreay until his in-ring debut with AEW on June 10th, which was actually filmed on June 8th but hey, I digress.
Now granted, some of that had to do with how each performer was booked at the time, but regardless of why Ospreay and Beretta never wrestled in a singles match during their overlapping time in NJPW, Beretta *spoiler alert* now has a win over the current RevPro and Warrior world champion, and that certainly won't do one bit for the notably prideful championship contender.
2. Orange Cassidy
If the idea of throwing Ospreay out against Beretta isn't a big enough money angle for Forbidden Door, Tony Khan could bring out the biggest gun in the Best Friends faction and give the people what they want: Orange Cassidy.
Yes, OC; the man who wears a Canadian tuxedo to the ring, shades in the ring, and starts out every match he appears in with his hands in his pockets. Would Khan really throw his “Clown Prince of Carny” at one of the more well-respected wrestlers in the world today? If he's healthy enough to go, sure, why not?
You see, Cassidy hasn't wrestled since the Revolution Pay-Per-View, where he suffered an arm injury in the Casino Latter Match at Revolution that resulted in an extended stay away from the ring and a fun denim sling to match his outfit. While Cassidy has been around and was a big part of his Indie tag team partner Danhausen's early run with the company, his presence on AEW television has been sorely missed.
What better way to bring him back than on the biggest non-WWE show of the year?
Though some might quibble with the idea of Cassidy wrestling Ospreay, the former can legitimately go and could deliver a classic fast-paced bout against Ospreay, who himself isn't afraid to get goofy at times or take part in some mischief like charging the ring at Wrestle Kingdom wearing a Gucci and Supreme-heavy outfit. Do it, Mr. Khan; give the people what they want.
1. Bryan Danielson
If the goal of Forbidden Door is to deliver dream match after dream match, the dreamiest match of all potentially on the table for Will Ospreay has to be a date with the American Dragon.
Bryan Danielson is not only one of the best wrestlers in AEW but arguably one of the best wrestlers in the world. The ferocity he delivers in the ring is incredible, and when he wants to go for it with the fans at his back, he can do so in a way even Vince McMahon can't contain despite his best efforts.
Assuming health, which is a legitimate question mark after being removed from a meet-and-greet due to an inability to fly, Danielson throwing down in a bout versus Ospeary would be a five-star match at minimum and could be a very legitimate contender for match of the year if everything works out. Considering Danielson initially left WWE to test his mettle against performers like Ospreay across the international wrestling landscape, giving him a match against William Regal's fellow countryman would be must-watch affair indeed.
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